The key to understanding this parable begins in Matthew 19:27: Peter said, “Lord, we have been serving you for months, what shall be our reward?” Perhaps it was a selfish question, but when asked properly it is perfectly permissible. This parable is all about that reward?
Let’s go back to the subject of IDLENESS.
There is no doubt that the householder represents the Lord God of Heaven and earth. And the Lord hates indolence and unnecessary idleness – He hates it. The idle person is going to be hired by Satan, sooner or later. Idle hands are the Devil’s workshop, but they aren’t the Lord’s. And just to kill time is a form of murder.
Do you believe that these are the very last days before the Lord’s return? I do. The Lord could and perhaps should return at any moment. In that light, we have the command and commission: “See then that ye walk circumspectly, not as fools, but as wise; redeeming the time, because the days are evil.” “Lord, teach us to number our days that we may apply our hearts unto wisdom.” The householder went into city early in morning and found men ready for work, so he hired them. They were neither lazy nor idle – it was before dawn, and they had nothing to do but to wait for an employer. Three hours later the employer went back into the market place and saw more potential workers. They were not as anxious for work as the first group. These men slept in – played with the kids – ate a leisurely breakfast. It doesn’t appear that hiring more men was the householder’s purpose on this second trip to the agora. But when he got there; there were these men. The householder did the same thing again at noon and then again in the middle of the afternoon. Those lazy, indolent farmhands were like grains of sand in the eye of this employer. Every time he blinked, there they were and oh, how they stung him. Then once again he went into the city at 5:00 p.m. and once again he found men standing around doing nothing. “Why stand ye here all the day idle?”
The Lord is still asking same question of each us, “Why sit ye here idle all day?” “Hey, wait a minute preacher, I’m not idle; don’t you even hint that I am idle or lazy.” It needs to be realized that there are different kinds of idleness. There is the obvious literal kind – Some of these men were leaning up against fence posts simply talking or whittling. They were idle because they wanted to be; they were down right vagrant. Why were they not at the market at dawn like those who really wanted employment? These were lazy at heart, and that was why they were idle. And that is why they were in the marketplace so late in the day – they were avoiding work. After these people, there is the kind of idleness that looks busy but really isn’t. There is a busy-ness about useless things. I read of king who spent time searching his kingdom for a white mouse with a green eye. And there was a shepherd lad who spent hours learning how to balance his staff on end of his chin. You may say that you are busy surfing the internet looking at Christian web-sites. That may be nothing more than idleness. You may say that you are “busy watching TV,” but what is that? “Busy – watching” is 98% of the time an oxymoron. There is also the busy-ness of the market place itself – making things, making money, making noise. All of which will be used or wasted, then forgotten 15 minutes after their use.
What are you doing that will last for eternity? The question is: what are you doing for Christ? “No man hath hired us.“ That is an awfully poor excuse, when others have been in the vineyard for hours. The Lord’s harvest is always ready for more workers. “Say not, there are yet four months and then cometh harvest. Behold, I say unto you, lift up your eyes, and look on the fields, for they are white already harvest.”
The Householder went out ENLISTING WORKERS.
He went early in the morning. The Lord is up before the dawn taking care of you and your needs. Spurgeon said that it was “before the dew evaporated off the grass.” The coming of the Sun, was only a pink promise in the Eastern sky. The average work-day in that part of world, before Timex and Rollex watches, began with the rising of the sun and with the crowing of the rooster.
There are two major ways to interpret and apply our parable at this point. Some say that the earliest workers, the 6 a.m. bunch, were the Apostles of Lord. Then the 9 a.m. group were their successors – Justin Martyr and the men who withstood the invention of the Catholic church. The 12 noon people were the Reformers, Covenanters, Anabaptsts, and Waldensians. Then came others and others down throughout history, until our time. Other commentators apply the hirees at dawn to young children who come to Christ and serve Him before they reach their tenth birthday. Then others begin to serve the Lord in their 20’s and 30’s, 50’s and 70’s. The eleventh hour people were like those that I mentioned last week, being baptized and serving the Lord when they were 88 and 90 years old.
Whichever interpretation we take, or even if it’s another, the “working” clearly illustrates the Christian Life. The Lord is in the business of enlisting workers – not lazy good-nothing idlers. There is yet is yet much land to be possessed – there is still much to do for Christ. There are a hundred and one things to needing to be done in and around this church building. And most of our neighbors have no knowledge God. How can we stand idle in the market place while watching neighbors fall into Hell? Why doesn’t it bark our hearts to realize we have so few in Sunday School?
Most of the people our city have never been invited to hear a gospel sermon. Someone says, “But I’ve not been called to be the Lord’s slave; I’m a child of the King, a son of God.” Then you had better notice another of Jesus’ stories in Matthew 21:28: “But what think ye? A certain man had two sons; and he came to the first, and said, Son, go work to day in my vineyard. He answered and said, I will not: but afterward he repented, and went. And he came to the second, and said likewise. And he answered and said, I go, sir: and went not. Whether of them twain did the will of his father? They say unto him, The first. Jesus saith unto them, Verily I say unto you, That the publicans and the harlots go into the kingdom of God before you. For John came unto you in the way of righteousness, and ye believed him not: but the publicans and the harlots believed him: and ye, when ye had seen it, repented not afterward, that ye might believe him.” Every child born into the family of the Lord, will see the Saviour point to a field and they will hear Him say, “Go; get to work.” And every child that refuses is not worthy to be called a child of God. I am not saying that the lazy servant is not a true servant, but he is not worthy of title “servant of God.”
Now the first workers were hired dark and early – before daylight. They were expected to put in a full twelve hours out there in the vineyard. They agreed to working a full twelve hours. They had to contend with baking heat, blistering winds and wasps and hornets. No one said that the work of Christ was an easy one. It makes for tired bodies, blistered fingers, aching hearts and sleepy bones. Not to mention the cuts and bruises that those first disciples of Christ all experienced. Those first workers were promised a penny – but don’t pity them for such small wages. That denarius was recognized to be a full day’s salary. A silver penny in Jesus’ day bought a lot more than the paper play money of the Federal Reserve. It would have been equivalent to at least $75.00 to $100.00 of our money – minimum wage or better. And once again that money can’t be applied to salvation. I believe that the money promised represents rewards or awards in glory for faithful Christian Service. And the promise was for what was “right” (verse 4 ) – not just for what was “legal.”
Then the householder went into the city at 9 a.m., noon, 3 p.m and 5 p.m. As I say, some commentators apply this historically – servants of God who followed the apostles. The people of the 16th Century, and you and I, will have no less reward than the original apostles or the seventy disciples. Then other commentators say that this applies to people who are saved later in life. A sixty-year old can still take up the Word of God and learn to teach others. His reward shall not one copper penny less than the teenager who takes up his cross to follow Christ. One of the lessons of this parable is that the Lord wants every Christian to be in His service – it doesn’t matter what your age, health, wealth or physical constitution.
The Lord wants you for his vineyard – TO WORK – to serve Him.
There is fruit to be grown for the Master – this is what living the Christian life is about. And there are Philistine cities and Canaanite communities yet to be taken. There are idols of Dagon, Molech, Baal, Isis and Ashtoreth to be thrown into fire. Why are we not bringing in a constant stream of neighbors to hear the gospel of Lord Jesus Christ? There is much needing to be done for the Lord, “But the laborers are few, pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest that he would send laborers into his harvest.”
Straying just a little from the works of Jesus’ illustration – it is fruit that the Lord seeks. Since Jesus didn’t say that these employees were harvesting in this parable, it gives us some interpretational leeway. There is still fruit to nurture and encourage. There are still Apolloses needed who will sow the seed of the Word of God. There are still Pauls needed who will be willing to water that seed. The young plants need to be pruned, dunged, hoed, protected and supported. And then eventually – eventually – there will be harvesting to be done – even though it may be other servants of Christ who actually pull the fruit from the vine. “They that be wise shall shine as the brightness of the firmament; and they that turn many to righteousness as the stars for ever and ever.” If we are not those people we can at least be former Samaritans who say, “Come see a man who told me all things that ever I did.” There are never enough workers – never. “Why stand ye idle all the day?”
It seems to me that many Christians have a welfare mentality. They have transposed a warped secular philosophy and applied it to the Kingdom of Heaven. They sit back, dawdle, twiddle, whittle and think that the Lord will shower them with denarii. Saved from sin, yes, but saved so as by fire. Whittling sticks are good only for fires – not for crosses.
And the close of the working day is coming. Historically speaking, I think that we are among those hired at the 11th hour. Paul was hired at 9:00 in the morning, after the earlier disciples started at dawn. For all of us, the day is almost finished. Isn’t it time that we took to the fields?
Because with the close of the day comes THE REWARDING.
Now, notice that the reward is not based on the time spent in the field. Some of men spent twelve full hours in the heat of the sun – in wind, and among the bugs. They were promised a full day’s wages – maybe equivalent to $150.00. Indeed Peter, you have forsaken all to follow Christ and you shall be rewarded. But then along with them, the men who worked only one hour received exactly the same reward. What is more they received theirs before the first received theirs.. What does that say? Doesn’t it say that the reward for service is as much of grace as salvation itself. The Lord owes us nothing, especially after giving us our very lives. We ought to serve Christ because of our undying love, not for denarii or crowns. If the Lord should be pleased to reward, then that is just further to His glory.
We human beings have certain criteria for measuring work. We might talk about the number of ergs as if we were physicists. We could discuss calories expended, or sweat collected, or time spent. The machines that I use at the gym measure my time, my speed, my calories and my heart rate. But the Lord uses a different measure. He uses willingness to go and faithfulness to obey to the best of ones ability. Note again that there are no words here about what work was done. There are no reports here of baskets being filled. The Lord didn’t speak of the quality of the labor, or the quantity either.
The Lord is interested in your heart here this evening; your heart and its willingness to give to Him. How much of your heart does the Lord possess? Whether or not we are good servants depends on how true or false is the phrase: “Whose I am.” Paul was testifying to the sailors and soldiers who were taking him to Rome. He said, “And now I exhort you to be of good cheer: for there shall be no loss of any man’s life among you, but of the ship. For there stood by me this night the angel of God, whose I am, and whom I serve, Saying, Fear not, Paul; thou must be brought before Caesar: and, lo, God hath given thee all them that sail with thee. Wherefore, sirs, be of good cheer: for I believe God, that it shall be even as it was told me.” Paul knew that he was property of the Lord – a servant of the Householder. His labors were not for salvation but flowed our of joy for the Lord’s salvation which had already been given.
It must be the same for us. Are you trusting the finished work of Christ or are you trusting your labours for Him? Your faith is in the Lord? Well praise the Lord! Now what are you doing to magnify His Name here on this sinful planet? And while you are answering that question, remember that it is the Lord who governs and judges our service. There will be many who THINK that they are worth far more than a day’s wages, when in fact none of us are worth anything, but for the grace of God. There will be famous preachers, whose Heavenly reward will not match their current salary. And there will be so-called “nobodies” who will be most highly rewarded. Don’t be surprised, because we have been warned – “the first shall be last, and the last shall be first.”