Let me first walk through the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, and then I will make application to Christ and to our own lives.
The master of the house owns a vineyard. He is the landowner, and he needs to hire workers to pick the grapes. So he goes to the marketplace early in the morning to find laborers. He hires some who agree to work for a denarius a day. How much is a denarius? It would be about a day’s wages. Notice that the workers agreed to work all day for a denarius. It is about six o’clock in the morning, and they have roughly twelve hours of work ahead of them.
Around nine o’clock, the master of the house sees others standing idle in the marketplace. They have nothing to do. So he hires them as well, saying, “Whatever is right I will give you.” Notice that no specific wage is set. They trust in the generosity of the master. The master does the same at noon and again at three o’clock.
Around five o’clock in the afternoon, he finds still others standing idle in the marketplace. It was not their fault. No one had hired them. So out of compassion and mercy, so that they might have money to eat, the master hires them also.
At six o’clock, it is quitting time. Normally, we would expect those who worked all day to be paid first. But the master does something surprising. He pays those hired last, first. This is unheard of. It appears unfair—but remember, this is a parable.
The master pays his workers. Those who worked one hour, three hours, six hours, eight hours, and twelve hours all receive the same wage: a denarius. The master is very generous.
Those who were hired first think that they should receive more than those hired last. They assume they will be paid above and beyond what they agreed to. But the master keeps his promise. He pays them a denarius, exactly what was agreed upon.
After receiving their wages, they grumble against the master. They accuse him of making them equal to those who worked only one hour. They compare themselves to others and focus on the burden and heat of the day that they endured.
The master addresses them and calls them “friend.” This shows that he cares for them and bears them no ill will. He has not wronged them. They agreed to work for a denarius. He has broken no law. He has not cheated them. He owns the vineyard and has the right to do what he wills with what belongs to him. He asks them, “Do you begrudge my generosity?” This is the preaching of the Law. Yes, they were begrudging his grace and mercy.
Jesus concludes the parable by saying, “So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Now let us apply this parable to the kingdom of heaven, to Christ, and to our own lives.
God is the master. He owns all things. He is our Creator, and He sustains our lives with daily bread. He has redeemed us with His own blood shed upon the cross for our sins. He has given us saving faith in Christ and continues to care for us as we live within His kingdom.
The kingdom of heaven is not like the kingdoms of this world. In this parable, Jesus is not instructing employers how to run their businesses. He is not endorsing a political or economic system. God’s kingdom cannot be measured by worldly standards. Christianity is not about labor negotiations, property rights, or contract law.
Christianity is not about going to heaven because of your goodness. Christianity is about going to heaven through faith in Christ. Christianity is not about politics. It is about the forgiveness of sins. Christianity is not about rewards. It is about God’s grace through faith in Christ.
If we apply workplace standards to the kingdom of God, we quickly fall into the error of thinking that we work our way to heaven. But nothing could be farther from the truth. God’s kingdom is not like this fallen world. Christianity is about God’s grace, won for us by Christ’s death and resurrection.
In God’s kingdom, things are different from how we would expect. The last are first, and the first are last. The one who humbles himself like a little child is the greatest in the kingdom. The one who serves is greater than the one who reclines at the table. The Good Samaritan is the hero, not the priest or the Levite. Repentant tax collectors and prostitutes enter the kingdom before self-righteous Pharisees. Lazarus, the poor beggar, is carried to heaven, while the rich man is not. The tax collector goes home justified, not the Pharisee. Things in God’s kingdom are different from how we would do things.
The vineyard represents our life in Christ. Christ is the vine, and we are the branches. What belongs to God belongs to us. We are the workers. We are the baptized. Faith was given to us purely by God’s grace, not by our works. Life in God’s kingdom is a privilege. It is a joy to “work” in the vineyard, not a burden.
Those standing idle represent those who do not yet believe in Christ. God desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth. The Gospel goes out to all nations. If you have a friend or neighbor who does not yet believe, invite them to the Divine Service. Invite them to hear the Gospel, that they too may believe. God cares for them—and so do we.
Some workers labored twelve hours, others eight, six, three, or only one. Some of us have been in God’s kingdom our whole lives—baptized as infants, raised in the faith, taught the Scriptures from childhood. Others come to faith in Christ later in life, perhaps as a student, or even on their deathbed. Thanks be to God. We are not jealous of those who come to faith in Christ late in life. We rejoice. The thief on the cross received the same salvation through faith in Christ as we do.
We are working in God’s kingdom. What are we doing? We are doing good works for the sake of the neighbor, not to earn salvation. We love our neighbor because God first loved us. It is a joy to serve in the church and in our vocations as husbands and wives, parents and children, neighbors and friends. It is a joy to help a family member or a friend. It is a joy to help and serve within God’s kingdom.
At the end of the day, those who were hired first grumbled at the landowner. They accused him of being unfair. They saw him as being evil.
So also, today. Do not see God as evil. Do not think that God is mean toward you. Do not grumble and complain if you don’t get your way. Do not blame God for this or that. God is good. He is not against you. He is not evil.
The devil is the enemy, not God. The devil tempted Adam and Eve bringing sin and death into our world. Living in a fallen world, life will not always be “fair.” We suffer from various trials and temptations. We pray that God’s Word and Sacrament will help us to persevere in life. Again, God is for you and with you. God is good. He is gracious and merciful to us in Christ Jesus. The cross of Christ defines God’s love for you.
In our parable, the owner of the vineyard asks the question, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?” The answer is “yes.” And so also God is free to act according to His gracious will. Everything belongs to Him. Things are done according to God’s ways and not our ways. He knows what is best even though we may not understand them. “My thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways,” says the Lord. And His ways are for our good.
Do we really want God to be “fair” with us? If God gave us what we deserve, we would all be condemned. We confessed this morning that we justly deserve His temporal and eternal punishment.
When it comes to sin, we are all equal. For all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. There is none righteous no not one. Therefore, no matter how hard we work in God’s kingdom, we are unable to contribute anything in any way toward our salvation. Works cannot earn us heaven. They cannot appease the wrath of God. The wages of sin is death.
We need a Savior. That is why Jesus came.
Jesus was our substitute. He took our place under the law fulfilling it perfectly. He also took our place on the cross offering a perfect sacrifice. The workers in our parable complained that they “bore the burden and the heat of the day.” But Jesus bore the burden and the heat of the day while crucified on the cross in our place. At the sixth hour Jesus endured God’s wrath. Also, at the sixth hour, He cried out “It is finished.” He died for the sins of the whole world. By the eleventh hour, he was placed in the tomb.
Jesus died upon the cross for the sin of the whole world. He died for the sin of the tax collector, the adulterous woman, the thief on the cross, and the self-righteous Pharisee. He died for you and me. He died for all.
Our text says that the last will be first. Jesus, who was crucified by his own people, received a victor’s crown on the day of His resurrection. Jesus won the race for us against sin, death, and the devil. Jesus came in first place.
God is gracious toward us poor sinners because of what Christ did upon the cross and not because of our goodness. We are saved by God’s grace through faith in Christ. Grace is a disposition that is in God. Grace is God’s favor toward us sinners. Grace is a loving attitude of God toward us sinners even though we don’t deserve it.
The owner of the vineyard was good to his workers. They all received a denarius.
So, also God is good to you. He gives you daily bread, food, clothing, and shelter. God is good to you. In your baptism, God made you equal to Jesus giving you, his righteousness. God is good. He gives you His precious Gospel which forgives all your sins. God is good to you. He gives you His body and blood in Holy Communion.
Dearly beloved in the Lord, trust in God’s goodness and mercy. Trust that He knows best. Life will not always be fair at times, but when you go through suffering, God will be with you. He will carry you through suffering and give you His strength. . There is no reason to grumble and complain, rather we are thankful for all that God does for us and for our salvation. Thanks be to God.
By grace! On this I’ll rest when dying; In Jesus’ promise I rejoice; For though I know my heart’s condition, I also know my Savior’s voice. My heart is glad, all grief has flown Since I am saved by grace alone (LSB 566:6).
Amen.
