Matthew 20: 1 – 16, 1 Corinthians 9: 24 – 27
“Let him who thinks he stands take heed lest he fall” (1 Corinthians 10:12). These words from Paul might well stand as a kind of health warning before the reading of our Gospel passage. I wonder how you responded to the reading of the Parable of the Vineyard?
As a fairly conscientious type I tend to place myself in the shoes of one of the early birds who has worked all day. That phrase, “the burden and heat of the day” resonates. I know what it feels like. I can just about grasp the principle of generosity towards those who don’t get hired until the last moment. After all, it may not be their fault. But there’s still a niggling sense for me that it’s just not FAIR.
This isn’t, of course, intended to be a story about labour relations, or about how to manage a business. Instead it’s about the unreasonable generosity of God. It’s been suggested that it might more aptly be called ‘The Eccentric Employer’. There’s a comparison here with the Parable of the Prodigal Son, which has also been called the Parable of the Prodigal Father. This Father is eagerly waiting for his son to return, sees him at a distance and rushes forward to forgive and reinstate him before he’s even made his apology. He’s positively doting. And we find another parallel in the older brother who resents his father’s generosity to the runaway just as those who have worked all day resent the employer’s generosity to those who came later.
Both of these parables tell us that in God’s scheme of things, no one gets less than they deserve, but some receive more.
The Parable of the Vineyard comes in the context of ongoing discussions between Jesus and his disciples about the rewards they can expect for their service. Jesus assures them that there will be generous rewards for those who have made sacrifices in order to follow Him, but he warns that “many who are first will be last, and the last will be first” (Matthew 19: 30). No one can be assured of their place in the heavenly pecking order. God will not be manipulated by us and remains omnipotent. The warning about the reversal of first and last is repeated at the end of the parable. A little later, Jesus says “whoever wishes to be first among you must be your slave; just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many” (Matthew 20: 27 – 28). Jesus’ own leadership models the overwhelmingly generous self-giving of His heavenly Father. This is what His disciples must follow, and in this context to think of reward seems irrelevant.
Our epistle passage is also to be read in the context of generosity. Paul has been urging the Corinthians to behave in such a way that their more susceptible members may not be tempted to sin. The discipline that he therefore urges upon them is not a private, individual thing, but a corporate discipline whereby some hold back from activities which, although perfectly legitimate, might harm the faith of others. So Paul is advocating a discipline of generosity. It’s a giving up of rights or of entitlements for the benefit of others. It doesn’t come naturally, so needs to be practised, or trained for as athletes train. It might take years to perfect, just like those perfect moves we’ve been seeing on the ski slopes or the ice rink recently. If such a discipline of corporate generosity was necessary in the Ancient World, how much more it must be so in our highly individualistic society where many are so aware of their rights and keen to maintain them, but often unwilling to take seriously their commitment or duty towards others.
So – how might we develop a discipline of generosity towards others? How can we increase our desire to meet the needs of others rather than to measure how deserving they are?
One way might be by seeking to cultivate an open-handed attitude towards what we do have, whether it be money, time or talents. This might help us to be a little more open-handed in our attitudes generally. Sometimes we are called upon to do for others things which we would not have chosen. Caring for a family member who has become unwell may require this kind of loving generosity. In the context of our church community we may need to be willing, at least some of the time, to worship in a style which is not our preference in order that others may be included.
The Eccentric Employer asks those who complain about his payment system, “Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” (Matthew 20:16). In the end it’s perhaps a matter of how we view the world. Our defective eyes show us only what we think we deserve relative to others. God, like the Prodigal Father or the Eccentric Employer, is aware of our shortcomings, but nonetheless chooses to see with compassion and generosity only what He longs to give to all. May God give us all the grace to grow in generosity of spirit.