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“The vineyard owner said, “Can’t I do what I want with my stuff?”
᛭ INI ᛭
In our yearly schedule of readings, we’re following Jesus down from the mountain of Transfiguration as He starts His last trip to Jerusalem, and just like a mountain transitions to a valley, so we do too in our Lectionary! Like passing downward through the tree line, we travel with Jesus from Transfiguration to Calvary. Sure, 70 days till Easter, but we’re not quite into the valley of Lent.
Every year we take this time to look at the Reformation Solas: Sola Gratia (By Grace Alone), Sola Scriptura (By Scripture Alone), and Sola Fide (By Faith Alone). (Good prep for Lent!) Put together they mean that Christ alone saves us by grace alone, we receive this by faith alone, and we believe this by Scripture alone.
Today, it’s a Parable about Workers in the Vineyard, and a parable is usually defined as “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” But there’s usually something that’s weird and makes no sense, so parables actually have “an out of this world meaning!” That’s certainly today’s parable!
Today’s Gospel is one of Jesus’ parables. Simply put: a parable’s “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” But that doesn’t mean Jesus tells Parables so people understand Him. He doesn’t. (He actually says that next week.) There’s usually something that makes no sense at all in His parables! So, a Parable is “an earthly story with an out of this world meaning!” That’s certainly today’s parable!
(2. The Sola Gratia Parable retold.)
A landowner needs workers. So, he goes out at dawn to hire some at 1 denarius a day. That’s 1 denarius for 12 hours of work, roughly 6a to 6p. Some maybe paid less, but 1 denarius was pretty standard. Let me put that in dollars. It’s a bit low in today’s terms, but it makes for easy math: $120 for the day.
Seems He’s got a bumper crop, needs it harvested that day, so at 9a he hires more workers. “Whatever’s right, I’ll pay you,” he says. Little bit later he still needs more workers! So, back he goes at noon and 3p to hire more. The sun’s setting, but the work’s not done yet! He needs more workers. (See, how desperate He is!) All the workers he’d hired still weren’t enough. So, He rushes out at the 11th hour (5p): “You go into My vineyard, too!”
At quitting time he sends out his manager: “Pay them, starting with those hired last.” When they open their envelopes, they don’t find a Ten but 6 Twenties—a full $120! They mill around, not quite sure what to do! The same thing happens up the line—$120 for those hired at 3p, noon, and 9a! Lost in themselves those hired first think, “We’re going to get more!” They also get $120.
They’re angry! The math isn’t hard! Only those hired first deserve $120, not those who worked only 9, 6, 3, or 1 hour! The owner gave full pay for an hour’s work! “What gives!? You made us equal!” the first workers say, “It’s unfair, you cheated us! What is this: Universal Basic Income?” “Listen, buddy,” the owner replies, “I’m not cheating you. We agreed to a denarius. Can’t I do what I want with my stuff? Here’s your pay. Get out!” What of the others? They maybe hang around. Who wouldn’t?! Seems like the kind of gracious and generous Boss you’d want to work for, or be enslaved to…
(1.The Sola Gratia Parable preached.)
The Lord’s parable is all about the unfairness of “grace alone.” Grace is God’s generous mercy toward the undeserving, and it goes against human fairness! God doesn’t meet our expectations. He’s works completely differently than anything we experience in this life! “Your ways are not My ways, declares the LORD.” (Is 55:8)
He doesn’t give out salvation based on what we do. It’s a free gift! “People are freely justified for Christ’s sake, through faith, when they believe that they are received into God’s favor and that their sins are forgiven for Christ’s sake.” (AC IV) “By grace you’ve been saved through faith. This isn’t your own doing; it’s the [free] gift of God, not a result of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph 2) Just like the vineyard owner gave each worker a denarius not because of how long or hard he worked, but because “I choose to give to this last one as I gave to you.”
We know fairness and how everyone measures up—how they compare to us; how we compare to them. We think we’re the one who’s hired at 5, but we sound like those hired first when we talk about our fellow Christians. (That’s called “hypocrisy.”) We say God’s favor is free, but our behavior proves we don’t fully believe it.
God’s actual free grace destroys our entire sinful way of doing things! I’m not just talking about how we deal with Christians in our daily lives, members here or otherwise—publicly treating them one way but privately saying or thinking, “They’re not doing enough…” Since we’re dealing with God’s free grace, we’ve also got to talk about the delivery of God’s Grace, what we Lutherans call “the Means of Grace.”
The vineyard owner’s question exposes it all: “Can’t I do what I want with my stuff?”
“I did not shrink from declaring to you the whole counsel of God.”
- Sinful humanity always does this:
- What the Lord makes free, we charge; what the Lord limits, we ignore and break down.
- If the Lord gives a gift with no limits, we crave a command instead. If the Lord gives a command, we disobey.
- Stiff-necked people. (Ex 32) The desires of our flesh are against the desires of the Lord. (Gal 5).
- Tree of Knowledge (Gen 2—3), Manna (Ex 16), Water from Rock (Ex 17 & Num 20).
- The Lord’s giving is always over the top gracious. (Ps 23; Lk 6; Is 40)
- Means of Grace (His works for us not ours for Him)
- Baptism for all nations, except infants.
- Baptism, Absolution, Preaching, and the Sacrament—all for forgiveness! The same Lord instituted them all. “Can’t I do what I want with my stuff?”
- Calvary vs Means of Grace
- Weekly Communion—another time the Lord hands out His denarius.
- “Do this” but no “when”. Why? (cp. w/ Passover)
- The Lord gives not with an IOU, but a full days wage every time! (Not in the way of scarcity and lack, but stocked full!)
- Just like it was His denarius in the Parable, so it’s His Supper for you.
- John 6; John 3; John 8; John 20; Verba Domini
- Mk 16:16
“Can’t I do what I want with my stuff?” He does.
In spite of us,
THE LORD CHOOSES TO GIVE OUT HIS GRACE AND MERCY FOR FREE!
That’s sola gratia! Not only in purchase but also in the delivery—the Means of Grace!
(Conclusion.)
Today’s parable has “an out of this world meaning!” The vineyard owner says, “Can’t I do what I want with my stuff? I choose to give to this last one as I have given to you.” That’s the out of this world meaning!
THE LORD CHOOSES TO GIVE OUT HIS GRACE AND MERCY FOR FREE!
Our flesh always wants to curb the grace of God, using boundaries and measurements He doesn’t. Our flesh always ignores the boundaries and measurements He actually has set up! Our flesh is always contrary to God’s will! Thankfully,
THE LORD CHOOSES TO GIVE OUT HIS GRACE AND MERCY FOR FREE!
Whether that’s Jesus dying for you or delivering His grace and forgiveness in His Means of Grace. It’s all free! It’s all over the top! It’s completely different from our way of thinking! Only those who don’t believe in Him and reject His gracious giving will be told, “Get out.” Those who in faith stick around in stunned silence will one Day break out in glorious and eternal praises:
Gracious Mercy Blog 