But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair
to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want
to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the
right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”(Matthew 20:13-15)
When I was five, I was drafted to play right
field for the Cubs in the T-Shirt
division of my local Little League. I
wasn’t very good, unless you consider picking dandelions in the outfield the makings
of a future hall-of-famer. But it really didn’t matter because the Cubs finished first that year. I was even
given a trophy that said so. But later, when I was at my best friend’s house after
the season was over, I saw that he had a first place trophy, too. Problem is
that he was a Dodger. Yep. Turns out
everyone got a first place trophy. It was a real kindergarten scandal.
I’ve
since gotten over the ordeal, and it didn’t leave me with any permanent scars.
But do you remember the time when you studied really hard for that math test?
The one that you aced and everyone else bombed? But since the class did so
poorly, the teacher gave a re-take and everyone wound up with the same grade as
you. Or, maybe it was that time at work when you were assigned a team project. And
you were the one who put in the long hours and carried the load. But when it
was all finished, the whole team got the same praise and the same raise. Yeah,
I know – it’s not fair. Well, if that’s happened to you, listen to this one.
It’s a real doozy.
You see, there was this farmer who went
to town early one morning to hire some workers to pick grapes in his vineyard. Now
picking grapes in Palestine is hard work; temperatures during harvest can
easily exceed 100°. Making matters worse, a grape harvest is a really hectic time
of year since there’s a very narrow window of opportunity
between bringing in the harvest and the on-set of bad weather. So, in his haste
to get the job done quickly, the farmer went back into town at 9:00 a.m. and
hired some more workers. He did the same thing at noon, and then again at 3:00
p.m. Finally, at 5:00 p.m., just an hour before quitting time, he hired even more
workers! (It helps living close to town)
Anyway, at 6:00 p.m., the farmer tells his
foreman to call it quits for the day and give everyone their pay, starting with
the ones who were hired last. Now, this struck the workers as a bit odd since, usually,
pay was handed out on a “first-come, first-served” basis. But, hey, who were
they to complain? At least they weren’t getting stiffed. So, they watched curiously
as the foreman began to hand out the paychecks.
Well, the guys who had worked only an
hour were paid a denarius, i.e., a
day’s wage, or about $92.00 in California these days. And that was an unbelievable
wage back then. In fact, that was the same wage paid to a Roman soldier, and it
was way more than a common day-laborer would ever expect to get paid, even for an
entire day's work!
Now, I’m thinking that the other
laborers watching this thing unfold probably didn't mind too much, either.
Well, at least not yet. I mean, they were probably flabbergasted at the owner’s
generosity – especially the guys who’d been working there since sunrise. These guys likely ran a few calculations through
their heads and thought, "Wow, if the guys who only worked an hour got a
whole day’s pay, imagine how much I’m gonna make! I’ll be rich!" But
when they got to the cashier, they got the same amount in their check: a measly
$92.00. Suffice it to say, the boys were steamed and one of them let the farmer
have it.
But
the farmer graciously responded by calling him “friend.” He then asked him three
questions. (A very Jewish way of carrying on a conversation in those days) The
first was, “Didn’t you agree to work for $92.00 a day?” Yep. Strike one. The
next was, “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?” Uh-huh.
Strike two. And the last, “Are you envious because I’m generous?” Uhhh. Caught
looking. Strike three; you’re out. And we’re left thinking, “Hey, that’s just
like that Little League story.” Or,
“That sounds a lot like everyone getting an “A” on a test when I studied the
hardest.” Or, “Reminds me of that raise where everyone got the same increase, even
though I was the one who put in all the hard work.” It bothers us. A lot.
It
bothers us because when you’re talking about a Little
League game, or a grade on a test, or even the workers in the parable,
there’s certain rules that apply: one team really does score more runs than the
other; one person really does get more questions right than someone else; and one
person really does work longer and harder and deserves more pay. But Jesus
isn’t talking about earthly rules, or standards; he’s talking about heavenly matters
because that’s how he starts the parable, “For the kingdom of heaven is
like….” And therein lies the
problem.
The problem is that even when Jesus tells us point-blank
what he’s talking about, sometimes we’re too stuck in our own little world to actually
get it. Maybe that’s why Jesus ends the parable with the question: “Or are
you envious because I’m generous?” Perhaps the real problem’s not so
much with God’s generosity, or even his fairness, but with his grace because it
exposes our selfishness in making the kingdom of God all about us.
Just look
at the context of the parable itself. Minutes earlier, Peter had said, “We’ve
given up everything to follow you. What will we get?” (Matt. 19:27) And then, no
sooner had Jesus finished his story than James’ and John’s mommy comes up to
Jesus and says, "In your Kingdom, please let my two sons sit in places of
honor next to you, one on your right and the other on your left." (Matt.
20:21) It’s no wonder that three verses later Matthew says that the other
disciples (which would have included Matthew, too) were “indignant.” Maybe
that’s why Jesus concludes his discussion by observing that, “those who are
last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.” (Vs. 16) And
that offends us.
I know
that sounds absurd, because we love grace, don’t we? I mean, how could grace possibly
be offensive? We sing about grace and call it amazing. We say grace and then eat
our meals. We even quote scripture that by grace we’ve been saved. And that’s all
well and good, so long as grace remains just a nice word we use in church.
But what
if someone hurts you, or offends you. How do you respond? Do you offer grace
and forgiveness, or do you find it absurd that God would actually expect you to
let them off the hook? I mean, they hurt you, didn’t they? They don’t
deserve grace. Or, what if God blesses someone financially while you’re teetering
on the brink of bankruptcy. Are you grateful for their success, or are you
bitter that it’s not your own? You see, when we actually encounter pure,
unadulterated grace, we sometimes find it offensive. In fact, we hardly have a
category for it. Here’s what I mean.
In the early evening of November 13, 2004, a car-load
of bored teenagers
decided to find some excitement by breaking into a parked car and stealing stuff,
including a credit card. From there, they went to a video store and charged
$400.00 worth of DVD’s and video games. They then headed to a grocery store
where they bought a 20-pound frozen turkey and then sped off down the highway.
About this same time, a 44 year old woman was headed home after having attended
her niece’s music recital. When asked about it later, Victoria Ruvolo said
that she didn’t remember a car approaching her from the east; didn’t remember a
teenage boy hanging out the window; and certainly didn’t remember the 20-pound frozen
turkey that came crashing through her windshield.
The
turkey struck her directly in the face, breaking every bone it encountered and left
Victoria with absolutely no memory of the event. After 8 hours of surgery,
titanium plates in her face, an eye reattached by synthetic film, a wired jaw,
and a tracheotomy, Victoria began the excruciating process of rehabilitation. Later,
friends and family would explain to Victoria that an 18-year-old boy named Ryan
Cushing had thrown the 20-pound frozen turkey through the windshield of her car
for absolutely no reason whatsoever.
After
nine agonizing months spent in recovery, Victoria finally had the chance to
meet Ryan, face-to-face, in the courtroom. She watched intently as Ryan accepted
a plea bargain and then receive the sentence for his crimes: 6-months in jail,
five years’ probation, some counseling, and a few hours of community service.
What? You’re
kidding me, right? That’s unbelievable! Is that what our justice system has
come to? I mean, who thinks that 6-months in jail even begins to come close to
paying for permanently destroying someone else’s face? Well, Victoria Ruvolo
does because she had previously asked the court to be lenient on the defendant.
And after the sentencing, Ryan crossed the courtroom, hugged Victoria and then bawled
like a baby. “I forgive you,” she said. “I want your life to be the best it can
be.” Now that’s grace!
But that’s
also offensive and an outrage, isn’t it? Aren’t we just a little disturbed that
Ryan’s sentence was only six months in jail, probation, some counseling and a wee
bit of community service? Where’s the justice in that? But that’s what happens when
we encounter grace unleashed – we hardly know what to do with it.
You
see, the problem’s not with grace; the problem’s with our hearts.
And
Jesus reminds us that we’re foolish if grace offends us, because we’re wholly reliant
upon it. Even the first workers in the parable were completely dependent upon
the owner to give them a job. If he didn’t hire them, they didn’t
work. And if they didn’t work, their family didn’t eat. Worse yet, they had no qualifications
– nada, nothing, zero, zilch. But he
offered to pay them more than they deserved. In other words, even the ones who
worked all day, the ones who we think are the most deserving, were still only
there because of the owner’s grace.
The same’s
true for me and the Cubbies. We
thought we were the best team in the league. But the truth is, by competitive
standards, we were horrible. In fact, as far as I know, not a single one of us
made it to the Majors. I mean, we had a hard enough time running the bases in
the right direction, much less getting the ball to first base. The only reason
any of us got a trophy was because of grace. And no matter how religious or
spiritual we think we are, we are what we are because of grace. We are utterly,
totally dependent upon grace.
So, be captivated by God’s grace – he
pursued you even when you turned your back on him. Be in awe of God’s grace – he
forgave you even though you had nothing to offer. And be saved by God’s grace –
he loved you so much that he gave his only son to pay for your sins.
Grace,
Randy
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