In the Name of the Father, and of the +
Son, and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
Our Lord compares the Kingdom of God to a man, a vineyard
owner, who calls laborers to work in his vineyard. This landowner negotiates
with the earliest workers for a settled wage and sends them into the vineyard.
Every few hours, he returns to the market and finds more workers who are
standing idle. He commands them to work in the vineyard and he promises to pay
them whatever is right. In the last hour of the day, he finds more workers who
have spent the day standing in the market. These lazy ones are also commanded
to come into the vineyard and promised a right wage.
At the end of the day, the landowner commands his steward to
line up the workers, from last to first, and pay their wages. Everyone receives
the same wage—a denarius, one full day’s wage. Those who worked the longest,
endured the most labor, the harshest heat, and put in the most effort—those who
were called at the first hour—are indignant. They are angry because those the
lazy bums who barely worked got paid the same as them. The landowner reminds
these ungrateful laborers that they were paid precisely according to their
agreement and then he casts them out of the vineyard.
The call of the laborers is the call into the church purely
by grace. From the first to the last, not a single worker presented a resumé or
portfolio. They were called by the master into the vineyard and given duties to
attend to. They are set to work caring for all that belongs to the master.
The landowner in the parable is our Lord, Jesus Christ. The
Kingdom of God is compared to a man and all that is spoken of in the parable
belongs to him. Jesus is the only man who is also God. He holds all of creation
in His hands.
The laborers who are called into the vineyard are
Christians. They have been called by the Gospel to dwell in the vineyard of
Christ. In the vineyard, they are set to caring for God’s creation and are
sustained by the same. Each is given duties and not all have the same
responsibilities. At the same time, none is given possession of the vineyard.
The vineyard belongs to the Master, to Christ, to God.
The steward in the parable is the pastor of Christ’s church.
He is set in authority over the people of God to guide them, teach them, rebuke
them, exhort them, warn them of danger, and console them with the gifts of God.[1]
The vineyard does not belong to the steward any more than it belongs to the
laborers. However, the steward has been set in authority over the laborers for
the sake of good order and as the steward of God’s word and watchmen of God’s
people.[2]
Whether clergy or laity, we do not enter the vineyard by our
own reason or strength. No one can think his way into the church nor work his
way in. Only the call of the Holy Gospel, that is, the death of Jesus Christ as
delivered in the Word of God and His Holy Sacraments, can draw us into the
Church. Christ our Lord calls you through His word, by the working of the Holy
Spirit. You are called to dwell in the vineyard forever yet you are not idle in
this dwelling. You are called to serve.
Some are called early in the morning, those who were born
into Christian households. These have the longest service in the vineyard. They
can work the longest, do the most work, and also endure the most suffering on
behalf of Christ.
There are those who are called at midday. They are called by
the Gospel in the middle of life. They are given the same work as those called
in the morning and set about their task in the same way.
Then there are those who are called at the end of life. They
have little time left in the Church Militant, but they receive the same reward
as those called in the morning. They are the first to see Christ in glory, that
is, they are the first to die, but their reward of eternal life is just as
wonderful.
This reward of eternal life is the same whether you are
called into the church in the wee hours of the morning or at the eleventh hour.
There is no privilege in the Kingdom of God given to those who have spent 70
years in the Lutheran Church over those who are new converts. At the end of the
day, all receive the same reward. The teachings and practices of the Church are
governed not by experience or longevity, but by the Word of God.
And this is exactly what angers the laborers called in the
morning. They’ve been here longer, worked harder, and endured more. In exchange
for this, they believe they are due more reward, more clout, more power.
This is a temptation for Christians, especially those who
have grown up in the Church. It is tempting to believe that more work, more
time, more history means more reward, more influence, or more merit. This is
the way of the world. The way of the Church is to follow the Word of God. The
grace of God is not fairly distributed to all laborers. “Fairness” has little
or nothing to do with God. God deals in equity. Grace is distributed equally. All
have fallen short and all are redeemed by the blood of Jesus. That
is not fair, but it is equal. God shows no partiality, meaning He does not
account for prestige, fame, history, or power. He accounts only for faith, that
is, trust in Him according to His word.
Jesus asks those who were called in the first hour if their
eye is evil because He is good.[3]
What He means is, “Do you see evil in what I am doing? I AM Good. There is
nothing Good outside of Me. By calling Me evil, you reveal the evil within your
own heart. Take what is yours and get out of the vineyard.” You have already
been called to stand in the church. Eternal glory is already yours, do not call
the grace of God evil in your eyes. God is Good. God is The Good and His
goodness has called sinners to repentance and faith.
Thanks be to God He has called us to faith and forgiven our
sins. Thanks be to God He goes out again and again to call sinners to
repentance. Thanks be to God that He has not given the vineyard to either the
laborers or the stewards because we cannot see with His eternal eyes. He has given
us responsibilities within His Church to serve God and neighbor within our
various vocations. He has also given stewardship of His Church to pastors not
on the basis of merit or worthiness. He has given this stewardship for the sake
of good order and in service to His Church.
In + Jesus’
name. Amen.
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