so if you have your bibles perhaps you can turn again to Matthew's gospel and this time Matthew
chapter 20 so our focus is going to be this parable often known as the parable of the workers
in the vineyard but I want to read beyond that as well to set it in its context so let's again
hear God's word 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 in the heat of the day but he answered one of them I'm 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
now Jesus was going up to Jerusalem on the way he took the 12 aside and said to them we are going up
to Jerusalem and the son of man will be delivered over to the chief priests and the teachers of the law
they will condemn him to death and will hand him over to the Gentiles to be mocked and flogged and
crucified on the third day he will be raised to life then the mother of Zebedee's sons came to
Jesus with her sons and kneeling down asked a favor of him what is it you want he asked she said
grant that one of these two sons of mine may sit at your right and the other at your left in your
kingdom you don't know what you're asking Jesus said to them can you drink the cup I am going to
drink we can they answered Jesus said to them you will indeed drink from my cup but to sit at my right
or left is not for me to grant these places belong to those for whom they've been prepared by my father
when the ten heard about this they were indignant with the two brothers Jesus called them together
and said you know that the rulers of the Gentiles lord over them and their high officials exercise
authority over them not so with you instead whoever wants to become great among you must be your
servant and whoever wants to be first must be your slave just as the son of man did not come to be
served but to serve and to give his life as a ransom for many amen this is God's word
so this is our last parable from Matthew's gospel these stories with purpose that Jesus tells
this one the parable of the workers in the vineyard perhaps the question that we can ask ourselves is
how does Jesus turn our natural value system upside down because this is one of those parables where I
think our instinct is to sympathize with those grumblers it offends our sense of justice it's very easy to
read this parable and say that's not fair if you imagine in our own workplace setting if the new guy who's
straight in the door is promoted to the same pay and benefits as someone with years of experience
we would find ourselves probably saying that doesn't seem fair so so instinctively we get
those first workers and I think in a sense that's the point this parable is meant to shock us here's
our normal value system here's the values in the kingdom of heaven and they're so very very different
the world applies rank and status in so many different ways so next weekend Scotland will be on
their journey we hope towards the world cup when we get there if we get there we will be in not pot one
two or three we will be in lowly pot four we apply rank status matters we know this the words of a colleague
doesn't always hold the same weight as the words of our boss and we instinctively have that understanding
that time served brings a measure of entitlement that's something that can even creep into our
churches but Jesus story says it's not like that in his kingdom he invites us to reject what what
kirkagar called the sin of comparison and leads to either pride or envy and to respond gladly
to when someone else has success and has shown kindness it's an invitation indeed for us to reflect
the mercy and goodness of God so let's dive into our text we've got four things to look at together
the first we can say timing is everything in this parable so so all the way along when we'll be looking
at the parables we said one way to understand what's going on is to look for the surprising parts
and the two big surprises in this parable both have to do with timing at first to do with the
hiring process and then the payment process so just to go back to the first couple of verses we have a
very familiar scene from Jesus day we have a landowner going out early in the morning to the marketplace
to hire day laborers for his vineyard and he agreed to pay them a denarius normal day's wage
everything is as we would expect but then surprise begins to emerge this owner makes multiple return
visits and so we have two choices so either we can think well this is a very disorganized landowner
this is someone who's failing to plan well or if we understand as Jesus teaches us this is about the
kingdom of heaven this landowner represents a surprisingly generous and compassionate landowner
who keeps going out in order to meet the needs of others so in verse four after three hours of the
working day have already begun he meets some others standing in the marketplace doing nothing and he says
you go and work and i'll pay you whatever is right and they trust him and that goes all the way until
five in the afternoon so eleven hours of the working day have already been done but these guys are still
here
he asked the question why been standing here all day long doing nothing because no one has hired us
and so he responds by inviting them to to go and work in his vineyard
these 11th hour workers you imagine standing desperately hoping against hope by this stage in the day that
someone will take pity on them the sense of despair as they congregated as other people got hired
it makes me think of i read an article a number of years ago but the japanese salaryman you know very
famous japanese businessmen well um they did an article uh where it where it turns out there's a lot of
these salary men who have lost their jobs but they're too ashamed to admit that to their family they have
no prospects of finding future employment because of their age so what they they had been doing
is they've been dressing up for work getting on the tube and then sitting in the park all day
a hopeless situation makes me think of these these 5 p.m workers you know if the landowner doesn't come
there's no bread on the table there's no dignity for them and work to do and so this mercy from the
owner is good news so that's one surprise the surprise of the hirings the second surprise
is to do with the payment process so we get to six o'clock we get to clocking off time verse eight
and the owner calls the foreman call the workers and pay them their wages beginning with the last
ones hired and going on to the first so there's a bit that's normal you get to the end of the day
old testament law says you must pay a day laborer at the end of their day's work so they will have bread
to feed their family the usual order of course first one in would be the first one paid
but our owner reverses that timing now why does he do that he does it to draw attention to his mercy
his compassion and his generosity if he paid everyone an order everybody else wouldn't get to
see this is a generous merciful owner and that's what he wants people to know but what happens and we see
this is that the payment process produces tension you know how will the other workers feel about this
how will they feel about this guy who's worked for less than an hour getting a full day's wage and what
we see is grumbling what we see is jealousy but that's set against the delight of our owner it gives him joy
it's what he wants to do to show mercy and kindness and he wants these other workers to see and to share in that
joy i think there's a couple of lessons that we can draw as we think about the timings in the parable the
first lesson and we find all through the bible is that salvation is a free gift of god's grace
we do not contribute to it we do not earn it
one of the ways people go wrong when approaching christian faith is to approach it like work well if
i do enough religion and if i do enough good living surely that's what i need to earn eternal life
and the bible says said no it's not about earning rather we need to see ourselves in the story as these
eleventh hour workers we're standing hopeless and helpless because of our sin we stand under the just
judgment of god there's nothing that we can do to change that status what we need is that the free
grace of god we need god to send his son and that's what he has done so salvation is a free gift and and
and the second lesson that we can draw from from this parable i think is that god's mercy
is right on time mercy god's mercy comes in a way that brings him glory and brings us joy
paul spoke about that in galatians galatians chapter 4 verses 4 and 5 when the set time had fully come
god's set time when the set time had fully come god sent his son born of a woman born under the law
to redeem those under the law that we might receive adoption to sonship the son of god entered history
took our humanity went under the law at god's right time to redeem us and adopt us as an expression of his
great mercy so this parable stands again as a reminder to us that the mercy of god is open to us all
we hear that the words of of the gospel today is the day of salvation the time is right for any of us and
all of us to enjoy god's grace in jesus if we will hear that invitation and respond in faith
so timing is everything the second theme that we see in our parable and in the wider section is that of
first and last the idea that jesus reverses our values and we can think in some ways of the parable
being the meat in the sandwich and what's on either side of this parable chapter 19 verse 30
many who are first will be last and many who are last will be first verse 16 of chapter 20 so the last
will be first and the first will be last jesus is driving home the point through all of his ministry
and here now we see it again god's kingdom is not like the world it's not about competing and comparing
and striving to get ahead
wealth status time served achievement beauty power those are not what counts in god's kingdom
and jesus is inviting us to recognize that we can expect surprises in his kingdom there will be
these reversals that are unexpected now how does jesus show it in our parable well we saw it didn't we in
verse 8 even the words of the story that jesus tells i had the payment policy begin with the last
one's hired going on to the first so the last or first these last workers are deliberately
honored publicly honored they don't receive performance related pay and that's good news that's grace
that's goodness and generosity that's unexpected
there was no discussion am i going to get a denarius nobody would be hoping at that stage to get a full
day's wage but they do so the payment policy shows reversal but you know we can also see it can't we in
the character of the owner so think about how this man is presented he's he's obviously a landowner with
significant wealth and resources he's able to hire many people he has standing in society
but where's his heart his heart is for these poor guys that nobody else is going to hire
he is for the down and out jesus comes as good news to the poor this parable presents hope for the
hopeless for those who have been pushed aside and marginalized jesus says that's not how our kingdom works
think about the words that the that the that jesus uses for the landowner as well in response to the
grumbling look at verse 14 when he talks about what he wants i want to give the one who was hired last the
same as you and he talks about his rights don't i have the right to do what i want with my own money
and to be generous with it that's where his heart is mercy generosity grace reversal of values in the
kingdom of heaven but we see that same idea in the wider section that's why we read in chapter 19 and
chapter 20 where do we see those reversals we see it with the the little children remember the disciples
don't bother bringing the children to jesus he's far too busy and important children were regarded as
nobodies in society and the disciples had picked up on that and jesus what does he do he welcomes them
and blesses kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these those who depend those who trust
straight after that we meet the rich man and again the disciples they're presuming well if god has blessed
anyone he's certainly blessed this guy wealth is a sign of blessing so they thought
but the way matthew writes this story we're almost invited to imagine this man with his hands full of
money he's coming to jesus looking for life but he will not let go of that money so he can welcome
jesus everybody thought he was inside but he's outside the kingdom of heaven
immediately after our parable we find jesus is on his way to jerusalem jerusalem the place where you would
expect god's king to be honored but there is reversal there too because jesus knows
he's going to jerusalem to suffer to die and then we meet a mum and two sons these two disciples
and the mum has the request that these two disciples get the seats of honor in the kingdom
and jesus talks about how different life is in the kingdom that true greatness
isn't about power it's about service and of course the cross is the ultimate demonstration of that
so again just to think about this theme of first and last one vital lesson for us to learn
is that we should never we can never limit god's grace by applying a human ranking system
and if we examine our hearts and if we're honest we probably recognize there are times when we do that
god is not just for church types whatever a church type is
there's also that constant a reminder in in the gospels
let's not give up on our prodigals let's not imagine just because someone has wandered that they are lost and we are done with them
i was so encouraged this week to hear the story of of a friend of mine i hadn't heard the story of how he came to faith
in detail so i had the chance to talk to him and and he talked about a life of being a former drug dealer
a life really just totally messed up and he had a really low point and recognized you know what i need to do i need to read my bible
and as he read his bible he said you know what i need to do i need to go back home
i need to speak to my my parents and those parents had been praying for him and those parents shared the gospel with him
and he came to faith his life was transformed and he's serving god he was a prodigal
we don't limit god's grace we don't apply rank and status and think well god likes those kind of people not those kind of people
the second lesson to draw is that in god's kingdom the way up is always down
the church does not and should not look like our workplace
it shouldn't look like our sports club
the way to greatness in jesus eyes is through humble service
like john the baptist who was wise enough to say jesus must increase i must decrease
moving on a third thing for us to think about
is response of these first workers let's think about grace and
grumbling
in verse 15 we find the last phrase from the landowner
are you envious
because i am generous
literally we could read that
do you have a bad eye or do you have
an evil eye
in other words there is something wrong with your vision
you know if i take off my glass
instantly everybody becomes a blur there is something wrong with my vision i'm going to deal with that
um what is jesus talking about here
what's wrong with their vision in this story
the problem is they do not see mercy as beautiful
rather they see it as ugly
they don't see mercy as being more precious
than them getting more money
so we see it in verse 11
as soon as they realize that those
guys that worked for about an hour
got a whole day's ways
they're rubbing their hands thinking
wow we're going to get a great bonus
and they get the same
and so they begin grumbling
verse 12
those who were hired last
worked only one hour
and you've made them equal to us
we worked harder
we were more productive
our conditions were far tougher
how dare you make them equal to us
does the owner say
i'm not being unfair
he reminds them that he's kept to his terms
but he also wants them to focus
on his mercy
you are being envious
to the fact that he is being generous
and to supply the needs of others
that should not be
there should not be pride and envy and anger and frustration
because of this man's goodness
think about it
surely
they should be glad
wouldn't we in our hearts
want to be glad
here is more families
that are going to be fed today
here is a group of workers
who have had dignity today
but instead there's envy
and there's grumbling
again i wonder
if we're honest
is this something that at times
at least we struggle with
how do we deal with
the happier circumstances of others
what's our heart reaction
to the success of others
how do we handle the thriving churches
of others
when we should be singing
sometimes we sigh
when there should be gratitude
sometimes our hearts grumble
if you know the story of the Grinch
sometimes our heart grows three sizes too small
and we're not able to celebrate the grace of God
what's happening there
our eye is bad
when we fail to celebrate God's grace
our eye is bad
when we fail to treasure God's mercy
wherever we see it
whether that's to our neighbour
whether that's to the family down the road
the church down the road
whether we hear of what God is doing
in other nations
that should always make us glad
and so one of the key lessons
that the disciples needed to learn
and we need to learn
is to ask for grace
to celebrate grace
to deal with that instinct
in our heart
that says
I wish that was me
that says
do you know what
that's just not fair
whether we see that
in our life
in our church
in the circumstances
of other
others
ask for grace
to celebrate grace
now you and I know
we all have different pressure points
for that
so I was at General Assembly this week
for Christian ministers
one of those pressure points
like
how do we handle it
when we hear of growing churches
how do we hear of it
when there are dramatic conversations
happening in other places
dramatic conversions
can I be glad
at what God is doing
where are the pressure points for you
can we be glad
to hear of someone's engagement
and their marriage
when we are single
and we'd love to be married
can we be glad
when someone has a new child
and we find ourselves longing for one
can we be glad
when someone has a new job
and they're enjoying it
and we're stuck in a terrible one
can we celebrate with others
the goodness of God in their life
one of the wonderful things
about Christian joy
is that Christian joy
isn't just tied to
what's happening to me
and my circumstances
Christian joy is so much bigger than that
it's rooted to
what's God's good work
in his world
where is he saving people
where is he maturing faith
in people
where is he causing people
to serve with joy
when we see how big
God's grace is
that's when our heart begins to expand
so the lesson from these grumblers
is
we need to learn to walk
in the shoes of others
don't we
and we certainly need to celebrate
God's grace at work
last thing to say briefly
is to think about
what we can call
the 11th hour gospel
so I think one of the things
that Jesus
would
cause
by this parable
is a tension in our hearts
and a question
how do we change
so that we can celebrate grace
where do we get
the power
to change
to see the world
differently
how can we choose
these different values
of the kingdom of heaven
the beginning of that answer
at least
is here in this parable
you know with any
story
that Jesus tells
we're always invited
to think
who do I
identify with
in this story
where do I find myself
in this parable
Jesus in the first instance
says to the disciples
and says to us
watch out
because we can so easily be
like those
first workers
who grumble
but he would also
have us all
to see
that in a very real sense
we are all
those
11th hour
workers
5pm
days almost done
standing without hope
we cannot fix it
our great need
is not
justice
our need
is God's
goodness
and grace
that he would show us
his mercy
and his kindness
and that's what we see
in the sending
of the Lord Jesus
if anybody
is first
it's Jesus
first in glory
eternal son of God
king of kings
but what does Jesus
say to his disciples
he is ready
and willing
to become last
to be rejected
to suffer
to be crucified
to die
he is ready
to serve
us
to show us
generous grace
to forgive
our sin
to give us
a new heart
to give us
the hope
of eternal life
the greatest man
who ever lived
the God man
chose to serve
sinners
like us
as Jesus said
in verse 28
just as the son
of man
that's Jesus
did not come
to be served
but to serve
and to give his life
as a ransom
for many
and as we remember
that
as we remember
Jesus the first
being ready
to become last
for us
as we remember
all that he gives
to us
by his grace
that's where
we find the power
for our grumbling
to become gratitude
that's where we'll find
we're willing
to give up
the chase
to be first
and instead
to be like Christ
to be ready
to serve
others
let's leave it there
and let's pray
together
Lord
our God
we thank you
for
the Lord
Jesus
even as he
told that
parable
he was also
telling
of his
suffering
and his
death
and he was
telling us
that he came
to be a
servant
to set us
free
from sin
by taking
sin
on himself
and paying
the price
in full
so we could
be forgiven
and have
new life
Lord help us
to see
that in the
kingdom of
heaven
it's about
grace
all the way
down
help us
to be
on the
lookout
and to
celebrate
every
evidence
of your
goodness
and mercy
whether that's
in our
own life
or in the
life of
others
give us
that capacity
to rejoice
with those
who rejoice
Lord will you
guard our
hearts
and will you
apply the
truth of your
word to our
hearts
and that you
be changing
us
in line with
its truth
we pray in
Jesus name
Amen
Now we're
going to
finish with
what I guess
to the world
is an old
hymn but
for us it was
something of a
new hymn
grace greater
than all my
sin
we sang it
last Sunday
evening
we're going to
sing it again
Kellen's going to
sing through the
verse and the
chorus for us
then we'll go
back to the
beginning
join in
obviously
whenever you
know it
but let's
stand and
let's sing
these wonderful
words
things
to look forward to the
victor القs of my