God’s Economy of Grace (Matthew 20: 1-16)
· 16.04.2024 · 18:20:47 ··· ··· Tuesday ·· 2 (2)
Knox Church Waterdown In these verses of this chapter of Matthew Jesus is teaching using a parable about workers in a vineyard. He is describing what the Kingdom of Heaven is like. A landowner goes to the market at various points in the day to look for workers for his vineyard. At the end of the day he lines up the workers from those who worker the least amount of time to those who worked the most amount of time. He gives them all, regardless of hours worker, a denarius. The workers who have been there working in the vineyard right from the beginning of the day grumble. They think this is unfair and they should be paid more because they worked longer. Probably most of us would side with these disgruntled workers. It is unfair! Surely God sees how unjust this is? But we are applying our own worldly sense of justice to a Kingdom that belongs to God. Our justice system is not His. Our sense of merit equaling work doesn’t fit in His Kingdom. What things should we notice about this parable? First, the landowner himself goes to the market several times during the day to find workers. This would have been unheard of, a landowner going to market himself and not sending someone in his place. Second, the workers that get chosen first would have been familiar with the system and been good negotiators. The workers hired at the end of the day were the forgotten and discarded ones. They may have been unable to work as hard. They wanted to work, but couldn’t find it. The landowner would have known this and yet he keeps going back to the market. Not because he needs more workers, but wants more workers. This move towards relationship sounds a lot like God. Third, at the end of the day when everyone gets paid the same amount the landowner is not being unfair. The first workers were promised a denarius and that is what they are given. He doesn’t give them less that what they were promised. Their hard work has not been discredited. It is just that those who worked only one hour receive a denarius as well. I wonder how many times we have been thankful when someone offers us more than what we think we are worth because of our circumstances. What is this parable about? God’s economy of grace! Our perspective of what is going on in this parable might change if we replace the word denarius with grace or salvation. The landowner gives out grace, all at equal value regardless of work. The landowner gives out salvation, the same salvation for all. If we replace denarius with grace or salvation, I bet none of us would say to those drowning in the mess of their own lives that they should have just worked harder. Grace and salvation are God’s alone to give out as He sees fit. And He does so freely without strings attached. It has nothing to do with us. It can’t be earned. However, this is not an invitation to live any way we want. We are invited to live as the landowner, to move towards relationship and give grace freely to all around us. We all have value, not because of what we have done, but because of who we are. We are all image bearers of God. We are blessed to be a blessing. The Kingdom of God is an upside down one where we suffer to get well, surrender to win, die to live, and give away to keep. God’s grace means that all our mistakes serve a purpose instead of serving shame. We are called to give out grace as wastefully as He does to everyone!
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