You have made them equal to us (Matthew 20:12).
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is best understood when read in the
context of its two bookend passages:
18:1-5 and 20:20-28. In the former passage the disciples ask Jesus, Who,
then, is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven? (18:1). In the latter, the mother of James and John lobbies Jesus
for her sons to be given the highest places of honor in his kingdom.
In our story higher seniority workers, who think they
deserve more pay than those with less time on the job, grumble against the
landowner: You have made them equal to us.
Matthew also includes the story of the unmerciful servant
who has been forgiven a great debt, but is unwilling to forgive a friend a
small debt (18:23-34). The moral is: I’m the one who has been forgiven the
larger debt. How could I possibly hold anything against someone else?
If my life has been changed by grace, I won’t worry about
the reward someone else receives. I won’t hold a grudge, because I know the
little thing I’m upset about is nothing compared to that for which God has
already forgiven me! A life changed by grace doesn’t keep score because it
knows it would lose.
If I spent the rest of my life extending grace to others, I
could never give as much grace as I have received.
TODAY’S MEDITATION
Do you get offended when
someone else receives a greater reward than you? Ask God for the grace to be
happy for the blessings of others.
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