Dear Christian friends:

The story which I just read to you probably never happened, because no farmer in his right mind would do what this Lord did. It is a parable. A story which Jesus invented to help teach us a very important teaching in the Bible: that salvation is a gift of God.

We are saved from sin and everlasting punishment because God is good and kind to us; not because we are worthy of it or deserve it because of our own good works.

Perhaps you say, "We have heard that before, tell us something new." Yes, you have heard it before, but you can't hear it too often. Why? Because of our sinful, proud and self-righteous nature. It is very natural for us to think that God likes us and because we are "good" and "better than other people."

A minister visited a sick lady in the hospital who was very ill and dying. She was an old member of the church, and had belonged there for many years. The minister tried to comfort her with the good News of Jesus. He said, "You should not be afraid to die." Quickly she interrupted the minister before He could explain why. She said, "Yes, I know I always went to church every Sunday and my father was a minister."

So you and I also keep trying our own self-righteousness and forget to argue Jesus Christ, His blood and His righteousness. So let us attend to our text and be impressed by Jesus' story of the Worker In the Vineyard and see again that:


In our text Jesus tells how a certain farmer went out to hire workers for his vineyard: First, early in the morning he hired some at 7:00 am. Then again he hired others at 9:00 am; later others at 12:00; then at 3:00 pm and finally at 5:00 pm he hired some more workers.

At 6:00 pm he told the foreman to call all the workers and pay each one a full days wages, one denarius coin beginning with the last ones hired. And no matter what time they began working each man received one denarius; who worked one hour received a denarius and one who worked eleven hours also received one denarius.

So the men who worked from 7:00 am to 6:00 pm complained to the Lord and thought they should receive more than the others who worked only one or three or six hours. They thought the Lord was not fair. He did not pay them what they deserved.

So we always want from God what is fair or just. But if God paid us what is just, what we have earned, He would have to destroy us all in hell. We are sinners before God and man. The Bible says, "The wages (pay) of sin is death." (Romans 6:23)

So we always want to live by the Law and compare ourselves with others: if we are better we feel proud and self-righteous: if we are worse we feel jealous and angry. That is the reason why we have so much jealousy and quarreling, even in the Church. Many do not understand about grace or fail to practice it.

We are saved by grace. The words of Jesus in the text are very important. When the workers complained Jesus answered them, "Friend, I am doing you no wrong. You not agree with me to work for one denarius? Take your money and go I want to give this last man as much as I give you. .... Are you jealous because I am generous? Jesus says, "I want to give" and "I am generous."

We sinners are saved only because Jesus wants to save us from our sins and because He gives us everlasting life. We are saved and have eternal life because Jesus is generous. He gave His holy, innocent life upon the cross to win forgiveness of sins and everlasting life for all men. Paul says, "For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God not by works, so that no one can boast. For we are God's handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do." (Ephesians 2:8-10)

Do you understand about grace? If you do your talk, your thoughts, your face and actions will show it. In serving God you will not compare yourself with others and feel proud if you have done more and better work or feel sad or jealous if others are better workers than you. You will serve God because you love Him and because He has given you life and health and a good mind to do it, and time.

Because He is generous, God promises everyone the gift of living forever. But he asks more from some people who can do more things. So God wants everybody to have all that He can give them, but sometimes He may ask you to do more than the other person even though you both will get everything that God promised.

We should be happy that others get as much as we do and have our joy. If we understand about grace, that we are saved by God's promise in Jesus and not by our own works, we will be glad and serve Him gladly even if others do not.

Amen.