EXPLORE THE TEXT
We should be thankful God gives us more than we deserve.
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman,
‘Call the workers and give them their pay, starting with the last and ending with the first.’
9 When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius.
10 So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more,
but they also received a denarius each.
11 When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner:
12 ‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us
who bore the burden of the day’s work and the burning heat.’”
Jesus’s parable reached a turning point in these verses.
Everyone received a denarius,
but those who had been out for twelve hours felt shortchanged by the landowner.
Summarize the following context (PSG, p. 77) to
highlight the tensions felt by the other workers.
“No mention was made by Jesus of those hired at three, noon, or nine o’clock.
Instead, He skipped to the climactic portion of the story and spoke of the initial hired laborers.
They assumed they would receive more.
They were expecting ‘fair’ treatment, since they had worked more. .
But they, too, received a denarius.
Incensed, they demanded equality.”
The landowner symbolizes God.
So, the story reflects how some might complain about God’s fairness,
even when it comes to including people into His kingdom.
God is infinite in holiness and all other perfections.
(See Isaiah 40:25; Matthew 6:9.)
are there areas in life where you think God is unfair?
How should you respond to those feelings?