Not Fair
10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. 11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, 12 saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' 13 But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last." (Matthew 20:10-16)
Near the end of the nineteenth chapter of Matthew Jesus tells his disciples that it's easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than it is for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven, and in the twentieth chapter Jesus continues to describe the kingdom of heaven. Here, he tells the story of a landowner who hires day laborers at various times throughout the day. The first workers he hired agreed to the wage they were offered, but they became disgruntled when they learned that those who only worked an hour had received the same amount that the full-day workers were given.
Those who came to faith early in life may be tempted to read this story from the perspective of the laborers who worked all day, while those who accepted Christ later in life might view it from the lens of the workers hired at the end of the day. But Jesus may really have been sharing the perspective of the generous landowner who sees the same value in all of his workers.
This grace-filled love is not fair - it's better than fair. God's love erases the hierarchies that we create and places us on level ground. From here, no one has power or privilege to lord over another, and everyone has enough. This is the picture of the kingdom of heaven that Jesus is painting - equity. May God's kingdom come, and God's will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
1 I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. 2 Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever. 3 Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised; his greatness is unsearchable. 4 One generation shall laud your works to another, and shall declare your mighty acts. 5 On the glorious splendor of your majesty, and on your wondrous works, I will meditate. 6 The might of your awesome deeds shall be proclaimed, and I will declare your greatness. 7 They shall celebrate the fame of your abundant goodness, and shall sing aloud of your righteousness. 8 The LORD is gracious and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love. (Psalm 145:1-8)
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