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Matthew 20:1-16 (Parable of the workers in the vineyard)

INTRODUCTION: Our message series is called, “Jesus, the Master Teacher,” and we are looking at a series of Jesus’ teachings as found in Matthew 18-20.

Today we are looking at the parable of the workers in the vineyard. This is a great little parable, and we are going to have some fun with it today. Jesus tells this parable in response to what Peter said in the previous passage. Remember good old foot-in-the-mouth Peter? Peter asked Jesus, “We left everything for you. So, what do we get?”

Jesus responds in two ways. First, he encourages Peter by telling him, “Peter, don’t worry about what you are going to get. You are going to get so much more than you left behind.” But then he also corrects Peter by telling him, “But the first will be last, and the last will be first.” And then he shares this parable which is really just one big illustration of what Jesus meant when he said, “The first will be last, and the last will be first.” (Read Matthew 20:1-2 and pray.)

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How do you view God? It’s an important question, because how you view God has a huge impact on how you relate to him. For example, if you view God as strict, temperamental or stingy, then you will probably not have a very close relationship with him. You will be hesitant to approach him. You will only go to him when you feel like you have no choice. But if you view God as loving, kind and generous, then you probably will have a close relationship with him. You will speak with him often, sharing your thoughts and needs freely throughout the day.

In the parable we are looking at today, Jesus teaches us three beautiful truths about God. 1) God is perfectly just. 2) God is wonderfully merciful. 3) God is incredibly gracious. And so, as we work our way through this parable today, I want us to reflect on these attributes of God and, I pray, learn to think right thoughts about God. Our God is a good and generous God, and when we think right thoughts about him, we will be drawn to him and want to grow in our relationship with him. So, let’s look at these three attributes together.

I. God is perfectly just (1-5) > The landowner offers each of his workers a fair wage for their work.

First of all, God is perfectly just. Look at verses 1-5 where Jesus begins the parable:

For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

3 About the third hour 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 the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. (Matthew 20:1-5)

So, in this parable we have a landowner who goes out to hire workers for his vineyard. The landowner clearly represents God, and the workers represent people whom God invites into his kingdom. The typical workday in those days was 6am to 6pm, so the landowner goes out early to find the workers. These would be day laborers looking for work to earn money to feed themselves and their families. The landowner agrees to pay them a denarius for the day and sends them into his vineyard. A denarius was equal to a day’s wages, so this was the fair price for a day’s work.

He continues to go out and find other workers during the day, telling them he will pay them what is right. They would not expect a full denarius for only a partial day’s work, but he promises to treat them fairly; he will pay them whatever is right for their work.

So, this first part of the parable focuses on God’s justice. One of the beautiful things about God’s character is that he is perfectly just. The Bible has a lot to say about God’s justice, but I just want to focus on two aspects of God’s justice this morning. God does not punish anyone more than they deserve. And God does not reward anyone less than they deserve.

   A. God does not punish anyone more than they deserve
      – Romans 2:5-8

First, God does not punish anyone more than they deserve. We read about this aspect of God’s justice in Romans 2 where Paul writes to us: “But because of your stubbornness and your unrepentant heart, you are storing up wrath against yourself for the day of God’s wrath, when his righteous judgment will be revealed. 6 God ‘will give to each person according to what he has done.’ 7 To those who by persistence in doing good seek glory, honor and immortality, he will give eternal life. 8 But for those who are self-seeking and who reject the truth and follow evil, there will be wrath and anger.” (Romans 2:5-8)

Have you ever been punished for something you didn’t do? Or perhaps you received a greater punishment than you deserved for something you did do. God will never do that to you. Life is not always fair, but God is just, and he does not punish anyone more than they deserve.

   B. God does not reward anyone less than they deserve
      – Hebrews 6:10

God also does not reward anyone less than they deserve. We read in Hebrews 6:10: “God is not unjust; he will not forget your work and the love you have shown him as you have helped his people and continue to help them.” (Hebrews 6:10) Every good thing you have done for God, God remembers, and he will make sure that every good deed receives its just reward.

God is perfectly just, and that is good news. Sometimes our human judges get it wrong, and we need to pass the case up to a higher court. Sometimes even the Supreme Court gets it wrong. But there is a higher court in heaven which one day will overrule every bad decision made here on earth. God is judge of all the world. He is perfectly just, and so one day perfect justice will prevail. Praise God!

II. God is wonderfully merciful (6-7) > The landowner hires those who had been waiting around all day.

But it gets even better! Because God is not only perfectly just; he is also wonderfully merciful. A world of perfect justice sounds great, until you find yourself on the wrong side of the law. Then you find you’re not so thrilled about justice after all.

This is where God’s mercy comes in. God is perfectly just, but, praise God, he is also wonderfully merciful. We see this in the next part of the parable that focuses on God’s mercy. Look at verses 6-7 where we read about the landowner:

About the eleventh hour 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.” (Matthew 20:6-7)

So, it’s about the eleventh hour, which would be 5:00 p.m., the workday is almost over, and the landowner goes out and finds still others standing around. And even though they really can’t do much for him with just an hour of work remaining, the landowner has mercy on them and hires them anyways.

Once again, the Bible has so much to say about God’s mercy, but I just want to focus on two aspects of God’s mercy this morning. God takes account of our humble estate. And God does not treat us as our sins deserve.

   A. God takes account of our humble estate
      – Psalm 103:13-14

First, God takes account of our humble estate. Psalm 103 says: “As a father has compassion on his children, so the Lord has compassion on those who fear him; 14 for he knows how we are formed, he remembers that we are dust.” (Psalm 103:13-14)

It’s not that the landowner needed more workers at that point. He saw that these workers needed work. They had waited around all day for an opportunity to work, and they were going to go back to their families empty-handed. He had mercy on them and invited them to work in his vineyard for that final hour.

I had a couple of years where I worked a commission-only job, and I remember some of those days working a twelve-hour shift and coming back empty-handed. That was no fun. Of course, it all balances out in the end, and the good days more than make up for the bad days, but those days coming back with nothing to show for it were still hard to handle.

The landowner looked at these poor workers and had mercy on them. In the same way God looks at us and has mercy on us. God knows your needs. He knows your limitations. God knows your situation and all that you are going though. And God cares for you. God takes account of our humble estate.

   B. God does not treat us as our sins deserve
      – Psalm 103:10; Romans 3:25-26

And here is the truly beautiful part of God’s mercy. He does not treat us as our sins deserve. Psalm 103:10 says: “He does not treat us as our sins deserve or repay us according to our iniquities.” (Psalm 103:10) God in his justice does not punish anyone more than they deserve. But God in his mercy treats us less than our sins deserve.

You might wonder, how can God do that? If God treats us less than our sins deserve, does that mean he is no longer just? The answer is in what God did for us through Jesus at the cross. God sent Jesus because he had mercy on us, and then Jesus died on the cross to fulfill God’s justice.

We read this in Romans 3: “God presented him as a sacrifice of atonement, through faith in his blood. He did this to demonstrate his justice, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished – 26 he did it to demonstrate his justice at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.” (Romans 3:25-26)

God is both merciful and just, because the penalty for our sins does not go unpaid. Jesus paid the full penalty for our sins on the cross. Perfect justice and wonderful mercy meet together at the cross where Jesus paid the penalty for our sins so that we would not have to.

III. God is incredibly gracious (8-16) > The landowner chooses to be generous with his money.

So, the first part of the parable focuses on God’s justice. The second part focuses on God’s mercy. And now the final part focuses on God’s grace. Look at verses 8-16 with me:

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 the eleventh hour 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 men 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, “Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the man 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.” (Matthew 20:8-16)

The landowner tells the foreman to pay the workers, but in reverse order, starting with the last ones hired and going on to the first. And the big surprise here is that the workers who had only worked the final hour each received a denarius, a full day’s pay for only one hour’s work. The landowner was gracious to them. Apparently, those who were hired midday received the same.

So, when those who were hired first came to collect their wages, they naturally expected to get more. Wouldn’t you? But they also received one denarius each, which, by the way, is exactly what the landowner had agreed to give them.

   A. God is not unfair to you when he is generous to someone else
      – Matthew 5:45

So, let’s talk about God’s grace with our time remaining. First of all, understand this. God is not unfair to you when he is generous to someone else. That’s really important, so let me say it again. God is not unfair to you when he is generous to someone else.

Notice that the landowner did not give the later workers more than the earlier workers, although he could have if he wanted to. Notice that the landowner did not give the earlier workers less than he promised them. Everyone got the same. The landowner was perfectly fair with the earlier workers and incredibly generous with the later workers. But instead of rejoicing with the later workers in their good fortune, the earlier workers are envious and feel that they somehow deserve more. Instead of being grateful for their pay, they are ticked off at the landowner. They basically say, “We did twelve times as much work as them. We worked longer and harder. We worked during the heat of the day. And you are going to pay them the same as you pay us?”

Notice how the landowner responds to them. First, he reminds them that he is not being unfair to them. They agreed to work for a denarius, and he paid them a denarius.

Then he says, “I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you.” What a beautiful description of God’s character: “I want to give.” That’s who God is. He is a God who wants to give. The landowner was incredibly gracious. He wanted all the workers to be able to bring back a day’s wages to their families, whether they had worked a full day or not.

And then he asks the first workers two questions. “Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” Of course he has the right to do what he wants with his money. It’s his money. And what he wants is to be generous. The only problem here is that the first workers are envious.

In the original language the expression is especially vivid. The landowner asks, “Or is your eye evil because I am generous?” Aah, the old evil eye. Do you ever look bad at someone because God is generous to them? Do you ever think or say something like, “Lord, why is that person doing so well? They don’t deserve your blessing!” And you do?

We read in Matthew 5:45: “He causes his sun to rise on the evil and the good, and sends rain on the righteous and the unrighteous.” (Matthew 5:45) The sun and the rain both represent good things here. You might think God only does good things for those who deserve it, but God does good things for both the righteous and the unrighteous, for the both the evil and the good. Why? Because he is a God of grace. He is incredibly gracious.

The first workers complained to the landowner, “You made them equal to us!” That’s right. We are all equal in God’s kingdom – equally sinners, equally loved, equally redeemed. So, that’s the first thing we learn about God’s grace from this part of the parable. God is not unfair to you when he is generous to someone else.

   B. God rewards us far more than we deserve
      – Matthew 19:29

And then the second thing is this. God rewards us far more than we deserve. Remember what we said about God’s justice? God never rewards anyone less than they deserve. But God’s grace takes it even a step further. God doesn’t reward us less than we deserve. Instead, God rewards us more than we deserve.

We saw this last week where Jesus told his disciples in Matthew 19:29: “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for my sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life.” (Matthew 19:29) God rewards us far more than we deserve.

Aren’t you glad that God is more than just? Aren’t you glad that God is generous? Aren’t you glad that God isn’t like a landowner who counts out the hours of each laborer and then meticulously divides the pay exactly according to the hours they worked? “Here, you worked nine hours? You get three fourths of a denarius. You worked six hours? You get one half of a denarius. You worked 2.3 hours? You get 0.1917 of a denarius.” (There, I did the math for you.)

No, God is generous. He doesn’t limit himself. He pours out his grace and his gifts upon us every day. He is the God who says, “I want to give.” Our God is a generous God. Think good thoughts of God.

   C. God graciously saves those who put their faith in Jesus
      – Ephesians 2:8-9

And then the final thing I want to share with you about grace this morning is this: God graciously saves those who put their faith in Jesus. We read in Ephesians 2:8-9: “For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.” (Ephesians 2:8-9)

People continue to believe the lie that if you live a good life and do enough good things you will go to heaven when you die. But the Bible tells us salvation is not by works but by faith in Jesus Christ.

In the parable the earlier workers boasted in their works. They said, “We bore the burden of the work and the heat of the day!” But that’s the problem. Those who trust in their works receive God’s justice, but they forfeit God’s mercy and grace. If you want justice, you will get justice. I don’t recommend it, because we are all on the wrong side of God’s law. If you want justice, you will get justice, but if you want mercy and grace, then you need to put your faith in Jesus.

We can also apply this to heaven and eternal rewards. On the one hand we all receive differing rewards depending on what we have done for Christ. But on the other hand, we all get the same reward, in that we all inherit eternal life with God forever. Because once you have eternal life, what do all the other rewards really matter?

And so, Jesus ends the parable the same way he began it: “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:16) God’s kingdom works differently than we are used to here on earth. Those who trust in their works will be disappointed. Those who trust in Jesus will be saved. How do the last become first? By grace. By God’s grace. By God’s grace alone.

CONCLUSION: Peter asked Jesus, “What do we get?” Jesus said, “Don’t worry about what you will get.” Why not? Because God is perfectly just. He is wonderfully merciful. He is incredibly gracious. Perfect justice. Wonderful mercy. Amazing grace. That’s who God is. Once again, think good thoughts of God.

Some of have sinned a little. Some of us have sinned a lot. Some of us come to Jesus early in life. Some of us come to Jesus much later in life. Some of us serve God in many ways. Some of us serve God in very few ways. But everyone who puts their faith in Jesus receives eternal life.

You are never too old to come to Christ. You are never too sinful to come to Christ. Come to Christ now, even in the eleventh hour, and he will gladly welcome you into his kingdom. Our God is a good and gracious and generous God.

© Ray Fowler

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