A sermon based on Matthew 20:1-16
If Americans wrote this story today, it might go like this: Once upon a time God got up at the crack of dawn and called for workers. Everyone who was too lazy to get out of bed got nothing, and the people who worked all day got paid. First, God paid everyone by the hour, but some people complained because they had worked harder. Then God paid them by calories burned, but some people complained because they worked more efficiently. Then God paid them according to the number of leaves pruned, but some people complained because their tree didn’t have as many leaves. And they’re still there to this day, arguing with God over who deserves exactly how much pay. Because the important thing isn’t so much that I get paid, it’s that everyone else get paid less. The end.”
Rev. Doug Gray is the pastor at 2nd Congregational in Beloit, where I got my start. He has three beautiful kids, and whenever one of his kids says, “That’s not fair!” his answer is always the same. “Fare is what you pay for the bus.” He’s said it so many times that they roll their eyes and finish the phrase for him. God is not fair. And for that, we should be very, very grateful.
This story is a hard one, because Jesus never explains it. He just leaves it there for us to figure out. It starts normally enough, the boss gets up before dawn, and goes down to Home Depot to hire some help. He promises a denarius, which at the time of Jesus, was a standard day’s wage. If the story stopped there, the moral would be clear. God is fair. Show up early, work hard, and you’ll have a good life.
One Denarius. Original work by Ancient Art. Click the picture for more.
Some of you, I’d even say most of you, fit that story to a T. You’ve heard of the Paretto principle, right? That’s you. You are the 20% that do 80% of the work. I know because I see you. You work your tail off. You show up week after week. You volunteer for boards, and service projects and teams. You donate money even though things are tight. When the church needs something bought, you don’t go to the Trustees. You just go buy it. When the church needs something done, you don’t go to the Deacons. You just go do it.
I know… because this church would never have made it 150 years if it weren’t true. It’s what makes any church, but especially a small church, work. And honestly, you don’t get nearly the recognition you deserve. “Thank you” is the only pay we can offer as a church, and sometimes you don’t even get that. So thank you. Thank you for everything you do that no one ever sees. Thank you for giving even when it’s hard. Thank you to the faithful few who show up early and work all day.
But that’s not the end of the story. The landowner goes back down to Home Depot at 9am. The day has already started. They know they don’t deserve a full denarius. Instead, he promises to pay them whatever is fair. The story never says why they were late. Maybe they had a good reason, maybe they just overslept. Either way, it’s still early. There’s still plenty to do. So, off they go.
Maybe this is you. Maybe you didn’t feel comfortable with all those accolades, because you don’t feel you deserve them. You can’t make it to church every Sunday, you don’t have time to sit on a board, or you can’t afford to give. You just do what you can. There are a few here today, but where I run into this the most is around town. I can always tell, because they apologize, even though I’m not yelling. All I have to do is exist, and people feel guilty. Because they’re not really apologizing to me.
If that’s you, then hear the good news in this story. You are welcome too. God’s kingdom is not just for super-saints. The-people-who-do-what-they-can still get a full day’s wage. There is good work to do here, necessary work that will bear fruit. Don’t let a misplaced sense of guilt stop you from doing what you can. And don’t ever let someone who’s been here longer get between you and God, or the work God has for you.
This is where it gets really interesting. The landowner goes out at noon, at three, and at five. Noon means no matter how fast they get there, they’re already doing less than half a day’s work. And five means they’re doing less than one hour of work before they go home. At this point, the landlord finally asks, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?’ And they say, “Because no one hired us.” Which he knows is a lie because he’s was there at 6, at 9, at noon, at 3, and now at 5pm. They don’t have a job because they didn’t show up! But he just says, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
One hour later, the foreman pays them. And the boss specifically says to pay the slackers first. Can’t you just see the early birds getting angrier and angrier? “I worked my tail off all day and I get the same as that schmuck who got up at the crack of noon? My shirt is sopping. He hasn’t even broken a sweat. That’s not fair! And the boss says, “Fare is what you pay for the bus.” Ok, not really. He says, “You’re getting exactly what you agreed to. As for the rest, it’s my money! Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you jealous because I am generous?
The story is really about the landowner. This is someone who values people more than his own time and money. This is someone who sees the need we all have for meaningful work. This is someone who sees the kids who need to eat, even though their dad is a slacker. This is someone who sees past our failures to our potential, who would rather restore than judge. That’s the kind of God we serve.
Or maybe it’s about the ones who showed up late. God is happy to hire us, but we have to show up. You can come at 6, at 9, at noon, at 3, even at 5. But at some point the sun is going to set. We’ve been offered life and purpose, but we still have to accept it. God is happy to pay us more than we deserve, but we still have to do the work.
Those are all true and good, but I think it’s mostly a special message for the early birds, the amazing 20%, the faithful few who do most of the work. You have everything. Everything they lack, you already have. You have drive. You have purpose. Your life has meaning. You have good work and generous wages. Isn’t that enough? When will you finally stop worrying about what everyone else has and enjoy what you have? Why are you letting someone else decide when you get to be happy? Because friends, let’s face it. In our heart of hearts, we all showed up at 5.
First preached at First Congregational Church of Saugatuck on September 18, 2011.
God is Not Fair is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 3.0 United States License.
Link to revsmilez.com.
? For those of you who have yet to see this delightful movie, here’s the nutshell. A tribe of nomadic Africans is living a wonderful, happy life, when a passing pilot drops a Coke bottle out the window of his airplane. The tribe discovers the mysterious object and quickly learns that you can use it as a tool, a toy, or an instrument. They call it a gift from the gods. But there’s only one bottle. It can’t be a tool, a toy, and an instrument at the same time. In the ensuing argument, they discover it also makes a good weapon. The main character decides, “If this is a gift from the gods, the gods must be crazy.” So, for the good of his people, he’s going on a quest. He’s going to walk to the edge of the world and throw the Coke bottle off, give it back to the gods. He sets out on his quest, bumps into the modern world, and that’s when things get interesting. The question the movie raises is common to us all, “What do we do when God doesn’t make sense?”
. It records his process of grieving after his wife died of cancer. He says that through it all it seemed clear in his mind that God existed, but he wondered if maybe God was more like a kid burning ants with a magnifying glass than a loving, omnipotent father. Maybe God is real, he just doesn’t like us much. We all wonder sometimes. Is it just us, or is God nuts? Here’s the good news. It’s us!
, “The problem with trying to make yourself stupider than you really are is that you often succeed.” That’s option 2.
