It can be (and has been) argued that this is purely about Grace, and those coming late into the Kingdom being afforded the same Grace as they enter. That is correct.
When the argument has been made, however, that this passage (and that Grace) has nothing to do with economics and how we live economically in THIS part of God's Kingdom, it has been made in error.
It has EVERYTHING to do with Grace. If the expectation is that such Grace is lived in the Kingdom of heaven, then there is an expectation that those who aspire to be in that part of the Kingdom must live that Grace here and now, in this part of the Kingdom.
There is an expectation here. If God is so gracious with us, we are commanded to be so gracious with one another.
Grace is not based on merit. You cannot earn it. You cannot warrant it. You cannot be worthy of it. By definition (undeserved loving mercy given freely) Grace is based on need. It is about the one who has the means and is in a position to be gracious giving this unmerited mercy and love to those who need it, purely because they need it (and because the one who is giving it lives by Jesus' command to live Agape Love - active commitment on behalf of the other, even stranger and enemy), thus keeping Jesus' commandment to love neighbor as one loves oneself.
Day laborers needed a day's wage, small as it was, to feed their families for that day. Those who were chosen later in the day to be hired needed to feed their families no less than those who were chosen earlier in the day and had no worries about being paid their basic, subsistence wage that day. Those who waited all day to be hired would be stressed, knowing that they would not receive enough for that family to eat that day, but also knowing that something is better than nothing. Imagine their joy to receive a whole day's wage, and barely enough to feed their families, rather than not enough. The assumption of those who worked all day for the daily wage, that they would receive more because of the generosity of the landowner to those who had not, was made out of a sense of entitlement to more than that upon which they had agreed - more than enough.
I believe this lesson is about paying enough to workers for their well-being, and not just based on merit but based on their need to receive it.
I believe this lesson is about landowners taking into consideration, in Grace and Agape Love, the need to be generous with workers, and not only taking profit into consideration.
I believe this lesson is about workers not begrudging what others may make who are in need of feeding their families.
It is about the Agape Love that Jesus commanded his followers to live. It is about living the Grace that God extends to us, with one another in this part of God's Kingdom.
So, Christian business owners, executives and stockholders who would follow Jesus will gladly take less profit, less salary and fewer bonuses to make sure that those who work "under" them make at least a living wage so that they can have well-being and provide for their families, right?
In recessions or depressions (like the one we are about to enter), stockholders will understand companies taking less profit in order to keep their employees employed, executives will forgo on the bonuses they might receive in lessening the workforce and owners will gladly take less profit, right?
So all of the believers in business, who sit on the pews or seats and breath in the sanctuary air on Sundays will fight for a living wage instead of a minimum one (say of $15 per hour), and fight for all citizens to have health coverage so that employees and their families can have their well-being, right?
So, followers of Jesus will make profit less important, always having more less important and rising higher than someone else less important, in order to keep His commandment to love neighbor as one loves oneself, right?
By the way, this parable pre-dates communism by about 1900 years.
God is not interested in which socioeconomic system we adopt.
God cares that it is just, equitable and provides enough especially to the most vulnerable among us.
God cares for the people who have been exploited by political ideologies and economic systems like laissez-faire Capitalism for a couple hundred years. God cares for the creation that is being polluted, destroyed and wasted so that a few can have more and everyone else dies. God cares for those being held down, back and out from what they need by those few who have it all.
God cares. God takes sides.
If you want to be right with God in this part of the Kingdom and hope to find yourself in that part of it someday, perhaps living Graciously with others as God has been with us, and living Jesus' commanded Agape Love is a start - in EVERY aspect of life - politics, economics, community, family, etc...
Or you can exploit, manipulate, cheat and destroy others on your way to the top now, or be complacent and apathetic about the plight of others as you collect more than you need, leaving everyone else in the dust.
Just remember, in the Kingdom...
The LAST shall be FIRST, and the FIRST shall be LAST.
Pastor Jamie
No comments:
Post a Comment