Undeserved Grace Series

Undeserved goodness

Matthew 20:1-16

March 24, 2019

In his book, “What’s So Amazing About Grace?” Philip Yancey told this story . . .

He had a conversation with a friend, Daniel. Daniel told Yancey he had decided to end his marriage of 15 years because he was now in love with a younger woman. Someone whom he said made him “feel alive, like he hadn’t in years.”

Daniel and his wife had no real areas of incompatability, he felt he needed a change. Like a person who is tired of their car and wants a new car.

To complicate this issue, Daniel is a Christian. He fully understood the moral and religious consequences of his actions. He understood the pain that his wife and children would experience. Yet, he explained the force pulling him toward this younger woman was like a powerful magnet, which was too strong for him to resist.

Then, Daniel explained he wanted to ask Yancey a question - - - “Because you study the Bible, do you think God can forgive something as awful as I am about to do?”

With that loaded question in mind, let’s dig into scripture this morning to look again at what it means to experience, to seek and know the grace of God.

We’re going to look at a parable from Jesus to help us along. We’re looking at Matthew 20:1-16. Listen to the words of Jesus —

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’

5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.

6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’

7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,

‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’

9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.

10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.

11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house,

12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’

13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.

15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ – Matthew 20:1-15

Now, people have a few different interpretations of this passage, but what I believe this passage shows at it’s deepest root level is that Jesus is teaching about God's generous grace, and how it’s at work in our lives, and how we can get in on it as soon, and as often, as possible.

This story reflects a common occurrence in ancient times. Workers would gather in a central area, hoping to be hired for the day. The typical workday was from 6 am to 6 pm - - and the normal pay for a day's work was a denarius, which wasn't a lot, but it was enough for a man to feed his family. And you were paid at the end of the workday. So, this all made sense to those listening to Jesus.

If you weren’t hired in the first hour, often times, owners would come back during the day, if needed, to hire more workers. If you weren’t chosen, returning home would get you no money. So, it was good to stick around and hope an owner would return needing more employees.

So, this story made sense to the listeners. The owner promised a denarius to those first workers, then he promised a fair day’s wage to the rest.

So, we would assume, if they were receiving $10 per hour, those who worked 1 hour would receive $10, those who worked 3 hours - $30, and so on. Simple.