Finishing Together....

Reading the parable of the vineyard workers seems a little strange and can be misconstrued very easily. The point is simple. God’s grace is given to anyone who repents of their sin and receives God’s salvation. It doesn’t matter if you’ve followed God for 90 years or 5 minutes. God grants the greatest gift, His love and forgiveness to every genuine believer. Everyone wins the million dollar jackpot (so to speak). People will say that doesn’t seem fair or right. It is fair and it is right. God’s standards are not our standards. God is not in a competition. He graciously rewards all of us the same. Is it not His prerogative to do? Can He not do with His authority what He wants to do with it? The problem doesn’t lay with God, rather it lies with us (when we try to play God). It’s our competitive, comparing nature that misinterprets this truth, revealing our fallible, selfish being. Man’s sinful nature is always trying to rationalize, compare, and promote himself above others. Our works-based mentality, tries to convince us that we have to earn salvation, which is impossible. We know that’s the exact opposite of what God’s Spirit promotes. We see The vineyard owner’s business plan as unfair to pay someone a full day’s wage that only worked 1 hour. And from a worldly view, that would be accurate. But God sees humanity differently. He gives all of us a lot of time to “see the light”. Some see it sooner than others and reap the benefit of living within His boundaries, walking with Him, and not being affected by sin and suffering more than those who take longer to “get it” (a reward within itself). That doesn’t disqualify the others who take longer, from receiving the same ultimate gift of salvation. God owns it all. And He sees to it that everyone receives the prize of salvation, regardless of how long it takes them to get there. It’s only after we receive this gracious gift (salvation) that we realize the scope of His grace and it no longer becomes an issue. God’s grace, His unmerited favor, equalizes humanity. It levels the playing field, humbling us, moving us past the point of unfair comparison. If we don’t deserve anything, than receiving something should be enough, correct? If we deserve condemnation, and yet receive salvation, should we even see this as “unfair”? If you still don’t understand this parable, think how is it possible for “the first to be last and last be first”? If we all start a race at different distances, going through life at different paces, there will be times when some people will be in front while others will be behind. In God’s race, we may not all start together, but we all finish at the exact same place, even at God’s finish line. And we all stand on the same level platform to receive our gold medal for first place. That’s why Jesus is so special. He eliminates the competition. There is not one winner, but all winners (those who make Him lord). When we get to Heaven there will be different rewards, but regardless who has more, we will lay them all at the feet of Jesus in gratitude for His ultimate gift. You see Jesus makes us all equal. God’s ways are not our ways and His thought are above our thoughts. When the Holy Spirit resides in us, our competitive, comparison nature, steps aside and welcomes in all those who didn’t start with us. What matters more, where we start, or where we finish? God makes it crystal clear what matters to Him. And He rewards us all the same for finishing.

1 “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard.2 He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.3 “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing.4 So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day.5 So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.6 “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’7 “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’8 “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first.9 When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage.10 When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage.11 When they received their pay, they protested to the owner,12 ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’13 “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage?14 Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you.15 Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’16 “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” Matthew 20:1-16