In the Name of Christ Jesus, the Light of the World +
Alright, so we've come to those strangely named Sundays before lent – the “gesima” Sundays – today is Septuagesima – which is Latin for 70. We've got 10 weeks, 70 days, until Easter. We have three weekends before Ash Wednesday. And while the start of Epiphany focuses us upon the truth that Jesus is both God and Man come to save us, these three weeks before Lent will now address some things about God's salvation that we might not like all that much. There are going to be things addressed here that are really great and wonderful new when we think about it, but they are things that our sinful flesh does not like. And for today, we get the parable of the workers in the Vineyard.
The kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with them for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Now, let's understand the set up of this parable. With this simple set up, Jesus shows us that the Kingdom of Heaven is a straightforward place. God is not duplicitous or full of double talk; He isn't playing the angles. The master of this house has a big old vineyard, and he goes to hire day laborers for the day. And so he goes out early, let's be about the task, let's get it done. And he finds workers, and he hires them for a Denarius a day. That is a straightforward, proper wage. It's good, it's solid. He doesn't show up early and try to lowball people and sucker in the desperate. The terms are clear and fair and right.
Likewise the Kingdom of Heaven. God sets out things clearly in Scripture. The Law of God is pretty simple and clear. Love God and love your neighbor. Do unto others as you'd have done to you. The 10 commandments. It's straightforward – there's not going to be some footnote or lawyery fine print designed to trip you up. And likewise, the Gospel is straightforward as well. For God so loved the world that He gave His only Son, while we were yet sinners, Christ died for us, we are saved by grace through faith apart from works so that no one may boast. Jesus loves me this I know straightforward. Now, it's good, and it's all profound, and we can all ponder the depths of the law and the wonders of the Gospel all our lives – but God is open and honest. What He has declared is what you get.
And going out about the third hour he saw others standing in the marketplace, and to them he said, “You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.” So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And here we see something odd about the master of this house. He keeps swinging by the marketplace hiring more workers. And this would have struck the people in Jesus' day as odd. Why? Well, you know the old phrase – the early bird catches the worm – and the worm's already been caught. This master already hired the good, diligent eager workers. Why does he need to hire more, especially Johnny come latelies? Why does he want to hire the people who were too slow, too uninterested to get on out there at time? And why is he hiring people for just a half day? Or at the ninth hour – just three hours of work?
This again teaches us something about God. When God calls people into His Church, it is not a pragmatic business decision on God's part. It is not a contest. It is not based upon how much work He can suck out of people. Rather, people at all ages of life get called into the Church, into God's kingdom. Some early, baptized as infants and raised in the church. Some later on, some in middle age – and some, some even pretty much close to their death bed. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And He said to them, “Why do you stand here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one has hired us.” He said to them, “You go into the vineyard, too.” Alright, now this is getting ridiculous. It is. Imagine you were a boss, you're running a Wendy's – are you going to hire a new guy to cover the last 30 minutes of an 8 hour shift? Any farmers here going to hire a guy during harvest to drive a grain truck for 1 hour and then be done for the day? This is daft.
And the fact is, looking at Christ's kingdom from the outside, God seems pretty daft considering who He calls into His kingdom. He'll bring into His church people who aren't the greatest, who might be old and past their prime, who just don't seem to be the best fit for engaging, productive enterprise. And this reminds us and teaches us that God does not call us into the Church because of what He can get from us. Rather, out of love, out of mercy, out of a desire to just do right by people – whatever is right I will give you – God calls people into His church.
Think of this parable in terms of the day laborers. None of these people have jobs, none of them have security. And in those days, if a man does not work, let him not eat. No job, no money for food on the table, and there's not really a well established social safety net. And so this master keeps walking through the marketplace and has pity on these people, over and over, at all times. Likewise, this is what drives God to call you into the Church – not what He can get out of you, but rather His love, His mercy, what He can give you. In this messed up sinful world, we are so often cut adrift with no hope, no security. We desperately throw our trust at the flimsiest of things. You all have seem the idols people cling to, more and more as the days go by. There's a reason so much of conversation in society has gotten harsh and terse – we aren't just disagreeing on ideas, we are threatening people's idols – political idols, social idols, financial idols. God sees all this, and He hates it – because that's not what He created us to be. He didn't create us to be all wandering around the marketplace hopelessly – He made us to be in His garden, to enjoy it and tend it. So out of His love, He keeps calling people into His Church – He has even called you, today, into His Church to rest and be refreshed.
However, a word of warning. In God's house, in this place, God's straightforward Word is what rules the day. And there will be times your sinful flesh will fight against even the simple things you've known and learned. And when the evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, “Call the Laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.” And when those hired about the 11th hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now, when those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. It's the end of the day, and the master's ludicrous generosity shines forth. Everyone gets a denarius, the full day's wage. Everyone is treated well. Everyone, even the ones who came only at the end, will be able to go home and eat well and rest securely. And frankly, that's how the Church operates. As the Pastor, it's my job and privilege to dispense the gifts of God – and guess what? You all get the same thing. You all get Jesus' forgiveness. You all get life and salvation. I suppose the specifics of what gets forgiven are different, but it's the same forgiveness. I never have to pause service and say, “Alright, this bit of Gospel is only for those who were born here.” No, we all get Jesus, the whole Jesus, the all your sins have been forgiven by Christ the crucified, go now depart in peace Jesus.
And there's the rub. And on receiving it, they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day.” These workers are accurate in their observation, they did work longer, and the other people did get the same amount. And? So what? You got precisely what the master said you would, why are you complaining? And again, if you will allow me to translate the master's reply - But in reply he said to one of them, “Hey pal, I've not done anything to you. Didn't you agree on a denarius with me? Take your stuff and get out of here. I want to give to these last as I gave to you. Don't I get to do what I want with my own stuff? Or are you seeing things as evil because I am good?” While the workers hired early have valid observations, they forget some rather important things. First – the master did exactly as he said he would as regards them. If they aren't happy with that, it's their own fault. Secondly, it's the master's money; he can do with it what he wants. He's the one in charge – if he wants to give someone else a bonus or a great big old tip, he can.
There's the rub for us sinful men. We are sinful, we see things through evil eyes, and that means we can recoil at the goodness, the generosity of God. That's the warning for us. God is full of mercy – and we neither get to work extra hard to get more of his mercy or extra blessings from Him, nor do we have a leg to stand on if we want to complain about the mercy and blessings He gives to someone else. Sorry, God's in charge, not you. And actually, that's good for you, good for all of us. God is good, and He doesn't see things through the cruel, harsh, wicked eyes that we use. Jesus never side eyes you and grouse about you – instead He goes to the Cross and dies for you, crying out, “Father, forgive them, they know not what they do!” Father, they are stuck with wicked eyes, cleanse them and forgive them for My sake! We all get alike the good gifts that Jesus gives, the blessings of Body and Soul that He gives out as He knows is good.
And if and when that annoys you on occasion, it is my task and duty as Pastor to say – tough. Get over it. It's nice that you've been a member here all your life, but I don't have an extra secret book of the bible just for you. Yeah, someone else might have gotten some earthly blessing you haven't, but that's on God, He's in charge – if you really want to go tell God how He should do His job, well, good luck with that. If you're really grumbly the best I can do for you is I can give you an extra, off the cuff sermon – the same one I give myself when I catch myself grumbling about the stupid things my sinful flesh likes to grumble about.
And when all that is done, when our spleens have been vented and we come back to our senses, pause. Consider. God Almighty has called you into His Kingdom, and on account of Christ Jesus, He gives you the eternal denarius, the whole holy kit and kabboddle. Forgiveness of all of your sin. Life now, even in the midst of so many dangers, and life everlasting. Indeed, you will not enter eternal life as a mere day laborer, but as a child of God, a brother or sister of Christ, one who doesn't leave the vineyard and go home, but one who stays in the house forever, for in My father's house there are many mansions. You're baptized. Really, it's all good. God's got it in the bag for you – and remember this whenever your sinful flesh wants to complain. Whatever is right, Jesus indeed gives to you. Amen. In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit +
