Grumblers And The Scandal Of Grace

In Jesus Holy Name September 20, 2020

Text: Matthew 20:1-2,15 Redeemer

Grumblers & The Scandal of Grace

John Reuman in his book “Jesus in the Church’s Gospel’s” writes; “Jesus….stressed the “grace of God”. Mercy, goodness and love for sinful humanity is the message Jesus brought from the Father. The words of Jesus proclaim God’s grace and his actions spell it out. We must remember that the religious people of Jesus’ day, like the Scribes and Pharisees, criticized Jesus for consorting with such irreligious folk as publicans, sinners and prostitutes.

Our gospel text for today is a parable in which Jesus is saying to his critics: “Your idea of God is all wrong, this is what God is like: The kingdom of God is like a “good employer.”

We know the parable as the “Labors in the Vineyard”. But the parable is not about “fair labor practices.” It is not about labors in the vineyard. It is about the “good employer”.

The text. Read Matthew 20:1-2,15

This would have been a typical scene in the days of the Bible. Just as we have employment agencies today, in the first century, there were places were day laborers gathered to seek work. These workers were unskilled at trade and were the near the bottom of the social economic scale They worked from job to job, many of which lasted no more than a day. Because they had no guarantee of work beyond what they might be doing at the time, they would gather in the market place before dawn to be available for hiring.

The Jewish workday began at 6:00 a.m. This was called the first hour. The third hour began at 9:00 a.m., the sixth hour began at noon, the ninth hour began at 3:00 p.m. and the eleventh hour at 5:00 p.m.

It is at this point that the parable takes a dramatic turn. By the eleventh hour 5:00 p.m., the work on most plantations would have been winding down. The laborers waiting for work at this time would have lost hope. The workers were happy even for an hour of work…and trusted the land owner for a fair wage.

The employer has compassion on the unemployed and their families. He gave them something unexpected and undeserved. Jesus is saying: “That’s what God is like! Your Father in heaven is merciful. God is good. Accept his free offer.

Last Sunday Pastor Scott had a great message on forgiveness. Let me ask you a question. Have you ever been deeply hurt by someone’s words? (We all have) Did their words sting? (yes) Does the hurt still linger? Then let me ask one other question: “Can they buy your forgiveness?” (of course not)

Neither can you buy God’s love. Neither can you buy God’s forgiveness. “The wages of sin is death…but the free gift of God is eternal life.” (Romans 6:23)

Jesus did not teach the fundamental goodness of human beings. Yes, he believed we were created in the image of God, but he also believed that image was marred, no longer pure. Jesus does not deny that we do “good things” for others. As a matter of fact Jesus expects His disciples to do good works. Human beings have been doing extra ordinary things for the fire victims in our community. Others have been doing extra ordinary things for the hurricane victims in Florida, Mississippi and Alabama. They have provided free medical care, food clothing and water. They have provided millions of dollars.

But in the deepest recesses of our heart we have inherited a twisted selfish nature. Every sin is a form of selfish revolt against God’s authority and our neighbor’s welfare.

Any broken commandment is revolt against God. It is the substitution of life for self rather than life for God. The tendency to be selfish has been passed on to us

from our first parents. This is what we refer to as “original sin.” We are also sinners by choice.

From the time of Cain and Abel humanity has sought to provide our own remedy for this terminal disease called sin. God told Cain… “sin is crouching at the door you must overcome it.” But sometimes we just don’t conquer it.

In the parable Jesus reminds his critics and us that God is a God of grace. Many of the workers grumbled at the land owner’s generosity. They thought they should have more, than their original agreement with the owner. And so they grumbled.

To grumble is to make complaining remarks or noises under one’s breath. To murmur or mutter in discontent, is to grumble. In staff over the past few months we have been reading about the Children of Israel on their journey from slavery in Egypt to freedom and the promised land.

The children of Israel grumbled against Moses and the Lord. They grumbled because they didn’t have enough water. They grumbled because they didn’t like the wilderness. They grumbled because they thought Moses was a harsh leader. They grumbled because they missed Egypt. They grumbled because they thought the “promised land” was filled with giants God could not defeat.