A Fair Wage

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

Matthew 20:1-16

Jesus liked to use landowners in His parables. In those days, it would be easy for the listeners to see the similarities between this world and the kingdom of heaven. It seems that a landowner needed a lot of workers to bring in his grape harvest.

The owner of the vineyard went into the town center, where available workers gathered, waiting to be hired. He hired some at an agreeable wage of a denarius a day, a fair wage. Once agreed, he sent them off to go and work in his vineyard. Later that morning, he went out again and hired more laborers. He found many more standing around, still unemployed. He hired these men but didn’t tell them what he would pay them; only that it would be fair. They were happy to be working, so they left to gather grapes.

The landowner went out two more times looking for more workers. He told them their wage, and off they went. Again, he went out and was surprised to find more laborers in the town square standing around without work. “Why are you still here, not working?” he asked. “Because no one hired us,” they said. The landowner said he had plenty for them to do. “Go to my vineyard and work. The pay will be fair.”

Eventually, the day ended, and it was time to settle up with his workers. He told his supervisor to call the men together and pay them for their work. But first, pay the ones who came to work last a full day’s pay. Then pay the ones who came next to last the same wage. The supervisor did as he was told. After everyone else was paid, the laborers who started the earliest and worked the longest assumed that they would receive more money than the ones who worked less than they did. The operative word there was "assumed."

Surprise! They must have stared at the paycheck, not believing the amount. It must be a clerical error. We’ll complain to the boss, they thought. “Excuse me, boss. We worked the longest, through the hottest part of the day, and you paid these other guys the same. What’s the deal?”

The landowner reminded them of the “deal,” and that was to work for a previously agreed-upon wage. “Take your paycheck and walk away content. If I choose to pay everyone according to my pleasure, what’s that to you? I have every right to decide how to conduct my affairs. Do you think you deserve more than the others? You have a look in your eye that tells me you don’t think I’m being fair. Is that what you think? Let me tell you something! I choose the size of the rewards I give and how I give them. News flash, Scooter. Your reward is not always what you expect.”

Here’s the lesson, my friends: In the divine economy, our standing is not earned by the volume of our service, nor is it determined by any human measure of merit, such as chronology or hierarchy. In His perfect fairness, God distributes His grace according to His sovereign will and calling. As members of the body of Christ, we should understand that we all share that honor when one of us is honored. It reflects the unity He intends for His church. Are we unified? The core idea is that God's plan is most important, and His grace (undeserved favor) reveals His equitable and intentional decisions. Ultimately, all wages will be fair, and the universe will be perfectly balanced.

But wait! There's more... Read about "Sour Grapes"