God’s Minimum Wage

God’s Minimum Wage

Matthew 20:1-16

Have you ever wondered if you were getting paid what you are worth?

Is the financial reward worth the effort, is it fair and just?

Recently we have seen our provincial government ask these questions about the people who live at the lowest level of our economy. Those who make just minimum wage. After study and discussion the government decided to raise the minimum wage in Ontario to $14.00 an hour starting in 2018 and then $15.00 an hour in 2019.

Today we let Jesus explain to us how we will be paid for our services in the Kingdom of God.

This parable follows several previous conversations Jesus had with regular people and His disciples about the rewards for living God’s way in Matthew 19.

They wanted to know what was in it for them and what they would get?

Jesus had told them what was required of them and asked them to measure themselves against God’s standard, not their own. This was food for thought.

Jesus told His disciples that yes they would indeed receive rewards and places of honor in God’s Kingdom for their sacrifices and service for following Him.

That’s all well and good but what about the rest of us you might ask?

Jesus gives us the answer in this parable from Matthew 20:1-16

Again Jesus starts with that now familiar phrase; “For the kingdom of heaven is like”

This time it is a landowner who went out early to hire workers to work in his vineyard.

Notice that the landowner sets the wage not the government. A denarius was the agreed to wage.

A small silver coin like our dime it represented the sum of ten smaller coins.

It was enough to buy food for you and your family for one day, no more.

We see the landowner go into town five more times to get more workers.

6AM then 9AM then 12PM then 3PM then 5PM each time hiring workers.

We see in Matthew 20:4-5…

4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.

Then at the end of the day notice the landowner has his foreman pay the workers.

Matthew 20:8

8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’

They were all being paid the same amount regardless of how long they had worked, 12 hours, 9 hours, six hours, three hours or one hour. Seeing this those who were hired first expected they would be paid more. Instead they were paid the same.

They began to grumble to the landowner not to the foreman about their wages and a discussion took place.

The landowner explained that they had agreed to work for the amount of one denarius and that he kept his word and paid them that amount.

The landowner asked are you envious because I am generous to the others who have only worked one hour instead of 12 hours.

It is my money I can do with it what I want.

Saints the Lord has called each of us to work for the Kingdom of Heaven at different times.

Some of us since we were very young, others have been called late in life.

Still each of us has been called to labour for our King.

Even in the church of Christ there are those who think they will get more than someone else because of what they have done or for how long they have done it.

It is not church membership that will earn you a greater reward than someone else.

It is not being an Elder or a Pastor or a Sunday school teacher.

HEAVEN is the eternal reward for ALL who are called to labor for the King.

It matters not when you were called to God’s work it only matters that you have been faithful in carrying out the work you have been called to.

The long or short hours, the cool or hot days do not matter just your faithfulness to the task.

Jesus even reminds us that many who were last will be first and many who were first will be last.

In this Jesus is letting us know that there may yet be some who will do even greater things than some of the people we read about in God’s word. God’s story is a living story with pages yet to be written. It is not for us to judge what a person’s reward might or might not be. That is up to the landowner of the vineyard.

He has the right to be generous with whomever He wants. He sets the wage and hands out the rewards.