Offended by Grace - A Deeper Dive
Scripture: matthew 20:1-16
message recap
This week, our scripture reading is Jesus’ parable of the vineyard workers from the Gospel of Matthew. Most of us have heard this story many times, but this time, we’ll try to look at it from a different perspective. Anytime we look at familiar scripture, we pray that the Holy Spirit will draw us to new learning and insight.
Let’s start by considering that despite its title, the parable of the vineyard workers is less about the workers and more about the nature and the character of the landowner. As with most parables, Jesus uses something familiar to teach his followers about something more abstract. In this case, he is teaching about the character of God.
With this parable as a backdrop, we will discuss that despite God being so wonderful, kind, gracious, and loving, we sometimes respond to him with anger and offense rather than wonder. It seems strange that we would be offended when God is gracious and kind to others. We question why God is being so generous to them.
The hymn Amazing Grace is a favorite. It is one of the top hymns of all time. We love hearing and singing it. And we do love amazing grace. However, do we always think grace is amazing, or do we only think it’s amazing when people we think deserve it receive it?
In the parable, Jesus describes the Father’s love and grace in a way others might find offensive. The “others,” in this case, represent his disciples and, by extension, us. The workers who arrive early are like those of us who follow Jesus, work hard, serve, and volunteer; the ones who put in long hours at the church and who are doing the best they can for as long as they can. And it’s those of us who are dedicated that are in danger of being offended by God’s grace given to others who are not, in our opinion, working as hard. We become resentful when those not serving, volunteering, or putting in long hours receive God’s goodness and kindness.
A study completed by the University of Pennsylvania six months ago stated that 42% of Democrats and 38% of Republicans believe it’s acceptable to resort to violence to achieve a political end. That’s about 40% of the population that thinks violence is acceptable to support opinions. Statistically speaking, these numbers translate to tens of millions of people who are likely professing Christians.
Jesus taught during the Sermon on the Mount,
“43 You have heard that it was said, ‘Love your neighbor and hate your enemy.’ 44 But I tell you, love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you…”
Yet, according to the University of Pennsylvania study, nearly 40% of Americans are ready to move to violence when others disagree with their political opinions.
As the Church, we have some work to do. We need to be setting a better example. At Ocoee Oaks, we pride ourselves on being a “love God, love people” church. But do we trust in God’s sovereignty enough that we always love his grace? Does God’s love and grace toward others offend us, or does it inspire us? Of course, our answer should be that it inspires us. But are we inspired when someone we really don’t like turns their life over to Christ? Do we celebrate the saving of another soul, or are we skeptical and judgmental? Jesus knew his disciples would struggle with being offended by God’s grace, so he used this parable to speak to their hearts. And, 2000 years later, the message is still relevant.
In the parable, we have the owner of a vineyard who goes out early in the morning to hire workers. A group of men eager to be hired for the day are waiting. The owner agrees to hire them and pay a denarius, the normal daily wage, for their work. We don’t know for certain how many workers the landowner hired in the first group. However, reading through the parable, we do know that the owner made four more trips to the place where he had hired the first group of workers. Each time workers were waiting, and each time the landowner sent them to the field to work. He didn’t tell these other groups how much he would pay them, only that they would be paid fairly.
It’s at this point in the parable that things get interesting. There are plot twists that Jesus’ audience would have picked up on immediately. The first is the appearance of a foreman. At around six in the evening, the vineyard owner told his foreman to gather the workers and pay them their wages. Until this point in the story, there had been no mention of a foreman. This is a significant addition to the story because a foreman would have normally been responsible for hiring workers. His late appearance in the story would have confused Jesus’ audience. Why would the vineyard owner have concerned himself with the lowly task of hiring day workers?
Jesus is telling this parable to explain the nature and character of God. By his actions, we can conclude that the vineyard owner is concerned for those who have no job, are in need, and are hurting. God is also concerned with the needs of his children. The vineyard owner demonstrates compassion for those who are trying to work and support their families and those who are struggling with life’s situations. God also consistently shows compassion. The vineyard owner sacrificed his own time, money, and resources to provide work. God’s love is absolutely sacrificial. God uses himself and his resources to provide what people need.
The vineyard owner hired all the workers he needed in the morning. He had no reason to hire more except that he saw an opportunity to extend compassion. His response required the sacrifice of his time and money. He gave out of his own resources. He gave of himself. He intervened personally with love. Doesn’t that sound like our God?
The second plot twist of this parable comes when the workers are paid. The vineyard owner instructs the foreman to pay the workers, beginning with the group that was hired last. So, the workers that were hired at about five in the afternoon each came and received a denarius. When the group hired first came to be paid, they expected more, but they received the same wage. The vineyard owner intentionally had the workers paid in reverse order, and all of the workers received the same amount. You can see how this created a situation where “they began to grumble against the landowner.”
This intentional act served two purposes. First, it allowed all the workers to witness the landowner’s compassion and generosity. Second, by paying the same amount to the first workers hired, who clearly did more work, the landowner provoked a response and created a teaching moment. God does things in our world intentionally to reveal his generosity and his compassion for all. This parable teaches us that God’s amazing grace towards others may provoke a response within us. In the case of the vineyard workers, it caused resentment.
Was the landowner’s treatment of those who did the majority of work fair? Is this really how we want God to act, extending his grace and love to all people everywhere? Sometimes, God’s grace isn’t received until the very end of the day. Those of us who have been working hard, volunteering, doing our best, and obeying God over the long term and in the heat of the day don’t get to decide for God how he extends his love and grace.
God’s grace extends to all, regardless of their actions or whether or not we think they are deserving. Think about the thief on the cross next to Jesus, who was being punished for a life of crime. After acknowledging Jesus as Lord, the thief was forgiven and promised a place in paradise. Was this fair to the people the thief had hurt through his unlawful actions? Would they have felt resentment toward Jesus, who seemed to arbitrarily issue a pardon?
The parable of the vineyard workers challenges our sense of fairness and inequality. It causes us to ask whether those concepts belong in our spiritual lives. Fairness is a comparison between you and someone else. The workers who toiled all day believe they deserve more, given their effort and dedication. Yet the vineyard owner responded with a profound message:
“13 But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’”
In God’s Kingdom, equality isn’t about what we deserve but his abundant grace. He gives us as much grace as we can handle. The parable is also a reminder that God’s blessings and salvation are not earned through our labor but given freely to all who accept his call.
So here is the big question for those of us, like the workers hired first, who might have started earlier in the day with our effort, commitment, and sacrifice: How should we start our day? Should we be motivated when we see others receiving the same reward despite arriving a little later than us?
We can’t solve all the hate and jealousy in our world, but we can start with ourselves. We can recognize God’s generosity in our lives not by comparing our efforts with others but by acknowledging his goodness. We can cultivate a heart of gratitude, remembering that our salvation and the blessings we receive are gifts from God. And above all, we can follow the words found in the Book of Proverbs,
“Trust in the Lord with all your heart
and lean not on your own understanding;
in all your ways submit to him,
and he will make your paths straight.”
The Peace of God
In a world filled with conflict and hate, driven by calls for fairness and equality, we can certainly identify with the lessons of the parable of the vineyard workers. Now, possibly more than any other time in history, we could all benefit from seeking the peace of God.
Jesus spent much of his ministry teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven. He taught that the Kingdom of Heaven is God’s spiritual rule over the hearts and lives of those who submit to God’s authority. It is living a life of holiness and righteousness through renewal and transformation. It requires faith and not works to enter. The Kingdom of Heaven is where we experience the peace of God, which “transcends all understanding” and guards our hearts and minds in Jesus Christ (see Philippians 4:7).
The peace of God is the harmony and calmness of mind, body, and spirit that supersedes earthly circumstances. It is a tranquil state of appreciation and faith when we submit to and trust the sovereignty of God. Experiencing the peace of God requires both humility and courage.
To fully experience the peace of God we must draw closer to him. The author of the Book of Hebrews encourages us by writing,
“22 let us draw near to God with a sincere heart and with the full assurance that faith brings, having our hearts sprinkled to cleanse us from a guilty conscience and having our bodies washed with pure water.”
When we increase our knowledge of God’s wisdom and love for us, we develop a restful faith in his power and grace. We realize that he really will make all things work together for our good and that his plan for each of us will be achieved.
As we face another day in a broken world, let us consider these words:
“Lord Jesus, we ask you to give us all around peace in our mind, body, soul and spirit. We want you to heal and remove everything that is causing stress, grief, and sorrow in our lives. Please guide our path through life and make our enemies be at peace with us.”
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