\u00a0<\/strong>First Lesson: Isaiah 55:6-9; Second Lesson: Philippians 1:12-14, 19-30<\/p>\n Matthew 20:1-16 English Standard Version <\/strong>Copyright \u00a9\u00a02001 by Crossway Bibles<\/a><\/p>\n \u201cFor 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\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius[<\/sup>a<\/sup><\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a0a day, he sent them into his vineyard.\u00a03\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,\u00a04\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>and to them he said, \u2018You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.\u2019\u00a05\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>So they went.\u00a0Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.\u00a06\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And\u00a0about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, \u2018Why do you stand here idle all day?\u2019\u00a07\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>They said to him, \u2018Because no one has hired us.\u2019 He said to them, \u2018You go into the vineyard too.\u2019\u00a08\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And\u00a0when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his\u00a0foreman, \u2018Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.\u2019\u00a09\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.10\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius.\u00a011\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house,\u00a012\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>saying, \u2018These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and\u00a0the scorching heat.\u2019\u00a013\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>But he replied to one of them,\u00a0\u2018Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius?\u00a014\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Take\u00a0what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.\u00a015\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or\u00a0do you begrudge my generosity?\u2019[<\/sup>b<\/sup><\/a>]<\/sup>\u00a016\u00a0<\/sup><\/strong>So\u00a0the last will be first, and the first last.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cKingdom Employment!\u201d<\/strong><\/p>\n In the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 I suppose we all have our own true stories of inequity, unfairness and injustice on the job somewhere, sometime in our employment history. I have one from the time when I worked in a Pittsburgh Paint and hardware store every summer and school vacation throughout high school and college. Usually, it was three old guys, or I should say, three seasoned, experienced guys, and me, the teenager who did the lifting and the cleanup and the deliveries in the old Dodge truck. It was always Clayton, Harold, Harry and me. Until that one summer when Harold, the store manager, felt his grandson Mark, needed a job, so Mark was employed that summer. But Mark wasn\u2019t a very good worker. When one of the older guys were around, he would get up and get busy right alongside me. But when they walked away, he would sit down on a pile of lumber or behind the stacks of Sakrete and playsand bags, where no one could see him if they walked in unexpected or unannounced. As the more experienced employee, I said once, \u201cMark, we\u2019ve got things to do. Get up and let\u2019s get after it.\u201d And he replied, \u201cThey don\u2019t pay me enough to actually work.\u201d Which was irritating because we got paid the same wage all summer long, while I did the work and he sat on his\u2014well, on the bags of playsand. But he was the manager\u2019s grandson, so what could I say? It\u2019s enough to say that was the one summer Mark worked there. Next summer, it was just me again. For those of us who have experienced some kind of inequity, unfairness or injustice on the job, as we hear the parable Jesus tells in our Gospel lesson, it\u2019s hard not to commiserate with the workers who complained that those who worked only a short time were getting paid the same as those who worked all day! It\u2019s doesn\u2019t seem fair or equitable. And when the workers filed a grievance, the owner of the vineyard took the side of the Johnny-come-latelies! It also makes us hesitant to go to Jesus for employment advice! Maybe he and his father Joseph worked alone in the carpentry shop, never having to deal with managing employees and figuring out compensation!<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Except that the parable Jesus tells is not at all about job creation or employment policy.\u00a0 In fact, the parable Jesus tells isn\u2019t about employees or employers at all!\u00a0 For how does the Lord begin His teaching? He starts by saying, \u201cFor the kingdom of heaven is like\u2026\u201d And then He goes on to tell a parable using the image of laborers in the vineyard, but teaching something about the kingdom of heaven<\/em>\u2014and who receives the kingdom of heaven and why.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Now, it is important to point out that the reason<\/em> Jesus tells any given parable explains the message<\/em> of the parable, as well.\u00a0 So that the first thing we ask of a parable when we hear it is, why did Jesus tell this parable?\u00a0 As we\u2019ve said recently, we\u2019ll always want to ask, \u201cWhat was the context or the situation in life to which Jesus was speaking?\u201d\u00a0 In this instance, we find quite readily that the parable Jesus tells was in response to Peter and perhaps the other disciples who were concerned about all the people being welcomed into God\u2019s kingdom, whether early or late.\u00a0 Of course, that\u2019s not such a big issue for us today, but in biblical times, it was a concern because the Jews and the disciples, in particular, were worried, not so much about the kingdom, but about their place<\/em> in the kingdom.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 The Jews, for example, had been God\u2019s faithful people for thousands of years and many had dedicated their lives to obeying God\u2019s commandments, rules and regulations.\u00a0 They kept to the dietary regulations as instructed in Leviticus and they tried, at least, to live by the 613 rabinic extrapolations of the law which explained how it was that they would or could keep God\u2019s will perfectly.\u00a0 Then comes Jesus, this itinerant rabbi and teacher, together with his disciples, who didn\u2019t seem to be all that concerned about the letter of the Law.\u00a0 Honestly, to most Jews, Jesus seemed to be saying that what mattered most was not external observance of religious laws and regulations, but a relationship of the heart with God the Father, and actually living<\/em> in that relationship.\u00a0 So to the Jewish people, this seemed quite unfair, and unjust!\u00a0 Would God really let these new believers into His kingdom, willy-nilly, without concern for how long the Jews had been toiling and struggling to be faithful and obedient?\u00a0 Now, these followers of Jesus would get in at the drop of a hat, a snap of the fingers?\u00a0 This was a real concern for the Jews who saw these disciples of Jesus as getting, so to speak, a free pass into the kingdom!\u00a0 But, as we said, not only were the Jews upset by these followers of Jesus, but the disciples were bothered, as well!\u00a0 And why?<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 As human nature would have it, they too, saw the crowds and multitudes coming after Jesus, wanting to be his followers.\u00a0 Just before our gospel lesson, they saw the so-called rich young ruler come up to Jesus, curious how he too, might have eternal life and be part of the kingdom of God.\u00a0 Naturally, after that exchange, Peter said to Jesus, \u201cLook, we have left everything and followed you.\u201d\u00a0 In other words, Peter was saying, \u201cLook, we\u2019ve been with you since the beginning.\u00a0 We\u2019ve made sacrifices.\u00a0 We were called straight-away and have walked with you and lived with you and helped you along the way.\u00a0 So,\u201d Peter asks in Matthew 19:27, \u201cWhat then will we<\/em> receive?\u201d\u00a0 Surely our reward will be greater than the others. Surely, we\u2019ll have a higher place or better seats or more compensation in the kingdom of heaven, won\u2019t we?“<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And Jesus\u2019 answer in the form of a parable, to Peter and all of us is, \u201cYou will receive what I have promised–you will receive–the kingdom of heaven!\u201d\u00a0 What the parable demonstrates is that we will all <\/em>receive the kingdom, regardless how long we have been Christians, when we were baptized, how many years we\u2019ve served on the church council, or how much we\u2019ve given to the stewardship campaign.\u00a0 For the parable tells us that the kingdom comes to us regardless who we are, or what we have done, because the kingdom of heaven is given freely, out of the love and generosity of God\u2014without regard for who we are, or what we have done, or what we think we should receive. For this parable of Jesus is all about God\u2019s<\/em> grace and mercy<\/em>, and how sometimes, we begrudge God his manifold generosity, even though all of God\u2019s gifts to us are just that\u2014unearned, undeserved gifts, freely given!<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 Which is why Jesus speaks, at the end of the parable, through the mouth of the landowner, to those who were protesting the payment schedule, as the owner says, \u201cFriend, I am doing you no wrong. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?\u00a0 Or are you envious because I am generous?\u201d\u00a0 What Jesus says in the original language is, \u201cWhy are you looking at me with an \u2018evil eye\u2019 because I am generous?\u201d\u00a0 The Jews understood someone looking with an evil eye, as being someone who is jealous, or as the NRSV translates it, envious.\u00a0 And yes, that\u2019s it.\u00a0 The disciples were sometimes jealous and envious of how Jesus, in the name of God the Father, treated all people fairly and equally, lovingly and graciously, not according to worldly standards, not according to state or Federal compensation guidelines, but according to the plan and purpose of God\u2019s kingdom, even though all would receive exactly the same reward, ultimately.<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 St. Augustine writes of this parable, \u201cIn that great reward, then, we shall all be equal\u2014the first to the last and the last to the first.\u00a0 For the denarius stands for eternal life, in which all will have the same share.\u201d\u00a0 Augustine says, \u201cWhere eternal life is concerned, there can be no question of more or less for anyone.\u201d<\/p>\n \u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0\u00a0 And while this is \u201cbad news\u201d for those of us who are concerned about who gets more or less from God, it is good news for those of us who humbly know that the truth be told, we\u2019re not deserving of God\u2019s love and mercy and we have certainly not earned<\/em> the kingdom of God here and now, or eternal life later.\u00a0 For we have regularly sinned and disobeyed.\u00a0 We have not followed Jesus perfectly. In fact, sometimes we have not followed him at all!\u00a0 When we\u2019ve been given a task in the kingdom or the church, we sometimes put it off until we\u2019ve forgotten all about it.\u00a0 We are lazy Christians, at times, and lukewarm at other times.\u00a0 If God loved us and gifted us according to our work, our behavior, our obedience, who would ever receive the kingdom of heaven?\u00a0 And that\u2019s the point of Jesus\u2019 parable.\u00a0 That all enter into the kingdom of heaven by God\u2019s grace and God\u2019s grace alone, so that we have no reason to grumble or look with an evil eye at those we think might be unworthy, or undeserving.\u00a0 For as Paul writes, \u201call have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God\u201d.\u00a0 We are all unworthy and undeserving\u2014but just so, God shares His grace freely, with all!\u00a0 And that is the Gospel!\u00a0 That we are saved by grace through faith in Jesus Christ.\u00a0 That all are saved and enter the kingdom by grace, through faith in Jesus Christ.\u00a0 So that now, far from being envious or resentful of those who are continually being received into God\u2019s kingdom, we rejoice! We rejoice, give thanks and sing praise to God, the gracious landowner who calls us all, whether early or late, to work in His kingdom, and gives to us equally, the reward that has been promised us\u2014salvation, eternal life, by the free gift of Jesus Christ!<\/p>\n In the name of the Father, and of the Son, and of the Holy Spirit.\u00a0 Amen.<\/p>\n —<\/p>\n \u00a9 David M. Wendel<\/p>\n Grace Evangelical Lutheran Church<\/p>\n Westerville, Ohio\u00a0 USA<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The Seventeenth Sunday After Pentecost | 20 September, 2026 | A Sermon on Matthew 20:1-16 | by David M. Wendel \u00a0First Lesson: Isaiah 55:6-9; Second Lesson: Philippians 1:12-14, 19-30 Matthew 20:1-16 English Standard Version Copyright \u00a9\u00a02001 by Crossway Bibles \u201cFor the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":26686,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[36,157,853,108,629,110,139,3,109],"tags":[],"beitragende":[],"predigtform":[],"predigtreihe":[],"bibelstelle":[],"class_list":["post-26684","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-matthaeus","category-beitragende","category-bibel","category-current","category-david-m-wendel","category-engl","category-kapitel-20-chapter-20","category-nt","category-predigten"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26684","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=26684"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26684\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":26687,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/26684\/revisions\/26687"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/26686"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=26684"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=26684"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=26684"},{"taxonomy":"beitragende","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/beitragende?post=26684"},{"taxonomy":"predigtform","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtform?post=26684"},{"taxonomy":"predigtreihe","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/predigtreihe?post=26684"},{"taxonomy":"bibelstelle","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.theologie.uzh.ch\/apps\/gpi\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/bibelstelle?post=26684"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}