—Gospel of Matthew 20:1–16

This parable of the workers in the vineyard challenges us to appreciate God’s generosity in His kingdom. God shows no partiality whatsoever and He showers His magnanimous generosity on everyone, from the smallest to the greatest. This is a difficult concept to grasp, from man’s perspective, but it makes sense when we appreciate that God’s generosity has no limits, none whatsoever.

Perhaps, it will help if I offer an example, from my own experience, of how a farming community behaves with respect to all its members.

Growing up in a rural, farming community in Ireland, as I have, has its advantages. When the crop is ready for harvest, the whole family would be out in the field working together. They would not work at the same pace or at the same time. The father and the older family members would, most likely, be out in the field very early while the younger ones are still asleep. Mom and the younger ones would join Dad and the older ones out in the farm later. At the end of the day all would go home together.

As supper is prepared and served, no one would suggest that everyone eat only as much as they earned according to the hours they had worked. No, not at all! No one would complain, no one would be jealous for everyone had done his or her part, according to their capacity.

In today’s parable of the workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1–16) we see a similar situation. We hear of a harvest in which some workers put in more time than others. But when pay time comes, they are all treated equally.

The early birds among them, however, begin to complain and grumble.

Why do the early workers in this parable complain and grumble whereas the family members on the farm do not? The answer is clear. The norms of behavior, of contribution and reward, in the family are different from those in the wider society.

The question that this parable poses to us in the Church today is, do we see ourselves as family with a common purpose or do we see ourselves as individuals, each with his/her own agenda? We call ourselves brothers and sisters, but we often treat one another as rivals and competitors. We are inclined to adopt a business model of Church rather than the gospel model put forth in this parable.

The early-bird workers were reprimanded by the landowner ( who represents God ) because for them, it was all a business affair. The landowner made it clear to them that they would receive a full day’s pay for a full day’s work. The latecomers were less legalistic in their approach, and they were grateful for the landowner’s generosity. They took the job trusting in the landowner’s word. He said to them: “whatever is right I will give you” (Matthew 20:4). In fact, those employed in the sixth, ninth and eleventh hours were told nothing whatsoever about payment. He said to them, “Why do you stand here idle all day?” They said to him, “Because no one had hired us.” He said to them, “You go into the vineyard too” (Matthew 20 : 7). Everything was based on trust.

The Johnny-come-lately workers possessed a grateful spirit and were rewarded by the master’s generosity whereas the early-birds were ungrateful even though they were paid what had been agreed to.

This parable was addressed by Matthew to the Jewish Christians. God called them a long time ago to build the kingdom of God. Now, at an apparently late hour, God was calling the Gentiles also to work with them in the same kingdom. The early-bird Jewish Christians saw themselves as superior to the Johnny-come-lately Gentiles because they had “borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat” (Matthew 20 : 12). The problem with Mathew’s Jewish audience was their difficulty in appreciating that God’s kingdom is for all peoples, Jews and Gentiles, and that He treats them with equal generosity whether they be Jew or Gentile, Greek or Roman, Male or Female ( Galatians 3 : 28 ).

The kingdom of God is a family affair rather than a social affair. A society is characterized by competition, rivalry, self interest, and survival of the fittest. A true family, on the other hand, is characterized by a spirit of generosity rather than competition or rivalry.

In this parable, we are called to reject a legalistic notion of the kingdom of God and see it for what it is, a family of equals where everyone is respected from the lowest to the greatest. The important thing, whether we enter into the kingdom early or late, is how we respond to the Lord’s generosity.

This is why Jesus says: “those who are last will be first, and those who are first will be last” (Matthew 20:16).

—Fr. Hugh Duffy