For the 17th day of October 2013

10/17/13

Mat 20:1  "For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

Mat 20:2  After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

Mat 20:3  And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

Mat 20:4  and to them he said, 'You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.'

Mat 20:5  So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.

Mat 20:6  And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here idle all day?'

Mat 20:7  They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You go into the vineyard too.'

Mat 20:8  And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.'

Mat 20:9  And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.

Mat 20:10  Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.

Mat 20:11  And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house,

Mat 20:12  saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'

Mat 20:13  But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

Mat 20:14  Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.

Mat 20:15  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?'

Mat 20:16  So the last will be first, and the first last."

The more work, the more pay, it is the only way to be fair! Right?

Peter thought so;  Mat 19:27  Then Peter said in reply, "See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?"

In this parable the land owner gives according to his will not according to what the workers thought was merited. So merit had nothing to do with the reward, and to sat it the other way demerit had nothing to do with the reward!