The Parable of the Vineyard: It’s Not Too Late For Grace

 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers in his vineyard.”

Matthew 20:1

Dear Family & Friends,

Grace. This is a word many people love to throw around. We talk about the grace of God. We expound the importance and blessing of this incredible gift. We sometimes even name our daughters “Grace.” But many don’t fully comprehend the word’s true meaning. 

A Misunderstanding in Our Culture

This may be because in our culture we like to feel competent and empowered. We value our rights and expect to be treated as we believe we deserve. When I was a young girl the women’s rights movement had recently come on the scene and one of its components was “equal pay for equal work.” I agree that a job well done should be paid regardless of gender, but that is not how grace works.

In reality, if God gave us all we deserved we would be doomed. The Bible reveals the truth that we are all sinners and that the wages of sin is death. It also makes clear that we can not be saved by works of righteousness because we can never meet God’s standards. So God, because He loved us so much, chose to solve this problem. By grace, the kindness of God to man, we can be saved through faith. This is a gift of God; not as a result of good works. 

God’s people affirm this unmerited favor of God toward fallen man, but sometimes subconsciously we still get hung up in our cultural way of thinking. Jesus addressed this misunderstanding of grace by telling a story that teaches this truth. 

The Parable of the Vineyard

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard,” He began. The workers lined up eager to begin the job to receive the promised wage of one denarius at the end of the day. 

A few hours later, the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace and offered them the same opportunity. They also readily entered the vineyard to work for the promised pay. 

As the day progressed the landowner added more and more laborers to his payroll with the last being hired at the eleventh hour. When evening came the hired help lined up to receive their paychecks. Starting with those hired last, the owner distributed the same amount promised to those hired first. The laborers who had worked all day waited expectantly assuming they would receive more than originally promised. After all, they had worked the longest. But they were handed the same amount as all the others. 

This seeming discrepancy irritated the early morning workers and they complained to the landowner. “These men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.”

The Master’s Response

The master gently responded, “‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’” And then Jesus summarized His point: “So the last shall be first and the first last.”

As the Scottish theologian Sinclair B. Ferguson stated about this parable, “It is the Master’s exhibition of grace that evokes [the worker’s] “righteous” indignation.” God, as portrayed by the landowner, is a gracious God. He will have mercy on whom He will have mercy and none of us deserves this gift. 

God’s Grace Available For All

Equal pay for equal work, while meaningful in our cultural business environment, has nothing to do with God’s grace. If it did we would all be in dire straits. But thank you, Jesus, God does not hold to those standards. His grace is available for all people of every nation: men and women, young and old, rich and poor. 

May the parable of the vineyard prompt you to search your heart. It’s not too late to receive the unmerited favor God offers through faith in Jesus Christ. It is not too late for grace! 

Love,

Mama

If you have been blessed by Verses from Mama consider buying me a cup of tea to help with the costs of this ministry. Thank you!