by Juliette Min
Parable of the Vineyard Owner
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.”
Parable of the Unworthy Servant
“Will any one of you who has a servant plowing or keeping sheep say to him when he has come in from the field, ‘Come at once and recline at table’? Will he not rather say to him, ‘Prepare supper for me, and dress properly, and serve me while I eat and drink, and afterward you will eat and drink’? Does he thank the servant because he did what was commanded? So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.’
The Yoke of Labor and Witness
As I become a more seasoned Christian, I realize that a steady continuation of spiritual growth involves aligning ourselves to the biblical understanding of labor and witness. What is required of me in my interactions with others — with God, my friendships, my family, and the unbeliever? How do I come to grips with the frustrations that come with witnessing — and continue to labor heartily? The parables of Jesus and further texts from the Gospel books have helped inform the way I answer these questions.
While at Bowdoin College, wrestling with the hows and whys of witnessing well in a college with a tense history with Christian students comprised much of my faith journey. Years of walking into classes and social spaces where Christianity was disfavored led me to see and believe that the cultural tide in liberal arts schools was moving away from God’s truths, which lead to a full, flourishing, and abundant life. Additionally, learning how to live out my deepened Christian faith back in my hometown proved to be difficult as I realized that my new faith-directed life was confronting and creating some deep-seated discomfort in my closest relationships. In these moments of discouragement, from the social and potential academic cost associated with siding with Jesus in classroom settings, and fear, of sitting in the tensions that Jesus invites us into in my hometown, I have come to discover that the Parable of the Vineyard Owner strangely was a source of much encouragement to me.
In the parable, a master of a house goes out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with some laborers on working for a denarius a day, he sends them out into the vineyard. While those laborers work diligently, the master goes out into the marketplace in the third hour, the sixth hour, the ninth hour, and finally the eleventh hour to hire other laborers. After all the laborers finish working, the owner of the vineyard called his foreman to pay the laborers each a denarius, beginning with the ones who came last to the ones who came first.
When the laborers who came first grumble about receiving the same payment as those who have worked only one hour, the master states, “I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity? So the last will be first, and the first last” (Matthew 20:13-16 ESV).
The First Laborers
Biblical scholars can see this parable in Matthew 20 as a response to Peter’s question to Jesus in the previous chapter, asking “See, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” and further relating to the mother’s request in the same chapter, which asks, “say that these two sons of mine are to sit, one at your right hand and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Jesus is surrounded by disciples who think that their service to Him earns them “extra reward” like the laborers who came first to the vineyard. At first glance, these requests for a greater reward given his additional work seems fair —Peter, James, and John are disciples of Jesus’ inner circle, and they gave up much and suffered greatly for the kingdom of God. In responding so differently, I surmise that perhaps Jesus’ vision of His Kingdom — and the labor required in it — are not defined by our worldly standards. Could His vision be better?
Jesus’ response is revealing to the way we should approach laboring for God’s Kingdom. Jesus responds, “You will drink my cup, but to sit at my right hand and at my left is not mine to grant, but it is for those for whom it has been prepared by my Father.” This response is similar to that of the vineyard owner, who states “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?”
The question isn’t how long we have served, in what manner, in what position, and to what effect, but rather whether we have served in the capacity God has ordained for us. Each of us is called by God in the manner and timing that best suits the vision God has for our lives and for humanity— we only align ourselves to it, knowing we are all equally unworthy of that gift. When we live for the kingdom of God, perhaps we are required to go the extra mile as these disciples did, but additionally cannot expect brownie points for doing so.
Reading this parable today as a senior at Bowdoin, I can see myself as one of the early vineyard laborers, having stayed at the study center for a few more years than the first years joining us this year. This parable humbles me and exhorts me as I finish my race here, that my responsibility is to labor to the fullest extent that God has enabled me to and tell myself at the end of the day that I did what was my duty.
The Laborers to Come
Yet there is more to the Parable of the Vineyard Owner that can challenge and inspire us. At the study center, students considered whether the last laborers to be chosen by the master held particular qualities beyond laziness and lack of grit that led them to be chosen last. Could it be that the last laborers had been waiting and hoping to be chosen since the early morning — at the same time as the first laborers? Could it be that these workers waited all day, to discover that nobody thought they were worth their while? Could it be, that these workers represent — and are — the weak and the disabled and the marginal? Maybe these last workers are the workers who, despite their willingness to, would not have lasted longer than an hour in the vineyard because they were so weak in their bones and abilities. How would reframing the way we see these last workers change the way the parables inform our Christian life? How would it reframe the way we see the generosity of the master? At the same time, perhaps we are required to think this way of characters like these every time.
When I consider how the master of the vineyard came to the marketplace every few hours to look for more workers, I wonder whether he looked upon each new worker fully knowing their strengths and weaknesses — and perfectly timed their hiring hours such that their labor would not be harder than they could bear. The master, who is like God, is kind and compassionate enough that he would provide for each of the laborers in this way — by giving them an opportunity to work when they could and in the way that they could.
This parable helps me acknowledge that there are many who ran the race long before me. Because of their labor, I am here. I am thankful that God brought me to Him and to work for His Kingdom here at Bowdoin in his perfect timing. And as a student often discouraged by the hostility to the Christian message that I see at Bowdoin, in my hometown, and beyond, this message encourages me, because it teaches me that God calls each of us to labor in His divinely appointed time, to work the length and amount that they can according to their unique circumstances and abilities. This gives me hope that maybe the student who criticizes Christianity in my class today could be working in the fields with me tomorrow and that the close friend who I am in tension with over the Gospel would be chosen the next day.
Can the love of my neighbor and my longing to be in spiritual communion and fellowship with them additionally fuel my inclination to work? I think it should. We can think of our labor as bringing forth the people who are closest to us — hastening the kingdom we so long for. Thus, if the first laborers reframe the way they see the other laborers, they might work so that after the hours have passed, the other laborers who, due to their unique stories and circumstances could not work earlier, could finally arrive and work too. Likewise, maybe while we are chosen to run this race, we should also do so faithfully with all that we have knowing that our labor is hastening those who are not yet suited to come and work now can come sooner. Our stories are connected — and they are being written by a God who knows each of us intimately and deeply.
It is amazing and hopeful to believe that the people around me who I once doubted would be a part of God’s kingdom may be those who end up helping us clear the rest of the vineyard one day. But what is even more comforting is that as I work, the master is bringing more people under his wing to work and receive the denarius. I need not fret about working beyond what is allotted to me or be anxious about the work that has yet to come. He will call the right people, at the right time, who will join me in this labor. It is a dependable thing to know what my job is, and to know that despite my work being confined to a small subsection of a wide vineyard, God is bringing in more people to harvest the field.
The Denarius
Finally, the Parable of the Vineyard Owner encourages me in one final way. The denarius, which is the wage that each of the laborers earned, was a day’s worth of sustenance back in Jesus’ day. It is amazing that no matter what hour the laborer came in or how much they worked compared to others, the master rewarded only exactly enough sustenance for one day for the labor he assigned them. Those who worked very little compared to others still received enough to sustain them for one day, and those who worked much compared to others still received just enough to do the same. In God’s Kingdom, there is no saving up and there is no retirement. There is no excess; there also isn’t scarcity. The payment of a day’s labor being only sustenance for one day requires that each day is dedicated to living our lives in alignment with God and His Word. And yet, this sustenance is never lacking — it is always enough.
This parable, like the Parable of the Unworthy Servant, humbles me and exhorts me as I live the Christian life. Like the servant who plowed and kept sheep all day and came home not to recline at the table but to prepare supper, dress his master, and serve him while he ate, I am taught that I should also be inclined to what is required of me and more. I should love more and give more, only to tell myself at the end of the day that I am an unworthy servant, and that I have only done what was my duty. I should do so with an excited and hopeful heart that my labor would not be in vain, that laborers would soon come to join me, and that my God will sustain me to the end.