The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

The sermon encouraged church members to not live under the pride of our own perspectives, but live according to God’s bigger picture of the Vineyard.

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is a very interesting parable, while at the same time, hard to understand. It’s one thing to look at the text of the parable, but we have to look deeper into the subtext of the message Jesus is giving us.

First, in Matthew 20:1-13, we want to see the context and clarify misunderstandings. A landowner calls workers throughout the day, all offering 1 denarius. Imagine waking up at 6 AM to work hard all day at a construction site, only to get the same amount as a person starting work at 5 PM. Now we understand the complaint. On one hand, the owner gives what is promised, but on the other hand working 12 hours vs. 1 hour is quite a big difference. Now you begin to see the difference, each side has their own perspective. Today, we must deeply realize the pride and arrogance we have living by my own standards of justice and fairness. In this world, we are too individualized with everyone having their own standard of how to live. Have you ever heard that we must find our own purpose and meaning in life? Of course there is something good about that, but the bad side is that the more we individualize, the more we rely on ourselves. We find ourselves weak, without structure – we need God in our life.

Next, in Matthew 20:14-15, let’s look at God’s bigger picture, where the owner identifies the envy of the early workers. In this way, Jesus challenges whether or not our standards of justice and fairness are really pure. If we were the 5 PM guy, we wouldn’t complain, but because we are the 6 AM guy, we complain. So my true issue isn’t the standard, but it is which position I am in. When grace is given to me, I’m happy, but given to someone else, then I’m envious. How hypocritical are we? The truth is, all of us living individually for ourselves are just concerned with how much denarius I’m receiving, while the owner is concerned with the overall vineyard. God’s standard is different. It is not based on wealth, social status, power – these are inconsequential. God cares about eternal things that will last, like the vineyard which bears abundant fruits. We too must stop living basing our lives on temporary things and live for eternal things that will bear fruit.

Finally, in Matthew 20:16, Jesus says that the first will be last and the last will be first. Here we realize the profound wisdom of the Lord, telling us that we are simultaneously in the position of the last and the first. We are the last ones because we are standing on the foundation of so many that suffered before me, most of all Jesus Christ who died on the cross. And we are the first ones because there are people who are coming later than us, since history and time always move forward. Science and technology are this way, always moving forward on the foundation of the past, on their denarius, we make a bigger vineyard. Despite that, we don’t forget the past, the 1st ones, though they received the same denarius, their work is qualitatively different. God knows our hearts and the meaning of suffering is deeply embedded in the vineyard. The Bible says that Jesus is the vine and we are the branches. It means we are completely reliant on Jesus, his cross and resurrection, for the vitality of life to bear fruits. That love overflows to the ones coming after us.

This is how we can build a beautiful church, a beautiful Kingdom of God. It is not a place where we are self-serving and fighting on our own standards, but it is a place where the love of Jesus Christ overflows and the vineyard bears abundant fruits.