God's Lavish Mercy

GOD IS FAIR AND JUST! THAT IS HARD FOR MANY TO GRASP. WE LIVE WITHIN THE SYSTEM OF PUNATIVE LAW: YOU GET WHAT YOU DESERVE. YET, THE SYSTEM OF GRACE IS FOREIGN TO US: GOD DEALS WITH US ACCORDING TO WHO HE IS, NOT ACCORDING TO WHO WE ARE.

GOD EXPLAINED HIS GRACE AND COMPASSION TO MOSES IN EXODUS 34:6-7, “THE LORD PASSED IN FRONT OF MOSES, CALLING OUT, “YAHWEH! THE LORD! THE GOD OF COMPASSION AND MERCY! I AM SLOW TO ANGER AND FILLED WITH UNFAILING LOVE AND FAITHFULNESS. I LAVISH UNFAILING LOVE TO A THOUSAND GENERATIONS. I FORGIVE INIQUITY, REBELLION, AND SIN.”

KING DAVID REPEATED THIS TRUTH IN PSALM 145:8, “THE LORD IS GRACIOUS AND MERCIFUL, SLOW TO ANGER AND ABOUNDING IN STEADFAST LOVE.” THIS IS THE ESSENCE OF GOD’S GRACE, WHEN HE REWARDS AND BLESSES HIS PEOPLE ACCORDING TO HIS WILL AND PLEASURE, NOT NECESSARILY ACCORDING TO WHAT WE DESERVE.

THIS PARABLE THAT JESUS TELLS IS ACTUALLY MORE THAN A STORY. THE PARABLE IS AN ANSWER OR, PERHAPS, A REBUTTLE TO SOMETHING PETER HAD JUST ASKED. WE GO BACK TO MATTHEW 19:27, “THEN PETER SAID TO HIM, “WE’VE GIVEN UP EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW YOU. WHAT WILL WE GET?”

PETER WAS BASICALLY EXCLAIMING TO JESUS THAT THEY HAD DONE ALL THAT HE SAID BY GIVING UP EVERYTHING TO FOLLOW HIM. PETER LITERALLY ASKS “WHAT WILL WE GET FOR THIS?” THE HUMAN MIND ALWAYS FEELS ENTITLED TO BE REWARDED FOR WHAT IT FEELS IS A DESERVING COMPENSATION FOR THEIR WORK AND EFFORT.

GOD DOES NOT RECOGNIZE AND REWARD US ON THE BASIS OF WHAT WE FEEL ARE OUR TRUE ACCOMPLISHMENTS THAT ARE WORTHY OF RECOGNITION, REWARD OR COMPENSATION. GOD’S GRACE IS LAVISHED IN A TOTALLY DIFFERENT CONTEXT.

WE ARE REMINDED OF THIS IN ISAIAH 55:8-9, “MY THOUGHTS ARE NOTHING LIKE YOUR THOUGHTS,” SAYS THE LORD. “AND MY WAYS ARE FAR BEYOND ANYTHING YOU COULD IMAGINE. FOR JUST AS THE HEAVENS ARE HIGHER THAN THE EARTH, SO MY WAYS ARE HIGHER THAN YOUR WAYS AND MY THOUGHTS HIGHER THAN YOUR THOUGHTS.”

GOD WORKS IN TERMS OF ETERNITY. WE TEND TO FUNCTION IN “TODAY” AND THE “NOW.” SO, WHEN THINGS DON’T GO AS WE PLAN OR WE DON’T RECEIVE THE PROPER RECOGNITION OR REWARD FOR WORK WE HAVE DONE, WE CAN GET RESENTFUL, UPSET, AND CONFUSED.

IT WAS NO DIFFERENT FOR THE WORKERS WHO TOILED ALL DAY LONG. VERSE 11, SAYS, “AND ON RECEIVING [THEIR PAY] THEY GRUMBLED AT THE MASTER….” THEY THOUGHT THEY DESERVED MORE, BECAUSE THEY FELT THEY DID MORE! ENVY…JEALOUSY…HAUGHTY.

THE ELDER SON RESPONDED THE SAME WAY IN LUKE 15:28-29, “BUT HE WAS ANGRY AND REFUSED TO GO IN. HIS FATHER CAME OUT AND ENTREATED HIM, BUT HE ANSWERED HIS FATHER, ‘LOOK, THESE MANY YEARS I HAVE SERVED YOU, AND I NEVER DISOBEYED YOUR COMMAND, YET YOU NEVER GAVE ME A YOUNG GOAT, THAT I MIGHT CELEBRATE WITH MY FRIENDS.” DISGRUNTLED AND NOT HAPPY FOR NOT GETTING WHAT HE THOUGHT HE RIGHTFULLY EARNED. ENTITLEMENT!

THE LANDOWNER DID NOT TREAT ANYONE UNFAIRLY OR UNJUSTLY. THE LANDOWNER RESPONDS WITH GRACE AND ADDRESSES THE ANGRY WORKER IN A POLITE AND FRIENDLY DEMEANOR AS “MY FRIEND.” HE IS MAKING IT KNOWN THAT HE IS DISAPPOINTED BY THEIR JEALOUSY AND RESENTMENT TOWARDS THE GENEROSITY HE HAS SHOWN TO THE OTHER WORKERS. HE SIMPLY CLAIMS HIS RIGHT TO DO WHATEVER HE WANTED WITH HIS OWN MONEY.

THE POINT IS THAT GOD REWARDS ON THE PRINCIPLE OF GRACE. HE WILL NEVER BE LESS THAN FAIR, BUT RESERVES THE RIGHT TO BE MORE THAN FAIR AS PLEASES HIM. GOD’S GRACE ALWAYS OPERATES RIGHTEOUSLY AND ON THE GROUNDS OF UNCONDITIONAL LOVE.

IN ADDITION TO THE VINEYARD WORKERS, GOD’S GRACE CAN ALSO BE SEEN WITH THE THEIF ON THE CROSS IN LUKE 23:42-43, “AND [THE THIEF] SAID, “JESUS, REMEMBER ME WHEN YOU COME INTO YOUR KINGDOM.” AND [JESUS] SAID TO HIM, “TRULY, I SAY TO YOU, TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE.”

THIS ACT OF GRACE FROM THE CROSS IN THE LAST HOURS OF LIFE LEFT IN THE THEIF IS PROOF OF WHAT JESUS SAID IN MATTHEW 9:13, “… ‘ FOR I CAME NOT TO CALL THE RIGHTEOUS, BUT SINNERS.”

THE LANDOWNER IN TODAY’S PARABLE IS GOD. THE VINEYARD IS HIS KINGDOM. THE WORKERS HIRED AT DAWN ARE THE ISRAELITES, TO WHOM HE FIRST OFFERED HIS COVENANT. THOSE HIRED LATER IN THE DAY ARE ALL THE REST OF US, THE GENTILES.

IN THE LORD’S GREAT GENEROSITY, THE SAME WAGES, THE SAME BLESSINGS PROMISED TO THE FIRST-CALLED, THE ISRAELITES, ARE NOW THE SAME INHERITANCE OF EQUAL VALUE TO BE PAID TO THOSE CALLED LAST, WHICH IS ALL OF HUMANITY TO THE END OF THE AGE.

GOD WORKS SPECIFICALLY AND DIFFERENTLY WITHIN EACH PERSON’S LIFE IN ORDER TO SAVE THEM. 1 TIMOTHY 2:3-4, “THIS IS GOOD AND PLEASES GOD OUR SAVIOR, WHO WANTS EVERYONE TO BE SAVED AND TO UNDERSTAND THE TRUTH.” WE SHOULD NEVER RESENT OR BECOME DISILLUSIONED BY HOW GOD WORKS IN ANOTHER’S LIFE.