Parables have been called “earthly stories with a heavenly meaning.” Jesus supposedly used common, everyday illustrations to teach God's Word. Except if you pay close attention to Jesus' parables, the people in them aren't at all like everyday ordinary people. Case in point: the parable of the workers in the vineyard. Is there any company that pays its hourly people the same no matter how many hours they work? Is there any company that pays bonuses at the end of the year to those who have done the least amount of work? Let's face it: under normal circumstances, you get paid for the work that you do. That's why the owner of the vineyard in Jesus' parable is just crazy by our standards! And look how he goes about it. Even if you were going to pay all the workers the same, you'd think he'd at least pay the morning hires first and they'd be on their way. That way they wouldn't have anything to complain about, right? But nope. This crazy vineyard owner is going to pay those hired last first and the those hired first who have worked all day will see it and grumble. Dear Christians, understand why Jesus tells us this parable and explains the Kingdom of God this way. Jesus here teaches us that the Kingdom of God and how God deals with people is so completely opposite and different than the way WE do things, that it can only be something that comes about by God's grace and mercy.
Now pay close attention. Do the workers who were hired first complain because they worked hard all day under the hot sun? No. They expected a day's work out of being hired. But what really makes them mad is that when the guys who worked less than they did are made equal to them. Now think about this. We don't usually say something is unfair until when? When someone else gets what we have without doing what we had to do to get it. It occurs to me that what really makes us mad is not when we get treated differently but when we get treated the same! When we've clearly earned more or less than someone else, that's OK. When we've clearly earned or deserved a reward or a punishment, we can at least logically say that's how things should work. But if someone else is treated as well as we are, without earning it, that's when we get upset. That's when we say it's not fair. We like to think it isn't fair that someone would be treated BETTER than we are even if we're the ones who got in trouble, but deep down we know the other person deserves better. This is why Jesus' parable really attacks our religion. He's teaching us that it doesn't matter how religious we are, or how long we've been Christians, or how long we've been members of a church, or how good we live or how pious and holy we think we are compared to others. The Lord gives His grace and mercy in Christ and that removes any notion of “fairness” from the equation.
Think about how this happens to Jesus. In the parable, those who worked less got paid the same. In other words, they were made equal to the others in a good way. This is the Gospel. That those who don't deserve are made equal to the One who has earned it. This is how God's kingdom works. When Jesus goes to the cross, He hangs there, bleeding and dying for the sins of the world throughout the heat of the day. The sun beats down on the Son of God who has been made equal to sinners. On Calvary, Jesus has been made the same as us: covered in sins and under the judgment of God. Why is the Sinless One made to be the same as us sinful ones? Why is He who is Perfect made to be like us imperfect sinners? Why does the Son of God become like us men? The answer is so that in Him, we will become as He is. In Jesus, the sinful ones are called sinless. In Jesus, those who are imperfect are covered with perfection. In Jesus, we who are under the curse, are now called God's sons. In Jesus, we who were dead in trespasses and sins are made alive through the forgiveness of sins. In Jesus, we who have only come lately are made equal to the Son of God who has borne the burden of our sins and the heat of the day. Jesus, who is first of all because He is the Son of God, becomes last of all, so that we, who are last of all in our sins might become first of all in God's sight. That is the generosity and kindness and mercy of the vineyard owner.
Now look around. Are you equal with the people around you? Not really. Some of you have higher paying jobs than others. Some of you have college educations and others don't. Some of you have been married for years and years, others have had one or more troubled marriages that ended. Some of you have been Lutherans and Christians your whole life. Others have only recently come into the church. Some of you pray often and regularly, some of you can't seem to find the time. Some of you are well known in the community, others are not known at all. In many ways we could go on and see that as we look around, we are not equal in the eyes of the world. And if someone were to insist that another person who has not worked as hard as you or accomplished as much as you was your equal, you would be upset. But that is exactly what Jesus is telling us in this parable today. Look around again. This time, don't look with the eyes of the world, but with the eyes of the vineyard owner, the Lord. Every person here is one for whom Christ died. Every person here is one who is baptized into Christ, taught God's Word and fed (or soon to be fed) with the body and blood of Christ. In the sight of God, there is no greater and lesser, bigger or smaller, more godly or less godly. There is only the generosity of the vineyard owner which gives the same grace and mercy to each of us. Look around and see your brothers and sisters in Christ, that they are your equal, not on account of you or them, but on account of Christ. With the Lord, there is no greater and lesser, only Christ. Christ's perfection. Christ's holiness. Christ's righteousness. That's what He sees when he sees you. What joy it would be, brothers and sisters, if we treated each other not as the world does, judging and measuring, but as the Lord does, seeing in one another nothing but a baptized, word filled, body and blood fed child of God.
Brothers and sisters in Christ, rejoice today! Rejoice because the Lord does not give what is fair but what is right and what is “right” is what is Jesus'. Think about it. Do you really want the Lord to be fair with you? That means the Lord would give you what you deserve and have earned. What is that? Nothing but everlasting death and punishment. No one escapes the judgment and condemnation of God's holy Law. And if you want fair, then just stay away from Jesus! But in Christ, God is NOT fair. He is righteous. As we heard last Sunday, righteousness means Jesus takes your place. Just as the eleventh hour workers were made equal to those who worked all day, so you are made equal to Jesus by your baptism and having His Word and body and blood put into you. The parable of the workers in the vineyard teaches us that God isn't like we are. And thank God He's not! In Christ, He won't deal with us fairly. He'll deal with us righteously. That means not as we deserve but as Christ deserves. You see, this whole parable isn't about the workers. It's about the vineyard owner. It's about the Lord and His grace and mercy to all in Christ Jesus. That teaches us to repent of our selfishness and to trust in His goodness. To turn away from our way of thinking that everything should be “fair” to trusting in God's promise that no matter when He brings us into His kingdom, His gifts of forgiveness, life and salvation are full and complete for everyone.
We have three Sundays now of PRE-Lent. And then forty days of Lent. Lent will bring to our attention the suffering of Jesus. Unfair suffering. He is sinless and has deserved nothing evil or bad. Yet evil and badness are laid upon Him because He takes our sins upon Him. All for what? To give to us who are dead, life. To give to us who are orphans, a heavenly Father. To make us who have done nothing good, as Him who has done all things good for us. To make you as Jesus is because the Lord DOESN'T do things the way we do! In the Name of Jesus. Amen.