1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an
householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his
vineyard. 2 And when he had
agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 And he went out about the third hour,
and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard,
and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour,
and did likewise. 6 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? 7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He
saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that
shall ye receive. 8 So when even
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. 9 And when they came that were hired about the
eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they
should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny. 11 And when they had received it, they murmured
against the goodman of the house, 12
Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal
unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. 13 But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do
thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? 14 Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give
unto this last, even as unto thee. 15
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil,
because I am good? 16 So the
last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen. (Matt
20:1-16)
The Collect
First Sunday after Trinity
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O
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GOD, the strength of all those who
put their trust in thee; Mercifully accept our prayers; and because through the
weakness of our mortal nature, we can do no good thing without thee, grant us
the help of thy grace, that in keeping thy commandments we may please thee,
both in will and in deed; through Jesus Christ our Lord. Amen.
The parable of the householder
needing laborers is one of the more explicit descriptions of the Kingdom of
Heaven of all of the parables second only, perhaps in detail, to the parable of
the wicked tenants of the Vineyard (Luke 20:9-18). The parable illustrates the
nature of the Kingdom whose doors are open always for those who are called to
come into its labors. The parable also provides a justification in conscience
for those who object to having their names entered by force of law on the rolls
of trade unions. There is no seniority status for church members. All who into
the Kingdom enter at the discretion of the Owner to reward and bless. He always
rewards what He has promised, and often more than is expected. Matthew is the
sole Gospel for this parable. It demonstrates, like the inquiry of Peter as to
"who shall be greatest in the Kingdom", that is an issue left to God
alone. Surely, He will reward each according to His walk, but the amount and
grandeur of the reward is left to God. Those who come in late, may receive the
same reward of those who built the ancient Church.
1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an
householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his
vineyard. Everyone who has been even a casual Bible scholar
will immediately recognize the Householder as God the Father. In all that
He does, He sets the perfect example for us in our living and service. He
begins His day EARLY, and so should we! O God, thou art my God; early
will I seek thee: my soul thirsteth for thee, my flesh longeth for thee in a
dry and thirsty land, where no water is; To see thy power and thy glory,
so as I have seen thee in the sanctuary. (Psalms 63:1-2) Such are the
habits of all devoted servants of God including the Lady, Mary Magdalene, who
came to the Garden Tomb at morning "while it was yet dark". God does
not need the fruit of the vine, but men do, so He arranges for the workers
(clergy and lay people) to labor in doing His work for their own benefit and
the benefit of their fellow men.
2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a
day, he sent them into his vineyard. God never invites any to
labor in His vineyard without opportunity to count the cost: For which of you, intending to build a tower, sitteth not
down first, and counteth the cost, whether he have sufficient to finish it?
Lest haply, after he hath laid the foundation, and
is not able to finish it, all that behold it begin to mock him, (Luke 14:28-29) If you only give your whole heart
to God, does He not own all of the rest? A penny was the usual pay for a day's
labor (and that day was one WHOLE day).
3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others
standing idle in the marketplace. All who are not in the service
of God may as well be standing idle since their ungodly labors will profit them
nothing. The marketplace of the world is no place for the church or its people;
yet, we read in evangelical magazines of "marketing strategies"
for the church or "How to Conduct Market Research for your Church."
What think ye of this? Those who were standing idle in the marketplace were
most likely there at the day's beginning, but were not inclined to accept the
invitation of the Householder. As the joys of life diminish, we may find the
Kingdom of Heaven more and more inviting. The third hour would be equivalent to
9:00 A.M. (one fourth of the work day past).
4 And said unto them; Go ye also into the
vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
Those who come into the Kingdom late after bypassing other invitations may not
be given a definite description of reward, but they shall be given
"whatsoever is right." God will never short-change His people. The
thief on the cross did not receive the Hell that he deserved, but he did
receive that which was right for a repentant sinner, saved by Christ, in the
eyes of God – Paradise.
5 Again he went out about the sixth (noon
hour) and ninth hour (3:00 PM), and did likewise. All who come into the
Kingdom receive a greater reward than they can ever deserve. The others who
came early probably sneered to see the others thinking they would receive a
pitifully small reward. Are you guilty of that kind of attitude in the Church,
good reader? The church is too often like the barnyard chickens: when a baby
chicken finds a grain of corn, the older hens often run and peck it on the back
of the head to force it to drop that one morsel. Are we that way in church –
prideful of position and seniority?
6 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 years, months,
weeks, days, and hours available for laboring in the Vineyard dwindle with the
advance of time. We may easily compute the grains of sand that have trickled
into the base of the hour glass, but the amount of sand remaining at the top is
hidden from our view. One thing is certain, there is a day coming when the last
grain shall fall, then there shall remain no more time or opportunity to enter
God's Vineyard. We may be standing idle today at the 11th hour
(5:00 PM). The normal workday for this parable ends at 6:00 PM. Why will you
perish? Why stand idle all the day long? It is a sad affair to be called, and
yet not respond to the invitation – to be called but not finally chosen in
Christ.
7 They say unto him, Because no man hath hired
us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that
shall ye receive. Perhaps
these last laborers were slow to rise in the
morning? Though they have wasted a good measure of their lives in idle abandon,
they may at last be called into a greater glory than they ever knew existed. To
arrive late for the summons is far better than missing the call altogether.
They come on the good faith and trust of the Householder to pay them that which
is right.
8 So when even 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 shall the evening come for those
on earth? Evening was the time for the master to settle accounts with his
servants. If we are only IN the Kingdom at that time, it should be reward
enough. We need not speculate on whether our reward will be greater than
another. The Master Accountant will reward us with greater joy than we can
contain. Notably, the Master calls for the last to be paid first. Is this not a
consistent principle running all the way through the Bible? Through which man
were we blessed – the first man (Adam), or the second man, Christ? And through
which son of Abraham did the promised Seed come – the first son, Ishmael, or
the second son, Isaac? The same holds true for Esau (first) and Jacob (second).
Jesus Himself tells us the first shall be last, and the last shall be first in
Luke 13:30 - And, behold, there are last
which shall be first, and there are first which shall be last. He says the same
at the end of this parable.
9 And when they came that were hired about the eleventh
hour, they received every man a penny. The last received exactly
that which was promised those who came at first light. These latter laborers
must have marveled at the generosity of the Householder in paying them an all
day's wage for one hour's labor. Just imagine the greedy little emotions of
those who came early when they witnessed the reward of the late-comers: "Ah
they have received that which we were promised for all day, so we most likely
shall received ten or more pennies." But God is a man of His Word. His
reward, regardless the denomination, is more valuable than the world can
comprehend.
10 But when the first came, they supposed that
they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
`Umbrage' probably falls far short of the resentment these men harbored at
receiving the same pay as those who had come to work at the last hour. They
received that which they were promised, but envy and covetousness overruled
their reason.
11 And when they had received it, they
murmured against the goodman of the house, 12 Saying, These last have wrought but
one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden
and heat of the day. Do you see how easily greed can blot
out honesty and fair play in business. If a man promises me a fair wage for a
fair day's work, what justification have I to complain or murmur when he
fulfills his promise? Because of malice and jealousy, they became blinded to
justice. The penny represents the reward of heaven. Is this not enough for any?
13 But he answered one of them, and said,
Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny?
Let us see: has Christ fulfilled His promises to us? Has He ever forsaken us or
left us? Has He promised us MORE than others? That is our problem in a nutshell
– we desire always to have MORE than the other fellow, and we believe that we
DESERVE more! We shall be disappointed if we carry that grievance to Heaven! It
may even bar us from entering.
15
Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye
evil, because I am good? The
law of private property is reinforced throughout Scripture. Have we not the
freedom to use the fruits of our labors and investment as we please? Or is it
the role of governments, whose powers are derived from special interests, to
dictate to each citizen how his increase should be used, or even taken away and
given to another. To quote a great French Parliamentarian of 1848: We hold
from God the gift which includes all others. This gift is life—physical,
intellectual, and moral life. But life cannot maintain itself alone. The
Creator of life has entrusted us with the responsibility of preserving,
developing, and perfecting it. In order that we may accomplish this, He has
provided us with a collection of marvelous faculties. And He has put us in the
midst of a variety of natural resources. By the application of our faculties to
these natural resources we convert them into products, and use them. This
process is necessary in order that life may run its appointed course. Life,
faculties, production—in other words, individuality,liberty, property—this is
man. And in spite of the cunning of artful political leaders, these three gifts
from God precede all human legislation, and are superior to it. (Frederick
Bastiat).
It is an immutable Truth that God
is Good. If we disagree with the goodness of God, it is because our eye is
evil. Good is just in all His dealings. Do we believe we must explain to Him
what rewards are due us? That is fairly dangerous ground. God is the Author and
Architect of Creation. All things belong to Him and, if He is our Father, do we
not as well inherit all things – even the PENNY of Heaven?
16 So the last shall be first, and the first
last: for many be called, but few chosen. The
incomprehensible wisdom of God is hidden in this last verse! Why the last,
first? To override greed and covetousness in our souls. To teach us that God
loves each of His children with the same measure of boundless love. Have we
learned this, friend and householder?
