Matthew 20:1-16
The Beauty of Grace Is that It Makes Life Not Fair
I. We don’t get what we deserve
II. God’s grace is for all
Dear fellow redeemed in Christ, blessed with the grace of God,
A million dollar golf tournament was held which drew contestants from near and far. Many experienced golfers who had worked for years and years on their game came for their shot at the jackpot. The winner would be the closest to the pin. Golfer after golfer tried for the hole, and one skilled veteran made it within six inches. Not too shabby.
Then he watched as a certain hacker came to the tee, and swung the most horrible looking swing he had ever seen. But luck was with this amateur. His ball bounced off a nearby photographers’ cart and landed just one inch from the hole. He won the contest. He won the money. Who ever said life is fair, right?
One of my favorite Christian bands has a lyric that says, “The beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair.” It’s easy for us to say “life’s not fair,” but the odd thing, and the point of that lyric, is that “not fair” is actually a part of God’s grace. His grace is not fair because it is offered to all humans, sinners though we are, in the gift of His Son. And through faith in that Son, we get what we could never deserve on our own. And this salvation, won by Christ, goes out to all those called to faith, whether as an infant, or on the person’s deathbed. We’re all equally undeserving, but “the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair.”
I. The text which was just read as our Gospel lesson is a parable which Jesus tells to His disciples. Right before He tells this parable, a rich, young man has approached Jesus and asked Him, “What good thing must I do to get eternal life?”[1] Jesus has told the young man to follow the Ten Commandments. When the man replies that he already has, Jesus tells the man he must then sell all of his possessions and follow Jesus. The man goes away sad. The Apostle Peter then says to Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”[2] These disciples actually had a tendency to be a little proud. Jesus replies by telling them the glories of heaven which await His followers, but He then warns them that “many who are first will be last, and those who are last will be first.”[3] This parable expands upon what is meant by that statement.
So let’s look at the parable. The main character is a certain vineyard owner. So already right here we have something we can understand: vineyards. This parable could very well take place right here in Sonoma or Napa County. This owner goes out early in the morning to find workers. He has a long day of work ahead of him in this harvest season. Now we can understand vineyards, but his method of finding employees is a little unusual to us. In Jesus’ day, those who were unemployed would go to the “agora” or marketplace of the city. And there they would wait for the employers (like vineyard owners or farmers) who would come to the marketplace and hire them.
At this early morning hour, the owner begins hiring workers for the day. Each of these workers was unemployed, so he has no income. He offers each of them 1 denarius for the day. The value of the denarius isn’t important. Just pretend it was $50. So each of them, agrees to work for $50 that day. It wasn’t like working at McDonald’s where I received $8/hr, or whatever it was. This was more like when I substitute taught in Madison and I got paid the same amount every day, whether I worked until 2:30, or until 4:30. This was a daily wage. He comes back then at 9am, again at noon, again at 3 in the afternoon, and again at around 5 in the afternoon. And so each of the workers, as he is hired, enters into a contract with the vineyard owner.
In the same way that the vineyard owner called his workers at different hours of the day, God calls each of us at different points in our lives. Some of us were brought into God’s family as infants in baptism. Others of us have been called later in life. And there are future members of Living Word Lutheran that will be called in the future, but that haven’t been part of God’s family as long as we have. But the same God has called us all. And for all of us, it was God that called us, not the other way around.
At the end of the day he pays each of them what he promised: one denarius. But the one denarius for the day arrangement seemed unfair to the men who were hired first and had worked all day, in the heat of the day. The more recent employees had worked less hours, but they got paid the same. In the same way, it seemed unfair to Jonah in our Old Testament lesson when God told Jonah to go and preach to the sin city of Nineveh, and then God did not even punish them for their wickedness. Granted, they did repent when they were confronted with their sin. But Jonah had been a Christian for a very long time and was risking his life by confronting the Ninevites. And all of a sudden, God’s grace is for them too? It seemed to Jonah like they didn’t deserve it as much as he did.
It can seem a little unfair to us to see the thief on the cross to whom Jesus said, “Today you will be with me in Paradise.”[4] He had lived life the way he wanted, stolen to get what he wanted, and now Jesus just gives him salvation, too? Just because he believed in Jesus? Shouldn’t we get something a little more for being a Christian for a longer time? We’ve tried to live the Christian life, and we don’t get the world’s approval, but we do it because we know it’s what God wants. Doesn’t that count for anything? It doesn’t always seem fair to us either.
And why is it so easy for us and these people to cry out, “Hey, that’s unfair!” Why did Jonah and the workers who were hired first get mad? Well it’s because of that old human tendency toward pride. The workers, even though they had agreed to work for one denarius, felt they deserved more. Jonah felt he deserved a little bit more than the people of Nineveh. Jesus’ disciples had the same problem. Why did all these people want this? Because of pride. They all thought they were somehow better and that they deserved more. We have that same struggle with pride, too, don’t we? It’s easy for us, too, to feel like we deserve a little bit more than other Christians, because we’re a little bit better.
But what do we really deserve? Romans 6:23 says, “The wages of sin is death.” That’s what would be fair, is if we all died an eternal death. Because like the workers in the parable, we, too, have entered into a contract. God created us, gives us everything we need in life, and most of all sent a Savior for our sins. The least we can do is follow His commandments, right? But we haven’t. We’ve spit in His face. So what’s fair is that we would get what we deserve: an eternal fiery death in hell.
And that’s what those around us, those who at this point haven’t come to know Jesus as their Savior, that’s what they’re earning right now. And they’re not “having fun, living life the way they want.” Usually when people are partying hard, living selfishly, they’re not having fun doing it. In fact, they’re pretty miserable because they’re missing God’s love in their lives. They don’t know what it means to be forgiven for their sins, and to have a hope beyond this life. But the beauty of grace is that it makes life not fair.
III. [We ALL get God’s mercy.] And God abounds in grace and mercy. Some of you may know the Christian financial advisor Dave Ramsey. Whenever someone greets him and asks how he’s doing, he always gives the same reply. He says, “I’m better than I deserve.” And shouldn’t we all hold that same attitude? Because we’re all so much better than we deserve. God provides for all our petty needs here on earth. We all have a roof over our heads, food on the table, and the love of those around us. And most of all, we have God’s love, given to us in the gift of His only Son on the cross. And so our eternal salvation is secured in heaven.
And it’s not because we deserve it. It’s because “God is love.”[5] And it’s not just for us. Paul writes that “God wants all men to be saved to come to the knowledge of the truth.”[6] And God calls people in different situations, at different points in their lives. It’s all part of His master plan which, as mere humans, none of us can completely see nor even understand. But we know what’s important… that God loved us enough to send His one and only Son to die for us. And it’s reason for great rejoicing because we have another brother or sister in Christ.
And don’t get jealous of those who are called at a different time in life. In fact, help this happen. Be God’s instrument in telling others about God’s “unfair grace.” Because there is no greater reason for joy in this world than God’s “unfair grace.” It’s for the world, and so share this message with the world! Don’t let yourself become concerned with other people and how God is blessing them in life. Keep your eyes focused on how God has blessed you, and what He wants you to do with that blessing. Share it with the world!
And then how does this parable end? The same way it begins, right before we started reading: Jesus says, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” The last will be first”… that is, many who were not called into God’s kingdom at birth will be called into His kingdom and will be a part of it. But the warning goes the other way then, too. “Many who are first will be last.” Many who were called, who were in the kingdom, gave it up. Historically, this would have applied to the Jews who were first given the promise of a Savior, but who ended up rejecting Him and even arranging His crucifixion. While meanwhile the Gentiles, who were born in unbelief, were then called into God’s Kingdom and became “first.” But it applies to people of today, also. Some who were born into Christianity, or called at a young age, eventually have rejected it because of jealousy, pride, or for whatever other reason. Jesus’ warning for us is to not let this happen to us. The fact that we don’t always understand God’s goodness or grace does not make it any less true. Therefore, Jesus wants us to keep holding onto our faith in His amazing love for us and for the world.
Conclusion: Martin Luther’s last written words, right before he died, were “We are all beggars; this is true.” Truly we are all beggars, deserving nothing on our own merits. Or at least nothing besides the worst punishments. But thank God He does not give us what we deserve. Thank God He abounds in grace and mercy. Cannot He shower that on whomever He pleases? Thank God He has showered it on us; thank God He has showered it on the world. Amen.
[1] Matthew 19:16.
[2] Ibid. 19:27.
[3] Ibid., 19:30.
[4] Luke 23:43.
[5] 1 John 4:8.
[6] 1 Timothy 2:4.