A reading from the gospel according to Matthew 20:1-16 (Matthew 20:1-16A)
Jesus told his disciples this parable:
1 “The Kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2 After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
3 Going out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
4 and he said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard, and I will give you what is just.’
5 So they went off. And he went out again around noon, and around three o’clock, and did likewise.
6 Going out about five o’clock, he found others standing around, and said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’
7 They answered, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too go into my vineyard.’
8 When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Summon the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and ending with the first.’
9 When those who had started about five o’clock came, each received the usual daily wage.
10 So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also got the usual wage.
11 And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner,
12 saying, ‘These last ones worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us, who bore the day’s burden and the heat.’
13 He said to one of them in reply, ‘My friend, I am not cheating you. Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
14 Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
15 Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’
16 Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Reflection: God’s Compassion
Good News: God give to us our daily need out of His generosity.
The gospel passage above is one of the most disconcerting parables of Jesus. For those who are fighting for workers’ right, what the landowner did in this story is considered undemocratic and totally unjust. Yet the scripture tells us, “For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways.” (Isaiah 55:8)
The workers who started earlier have the right to complain but they are thinking from their perspective. From the landlord’s point of view (God’s point of view), there is no injustice because he kept his promise to pay what had been agreed beforehand. He was just compassionate to the others who had no work and therefore nothing to feed their families.
There are several points to consider from this parable.
1) God is calling each one of us to work in His vineyard. There is so much to be done. Are you available?
2) God does not like people to be idle. He wants us to value work.
3) God does not reward us according to the length of time we have been serving Him. In other words, it is not how long we are with our respective communities but how we have been faithful in following Him. Thus, those who just joined our church may be considered holier than those who have been with the community for decades.
4) Most people grumble a lot because they always compare themselves with others. “Why is my neighbor more successful than me?” is their usual question.
5) The compassion of God trumps our concept of justice in the same manner that love often complicates things.
Some Questions for Discussion or Meditation
1. For employers, how do you treat your workers? For the workers, have you experienced any injustice in the workplace? How do you feel about it? Do you discuss any problem in the workplace in a loving manner?
2. For workers, have you been honest with your time in the workplace?
3. Is there anything you can do to help the unemployed? Did you ever pray for people who have lost their job?
4. Do you often argue with other people on who is right and who is wrong? What is just and what is unjust? Does it help?
5. Do we entrust to God all our problems say, a higher salary, a generous employer, hardworking employees?
6. Are you grateful for your job or business? Are you contended with your income?
7. Do you share your time, talent, and treasure for the Kingdom of God without asking for payment or reward?
*****
In our modern times, we have heard some common terms, issues and complaints in the labor market such as unemployment, inequality, unfair labor practices, security of tenure, and other workers’ rights. Some people are quick to use the gospel passage above to defend their positions or point of views. And why not? The gospel in particular and the bible in general should be used to guide us in our modern daily life. The problem though arises when we use the scripture to defend what is patently evil or illegal.
The parable of the laborers illustrates that our concept of justice is different from God. As we all know that in all things God is good and it is His goodness that makes all the difference. We can never fathom the compassion of God towards us. Yet, when He shows His compassion towards our neighbor, we feel jealous and try to compare them to our situation. Then we start to complain.
Jesus once said that God provides rain for the just and unjust alike (Matthew 5:45). Therefore, we His children have no right to feel jealous when our seemingly “bad” neighbor receives more blessings than us just like the laborers who worked for only a few hours but received the full day’s pay. This only means that we are all equal in the eyes of God and each one of us has a good chance of having eternal life, not because we are good, but because God is good; Not because we have been serving in the church for a long time but because God has redeemed us through the blood of Jesus.
The first will be the last and the last will be the first. Jesus Iscariot have come to know and follow Jesus for a long time but he went on his way, not the way of Jesus. The thief who was crucified together with Jesus was, in a moment, the recipient of the promise of eternal life. This should be a warning to all of us. There is absolutely nothing that we can boast of except the cross of Jesus which allowed us to gain eternal life.
The first will be the last and the last will be the first. This does not mean we can wait for our last breath before we accept the call of Jesus for repentance and renewal. It only means there is still hope for anyone to be a saint even at the last minute.
*****
Jesus shares the parable of the workers in the vineyard, a story that vividly illustrates the generosity of God’s grace and challenges our notions of fairness. In the parable, a landowner hires workers throughout the day, some early in the morning, others at midday, and some even late in the afternoon. Yet, at the end of the day, he pays each of them the same wage, causing the early workers to grumble about the apparent injustice.
This parable is a profound reminder that God’s ways are not our ways, and His grace is beyond our understanding. The early workers expected to be paid more because they bore the burden of the day’s labor. But the landowner, representing God, makes it clear that the reward is not based on the amount of work done but on His generosity. “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” he asks.
Jesus uses this story to teach us about the nature of God’s kingdom, where grace, not merit, is the currency. The workers hired late in the day did not earn their full day’s wage by their efforts, yet they received it because of the landowner’s kindness. Similarly, in God’s kingdom, we do not earn our salvation by our works or status but receive it as a gift of grace through faith in Jesus Christ.
This parable also challenges our human tendency to compare ourselves with others. We may be tempted to think that those who have served God longer or more diligently deserve greater rewards. But God’s grace does not operate on a system of human fairness; it operates on His boundless love and mercy. Jesus reminds us that in the kingdom of God, the last will be first, and the first will be last.
As we reflect on this passage, we are called to rejoice in the generosity of God’s grace. Instead of comparing ourselves with others or questioning His fairness, we are invited to trust in His goodness and celebrate the fact that He offers the same abundant grace to all who come to Him, regardless of when or how they arrive.
In a world that often values merit and achievement, this parable challenges us to embrace a kingdom perspective, one that values grace, humility, and gratitude. Let us be thankful that our God is generous beyond measure, and let us extend that same grace to others, knowing that we are all recipients of His boundless love.
*****
We have heard not a few times that this world we live in is not fair. For some people, the gospel reading above exemplifies and amplifies their concept of unfairness. Why should one person who works for eight hours receives the same salary with the one who works for just one hour granting that both of them did the same kind of work? The first worker has the right to complain, doesn’t he?
Yet by reading the gospel above carefully, we see that Jesus is teaching us about the generosity of God and our tendency to complain a lot and to be jealous. He is telling us to be contented with His provisions and to stop comparing ourselves with our neighbors. In other words, there is very little connection between modern theories of justice especially workers’ rights and the gospel reading above.
Make no mistake. The God we believe in is just but at the same time merciful. He is fair to all His children and yet He is so merciful that many times, people perceive Him to be unfair. Is He really unfair when He forgives our grievous sins even without punishing us? On the other hand, is there justice when we punish people including children for every misdemeanor? One thing is sure. Human thoughts are different from God’s thought. This fact is manifested in our concept of justice that is devoid of mercy and compassion. God loves each one of us and His love is not dependent on how long we work hard. He loves us without counting the cost. He wants us to serve Him without counting the hours! In His Kingdom, it is not how long we work but how much we love that matters!
For sure we all want fairness in the world we live in. Yet many of us desire special privileges even to the point of being unfair. Many of us want to get more for less – meaning getting higher salary for less hours of work. Some even desire to eat cakes without paying for them. Obviously, we oftentimes think more of our own benefits and less of the benefits for others. We often wonder if God is really fair yet we do not recognize our own unfairness especially to others.
