Parables of Jesus—
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
By Joyce Webb 2008
A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.
Jesus told stories so people could understand things about heaven.
Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
Matthew 20:1-16
The kingdom of heaven is like a man that had a vineyard (grape vines).
The man went out early in the morning to look for men to pick the grapes.
He told them he would pay them a penny for the day. The men said okay.
Then about noon, he went to look for some more workers. He told them he would pay them whatever is right and fair. The men said okay.
Three more times that day he went to look for some more workers.
He asked some workers to come just before the day was over.
He told all of them that he would pay them whatever was right and fair. They all said okay.
When all the work was done. The men came to the man for their pay.
He gave them all one penny. The men who had come early in the day and had worked all day thought they should get more money than the men who had worked only one hour.
The man said, “You said you would work all day for a penny. So I am paying you what we agreed. If I want to be generous and pay these other men one penny for less work—-that is my business. I can spend my money as I want. You are jealous because these men—who were willing to work—got as much as you did.”
Then Jesus said, “The last shall be first and the first shall be last. For many are called, but few are chosen.”
The meaning: The workers who began at the beginning of the day agreed to work for what was thought as fair and right pay for a day’s work.
They had nothing to complain about. If they had they been the only workers—they would have been happy with a penny for the day.
The problem came when the master decided to be generous to the other workers and give them the same pay.
By being generous, he did not make a penny for their work unfair.
A penny for their work was usual and expected. Nothing about that changed.
But as soon as they saw the others getting what they had—-they got upset. They started comparing their work to the newcomers. They tried to make it look like their work was worth more.
Yet in the beginning they were happy to have a penny for all day. That is what a day’s work was worth.
Now, they tried to get more than a penny for all day—-because they saw the ones who came to work late get the same.
All who come to Jesus for salvation will receive “heaven” as “payment“.
It will not matter if we lived for Jesus all of our lives or if we came to Jesus a few minutes before we died. We will all get “heaven”—-like the payment of the penny.
Verse 16 says: “The first shall be last and the last shall be first.”
When we get to heaven, we will find that some one who we thought was “little” and “not important” here on earth will get a big reward.
And others who we thought were famous and “big” and “important” here on earth may get a small reward.
Some little woman that no one knows, who has never been out in public much. She has stayed at home. May be she has bad health and can not get out.
But she has prayed. She has prayed a lot—-for our government leaders, for preachers, for missionaries, for people to get saved.
Maybe she has written letters and notes to people to tell them about Jesus or to encourage them to keep on being Christian.
Everyone will be expecting some famous preacher on TV to get the big reward—– or a famous singer, but this little lady gets it instead. No one even knows who she is. But God knows her and how faithful she has been and how her prayers have helped so many.
People will expect the big important people to get the big rewards.
But we may be surprised. The big reward may go to someone who we think was not important—–may we think they did not do anything—-but God knew what they did.
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In Matthew 20:26-28, the mother of two of the disciples came to Jesus to ask Jesus to do something. She wanted Jesus to let her two sons have special favor and a place beside Jesus when He had his kingdom.
Jesus told her that He was not the one to make that decision. That decision would be made by the Father in heaven.
The woman was mistaken in her understanding about Jesus. Jesus did not come to earth the first time to set up an earthly kingdom. Jesus came to die on a cross and rise again.
The second time Jesus comes to earth, in the future, Jesus will set up His kingdom here on earth.
The woman and the two disciples will be in heaven by then. It will be up to the heavenly Father to decide about the two sons and their place in God’s kingdom.
Then Jesus said, “Whoever wants to be great—let him be your minister. Whoever wants to be “chief” or the leader—let him be a servant.”
The Jesus said, “Even as the Son of Man (Jesus) came to the earth—not for people to minister and serve Him —but for Him to minister and serve them. And to give his life for many people.”
Jesus was saying the really “big” great person is the one who is humble and is willing to serve others.
The really great person does not take the leaders place and make other people serve him and do what he says—that is not “greatness”.
“Greatness” is a heart willing to help. “Greatness” is being humble and not puffed up and proud.
“Greatness” is willing to do the dirty work and not just the clean, “high” work that is nice or is what others see.
“Greatness” is willing to do the work that needs to be done that no one notices—maybe cleaning the restrooms in the church, maybe setting up chairs before the service or taking them down afterward, maybe helping in the kitchen where no sees you instead of out front where people notice you.
Jesus showed the disciples His willingness to do the lowly work when he washed their feet. (John 13:4-12)
Jesus was the leader and master, but he did the work of a servant.
Jesus wanted them to see that serving God was not about being a great “leader” for everyone to see and hear you.
It was about doing good to your neighbor in every way, even lowly ways of helping. Whatever kinds of things that are needed—don’t be too proud to do it.