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There was a vineyard owner who went out early in the morning
to hire people to work for him. He promised them a day’s wage, and then sent
them into the vineyard. A few hours later he hired more people to help,
promising a fair wage. Later in the day he rounded up another group to work in
the vineyards, and promised to pay whatever was right.. Again, when it was
almost time to quit work, he did the same thing.
When the sun set, he asked his foreman to pay all of the
workers, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first. Those
who worked a small amount of time were paid first, earning an entire day’s
wage. The workers who were hired first, watched all of those in front of them
being paid a full day’s wage. These workers, the ones who labored in the
vineyard all day long, began to get excited. The owner was a generous man,
giving everyone a day’s wage even though they didn’t work an entire day. Surely
they would make more money than promised!
Imagine their happy energy when they finally got to the
front of the line. They worked hard all day and now they couldn’t wait to see
how much money they would be given. Perhaps it would be doubled or tripled or
maybe more since they worked longer than everyone else before them in line.
But each one of them also received a day's wage.
They grumbled – my how they grumbled…It’s not fair! These men hired last made the same amount to those of us
who have been here all day. We did most of the work and toiled through the heat
of the day.
The vineyard owner responded, “Friends, I am not being
unfair. Did you agree to work for a day’s wage? Take your pay and go. I want to
give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right
to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”
Jesus was the first to tell this story. He ended it with
these words, “So the last will be first and the first will be last.”
It’s a story designed to show His amazing grace. It doesn’t
matter how much we mess up, or how
imperfect we are, or how far we think we
have to go in comparison to the other mother or other teacher or other friend
or other Christian, at the end of the day, he will offer us
all the same – we each get His unending love.
Sometimes I get frustrated when our kids who we adopted when
they were older question whether I love them as much as the son we adopted at
birth. There is no comparison. I love
them each more than I ever thought possible, I love them each more every time
they breathe.
I wonder if Jesus gets frustrated when I question whether I’m
good enough, when I question whether He can use me. It makes me begin to
understand the grace Jesus was talking about in this story. Each worker got the
best for the day, no matter when they started. Each of my children get the most
love I can give, no matter when they joined the family. As for me, I can have
amazing grace, no matter how much I mess up.
We all can.
