Every time I read the passage from Mathew chapter 20, it just reaffirms
and reassures me of God's compassion, fairness and justice that the
world and also at times we who are his children don't understand.
As I write this blog post, I am thinking of my two employers of 14 years, over two decades ago, back home in Nairobi, Kenya. As I reflect on God's goodness, equity, fairness, generosity, and mercy.
I worked for these two caring, good, well-established, and well-known employers who without having given any written contracts or
agreements, kept their word, and not only that but they were more than
generous, trusting, and giving an environment that was great to work in.
They gave good salaries way before the end of the month, perks, and bonuses that were fantastic. These two well-established businessmen are persons of integrity and were like Dad figures to
me and to those who worked for them; God blessed them and they in turn have blessed so many. They appreciated my hard work,
zeal, and enthusiasm and entrusted me with the positions of leadership and management in their respective firms. I am thankful to God for allowing me to work with
such able, shrewd, wise yet kind, and considerate bosses, namely Mr. Suresh Sofat and Mr. Baloo C Patel! I
continue to pray for them and their families and bless them with all my heart. I was blessed and privileged to work for them.
Here is the word-for-word parable from the gospel of Mathew 20:
For
the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the
morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a
denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3"About the third
hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing
nothing. 4 He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I
will pay you whatever is right.' 5 So they went. "He went out again
about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6 About
the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He
asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing
nothing?' 7" 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered. "He said to
them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.' 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.' 9"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and
each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first,
they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a
denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the
landowner. 12'These men 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.' 13"But he answered one of
them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work
for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was
hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don't I have the right to do what I
want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'"
So let's break this down: 1st of all, the Vineyard owner goes out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agrees to pay them the wages for the day and sends them into the vineyard. Even if you look at the end of the passage, He keeps his promise and pays them the agreed amount. The problem was not that he did not keep his promise as they were given precisely what they had agreed on for the whole day. The problem was everyone was given equal pay whether they worked for the whole day, half a day, a few hours, or just an hour! That they felt was unfair! Even though he paid them what had agreed on. It is the latter ones who did not know how much or how little they would get. They depended on his goodness and his word. The latter ones had no contract so it was a pure blessing for them to receive the 'undeserved pay' aka the same pay as those who worked the whole day! As much as we may be outraged at that generosity, God does not function like we do and it's time we learn to accept divine Sovereignty. God is free to run the world God's way; not in a cruel way, although at times it seems like it, God is a compassionate, merciful, and just GOD, that is God's very nature. God acts as per the very good nature.
At times we think others don't deserve the goodness of God or mercy or compassion and when God shows it to them, we think God is not fair. But that is our problem because our vision is limited. God sees a view from above, a wider and a broader angle than ours, and God sees it clearly.
Let's look at this passage more clearly! The 1st batch of workers went to work early morning. He hires them and agrees to pay the day's wages. (There is a general contract) The 2nd batch was hired at about 9 am and these were standing in the marketplace, waiting to be hired. Notice: they are looking for jobs, They are in the marketplace, and we often misunderstand such! He is kind and offers them a job for the remaining hours. Notice, there is no precise offer but He does give his word to pay "whatever is right." His word was enough for their trust. (no written agreement - only His word is what they banked on) and similarly, that is how we honor God when we take the promises and believe them.
Now back to our story in the Bible: and again at 12 noon and also at 3 pm the owner does the same thing. Have you noticed the desperate job seekers? perhaps yes, perhaps no, but this vineyard owner had the heart and eyes for such desperate job seekers who were persistent, patient, and persevering. They did not seem to give up even when not hired till more than half the day was over. This is what the Vineyard owner seems to notice and sends them to work in his vineyard. They do not question how much will they be paid nor do they doubt his goodness. (Do I live like this?)
Now this is a deal. Check this out: At 5 pm, he still finds others waiting, standing. Hello! Talk about perseverance, patience, and hope! At the 11th hour, even if someone is hired they will get very little as the day is almost over. But they were willing even for whatever little they could get. That is remarkable. As per the world's way of looking at it, to some, it might seem, that they had wasted their day, standing in the marketplace, (one may conclude they were not good enough, their resumes were not stellar nor their skills stood out, but God saw a different scenario and that is what matters!) They did not waste time, they were hopefully waiting to be hired even at the 11th hour!!! Do I quit easily or do I wait on God? This is what we don't notice but the vineyard owner seemed to! Catch this, they obey and take him at his word, they don't question: What's the point? what will I work in less than one hour and how much will I take home with me? The biggest question of today, "What's in it for me?" was not something they seemed to bargain for. They just seem to take that last hour of a job! This unquestionable obedience seems to please the vineyard owner.
A note: Worse comes to worse, perhaps the hopeful workers knew the Hebrew Bible rule that “‘When you reap the harvest of your land, do not reap to the very edges of your field or gather the gleanings of your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the foreigner residing among you. I am the Lord your God.’” (Lev.23:22)
Maybe they knew that if nothing else they could glean some leftover grains to take and feed their waiting families. They will be able to bring something home.
We can see that when it comes time to pay, the owner calls his accountant and asks him to pay those very last ones 1st. I see that they did not question, they had no agreements, they just depended on his goodness and trusted him and that pleased him AS MUCH as those who had lawful agreement of the whole day's wage from the morning. He still keeps his promise and pays them their due but he also wants us to learn to be merciful as God is merciful and those who only depended on their hard work missed that point. (They compared their privilege of being hired to work hard and long hours to other workers and felt it was unfair. The owner is seen as having compassion and seems to have compared their agreed-upon trust to those who without any question had chosen to trust him for 'whatever he felt was right' amount and they went away blessed!) It almost feels like 'God gives the best to those who fully trust and leave choice to God." It does not mean that since God is generous we should not work hard, and just depend on him passively. No, whatever God calls us to do, we must do. Wait or work! Both will be honored by God! God causes one to wait and one to work. All are from God's good hands!
God is responsibly free to exercise wisdom in giving what seems fit. Also, at times when we have jobs or things under control, we think we earned it, we think we made it happen, not knowing they got the jobs in the morning because the owner hired them. Like my very close friend Lilly Cooper says, "Our very breath belongs to God"; and if God did not give us talents, time, tact, or strength, we would not even be alive, or working, let alone boast only about "our achievements".
The Bible also says, "God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble" (James 4:6, 8-10). This parable seems consistent with that verse.
For those who are employed during this difficult time of recession, let us thank God that it is divine mercy and grace that is allowing us to continue to work, not due to our own merits. We can lose it anytime, as promotions and demotions are uncertain and come from the hand of our good GOD; and let us be merciful to those who have no jobs.
For those who have no jobs and are struggling, or are under-employed, keep standing in the marketplace, and trust GOD; when your turn comes, it may be at the 11th hour but God will repay even for trying and waiting to work. Whether you get paid for waiting the whole day or working the whole day, it is all a blessing. Our job is to wait on the LORD! Trust and remember that God who "owns cattle on a thousand hills" will provide all that we need. God knows our needs and has promised to meet them. Let us not be anxious about anything.... when we seek God's kingdom and righteousness, these things are added to us as a bonus! (let's keep the main thing, the main thing).
And for those of us who have hearts and eyes to see the hand of the Lord in the lives of precious people, let us continue to encourage, appreciate, and honor good men and women in our lives. It is my prayer that all these good people will sense God's divine presence in their lives and see how they have contributed to being part of the kingdom of God as they continue to be a blessing and a true testimony of God's equity, fairness, generosity, and mercy!
Kalpana Christian Sharma
Copyright © KC's Writings 2010 (no part of this writing be used in part or full without prior permission from the author.)
