THE PARABLE OF THE WORKERS IN THE VINE YARD

Jesus sought to use all sorts of language and gesture to make us understand Him and His mission. Upon this, He told the parable of the workers in the vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16). He wanted to reveal to us the mysteries and the dynamics of His Father's Kingdom.

The language that is being used is figurative yet intended to give a true picture and account of a matter. It is aimed to make a point clearer and easily understandable to the listeners. There are lots of lessons, though, we draw out of this parable among which are the following;

•     The Kingdom of God is open to all

•     Everybody is a potential child and servant of God

•     The Kingdom of God needs servants

•     God rewards on purpose not length of time or magnitude of worker

•     It is in God's power to reward

•     It reveals the human selfishness and the wish for self aggrandizement

The Kingdom of God is open to all

This parable, teaches us that no one is intended or targeted to be excluded from the Kingdom of God. The Pharisees on many occasions tried to own Jesus. They wanted to carry on with a classified society (Matthew 9:10-13). They wanted it that if Jesus was indeed the Son of God and the promised Messiah, then there was no room for Him (Jesus) to dine with what they regarded as sinners and outcasts. They nurtured a belief that Jesus was only to identify with the nobles, the senior clergy and the elite of society since He (Jesus) had claimed a certain class (having been the Son of God and the Messiah).

Yet such a notion would have made Jesus' mission meaningless. For Jesus says; ".....For I am not come to call the righteous but sinners unto repentance" (Matthew 9:13). Jesus had come to execute a duty, but not simply and selfishly claim a glory of some sort.

In this parable, sinners are represented by the idlers, while the earlier workers in the vineyard represent the Pharisees and whoever who assume or with a false perception of self righteousness. It is pretty a requirement for everyone to submit to Jesus Christ if to be assured of eternal life.

The lesson being that the earlier workers had wanted it that they exclude the Kingdom of heaven to the rest. But if other workers were to be welcomed, then they must be seen to be less important and of little significance. That is why they had advocated that the latter workers were to be paid less and with such, it would have satisfied their ego.

But in this parable, Jesus wants us to understand that His Kingdom is open to everyone and it is never classified or held in casts at all. Whoever comes to His Kingdom and at whatever time is pretty welcome. For what matters is not the availability but the purpose. There is a particular purpose for every individual in the Kingdom of God.

Everybody is a potential child and servant of God.

The laborers who were the first to be hired had falsely felt that by being the first to be hired, the project would be exclusive to them. They falsely believed that they should have had a say on who joins the workforce, when they are to join the workforce, and how they are to be paid. Rather they wanted to own the Master. They wanted to deny that everybody is a potential child and servant of God.

Their murmuring upon payment had been on the notion of false assumption of co-ownership (Matthew 20:10-11). Thus the owner of the vineyard noted and replied that it was in his powers to appoint, choose and determine who to pay what because he solely owned the vineyard. For we are all simply workers (Matthew 20:14-15). The Kingdom of God therefore is exclusive to none.

Additionally, much as one may crave for it that God's work is exclusive to them so as to promote their person, to the owner of the vineyard (God), it is not so. For to God, it is not about an individual person. God loves doing the work and thereby fulfilling the purpose. Every individual person has ambitions, and once I have achieved them (personal ambitions), I may have no more motivation in me to reach further than I have already gone. 

As an individual person, I may not care how much work is covered. I may not care if everywhere is reached because I am driven by personal interests which I may have already achieved. The evil element of self promotion is always at play.  This is the very reason that individuals crave for it that they dwarf everyone that is, no matter the cost. 

There are lots of types of work which do require lots of types of talents. And thus the implication that in order to have the work accomplished, it requires and involves a range of talents. Yet one individual can't possess all such talents which are required. Thus the owner of the vineyard reserves the powers to appoint as and when it is required whoever He wishes to because there is plenty of work. Thus to say; in the human eye and sense, the work may have been done, but with God, there is much, much work (Luke 10:1-3). So then, every Christian is a potential servant of God.

The work is God's. No one person owns it. No matter at whatever self perceived clerical level, we are all workers in someone else's vineyard and that is God. We are all simply workers and each worker will be rewarded not according to whatever position one may have occupied, but the purpose fulfilled (1Corinthians 3:5-9).

Workers in the vine yard

The Kingdom of God needs servants

As humans, the human instinct which is present in us will always drive us selfishly. For we tend to view the service of God in terms of gaining ourselves fame and riches. It is usually out of such selfish personal interests that we tend to wish to limit this precious work of God to oneself. We thus love to own it. Yet it never ends with one! 

There is always work in the house of God. Church leaders should therefore create allowance for Church members to serve God in their areas of calling. For there is still plenty of work in the house of God (Matthew 9:35-38). It is therefore about God's work being done, not self promotion. 

Additionally, everybody has a role to play in the Kingdom of God. There should never be idlers (Matthew 20:3). And the work should not only be limited to the Church but should be extended elsewhere in form of outreaches so as to bring everyone to the fold of the Church. For the Kingdom of God has to be extended anywhere and everywhere, and that is the primary goal and should be the driving force.

God rewards on purpose not length of time or magnitude of worker

The first laborers in the vine yard did not complain on having fulfilled their purpose while others had failed. No. For their complaint was on the length of the time worked and the magnitude of work or the distance covered. Yet having worked longer than the rest, or having covered a wider distance does not tell about the fulfillment of the purpose.

If the first laborers had complained on having been exceptional in the work done, then that would have counted. Yet even to be exceptional is not a matter to be determined by the laborers.  Whether exceptional or not, it is a matter to the Master and owner of the vineyard.

Every time we engage in anything, we must first understand what the purpose is. Reward therefore is on fulfilling the purpose not seeming to have done much. Rather than to mind who has come late, you should instead mind if you have lived to the purpose of God in your life. It adds nothing if another worker fails. Yet it adds much if each one us is a winner.

It is in God's power to or not to and how to reward

Avoid doing anything in the name of God but with the intention to please people. For people can only appreciate, but they can't reward. God only is the rewarder and He decides how to reward depending on the purpose fulfilled (Colossians 3:23-24), (Romans 2:6). For God who appoints is the same who rewards. Your efforts therefore should be to be approved of God not men.

Payment time

Additionally, we also learn that serving God is surely rewarded. It doesn’t require to bargain with God about payment for the work to be done (like Peter tried to) (Matthew 19:27). For He surely rewards for the task accomplished. As that, the last shall be first and the first shall be last. This is not that that is how it is to be, but God loves a person who is focused on accomplishing a purpose rather than to be a busy body (Matthew 20:16).

It reveals the human selfishness and the wish for self aggrandizement

The first laborers based their complaint not on having been paid less than agreed, but on the selfish and greedy desire to seem to earn more than their colleagues who had come later. This simply reveals the human instinct which drives everyone to forcefully place themselves above the rest. How we wish to dot ourselves everywhere! For they had chosen to mind other laborers' case in place of theirs. 

Mind if you have accomplished your task than to seek to be seen everywhere. Rather negotiate for better reward (if you believe so) than to mind how much a fellow worker has been rewarded. Be satisfied to have fulfilled your task than to seek to down weigh other workers' reward or having had them fail. Rather than to mind how the rest have failed to accomplish their task, mind if you have indeed accomplished yours and have indeed done so how you have been commissioned.

In conclusive terms, we can envisage how loving, interesting and mesmerizing it can be to serve the Lord. For to earn a contract with God is not based on anything that is. For it is not about stature, biological relationship, individual perceived abilities, money, social status, or whatever. 

God chooses whoever He pleases. He could appoint people who are literally outcasts. People who do not literally seem to be of any value. The workers who had been hired earlier had assessed the whole matter in the human sense. Yet God works a whole lot differently.