Grace and Peace to you from God our Father and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Our text for today’s meditation is the Gospel reading.

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. ² After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. ³ And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, ⁴ and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.' ⁵ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. ⁶ 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?' ⁷ They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.' ⁸ And when 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.' ⁹ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. ¹⁰ Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. ¹¹ And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, ¹² saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.' ¹³ But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? ¹⁴ Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. ¹⁵ Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?' ¹⁶ So the last will be first, and the first last." (Mat 20:1-16 ESV)

The sun had just peeked up over the buildings in the marketplace; it was about six O’clock in the morning. A man named Seth was standing next to a shop shading his eyes as he looked up at the sun. He could feel the warmth of the sun on his face; he knew it was going to be a hot day. You could tell Seth was still tired as he wiped his eyes. He wasn’t looking forward to the long hot humiliating day standing in the market place hoping to be hired. He saw a distinguished man walk over to a group of men. After a couple words, they left together. He wondered where they would work today. Seth could not get to the group in time to be included. About nine O’clock that same distinguished man came back and took another group of men with him. He came back again at twelve O’clock and three O’clock and again took men with him. Around five O’clock Seth was standing with a group of men in the marketplace talking about how the day was almost over and they had not been hired which meant no money for their family. Suddenly the distinguished man appeared again and asked Seth and the group why they had not worked today. Seth answered him "because no one has hired us." The distinguished man had compassion for the men willing to stand in humiliation in the market place this late in the day when the chance of being hired was so slim. He told the group to go work in his vineyard. They were surprised to be hired so late in the day and they went joyfully into his vineyard. They were happy to be hired.

One hour later when it started to get dark, the supervisor called all the workers out of the vineyard. Seth noticed the workers that worked all day were tired and sweaty as they slowly came out of the vineyard. It had been a very hot day. Surprisingly, the supervisor told Seth and the others hired with him to go to the front of the pay line. Seth saw the supervisor put the workers in reverse order of when they were hired. It seemed rather odd to Seth that the first people hired would be paid last and he would be paid first even though he only worked one hour. Seth had no idea how much he would be paid he was just glad he was being paid something. Seth was shocked when the supervisor handed him a denarius. He knew that a denarius was usually a full day’s wage. He was grateful because he did not expect a full days’ wage. The rest in line saw how much the last laborers were paid and got excited. He heard them say to each other, "If they got a denarius for one hour, how much more will we get for working longer." Seth stepped aside as the others were paid. He noticed the next group hired received a denarius as well. They started grumbling amongst themselves. When the laborers that were hired first received their denarius, they looked confused. They started talking amongst themselves. Seth heard them saying that it was unfair that the laborers that worked only one hour received the same wage as they did. The more they talked the angrier they got. Seth and the others in his group felt uneasy around the other laborers. The laborers that worked longer kept looking at Seth and his group with anger. They said to each other, "we haven’t done anything wrong, why are they angry with us?" Finally, several of the laborers hired first walked over to the vineyard owner and one of them confronted him. Seth heard him say, "The workers you hired last only worked one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day and the scorching heat." The owner looked at him and replied, "Friend, I have done nothing wrong to you. Didn’t you agree to be paid a denarius? Take what is yours and go. I choose to give the last workers the same as I gave you. Aren’t I allowed to choose what I do with what belongs to me? Or do you resent my generosity?" Seth heard the group say that the owner was right even though it still didn’t seem fair. The group quieted down and slowly started walking away. As Seth was walking home he couldn’t get out of his mind how the supervisor lined them up to be paid, the first were last and the last were first.

Jesus told this parable or story to his disciples after his encounter with the rich young man. The rich young man told Jesus he had kept all the commandments and asked Jesus what else he lacked. Jesus told him that if he were perfect he should sell his riches and give it to the poor, and then he would have treasure in heaven. The young man went away sad because he knew he could not give up his wealth. Jesus then told the disciples that it is difficult for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. He equated it to being easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. He literally meant the itty-bitty eye of a needle and a huge camel. To which His disciples asked, "Who then can be saved?" Jesus explained that with men, this is impossible but all things are possible with God. God’s ways are so much different when it comes to eternal life.

(pause) Microsoft employee # 0000001 is Marc McDonald. He got in on the ground floor of Microsoft so you can imagine he is making a very large salary with many stock options. Microsoft employs 55,000 people. Imagine employee #55,001 being offered the same pay and benefits as Marc McDonald. What do you think Marc would think? He might think it’s unfair? After all, he worked hard to get where he is. Shouldn’t everyone have to work as hard as he does in order to get the same benefits? If the kingdom of heaven was like a corporation we would have to work to get the benefits of heaven, but it is not like a corporation, in the kingdom of heaven the benefits are a gift given freely to you and I.

Many of you may remember Jeffrey Dahmer. He killed and dismembered fifteen people in Milwaukee Wisconsin. Jeffrey was serving fifteen consecutive life sentences when he became a child of God and a member of His kingdom through a prison ministry. He did terrible things to the people he killed yet he was baptized into the kingdom of God and was given the gift of eternal life. How does that appeal to your sense of fair play? He is like employee # 55,001 at Microsoft getting the same benefits as employee # 00001. It doesn’t seem fair that Jeffrey Dahmer should be given the gift of eternal life? How do we stack up against Jeffrey? We should definitely be better off than he.

But, why do we measure ourselves with people like Jeffery when we think about what we deserve in eternal life? How do we stack up against people like Martin Luther, Mother Theresa, or Billy Graham? I think I know what Martin Luther, Mother Theresa, and Billy Graham would all say? I think they would say they don’t deserve anything from God. They know they had as much chance of getting into heaven as a camel going through the eye of the needle. So, we too need to see God not in terms of fairness or a business but that His ways are so much different than ours.

Turn to the Old Testament lesson for today. Isaiah 55:8-9 "⁸ For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, declares the LORD. ⁹ For as the heavens are higher than the earth, so are my ways higher than your ways and my thoughts than your thoughts." Isaiah says God’s ways are not our ways, just as through our ways a camel has no chance of going through the eye of the needle. Our ways tell us that Jeffrey should have no chance at the gift of eternal life but God’s ways are different than ours.

God’s way is the way, the truth, and the life. God’s way - all things are possible equals Jesus. God’s way is – Not fair to His son, He is perfect yet he is treated like the worst criminal. God’s way is to have Jesus die for us. God’s way is to be so generous that He gives us forgiveness. God’s way is to bring Jesus out of the tomb so He can come to us and invite us into the vineyard

Please turn to Hymn 744 – Amazing Grace. We will read the first verse.

Amazing grace how sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me! I once was lost but now am found, was blind but now I see!

(pause) Grace is a gift given freely to you by God. If we received what was fair we would have death and damnation. Grace is not fair, it is a gift. Our earthly fairness tells us Jeffery should not have eternal life just like our earthly knowledge tells us Microsoft employee # 55,001 should not have the same benefits and pay as employee # 1 and just as a camel cannot fit through the eye of a needle, Jesus said with God all things are possible. God is generous with His gift of grace, it is the benefit of eternal life and He grants it equally to all who believe in Him. There is no hierarchy or degrees no matter when we become a child of God. Through the parable, Jesus tells us that God, the heavenly Father is generous. The distinguished landowner gave everyone a denarius, how generous. God gives eternal life, how generous!

(Pause) Now imagine a father with three children ages nine six and three. Does he love the nine year old more than the six year old because they have been alive for three more years? Or, because they are able to help with the dishes or the trash? Does he love the nine year old more than the three year old? After all the three year old is just getting out of the terrible twos and the nine year old has been alive six more years. No, the father loves them all the same because they are all his children. He loves them all the same just as our Father loves us all the same. It doesn’t matter if you have been a child of God all your life or became a child of God at the last minute like Jeffery, He loves everyone the same. It doesn’t seem fair to us here in the world but God’s way is different. Let’s not treat our brothers and sisters like Seth and his group, with anger; let’s welcome our brothers and sisters home because grace is not fair, it’s a gift.

Amen