There Is No Way That Can Be Fair, Yet That Is God’s Way

This sermon was delivered to Holy Trinity in Ayr,

Ayrshire, Scotland on the 24th September 2017

(a Scottish Episcopal Church in the Dioceses of Glasgow and Dumfries).

Jon 3.10-4.11 Ps 145.1-8 Phil 1.21-30 Matt 20.1-16

Psalm 19:14: Let the words of my mouth, and the meditation of our hearts, be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, our strength, and our redeemer. Amen.

1. Introduction

Good morning … the parable we have just heard is commonly known as the “workers in the vineyard” parable, and it is really a parable on God’s grace. … It is certainly not my favourite parable, because it emphasis how unfair life can be; … and we can all testify to that.

Because life is not fair: some people are taller, some are faster, some are clever or cleverer, and some are prettier. … In fact it is not fair that my sister in law can only cook and eat food made in either a chip-pan or a frying pan and still stay under 8 stone. … It’s just not fair, it is an injustice as Callemero said, and in this parable Jesus appears to be demonstrating the truth of that statement.

[Now it is pity that we did not read the last verse of Matthew 19 before we read the parable, because Matthew 19:30 reads, “But many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first” because this verse provides an identical bookend to the end of this parable which concludes “… so the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few are chosen”, where the order is completely reversed, but still retaining its meaning].

… But did you notice Jesus didn’t say that this is what the kingdom of this earth is like … no, he said this is what the Kingdom of Heaven is like … (and I will get to that later), but the heaven as we know, or have read, has a different set of values from our world. … For example, Jesus leaves the 99 sheep to go and look for the one that is lost … our world doesn’t operate that way. … Jesus said that a widow’s two pennies were more valuable than all the gold given in the Temple in one day, eh! … Our world doesn’t work that way … but the kingdom of heaven does. This parable then, can teach us four vital lessons, they are many more, but four will do for now.

2 It’s never too late to come to the Lord.

In lesson one, we learn that we must realise that it is never too late to come to the Lord. … Some of the workers started at 8 o’clock in the morning say, and worked all day, others started at various times throughout the day, but there was one group that started working at say 5 o’clock and finished at 6 o’clock. … And from this analogy, many people think that those first workers may represent the folk who have been Christians most, or all of their lives … while watching others join at various stages of theirs … even those who came to Christ very late in life … and I meanthe “deathbed conversions” for instance.

How do you feel about them? You know, someone who has led a life of total debauchery, a life harming others, yet being accepted by the Lord just before they die … making them equal in value to those who have done their best to be Christ like all their life? … If you are like me, you will try not to think too long on that one … but when Jesus was hanging and dying on the cross remember, a condemned criminal looked at Him and said, “remember me when you come into your Kingdom”. … That was deathbed conversion, and one of the most unacknowledged professions of faith in the bible, because Jesus hanging on that cross that day, did not look like the son of God … however Jesus went on to say, “today, you shall be with me in paradise.”

It’s never too late to trust in Jesus … but I would not recommend waiting until our deathbed to do so because statistics tell us that many more people die outside of bed than in a bed, so I wouldn’t take the chance. … Besides, I believe the Lord is constantly speaking to everyone in some manner or form … to come and work for him, in his vineyard now … as he will receive any who ask ... regardless of background … because that is God’s grace at work.

4. A lesson about grace.

That was lesson one, lesson two tells us that all the workers received the same amount of pay and that all who respond to God’s invitation will receive all that there is to receive. That is called grace … grace meaning receiving something whether we deserve it or not … God gives us full access to his kingdom, all because Jesus died on that cross. … …. But access to heaven is just one of the benefits of salvation … the real treasure is a personal relationship with Jesus that lasts forever.