Divine Fairness: Exploring God's Generosity
How does God demonstrate “appalling generosity?” The Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard explores divine fairness, grace, and the pitfalls of self-centered comparisons. It offers a transformative perspective on how we view mercy through the lens of Christ's teachings.
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Laborers in the Vineyard
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. 2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius[a] a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, 4 and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ 5 So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. 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?’ 7 They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ 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.’ 9 And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. 10 Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. 11 And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 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.’ 13 But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. 15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’[b] 16 So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Don’t You Deserve Something?
When we review the top ten keywords used in marketing, we’ll see words like new, safety, discover, guarantee, and others. However, the number one used keyword in advertising, and remains king after all these years, is still “you.”
“You” is a powerful word in advertising because it’s personal! You deserve a new car. You deserve a break today. You deserve (fill in the blank). It’s a message that’s constantly being reinforced all around us.
Yet, when we come to a story like our parable, it can grate against our understanding of fairness. In the parable, we meet a group of laborers whose master was unhappy because they failed to identify the grace he expressed unto them.
We see the master hire people first thing in the morning. Then, every few hours, he comes back to hire more people. However, at the end of the day, regardless of the time hired, the master pays everyone the same, a denarius, which was a day’s wage.
If you look at this story only through a human lens, it’s easy to say, “I don’t get it. That doesn’t seem fair.” But how do we see ourselves in this parable when we examine Jesus’ words? He may free you from things you don’t realize are oppressing you.
However, to understand that, we first need to understand why Jesus told this parable. Following the interaction with the rich young man, we see Jesus and Peter, along with the other disciples, having a discussion (Matthew 19:25-30).
Peter: “Look, Jesus, we have left everything and followed you…what then will we have?” Matthew 19:27
We can translate Peter’s words to mean, “Don’t I deserve something?” Jesus directly answers his question in the following verses, but in His answer, Jesus gives Peter a heart check. He wants to shed light on Peter’s question so that he understands his motives in asking. He’s also checking the hearts of the disciples, and as we read these verses, we need to realize that He’s also checking our hearts.
A part of Peter’s thoughts regarding servanthood to Christ was motivated by what he’d get in return. That kind of thinking is never something done from a spirit of love. However, a relationship with God sets us free to know and enjoy Him. So, let’s look at what this parable exposes about our motivations and hearts.
What Does the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard Expose?
1) The Dark Side of Our Echo Chamber
An echo chamber is an environment where a person only encounters information that reflects or reinforces their own opinions, desires, and understandings. Our parable illustrates an echo chamber. The laborers only reason within the confines of their personal echo chamber. Their reasoning doesn’t stem from God’s revelation.
When we, myself included, read a parable like this, we want to protest that it isn’t fair. However, when we drill down into what Jesus exposes out of love for us, we see so much more.
“Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 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.’” Matthew 20:10-12 (emphasis added)
Do you want God to be fair?
I suggest this isn’t a wise way to think or pray; this parable drives home that truth. Each worker has done precisely what the vineyard owner asked of them, and their reward is based on the owner’s generosity, not their performance. It’s based on the goodness and nature of God. Let’s make much of that.
In verse 15, the master asks, “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?”
We’re reminded that God is sovereign and the only lawgiver and judge. Motivated by love, God deals with His servants as He pleases and rewards them according to their motives through the purity of His heart. The matter of rewards is under God’s sovereign control. We’re not in control; we’re only recipients. God is in control, and we can only receive His goodness and graciousness.
2) The Dark Side of Unhealthy Comparison
“Now, when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 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.’” Matthew 20:10-12 (emphasis added)
Comparison can take us to spiritually empty places. The laborers weren’t offended by what they received but by what the master gave to others. Rather than trusting in God’s grace and goodness, out of the reasoning of their own echo chamber, they now question God’s goodness. They’re openly questioning God’s character.
When you’re in your own echo chamber, apart from the revelation of God in Christ, you only see the work, the workers, and your results. This results in the status of living in comparison. However, when your life is in Christ, the peace of trusting Him is having the freedom not to need to compare yourself to others. When you’re in His grace and love, you trust God because only He can see the heart. That sets you free.
Similarly, God calls us to different tasks in His Kingdom and rewards us not based on how much we do but how faithfully we respond to Him. When He does reward us, what He gives isn’t so much something we’ve earned as a gift that demonstrates His generosity and grace.
This reveals the need to check our motives. It’s not just a matter of serving God; instead, it’s why I serve God. For example, when a worship team plays music on Sunday morning, it’s not that they hit all the right notes but why they hit their notes. It’s the spirit in which we serve the Lord, as we’re designed to flow within Him.
For the laborers, their trust wasn’t in God but in their own sense of justice. In reality, as we walk in His grace and trust Him, God will give us better than we deserve. We have a choice of reasoning: our perceptions of “what is fair” or reasoning centered on the beauty of God’s grace offered. When we believe our own perceptions, we leave reasoning to His revelation.
Comparison can be very self-centered because it only knows how to ask what’s in it for me. The pastor and author Todd Ahrend once told me, “There has to be a point where we grow to realize that the Bible isn’t our personal medicine cabinet.” As we mature in Christ, there comes a point where we have to stop asking that question. Yes, there’s comfort in God’s Word, but there’s also more to it. There’s a blessing in being a blessing to others, but we can only get there when we stop asking, “What’s in it for me?” We must ask, “How will this glorify God and bless others?” and “How will this glorify God and further the Kingdom?”
“Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves. Let each of you look not only to his own interests but also to the interests of others.” Philippians 2:3-4
The laborers in the parable counted the latecomers as less significant, yet the Apostle Paul said, “Count others more significant than yourselves.” If we serve Him only for what we get, we miss the most important thing—Him. You may think it’s about tasks, but God says it’s about faithfulness.
3) Lack of Clarity Surrounding the Gospel in Our Hearts
“Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 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.’” Matthew 20:10-12 (emphasis added)
Notice the terminology used in this passage: “These…them” and “we/they.”
The laborers failed to be thankful for their own wages because they were blinded by their own self-interest. This shut down their capacity to have compassion for their fellow workers, revealing their true character: self-centered and selfish.
Here’s our lesson: Don’t despise those who come late. Let me elaborate on that.
When Jesus hung on the cross, there was a thief who hung next to Him (Luke 23:39-43). While they died on their respective crosses, the thief trusted Jesus Christ. He came late to the Kingdom, and many would say that’s a little late, but not according to the Bible.
I recognize this is fiction, but imagine the thief stole $50,000 from his boss. So, the boss shows up to watch justice be done on the cross. He witnessed the Son of God in the middle not only forgive this man but proclaim, “Today, you will be with me in paradise.” Justice isn’t taking place for his crime, but Jesus is paying the price for his sin. Think about that because its implications are huge.
The parable expresses that’s what God’s good gifts through Jesus have done if we belong to Him. God can give them to whoever He chooses when they put faith in Him through trust and repentance. Please, don’t despise someone who comes late to the party.
My step-father, a man who I love deeply, made some unsavory choices. While they may have benefited his business, they were very dark. However, I watched him come to know Jesus in his 60s. It wasn’t too late for him to receive the same grace and forgiveness that took place in my life when I was in my early 20s. It’s the same grace given to millions of lives throughout the ages.
If we ponder God’s mercy, we realize God has appalling generosity. Marinate on that: appalling generosity. We can all name and process the outright evil that occurs daily. Every time we see the news, we hear stories of the deceived hearts of man, yet we know that for those who experience a new birth in Jesus Christ, their sins and past are forgiven. God has made them new. Regardless of the time in our lives, that same grace is available to all of us.
4) The Supreme Love of Christ
In Matthew 9:36, Jesus expressed His heart for people: “When He saw the crowds, He had compassion for them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd.”
In the parable, we saw that the master hired people throughout the day but paid them the same. That’s a beautiful illustration of grace. When we receive grace, we receive something that isn’t earned. That’s the central theme of this parable: Grace and rewards are expressions of God’s nature.
I remember when I found out my wife, Missy, was pregnant with twins. We already had a pair of boys, nine and seven years old, so we were going from a family of four to a family of six. That drastically changed everything, from the vehicle we used to the bill when we went out to eat.
One evening, several years after our twins were born, my family of six went out to dinner. As we went to pay, the waitress told me someone had paid the bill for us. I searched the restaurant for someone I knew but came up empty. After some prying, the waitress told me, “The family who paid would like to remain anonymous.”
Jesus paid the price for our sins.
Some are going to come to the party late. People we’ve spent our entire lives praying for without seeing any movement of the needle may not cross the finish line until late in life. But based on Jesus’ words, their bill has already been paid. Jesus paid the price for your sins, but He also paid theirs. They’re going to have a reward of eternal life and be in Christ’s presence, just like the thief on the cross.
TL;DR
The blog analyzes the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard from Matthew 20:1-16, focusing on the themes of divine justice, grace, and the dangers of comparison and self-interest.
It challenges readers to see beyond human notions of fairness to embrace God's sovereign generosity and the freedom that comes from trusting in His greater plan.
Through scriptural insights and personal reflections, it encourages a deeper understanding of how we serve and why, highlighting the importance of motives and the supreme love of Christ.
Related Reading
How to be a True Worshiper by Rev. Paul Lawler
The Power of Prioritizing God by Rev. Paul Lawler
Debtors of Grace by Rev. Paul Lawler
