What Ain't Right?

Matthew 20:1-16

New Living Translation (NLT)

Parable of the Vineyard Workers

   “For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. ² He agreed to pay the normal daily wage^[a] and sent them out to work.

 ³ “At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. ⁴ So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. ⁵ So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing.

 ⁶ “At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’

 ⁷ “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’

   “The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’

 ⁸ “That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. ⁹ When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. ¹⁰ When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. ¹¹ When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ¹² ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’

 ¹³ “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? ¹⁴ Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. ¹⁵ Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’

 ¹⁶ “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”

What ain't right?

Our pastor based his sermon yesterday on the above passage.  The main theme or title for this sermon could be "It ain't right."  He was speaking from the perspective of the workers who were hired first and worked a full day and yet received the same amount as workers who had only worked for a half day (or even less).  The words fair and justice were sprinkled in there. He eventually did get to the part where the word "grace" is indeed the only one which keeps any of us in our positions as children of God.

But, what I focused on in that sermon, is that I cannot relate to the feeling of "it ain't right." In fact, it disconnected me from his sermon for a little while, because those feelings of "that's not fair" or "look what I did in comparison to what he didn't do" just aren't in me.

There, but for the grace of God go I.  

I'd say I'm one of the midday workers, fortunately.  I've shared this before, so I won't belabor the point, but I didn't lead a Godly life for my first 30 years of life.  I not only didn't know I had God in my life, I was taught to be actively resistant and cynical to any and all things religious or biblical (and I learned those lessons well).

What would I do and where would I be, if I hadn't been given the means of grace, because it wasn't fair to the other blessed folks who had been basking in the glow of this grace for most of their lives?

I'm not sure if Pastor really can relate to the "it ain't fair" mentality. I think this was more along the lines of his usual way of postulating something from way out in left field to get people thinking. Because I just can't imagine anyone begrudging another fellow sinner of the miraculous saving grace of our Lord's love and cleansing sacrificial blood...no matter how late in the game they finally realize they need it!

Coming from someone who has been on the outside looking in - let me tell you, it ain't no picnic out there.

     Life is hard.

          It's even harder still without Jesus sharing our burdens.

It would seem unfair if we were to picture those workers as living the life of luxury as they were standing around doing nothing.

But, lets get a true perspective of what they were doing (at least from my experience):

• Standing around - no purpose, no path to take, nothing to look forward to, going nowhere.

• Doing nothing - whatever they did do had no eternal value; all efforts were wasted.

That's what my life was like. I did a lot of "things" to try and make my life meaningful, but they left me empty and cold.  I knew my life was not how it was supposed to be, but could never figure out how to make it right.

What ain't right?

Well, life ain't right without our Lord in it. Period.

Dear Jesus - Thank you for making me right. Thank you for loving me and giving me just as much lavish grace as those who have been walking with you all of their lives.  Please help me to never begrudge someone that means of grace when they finally come to know you. For I truly know where they've been and it certainly wasn't leading the charmed life or goofing off until the last minute.  Forgive them Lord, for they know not what they do. Thank you for all that you have blessed my life with since I first began to know you.  You gave, even though I didn't deserve it.  You paid me my full days wage because you loved me. How lucky and blessed am I! I love you. I believe in you. I give my life to you. Amen.

For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life. 

John 3:16 (KJV)

John 15:1-17 (NLT)

Jesus, the True Vine

   “I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. ² He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. ³You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. ⁴ Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me. ⁵ “Yes, I am the vine; you are the branches. Those who remain in me, and I in them, will produce much fruit. For apart from me you can do nothing. ⁶ Anyone who does not remain in me is thrown away like a useless branch and withers. Such branches are gathered into a pile to be burned. ⁷ But if you remain in me and my words remain in you, you may ask for anything you want, and it will be granted! ⁸ When you produce much fruit, you are my true disciples. This brings great glory to my Father.
 ⁹ “I have loved you even as the Father has loved me. Remain in my love. ¹⁰ When you obey my commandments, you remain in my love, just as I obey my Father’s commandments and remain in his love. ¹¹ I have told you these things so that you will be filled with my joy. Yes, your joy will overflow!¹² This is my commandment: Love each other in the same way I have loved you. ¹³ There is no greater love than to lay down one’s life for one’s friends. ¹⁴ You are my friends if you do what I command. ¹⁵ I no longer call you slaves, because a master doesn’t confide in his slaves. Now you are my friends, since I have told you everything the Father told me. ¹⁶ You didn’t choose me. I chose you. I appointed you to go and produce lasting fruit, so that the Father will give you whatever you ask for, using my name. ¹⁷ This is my command: Love each other.

Blessings and peace,

Leah