Introduction

We’re going to let Jesus be our teacher today by listening to one of his parables about the kingdom of God. Your Bible may have a heading for Matthew 20:1-16 entitled, “The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard,” but I want to point out that this parable is less about the workers in the vineyard and more about the character and nature of the compassionate landowner.

In other words, this parable is less about human nature and more about the character and nature of God Himself. We’re going to discover that God is so wonderful, so kind, so gracious and loving that sometimes people respond to Him with anger and offense rather than awe and wonder. Did you know that was even possible? That God could be so gracious and kind towards some people that other people actually become offended at that amount of grace and kindness?

God is so gracious that His grace causes offense. People get offended. We sing the song “Amazing Grace” but we could just as easily sing the song, “Enraging Grace!” But thankfully that song doesn’t exist.

Today we’re going to look at a parable where Jesus describes the Father’s love and grace in such a way that others get offended. And when I say, “others get offended,” Jesus is talking about us! He’s talking about those of us who are following Him, working hard, serving and volunteering, putting in long hours, and doing the best we can for as long as we can.

We are the ones in danger of being offended at His grace towards others who are not working as hard, or serving and volunteering, or putting in the long hours. We are in danger of letting God’s goodness and kindness to others create resentment in our own hearts.

We’re going to check our hearts today. The question I want to reflect upon is, does God’s love and grace towards others offend us, or does it inspire us?

We’re going to check our hearts today. The question I want to reflect upon is, does God’s love and grace towards others offend us, or does it inspire us?

Main Teaching

Let’s make some observations. Here we have a landowner, the owner of a vineyard, who goes out early in the morning to hire workers. He finds a group of men eager to be hired for a day’s work. He hires some of them to work in his vineyard, and agrees to pay them a denarius, which was the normal amount for a full day’s work.

It was common back then, as it is today in many places, that unemployed men needing work would gather in certain spots hoping that someone would come by and hire them for the day. Being picked in the morning would mean there would be money to buy food for their wife and kids that evening. Those who were not offered employment went home empty-handed at night, feeling the shame and humiliation that comes with the inability to provide for their families.

We don’t know how many he hired that morning, but the text implies he left people behind.

Three hours later, he saw there were still others waiting to find work. He agrees to pay them “whatever is right,” meaning, a fair and just wage. He does not specify how much he will pay them, only that it will be “right” (20:4).

He does that two more times, at noon and again at 3pm. The parable does not explicitly say how much he will pay them, but it is assumed they also will receive “whatever is right.”

Finally, he goes back one last time at 5pm, about an hour before sunset. Again, he finds others still standing around wanting work but unable to find work. When he asks them why they are still there, they reply, “Because no one hired us” (20:7). He tells them to go and work in his vineyard, with no mention of how much they will be paid.

It’s at this point the parable starts to get really interesting ... View this full sermon with PRO Premium