The young man had just graduated from college and was at his first job interview. He was applying to be an accountant. Reaching the end of a job interview, the Human Resources Person asked him, "What starting salary were you thinking about?" The young man replied, "In the neighborhood of $100,000 a year, depending on the benefits package."
The interviewer said, "Well, what would you say to a package of 5 weeks vacation, full medical and dental, Company Retirement Fund to 50% of your salary, Executive Share Option Scheme, Profit Related Pay and a company car leased every 2 years?"
The young man sat up straight and said, "Wow! Are you kidding?"
The interviewer replied, "Yes, but you started it."
We all desire to know our worth. Often we feel that we are not appreciated. We are not paid enough. We are not thanked enough. Sometimes we will even ask questions, not really seeking the truth, in hopes of getting an answer that will satisfy our self worth.
In Matthew 19 we meet such a man. He comes to Jesus and asks the question “What must I do to have eternal life?” He knew the answer. He was Jewish and had been taught the law his entire life. But he was looking for justification and praise.
Jesus answer was simple, “Keep the commandments.”
I could almost see the young man smile. “I have done that. Is there anything else?” He wasn’t seeking the truth but rather the approval of Jesus.
But Jesus throws him a curve ball. “Yeah. Go sell all your possessions, give the money to the poor, and follow me.” Not what he expected. He walks away sad, ashamed, and disgraced in front of those who heard the conversation.
Jesus tells his followers that it is hard for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven. A camel stands a better chance of going through the eye of a needle. But, through God, man’s salvation is possible.
Now Peter, being always observant, has a thought. If the young man had to get rid of everything to be a follower, then I must be highly favored. He was like the young accountant about to ask for a salary of $100,000.
He turns to Jesus and states, “We have left everything to follow you. What then will there be for us?” Like the young man, he’s not seeking the truth but rather the acclaims of Jesus. But Jesus sees through his motives and tells a parable.
Matthew 20:1-2 “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work.”
When Jesus told this story it was probably during the harvest time. The landowner had his year round workers who attended to the vineyards. But during harvest time extra workers would be needed. So he went to the market place at 6 am to look for those who were seeing employment due to not having a regular job. His desire was to harvest his crop in one day. For some reason he felt an urgency to do so.
When he got there at 6 am he found some strapping young men ready to work. They had gotten up early and prepared themselves for a full days work. He offered them enough to care for themselves and family for one day. They agreed and went to work.
As the morning proceeded he realized that he needed more workers to accomplish his goal of a one day harvest. So back to the market place he went.
Matthew 20:3-5 “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.”
He first went back at nine o’clock. He found the nine to five crowd. These guys want to work but they like a routine. They will be in the market place at a convenient time for them. They’re hard workers, ready to put in 8 hours with an hour lunch break. The landowner chose the best and offered them a salary that he would decide was fair. They agreed and went to work in the vineyard.
Soon it became noon. The sun was overhead and it was getting hot. Some had been at work for six hours now, some for three. The heat was taking its toll. The workers had started tiring so he decided to get more workers. So back to the market place he went at noon.
When he arrived at noon time he found those whom it was difficult to get out of bed. They woke up, piddled the day away, and finally realized that if they did not find a day job they, and possibly their family, were going to go hungry. So they arrived at the marketplace hoping it was not too late. The landowner looked over this crowd and chose the best. He offered them a salary that he would decide was fair. They agreed and went to work in the vineyard.
Now it was 3 o’clock. Only three hours of daylight was left. The landowner realized that the harvest was falling way behind. He needed more workers. Back to the marketplace he went. There he found those with no motivation. These were the ones with little responsibility. Mom had to drag them out of bed and demand they go find someway of contributing to the needs of the household. Reluctantly they headed for the marketplace, thinking it was too late for them to be hired. But they were wrong. The landowner looked over this crowd and chose the best. He offered them a salary that he would decide was fair. They agreed and went to work in his vineyard. But there was still one more trip to the marketplace to be made.
Matthew 20:6-7 “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’
“They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’
“The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’”
This is the five o’clock crowd. They have been there all day waiting to be hired. These were the undesirables. They were weak. They were old. They were judged as being unable to put in a full days work. They wanted jobs but none was offered.
The landowner sent them to his field with no promise of compensation for the one hour left to work. All they had was the hope of compassion from the landowner. Finally the day came to an end. Some had worked in the blazing heat doing the bulk of the work for twelve hours. Others for nine. Still others for six. Some for three. A few for one. It was time to clock out and get paid.
Matthew 20:8-9 “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage.
Does anyone remember Alfred Hitchcock? He had a TV series back in the 50s. His stories always had a twist to them that led to an unexpected ending. I think he borrowed his story telling technique from Jesus. Jesus always put a twist into his stories that were designed to shock his audience. Here is the shock factor.
Those that were undesirable, weak, and old were paid first. They had only worked for one hour, yet received a full days pay.
You can almost see the wheels turning in the head of those listening to the story. “If they received a full days pay, then those that worked for three hours were about to receive three days pay. And those that worked for six hours were about to receive six days pay. And those that worked for nine hours were about to receive nine days pay. And those who worked for twelve hours were about to receive twelve days pay. Wow, this landowner was super generous.” But it didn’t turn out that way.
Matthew 20:10-12 “When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’”
Talk about injustice. If that took place today, there would lawsuits against the landowner. His product would be banned from the major markets. Politicians would try to pass legislation preventing other landowners from doing the same. The unions would rise up to unionize all marketplace workers. Those in the audience would probably agree with the protest of the 6 o’clock people. But the landowner would not be swayed.
Matthew 20:13-15 “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’”
Notice, the landowner didn’t debate the crowd. He spoke directly to one. Notice, he wasn’t angry with them. He called the man his friend. He reminded him of their deal and the fact that he had upheld his end. He didn’t threaten to renege on his deal. But he was firm in letting him know that he broke no law by showing kindness. Now we will dig into the spiritual meaning behind this story.
Remember what started this story? Peter was bragging about how they had left everything behind. Like the 6 am worker he was the spokesman for all the others. “We’ve worked harder and been more faithful than any of these other followers of yours. Surely we deserve more honor than any of these.” Peter was a 6 am Christian
Let’s talk about those 6 am Christians. They work harder than anyone. They read their Bible more. Listen to nothing but Christian radio and music. They own extensive libraries on Christian living and try to follow the teachings that they gleam. They find a church to attend on Sunday morning, Sunday night, and Wednesday mid-week service. If they know of a service on a Friday and Saturday night they are there. They have their favorite TV preachers that they follow faithfully. They are kind and generous, dependable in times of need. They sacrifice everything to follow Jesus.
Then there are the 9-5 Christians. They will support their local church by attending regularly and giving to the ministry that feeds them spiritually. They love the routine of church starting and ending at the proper times. They love serving as needed as long as it does not interrupt their schedules. The more order there is to their Christian life the better they like it.
Next are the 12 o’clock Christians. They have a tendency to half-way do things. Going to church is a choice. It’s not really necessary to do so to enter into heaven. Giving of your finances to God is a hit and miss. They will give as long as it doesn’t inconvenience them or take away from their pleasure. If it comes down to it and no one else will do it, they will step up and volunteer.
Then we got the 3 o’clock Christians. They have a tendency to want to do nothing. They don’t want to serve. They don’t want to give. They hardly even want to go to church but do so because of what people might think. They are in and out as quick as they can so they can get about their day.
Finally, the five o’clock Christians. They look down on themselves. They feel inadequate. Perhaps they feel uneducated. Or perhaps they feel awkward about serving. They are afraid of serving because they may fail. They muddle through their Christian life with a feeling of uselessness. They worry about their relationship with God and what He thinks of them.
Now back to the lessons learned from this story.
1) The time was short. His desire was to bring in the harvest in one day. 2 Peter 3:8 tells us “But you must not forget this one thing, dear friends: A day is like a thousand years to the Lord, and a thousand years is like a day.” The harvest is taking place right now. He is seeing workers to come into his harvest field. He needs those who will speak the truth into peoples lives with kindness. He needs those who will serve in the communities, prisons, and homeless shelters to show the love of Jesus.
2) The pay was for a day. He promised to give them enough to cover the need for that day. When Jesus taught his disciples to pray He taught them in Matthew 6:11 to pray “Give us today the food we need,” God wants us depending on him daily. We have a tendency to forsake our need for God if things are going really well. He doesn’t promise us tomorrow so seek him for your needs for today.
3) We are chosen. Many were called to be in the marketplace to find jobs. Each time the landowner went to the marketplace there were many to choose from but only a few were actually chosen. Jesus spoke on this in Matthew 22:14. “For many are called, but few are chosen.” You have been chosen by Jesus to be his worker in the harvest. It doesn’t matter where you fall on the schedule, 6,9,12,3, or 5, you have been chosen. What a privilege to serve a master who chooses us based on our potential and not on our history.
4) We must guard against pride. When it came time for payment the landowner paid each worker according to his kindness not according to the worker. Peter had a pride problem. If a rich man could not get to heaven than surely one who had sacrificed it all would blow the gates off. But in God’s field it doesn’t work that way. You may be a super Christian but you cannot expect a greater blessing from God because of it. Paul warns us in Romans 12:3 “Because of the privilege and authority God has given me, I give each of you this warning: Don’t think you are better than you really are. Be honest in your evaluation of yourselves, measuring yourselves by the faith God has given us.”
5) Be ready to settle. The day finally came to the end and it was time to settle up. Out of his generosity all were paid equally. Those who only worked an hour were more appreciative of that kindness than those who worked twelve. But I wonder if some felt a sting of guilt for accepting such a generous offer. I wonder if some regretted not coming to the field quicker to serve this generous landowner. One day we will face our payday. Let’s read
2 Corinthians 5:10 “For we must all stand before Christ to be judged. We will each receive whatever we deserve for the good or evil we have done in this earthly body.”
This is what we are facing this morning. What type of Christian are we? Are we fired up, routine, half-hearted, lazy, or ineffective? What ever category we fall in we are all under the same blessing. God is no respecter of man. But will you be able to receive the honor from Jesus as He hands it to you or will you have your head hung in shame as He places it in your hands. Today is the day to decide. What time are you clocking in?
