The owner is God whenever God’s people are seen as a vineyard. In this parable Jesus teaches us a really important lesson about fairness. The imagery used is similar to Isaiah’s parable of the vineyard (it would be prudent to study this also) found in Isaiah chapter 5. This statement is cited again a few verses later, in Matthew 20:16. The vineyard is the people of God – this was a common image in Scripture (Isaiah 5:2, Psalm 80:8-9, Jeremiah 2:21). It seems to argue against the doctrine of rewards. In the conclusion of this parable the master says “Take what belongs to you and go. Right = righteous Jesus is our reward, wage. The parable has often been interpreted to mean that even those who are converted late in life earn equal rewards along with those converted early, and also that people who convert early in life need not feel jealous of those later converts. The watchtower and the wall mentioned in verse 33 are means of protecting the vineyard and the ripened grapes. Jesus’ Parable of the Workers or Laborers in the Vineyard has meaning that some may miss. This means that the landowner refers to God himself, and those workers in his vineyard (kingdom) are his people. That applies to all of us."[2]. This is a blog series featuring contributors to the new book, Cruciform Scripture. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. The first being last and the last being first may be Jesus’ way of saying that whatever time a person comes to saving faith, they all will receive the same wages…since the wages of sin is death (Rom 6:23a), the wages of repentance and trust in the Savior is eternal life (Rom 6:23b). Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard: Summary, Meaning and Commentary. I n our last lesson, we discussed the meaning of Jesus' words in Matthew 19:30: But many who are first will be last, and the last first. “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. The direct object of this parable seems to be, to show that though the Jews were first called into the vineyard, at length the gospel should be preached to the Gentiles, and they should be admitted to equal privileges and advantages with the Jews. God is generous to all who He saves and if others believe He is overpaying those who enter the kingdom’s work later then that shows that they are questioning the master of the house…or God Himself. In this parable, Jesus teaches us that God’s grace is not something that it dependent on how much work we do, but it’s unexpectedly generous. Some commentators have used the parable to justify the principle of a "living wage",[3] though generally conceding that this is not the main point of the parable. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?”, “Take what belongs to you and go. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?”  Is this a reflection of the attitude of those who have labored longer for the Lord? With Brenda poorly, Sir Barry offers Phil a bit of extra work. Jesus tells the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) in response to Peter’s question in Matthew 19:27: "We have left everything to … They knew very little back ...", "forgot to address your question, "How do you people dress and feed yourselves?" Guest Essay: Is America Suffering from Moral Injury? Matthew’s Response to an Early Missionary Issue: Meaning and Function of the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matt 20: 1–16.) Explore the world's faith through different perspectives on religion and spirituality! For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. [3] An example is John Ruskin in the 19th century, who quoted the parable in the title of his book Unto This Last. They enter into the work or their calling by God under the guidance of the master, which is Jesus Christ. In today’s lesson, we’re learning about a parable Jesus told to teach a lesson about how we’re made right with God. We are "hired" to work for God, and when we grasp this truth it gives our lives, and even the work we do in our lives, purpose and meaning. Another Reading on Patheos to Check Out: What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts, Jack Wellman is Pastor of the Mulvane Brethren church in Mulvane Kansas. When the work is over the laborers see that the last were paid first and they were paid one days wages which is what a denarius is equal too so the laborers who worked the longest expected more pay than those who entered into the work late in the day. No one will be cheated. The Parable of the Vineyard Workers. Arland J. Hultgren writes: "While interpreting and applying this parable, the question inevitably arises: Who are the eleventh-hour workers in our day? It also reminds us that God’s view of “fair” is not the same as our human understanding, and that’s actually quite a positive thing for us. 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.”, “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”, “You will recognize them by their fruits”, “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.’  And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Ruskin did not discuss the religious meaning of the parable but rather its social and economic implications. The Parable For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. God pours out His benevolent gifts to undeserving sinners, not in exchange for any effort on their part, but rather as an expression of His grace. The winepress is obviously for stamping out the juice of the grapes to make the wine. But first, let's try to understand the main truth. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? ‘These 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.’ Was the master fair? The wages at stake (even at the moment of Jesus’ first telling of the parable) are not actual daily wages for vineyard-laborers, but forgiveness, life, and salvation for believers. The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. Earthly employers are not God. But what's God's intention behind it? Patheos has the views of the prevalent religions and spiritualities of the world. Also, send me the Evangelical Newsletter. texts from within a religion or faith system, Learn how and when to remove this template message, The collected sermons of William Sloane Coffin: the Riverside years, Volume 1, https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Parable_of_the_Workers_in_the_Vineyard&oldid=993976716, Articles lacking reliable references from September 2017, Articles needing more viewpoints from September 2017, Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike License, This page was last edited on 13 December 2020, at 14:34. All who ent… The one work day depicted in the parable can be interpreted to culminate in death and salvation or to mark the beginning of a new, secure life in Christ; both interpretations work. An alternative interpretation identifies the early laborers as Jews, some of whom resent the late-comers (Gentiles) being welcomed as equals in God's Kingdom. Rather, the parable is a message of hope to everyone struggling to find adequat… The daily wage that Jesus talks about is eternal life, offered through his sacrifice. Answer: This lengthy parable is found only in the gospel of Matthew. The word translated in v. 9 as “owner” is actually “lord,” which has a double meaning, pointing to “the Lord.” The fruit of the vineyard is faithfulness. 2 And after agreeing with the workers for the standard wage, he sent them into his vineyard. The fact that any of us were saved, no matter what age, should make us exceedingly grateful to the master of the house for paying for our redemption at the expense of His own life. The landowner hires five groups of workers. The parable of the workers in the vineyard has several important lessons to teach us. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ Because salvation is not based on performance, but on the grace of God. “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.’ Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard Matthew 20: 1-16 By: Kara Wintergrass, Brent Townsdin, Adam Woods Workers in the Vineyard Meaning of the Parable Vineyard owner represents God His invitation for people to come into His Kingdom Primary message is about the Grace of God Wages This is what connects the theological teaching of the parable with its political and economic teaching. These guys only worked an hour and you paid them the same that you paid us for working all day!” • (Now remember, in this parable the Vineyard Owner is the one who represents God. Church and ministry leadership resources to better equip, train and provide ideas for today's church and ministry leaders, like you. The person wanted to know the meaning of the parable. I remember leading a man to saving faith in Christ on his deathbed. We need not literally be laborers in a vineyard, as we are all of us co-workers in the kingdom (1 Corinthians 3:9). He portrays how one enters the kingdom and who the different characters are. Take your pay and go. [1], An alternative interpretation is that all Christians can be identified with the eleventh-hour workers. He told them, "You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you … Question: "What is the meaning of the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard?" At a deeper level, we are all the eleventh-hour workers; to change the metaphor, we are all honored guests of God in the kingdom. No Christian has any right to feel jealous of what God has given to other believers, even if it’s late in their life. In this Parable of the Laborers or Workers in the Vineyard, there are things that He tells the disciples and us about the grace of God and that God is always more than fair. Or are you envious because I am generous?’. “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. The Chara Project uncovers the Parable of the Vineyard Workers found in Matthew 20:1-16. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. But each one of them also received a denarius. Everyone who is saved should be eternally grateful for the grace of God that spared them…even if it was early in life. Today I’ll cover The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-15). • One of them said: “Hey! How should we, Christians reflect on our views on the faith in God through this parable? He likens “the kingdom of heaven,” or the way things are when God sets the standards, to a situation in which hardworking, reliable people get shafted. In Matthew 20:1-7 He says. In another place in the Scriptures, Jesus uses this symbolism of believers being used by God to labor for the Lord as in Matthew 9:37-38 where He says “The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore pray earnestly to the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest.”  There is also another angle in this parable. The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, What Did Jesus Really Look Like: A Look at the Bible Facts, The Parable Of The Tenants: A Bible Commentary. 4 And he said to them, “You go into the vineyard too and I will give you whatever is right.” 5 So they went. 1 For the kingdom of heaven of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 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