Pentecost 18                                        Matt. 20:1-16                                   9/18/05

                                                  “The Unfairness Of It All”

I remember...I was standing next to the copier, just inside the door of the church office.  My internship supervisor and I had been discussing the theology of who goes to heaven.  I said, “Well, certainly someone like Adolph Hitler wouldn’t be accepted in heaven even if he had a deathbed conversion.”

My supervisor said, “What makes you think that?  We are saved by God’s grace.  Certainly, if Hitler suddenly recognized his sins and accepted God’s mercy in Christ, he would go to heaven.”

I said, “But with all the horrible things he did it wouldn’t be fair for him to be forgiven and allowed in heaven, like the a regular sinner who doesn’t intentionally do evil.

Even without going to the extremes of believing grace could be offered or denied to Hitler or James Coresh or the BTK killer, there are certainly people we know, or know of, that we hope won’t have as cozy a spot in heaven as some saints we know of. 

In fact, I might even hope to be spared close contact with some church folks I’ve known over the years.  “The unfairness of it all” if the kid who sent me, a sensitive eight year old, home in tears from junior choir practice by calling me nasty names, the person who squeezed me out of a job I loved or the church member who humiliated me in a public meeting gets to be just as far up in heavenly glory as I do.  The unfairness of it all if the inactive, the member who just takes and never gives, the old grouch who never had a good word for anyone gets the same treatment as those who work tirelessly in the church and are always full of sweetness and light.

“The unfairness of it all!”

That’s what the workers who were hired first and worked a full day felt:  Who were these guys who were getting off so easy?  Had they been holding back, standing in the shadows, trying not to be chosen – in other words lazy so and so’s?  Were they handicapped in some way – perhaps older workers, crippled or just obviously not as strong as the others?  Was it just the luck of the draw? 

Whoever they were and whatever the reasons they weren’t hired until the day was nearly over, they received the same wage as was promised to the early picks.  The denarii that was promised as pay to the first workers was just barely enough to feed a family for one day.  It seems reasonable then that when these first workers saw the last workers getting that much, the first ones would expect such a generous employer to give a bonus for their extra hours...but it was not to be.  Oh, the unfairness of it all. 

But, then this is a parable and parables usually have upside down climaxes and don’t meet human expectations.  Jesus is turning the whole righteousness system on its head.  Jesus has reached a major turning point in his ministry.  He has spent most of his time till now in Galillee teaching about God’s love and healing people.  With Ch. 19 of Matthew we see a different trajectory and a different emphasis.  Jesus is now headed for Jerusalem and His death.  It’s time to focus on what lies ahead, even far ahead. 

It’s time to use shock therapy and get people to see that the old ideas no longer hold.  Israel had believed for hundreds, even thousands, of years that it was righteousness and obedience to the Law that would get them the big reward someday.  Over the eons this had been even further developed to the point where the Pharisees were seen as the top achievers of glory to come, because they were so observant of even the smallest rules and rituals. 

What Jesus is saying in this parable is this, “You Jews who believe you have staked out your place in heaven by working so hard to gain God’s favor aren’t going to be any farther up the ladder than working stiffs who couldn’t observe kosher rules, than tax collectors and sinners, even than gentiles.  The whole merit system is out.  I’m on my way to die as the ultimate outcast so that everyone can have eternal life.  I’m trying to get you to see that it’s not about getting paid for work done, but about receiving the gift of grace from the ultimate giver.”

What Jesus is saying in this parable is this, “Little Jade, lying in her mother’s arms waiting for her baptism, is just as worthy of heaven  as the most active member of this church, the best giver, even the lady in the pulpit who sacrificed a normal life to work in the church.”  Jade is worthy, not because of what she has done or will do, but because Jesus did all the work for her.  And He did it for each of us as well.

He did it whether we are good or bad, totally involved in church or not, loved by one and all or rejected by all.  One of the sins we good Christians too often commit is the sin of entitlement.  We think because we are good Christians, or because our family has belonged to the church for generations, or because we give generously or because we believe the right doctrines, that we are entitled to a place in heaven – maybe even a prominent place.  As hard as it is to accept though, what we do has nothing to do with it.  We are no better than those vineyard workers who spent only one hour working for the denarii they received..

The Good News is that we don’t have to worry about it, for our place in heaven was earned for us by Jesus.  By completing his journey to Jerusalem and the cross, He earned each of us the all it takes to get best seats at God’s eternal banquet.  We are taken care of for life.

At this point you may be saying, “Great!  I’ll see you at Christmas, if you’re lucky, and don’t call to ask that I will serve the church.  If I can’t earn a place in heaven and it’s just a gift of God, I can go off and do what I please.  See ya’”

Not so fast, though.  Even if there’s no difference between us and any other believer – be it an equally committed member, a monthly attendee, a Christmas/Easter visitor or a deathbed convert – we all need to look at God’s grace through the eyes of the last hired.

Think what it would have been like to go home and see your hungry children and know you hadn’t earned enough to soothe their hunger.  Think of the wonder, the joy, the gratitude of receiving a full day’s pay when you didn’t merit it.  Think of what it must be like to know the full shame of your sinful nature, to recognize the hopelessness of seeing God add up your few merits, to know that you deserve nothing, and to hear it declared that you will receive eternal life based on Jesus’ merit.  Whether one is a recent convert or a lifelong churchgoer, God expects each of us to be grateful for our salvation and to show it in the way we live.  If we don’t, it’s not that we need to start living in fear, but rather that we need to consider the gift we are given and start living in gratitude.

Furthermore, if we keep our focus on Christ and the gift He earned for us, we won’t have time or space to judge what others receive from Him.  We will gladly do, not just the minimum, but go all out to show our thanks.  Also, we will be filled with joy over every sinner that is saved and able to enjoy a place in God’s Kingdom, even if the other person is a notorious bad guy, a fellow member we don’t like, a person who did little good in life or our best friend.  Whatever our supposed righteousness status or someone else’s, let us give thanks for God’s amazing grace and not worry about “the unfairness of it all.”  Amen.