Topic: THE GRACE OF GOD
Text: Matthew 20:1-16
20:1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
20:2 Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
20:3 And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
20:4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went.
20:5 Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.
20:6 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?’
20:7 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.’
20:8 “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.’
20:9 And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius.
20:10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius.
20:11 And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner,
20:12 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.’
20:13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?
20:14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.
20:15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’
20:16 So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”
STUDY:
The parable in our text today focuses on God and His ways, which are different from the ways of men. In the parable, the first set of hired labourers were to be paid a penny a day. The other sets that came in at the third, sixth, ninth and eleventh hours were to be given ‘whatsoever is right. ‘However, at the payment time, everyone received the same wage, to the anger of those employed in the morning. The vineyard owner was quick to remind them that he agreed for a penny with them, and they were not in the position to instruct him of how to distribute his money.
It is God that calls men into His vineyard. The grace with which to work is also His own. It is not the duty of any man to query how He chooses to distribute His ability and reward to men. All we need to do is to be faithful to the exact thing He called us to do for Him. God judges not by the length of time we have worked in His vineyard, but by how faithful we have been. His payment style is ‘whatsoever is right.’ He knows the right payment for every worker, and will deliver same at the right time.
Prayer:
Father, help me to work with the consciousness that you know the right payment for me. Amen.
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