The
Sunday called Septuagesima, or the
third
Sunday before Lent.
The
Collect.
O
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LORD, we beseech thee favourably to
hear the prayers of thy people; that we, who are justly punished for our
offences, may be mercifully delivered by thy goodness, for the glory of thy
Name; through Jesus Christ our Saviour, who liveth and reigneth with thee and
the Holy Ghost ever, one God, world without end. Amen.
Gospel - Matthew xx.1
T
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HE 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. And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent
them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others
standing idle in the marketplace, and said unto them; Go ye also into the
vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way.
Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. 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? 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. 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. And when they came that were hired about
the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came,
they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received
every man a penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the
goodman of the house, 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.
But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not
thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give
unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what will with
mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good? So the last shall be first, and
the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.
Christ, being
both the beginning and the end, has sole right to decide the reward of those
who follow Him.
This parable
has direct relevance to the preceding event in Matthew 19 - 16 And, behold, one came and said unto him, Good Master, what good
thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life? 17 And he said unto him, Why callest
thou me good? there is none good but one, that is, God: but if thou wilt enter
into life, keep the commandments. 18 He saith unto him, Which? Jesus said, Thou
shalt do no murder, Thou shalt not commit adultery, Thou shalt not steal, Thou
shalt not bear false witness, 19 Honour thy father and thy
mother: and, Thou shalt love thy neighbour as thyself. 20 The
young man saith unto him, All these things have I kept from my youth up: what
lack I yet? 21 Jesus said unto him, If thou
wilt be perfect, go and sell that thou hast, and give to the poor, and thou
shalt have treasure in heaven: and come and follow me. 22 But when the young man heard that saying, he went away sorrowful:
for he had great possessions.
The Apostles
did not understand this treatment of the rich young man. Jesus carefully
explained that they would inherit eternal life, but He also closed the previous
chapter with the words: 19:30 But many
that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first.
There are a
number of parallels to be drawn from other contextual references of the Bible
to this principle of first/last, last/first.
Luke 15 –
Parable of the prodigal son.
And he
said, A certain man had two sons: 12 And the younger of them
said to his father, Father, give me the portion of goods that falleth to me.
And he divided unto them his living.
The younger
son (representing the gentiles) took his belongings and left the father and
older brother and went into a far country where, after a time of carousing and
living in finery, he lost all and was feeding the pigs.
After a time,
he came to his senses and resolved to return to his father as a hired servant,
but the father only lavished the boy with gifts and love and called him his
son.
The older
(representing the Jews) was of a sad and fallen countenance.
25 Now his elder son was in the field: and as he came and
drew nigh to the house, he heard musick and dancing. 26 And he called one of the
servants, and asked what these things meant. 27 And he said unto him, Thy
brother is come; and thy father hath killed the fatted calf, because he hath
received him safe and sound. 28 And he was angry, and would not go in: therefore
came his father out, and intreated him. 29 And he answering said to
his father, Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any
time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make
merry with my friends: 30 But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath
devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf. 31 And he said unto him,
Son, thou art ever with me, and all that I have is thine. 32 It was meet that we
should make merry, and be glad: for this thy brother was dead, and is alive
again; and was lost, and is found.
These, and
many others we will not relate at this moment, serve to remind us that the
Kingdom of Heaven is not organized along the lines of labor unions, or
Corporate Human Relations policies.
It tells us,
first of all, that the gift of eternal life is not dependent on years of
service or some principle of seniority.
Once accepted
by Christ, we are accepted wholly and in full.
My wife used
to remind me that some churches and Christians are like the chickens in the
chicken coop – the moment a baby chicken finds an insect and tries to eat it,
one of the older chickens rushes over and pecks the young chicken on the head
so that he is unable to eat.
Some one new
comes into the church with some excellent talent the Lord has given them, and
oftentimes, the older members do all in their power to prevent that new person
from sharing that talent the Lord has given.
That is a
part of the meaning of the parable we study today of the Husbandman and the
laborers.
The
Husbandman is Christ – the laborers are those called to follow Christ.
Listen to the
explanation given by Bishop R.C. Trench, in his Notes on the Parables and Dean
of Westminster Cathedral:
But for
all this the question, "What shall we have?" was not a right one; it
put their relation to their Lord on a wrong footing. There was a tendency in it
to bring their obedience to a calculation of—so much work, so much reward.
There lurked, too, a certain self-complacency in it. In this parable the
Apostles are taught that, however long-continued their work, abundant their
labours, yet without charity to their brethren, and humility before God, they
are nothing; that pride and a self-complacent estimate of their work, like the
fly in the precious ointment, would spoil the work, however great it might be,
since that work stands only in humility, and from first they would fall to
last. The lesson taught to Peter, and through him to us all, is that the first
may be altogether last; that those who stand foremost as chief in labour, yet
if they forget that the reward is of grace and not of works, and begin to boast
and exalt themselves above their fellow-labourers, may altogether lose the
things which they have wrought; while those who seem last may yet, by keeping
their humility, be acknowledged first and foremost in the day of God.
Another point
of this parable is related to the first we have made above.
The Hebrew
people of Israel had been blessed with the favor of God in being an example and
forerunner of the people of God. They had come to believe that God dealt
only with them in goodness and blessing and no one else.
They
considered that, if God were to welcome the gentiles into His plan of
Salvation, that they must be less blessed than the Jews.
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.
Therefore,
the Jews are represented by the workers who were hired at the early hour of the
morning.
The
husbandman had offered them one penny (or denarius) a day for their labor. This
was the customary daily wage for a laborer at the time of Christ.
Other
laborers were hired at the noon day hour, and finally others during the last
hour of the harvest. 3 And
he went out about the third hour ( 9:00 AM), 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(12 noon) and ninth hour(3:00 PM), and did likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour(5
PM) 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.
The Jews
believed they should receive preference above others who were called latter
into the Kingdom, but that is not the way the Lord Jesus works.
When He
healed the diseased, restored sight to the blind, healed leprosy, restored life
to the dead …..He always healed COMPLETELY. Those who were healed were healed
completely! He also treated the most serious disease first – SIN!
Example:
Matthew 9: 2 And, behold, they brought to him a
man sick of the palsy, lying on a bed: and Jesus seeing their faith said unto
the sick of the palsy; Son, be of good cheer; thy
sins be forgiven thee. 3 And, behold, certain of the scribes said within themselves, This
man blasphemeth. 4 And Jesus knowing their thoughts said, Wherefore think ye evil in your hearts? 5 For whether is easier, to say, Thy sins be forgiven
thee; or to say, Arise, and walk? 6 But that ye may know that the Son
of man hath power on earth to forgive sins, (then saith he to the sick of the
palsy,) Arise, take up thy bed, and go unto thine house. 7 And he arose, and departed to his house.
Christ is
generous to the gentile and Jew alike. No one can claim preference in the eyes
of God due to the time of their salvation.
Our reward
shall be the Words uttered on that day when we come face-to-face with Christ
our Lord: Matt 25:34 33 And he
shall set the sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 34 Then shall the King say
unto them on his right hand, Come, ye blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world: