"Paid" By Grace: The Parable of the Householder

We all love a good story, and one reason that the parables of Jesus appeal so strongly is, they are good stories. Those parables which we love the most are the ones with the most satisfying endings; they end as they ought to end.

For example, in the story of the Prodigal Son, the son came home and was welcomed by the father, a heart-warming ending to say the least. The Parable of the Lost Sheep ends with the diligent shepherd rescuing the missing sheep. Those are good endings to us, and we love stories with happy endings.

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One reason the Parable of the Householder in 20:1-16 is not usually one of our favorites is that it does not end right, at least not in our minds. The householder hired laborers at various times throughout the day, but at the end of the day those who labored only one hour were paid the same as those who worked all day. End of story! That seems to be decided unfairly! Our sympathies lie with the laborers who worked all day, and we think that perhaps the householder should be reported to the appropriate government agency for his unfair labor practices.

When we understand what this parable is all about, it does end right. This parable is about the grace of God, although the word “grace” is not anywhere in it. That is precisely why the ending does not match our ideas of fairness: Grace and “fairness” have little in common. Grace is getting more than we deserve, not what we deserve.

Which of us would be so bold as to ask God to give us what we deserve?
No, we want Him to give us what we need: His mercy and forgiveness.
We might ask, Why did only the last ones hired receive “grace”?
Does God bestow His favor on only a few?

Source: United Country

Actually, all of the laborers were the recipients of the householder’s generosity. Field laborers were hired on a day-to-day basis. The marketplace was the first-century equivalent of the modern “labor pool.” If no one hired those waiting for the day, they received no pay. If there was no pay for that day, there was no food for that day. The householder was doing all of the laborers a great favor just by hiring them. In this respect, the parable is an accurate and moving portrait of God’s grace. If our Father did not freely offer salvation to us, we would be without hope. Everyone who is saved is saved by His marvelous grace.

Matthew 20:11-15 highlights a common problem we have when considering God’s grace: We sometimes grumble at the way God bestows His grace, just as the laborers hired earlier grumbled that the latecomers were paid a wage equal to their own. They had been done no wrong, yet they “begrudged his generosity,” rather than being happy for their fellow-workers who received more than they deserved. (Several “levels” of work were performed, but all received the same pay.) Likewise, we all want God’s grace for ourselves (it is hard not to believe that we somehow really deserve it), but we frequently begrudge (give reluctantly or resentfully) it to others.

This tendency is symptomatic of our failure to comprehend the true nature and extent of God’s grace. Thomas Kempis well expressed it, “How rarely we weigh our neighbor in the same balance in which we weigh ourselves!” The Parable of the Householder is designed to help us with this problem. Precisely because it does end as it does, it teaches us vividly how God’s grace is not bestowed. It is freely given, not we because we earned it or we deserved it but because of God's love of us. Bear in mind, that Christ died on the cross while we were still sinners.

Source: Ottawa Church of Christ

CONCLUSION

We receive His grace by faithful obedience coming into the vineyard, but we do not earn it. We ought to love this parable more than we usually do, for it teaches us in an unforgettable fashion that we are each saved not by pedigree, by works, or by time, but only by God’s grace freely bestowed. We ought to appreciate that truth enough to refrain from ever begrudging the bestowing of God’s grace on anyone else.

If He would save me in spite of my sins, why should I mind if He likewise saves another sinner who, like me, would be hopeless and helpless without His wonderful grace?

Thanks a lot for reading.
Cheers!