THE DAY LABORERS |
The World, the Word & You!
Broadcast
Commentary by Dennis L. Finnan
““TODAY WE LIVE IN AN AGE THAT DEMAND ITS
RIGHTS! ADVERTISING TELLS US, ‘WE DESERVE THE BEST’ OR ‘YOU’RE WORTH IT.’ BUT
REALLY WHAT RIGHTS DO YOU HAVE IF ANY?”
I’m Dennis Finnan, host and speaker on the World, the Word & You! Broadcast and in a moment we’ll talk about WORTH, RIGHTS, THE KINGDOM OF GOD & YOU…
…Today, we are going directly to the Bible to look at one of the Lord’ Jesus Christ’s wonderful Parables he told to His disciples; and, of course the world, for God has chosen to have it written down for the ages in the Bible, God’s holy Word. This parable is unlike the Word of God that directly and literally speaks to our hearts. Someone has well said, “Parables are earthly stories with heavenly meanings” Indeed, we must remember they are “stories,” but they are given by Christ to convey difficult teachings of Heaven and eternity, in colorful and simple analogies of everyday life. Our case in point is “The Parable of the Vineyard,” or as I would like to call it ¾ THE DAY LABORERS, but before we open it up the words of Jesus to us today, we’ll pause one more time for a delightful musical interlude, then return with a look at ¾ THE DAY LABORERS, stay tuned…
…Admittedly, this “Parable of the Vineyard” found in Mathew’s Gospel chapter 20:1-16 can be a bit difficult, but only because we try to read into it much of our own ideas, knowledge and understanding of Christian things. What I mean is this. When you read a parable in the Bible, (1) don’t try to make everything in it mean something. (2) Parables have one main “spiritual” truth, and one must find it immediately or else lose it. Now, how does one find the main spiritual truth? Usually by keeping note of the context. (3) This parable, one should rightly discover is not about SALVATION, nor REWARDS FOR SERVICE but simply MOTIVES FOR SERVICE, period! Now with that in mind, we can begin. Let’s read,
Mat 20:1-16 (NLT) ""For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the owner of an estate who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work. 3 "At nine o'clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. 4 So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. 5 At noon and again around three o'clock he did the same thing. 6 At five o'clock that evening he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, 'Why haven't you been working today?' 7 "They replied, 'Because no one hired us.' "The owner of the estate told them, 'Then go on out and join the others in my vineyard.' 8 "That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. 9 When those hired at five o'clock were paid, each received a full day's wage. 10 When those hired earlier came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day's wage. 11 When they received their pay, they protested, 12 'Those people worked only one hour, and yet you've paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.' 13 "He answered one of them, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair! Didn't you agree to work all day for the usual wage? 14 Take it and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. 15 Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be angry because I am kind?' 16 "And so it is, that many who are first now will be last then; and those who are last now will be first then.""
Now remember, the Bible is given often in narrative form. This means Jesus spoke these words in response to something that happened. What previously occurred? We read in,
Mat 19:27 (NLT) “Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get out of it?””
It appears that the disciples of Jesus, in their early days, were following the Lord Jesus, but had mixed motives. Peter blurts how his motive and perhaps of them all. “What will we get out of it?” His question to Jesus revealed his inner motive for service. He began serving Jesus for this simple and raw purpose. Many today are like that too. They come to Jesus to “get.” A missionary friend who served in the Orient once told me that they often had to deal with “rice” Christians. I asked what was that? He said they came to church and bible study services mainly to get “rice” which the missionaries gave out to the needy Christians. Their motive was the “rice,” not the Word of God. Today we have thousands flocking to churches around the nation and the world, but for some the motive is to “get” something rather than to “give” something and share it in return. To them Jesus’ words are important and potent. He speaks to us all, to first examine ourselves and the motives of “why” we serving in the kingdom of God, why we claim the Name of Jesus Christ.
So in answer to Peter’s stark and brutally honest question, Christ in effect, “warned” them that some of those who serve the most, in eternity will discover they got the least, and some who served the least, but their motives were right, got the most in the end. So, we can see the context and question of Peter motivated the Lord to give this parable. Now let’s dissect it for our profit and learning. To begin, let’s connect the key verse of the parable and Peter’s previous remark,
Mat 20:10 (NLT) “When those hired earlier came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage.”
Mat 19:27 (NLT) “Then Peter said to him, “We’ve given up everything to follow you. What will we get out of it?””
Here then, is the great lesson and theme of the Parable of the Day Laborers. God is sovereign and none of us have any claim on Him. He can do as He pleases and all of us should and must accept whatever God can and does give us as sinners. The Bible says,
Eph 2:8-9 (NLT) “God saved you by his special favor when you believed. And you can’t take credit for this; it is a gift from God. 9 Salvation is not a reward for the good things we have done, so none of us can boast about it.”
The moment any of us tries to “claim” God owes us something, we are in trouble. We have no claim on anything of God for we are sinful “beggars” who can just reach out and take the gifts of our King and Creator. The greatest gift, of course, God offers to all sinners is SALVATION through His Son the Lord Jesus Christ. The Bible says, God loves us so much that He came to earth, became a human being, lived a perfect life so that He would, unlike any of us, not be under the sin penalty of death, and He therefore gave up His sinless, perfect life as a substitute payment for our sins. Now, that’s the Gospel found in the New Testament, but it is NOT the meaning of the parable.
Jesus is talking to those who followed Him and already trusted in Him alone for salvation and full forgiveness of sins. But Christ is specifically not talking here about believer’s REWARDS for service. The Bible makes it clear, differing rewards will be given for service and the more one serves, the more they will receive. No, Jesus talks to Peter, and of course you and me saying, God looks on the heart to see the motive of “why” we are serving Him.
Now, in the parable we are told the Landowner went into the market place to hire day laborers who were standing around. They were ready to serve, but they would only serve the highest bidder and not without a “contract.” So the landowner contracts with them for their days wage. They accept and go out in the field to work. Later in the day, the landowner seeks more laborers and finally one hour before sundown, he hires another group to work. Well, quitting times comes and as day laborers were paid at the end of the day, so payday comes and the landowner pays each one. Now note this, before I read the problem passage. The late hour Day Laborers were also hired, but they made no stipulation nor asked for a contract for work. These realized the day was almost over and no one would hire them. Their willingness to work for that day was essentially over. No one would hire them, their skills and service were useless and valueless to any landowner at this late hour, EXCEPT this special one of our parable, who said,
Mat 20:6-7 (NLT) “At five o’clock that evening he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’ 7 “They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’ “The owner of the estate told them, ‘Then go on out and join the others in my vineyard.’”
These last hour workers were then in a sense “beggars,” they had no claim or rights, the hiring of them was simply by the grace, mercy and love of the landowner. So they came to serve and demanded no contract wage, they were THANKFUL to serve due to the mercy of the landowner.
Well pay time came. We discover that the early workers who contracted for their work were paid what they demanded. Obviously, they wouldn’t have worked without a contract that satisfied their desire for pay. But then, the landowner does something strange and different,
Mat 20:9-12 (NLT) “When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. 10 When those hired earlier came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. 11 When they received their pay, they protested, 12 ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’”
The contract workers cried, “foul, unfair!” Which would be true except for the fact that the last hour Day Laborers came by grace and had no contract, therefore the employer was free to give them as he pleased. The contract workers got their pay they expected and demanded before they served. So Peter cried out previously, “what will we get out of serving you Jesus?” Here are some valuable lessons to learn.
1. The main spiritual truth Jesus taught here is that God is sovereign and therefore has the right to deal with us as He pleases. Here we are told, God deals with us according to our inner motives. If we have contracted with God to service Him, demanding certain pay, remuneration, or recognition for service, God will give it to you, but… in eternity when the real pay is given, all who do so in this life, will find it small for our MOTIVE was to receive here and now, not later as God’s grace, mercy and love might share. How about you? If you are a Christian what are your motives to serve? Do you allow God His sovereign right to do as He please with others? Or are you jealous, and as a result become bitter and complaining?
2. Christ is not talking about REWARDS FOR SERVICE, for we are told in other Scripture rewards differ according to service. 1 Cor 3:8 (NLT) “The one who plants and the one who waters work as a team with the same purpose. Yet they will be rewarded individually, according to their own hard work.” No, the “motive” for service and what we demand here and now, will determine the value of and extent of reward later in the Kingdom of Heaven.
3. This parable is a constant reminder to God’s children of all ages, that there is MUCH work to do in the kingdom regardless of the hour. Indeed, most believe the “End Times” of the Church is fast approaching. How much more we need to get involved and work for Christ, rather than standing around idle. Do you realize that in most local churches it’s the 10% who do all the work? The rest just stand idly by, expecting others to serve them. “Oh how nice the choir sings on Sunday, but don’t ask me to join.” “Oh how lovely is the Sunday school lesson, but don’t ask me to teach.” “Oh how nice it is that my church ministers to children and youth, but don’t ask me to be a worker in Children’s ministries.” In this blunt manner, the vast majorities attend Christian services, rarely joining the church they worship at, and continue to follow the Lord “from afar.”
Well, this parable surely teaches us that the Lord Jesus expects all who claim His Name as believers and followers, to be available and when the Master calls you to service, you don’t put conditions on it. Some say OK, I’ll serve but I expect this or that, and don’t ask me to do this portion of service. Some say in the heart, I want recognition, certain pay, and promise of…. You fill in the blanks of the “contract” for Day Laboring with God.
Now let’s get this straight, it is not sinful to earn rewards, for God promises us He will give that to all who labor for Him, but only to those who labor willingly, and without the motive to get in this life first, before one serves. The Bible says,
1 Cor 3:12-15 (NLT) “Now anyone who builds on that foundation may use gold, silver, jewels, wood, hay, or straw. 13 But there is going to come a time of testing at the judgment day to see what kind of work each builder has done. Everyone’s work will be put through the fire to see whether or not it keeps its value. 14 If the work survives the fire, that builder will receive a reward. 15 But if the work is burned up, the builder will suffer great loss. The builders themselves will be saved, but like someone escaping through a wall of flames.”
We must watch, examine and inventory the reasons “why” we serve. The right work done with impure, self-serving motives will displease God, and worse, actually steal from us future rewards God might have planned for us. Imagine, if the early hired Day Laborers came and worked in the Master’s Vineyard without a contract and trusted the love, mercy and grace of the sovereign employer? They might have gotten in the end a great deal more!
Well remember this, none of us are called to judge the motives of other workers; Nor, how God rewards or cares for them. When jealousy sets in, we get angry that someone else is getting, “more” or “better” than us! Watch out, God is looking on your heart, and you may find out you are so much like the “early” Day Laborers who only worked for what they got here and now.
Well, that day Jesus uttered these words, Peter got the message! The “last shall be first, and the first shall be last.” We know from history and the spiritual growth of the disciples who became the apostles, well they changed their motives and began serving simply out of love and thankfulness of God’s grace in their lives. When they did, amazingly, all the bickering, judging, and strife among them ceased. Do you know that when a church begins to experience judging, bickering, strife, complaining, and plain old backstabbing ¾ the reason is too many in that church are early DAY LABORERS, and are discontent with their “contract” with the Lord.
Well, it’s time all of us who claim the Name of Christ, examine ourselves and our “motives” in our hearts. When we do God will open our heart to see what truly is in it, and why we are serving or NOT serving Him. If the motive is wrong, then I call you today to repent of any and all idleness, bad feelings, and judgmentalism of others laborers and or pay, and do all for the glory of the Lord!
Remember the hour is late, it may be the last hour before the final labors of serving Christ in His Church and kingdom are upon us. Indeed, we all need to get busy for Christ. In fact, His last command to the church was exactly that. The Bible says,
Luke 19:13 (KJV) “And he called his ten servants, and delivered them ten pounds, and said unto them, Occupy till I come.”
I like the good old King James Version here, that says it well, “occupy till I come.” Are you serving Christ in the Body? Are you actively engaged in ministry for the Lord at your local church? If not, why not? Are you offended by how God rewarded someone else? By what you felt you did not get, or did get? Don’t be a “rice” Christian, coming only to get something from the Lord, His Church and His people. Give your heart first to Christ by turning from sin and self, and claiming Jesus Christ’s free gift of salvation, forgiveness of all sin and His gift of eternal life. Then as a new believer or repentant revived believer, get busy for God and leave the rewards, value and differing ways God deals with us to His sovereign love. God has proven He is infinitely generous and gracious, and we have no claim on him for we all in a sense are the last hour Day laborers. Thank you Lord Jesus for calling us to be your laborer ¾ thank you Jesus for giving us anything at all to do, to bring you glory! ¾ Thank you Jesus for all that I have been given and shall have for I am not worthy. I am a beggar in the kingdom simply reaching out to receive the gifts from my King Jesus. Yes, the greatest gift is my salvation in Christ. Oh, Lord Jesus, I receive you again into my heart; cleanse me from wrong motives, an offended heart, and a greedy, selfish spirit that demands my way in the lives of others.
That my friend, will be the spirit of revival Jesus wanted to see in his disciples. Thank God it came to them that day, and God richly used and rewarded them. But the question I leave with you is this ¾ How about you?
Well friends, the Parable of the Day Laborers really hits home when we rightly understand it, doesn’t it? Much of the strife, and discontent in most churches stems from the problem revealed in this Parable of the Vineyard Jesus gave. I hope and pray it helps you to have a right perspective and if you don’t know Jesus as your God and Creator, that you surrender your heart to Him, right now, and call upon Him to save you. From there, God promises us great rewards in eternity, provided our motive for serving Him is grace.
· Radio talk #4301
· Broadcast date: October 28, 2001
· Speaker: Dennis L. Finnan, Commentator
· Program: The World, the Word & You! Radio Broadcast
· Address: P.O. Box 40133 Grand Junction, CO 81504
The World, the Word & You! Broadcast is a non-denominational ministry based on the historic fundamental evangelical interpretation of the Scriptures. A copy of our doctrinal statement is available upon request. These weekly radio commentaries are not exhaustive studies of any particular subject due to the time limit of broadcasting. Actual broadcasts can be heard in selected areas around the nation, as funding provides. Dennis Finnan has been the speaker for over 22 years, and serves as General Director.
These transcripts are available free of charge to all who desire them. Also available are actual radio cassette tapes and printed booklets of each message. A free listing of recent messages is available upon request also.
For further information, reprints, or a listing of all topics, please write to our speaker, Dennis L. Finnan(dennis@wwy.org),or visit our webpage at http://www.wwy.org/