church

INI
14th Sunday after Pentecost
September 18, 2011
Ascension Lutheran Church, Tacoma WA
Paul Naumann, Pastor

THE STRANGE LABOR LAWS OF GOD'S VINEYARD
Matthew 20:1-16

To Him who is able to do exceedingly abundantly above all that we ask or
think, according to the power that works in us, to Him be glory in the church by
Christ Jesus throughout all ages, world without end. Amen. Our text this
morning is taken from the twentieth chapter of the Gospel of Matthew,
beginning with the first verse, as follows:

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the
morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 Now when he had agreed with the
laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And he went out
about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and said
to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’
So they went. 5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did
likewise. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing
idle and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ 7 They
said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the
vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’8 “So when evening had come,
the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them
their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ 9 And when those came who
were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. 10 But when
the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise
received each a denarius. 11 And when they had received it, they complained
against the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour,
and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the
day.’ 13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no
wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go
your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful
for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am
good?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few
chosen.” This is the Word of God.

In Christ Jesus, who displays His love for us in spite of our sins, Dear Fellow
Redeemed,

We Americans are a people who have become very familiar with labor
conflicts. Hardly a day goes by when we don't hear something about some
union trouble, workers demanding better pay and better conditions,
management complaining that they can't make any money if they give in to
labor demands. Right now the teachers’ union is on strike against Tacoma
public schools. If the teachers aren't on strike, it's the airline pilots. If it's not
the airline pilots it's the steel workers. A few of these groups probably deserve a
better deal; some of us would like to see teachers get more money, for instance.
On the other hand, a lot of us think baseball players are getting way too much
money already.

At any rate, there's one thing nobody questions - labor is based on merit.
People ought to get a fair wage for the job that they do, no matter where they
work. If they don't get a fair wage, it's only right that they demand more. It's an
idea we Americans take for granted. But there's one place of employment where
the labor laws are very different, topsy-turvy from any "union shop" you've ever
heard of. That's the vineyard of God. If you're a Christian, it means you're one
of the employees, so you better make sure you're familiar with how the vineyard
works. In our text for today, Jesus teaches us a few things about:

THE STRANGE LABOR LAW'S OF GOD'S VINEYARD
I. Workers here can't demand anything!
II. Workers here can receive everything!

Jesus often had a hard time getting His point across to people. Sometimes even
His own disciples couldn't see what He was trying to teach them. That's why
He often used parables. They were simple stories about simple everyday things,
but they always held a profound truth. Jesus told the Parable of the Workers in
the Vineyard because of a question that the disciple Peter asked. A very natural
question. Peter said, "Lord, we twelve disciples have given up everything to
follow You - our money, our possessions, our jobs...what special reward will we
get for that?"

Jesus saw that there was something Peter didn't understand about the way
God's kingdom works. That's why He told this parable. It starts out, For the
kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to
hire laborers for his vineyard. In the parable God is the ‘landowner’, or
employer, all the people who profess to be Christians are the employees, and
the visible church is the vineyard where they work. So far, so good; that's the
kind of picture we can all identify with. We’re all workers in God’s vineyard.
But from here on in, the parable sounds like no other workplace you've ever
heard of. Jesus is telling us that, if we want to be workers in His kingdom, we
should know right off the bat that the pay scale here is a lot different than what
we're used to. The labor laws here in God's vineyard are unique, to say the
least!

In the first place, unlike your standard union shop, the workers in God's
vineyard can't DEMAND anything! There’s no such thing as "collective
bargaining" with God. And the main reason for this is obvious – it’s because
God does not owe us a thing!

In the parable, the workers in the vineyard were hired at different times during
the day. Some started work right away at 6:00 in the morning. Some more were
hired later on, at 9:00 a.m., some at noon, and some more at 3:00 in the
afternoon. Finally, the master went out and hired some more men "at the
eleventh hour," which was 5:00 in the evening, even though quitting time was
at six. One denarius, a day's wages, was promised to each worker. When the
quitting whistle blew, that's what was paid out - one denarius to each man. And
that's when some of the workers decided that something was wrong here. There
was a basic unfairness in this “level payroll” plan. It was time for the workers to
trot out their demands. And who complained the loudest? Naturally, it was the
ones who'd been out there working since the crack of dawn. When they came,
… they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each
a denarius. 11 And when they had received it, they complained against the
landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you
made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ 13
But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did
you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go your way. I
wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do
what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’

I suppose that most of us sitting here today are what you could call
"Heat-of-the-Day Christians." Most of us were baptized as infants. Many of us
have been coming to church since we were little children. You may not realize
it, but that puts you in a rather high-risk group - we're exactly the kind of people
Jesus is talking about. People who are most likely to become "complainers,"
and "demanders." We've spent our whole lives trying to behave like God's
children should behave, supporting the church with our money and our time,
struggling to bring up our kids "in the nurture and admonition of the Lord,"
trying to witness our Christian faith to our neighbors. Maybe you've only said it
in your mind, but you've probably said it: "I've tried to be faithful, so haven't I
got a little extra coming? Don't all those years of Christian service count for
anything?"

But remember - this is God's vineyard, not a union shop in some factory.
There's no seniority system here! The reward of faith is the same for all the
workers in God's kingdom, regardless of when they were hired. Some people
come to faith as young adults, some in middle age. Some people are like the
men in the parable who were hired at the eleventh hour; they only come to faith
very late in their lives. Can you think of an example from the Bible? What about
the thief who spoke to Jesus on the cross? He'd wasted all his years in a life of
crime, and now only a couple of hours stood between him and eternity. "He
said to Jesus, 'Lord, remember me when You come into Your kingdom.'" What
did Christ say? No, I'm sorry; it's too late now. You had your chance long ago?
No, Jesus replied, "Assuredly, I say to you, today you will be with me in
Paradise." -- Lk 23:42-43.

There is no such thing as seniority among Christians. The labor laws in God's
vineyard don't go according to how long you've been working, or how much
you've "earned." And it's a good thing, too! If God gave us only what we've
earned, we'd be in deep trouble! For what do you suppose you've earned by the
commandments you've broken - not once, but many times? What have you
merited, do you suppose, by the harsh words you've spoken to your spouse, or
to your children? What is owed you by God, in your estimation, for the impure
thoughts which you have allowed to linger on your mind, for the laziness and
sloth that you have exhibited in the performance of your Christian duties, for
your utter indifference toward - yes, at times denial of! - the Savior who bought
you with His blood? If you're like me, those questions are, unfortunately, all to
easy to answer. With Martin Luther we must confess that “…we daily sin much,
and indeed deserve nothing but punishment.” And that, in turn, leaves us one
short Bible verse away from hell. For Romans 6:23 says, "The wages of sin is
death!"

So how do you feel now about "demanding your rights?" Do you want to be
like those assertive workers who demanded their reward from the master of the
vineyard? Do you really want to stand before the throne of Christ on Judgment
Day and demand He give you what you've earned?

Me neither.

It's crystal clear that as workers in God's vineyard, you and I can't DEMAND
anything. But there’s a difference between demanding something we think
we’ve earned, and receiving something that’s obviously a gift. We have no right
to demand anything from God, but the good news is that - unworthy sinners
though we are - we can RECEIVE everything! Paul reminds us that "...All have
sinned and fall short of the glory of God,” but how does it go on? “…being
justified freely by His grace through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus." --
Rom 3:23-24.

The key word in that passage is "grace." Our young people learn that the
definition of grace is "undeserved love." Over and over again, the Bible keeps
reminding us that you can't earn salvation. It doesn’t matter how many hours
you’ve been sweating in the vineyard. Salvation is a free gift! The beautiful
message of the Gospel is that we don't deserve to have God love us, but He
does anyway. In spite of your sins, your shortcomings, in spite of all the unkind
things you've said, the impure thoughts you've had, in spite of the times you
may have taken too much, cursed too much, drank too much, prayed too little,
praised too little, given too little, NEVERTHELESS God loves you.
Nevertheless, God traded His only Son for you. Nevertheless, God laid your
iniquity on Him, so that by His stripes, you might be healed (Is 53). Someone
astutely observed that the whole of the Gospel can be summed up in that one
word, “nevertheless.” What you and I deserved was hell; nevertheless, what
God in Christ has given us is heaven!

Praise God for that wonderful “nevertheless!” And praise God for the very
strange "labor laws" of His vineyard! What other employer offers benefits like
that? In any other business I've ever heard of, the only gift you ever get is,
maybe, a small bonus at Christmas time. Everything else you have to work for.
As God's employee, everything - even the very righteousness of Christ - is given
to you as a gift! In the parable, the reward is one denarius; in real life, God's
gifts to you are so great, they make a million-dollar-a-year salary look like
pennies in comparison! You have an iron-clad contract with God. In it, He
guarantees to provide you with everything you need in this world, and eternal
life in the next. All this He offers you, for Jesus' sake, as a free gift. The only
thing He asks you to do is reach out the hand of your faith and receive it! In
another familiar parable, Jesus describes the welcome we wretched sinners
receive from our Heavenly Father when we turn to Him in repentance: And [the
prodigal son] arose, and came to his father. But when he was yet a great way
off, his father saw him, and had compassion, and ran, and fell on his neck, and
kissed him. 21 And the son said unto him, Father, I have sinned against heaven,
and in thy sight, and am no more worthy to be called thy son. 22 But the father
said to his servants, Bring forth the best robe, and put it on him; and put a ring
on his hand, and shoes on his feet: 23 And bring hither the fatted calf, and kill
it; and let us eat, and be merry: 24 For this my son was dead, and is alive again;
he was lost, and is found. And they began to be merry. Luke 15:20-24.

Jesus ends this present parable with an interesting comment. He says, "For
many are called, but few are chosen." The Gospel call has been going out to
people for a long time. Many have rejected that call completely. Many have
joined a church, but with a completely wrong idea of what it means to be a
Christian - thinking a Christian is someone who gets ahead by doing good,
someone who sweats in the heat of God's vineyard until he's earned himself a
place in the heavenly mansions. How disappointed they’ll be when they learn,
on Judgment Day, that that's not how things work in vineyard of the Lord. Yes,
many are called, but few are chosen. Rejoice, my Christian friends, for you are
the chosen ones! God has given you the faith to lay all your sins at the cross of
your Savior, and to put all your trust in Him for forgiveness, and life. You know
that in God's vineyard, workers can't demand anything. But you also know that,
with faith in Christ, they can receive everything! As we sing in that favorite old
hymn:

Not the labors of my hands
Can fulfil Thy Law's demands;
Could my zeal no respite know,
Could my tears forever flow,
All for sin could not atone;
Thou must save, and Thou alone.

Nothing in my hand I bring,
Simply to Thy cross I cling;
Naked, come to Thee for dress;
Helpless, look to Thee for grace;
Foul, I to the fountain fly -
Wash me, Savior, or I die! AMEN.