Parables - Workers in the Vineyard

Come on, let the church say, "Amen." Amen. Come on, say amen again. Oh, how I love Jesus. That’s one of those songs that just gets a hook in you, and if it’s true for you, it sets a tone. Amen. If you’re newer to CWC, my name is Santis Batty. I have the privilege of serving as one of the pastors here. Also, to note, this is that part of the service where our young ones, fifth grade and under, go downstairs for our children’s church. If you’re newer and don’t know the details, see one of our leaders in the back, and they’ll guide you. Ministry is happening downstairs. We don’t babysit—come on, can I get an amen? We believe in discipling them as early as possible so they can make disciples too.

I want to get started. There are things that have happened in my life, maybe in yours, where you realize you’ve been bamboozled, led astray, run amuck. Come on, somebody, are you with me? I realize why infomercials happen after 11 p.m. People who wake up in the middle of the night are searching for something, trying to go back to sleep, figure things out. That’s why so many things get sold between 12 a.m. and 6 a.m. Ever been there? Ordered that workout equipment that’s still collecting dust? Come on, anybody know what I’m talking about? Or been on vacation at a timeshare, and you say, “We’re not buying anything,” but you get in that back room, they tell you about all the benefits, and it’s just 18 payments? Y’all ain’t saying amen. There are times when our worldly wisdom falls apart. Our idea of what we need or deserve doesn’t always pan out. We’re going to talk about that today.

If you’ve been with us the last few weeks, we started a summer series called Parables. Everybody shout, “Parables!” We’ve been talking about God’s everyday wisdom, taking a closer look at Jesus’s teachings through parables. The word parable—everybody say, “Parable!”—literally means “to throw alongside of.” There’s typically something Jesus is teaching or has taught, and the parable comes after a lesson or conflict to illuminate something people don’t understand by giving them something simple they do understand. We’ve talked about the lost sons and, last week, the sower of seeds and the four soils. Today, we turn to another parable in Matthew chapter 20.

Let’s stand and read these verses together, alternating. I’ll read the odd verses, you read the even ones. We’ll pause after verse 7 and pick up at verse 8. Matthew 20:1: For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. Verse 2: He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. Verse 3: About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. Verse 4: He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. Verse 5: He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. Verse 6: About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ Verse 7: ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’

Let’s stop there. So far, this parable seems straightforward. The landowner needs workers for his vineyard and employs them all for a fair wage. But around verse 8, the story takes a turn. Keep reading, you’re up at verse 8: When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ Verse 9: The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. Verse 10: So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. Verse 11: When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. Verse 12: ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ Verse 13: But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Verse 14: Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Verse 15: Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ Verse 16: So the last will be first, and the first will be last.

For a little while, I want to talk from the subject Generous Grace. Let’s pray. Father, we know the flower fades, the grass withers, but Your word stands forever. Speak into this moment. Move me to the background; may You be at the forefront. Let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in Your sight, O Lord, my strength and my redeemer. Speak now, give us all the courage to respond in obedience. We pray this in the matchless name of Jesus, and everybody shouted, “Amen.” You may be seated.

Generous Grace. There are moments in Scripture that puzzle me. For example, have you ever thought about the difference between Judas and the thief on the cross? Judas walked with Jesus for three and a half years, was trusted with the money, ministered, healed, and delivered people. But at the end, he betrays Jesus and commits suicide. The Bible says it would’ve been better for him not to have been born. Then you have the thief who initially mocks Jesus on the cross but notices how Jesus prays for others. At the end, he says, “Jesus, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.” Jesus doesn’t say, “You led a horrible life; I was keeping track.” He says, “Today you will be with Me in paradise.” It’s puzzling—three and a half years of commitment ends in suicide, yet a last-minute choice leads to paradise.

This parable of the workers in the vineyard is intriguing and troubling. It’s intriguing because of the landowner’s generosity, but troubling because it seems to promote wage inequity for temporary workers. If we were hired first, we’d agree it doesn’t seem fair. But verse 1 tells us this parable is about the kingdom of heaven, not wages or workers. To understand the conflict, go back to Matthew 19. It ends with a similar statement in 19:30: But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first. Why does Jesus say this before and after the parable? In Matthew 19:16, a rich young ruler asks, “What good thing must I do to gain eternal life?” Jesus tells him to keep the commandments. The young man arrogantly says, “I’ve kept them all. What do I still lack?” Jesus replies, If you want to be perfect, sell your possessions, give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow Me. The young man walks away sad because he had great wealth.

You’d think Jesus would chase him down and tell him this parable, but it’s not for the rich young ruler—it’s for the disciples watching, who are distraught and confused. They see themselves in the ruler and ask, “Who can be saved?” Jesus says, With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible. Then Peter says, We have left everything to follow You! What then will there be for us? That’s the conflict.

Let’s talk about five things. First, the purpose. Everybody shout, “Purpose!” This parable was told in response to the disciples’ selfish thoughts about the kingdom and their perceived benefits. They thought benefits came from works or deeds. They’d left everything, walked with Jesus for over three years, and argued about who’d sit at His right hand. They thought they’d get more than those who came later. The parable isn’t for the rich young ruler—it’s for the disciples.

Second, the parable. Everybody say, “Parable!” On the surface, the landowner’s actions seem irrational, like bad business. But it’s about the kingdom, addressing the disciples’ bad theology that God owes them more than others. We often teach poorly about giving and generosity, putting God in our debt. God does not owe us anything—say it with me: God does not owe us anything. If anything, He owes us wrath for sin. We’ve been taught to be transactional, not relational. I do something, I get something. That’s not how the kingdom works.

I was at a young adult retreat in Iowa where healing broke out. A young man called me, livid, because his friend wasn’t healed. He said, “Why open that door if it’s not for everybody?” I prayed, then called him back, saying, “I’m sorry you feel this way, but are you praying in your name or God’s name? If you’re praying in your name, you decide who gets healed. If you’re praying in God’s name, He decides.” The conversation shifted. He admitted he was praying in his own name. I said, “Welcome to the party. We don’t get to choose.” God is not a vending machine where we insert Scriptures and get what we want. We don’t get to choose—He does.

Third, the proverb. Everybody say, “Proverb!” The break between Matthew 19 and 20 is artificial. Jesus uses this proverb—the last will be first, and the first will be last—in Luke 13 and Mark 10. In a race, the only way the last can be first and the first last is if everyone crosses together in a tie. That’s the truth of this proverb. We don’t finish first or last—we finish together, receiving the same grace to enter God’s kingdom. Our Western world wants to be ahead, the best, but that’s not how the kingdom works.

Fourth, the point. Ephesians 1:7 says, In Him we have redemption through His blood, the forgiveness of sins, in accordance with the riches of God’s grace. Everybody shout, “All!” The last time I checked, all means all. The landowner is God, the vineyard is His kingdom, the laborers are believers, the day is their lifetime, the evening is eternity, the foreman is Jesus, and the denarius is eternal life. It’s not earned—it’s far greater than a wage. If you’re a believer, you receive the full benefits of God’s immeasurable grace. Somebody say, “Amen!” Despite all the mess we’ve been in, God extends grace. We’re all jacked up without Jesus—touch your neighbor and say, “We all need Jesus!” If this doesn’t resonate, you might be like the rich young ruler, thinking your works will make it happen. Jesus says, If you’ve done it all, sell everything, give to the poor, and follow Me. The landowner gave more than expected, revealing a heart issue when workers grumbled about others receiving the same.

Fifth, the principles. God calls sinners, not the self-sufficient. Salvation is not earned. God gives the same grace to everyone who follows Jesus. He pursues and initiates salvation—He found you, not the other way around. He continues to call more people to His kingdom, saying, “Come follow Me.” God always gives more than we deserve and is gracious. We should celebrate when others receive His grace. My older brother was led to Jesus by a stranger, not me or my family. Initially, I felt, “A stranger?” But the Holy Spirit said, “Push that down. This isn’t about you—it’s about God.” It doesn’t matter who gets the credit, as long as God gets the glory.

As we prepare for communion, stand. Are you like the rich young ruler, thinking it’s too much? Don’t walk away—Jesus is waiting. Salvation is a free gift, but it costs everything. If you walk away, don’t stay away. People are ready to talk, walk, and pray with you. If you’re like the disciples, trying to make it happen, we all cross the finish line together, whether after 50 years or 50 minutes. Father, as we worship and take communion, work in our hearts. If we’re puzzled or frustrated, arrest our hearts. If we walk away, help us return. If we’re like the disciples, minister to what’s wrong in our hearts. Help us celebrate Your generous grace, whether at 6 a.m. or 5 p.m. Meet us where we are. If someone’s never given their life to Jesus, we extend that invitation. Confess with your mouth, believe in your heart, and you shall be saved. We entrust this moment to You, in Jesus’s name. Amen.