Good morning and welcome to Monday’s podcast. My name is Alan and I am going to be taking over from Bryony and will lead us through the next section of Matthew’s Gospel. We have made it all the way to chapter 20. Today we will look at what we consider fair and use that to take a good look at God’s grace – a real culture clash!

REFLECTION:

The first half of Chapter 20 in Matthews gospel is taken up by another one of those stories that starts, “the kingdom of heaven is like…” Jesus is trying to describe something that is incredibly difficult for us to get our heads round because the kingdom is alien to us. The kingdom works and functions on a different plane to what we are used to… God doesn’t play by our rules so Jesus uses a story to contrast our broken, selfish, you get what you deserve world with the heart of God and how his kingdom operates.

I’m going to read the story that Jesus tells in full now, rather than at the end. Are you ready? Lets wade in!

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard.  He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.  

 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing.  He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’  So they went. 

 “He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing.  About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’  

“‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. 

“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’  

“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’  

“The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius.  So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.  When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner.  ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’  

“But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius?  Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you.  Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’  

 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”  

This is the word of the Lord – thanks be to God!

When I was a teenager, my brother and I were asked if we would like to earn some money. We said yes… My dad played golf – he was actually pretty good. He and a colleague from work were involved in a completion and they wondered if we would caddy for them. 2 days work, carrying a bag out in the fresh air – what could be an easier way to earn a bit of cash!?  We were in.

Two days… two very long days in the pouring rain later and we were about to climb back in the car for the 90min drive home when it came to wages time.

Two days of our half term holiday… cold… wet… miserable… but this was what it had all been about… show us the money!!

My dad’s work colleague got his wallet out and gave my brother £10! T-E-N P-O-U-N-D-S!!!!!!

I think my dad had thought to give us a little more but he felt his hands were tied… he had to treat us the same so he handed me £10 also.

Even though it was many years ago, inflation didn’t make the sum of money any less miserly…. I was livid… it was a very long 90mins drive home. I didn’t speak, I just sat silently seething in my cold damp clothes.