Parables like the one we will examine in this article help explain the nature of Christ’s kingdom and the responsibility of its citizens. Let us notice the parable of the laborers in the vineyard:
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard.
“And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
“When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’ So the last shall be first, and the first last” (Matthew 20:1-16).
In this article, we will briefly examine six lessons we can learn from this parable.
The Lord is looking for workers – In the parable, the landowner represents the Lord. He is seeking those who will work for Him. Christ demands that we are “always abounding in the work of the Lord” (1 Corinthians 15:58). Once He finds us, He expects us to work for Him. Merely having faith without works is not going to cut it (James 2:24).
We may serve the Lord after agreeing to do so – The Lord does not force us to obey Him. Because Jesus would not persuade the Jews by force, He lamented their refusal to accept Him: “How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers he chicks under her wings, and you were unwilling” (Matthew 23:37). He invites us, but we must agree to take up His yoke and allow Him to guide us (Matthew 11:28-30).
The Lord is always looking for more workers – In the parable, the landowner repeatedly went out searching for more workers. Christ is always looking for people who will work in His kingdom. Jesus died for all (John 3:16) so that we might be “rescued…from the domain of darkness, and transferred…to the kingdom” (Colossians 1:13). He wants “all to come to repentance” (2 Peter 3:9).
Time will eventually run out – As the parable counted down time until the end of the work day, it represents the counting down of time until the end of the world. Even though the Lord is “not wishing for any to perish,” it is still true that “the day of the Lord will come like a thief” (2 Peter 3:9-10). Besides this, our death could come at any moment (Hebrews 9:27; James 4:14). Then it will be too late. It will not do us any good to have had intentions to work for the Lord later. We must work for Him now (cf. Luke 12:16-21).
All will receive the same reward – Though the laborers in the vineyard did not all work the same number of hours, all received the same wage – a denarius. Near the end of his life, Paul said, “In the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing” (2 Timothy 4:8). After the Lord returns, all those who are faithful in this life “will live together with Him” (1 Thessalonians 5:10). This is the common reward to which we look forward.
The Lord will do what He wishes with His own – In the Lord’s parable, those who worked from the beginning of the day thought it was unfair that everyone else received the same reward that they did (even though they agreed to the payment). The Lord has gone to “prepare a place” for us in heaven (John 14:2-3). Since this is His dwelling place, we can only reach that reward through Him (John 14:6). No one can claim that God owes him a home in heaven. That determination is up to the Lord. He has shown us in His word what He expects us to do to be saved (Mark 16:16; Acts 2:38).
The Lord wants laborers in His vineyard. He has promised a reward to those who will work. But we must agree to do the work and labor according to His instructions. The “reward in heaven is great” (Matthew 5:12), but we will not receive that reward until the work day is over (Matthew 20:8; Hebrews 9:27; 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18). So let us remain active and faithful in the work of the kingdom.
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