This week's gospel lesson is about how everybody gets paid the same, no matter how long or how hard they work. You can stand around all day moaning about how no one will give you any work, then work for one hour and still retire with a full pension. On the one hand it's a pretty sweet deal; on the other it does make one wonder why we bother doing anything if God's equally generous to all.
Yep. I really do get paid to ponder this kind of stuff with paper and scissors.
4 comments:
Another fine cutting job! Though I might come up with the idea, that cutting would drive me crazy. I couldn't do it.
Yeah, when I saw that as our focus lesson at WB my first thought was, "Not again; we all get so bent out of shape about the inequality of the pay." However, this time I had the revelation from the landowner's view---usually, I'm the laborer. The job was done! The grapes were harvested at their prime. It took more workers than he anticipated, and the fact that the last group only worked a short time, they were crucial to the completion of the task. Their effort was just as important as that of those who worked all day. In his joy he paid them all the same. If the last group had not come in maybe the landowner would have begrudged paying the "first hired", and those workers would have felt a failure. Whatever . . . the point is: the goal is reached.
I guess what I'm saying in the short version is "Everyone's contribution is important." And all will be rewarded.
Let's remember that everyone's vote is important too.
My big revelation this week was that this is the same song-second verse of the prodigal story. The slackers get the same treatment as everyone else, and it's the self-righteous who are left whining about fair treatment.
Yeah, we talked about the prodigal son too. But, if one is the parent or the landowner, joy and celebration can't be contained.
Second, those later workers were not slackers---they were overlooked, not hired, not called. They served when given a chance.
Third, the self-righteous are simply self-idolators and never understand "fairness" or common sense. There are a lot of us in that category too.
Not preaching at you; just extending the thoughts you triggered.
What really struck me this morning as I listened to the Gospel is that the one who was hired in the morning had the security of knowing as he worked all day in the field that he would collect his pay at the end of the day; he would be able to feed his family, pay down his debts, and maybe give some back to God. The one who was last hired spent the day worrying about how to feed the kids and what to do if the creditors came knocking; wondering how generous the priests of the temple would be when it came time to distribute meat offerings to the poor.
Is the first hired wrong to hope for a bonus at the end of the day? No, it's part of our human make-up that having tasted once the blessings God grants we want more. But to expect or assume that more is his due is simply foolish, because it suggests that the grace of God is insufficient and in short supply.
End of sermon.
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