Matthew 20 - 8.20.24
SCRIPTURE: Matthew 20:1-16 "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 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 of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. " These who were hired worked only one hour", they said, "and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day". But he answered one of them, "I am 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."
OBSERVATION: In this parable, God is the landowner, and the workers represent believers. This parable is about salvation, and God's kingdom of grace.
Naturally the workers who were hired at the beginning of the day expected to receive more wages than the workers who were hired at the end of the day. That makes sense to us, but God rewards and blesses everyone according to His will and good pleasure, not according to what we deserve! The landowner did what he had promised each of them; they were all to receive a denarius for a days work. Even though it didn't seem right to the workers, the landowner explained that he had been completely fair to all he had promised to pay.
APPLICATION: God rewards us according to Who He is, not according to who we are. We are all given the same reward regarding heaven. Jesus paid the full price for all of us to receive God's mercy and grace, and for us to have our sins forgiven, and to receive eternal life. No matter if we've been a Christ follower for decades or only seconds; everyone who has put their faith in Jesus is able to receive God's gift of eternal life. All believers who faithfully serve the Lord will receive an equal inheritance regardless of when we were "hired".
Once we enter heaven we will be rewarded crowns according to the time we spent allowing God to work through us to achieve the good works of our life. We will acknowledge God's sovereignty by casting crowns at His feet while we worship Him in heaven. These crowns are:
THE CROWN OF VICTORY, (1 Corinthians 9:24-27)
THE CROWN OF REJOICING (Phil 4:1)
THE CROWN OF LIFE, (James 1:12, Revelation 2:10)
THE CROWN OF RIGHTEOUSNESS: (2 Timothy 4:8)
THE CROWN OF GLORY (1 Peter 5:4)
PRAYER:
I thank God for the gift of salvation, and for the rewards that He will hand to His faithful servants as our eternal inheritance in Christ. I pray I will not store up for myself treasures on earth where moth and rust consume and where thieves break in and steal; but my heart will be centered around God's eternal kingdom. (Matthew 6:19-21).
- Robin Orefice
