The Mighty Grace of God

In the gospel of Matthew, chapter twenty, Jesus tells "The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard." The link below will take you to a website if you'd like to read it. Also, I will be referencing

http://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matthew%2020:1-16&version=31

Also, I will reference a blog post from September 15 entitled "Never Too Late." It too is about a parable taught by Jesus. Here is the link for that blog post.

http://equippedforbattle.blogspot.com/2008/09/never-too-late.html


Here's the parable in a nutshell. One day there was a landowner who went to hire some workers. Early in the morning he went and hired some men, and promised to pay them a denarius (or a day's wages) for their work. So they accepted and worked for him all day long.


Hours later, the landowner went out again and found workers standing around with nothing to do. So he hired them also, and promised to pay them what was right. Again and again, the landowner went out throughout the day and found people with no work. He sent them into his fields and promised to pay them what was right. He even went out with only one hour left in the work day and found people with no work, sending them into his fields.


At the end of the day he gathered them and paid them for their work, starting with the men hired last. He gave them a denarius, and likewise to the rest of the workers who were hired after the initial workers. When the landowner got to the workers who had been there from the beginning, they expected to get paid more, but likewise got a denarius.


When they didn't get paid more they were offended, but the landowner 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?"


This story reminds me of the story of the prodigal son. The brother who didn't run away grumbled because the prodigal son was received so warmly; the brother was angry because his father prepared a feast for the son who squandered his inheritance. But the brother missed the point; the lost brother has returned! The son had come back to be a part of the family!


Likewise, the first workers missed the point. They had been doing the work since the beginning, and others joined them as the day went. Some even worked one hour, but the landowner all paid them one denarius. They all received the same generous blessing.


So what right have I to be envious when a prodigal turns back, or when a new brother receives much or more than I have (as if I'm a good judge of that anyways...).


This speaks of the Lord's generosity. And! He has a great heart of compassion. The last workers "deserved" far less money for their work, but the Lord gave them both the work they needed and the money for it. When Jesus fed the five thousand, he did it because they had need. He healed people because they had great need of it. He is a God of compassion and generosity.


And notice, the landowner keeps finding people doing nothing and sending them to work for him. Even with one hour left in the day, he hires more workers. This tells me, just like in the story of the prodigal son, it is never too late. If there's still hours in the day, or days remaining in life, there is still time to serve the Lord. And! The Lord is a great God, filled with generosity and compassion, and you can still reap a great reward.


What keeps us from His rewards is thinking it's too late. "I've already missed out on most of the day... how could I find work now? Would it even be worth it now?"


Keep your eyes peeled; though you may not be actively pursuing the Lord, that doesn't keep Him from coming to you. Even when the prime hours of the day are spent, and you've nothing to show for it, the Lord may come and call on you to do work in His fields. If you have a mindset of, "It's too late now," or, "What's the point? What could I possibly earn in one measly hour," then you will not be able to receive in full what could be yours.


It is never too late. And the compassion and generosity of the Lord extends to and covers even the last hour of the day. This is the mighty God we serve, and that is His mighty grace at work.