Dear Friends,
We hope this week's devotional will encourage you in your spiritual walk. We give thanks to Rev Dr Linda Stargel for writing this.
You are welcome to share this and include it in your church newsletters if you wish; we just ask that you please give credit to NTC and the author. Thank you!
MATTHEW 20: 1-16
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing.
6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
DEVOTIONAL THOUGHT:
The Parable of the Vineyard Owner (20:1-16) has two main parts: the hiring of the workers (vv.1-7) and the paying of the workers in reverse order (8-16). In the end, all receive the same wages. But the message is not about God’s unfairness, as some would think, but about his generosity. The surrounding context of this parable is very important for understanding it. Just before it, there are three other teachings about entrance into the Kingdom:
- The Rich Young Man Seeking Eternal Life(19:16-22)
- The Difficulty of the Rich Entering the Kingdom of Heaven (19:23-26)
- The Reward for Those Who Have Left Possessions to Follow Jesus (19:27-30)
This parable continues with the same theme of entrance into the Kingdom. God welcomes those who come to faith in the last hour, on their deathbed. They receive the full reward of a place in God’s kingdom, just as those who have journeyed a lifetime with God. But maybe final destiny should not be considered of primary importance. How much better is it to come to faith earlier in life, to have the extra blessings of being made Christlike, of serving, of being productive, and of enjoying God’s presence on the journey. Grant Osborne comments on this passage: “Life in the already/not yet is less about what we get when ‘yet’ arrives and more about the blessing of living toward the ‘yet’ in the ‘already.’” (Exegetical Commentary on the NT: Matthew, 202).
PRAYER:
Merciful and generous God, we are truly grateful for all who find eternal life in Christ. Thank you for never giving up on us. May we, who journey with you now, be encouraged by your peace, your presence, and your work in us and through us. May we be faithful in this journey so that others are drawn to you. AMEN.