Is God Fair?
Sermon
Questions Of Faith
Gospel Sermons For Sundays After Pentecost
Introduction
A pastor friend asked one of his parishioners, the manager of a local seed company, some questions about the seed business. He asked him, "Where do you get the seed and to whom do you sell it?" And he asked him if he needed extra laborers at certain times of the year. The manager told him that the seed company contracts with growers who raise the crops in the central area of the state in which they have a production facility. At the time they were harvesting corn. The corn was coming to them to be processed and they needed to hire some extra laborers. These extra laborers were usually migrant workers and high school students.
Then the pastor asked the manager of the seed company if he remembered the biblical story of the laborers in the vineyard where those who worked just an hour got the very same pay as the laborers who worked all day. The manager remembered the story, so the pastor asked if the seed company would ever do that - pay the extra laborers who worked only an hour the same pay as those who worked all day. Immediately the manager said: "No! If we did that, we would have a strike."
If this is the way God treats us, perhaps we should go on strike. It is outrageous. It goes against everything we have been taught. If this happened and you were one of the laborers, how would you feel if you had worked all day and received the same pay as someone who worked for only an hour? And how would you feel if you were one of the fortunate ones who had worked for only one hour and received all that money? Would it be fair? That is the question we face this morning. Is God fair?
God's Amazing Grace
What did Jesus want to teach by telling this story of the laborers in the vineyard? What is the gem of truth in it? First we need to know that the story is not about economics, how to run a business, how to increase productivity, or how to make workers happy. If the landlord had wanted to please, he would have paid each one for the job he had performed. Then there would have been no problem. What is the point of this story? I believe the point of the story is God's amazing grace. The parable shows us that God's grace is beyond our comprehension and appreciation.
Over the years, many of you who have grown up in the church have heard many interpretations of this parable. Each interpretation shows God's amazing grace. One interpretation is that God is still looking for help to work in the vineyard of the world. We may think that we are too young, or too old, or not qualified for that sort of thing. Or we may think because we are too new at being a Christian that we are not qualified. Whoever we are, God's grace is sufficient and God will give us what we need in order to work in the vineyards of our communities.
Another interpretation has been that Jesus used this story to say that everyone deserves a living wage. In Acts we read that the disciples "determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea." The message being that we need to share so that there is a more equitable distribution of wealth because God's grace, God's love, and God's blessings are intended for all people.
Still another interpretation that definitely shows God's amazing grace is that Jesus told this story to assure those who turn to Christ on their death beds that they will receive the same reward as those who have served God all their lives. In fact, a person can be immoral for most of his or her life and then repent at the last minute and receive the gift of eternal life as if he or she had always been a saint.
You may have heard versions of the story of a man who had not lived a very moral life. He was in the hospital recovering from surgery. When he regained consciousness he complained loudly to the nurse that the shades were pulled. The nurse told him to relax. A fire was burning across the street and she didn't want him to wake up and think that the operation had been a failure. We smile at this story but it depicts one view of life after death.
Whichever interpretation you prefer, the parable shows God's amazing grace. This grace comes when we least expect it or deserve it. It came to the laborers who worked for only one hour and got the same pay as those who had worked all day. It is not fair according to our way of thinking, but this should not surprise us. After all, God often seems to do the very opposite of what we expect. For example, Jesus, the Messiah of the world, came as a baby born in a stable. He came to serve rather than to be served, and he associated with tax collectors and prostitutes. He also chose what is foolish to teach the wise. And in today's Gospel he says something that is hard to accept: "The last will be first and the first will be last."
The Last Will Be First, And The First Will Be Last
It is difficult for us to comprehend that the last will be first and the first will be last. If this is the case you may be thinking: Why have I been getting up on Sunday mornings all my life to be in church? Why have I tithed? Why have I tried to lead a God--pleasing life? If you have those thoughts, let me ask you: What would you change about your life if you thought there was no eternal life with heaven or hell? Would you quit coming to church? I suspect you would change very little. If it is fear that keeps you coming to church, you probably are not getting much out of worship. Eternal life is not a reward for attending church and living the good life. Eternal life is dependent upon God's grace and not upon our own doing.
Today's parable shows us that God's grace is extravagant and that God does not think like we do. In the kingdom of heaven things are ranked, measured, and judged differently than the way we do it. It is not based on the criteria that a lemon packing plant uses in judging lemons. According to a friend who visited a lemon factory in California, it was fascinating to watch the lemons judged as they moved on a conveyer belt. After they were washed, they moved under a camera that graded them into five different categories - Sunkist, choice, standard, juice, and rejects. They were judged on the basis of size, blemishes, and color. The rejects were thrown on the field for cattle to eat. The rest were washed again, dried, waxed, and stamped. Those stamped with Sunkist were judged to be the best.
Is this the way we judge people? Do we judge them by their appearance - size, color, blemishes - plus their abilities, talents, and their wealth or lack of it? We pride ourselves on being fair and just. We value equality, and thus it upsets us when we see someone get something undeserved.
This is not the way it is in the kingdom of heaven. It is not God's way. If today's Gospel says what I think it is saying by telling us the last will be first and the first will be last, it convicts those who have been brought up in the church who think they have the only answer to salvation.
This story, like many other Bible stories, offends many of us because we see ourselves in it. Most of us identify with those who worked long hours. We think they got a raw deal, and we think we often get one too. It is so easy to feel cheated when we see someone do better, even if we get exactly what we were expecting. Fairness in our minds is determined not in terms of our commitments but in terms of what our neighbor gets. What student has not complained because another student got the same grade as she did but for half the work, irrespective of the quality? Or we become jealous when someone receives a promotion or advancement over us, maybe someone we trained for the job.
Too often our identity is based on rewards that we can compare such as grades, positions, or salaries. There is no truly fair reward system. Two farmers plant the same crop. One has a bumper harvest, the other gets nothing because worms eat up the grain. In every office there are those who do as little as possible, who take advantage of others, and then there are those who work beyond all expectations, yet both may get the same pay.
Comparing ourselves to someone else is vividly portrayed in the movie Amadeus. This movie dramatizes the life of Mozart. A central figure in the drama is a composer who was a contemporary of Mozart, Antonio Salieri. In the movie, Salieri is a man whose life is devoted to music. Early in his life he made a promise to God that he would give his entire life to God if God would allow him to compose music. His prayer was answered. He wrote beautiful music and was a success in his chosen vocation. He even earned a place as chief composer in the emperor's court. One day, however, he heard the music of Mozart and he realized that Mozart's musical talent was far superior to his own. Something happened within Salieri. He became obsessed with the desire to destroy Mozart. He railed against God, even though God had answered his prayer and given him great gifts. But because those gifts were not as great as Mozart's, he got mad at God. His own composing career was put on hold as he sought ways to undermine the career of Mozart. The ending to the movie is a tragic portrayal of the power of jealousy to destroy a man's heart and soul.
The movie Amadeus is an extreme example of jealousy, but I would guess everyone has compared him or herself unfavorably to someone else. The line that cuts to the heart in today's Gospel is when the landowner says to those who grumble, "Are you envious because I am generous?" That is a good question we need to ask ourselves when we see someone else receive God's amazing grace.
Conclusion
Today's Gospel is a story that illustrates God's judgment based on God's grace. God's judgment and grace are both amazing and exasperating. When we experience grace, it is amazing. When we see grace lavished upon others, it is exasperating and doesn't feel like grace at all. We think life is not fair, that God is not fair.
Is God fair? No, not by our way of thinking. But that is good news. We don't get what we deserve. God's goodness is not meted out on the basis of fairness, but of love. That is amazing grace. Amen.
A pastor friend asked one of his parishioners, the manager of a local seed company, some questions about the seed business. He asked him, "Where do you get the seed and to whom do you sell it?" And he asked him if he needed extra laborers at certain times of the year. The manager told him that the seed company contracts with growers who raise the crops in the central area of the state in which they have a production facility. At the time they were harvesting corn. The corn was coming to them to be processed and they needed to hire some extra laborers. These extra laborers were usually migrant workers and high school students.
Then the pastor asked the manager of the seed company if he remembered the biblical story of the laborers in the vineyard where those who worked just an hour got the very same pay as the laborers who worked all day. The manager remembered the story, so the pastor asked if the seed company would ever do that - pay the extra laborers who worked only an hour the same pay as those who worked all day. Immediately the manager said: "No! If we did that, we would have a strike."
If this is the way God treats us, perhaps we should go on strike. It is outrageous. It goes against everything we have been taught. If this happened and you were one of the laborers, how would you feel if you had worked all day and received the same pay as someone who worked for only an hour? And how would you feel if you were one of the fortunate ones who had worked for only one hour and received all that money? Would it be fair? That is the question we face this morning. Is God fair?
God's Amazing Grace
What did Jesus want to teach by telling this story of the laborers in the vineyard? What is the gem of truth in it? First we need to know that the story is not about economics, how to run a business, how to increase productivity, or how to make workers happy. If the landlord had wanted to please, he would have paid each one for the job he had performed. Then there would have been no problem. What is the point of this story? I believe the point of the story is God's amazing grace. The parable shows us that God's grace is beyond our comprehension and appreciation.
Over the years, many of you who have grown up in the church have heard many interpretations of this parable. Each interpretation shows God's amazing grace. One interpretation is that God is still looking for help to work in the vineyard of the world. We may think that we are too young, or too old, or not qualified for that sort of thing. Or we may think because we are too new at being a Christian that we are not qualified. Whoever we are, God's grace is sufficient and God will give us what we need in order to work in the vineyards of our communities.
Another interpretation has been that Jesus used this story to say that everyone deserves a living wage. In Acts we read that the disciples "determined that according to their ability, each would send relief to the believers living in Judea." The message being that we need to share so that there is a more equitable distribution of wealth because God's grace, God's love, and God's blessings are intended for all people.
Still another interpretation that definitely shows God's amazing grace is that Jesus told this story to assure those who turn to Christ on their death beds that they will receive the same reward as those who have served God all their lives. In fact, a person can be immoral for most of his or her life and then repent at the last minute and receive the gift of eternal life as if he or she had always been a saint.
You may have heard versions of the story of a man who had not lived a very moral life. He was in the hospital recovering from surgery. When he regained consciousness he complained loudly to the nurse that the shades were pulled. The nurse told him to relax. A fire was burning across the street and she didn't want him to wake up and think that the operation had been a failure. We smile at this story but it depicts one view of life after death.
Whichever interpretation you prefer, the parable shows God's amazing grace. This grace comes when we least expect it or deserve it. It came to the laborers who worked for only one hour and got the same pay as those who had worked all day. It is not fair according to our way of thinking, but this should not surprise us. After all, God often seems to do the very opposite of what we expect. For example, Jesus, the Messiah of the world, came as a baby born in a stable. He came to serve rather than to be served, and he associated with tax collectors and prostitutes. He also chose what is foolish to teach the wise. And in today's Gospel he says something that is hard to accept: "The last will be first and the first will be last."
The Last Will Be First, And The First Will Be Last
It is difficult for us to comprehend that the last will be first and the first will be last. If this is the case you may be thinking: Why have I been getting up on Sunday mornings all my life to be in church? Why have I tithed? Why have I tried to lead a God--pleasing life? If you have those thoughts, let me ask you: What would you change about your life if you thought there was no eternal life with heaven or hell? Would you quit coming to church? I suspect you would change very little. If it is fear that keeps you coming to church, you probably are not getting much out of worship. Eternal life is not a reward for attending church and living the good life. Eternal life is dependent upon God's grace and not upon our own doing.
Today's parable shows us that God's grace is extravagant and that God does not think like we do. In the kingdom of heaven things are ranked, measured, and judged differently than the way we do it. It is not based on the criteria that a lemon packing plant uses in judging lemons. According to a friend who visited a lemon factory in California, it was fascinating to watch the lemons judged as they moved on a conveyer belt. After they were washed, they moved under a camera that graded them into five different categories - Sunkist, choice, standard, juice, and rejects. They were judged on the basis of size, blemishes, and color. The rejects were thrown on the field for cattle to eat. The rest were washed again, dried, waxed, and stamped. Those stamped with Sunkist were judged to be the best.
Is this the way we judge people? Do we judge them by their appearance - size, color, blemishes - plus their abilities, talents, and their wealth or lack of it? We pride ourselves on being fair and just. We value equality, and thus it upsets us when we see someone get something undeserved.
This is not the way it is in the kingdom of heaven. It is not God's way. If today's Gospel says what I think it is saying by telling us the last will be first and the first will be last, it convicts those who have been brought up in the church who think they have the only answer to salvation.
This story, like many other Bible stories, offends many of us because we see ourselves in it. Most of us identify with those who worked long hours. We think they got a raw deal, and we think we often get one too. It is so easy to feel cheated when we see someone do better, even if we get exactly what we were expecting. Fairness in our minds is determined not in terms of our commitments but in terms of what our neighbor gets. What student has not complained because another student got the same grade as she did but for half the work, irrespective of the quality? Or we become jealous when someone receives a promotion or advancement over us, maybe someone we trained for the job.
Too often our identity is based on rewards that we can compare such as grades, positions, or salaries. There is no truly fair reward system. Two farmers plant the same crop. One has a bumper harvest, the other gets nothing because worms eat up the grain. In every office there are those who do as little as possible, who take advantage of others, and then there are those who work beyond all expectations, yet both may get the same pay.
Comparing ourselves to someone else is vividly portrayed in the movie Amadeus. This movie dramatizes the life of Mozart. A central figure in the drama is a composer who was a contemporary of Mozart, Antonio Salieri. In the movie, Salieri is a man whose life is devoted to music. Early in his life he made a promise to God that he would give his entire life to God if God would allow him to compose music. His prayer was answered. He wrote beautiful music and was a success in his chosen vocation. He even earned a place as chief composer in the emperor's court. One day, however, he heard the music of Mozart and he realized that Mozart's musical talent was far superior to his own. Something happened within Salieri. He became obsessed with the desire to destroy Mozart. He railed against God, even though God had answered his prayer and given him great gifts. But because those gifts were not as great as Mozart's, he got mad at God. His own composing career was put on hold as he sought ways to undermine the career of Mozart. The ending to the movie is a tragic portrayal of the power of jealousy to destroy a man's heart and soul.
The movie Amadeus is an extreme example of jealousy, but I would guess everyone has compared him or herself unfavorably to someone else. The line that cuts to the heart in today's Gospel is when the landowner says to those who grumble, "Are you envious because I am generous?" That is a good question we need to ask ourselves when we see someone else receive God's amazing grace.
Conclusion
Today's Gospel is a story that illustrates God's judgment based on God's grace. God's judgment and grace are both amazing and exasperating. When we experience grace, it is amazing. When we see grace lavished upon others, it is exasperating and doesn't feel like grace at all. We think life is not fair, that God is not fair.
Is God fair? No, not by our way of thinking. But that is good news. We don't get what we deserve. God's goodness is not meted out on the basis of fairness, but of love. That is amazing grace. Amen.
