Grace is Not About Fairness

City Harbor Church – Hampden, Baltimore, MD

The Parable of the Vineyard Worker

Matthew 20:1-16

Big Idea: Grace is not about fairness. It’s about God being gracious to us when we believe in Him. Through that grace, He provides every person what they need for each day.

What is grace? Getting something good that we don’t deserve.

What is fairness? Impartial and just treatment or behavior without favoritism or discrimination

The 5 W’s and the H

Who is Jesus speaking to? The disciples

Who are the people in the story? The landowner and the workers

What was a full day’s wage?

A denarius was the payment for a full day’s labor for a skilled laborer or soldier.

The denarius was the standard Roman silver coin. It was used for centuries for everyday transactions, trade, and taxation.

When does the story take place? During one full day from early morning to evening (most likely sunrise to sunset – 6 AM – 6 PM). Probably during the late summer during the harvest time.

Where does the story take place? The vineyard and the marketplace

We are going to figure out the why and the How by looking at the what together.

Why is Jesus telling us this story?

How can we relate it to our lives today?

Let’s go back and look at what is happening together.

Matthew 20:1

Jesus is revealing that the Kingdom of Heaven starts here on earth.

How we live, what we do with our time, how we treat others, all of that matters.

Matthew 20:2

Jesus is starting to reveal the character of God which gives us an example of how to live

1. God is trustworthy

The landowner agreed to pay a normal daily wage and that’s exactly what he did (Matthew 20:2, 9)

God is not human, that he should lie, not a human being, that he should change his mind. Does he speak and then not act? Does he promise and not fulfill? (Numbers 23:19)

2. God pursues us – He desires to be in relationship with us (Luke 15:4-7)

The landowner is going to the marketplace to find workers to help with the harvest (Matthew 20:3-7)

We are like those workers. While we are waiting around in the world (the marketplace) in our sin, God pursues us. He wants to bring us into the vineyard, the Kingdom of Heaven if you will, into a relationship with Him.

There’s an urgency because God knows the harvest (our time here on earth) is short compared to eternity.

3. God provides for us

It’s important to note that the workers were paid in the evening at the end of the day. They didn’t have to wait till the end of the week to get paid.

a. In the evening, the landowner told the foreman to call the workers in to be paid (Matthew 20:8)

It was a law that day laborers would get paid at the end of each day. (Deuteronomy 24:14)

b. They each earned a full day’s wage. (Matthew 20:9-10)

We can also relate this back to the Lord’s prayer (Matthew 6:9-13)

“Give us this day our daily bread” (KJV)

This prayer is a collective us. When we pray, we ask God to give us; everyone; all people what they need for each day.

That’s how daily bread works – like manna from Heaven.

4. God is gracious to us when we don’t deserve it

The workers protested because they were jealous that the workers that came last got paid the same as they did when they had been there all day. (Matthew 20:9-12)

Jealousy is a sin that leads to other sins (anger, bitterness, resentment, coveting) (Proverbs 6:34)

a. We all sin – A sin is a sin; no matter the depth of that sin. Sin separates us from God.

We all sin, BUT GOD

Romans 5:8 But God showed His great love for us by sending Christ to die for us while we were still sinners.

God knew we would sin. In his grace, He had a plan to restore our relationship with Him.

James 2:10 – For the person who keeps all of the laws except one is as guilty as a person who has broken all of God’s laws.

(Pastor Rebecca shared this when she preached about covenant relationships)

Despite our sin,

b. We all have access to God’s grace when we believe in Jesus

The landowner paid each worker what he promised.

Everyone that accepted the invitation to work was paid the same.

He didn’t show favoritism to the workers that accepted the invitation first.

When we believe in Jesus (accept the invitation), admit we have sinned, ask for forgiveness, and turn away from that sin, God is quick and gracious to forgive us. Even if it’s in the last hour of our life because He loves us and desires to have a relationship with us.

But if we confess our sins to him, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all wickedness. (1 John 1:9)

Romans 3:22-25

God doesn’t pick and choose who He’s going to forgive.

He doesn’t have favorites.

Everyone who believes in Jesus is welcomed into the Kingdom of Heaven

Regardless of our past sins

Regardless of when we accept the invitation (early in life or late in life)

5. God elevates us to “friend” status, when we believe in Jesus

“Friend, I haven’t been unfair” (Matthew 20:13)

John 15:12-17

How we live our lives here and now in this short time we have on earth matters.

Are we living our lives as a reflection of the character of God?

The landowner chose the workers to help bring in the harvest.

God chose us, He created us to be in relationship with Him.

God also called us to love others and share the gift of salvation with others.

God is calling us into action. To go into the world and be the example that Jesus was to others.

To love people the way Jesus did so that we can produce lasting fruit – a harvest of Jesus followers that will secure their seat at the table in Heaven for eternity.

6. God is sovereign

The landowner said, “Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money?”

God is the landowner. He created the world and everything on and in the earth.

Shouldn’t He get to decide who is deserving of grace?

For everything comes from him and exists by his power and is intended for his glory. All glory to him forever! Amen. (Romans 11:36)

If we look past the parable in Matthew 20:17-28

Jesus is predicting His death and teaching the disciples about serving others.

The mother of James and John asks her to let her two sons sit on his right and left in the places of honor in Heaven.

Jesus responds in Matthew 20:23

Jesus is confirming that we will experience challenges in this life because of our faith (“you will indeed drink from my bitter cup”)

Jesus is also declaring that God is sovereign (“I have no right to say who will sit on my right or my left. My father has prepared those places..”

7. The Kingdom of Heaven operates on different principles than the world does

In the world, in our human ness we feel like we are more deserving if we work more hours than someone else or if we have done more good things than someone else.

In the Kingdom of Heaven, worldly achievements and success don’t matter. What matters is our humility, how we serve others, and how we love God and love people

God rewards us not on human merit but on His own sovereign will. He predestined each of us to receive salvation and all of the blessings that come with that free gift (Ephesians 1:11)

The landowner told the foreman to call the workers in to pay them beginning with the last workers first (Matthew 20:8). At the end of the parable, it reiterates that the first will be last and the last will be first (Matthew 20:16)

When something is repeated, we know we need to pay extra attention to it, right?

It doesn’t matter if we come to faith when we are 3 years old, 103 years old, or today years old.

It doesn’t matter if our sins feel bigger or heavier than someone else’s.

We all have the same opportunity to receive salvation by believing in Jesus

God in His sovereignty makes all things new.

All we need to do is accept His invitation.

Because of Jesus, we have more than we deserve.

Quote by Timothy Keller, a presbyterian preacher

“Jesus Christ was treated as we deserved so that when we believe in Jesus, God treats us as Jesus deserves.”

This parable is a beautiful picture of not only how we should treat each other here in this short time on earth but also a little glimpse of what Heaven is like.

It will be a place where everyone will have exactly what they need for each day.

A place that is filled with the fruit of the spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. (Galatians 5:22-23)

We can choose to live our lives doing what the world does by feeling like we are owed something or deserve more

OR

We can choose to live our lives with humility, serving others, loving God and people, and following the example of Jesus walking in His character and grace.

Titus 2:11-14

Closing

What should we do next?

How can we apply this to our lives today?

1. We can accept God’s free gift of grace by believing in Jesus

2. We can live out of thankfulness because of that gift

3. We can share that free gift with others by living like Jesus

Being trustworthy, Being kind, Being grateful (not envious)

Being compassionate, Being gracious (forgiving) Living our lives as an example of God’s love; reflecting His character and His heart for humanity.

Maybe we are like those workers that came early in the morning and we have been trying to follow Jesus for a long time.

Maybe we are like the workers that came at the end of the day, and we are just starting to figure who God is.

What matters the most isn’t how many hours we’ve put in or who has followed Jesus longer or who has sinned less.

The thing that matters the most is whether or not we accept the invitation. Whether or not we choose to receive God’s free gift of salvation.

Big idea: Grace is not about fairness. It’s about God being gracious to us when we believe in Him. Through that grace, He provides each of us what we need every day.

God is a good and gracious father more than a fair father.

There is no sin too big, nothing we have done that God’s grace doesn’t cover.