That Makes No Sense Series

That makes no sense

Matthew 20:1-16

Introduction- Good Morning Everyone

If you would turn to Matthew Chapter 20 we are going to look at the parable of the workers in the vineyard.

We are still working our way in the series of “Navigating the Journey.”

Everything we go through here on earth and the life decisions we make here will determine where we will spend eternity. Know that!

Jesus may not have had people asking him if he had been around sick people or wither he had a fever, if he was properly vaccinated or what is your view on wearing a mask?- He did have people asking questions- hard questions!

Just before the text this morning, Matthew 19 Jesus faced a man who wanted to know how to receive eternal life, was asked wither a rich man can get into heaven. He is asked about the commandments and which ones are the really important ones that lead to life.

“Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?

The disciples heard Jesus tell the rich man to go sell all he processed and give to the poor and store up treasures in heaven instead of here on earth.

They heard Jesus tell the rich man that for him to make heaven would be hard and that it would be easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle.

When reading God’s Word you need to be prayed up and seeking God for interpretation.

There is truth, there are parables and there is context that must be known to fully grasp what is being told to us.

Jesus told that rich man that money in itself is not salvation, that if he was to be perfect in his interpretation, he would sell all he had, give to the poor and trust God to meet his needs.

Jesus knew that the rich man heart was not right to surrender all he had and follow Jesus.

He says that it would be easier to have a camel go through the eye of a needle. This is a camel falling to his knees and crawling through the small entrance on the side of the walls of the city. A hard thing to do but not impossible. The disciples freaked out, who can be saved? “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

I think Peters answer after all that is why the Lord spoke the parable of the vineyard to them.

Peter said “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?

Keep in mind that the disciples just dealt with a greedy rich man and an attitude of what is in it for us Jesus, we have left everything for you- Jesus says that to follow Him, we have to be willing to give everything up, He doesn’t always take it all!

Here we go! Matthew 20:1For the kingdom of heaven is like… that is how a parable begins. Remember a parable is a short story that may or may not be true but it is going to give us a spiritual truth to be applied. (1-16)

1-16 Read from Bible slowly

Set up

Landowner, the boss went out at 6am in the morning to a group of men waiting outside at the square in what would be the unemployment station and was looking for workers.

They were there because they needed a job.

He agrees to pay them a denarius for the day.

At 9am he went there again and took some more men. They were just hanging there- why because they needed work. He told them that I will pay whatever is right- get to work.

At Noon and at 3pm, he did the exact same thing. Why are you just standing here? Because no one hired me. Get to work

At the eleventh hour of an average 12 hour work day, he goes there again and sees men there and hires them to go work in his vineyard.

So many people want to get around the water cooler and tear up the boss.

Before we see the response of the boss, let me just say that every job I have ever applied for… I needed the job. I did not walk in the office with something they needed, they had something that I needed. A pay check! I provide a service and they provide a check. Many applied and you hope that something stands out that they pick you for the job. I have never seen a poor person hire another. It was always a person with money that is offering money to someone else to do a job that was needed.

So here is the response of the owner/boss- the first group that he hired was offered a job that pays one denarius a day. That was the average wage for a day. The next groups hired were all told that he would pay what was right.