💝Generosity of God

🐱 Matthew 20: 1-16-Parable of the Vineyard Workers; Ecclesiastes 5

Parallels: Isaiah 44: 6-8, Luke 23:42

📖 This parable from Jesus is a bit unique to me.  It isn’t found in the other gospels & it also doesn’t have a clear explanation from Jesus.  It can be taken as a discussion about employment, equal pay, or being satisfied/content in the work/opportunities God provides to you daily & of course God’s Grace is for everyone.

💬The landowner(God) goes searching for workers. Some join his crew from the start (“0-Hour”) agreeing to a denarius for the day’s wage. Throughout the day the landowner returns 3,6,9,11 hours into the day to bring back more workers who agreed to work without even knowing the wage other than “whatever is right”. At the end of the day the landowner pays all labourers the same wage no matter how many hours they worked that day.  The “0-hour” workers complained as even though they vowed to work for an agreed pay at the start, they now believed because they were first & worked longer they would receive more pay & were angry that they were made equal even though they had toiled under the sun for more hours.  The landowner says he will do what he wants with his money & that maybe the workers were just jealous of his generosity, so the last was first & the first last and all received the same!  

💭When studying this parable I saw some parallel lessons to the Teacher in Ecclesiastes 5.  A lesson about the generosity of God & our time on earth.  God’s grace cannot be earned, God will continue to search for you & provide daily for you when you turn to him faithfully. The “0-hour” workers agreed & knew what they were signing up for, so to say. Later the other laborers, faithfully followed this landowner to work without knowing their pay. While the parable focuses on the negative reaction & the expectations of the “0-hour” workers. I can’t help, but think of the 11th hour laborers. At this time the Romans were taking over the small farms of the Israelites as they were in debt & couldn’t pay the Roman taxes. Maybe the 11th hour laborer had been desperately trying to find his own way to solve his problems & had finally broken down to God & prayed. Then the Landowner showed up & gave him a job. The 11th hour worker would have been grateful for any pay. Can you imagine the joy that the 11th hour worker had when he received a full days pay, much more than he expected? This would have been an answer to his prayers!

Sometimes I am the 11th hour laborer….Doubting God’s hand in my life & letting earthly desires separate me from God, I get stubborn & plan my own way until my plans fail. Then I turn to him letting go, letting my faith, lead knowing he will provide & God shows back up & says “What have you been doing all day?” & he gives to me another opportunity & his Grace. My rewards are greater than I expected.

✝️God keeps going back to offer his work to the labourers & no matter when they show up they receive the same opportunity, reward, wage.  

🧐As for being First or Last, we are told in Isaiah that God is The First & The Last & there is no other. He is the only God ever & we are just living as equals as God’s Children as he leads & follows us. There is no “goodness/deserves it more” status. Chasing this status is “meaningless/hevel”, like trying to grasp smoke. We come into the world & out of it the same & God’s Grace is one & the same for each of us no matter when we join the work crew.

📣 Ponderings: What causes the anger of the 0-hour laborer? How do your expectations affect your emotions and reactions to people? What similarities do you see between the passages provided in the post? Are you the 0-hour worker who complains & compares? Are you the 11th-hour that jumps in after going it alone for too long? What gifts can you offer God’s Work Crew in God’s Kingdom?

🎄PWP Christmas Every Month $50 Gift Recipient: Comfort Golden Age Center

  🙏🏻🐈 Oh Heavenly Father we praise you Lord for always looking for us & never giving up.  Let us look to you every day at the 0-hour & let your Will work in us & through us joyously as the 11th hour worker.  We celebrate the generosity of your grace by giving today another donation raised by those wanting to get closer to you & grow in their relationship to you.  May you bless this gift given for your glory & let it find a positive impact for the community.  As we are all equal on this earth as your children, we pray together.  Amen.

#tuxedocat#christianfaith #Biblestudy #Ecclesiastes5 #Godsblessings #faith  #Jesus #Matthew20 #encouragement #paws4prayer #christiancat #prayingforyou #spiritualwalk #christianaction #godsglory #salvation #prayer #practice #CatforChrist #flawed #godsgrace

See More Posts :