Sept. 24, 2017 Readings: Matt
20: 1-16
I would like to rename the parable we heard
today as “the radical landlord.”
The parables Of
Jesus are often very difficult for us to understand. They seem to play havoc with your human
reasoning at times. Mainly because the
messages they proclaim, especially about God’s amazing love, grace, or how we
will be received in the Kingdom of Heaven, do not go along with our worldly
view of what is fair and what’s unfair. God’s love,
mercy and grace are radical. So
radical in fact, they often teach the opposite of our worldly understanding of
how things should work, who should receive and who shouldn’t. God’s ways of doing things often make no
sense to our human logic and our human nature, especially when it comes to love
and forgiveness that has no conditions. When
we were young our piers and family began teaching us about what is fair and what
is unfair. If you work very hard to
accomplish something then you would expect to be rewarded. The size of the reward should be in
proportion to the work accomplished. Do
an ok job, receive you’re ok pay, but if you do a better job, well, you can hope to and should expect a little more
for your extra effort. Those who work
real hard and produce more, why they should not only get a good pay but can
expect a bonus right? The problem here
is that this parable turns that teaching upside down and goes against human
logic and worldly teaching and therefore should be subject to a good argument about
the unfairness of the landowner, I would you say.
Folks: This
parable has similarities to the parable of the Prodigal Son. You
know the story. The elder son in the
story is peeved because the younger brother who squandered his inheritance is
welcomed back into the family by his Father with a feast. Then the Father wraps his wayward son in his
best robe and kills the fatted calf in his honor. The father
receives this wayward child with gifts and celebration??? In other words the boy is given a royal
homecoming. It’s just not fair to the
elder son, who stayed home worked long and hard for his father as he was expected to do, where is his just reward? No, it is not right, it is not fair and when
I read this parable for the first time, many years ago, that is what I
heard. That’s not fair. It seemed
to me that an injustice was taking place here, to give those who labored all
day in the hot sunshine the same pay as those who only worked and hour in the
cool of the late afternoon. That’s Just Not Fair!!!!
But wait a minute
folks, do you see it? I was assuming something here wasn’t I. The assumption was; that God should follow my logic of fairness
and equality? What is wrong here, what are
we missing in this teaching?
After many years
of seeking and working with Jesus’ parables, after taking a second look I find
this parable is not about fairness or unjust wages at all. No, I
discovered that the parable is essentially about our misunderstanding of God’s
radical generosity. Did you hear
that God’s generosity is radical and it is not accountable to my human logic of
fairness. It is not about equity or wages earned either,
it is about a generous landlord who offers laborers work and an undeserved
gift. We don’t deserved food, shelter,
good health or work, if anything we are undeserving because we stray from the
ways of God more often than not. Sing
” Undeserving As I AM”
In the eyes of God
folks, no one deserves anything, do you
get it!! No on earns Grace, The real point here is God grace is sufficient
for all and is given equally when God choses to do so. It is not subject to our standards. God doesn’t deny us work, God loves us and
offers work to all, both early comers and late comers. Some take him up on the offer and others
reject the offer. If we concentrate on the fact that all, were
offered work and that all responded, then the parable gives us insight and our response
should be with gratitude, gratitude for the gift and ability to do it. The amount of time worked then becomes
irrelevant to receiving and responding to the gift of grace. The real
teaching here is to be grateful, it’s not about fairness. When our focus turns to fairness one of the cousins
of pain show up, envy. Envy invades our thinking and steals our
gratitude. The same can happen to me or you
if we become preoccupied with our human logic, forgeting what God has done for
us. The thief on the cross next to Jesus
did not earn his way to paradise in the moments of his death. It had nothing to do with how much time he
had spent in the Synagogue serving or following the ways of goodness and
faithfulness. Yet he was given the same
opportunity that was given to all who followed Jesus for three yeas or months
or weeks or even a day folks. Think
about that? Those
who made the sacrifice as did the disciples, gave up everything, denying their
worldly life, its teachings, just to follow him. This last moment request by a thief, “Jesus remember me when you come into your
kingdom” these words for mercy
would allows him the assurance, that he would be with Jesus that very day in
paradise. That’s not fair, its radical Grace folks. Luke
23: 39-43
The call here for
the listener is a call of humility. Not
about goodness, devotion, long suffering, or earning the approval for God’s
generosity. On the contrary we learn
that those who are first in the eyes of the world are not first in the eyes of
God. Those who God receives as the
lowliest of all, are the ones God will exalt on the last day. {Matthew 23:
12.}
I believe you and
I are invited and challenged to reflect upon where we see ourselves in Jesus’
parable, both in our personal lives and in our church life. Are we filled with gratitude for what God
offers us or are we lost grumbling and complaining about others? The
parable is not about comparing how hard we work or how much time we have spent
working. It is not about fairness, and it is not about your neighbor folks. The fact that God gives to you should
produce gratitude in your relationship with God. The parable cautions us: God’s generosity towards others should not
turn our gratitude into envy, pride or hardness towards a neighbor. The parable also teaches us that God’s Grace
is not determined by goodness or works either, nor does the amount or works
give any one of us an advantage over the late comer. God offers to love and care for us all
equally, we have no right to judge others less we judge ourselves. God sees us all as his children and no one
but Jesus wears the crown of righteousness.
Jesus makes his offer. Come to me all ye who are heavy laden and I
will give you eternal rest. He makes a convenient
from the cross of unconditional love and forgiveness not just for those who
have been good but those who have also been not so good. Jesus calls to us “Give me your coat of many colors with its
illusions of good deeds, bad deeds, greatness and smallness, your illusions of
weakness and strengths and I will exchange it for my coat of righteousness and this
is how I will present you to my Father, not in your illusions but in my
righteousness. Folks, all you have to do
is to call out to him in humility for mercy and you to will be with him on your
last day. Isn’t
that amazing??? Isn’t that GREAT!!!! Isn’t that GOD.
Give a listen:
Give a listen:
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