18 PENT A Matthew 20:1-16 David Eck
9/18/11
I. Jesus said...the reign of God is like
---The owner of a vineyard in Southern California
---Whose grapes were ready for harvest
---But he had no one to harvest them
He jumped into his pick-up truck
---Before the break of dawn and headed into town
---Hoping to find enough workers to help him with the harvest
He found a group of men standing in a vacant lot
---Who were willing to work for the usual daily wage
---He crammed as many as he could into the back of his pick-up truck
---And headed back to the vineyard
At 9:00 he realized he did not have enough laborers
---To complete the harvest and so he went back into town
---Appeared at the same vacant lot
---Picked up the rest who were standing there
---Telling them he would compensate them fairly for their labors
---They all piled into the truck and headed back to the vineyard
He did the same thing at 12:00
---Picking up a group of women having lunch at a local restaurant
And then at 3:00
---Picking up a group of kids who had just finished school for the day
And finally at 5:00
---Picking up whoever else he could find
---So that the harvest would be complete by day’s end
When quitting time came at 6:00 PM
---The owner of the vineyard was grinning from ear to ear
---Because the work was done...the harvest was complete
He told his manager to line everyone up
---And compensate them for their wages
---Beginning with the last to be hired
---And ending with the first
When the manager approached those who had been hired at 5:00
---He gave them a full day’s wage
They were shocked and amazed at the vineyard owners generosity
---They even protested a little at his extravagance
Those who were hired at 3:00 were next
---They figured since the vineyard owner was so generous
---To those who had been hired at 5:00
---He would be even more generous with them
---And so they were a little disappointed
---When the manager handed them a full days wage
---Even thought it was still more than they deserved
The manager continued to go down the line
---Giving each group the same compensation
Finally he reached the group
---Who had been hired at dawn
---By this point they knew what was coming
---And they began to get very angry
When the manger handed them each a full day’s wage
---They went to the vineyard owner and began to complain
---WE DON’T UNDERSTAND...they cried
---YOU GAVE EVERYONE THE SAME PAY
---IT’S JUST NOT FAIR
---WE WORKED HARD ALL DAY IN THE SCORCHING HEAT
---WHILE SOME PEOPLE ONLY WORKED FOR AN HOUR
---AND YET EACH OF US RECEIVED THE SAME WAGE
The vineyard owner looked at them
---A little disappointed by their griping and complaining
---He said to them...DID I DO SOMETHING WRONG?
---YOU AGREED TO WORK FOR ME FOR THE USUAL DAILY WAGE
---AND THE USUAL DAILY WAGE IS WHAT YOU GOT
---FAIR AND SQUARE
---NOTHING MORE...NOTHING LESS
I GAVE EVERYONE THE SAME WAGE
---BECAUSE THE HARVEST WOULD NOT HAVE BEEN COMPLETE
---WITHOUT THE EXTRA WORKERS
---I WANT EVERYONE TO RECEIVE MY THANKS
---AND SHARE IN MY JOY
THEREFORE MY FRIENDS...YOU HAVE TWO CHOICES
---YOU CAN REJOICE IN MY GENEROSITY
---OR YOU CAN TAKE YOUR MONEY AND LEAVE
I SUGGEST YOU CHANGE YOU ATTITUDE AND REJOICE
---BECAUSE THE HARVEST IS COMPLETE
---AND NO ONE WILL GO TO BED HUNGRY TONIGHT
---BECAUSE ALL HAVE RECEIVED A FULL DAY’S WAGE
II. The parable I just retold is a parable that leaves us scratching our heads
---Somehow the kingdom of God is like this
---Somehow God operates in a similar manner
---I don’t know about you but my first reaction to this parable
---Is that it is horribly unfair
Somehow an injustice has been done
---And we’re supposed to smile about it
---Go our merry old way
---And ask no questions
If anyone in our day and age treated their employees like this
---There would certainly be a riot
---Labor unions would organize
---Strikes would be imminent
---No one would be happy
---Except for those who worked a little and received a lot
It seems to me that the vineyard owner in this parable
---Is a little foolish and a little extravagant with his money
---Somehow it leaves us feeling like some people were gypped
---And should have received more than they did
But this is exactly what the parable wants us to think
---If we look at it in terms of what is fair and just
---The parable is clearly unfair and unjust
If we look at it in terms of labor and work ethics
---And rewards for hard work and a job well done
---This parable flies in the face of all that we hold sacred
The common wisdom of our day says
---Those who work hard should be compensated for their labor
---While those who are slackers should get exactly what they deserve
---Which is nothing
---This is what is fair and right and just
---It make sense to us
But the parable throws a monkey wrench in the whole thing
---Jesus tells us that the kingdom of God operates differently than this
---It does so in a way that seems a bit unfair and unjust to us
III. So where do we go from here?
---Well...I’ve wrestled with this parable all week long
---And have come to the conclusion that if we only focus
---On the issue of fair wages for hard work
---We...like the workers who griped and complained in the parable
---Miss the entire point
The emphasis of the parable is not on fair wages
---But on the call to work in the vineyard
Each of the workers received a full days wage
---Because each one was important to the harvest
---Whether they worked a full day or not
If one group of workers had been missing
---The harvest would not have been complete
---This would have been the greatest loss of the story
Therefore...the vineyard owner rewards all equally
---Because all helped to complete the harvest
---He wanted them to share in his joy of a job well done
---It couldn’t have been accomplished
---Without the contributions of everyone
If we only view this parable in terms of wages and fair rewards
---We get the impression that God’s kingdom is a very unfair place indeed
---However...if we see this parable in terms of the call to work in the vineyard
---The parable begins to make some sense
In God’s Kingdom...each worker is important and valuable
---From the greatest to the least
---Each person contributes to the success of the harvest
Some are required to do bigger...more visible jobs
---Because of the gifts and talents God has given them
---Others are required to do smaller...more invisible jobs
---Because of the gifts and talents God has given them
Some work in the vineyard their entire lives
---While others work in the vineyard for only a season...a day...or an hour
However...what is important is not how visible the job is
---Or how long the work is
---But the fact that a valuable harvest is at stake
It will take the combined efforts of all
---To ensure that the work is accomplished
From the greatest to the least...all are important
---All will be rewarded equally
---And join the vineyard owner in the celebration
For some people this might seem a bit unfair
---But this is the way the Kingdom of God operates
---And we’d better get used to it!
IV. If you still don’t understand the meaning of this parable
---I’d like to share with you another parable
---Told by Rabbi Abba bar Kahana...third century Jewish teacher
---Which helps us to see the meaning of our gospel lesson more clearly:
The matter is like a king who hired laborers
---And brought them into his garden
---He hid...and did not reveal
---What was the reward of working in the garden
---So that they might not neglect that part of the work
---For which the reward was small
---And go and do that part for which the reward was great
In the evening he summoned them all and said
---”Under which tree did you work?”
---The first answered, “Under this one.”
---The king said, “That is a pepper tree; its reward is one gold piece.”
He said to the next, “Under which tree did you work”
---He said, “Under that one.”
---The king said, “It is a white flower tree; its reward is half a gold piece.”
He asked a third, “Under which tree did you work?”
---He said, “Under this one.”
---The king replied, “That is an olive tree; its reward is 200 zuzim.”
The laborers said to him, “Shouldn’t you have told us
---The tree under which the reward was greatest?”
---The king replied, “If I had done that
---How would all of my garden been tilled?”
V. Taking these two parables into consideration
---I believe the message we are to take from them is as follows:
There is a great harvest in this world
---That harvest is the souls of human beings
---Who need to be brought into a living dynamic relationship
---With the God and his Son Jesus
In order for this to be accomplished
---God will have to use many workers
---Who will be called to a variety of tasks
---Some greater...some smaller
---But all are important if the harvest is to be complete
Our job is not to question
---Whether or not someone is working harder than us
---Whether or not a certain task is more important than another
Our job is simply to be faithful to the call to go into the vineyard
---To do the tasks that God has called us to do
---Be they great or small
---With no thought of their reward
We simply do them because God has called us to do them
---With the realization that each job is vital if the harvest is to be a success
What this means for us as a congregation
---Is that God appears to be calling Abiding Savior
---To reach a certain population of our society
---That is sometimes hard to reach.
In order to rise to this challenge
---It will take all of our combined efforts
---To fulfill our ministry and mission
Some of the work is more visible than others
---Such as leading worship,
---Serving on the Reconciling in Christ Taskforce
---Or being the president of the congregation
Some of the work involves simple and mundane tasks
---Such as taking care of landscaping....fixing leaky faucets
---Cleaning the church...inviting a friend to worship
However...all of these jobs are important and vital to the harvest
---All of these calls to work in the vineyard are important
---If Abiding Savior is to be all that it can be
---Accomplish all that God has called us to do
Therefore...this morning I challenge each and everyone of us
---To really listen to God’s call upon our lives to work in the vineyard
---To discern the jobs God has called us to undertake
---In order that the harvest may be complete
---Some of those tasks might not be too exciting
---However all are important if the harvest is to be complete
This means we must be faithful to God’s call in all areas of our lives
---We must discern how we are to support this congregation financially
---Realizing that God uses and blesses all financial gifts...be they great or small
---We cannot be successful if one of those gifts is missing
We must discern how we are to support this congregation with our time and talents
---Realizing that God has many and various tasks for his servants
---All are important if the harvest is to be complete
We can never underestimate the importance and value
---Of a task God has called us to undertake
---Because all are valuable and all are important in his eyes
---From the most visible to the invisible
---From the greatest to the least
Finally we must discern how we are able to support this congregation
---Through extending the invitation for others to work with us in the vineyard
---When was the last time you invited a co-worker to join us for worship?
---When the last time you shared with a neighbor your excitement
---About what God is doing among us at Abiding Savior?
Each of us must extend the invitation to others to work with us in the vineyard
---Each of us must invite our friends...neighbors...co-workers to join us
---In mission and ministry
---In worship and fellowship
---As...together...we discover the extravagant generosity of our God
---Who loves us more than we deserve
---Showers us with an abundance of grace and mercy
Let us all be faithful to God’s call to work in the vineyard
---Don’t worry about the size or importance of the task
---Just do it! That the harvest may be complete
---And we can all join together in the celebration!
AMEN
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