TITLE: THE ELEVENTH HOUR
SCRIPTURE: ST. MATTHEW 20:1-16
Be honest. When you heard the reading of the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard just now, did your heart leap for joy? Were you thrilled when you heard that the workers who had toiled and slaved all day long in the hot sun were going to get the same day’s wages as those who had worked only one hour? I think not!
Let’s face it, this is not one of Jesus’ more popular parables.
• It’s the parable most everyone loves to hate
• And for good reason!
• The parable runs against the grain of one of our most deeply cherished values
• The value of hard work and just reward
The more you work and the more productive you are, the more you ought to get paid.
• I don’t know many who would disagree with that
• And this is the complaint of those who worked all day
• “You have made them equal to us”
It is interesting this is the only Gospel Writer Matthew that records this parable of the laborers. It is connected to the preceding chapter and appears to add to what Jesus said concerning the Kingdom Of Heaven. At the close of the chapter He said “MANY THAT ARE FIRST SHALL BE LAST, AND THE LAST SHALL BE FIRST.” He may have given this parable to provide further explanation for that line of reasoning. In any event, Jesus meant to teach just one thing: that some who think they’re first in the world are going to find themselves last in heaven.
This intriguing parable provokes one of the most primitive cries of childhood, when one sibling gets a bigger piece of cake than another, the one who feels cheated screams: “but that’s not fair!” And so it goes –
• Some seem to get more than they deserve while others get less
• It’s just not right
++++Listen to the parable once more: A landowner hired workers early in the morning and promised to pay them what amounted to minimum wage – one denarius. This was considered the basic subsistence for a man to feed his family for a day. The landowner then went back at –
• Nine o’clock -- hired additional workers
• At Noon -- hired a few more workers
• At Three o’clock -- found a few more and hired them too
• At Five o’clock and hired more workers – to work the final hour of the work day
• He told them simply that he would pay them what was right
A penny represents a denarius, or a common day’s wage for an average worker. The wage offered doesn’t prove that the rewards of heaven are given in payment for works we have done or for a debt we are owed.
• No, it is all of Grace
• Free Grace signifies that there is a reward waiting for us and it is a significant one
• ROMANS 4:4 -- “NOW TO HIM THAT WORKETH IS THE REWARD NOT RECKONED OF GRACE, BUT OF DEBT”
• In other words, if God’s rewards were payment for Work we had done, then it would not be Grace
We can be sure that our reward will be “WHATSOEVER IS RIGHT.” You will never lose anything by working for God -- The crown set before us is a CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS, WHICH THE RIGHTEOUS JUDGE SHALL GIVE. Many in the Church today don’t understand this, that’s why they don’t work in or around the Church for the Lord. There is no greater Joy and Satisfaction than working for the Lord.
• The laborers in our text were only hired for one day
• It is only a short time that we have to work for the Lord
• But the reward is for eternity
• That thought should encourage us to use our time wisely and work hard
Let’s run through this text and see what we can glean. It is harvest time and the Master of the vineyard needed more workers.
• Therefore, early in the morning, probably dawn; the first workers were hired
• AND WHEN HE HAD AGREED WITH THE LABOURERS FOR A PENNY A DAY, HE SENT THEM INTO HIS VINEYARD
AND HE WENT OUT ABOUT THE THIRD HOUR, AND SAW OTHERS STANDING IDLE IN THE MARKETPLACE -- THE THIRD HOUR –
• By the way we tell time today, would be 9 am
• The market place was where those who wanted to work waited to be hired
• Some were hired early in the morning
• But there were others still waiting and hoping for work, because they had to feed their family
• These were not lazy men, but there was nothing to do except wait
The master of the vineyard told all those who wanted to work to go work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. He must have been a man who was trusted in the community, since this group of workers never agreed with him on a certain amount for their pay. Instead, they relied on his reputation as a man of integrity, and each worker responded to the opportunity immediately.
The text tells us, he did this again and went out about the sixth and ninth hour. The householder went to the marketplace at noon and 3pm and hired more workers.
AND ABOUT THE ELEVENTH HOUR HE WENT OUT, AND FOUND OTHERS STANDING IDLE, AND SAITH UNTO THEM, WHY STAND YE HERE ALL THE DAY IDLE?
• The 11th hour is 5pm when the day is almost gone
• There were a few men just hanging around the market place, and probably none of them expected to be hired at this point in the day
• They may have stayed just because they couldn’t go home and disappoint their hungry wife and children
The master of the vineyard may have been surprised to see any one still there, and so he asked them, “WHY STAND YE HERE ALL THE DAY IDLE?” There is a message here that we should remember.
• Some enter into the kingdom of God in old age, at the Eleventh Hour, when life is almost spent
• You remember one thief on the Cross
• He got it right during the 11th Hour
• Lord said – TODAY YOU WILL BE WITH ME IN PARADISE
• He was only hours from death but got it right with the Lord
• But none enter in at the 12th hour when life is done
• You must enter in when there is still the opportunity to do so
• While there is Life, there is Hope
Some people put off salvation until they are old, and then they think it’s too late. But remember, that now is the accepted time; if we will hear His voice, it must be today. Old sinners will be accepted just as readily as young ones, if they truly repent of their sins and ask Almighty God to save them. Nothing is too hard for the Lord.
Let me give a disclaimer here. Don’t, however, draw the wrong conclusion from this. Yes, God can save us even at the last minute, the Eleventh Hour, but how do we know we’ll even have a “last minute”?
• A sudden accident
• An unexpected heart attack
• A slow dulling of our mental abilities
• These and a hundred other things could keep us from turning to Christ
• Don’t put it off until the Eleventh Hour
• Why take that chance?
This worker that is hired during the 11th hour – is not given a pay scale. The pay scale will be whatsoever is right.
• Now, I don’t think you and I could work under an arrangement like that
• The bosses’ idea of what the right pay is going to be is probably going to be different from my idea
• However, those who labor for Jesus can trust His Justice
There is a great problem with CEO’s and workers as it pertains to being paid fairly in our nation. There is a great discrepancy as to the viewpoint of what is fair and just –
• Walmart CEO $25M - Median Pay for Walmart Employee - $22,500
• Starbucks CEO $21M - Median Pay for Starbucks Employee - $32,000
• Chipotle CEO $29M - Median Pay for Chipotle Employee - $19,000
• Oracle CEO $67M - Median Pay for Oracle Employee - $117,000
• However, when you labor for Jesus we can trust His Justice
SO, WHEN EVENING WAS COME, THE LORD OF THE VINEYARD SAITH UNTO HIS STEWARD, CALL THE LABOURERS, AND GIVE THEM THEIR HIRE, BEGINNING FROM THE LAST UNTO THE FIRST.
• When the evening was come,” that is, at the end of the day, the day-laborers were called and paid
• The order in which they were to be paid was not the way it is usually done
• Instead of paying those who worked the longest first the steward is instructed to pay those who had started at the 11th hour, first
On the great day of the Lord’s return, the dead in Christ shall rise first, yet they which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with them in the clouds; no preference will be given to seniority.
• Just because we have been a member of FBC for 70 years doesn’t mean you will get any special preference over that new member when we get to Glory
• Just because you were the Ministry Leader for 40 years doesn’t mean you will have a special place over that person that sat in the pews for 40 years and never lead a ministry in the Church
• Just because we have been running for the Lord all our life doesn’t mean we will have a special reward over the one saved a very short period of time
• Sometimes we think because we have been here so long that “we are First Baptist”
• From the person that joined the Church last month or may join today “We are all First Baptist”
Let’s run back to the text. If the Master of the Vineyard paid One Denarius for one hour’s work, then he must be going to pay one denarius per hour. That would be generous and fair. If I worked in the sun all day long, I would be growing pretty excited right about now, knowing I am about to get paid well as long as I have worked today. Instead of Hot Dogs we are going to have Fried Chicken for Dinner tonight! However; this is where the parable takes an unexpected turn --
• As the workers filed by to receive their wages, he paid them all the same
• One denarius each, no matter how long they worked
Now wait a minute -- that’s just not fair! The landowner was not playing by their rules. Never mind they got precisely what they were promised; the fact the others got the same was a pill too big to swallow. That’s not fair could be the title of today’s message. It’s the exclamation of those who have worked all day, long and hard, and get to the front of the line to receive exactly the pay they’ve been promised, likely a small amount, but the going rate that was fair for a day’s pay.
If you consider just their experience, such a cry seems odd.
• They came, agreed on a price
• Worked as agreed,
• And got their reward
• So why are they so cranky?
Because from the back of the pay line they have seen the landowner paying others, those who had worked far less.
• Based on that pay, they’ve come to expect more than was promised
• Surely they had earned it
• And yet, they only get the original amount promised
• Just like those who arrived last
So, what do you think, is it fair? Of course not! It’s not fair at all! Can you just be honest with me this morning? If you work more, you should be paid more. We all agree on that.
• This parable pits Justice against Grace
• It violates our sense of Right and Wrong
• If God is the landowner, what does this mean?
• That God isn’t Fair? - Perhaps
• That God’s sense of Justice is different than ours? -- Probably
• That God’s Grace is beyond anything we can imagine? - For sure!
• That we are Jealous because God is Generous? -- Most likely
The landowner replied, “DON’T I HAVE THE RIGHT TO DO WHAT I WANT WITH MY OWN MONEY? ARE YOU ENVIOUS BECAUSE I AM GENEROUS? TAKE YOUR PAY AND GO HOME.”
• What was it about those workers who had worked all day that made them so angry when the others got paid the same?
• The first problem was the fact that they were obviously working for the pay and not out of a sense of purpose or pleasure
The workers protest that in his decision, the landowner has made the later in the day workers “Equal” to them, and you can imagine that word “Equal” said with a dirty taste in the mouth.
• It seems the workers, and us, rely on systems of inequality in order to maintain our own sense of self-worth and value
• Work is more than just earning a daily wage
• Sad reality is - it determines whether or not we are considered Successful or a Failure
• Superior or Inferior
• It is a source of Division and Competition
• And the landowner upsets the apple cart by showing generosity to everyone
• Placing everyone on an equal playing field
This is a good question we would do well to ask -- “what is it that motivates you to do what you do?”
• Whether you’re employed full-time
• Or serve as a volunteer
• Whether you work in the community
• Or around the house
• What motivates you to do what you do?
• If it’s money or recognition or the praise of others, be careful!
• Most jobs don’t pay enough to satisfy a healthy ego
If what you’re doing isn’t self-satisfying and self-fulfilling, you are likely to harbor resentment and anger about doing it, and when someone comes along doing the same job and gets paid more, you’re likely to feel as resentful as the workers in the parable. Only as you truly enjoy what you are doing will you be able not to look over your shoulder and compare your situation with others.
A second problem with the disgruntled workers in the parable is that they lacked a healthy sense of gratitude. Think about it.
• Have you ever been out of work?
• Have you ever applied for a job and gotten turned down?
• I can tell you, it’s no fun
Can you remember how grateful you were when you got a call or a letter offering you a job? Well, what happens to that feeling of gratitude once you’re on the job for a while and the new wears off?
• Isn’t that when we begin to complain and find fault?
• Those who are grateful to be employed have little to complain about
• It’s when gratitude gives way to the routine that we become disgruntled and begrudge those who seem to have it better
God’s Justice arises out of a sense of community in which we see the “Eleventh Hour” workers as our brothers and sisters whose needs are every bit as important as our own. Next time you get bent out of shape when someone else gets more than he/she deserves, ask yourself,
• What does this say about my relationship to this person?
• Would I feel the same if this were my brother or sister or father or mother?
Well, I suppose when it’s all said and done, we’ll always feel a little squeamish about the inequities of life – the unfairness of it all – and perhaps we’ll continue to harbor a little resentment toward those who seem to get a free ride.
• Let’s just say it’s because we are human - not God
• Even so, let’s trust God to be just in spite of our humanness, so that when the day comes when we are caught short, as one day it surely will, there will be Grace for us as well
This is a tremendous parable which illustrates an important truth -- it is not the amount of time which you serve or the prominence or importance of your position which determines your reward. Rather, you will be rewarded for your faithfulness to the task which God has given you to perform, regardless of how insignificant it appears or the length of time you serve.
• However, only God is able to judge your faithfulness
• Therefore, don’t watch what others are doing and don’t become distracted by what they say about you
• But be faithful to do what God has called you to do
Let me close with a story this morning --
--The story is told of a man who died and went to heaven
--St. Peter met him at the pearly gates and asked to examine his qualifications
--“We have a point system,” St. Peter said, “and only those with enough points are allowed to enter”
--“Points?” the man asked, “I don’t know what you’re talking about”
--St. Peter explained, It’s simple. We determine how many points you have by the life you’ve led
--We require a hundred points to get in
--Tell me about your life, and I’ll add up your points
--The man thought for a moment and said, “Well, let’s see. I was a faithful member of my church for over forty-seven years. I served as a deacon and an elder, and I taught Sunday School”
--St. Peter said, “Very good. You get one point”
--The man said to himself, “Oh, my! Well, let’s see, I was a good husband and a good father. I gave a tithe to the church, and I contributed to all sorts of charities. I helped with various civic projects, and I served on several committees. Doesn’t that count for anything?”
--St. Peter said, “Indeed it does. You get another point.”
--The man’s face sank, and he said, I can see now, I’ll never make it
--The only way I’d ever get into this place is by the Grace of God
--St. Peter smiled and said, “And that, my friend, is worth ninety-eight points. Welcome!
