Today I was reading through Matthew chapter 20, about the householder who hired laborers to work in his vineyard. It is a both a convicting passage and an assuring one. When I think about it, and hold it up to my life, I know I would be right there with the murmuring workers condemning the good man for paying the late-comers the same as myself. Here is the passage:
"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. 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 I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?" (Matthew 20:1-15)
See, the goodness of the good man did not create in the workers an evil eye; it exposed what was already in them...it brought it out. Think about it: they agreed to the customary wages of a laborer which he offered them. These guys were not newbies and they knew what the market would bear for their profession. But the late-comers got incredibly blessed, and that's what set them off.
God is good. I want to see his goodness and marvel in it, not live like I'm the center of the universe. So often I do not. Thank God that Jesus Christ delivers me from the "body of this death" (Romans 7:24,25). I put notes in my Bible mostly to remind myself of some truth there. My note here reads:
"Be careful - don't justify covetousness or envy:
be happy when someone else is blessed!"
That's the convicting part. The assuring part is that GOD IS GOOD! The good man kept going back to the market place where people looking for work waited. He sought them out, even to the last hour of the working day. He simply asked them what they wanted, and when they said they were looking for work, boom - he said go to it, and that he'd do right by their wages. He was extravagantly gracious to these guys! I bet they could not believe it when they got paid as if they worked the entire day. They probably did a double-take and triple-take, looking from the wages in their hand and this good man. They knew they didn't deserve it, and they probably never forgot it.
The Bible says that the Lord Jesus came to seek and to save lost sinners (Luke 19:10). We don't deserve him, but we sure need him. It's beyond me to comprehend how good God is. Every day regardless of circumstances I need to remember this and be filled with wonder and appreciation for God's goodness to me in sending Jesus to rescue me and anyone else who wants it. Wow!
Maranatha.
Paul
