Generous and Gracious - A Reflection on Matthew 20:1-16




“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage. And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

The most famous parable that Jesus told is the one about the prodigal son. I’m sure you know it. It’s the one where the younger of two sons takes off with his inheritance and blows it all up on wild living. Then, when he finds himself in a terrible state, he decides to return home. However, instead of getting a thrashing, as one might expect, his father throws him a feast! The elder son is so furious he refuses to go inside the house! Now, tell me something. Do you think the father was fair? If you had a younger brother who did something like this, what would you have felt if you dad threw him a party? Be honest.

This is another story that also seems very unfair. A man hires several laborers at several times during the day. When the time comes to give them their wages, he pays the guy who worked for one hour exactly the same as he pays the guy who slogged all day long. Doesn’t this seem grossly unjust? Wouldn’t you be upset if you slaved all day and were paid the same as a guy who put in hardly any time? Again, be honest. It’s only with yourself. Ok, so, if Jesus says the kingdom of heaven is like this landowner, then it must mean God is not fair, right? But, we know this cannot be true, so how do we explain this seeming unfairness?

By looking at the story from a different perspective. Instead of looking at the landowner as somebody unfair, how about looking at him as somebody GENEROUS! The owner could very well have given each subsequent man he hired lower wages because they were working for a lesser time, but he shows his generosity by giving them the same wage. You see? Then look at him as somebody GRACIOUS! All these laborers were hanging about the marketplace looking for work; in their case a daily wage. If they didn’t get work, they may not have been able to put bread on the table. So, see, another reason for paying everybody the same: who knows how many mouths had to be fed?

Now, let’s look at the laborers who were hired first. They knew how important it was to get work. They also knew that anything less that a full day’s wage would not be sufficient to provide for the family. So why were they being so GRUDGING? Why were they so resentful of what the others got? They got their wages! They weren’t cheated! The owner paid them exactly what was agreed upon, so what was their problem if the owner was generous and gracious? If THEY had been among those hired last wouldn’t they have been happy that they got a full wage?

There is the danger that we can be like these laborers. We want God to be gracious to us, but we resent it when he is gracious to others. We want God to be generous towards us, but we hate it when he is generous to others. We want God to be merciful towards us, but we want him to damn others. Yes? I hope that we will reflect deeply upon this. And, then, I hope that we will decide to be generous and gracious like our Heavenly Father, and not grudging like the laborers in this story. 

And I know he will be even more gracious and generous to us!

Watch a video of this reflection by Aneel Aranha here:  https://youtu.be/62Hj3eRvAJE

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