The Laborer’s Wage

This was the parable covered in today’s sermon. It’s about the fairness of the Laborers pay, in addition to the famous quote Jesus said, “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

It was interesting to hear a new perspective on these verses, specifically this last verse in the story. Sometimes on a purely logical level at least this quote doesn’t make sense. I mean how could the first person in a line suddenly become the last, and why would that happen (to put it in the terms that came to mind for me). The pastor this morning talked about how at its core the quote means that just because you were saved before someone else was doesn’t mean you are going to be going ahead of them in eternity. Note that this is different than storing up treasures in heaven. This is about the fact that everyone who believes is a child of God no matter when they became saved.

Now to expand on this idea as it relates to the story.

There was one other element from this morning’s message that stood out to me. That is the issue of fairness. In the story, we read about laborers who, at the beginning of the day are offered one denari for their day’s work by the landowner. We read on and see that the landowner offers more laborers work throughout the day as he can find them. At the end of the day, he pays the ones who came in last first and pays them a whole denari as well despite having only worked a fraction of the time. When the laborers who came in first complain, even after receiving their denari, the landowner states that he has been true to his offer of a denari each to them, and states that they should not be jealous of the generosity he offered the others.

I think this is really interesting. Say that a friend of yours earns more in their field than you do in yours, you both work the same hours though, and you went to school for the same amount of time. Here’s the thing, the employer can offer whatever amount for your work that they want/see value in and it is your choice to agree to that.

In another applicable example, some people may say it’s unfair that some people get saved early in life, and others live worldly lives until the end and become saved later in life. Jess didn’t want us to see this as unfair. Those of us who were saved early in life should be literally, eternally grateful. We’ve lived with our loving savior by our side. Sure maybe the life of sin sounds easy to us, and it makes us think it’s unfair for it to be this way. Here’s the thing not only is sin detrimental to us, it keeps us farther away from our loving savior. In addition, we don’t know the day nor the hour that Jesus comes back and Jesus wants us to be ready that means he wants to be Lord of our lives as soon as we’ll ask for it from him.

Don’t be envious of generosity. Don’t be envious of what may seem to you like unfairness. Do accept the terms and conditions of your work, and purchases.