That's Not Fair!

That’s not Fair!

Matthew 20:1-16

Introduction-

This week at District Assembly was amazing! I linked the minister’s choir to my Facebook page because it was so good. Platform full of ministers and you could sense God’s anointing as they sang. I think of all the great pastor’s reports, great messages from our General Superintendent. I came away refreshed-and tired if that is possible.

Some people want more from God and some don’t. You will never experience more of God if you don’t put yourself in a position to know more of God.

This passage this morning is about the vineyard owner gathering workers for his field.

This passage doesn’t make sense to most people.

You’ll see that it doesn’t make good business sense, but it will teach you this morning about the grace of God in action.

Matthew 20:1-16

This parable is not a favorite because it really lets us know as a people how wrong our thinking can be.

The first impression of most when they read it is “That’s not fair”

(V1)- The kingdom of God is…. You know what comes next is how God’s kingdom functions.

It is how God treats His people.

The kingdom of God is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard.

He agreed to pay them each 1 denarius for the day. For an unskilled laborer, this was an acceptable wage. The Roman soldier was paid a denarius a day for his service to Rome.

This owner obviously owned a great deal of land and needed many workers.

The day for a Jewish worker started at 6am, this was the first hour. He went out and gathered those standing by the labor pool and told them to go to work. The third hour was 9 am and the owner again went out and gathered workers. The sixth hour was high noon and the ninth hour was 3 pm. Each of these times, he gathered workers, and at the 11th hour, 5 pm he gathered workers.

Can you picture the people being asked at 5pm? Yeah you, go to work.

We can see anybody called at 5pm to work was because of the owner’s compassion and not so much of what work can be done in an hour.

20:8- “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foremen, call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going to the first.”

Are you beginning to grasp this passage?

The vineyard owner is God, and the workers are you and I.

The vineyard owner goes out at 6 am- looks over the group of people. You, you, and you, go to work. (Probably the strong)

The vineyard owner comes back at 9am- looks the group over, take you, you , and you. (Average)

He again comes at high noon- the group is getting smaller, and probably less desirable.

3 o’clock in the afternoon- now most don’t think they have a chance of making money and supporting their family. He again picks them to go to work.

11th hour-5pm- one hour before quitting time, those left thought they would never be picked and probably were thinking how they could beg for the food to feed their family that night.

It’s time to pay them

Jesus, let’s not call him the vineyard owner anymore says to the foremen, start with the ones that were brought in on the 11th hour.

Law of Moses required payment at the end of the day.

Most think first come first serve. I am sure at this point they were confused- wait it gets better.

They get paid for a full day. I am sure they were surprised, and I am sure that the early workers were surprised.

I am sure that the 11th hour workers were grateful. They got what they did not deserve. The early workers began anticipating that if they got 1 denarius for 1 hour, how much more would they be getting! They were also paid one denarius and the grumbling begins!

“That is not fair”

Ever use those words?

Ever use those words to God because of something happening in your life?

(12) “These men who were hired last worked only one hour; they said, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.”

Remember something here-

The Jews thought they were the chosen ones.

They looked down on everyone else.

Jesus gospel was for the Jews first and then the Gentiles.

Jesus how can you bring in those dirty Gentiles?

How can you bring those people in and pay them the full wage and he was only here one hour and I have been here all day?