Introduction
It's the moment that Bruce Willis sees his wedding ring roll across the floor in The Sixth Sense, when Charleston Heston looks up at the beach and sees a semi-submerged Statue of Liberty in Planet of the Apes, when a psychotic Norman Bates puts on his dress and wig, or when Dorothy wakes up in her own bedroom back in Kansas ... surprise endings make movies and stories memorable.
Author Shannon L. Alder said, “The best stories are the ones with the unexpected plot twists that no one would have guessed, even the writer.”
Jesus' parables were stories that contained surprise endings for those hearing them for the first time. We have heard them, so we are expecting the ending. If we could hear them for the first time again and let the surprise of the story wash over us, it would be valuable.
This parable has been difficult for interpreters.
*Coming of the Gentiles into the Kingdom and resulting Jewish objection to their being fully welcomed although newcomers.
*Some interpret this as being about salvation. Some people obey the gospel late in life, but receive the same reward.
*Some think they deserve greater reward in heaven for all of their good works.
All of those are interesting, but they mostly ignore the surprise ending….the plot twist when Jesus says …“So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” Jesus sends us three clear signals about His Kingdom.
1. THERE IS WORK TO DO IN HIS KINGDOM
For many years the American church has had a perspective of being consumer driven, viewing other churches as competitors, and programming by direction of felt needs. Good hearted efforts with Kingdom goals and dreams. However, have we left the impression that we just want a lot of people to come sit in our churches?
The Landowner In this parable is looking for workers.
Ephesians 2:10 For we are God’s masterpiece. He has created us anew in Christ Jesus, so we can do the good things he planned for us long ago. (NLT)
The Christian life is guided by two principles: Love God and Love your Neighbor. Demonstrating love to the world around us is our work! Every Christian should be aware of their talents / abilities and look for ways to put them to use to magnify Christ, his Church, and the promises he gives to all who trust Him. Even in our workplace and school we are on mission - using wisdom and watching for opportunities. Works of mercy, service, love, teaching, sharing, helping.
Philippians 2:16 Hold firmly to the word of life; then, on the day of Christ’s return, I will be proud that I did not run the race in vain and that my work was not useless. (NLT)
The Christian never goes to sleep having done all they can do, nor gets up in the morning with nothing to do!
There is work to do in His Kingdom and …
2. THERE IS GRACE FOR ALL IN HIS KINGDOM
The first hint that this is no ordinary story is when it comes time to pay the workers - they were all paid the same - no matter how long they worked.
Two Reactions:
*Some were Unhappy! This parable “…is a little like cod liver oil: You know Jesus is right, you know it must be good for you, but that does not make it any easier to swallow...it seems to reward those who have done the least while it sends those who have worked the hardest to the end of the line.” B.B.Taylor). We can relate because we probably put ourselves in the place of the ones who worked all day!
*Some were Very Happy! They likely thought they wouldn’t be paid much because they hadn’t had time to earn anything. We might not put ourselves here, but this is where we want to be - recipients of the unfairness of grace. "God is not fair; God is generous, and when we begrudge that generosity it is only because we have forgotten where we stand.” (B.B. Taylor)
There is no room for comparison, envy, thinking we are better than others - or that others are better than us. David Platt - “God doesn't owe us salvation for something we have done; He gives us salvation despite everything we have done.” In a glorious unfairness, Jesus offers grace to all who follow Him. God doesn’t give us what we deserve. Aren’t we glad? More, it is his sovereign choice to do so. Jesus affirmed it was his choice to give grace to whomever he wanted!
3. THERE IS ROOM FOR YOU.
The Landowner kept going to see if he could find workers from early in the morning to late in the evening. "For reasons we may never know, God seems to love us indiscriminately…” (B.B. Taylor) No matter who you are, Jesus keeps coming back to offer his grace and share a place in His Kingdom.
Conclusion
There is work to do in the Kingdom, There is Grace for all in the Kingdom, There is room for You.
The surprise ending in a story about workers in a vineyard is that by His own choice God gives grace to the ones who expected an deserved it least.
Grace is for those who have been beaten up by life by poor decisions, broken promises and deep regret. Betrayed and empty, left in the hands of the Prince of Darkness, people need the Lord. Grace is for the graceless. I don’t know what you’ve done in your life, but I do know that Jesus offers to save you today. If you believe in His power to save you, and you’re willing to give your life to Him, then I encourage you to be baptized today and start receiving his wonderful grace. If you have been judgmental of others, I challenge you to watch God at work in the lives of people that you thought would never say ‘yes’ to Jesus. Be wide open to God’s possibilities.
Embrace the unfair Grace of God!
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LifeGroup Questions
1. What was the first job outside of the home for which you were paid?
2. Why should the workers hired in the early morning been satisfied with their pay? How many times did the landowner look in the marketplace for day workers? What does that say to you about Jesus and the Kingdom?
3. What do you think contributes to the idea of the church as a place to come and worship rather than a Kingdom of workers?
4. The landowner’s question, “Are you envious because I am generous?” (verse 15), is the translation of a Greek idiom which literally translates as “Is your eye evil because I am good?” An “evil eye” suggested a deeper problem. The same expression is used in Matthew 6:22-23. In this account, the “evil eye” was the opposite of generosity (e.g., jealousy, greed, stinginess, etc.).
- Can you think of some examples or reasons why some Christians who have been around a while might have some feelings of envy, jealousy, or dislike for new Christians who are just coming along in the Kingdom?
- How does one go about curing the ‘evil eye’ of jealousy?
- What are some ways we could individually bless the ‘new kid in town’ by helping them grow into their place in the Kingdom?
5. Why do some Christians have a hard time embracing grace both for themselves and others? How can we more fully grasp the grace of Christ?
6. In order for us to rejoice that the ‘last shall be first’, how must we regard ourselves? What does that mean to you?
Resources
Emerson Powery
https://www.workingpreacher.org/preaching.aspx?commentary_id=2157
Barbara Brown Taylor. The Seeds of Heaven: Sermons on the Gospel of Matthew
David Platt. Christ-Exposition Commentary Matthew
