Matthew 20:8-16

When it was evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
'Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.'
When those who had started about five o'clock came,
each received the usual daily wage.
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage.
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
'These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day's burden and the heat.'
He said to one of them in reply,
'My friend, I am not cheating you.
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?
Take what is yours and go.
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you?
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money?
Are you envious because I am generous?'
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

I’m gonna be honest. I used to get a little bit mad at this parable. Mainly because it reminded me of those horrible group projects we’d have to do back in school and everybody shared a grade. It was the worst (and I’m pretty sure that has to be illegal by now). So I, being the overachieving student who was also a slight control freak, tended to take on the better portion of the workload. Granted, that lends itself to all kinds of resentment and frustration and lovely things like that - similar to how the morning workers must’ve felt. They put in a full day of work but got paid the same wage as the men who worked for two hours. That’s rightfully pretty upsetting!

Thankfully, this parable isn’t intended to tell employers about wage fairness. It’s actually intended to show us how generous and merciful God is with his love. If we call on Him for grace, He gives it out wholly, generously, and abundantly. Even if we’re undeserving, He’s free to lavish us! And he truly wants to.