Controversy of God’s justice

The first batch of workers worked for a day and received one denarius but the last batch of workers who worked for an hour received the same amount of a denarius. On the surface, reading from man’s precepts of God as the owner measuring work-return causation. What if the title changes to “the parable of the compassionate employer” as I heard this sermon preached in Bethesda Frankel Estate Church.

Remember that the parable begins with “For the kingdom of heaven is like…” which reminds of Isaiah 55:8-9. It is least of what everyone will expect, “So the last will be first, and the first last”.

The parable of the compassion employer. Let’s explore the parable with 7 questions.

Answer to the 7 questions:

1. Why did the employer not send his manager to hire workers for his vineyard? A manager is required to manage the owner’s assets, hire workers to work on the vineyard and harvest the grapes when it is season. Even today, this is the practice in many offices. The owner will instruct the manager to hire the number of workers and compensate them as according to budget. Typical of any projects in offices. The owner has a manager as mentioned in verse eight and he could delegate the task of hiring to the manager. But the owner chose to hire the workers himself. A ”hands-on” employer who is involved and experience life. Just like Jesus Christ must become man and provides salvation.
2. Why did the owner kept going back to hire more daily wage workers? Daily wage workers make themselves available early in the day in the marketplace for any work to earn an income so to bring food for the family. Usually, the stronger, younger, and more appealing workers will be selected to work in the field or vineyard as compared to the weaker, older, and less appealing. The latter may not find work for the day, likely the poor, and the family will have to go without food for the day. The owner intentional went to the marketplace 5 times to hire workers, early in the morning, 9am, 12 noon, 3 pm, 5 pm, so that everyone got the opportunity to work and earn some money for food. Especially the last batch of workers who would only work for an hour.
3. Why not just give handouts?
   Not that the owner for God is not able to give handouts of 1 denarius or even half a denarius for last batch of workers considering that likely the workers are weaker, older, or even handicap and poor. God or the owner would like to save the dignity of the workers and make them work even for an hour, the owner showed compassion and not pity. Unlikely, there could be much work done in an hour and it cost the owner financially as well as having to manage the complaints of the first batch of workers. It reminds of the story “widow and the oil”.
4. Why pay the last first and the first last?
   The order of payment was important. If the first batch of workers had been paid first, they would not have had time to develop the expectation of more pay for themselves. Probably collected their pay and left the vineyard. Since the last batch of workers only worked for an hour and received a denarius, they worked the whole day and expected to be paid more. “Possibly the first felt their vanity wounded by being paid after the others. They used their waiting time in considering their own superiority to the latecomers” (Spurgeon). Yet they are paid the same, 1 denarius. The workers complained to the manager.
   Living under grace is sort of a two-edged sword. Under grace, we cannot complain to God, “Don’t I deserve better than this”, because God will reply, “Does this mean that you really want Me to give you what you deserve?” as we do not deserve any.
5. Is there unfairness and injustice?
   Unjust – is this true?
   There is an agreement. 1 denarius for a day work was paid. The workers were paid 1 denarius, not half denarius. Otherwise, there would be injustice. The landowner reminded them that he had been completely fair to them. He did them no wrong and had broken no promise. As for the rest of the workers, the verbal contract was they would be paid “whatever is right”. Perception of unfairness and human expectation, definition of justice from Man or God. Pay for non-performance, to take the parable literally, doesn’t seem to be a recipe for business success. Can it really be that Jesus advocates this pay practice? As for the workers, will you turn up to seek for work at 5pm? Take the risk of no work and no income? What happens if the owner did not show up at 5pm the next time? The background of this parable is the kingdom of heaven where God as king and all are children of God. As God is just, we as children of God wants to excel to please him.
6. Why equal pay?
   Grace is given equal to all by God. The first or last that follow God received equal.
   God owns everything and it is lawful for God or the owner to do what he wishes. Once we understand the parable to be about God’s generosity in the Kingdom of God, we may still ask how it applies to work. If you are being paid fairly, the advice about being content with your wage may stand. If another worker receives an unexpected benefit, wouldn’t it be graceful to rejoice, rather than grumble?
7. Our position in the parable.
   Some of us are owners or employers who has the intentions to create work must consider being compassion as in the parable, also to pay attention to the least in the workplace and marketplace. Everyone got to work as God’s design, earn some wages so everyone got food for their family or meet the needs of the family.
   Don’t be dissatisfied if others get paid more or work less than you do in a similar job. If you earn a decent wage, why make yourself miserable because others have it even better?

If the vineyard owner represents God, this is a powerful message that in God’s kingdom, displaced and unemployed workers find work that meets their needs and the needs of those who depend on them. Also, a warning that God’s manner of distributing reward is not necessarily the manner of man, many who are the first may be last, and the last first (Matthew 19:30).