The Seventh Sunday after Epiphany - Septuagesima - February 20, 2011

The Church Season of Epiphany,
Septuagesmia,
Our Savior Lutheran Church, Midland, MI (February 20, 2011)
One Year Series

“What is Just?”

Readings:

Psalm 95:1-9
Exodus 17:1-7
1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5
Matthew 20:1-16

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Grace, mercy and peace be to you from the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, Amen

The text for today is as recorded in the Gospel Lesson from the 20th chapter of St. Matthew, especially the following verses.

Matthew 20:1-16 (ESV)

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 6 And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 8 And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 12 saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”

In the Name of the Father, and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit

The parable of the workers in the field, well it just always strikes us wrong.  Men hired during various times of the day, some in the early morning, some a little bit later, some in the afternoon, and some in the late of day.  The first workers promised a denarius that is to us a days wage.  Oh what we wouldn’t do for our own denarius?  But, doesn’t that story twist us?  It twists our hearts and minds because as it ends up everybody who worked on that day received the same wage.  Whether they started early or started late it didn’t matter, they all got that same days wage, and that to us is just not right.

It would seem to us then that the definition of a parable is this, that it tells a story that can’t be understood and so a story must be told to explain the story.  While that is not always true it is exactly what Jesus does, He tells a hard lesson then explains it to His hearers.  Jesus had told many stories, and by that I do not mean fairytale stories, but rather the truth of God revealed in many passages.  But, which one of these passages unlocks and reveals the truth for His listeners, for you and for me?  Well, they all do, but Jesus was the great teacher who did not stop teaching, no matter how hard it was for any human to understand.  So here we are in Matthew chapter 20 and Jesus had already taught about “The Temptation to Sin”, ”the Lost Sheep”, “Brother’s sinning against one another”, “Unforgiving servants”, “Divorce”, “His love for children”, and a finally “a rich Man who thought he had done everything that needed to be done for Christ.”  So now what?  Who was left?  Who hadn’t yet been taught?  Who was so dense that they still needed another view, another description to see and hear the Gospel of Jesus Christ?

The answer is in the text.  Jesus fielded a question from Peter, who said, “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?”(Matthew 19:27)  Then Jesus saw and knew who didn’t yet understand, and the answer was that it was those who were the closest to Himself who still just didn’t get it.  It was those workers who had begun their labor early in the morning, and it was the those workers who were standing idle even though the day had already begun.  And who is this they?  It was the Jews, it was Jesus’ disciples, but not only is it they, it was each one of you and it was me too.

Why is that?  Why is it me first?  Verse 10, the first followers thought that they would receive more, that is the ones who thought of themselves first.  They “would receive” more, more than what?  More than they agreed to?  Not even we agree with that...think about someone knocking on your door.  Hello Mr. ...Yes....Well I have your tree cut down.  Okay, here’s your $100.  But wait a minute, I did a real nice job, gotter done, shouldn’t you pay me more?  Well no, I mean no way.  But I thought I would receive more.? The man takes what he was told he would be given and he walks away mad.

Verse 12, But wait, you paid those smucks that came in at 5:00 the same amount as you paid us!  We worked all day.  Yes you're right, and how were you given to wrongly?  You were promised a wage and you received exactly what you were promised.

And so it plays out in the parable, the workers were indeed paid what they were promised and they grumbled.  At the same time I’m sure the workers paid a days wages for only an hour of work were very pleased.  That still happens today.  People get paid more than we think they should, inequity has always been rampant in the world.  And for every instance we can point to as an example, there is always another one, but it would seem the only common bottom line is grumbling.

Repent for there has always been grumbling.  Oh Moses, we’ve nothing to eat we’re starving, why did you take us out of Egypt?  Here is manna and quail for every day and twice as much on Saturday for Sunday, eat it and be filled.  Oh Moses, do we still have to keep eating this manna and quail? Moses we don't have water.  Then here is your water.  Oh Moses we're tired of this water.  There is never an end, never enough, and if someone else has it, then I should have, and if I work hard enough I should get it.  “Here on earth there will always be inequality, even as people and stations in life are different…. But Christ operates under a different principle in His kingdom: I will give as much to one as to the other. The reason? No one has ever succeeded in earning the kingdom of heaven - salvation from death and sin - and because of that I am not under obligation to anyone; always the kingdom comes by grace to whomsoever I will.” (Luther House Postil).

It should set you on edge that someone is getting paid the same as you though they did not do as much. It is indeed unfair.  But the goal is not to out do one another.  Christ has outdone us all, He as done it all.  He treats us all equally giving all who would believe His undeserved grace.  The Holy Spirit alone works faith and Christ pays out Himself to you with His body and blood, even as with the sweat of the blood from His brow.  That is the pure sweetness of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.

    That free gift is the waters combined with God’s Word,  in your baptism you are given a wage beyond measure, for it is the promise that Christ has paid for all your sin and gives you the promise of eternal life.  In fact, “We should not be among those who seek a reward for their labors. Instead, when we are called into the vineyard of God, we should labor without seeking any reward and trust God. He will abundantly reward everything good which we simply do, and any persecution we suffer for His sake.” (Johann Gerhard 1:190).

But let not the reception of God’s free grace let you slide back in your easy seat and take for granted what He has done for you.  For as we have heard in the parable the owner’s generosity, kindness, grace and goodness caused the first to be envious, and to be hateful toward "the last." Nothing could be more perverted. The fault did not lie with the owner, but rather with the worker.  The fault lies not with the grace of God, but wholly with the envious person.  Envy and grumbling is sin and sin has its wage for, “the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.”(Rom 6:23)

Now, “Look into the Gospel. You will find that we are all called into the vineyard to work. If you do not want to lose what is given you as a gift and what you have earned, work most diligently; be diligent in the use of the means of grace, diligent in prayer, diligent in the battle against sin and the world, diligent in all good works, diligent in the exercise of faith, diligent in the exercise of love, diligent in the use of hope, diligent in patience under the cross.”(CFW Walther)  Work hard in your vocation to share the Good news of Jesus Christ, work hard to support your neighbor and neither hurt nor harm him.  But also know that this work does not gain your salvation, yet it is what you are called to do.

So Jesus Christ beckons you to come, you who would be first, receive your pay.  Jesus Christ beckons you to come, you who would be last, receive your pay. Unfair?  Unjust?  Just not right?  Yes, indeed, you have been given everything, in fact eternal life, for your wages are not based on you, but rather based solely upon Jesus Christ for you.  Amen.

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