Is God Unfair?
1“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2After agreeing with the workers on one denarius, he sent them into his vineyard for the day. 3When he went out about nine in the morning, he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He said to them, ‘You also go into my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went. 5About noon and about three, he went out again and did the same thing. 6Then about five he went and found others standing around and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him.
“‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he told them. 8When 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. 10So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each. 11When 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.’
13“He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius? 14Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. 15Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jealous because I’m generous?’
16“So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Matthew 20:1–16 [CSB]
The Kingdom of Heaven…is well…unfair! Ever hear that? Ever say or think that?
No, it is not…and neither is our Good, and Gracious God. That, however, is hard to sell to people…most people.
This, because we have a time-bound and narrow in-the-moment conception of fair. Of justice. And of who deserves what, when.
Even though we should not dare go there…if we were honest…if we were not so fickle and forgetful of what really is going on…
And I mean the goings-on in our own lives, and hearts and heads. Even though it isn’t true…we do we do dare….
But for shame when we do…when we think this…that God is unjust and unfair in how He deals with…and DO GET THE POINT HERE… in how HE deals with HIS creation…with HIS creatures…with us.
In another parable Jesus tells of a farmer that has made it big–I mean huge profits from an immense crop yield. This farmer does not, though acknowledge God…pays Him no mind…it seems at all…
Not so much as even a thank you…not to mention the first fruits belonging to God…at least that much should have been set aside…
But no. So, Jesus calls Him a fool. Not a fool in the eyes of the world. But in God’s eyes…
In the eyes of whom we should be most concerned about.
And He was a fool because he gave no thought to the real future–the everlasting future…his eternal fate…
As it was this same day of success…the day he was going to celebrate his good fortune…as that is what he thought of that day…that lady luck had smiled upon Him…and not God, who was the one who had blessed him…
But that same day, God required the man’s soul back. After all, who owns his and our souls? God does.
Who considers ever… now …that this to be the case? You belong to… you… ah… well….no.
So… who can do what He wills with it? God.
Unfair? Many say that…
…but what right do we have to do so? It is not as if all of this was not told to us…to everyone and all of creation from the very beginning.
Sure, there have been liars, cheats and swindlers…there have been the rebels and such who have tried to convince people that there was another way…that we could choose our own destinies…make our own kingdoms…establish our own rules…
Make our own way in the world…
But whose WORLD is this…? Whose air and food and water do we consume?
What fools we have been to have believed it to be any other way. Yet we have…from the very beginning…and keep on believing it.
Now God did bless this farmer, in that other parable. And even if it was his day to die…if he had only done what God says to do…
It would have been the icing on the cake. It would have been the crown of his delight in all that happened. What a great day to die. The farmer was doing what God put him there to do. He could have rejoiced and looked forward to a further reward…a greater yield in heaven.
His death would have been a promotion…instead of a firing…and fire… yes… was what he would be facing that day.
Instead of everything lost, that farmer would have gained more–far more.
But far too many of us believe the worst about God…too much of the time. So, we are not generous towards God.
We are convinced that for at least a little while, we can pull the wool over His eyes…and so for that little while…we think we can live as if He and His Law don’t exist. As if eternity does not wait for us.
So, Jesus calls us fools, if we do this. But back to our parable for today.
It is about God’s idea of fair. Did I say He was? He isn’t…
But I am talking about the fact that He is not being fair to Himself. He deserves more. He deserves recompense. He deserves to be repaid. He deserves us all, and all of us. Who is it that will give it? Us? No. Never has happened.
And so, we…no…we don’t… even deserve life…to have been born. Nor air to breathe…nor food to eat.
We have not loved Him as He deserves–ever. And we don’t love our neighbors as we ought either… ever!
Not that they deserve to be…just as we don’t.
So, we should not dare to go there…like these workers in the parable…like we do in real life. Because if we wanted true justice and true fairness now–at any point in history…hell would be our destiny immediately. For every person born.
And that is why God is unfair. That is what this parable is all about.
God generously giving to those who don’t deserve it and who don’t ever earn it.
It is not as if the ones who started earlier… did all that much more than the one in the last hour did.
And besides this…they ought to have said instead– why didn’t we have the opportunity to work EVEN LONGER for you, O Lord?
Your work…in your vineyard… is a joy and delight for us! It is what I was made for. I would choose to do this without ever getting paid–it would be my pastime…my wonderful hobby.
But some may be thinking, yeah, but without pay, you cannot eat and earn a living…to raise a family and such.
True, but this is where God says to us: This I know. I know that you need food, clothing, and shelter. I give these to you whether you ask or not…
Just come and work with me.
And that is what we do. Our work is just a little bit…His is the great effort. He does the heavy lifting. And He fixes our fumbling and bumbling… the results of our inexperience and ignorance… our trampling on His vines… our butchery instead of pruning…
You see, the money and living He pays us is not from what we have earned, but as a gift. That is why all get the same no matter when they have come to help Him with, in His work.
This is Grace. This is Mercy for us and for any who will come.
And unlike the older brother in the parable about the prodigal son, we should be glad that these late comers get what we get…
That is…Grace, Mercy, Forgiveness and eternal life. They are saved too, like us. Not because of their work…as we are not saved because of our work…
But because of His generosity.
This is the way it has always been. Our very life and breath are His gift. The food we can grow, grows only because He allows it to still to grow.
We are all called to manage what He so generously has given us. Let Him worry over the yield and growth. He will make sure we are taken care of.
Whether you look at this in only earthly terms or eternal ones, it is the same. And so… we ought to be glad when people have success. We ought to be glad when our children do better than we have done in life. This is God’s way. This is How He thinks.
He was first, and chose to be last, so we can be first. Jesus is the least and the lowest, so that when He was finished, He could be first…but not so as to be alone in this…. No, He takes all of it, at the end of the workday…pays us as if we did something… and then invites us to His house for a feast… to partake of its fruit…the wine of gladness all around.
Amen.
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