Equally Saved
Preaching
What Jesus Did:
The Answer To WWJD
To understand this parable, it is necessary to review the passage before this parable. The incident leading up to this parable tells of the rich young ruler approaching Jesus and turning away because he didn't want to give up his wealth. Jesus uses that incident to say that it is very hard for the rich to enter the kingdom of God. The disciples are astonished. According to the prevailing theology of their time, the rich were rich because God blessed them. Wealth was a sign of God's favor.
Peter looks around and notices that they don't have the problem of riches. If anything they are at the opposite end of the spectrum. "We have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" (Matthew 19:27 NRSV). Jesus responds with the promise that everyone who makes sacrifices for the kingdom of God will receive a reward. Matthew 19 ends with Jesus saying, "But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." Jesus concludes the parable of the vineyard workers with the same words in Matthew 20:16, "So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (NRSV). From the context then, the parable is an explanation of the last being first, the first being last and this has something to do with heavenly rewards. Let's see what we can find.
• What kinds of rewards do you hope for in the kingdom?
The parable describes a typical situation in the Near East. The landowner's crop is ready for harvest. He needs as many workers as possible to get the harvest in before the weather turns, or before the crop spoils in the field. Early in the morning, he goes down to the market place to hire laborers for the field. They strike an agreement: a day's wage for a day's work. Off they go to the field. The landowner goes back at 9:00 a.m. and finds the late risers ready for work. Their deal is, "I will pay you what is fair." Some money is always better than no money. Off they go to the field. At noon and 3:00 p.m., he does the same. At 5:00 p.m. he goes down again, and finds people there. "Why do you stand idle?" "Because no one has hired us." Now maybe these guys were lazy and got out of bed late. After all, the landowner has checked throughout the day. Maybe these guys went looking for a job and were in fact refused and rejected. It could be that these rejected workers represent the outcasts of Jesus' day in the spiritual sense. No one wanted the tax collectors, the harlots, and the other sinners. No one but this owner, so he tells them to head to the field.
Quitting time comes and it is time to be paid. It was customary to pay workers on a daily basis. The landowner has the laborers called to be paid, beginning with the last ones hired. Here is the first element of surprise. The ones hired last receive a wage for the entire day. A whole denarius. For the 5:00 p.m. workers, that amounts to a whole days wage for two or three hours of work in the cool of the evening. Nice work if you can get it.
• Was there a time you received a generous bonus you weren't expecting?
The ones hired earlier naturally think that if this landowner is fair, he will pay them more than a denarius. But here is the second element of surprise. They also receive a denarius. They are upset. Perhaps rightfully so in our way of thinking, but not according to how Jesus tells the parable. The landowner makes three points that the laborers really can't argue with. It is his money. He can do with it as he pleases. He didn't cheat them; he paid them what they agreed to.
• If you were one of these early workers, how would you feel? What would you say?
The point of the parable is in the action of the landowner. He always acts with grace. He acted with grace in hiring the rejected laborers at 5:00 p.m. God welcomes everyone into his kingdom. The ticket into the kingdom is repentance and faith in Jesus. No matter how the world treats you, Jesus loves you. Jesus welcomes you into the kingdom. Repent and believe the Good News.
The owner acted with grace in paying everybody the same. God gives the same salvation to all who put their faith in Jesus. There is no such thing as a little bit saved. There is no such thing as the supersaved being saved for eternity versus the just-barely-saved being saved for only a few eons. Saved is saved. You either are or you aren't. If you have faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are saved. Salvation is the same whether you have been Christian all your life, or whether you get in at the last minute. For those of us who have borne the work of the day, we can look to rewards if we want to, but being in heaven is the primary reward of salvation.
What else can this parable teach us? What has Jesus agreed to pay us? When we come to Lord's Supper, we are reminded of our new covenant with God. He has agreed to give us eternal life. He has agreed to forgive our sin. He has agreed to give us abundant life in the here and now. He has agreed always to be with us in the power of the Holy Spirit.
How much work have we agreed to do? Or, how much should we agree to do? We agree to repent of our sins and live holy lives. We agree to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit within us. We agree to obey God's commands, especially to love one another and forgive one another. We agree to be about the mission Jesus has given us.
• How much have you agreed to do for Jesus?
A third lesson concerns our generosity. Are we generous with our money? The landowner shows us a generous God who gives life to all who will come to him. Communion symbolizes Jesus Christ, God's precious gift to us as a sacrifice for our sins that we may have eternal life. Certainly, we should learn from this example, especially in our church giving, so that we can be a blessing to others and this community.
This parable is a parable of God's amazing grace. God welcomes all into his kingdom at whatever time they come. He gives the same quality salvation to all who trust in Jesus. While those of us who have been Christians a long time might question this, we must remind ourselves that the grace they receive is the grace we receive. None of us deserves salvation. Thank God for his amazing grace.
WWJD -- Do an act of kindness for someone who needs one.
Peter looks around and notices that they don't have the problem of riches. If anything they are at the opposite end of the spectrum. "We have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?" (Matthew 19:27 NRSV). Jesus responds with the promise that everyone who makes sacrifices for the kingdom of God will receive a reward. Matthew 19 ends with Jesus saying, "But many who are first will be last, and the last will be first." Jesus concludes the parable of the vineyard workers with the same words in Matthew 20:16, "So the last will be first, and the first will be last" (NRSV). From the context then, the parable is an explanation of the last being first, the first being last and this has something to do with heavenly rewards. Let's see what we can find.
• What kinds of rewards do you hope for in the kingdom?
The parable describes a typical situation in the Near East. The landowner's crop is ready for harvest. He needs as many workers as possible to get the harvest in before the weather turns, or before the crop spoils in the field. Early in the morning, he goes down to the market place to hire laborers for the field. They strike an agreement: a day's wage for a day's work. Off they go to the field. The landowner goes back at 9:00 a.m. and finds the late risers ready for work. Their deal is, "I will pay you what is fair." Some money is always better than no money. Off they go to the field. At noon and 3:00 p.m., he does the same. At 5:00 p.m. he goes down again, and finds people there. "Why do you stand idle?" "Because no one has hired us." Now maybe these guys were lazy and got out of bed late. After all, the landowner has checked throughout the day. Maybe these guys went looking for a job and were in fact refused and rejected. It could be that these rejected workers represent the outcasts of Jesus' day in the spiritual sense. No one wanted the tax collectors, the harlots, and the other sinners. No one but this owner, so he tells them to head to the field.
Quitting time comes and it is time to be paid. It was customary to pay workers on a daily basis. The landowner has the laborers called to be paid, beginning with the last ones hired. Here is the first element of surprise. The ones hired last receive a wage for the entire day. A whole denarius. For the 5:00 p.m. workers, that amounts to a whole days wage for two or three hours of work in the cool of the evening. Nice work if you can get it.
• Was there a time you received a generous bonus you weren't expecting?
The ones hired earlier naturally think that if this landowner is fair, he will pay them more than a denarius. But here is the second element of surprise. They also receive a denarius. They are upset. Perhaps rightfully so in our way of thinking, but not according to how Jesus tells the parable. The landowner makes three points that the laborers really can't argue with. It is his money. He can do with it as he pleases. He didn't cheat them; he paid them what they agreed to.
• If you were one of these early workers, how would you feel? What would you say?
The point of the parable is in the action of the landowner. He always acts with grace. He acted with grace in hiring the rejected laborers at 5:00 p.m. God welcomes everyone into his kingdom. The ticket into the kingdom is repentance and faith in Jesus. No matter how the world treats you, Jesus loves you. Jesus welcomes you into the kingdom. Repent and believe the Good News.
The owner acted with grace in paying everybody the same. God gives the same salvation to all who put their faith in Jesus. There is no such thing as a little bit saved. There is no such thing as the supersaved being saved for eternity versus the just-barely-saved being saved for only a few eons. Saved is saved. You either are or you aren't. If you have faith in Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior, then you are saved. Salvation is the same whether you have been Christian all your life, or whether you get in at the last minute. For those of us who have borne the work of the day, we can look to rewards if we want to, but being in heaven is the primary reward of salvation.
What else can this parable teach us? What has Jesus agreed to pay us? When we come to Lord's Supper, we are reminded of our new covenant with God. He has agreed to give us eternal life. He has agreed to forgive our sin. He has agreed to give us abundant life in the here and now. He has agreed always to be with us in the power of the Holy Spirit.
How much work have we agreed to do? Or, how much should we agree to do? We agree to repent of our sins and live holy lives. We agree to obey the leading of the Holy Spirit within us. We agree to obey God's commands, especially to love one another and forgive one another. We agree to be about the mission Jesus has given us.
• How much have you agreed to do for Jesus?
A third lesson concerns our generosity. Are we generous with our money? The landowner shows us a generous God who gives life to all who will come to him. Communion symbolizes Jesus Christ, God's precious gift to us as a sacrifice for our sins that we may have eternal life. Certainly, we should learn from this example, especially in our church giving, so that we can be a blessing to others and this community.
This parable is a parable of God's amazing grace. God welcomes all into his kingdom at whatever time they come. He gives the same quality salvation to all who trust in Jesus. While those of us who have been Christians a long time might question this, we must remind ourselves that the grace they receive is the grace we receive. None of us deserves salvation. Thank God for his amazing grace.
WWJD -- Do an act of kindness for someone who needs one.
