Grace Isn’t Fair 9-24-17

In this sermon, based on Matthew 20:1-16, I explore the parable of the generous landowner. God’s grace and mercy isn’t really fair…but that’s actually a good thing.

You can listen to the audio of the sermon here:
https://soundcloud.com/revdalen/grace-isnt-fair-9-24-17

You can also follow along with the text of the sermon here:

Grace and peace to you in the name of the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit. Amen

When I was really young, like “too young to go to school yet” young…we had some neighbors that lived on a farm pretty close to my parents farm…and they had a couple of daughters…one of which was about my age…in terms of a class in school, I was one of the really young ones, and she was one of the really old ones…so even though, by my understanding, we were the same age, we really weren’t.

But regardless…we grew up together…often playing together while our parents socialized…and so, when we started kindergarten, all I knew was “she’s my friend.” A little bit of time went by, I can’t really tell you how much…but it wasn’t long before my friend, who could already read, was jumping up to work with the 1^st grade class in reading…and then pretty soon, since she was technically old enough, she was jumping up to 1^st grade.

Now of course they didn’t explain everything that was going on to the rest of us in the class…and even if they did we probably wouldn’t have really understood what was happening anyway…but all I knew was that if my friend was going up to 1^st grade…then I should be able to do it too…and when I said something to my parents and they told me no…I reacted exactly how you would expect a 5-year old to react. “THAT’S NOT FAIR!” (pause) I think its safe to say that this was my first lesson…the first of many lessons that I am still trying to learn…that life…and many of the different aspects of life…just isn’t fair.

This brings us to the gospel for today…a parable in which Jesus is attempting to reveal yet another truth about the kingdom of heaven…and interestingly enough, Jesus is sharing this parable as a response to a question posed by Peter…a question that seems to be aimed the issue of fairness.  You see, Jesus has been talking about entering the kingdom of heaven and just how hard it is and Peter pipes up “Hey Jesus, we’ve left everything to follow you. What then will we have?” (Pause) Peter might as well be asking “hey, look at how much we’ve given…so we do we get out of it?” And with this, Jesus rockets into a story.

The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who defies all logic…over and over again. He goes to hire workers…which the landowner would never by the way…he’s got people for that…but regardless…he rolls himself out early enough to be out in the marketplace at 6am…and he grabs a batch of people…promises them the normal daily wage if they go work for him…and sends them off to work.

So far, the only odd thing is that he went on his own…but then a few hours pass…and for whatever reason…he ventures out again…and low and behold…there’s some more people standing around doing nothing…Yo! Head off into my vineyard…I’ll give you what’s right…interesting.

He wanders out again at noon…and then again at 3…seriously, doesn’t this guy have anything better to do than wander around the unemployment line? Regardless, when he finds more idle workers, he sends them off too. (pause) And then…defying any and all logic, he heads out again at 5…seriously, there’s only an hour before the closing whistle blows…and yet, here’s more people…and when he asks them why they’ve been standing around all day, they respond “because no one has hired us.”

This makes no sense at all…but with no mention of compensation…not to mention zero thought as to if he needs any more workers or not, which he wouldn’t have by the way…the landowner sends these guys off to work as well. (pause) Now, you’d think that this would be the end of it…but we’re just getting started aren’t we?

Because when quitting time roles around…we see that it’s time for paychecks…and for whatever reason the landowner has…he tells the foreman to pay the guys he hired at the end of the day first…pay them in reverse order…this makes no sense at all…none…seriously why would the landowner want to show off like this? You’d think, knowing what he was about to do…that if he ever wanted the credibility to hire workers again in the future, he’d have done things in order that they were hired…but that’s not what he does.

And as we see…the people who had only toiled for an hour get a full day’s wage…and everybody else start getting excited…especially the group that have been working since 6am. “Look how much he gave for an hour…imagine how much more he’s gonna give us.”  But then they reach the front of the line…and the foreman drops a denarius in their hands…precisely what they had been promised. (pause)

They might as well be a batch of 5 year old kindergarteners who’s friend got jumped up to 1^st grade. THAT’S…NOT…FAIR! (pause) Look at how much we have done…look how long we have been here…look how hard we have worked and how much we have endured…and you have made them equal to us…you have given them the same as us…They don’t deserve it…That’s not fair. (pause)

That sound familiar? I’m guessing it does…I think its likely that we all see evidence of life not being fair with quite a bit of regularity don’t we? Younger siblings crying out “that’s not fair” when the older one is given more privileges. Someone on the job who does their work and keeps their head down, only to see co-workers constantly slack off without issue, and muttering under their breath “That’s not fair.” Watching the news and seeing some big-shot business person accused of corruption and getting off with a slap on the wrist, instead of facing the consequences like anyone that can’t afford a bunch of big-shot lawyers and we think “that’s not fair.”

Each and every day it seems like we see something, or hear something, or experience something that continues to pile on the evidence of this truth… “its not fair.”

But what makes this really eye opening, especially coming back around to the parable…is when we remember that Jesus is talking about the kingdom of heaven…and he’s talking about wages, or rewards, or compensation…and we start to wonder just what’s that all about…and perhaps we begin to consider the possibility that the daily wage that the workers all receive, regardless of how many hours they put in…was entrance into the kingdom of heaven…or salvation…or eternal life…whatever we want to call it…but all of it, or any of it contingent on the grace of God being shown in our direction…on God’s mercy being shown our way.

This seems to be the thing that the workers are taking issue with. “We’ve done it all…we’ve been around long enough…we deserve it…they don’t.”  Or maybe just maybe that if they’re going to receive this much…we should get a whole lot more. I don’t know what to call this…greed…pride…something else? Whatever the cause…the generosity of the landowner draws the anger of those who have also benefited from it.

Now part of me starts to think that this is something that we can understand…and if we’re talking about grace and mercy of God…well then that also makes sense in Jesus time…but you know what…it goes back way farther than that…this anger at God’s mercy.

Take into account the story of Jonah that we heard today. Now, Jonah’s best known for getting swallowed by a whale only to get barfed back up on land 3 days later after he learns his lesson. But the big story of Jonah is important. God had given him a task to go to Nineveh and proclaim their need to repent and turn towards God. But this is the last thing Jonah wants to do.

Now Jonah was around about 700 years before Jesus…shortly after the northern kingdom of Israel had been conquered by the superpower of the day known as the Assyrians…anyone want to guess where the capital of Assyria was? (pause) PSST…IT WAS NINEVAH!

Jonah has been sent to proclaim the need to repent to the very heart of the people that had conquered his people…and Jonah knows that if they repent, God will show them mercy. (pause) Now do you think Jonah considered the Ninevites…the Assyrians…the enemies of “God’s chosen people,” do you think he considered them worthy of God’s mercy? I’m guessing no…and low and behold when he finally does get there and start preaching, and his sermon is really lousy by the way…seriously, you should read it, the whole book is only a few chapters long…but wouldn’t you know it…they repent…and God’s shows mercy…and Jonah loses his mind over it…and then God corrects him. Should I not be concerned about this great city with more than 120,000 people in it…people who do not know their right from their left?”

Jonah gets ticked off when God shows mercy to those that he thinks are unworthy…The laborers who spent the full day in the vineyard get ticked off when those who have done less receive the same thing they do…and maybe, just maybe we get all up in arms when God’s mercy and grace is shown to the people that we think are undeserving. We do don’t we…its offensive that God’s grace is given to them. (pause)

But here’s the thing about God…here’s the thing that’s revealed by the actions and the worlds of the landowner in the parable…when he hears the grumbling he pulls one of them aside…doesn’t matter which one…it could be any of them…it could be any of us…and the master says “Friend…I do you no harm. Are you jealous because I am generous?”

The grace of God isn’t fair…which is probably a good thing because if it was fair and we got what we earned…then none of us would receive it would we? Grace is free or its not grace and whether we like or not, we benefit from it because God freely gives it to those that he loves…those that he takes delight in…those who God has made in his image…and if I’m not mistaken that includes all of humanity…whether we think they deserve it or not. God will show grace on whoever God choses…and we can either get offended by it, or we can recognize it as cause for celebration…that another person has been touched by the joy of belonging…the joy of knowing they have been claimed by the one who made them.

The amazing thing about the Grace of God is that there’s no limit…Its not like God’s grace is a pie…and if someone else gets a piece there’s less available for us. This is why the master says “I have done you no harm” when he generously offers others the same as he has offered you.

Grace isn’t fair…its not supposed to be. That’s what makes it grace. Amen.

 

There Is No Order In Grace 9-21-14

This sermon is based on Matthew 19:30-20:16. It is the parable of the workers in the vineyard. I explore the sense of fairness being broken by the master’s actions, but then discuss how there is no measure to God’s grace other than that we receive the fullness of it.

You can listen to the sermon here:
https://soundcloud.com/revdalen/there-is-no-order-in-grace-9-21-14

You can also follow along with the text of the sermon here.

Grace and peace to you from God our Father and our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen

Since becoming the pastor here at Underwood Lutheran, I’ve presided over two weddings, and in both of them…the placement of the individuals who made up the wedding party was the same…everyone has their place…and as I think back to the multitude of weddings that I’ve been to, regardless of my level of involvement with them, I can say that there is certainly a normal placement of people that is pretty universal…a sort of inverted V…spreading out from the front…pastor here…bride and groom here…best man and groomsmen going out that way…maid of honor and bridesmaids going out that way…ring bearer and flower girl alongside…father of bride standing out here at one point…ushers in the back… …and in my time…I’ve stood in just about all of them at least once.

I’ve stood here in the pastor’s spot…being married I’ve obviously stood in the grooms spot…I’ve been best man…I’ve been a groomsman…I’ve been a ring bearer…I’ve been an usher…I haven’t managed father of the bride yet…but my daughter is only 8, we’ll give that one some time…and believe it or not…I’ve even stood over here in the bridesmaid line…long story…I’m not going into it…but yes I have even stood there. (pause)

Being part of the wedding party is a lot of fun…but for me, the best aspect…the biggest benefit…is that you get to go through the food line first at the reception. 9 times out of 10, the wedding party is the last to get there…and yet they are the first to eat…and I pay attention to these things…because inevitably…whenever I am at a reception and have not been part of the wedding party…my table is one of the last one’s to go through line…never fails…even if I’ve been one of the first to arrive…I’m always one of the last to eat. (pause) The first will be last…and the last will be first…Sound familiar?

This phrase bookends the gospel lesson for today…and perhaps you’ve heard me say it before…but in the writing style of the New Testament…when they repeat something…it means that it’s important…and of course today our speaker is Jesus himself…The first will be last and the last will be first.

Jesus, currently in an ongoing discussion with the disciples, uses this phrase to make a point…and then he transitions into the parable that makes up the bulk of today’s lesson…and then at the end…he says the phrase again…wrapping everything up…and so I have found myself coming back to that phrase over and over again this week…not because I want to…but because that appears to be the theme of yet another one of Jesus’ parables. (pause)

The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early to hire laborers for the vineyard…they agreed on the wage…and he sent them out to get to work…Three hours later…he goes out again…Oh hey…there’s more people hanging around…Hey guys…go get to work…and I’ll pay you…and again a couple hours later…More people? Okay…go get to work…and then in a few more hours…Wow…more people…off to the vineyard…until finally, he makes one last trip right before the end of the day…and yet again…there are people standing around who have yet to be invited to work…people who lack the call into a crew…and yet again…the master says come on, I’ll hire you. (pause)

Hmmm…so the kingdom of heaven apparently has a WHOLE lot of work to do…and apparently there are a lot of people standing around lacking direction…interesting…but that’s just the start of things.

At the end of the day…once the work is over…the master decides that its time to settle accounts and brings in those late arrivals first…and low and behold…he pays them for a full day…and word trickles down the line. (pause) WOW!!! This guy is generous…they only worked for an hour…and he paid them for a full day? We’ve been here longer…some of us WAY longer…I WONDER HOW MUCH WE’RE GONNA GET? (pause)

And when the first workers finally get their paycheck…and greedily open up the envelop…expecting to see countless riches from this generous master…they are shocked…and amazed to find…exactly what they earned…exactly what the master had promised them at the beginning of the day. (pause)

And this…does not…sit well…and we hear that they begin to grumble and complain against the master…but in typical fashion, they don’t actually take it to him…the greek word here indicates a sense of quiet mumbling…similar in scope to what we might do in the midst of an argument when the other person leaves the room and we grumble about them…not really wanting them to hear what we have to say…because in all likelihood, it isn’t’ that nice…but yet we want the last word because darn it…we’re right and they’re wrong.

MASTER!!!! This isn’t fair…We have worked our tail off for you…we’ve been here all day…the whole time…we have done 10 times as much…and yet you give them the same amount as us. (pause)THAT’S NOT FAIR!

Gone is their viewpoint of the master as a generous man…now he’s just acting ridiculous…because common sense dictates that WE’VE done…far outweighs what they’ve done…we’ve earned it…they haven’t…we deserve it…they don’t. (pause)

Sound familiar? (pause) I’m sure it does…anyone with kids has heard countless arguments about fairness…I’m pretty sure that the phrase “That’s not fair” is uttered in my house at least once a day…probably more…and when we’re honest with ourselves, our views of what’s fair…what’s right…what’s justifiable…goes far beyond childhood doesn’t it?

This is something that we see all the time…smack dab in the middle of our day to day life…and perhaps in our capitalistic society…driven all too often by the almighty dollar…we run into this attitude constantly…and this parable really speaks to us…and we feel like those guys who started off the day in the vineyard are completely justified in their concern over the paycheck situation. (pause)

The notion of earning…or seniority is certainly prevalent for us isn’t it? So much so, that its second nature…this thought that those who have been at longer deserve more…that they should be justly rewarded for their work…for their service…for their time.

But Jesus tells us in this parable today that this is not the case in the kingdom of heaven…and so perhaps we try to shift our thinking now…remembering that, Oh yah, this isn’t supposed to be about money…its about the kingdom…and so we start thinking about the church…the congregation…and all the work that we’ve done over the years…has that thought ever crossed your mind? That I’ve done my part…I’ve put in the time…and maybe, just maybe I deserve the benefits more than that person…or that one…ever thought that? Even for a moment? (pause) I know I have from time to time…that notion of superiority kicks in, whether I want it to or not…guilty. (pause)
But you know what…Jesus has this amazing ability to shut me up pretty quick when he reveals the truth about things. And in typical fashion, he does the same thing here…when the master reminds us that he is allowed to do what he chooses with what belongs to him…and then Jesus reminds me again that this is about the kingdom of heaven…not money…not seniority…its about the gift of God.

God is like the master who continues to go out into the world…looking for those who have not been brought in yet…he doesn’t stop after the first trip…or the second…or the third…he keeps on going until the very last moment, continuing to bring people in…and regardless of when he finds that person…the result is the same…the full measure of God’s grace.

Because the grace of God cannot be measured out…it cannot be divided based on how long you’ve been in the body…grace doesn’t work like that…but he makes us a promise that if we call his name…if we come back into relationship with him through faith in Christ that we will receive the full measure of his grace…in its entirety.

And just as the master says to the first workers…God does us no harm by offering the same measure of grace to those that come after us…and no matter of longevity changes that grace…whether we are believer for a century or an instant…we receive the full measure of forgiveness through Jesus Christ our Lord…and we need only look to the scripture in order to believe it…

Because as Jesus hung on the cross…dying for the sins of all humankind, one of the men hanging next to him looked up and said Lord, remember me when you come into your kingdom…and Jesus looked back at him and assured him that Today…you will be with me paradise. (pause)

Friends in Christ…we know, full well, that there are times when jealousy rears its ugly head…and we all fall into the trap of thinking that we’ve earned it more than the next person…no matter what the subject is…but despite all that…despite our failings…and our sinful nature…we have a Master who is generous…who offers us the free gift of his grace…not because we earn it…but simply…because he chooses to…it doesn’t matter when you show up…only that he has called you in. Thanks be to God. Amen