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BURIED TREASURE: Exploring The Parables Of Jesus

by J. W. Jepson, D.Min.

Copyright © 1997 by J. W. Jepson

All rights reserved, including the right to grant the following permission and to prohibit the misuse thereof:

The Author hereby grants permission to reproduce the text of this article, without changes or alterations*, as a ministry, but not for commercial or non-ministry purposes.

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23.

WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?

For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers 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 the even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, 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 then 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?

So the last shall be first, and the first last: for many be called, but few chosen.

--Matthew 20:1-16

 

WHAT'S IN IT FOR ME?

The eyes of the disciples were fixed intently on the receding form with its drooping shoulders and bowed head. The rich young ruler had come to Jesus with the question: "Good Master, what good thing shall I do, that I may have eternal life?"

Christ's answer probed the inquirer's character to the core. "Sell that thou hast, and give to the poor...and come and follow Me," He said (Matthew 19:21).

Eternal life could not be his apart from a change of heart, and be refused to do what a change of heart would mean for him.

Peter's own mind was troubled as he watched the young man walk away in dejection. The Master's words had deeply shaken his own cherished notions about the mission of Jesus and his own personal prospects in the anticipated kingdom.

Peter ask the Lord, "Behold, we have forsaken all, and followed thee; what shall we have therefore?" (Matthew 19:27).

Peter's inquiry spotlighted a much deeper issue. What were the disciples really after? What was their motive for following Jesus?

After reassuring them that all who truly follow Him will be fully taken care of, the Lord proceeded by a parable to lay down a principle concerning rewards in the kingdom. We call it the parable of the laborers in the vineyard. This parable along with the parables of the talents and the pounds form the parabolic teaching of Christ concerning rewards.

In this parable a householder went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Perhaps it was autumn, the time of the grape harvest. At 6:00 a.m. he found some of the best and most willing workers, and contracted with them for a whole day's work for a denarius (good pay for a day's work in those days).

Needing more workers, he went back to the marketplace at 9:00 a.m., then again at noon, and again at 3:00 p.m., picking up a few each time. At 5:00 p.m., an hour before quitting time, be gathered up as many more workers as he could find to complete the job.

The workers who were hired after 6:00 a.m. had lost their bargaining position and had to depend on the fairness of the employer for their pay. All they had was his promise "Whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive."

He asked the last group why they had been standing there all day without work. They replied that no one had hired then.

This raises some questions. Where were they all day? How had they been missed? Were they loitering around a corner, just out of sight? Did they really want to work?

When pay time came the employer did something very unusual. He gave all the workers the same pay, beginning with the last ones hired and working up to the first.

Right away there was trouble. When the early workers saw the last ones get a full day's pay for only an hour's work, they began hoping for a big bonus. When it did not come, they became angry.

The employer answered one of them (probably the spokesman for the group), "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?" (verses 13-15).

The sovereign will of the householder is an emphatic point of the parable. If God is extra generous with some laborers, He has taken nothing from the others.

The generosity of the householder exposed the envy in the hearts of the all-day workers. They would have felt better if the others had received less, even though that would not have given them any more!

All went home with the same amount but with different attitudes. Envy produced dissatisfaction and robbed its victims of their contentment. Their negative attitude deprived them of their sense of accomplishment and diminished their feelings of self-worth. They got everything that they had been expecting all day long, but seeing the liberality of the householder toward the others prevented them from enjoying it.

In this parable Jesus is not giving a lesson in economic theory. He merely used a familiar setting to bring out a spiritual truth.

He is not advocating that we put off working in His vineyard until late in life. The eleventh-hour workers received the same base pay, but think of the opportunities they lost.

He is not teaching that eternal life is a reward for our service. God is not in debt to anyone.

But although we do not work for eternal life, eternal life puts us to work! The parable implies the urgency of the harvest. God wants workers, and He calls them early. But early or late, there is work to be done, and a continuous call is going out for laborers.

Let us get busy for God and leave the matter of rewards to Him--that is the message. Eternal life is God's free gift to all believers. How much do we want on top of that? What do we think we deserve under grace?

No amount of service and sacrifice can merit us anything. Having been promised eternal life, our "pay" as redeemed sinners is the high privilege of being workers together with God from the earliest opportunity. If those early workers had the householder's interests at heart and if they truly cared about the harvest, they would have been grateful for the additional workers.

A major lesson of the parable is that discontent erodes discipleship. Many talented and dedicated workers have been tarnished by wrong attitudes. Their attitudes devaluate their efforts. Quality service is determined more by attitude than by duration.

The Lord was helping the disciples see how inappropriate was the question, "What shall we have therefore?" He wanted them to realize the unworthiness of the spirit behind it.

Although the apostles would be the earliest into the harvest, the Lord might ask them to step aside and let some who came later on stand first in line at the end of the day. Paul put it this way: "For I think that God hath set forth us the apostles last, as it were appointed to death.... (1 Corinthians 4:9). In fact, Jesus told Peter that when he became old, he would be tied up and carried away. So if he were in it just for what he could get, he should forget it!

Now Jesus did not say that all who are first shall be last. He said "many." Some will remain first of course.

Some will have a greater degree of usefulness and joy in heaven as a result of their greater usefulness and diligence here. Excellence in discipleship produces its own results both now and forever.

In this parable Jesus is talking about our attitude under grace. When we begin to feel that we deserve something above what God's grace has provided for all believers, we need to go and stand at the end of the line!

It is not always easy for the early laborers to make room for the newer workers. When we look back over many years of sacrificial giving, hard work, and faithfulness, it becomes easy for us to feel we own the harvest field.

"Grandpa built this church and kept the doors open when there were just a handful of people coming. Aunt Mary donated her organ and played it every Sunday for years. This is our church, and we're not going to let all these new people come in and take over!"

Sound familiar?

"Godliness with contentment is great gain" (1 Timothy 6:6). What then is godliness without contentment? It is what is left of the gain after a big discount.

We who receive eternal life as the gift of God must glory not in our long and sacrificial service but in the goodness of our Redeemer.

Another lesson to remember is that great sacrifice is no guarantee in itself against great failure. The same Peter who boasted that he had forsaken all later on denied all. As he went out and wept bitterly, we do not hear him asking, "What shall we have therefore?"

Peter was restored by the Savior's grace. Never again did he assume he had something coming for leaving all and following Jesus. He had learned his lesson well.

Jesus is coming. We might be the eleventh-hour workers. The night is coming when no man can work. Let us get into the harvest, thankful for the privilege of serving in the vineyard of such a gracious Savior. Not, What can I get? but, What can I give? should be our question.

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24. The Sure Test

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