Why Are You Still Standing There?
“”For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. “When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. “And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. “Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. “And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, `Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ “They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, `You go into the vineyard too.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first .”When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. “When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each ofthem also received a denarius. “When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ “But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius ? ‘Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’ “So the last shall be first, and the first last.’ (Matthew 20:1-16, NASB95)
I was reading this story from scripture this morning. I know you may be thinking that this is a common story and why should it catch my attention now? No? You weren’t wondering that? I was. I thought about this story and reason for which Jesus told it and I was convicted, so I thought I would pass that along to you.
In the story, the Pharisees would have identified themselves with the first group. Once they were able to process what Jesus was talking about, they would have gladly and rather proudly identified with the group that got hired first. They were known for their scrupulous observance of the Law. They saw God as a taskmaster, and they had been faithful to perform the tasks He demanded. They deserved heaven and the rewards associated with heaven because of their own efforts. The Pharisees would have probably been okay with seeing other Jews as those who were hired later in the day. Sure, they deserved something, just not as much as the Pharisees, for no one could have worked possibly as hard as they.
The problem comes when Jesus begins to share the gospel, and a meal, with sinners, tax collectors, Gentiles, and even healed a Roman centurion’s servant! I mean, those people do not even deserve to be in heaven, let alone get any rewards once there!
As I read this further, the thing that strikes me is that, as I shift to try to see this story from the side of the other workers, I am struck with not only the generosity of the master, which irked those who had worked all day, but the perspectives of the various waves of workers. It is the last group that catches my attention the most.
The master comes back to the town square at the eleventh hour, he finds more workers who have not been working. He asks them why they had been standing there all day long. Their answer is instructive. “Because no one hired us.” In light of the purpose ofthis story, the question could have been, “Why do you not yet believe in Jesus as Lord? And why have you not yet repented from your sins and placed your faith in Jesus Christ for salvation?” Their answer? “Because no one has told us how, yet!” Ouch!
Who needs to hear the gospel from you today? It is already the eleventh hour and soon, it will be too late.