Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-18)

Jesus was a master storyteller. His parables are often graphic and usually surprising in their contents. Often they invite listeners to discover something about God, as in the parable of the prodigal son or in the parable of the lost sheep. To ask, when we read a parable, ‘What are we being told about God?’, is a good way to respond to it, and it is the question that we should ask with regard to this parable. The point in this parable is not the time that the workers were employed but the graciousness of the owner of the vineyard. After all, to give a day’s wage to someone who has worked only an hour is exceptionally generous. That would not happen in everyday life. But we are not being asked to consider everyday life. Instead we are being asked to think about God and what he does.

In the Old Testament, the idea of God’s people as a vineyard is used. Isaiah speaks of God having a vineyard that he looked after carefully and this illustration informs us of the great care that God gave to the development of his kingdom. Psalm 80 describes God’s people as a vineyard that had been trampled on by wild animals (foreign nations). Jesus here is teaching aspects of the life of his kingdom, so it is not surprising that he would use the illustration of a vineyard to depict it.

We should remind ourselves what this parable is not. It is not a manual for arranging industrial relations, as if it would be appropriate for an employer always to pay someone who has worked all day the same rate as someone who worked for an hour. It is not a description of church history because listeners would assume that the same conditions applied everywhere at a given time, and would also assume that those who served at the beginning would still be alive and working at the close, which is impossible. As with all the parables of Jesus, we can miss the point if we try and discover a meaning for every detail he used to tell the story. So what can be deduced from this parable which is primarily about God and then about his workers?

1. God does the unexpected

Obviously, the parable tells us to assume that God will do the unexpected. Moreover, it tells us that he will do the unexpected on numerous occasions, repeatedly, even as he recruited workers at different times of the day. We can see that he will do the unexpected throughout the whole time that he will be engaged in the well-being of his vineyard, even up until the last hour. And the unexpected activity of God is also seen in how the owner treated the workers once daylight was over. That is always the case. Who has ever predicted what God will do if he has not provided the information beforehand?

I suppose we could say that the fact that God’s actions are unexpected gives to us the opportunity of exercising faith in his abilities. It also is a means of expressing confidence in him as the One who knows what he is going to do, even although he has not told us the details. We may not assume to know what God will do, but we can believe that he will do what is needed.

2. God is concerned about the harvest

I suppose we should ask why the owner of the vineyard is described as looking for more workers. What time of year would a vineyard owner want to employ a lot of workers? It is reasonable to suggest that it would be the time of grape harvest and that once begun the owner would want to complete the task quickly before the grapes would be damaged, which would happen if there was a delay amounting to more than a day. This detail explains why the owner was willing to give high wages to those he employed later in the day.

What does this say about God? We can deduce that he is eager for the ingathering of his harvest. His harvest will occur at the end of the age and if we wish to call the period between the two comings of Jesus as the day of grace we can see why the Lord would call in workers to hasten the harvest. Of course, in real life, the workers at the onset of this day had died before subsequent workers appeared. Yet the parable is not really about the workers, but about their God. And we know that he is eager for the harvest when all his people will be gathered into his presence.

3. God keeps his word to workers

We can also see in this story the emphasis that Jesus places on the vineyard owner keeping his word with regard to how much pay each person received for his day’s work. The ones who were employed from sunrise received from him what he said he would give to them. And so did everyone else who were sent by him to work in the vineyard. Different circumstances faced by the workers did not cause the owner to break any of his promises.

Sinners find grace hard to understand because they look at their performance rather than at the promises of God. Saved sinners sometimes find grace hard to understand because often they look at their performance rather than the promises of God. This outlook can be very subtle and can be expressed by a person comparing what he does with what he thinks another person is doing or not doing. We can see from the parable that focusing on their performances instead of the promise of the owner led to pointless squabbling by the workers against the promise-giver.

4. Examples of God in action

We noted that the parable describes God as doing the unexpected. Is this not what salvation is? There are many examples of God saying or doing the unexpected in the Bible. We can think of how God responded to the sin of Adam at the beginning. Instead of stating that he had lost all hope of rescue, the Lord informed our first parents and the devil that a Champion would come who would rescue them from their situation. Or we can think of how God responded to some of those who were responsible for putting Jesus to death. We see his unexpected response on the Day of Pentecost. In his sermon, Peter reminded the Jews present that they had been instrumental in causing the trial and execution of Jesus. Yet to them the gospel offer was made, which to human thinking was very surprising. And we can think of numerous other examples.

We also observed that in the parable God is concerned for a harvest. Today, as on any other day, the Lord is engaged in innumerable activities. Yet he has what we can describes as divine priorities. He does all things for his own glory. It is his desire that all men glorify his Son. It is straightforward to say that one way by which he does this is by bringing sinners to know the gospel. He has recruited a large number of workers to bring this about and they are the disciples of Jesus. Their roles in life will differ widely, but in one way or another they are involved in the bringing in of the harvest that the Lord desires.

The third detail that is highlighted in this parable is that God keeps his word with regard to the reward that he promises to those who serve him. Often, the focus here is on how those who had worked all day had received what they did. Yet there is a focus in the parable on those who received what they did after working only an hour. The Bible makes very clear that whatever a person does for the Lord will receive the reward that he has promised. The reward is not based on the person’s diligence, but on the Master’s graciousness. It is good to be diligent, but to hear the Master’s commendation will mean a great deal to those who receive it.

One person who served for a short time was the thief on the cross. Does his experience fit with the possibility of a gracious reward? We can see that he was promised fellowship in heaven with Jesus that day. We also know that many people have found their way to peace through reading his story and following the steps that he took. Many will be in heaven because his experience has been retold. What greater reward than that would he want? At the other extreme of discipleship is the apostle Paul. He too knew that he would receive his promised reward for his service, and that part of it would be seeing people in glory, as he told the Thessalonians. We can see that there is a connection between the wage (reward) and the harvest desired by God, and how it can all happen in unexpected ways.

5. Applications for ourselves

God expects us to work when we join the church. In the parable, the owner found the workers. They had different abilities – the implication is that the most capable would be chosen first and the least capable would be left unchosen. But this owner was able to use those whom others would not use. That is often how the ones found by God are. After he has found them, what does he want them to do? Help in the harvest in whatever way we can.

We are called to watch grace in action. God finds those he wants to serve him and then uses them in his service. The other workers are to observe this and not become jealous of others who receive God’s grace in ways that they did not. Instead we are to be like the owner who led people to serve him despite their needs and gave to them out of his grace.

It is a big vineyard in which God’s people are called to work. In the past, it may have been largely limited to the nation of Israel, but now it is found all over the world. No-one is called to work everywhere in the vineyard, but their work contributes to the harvest from the vineyard. In this big vineyard, we contribute by prayer, by getting involved in what is happening in our section of the vineyard (our congregation), and by doing whatever the Master has said in his Word. And if we do, we shall all share in the benefits of the harvest once it is gathered in.

Of course, the reality is that all his people should rejoice that they are able to serve in the kingdom. In everyday life, people much prefer to work for a good employer who expresses concern about the needs of his workers. The best employer is God, but the way to find that out is not only to listen to the opinion of others, but also to get involved in the activities of the kingdom ourselves. The way to know the joy of the Lord is to serve him wherever we are and experience his power and his grace.