The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

This post is from Turning Points Daily Devotionals with Pastor David Jeremiah

One of the most unfair parables Jesus told—unfair to the natural mind—concerned a landowner who hired men throughout the day to work in his vineyard. They all stopped work at the same time and were paid the same wage. The last men hired were paid the same as the first men hired—and the first men hired grumbled about the unfairness of everyone being paid the same amount even though not everyone worked the same amount (see Matthew 20:1-16). The landowner replied, “What’s unfair about me doing with my money what I will?”

Jesus’ parable was directed toward the religious leaders who thought it unfair that latecomers to the kingdom of heaven should receive the full measure of grace and kingdom standing as those who had devoted their lives to God. Jesus’ point is that God’s actions are a blend of justice, grace, and mercy, all balanced by His perfect purposes. God is never unfair, but He is always just, gracious, and merciful. Faith comes when we trust Him to blend those elements perfectly in every situation. God is the landowner and we are the workers. It is His right to do as He will with what is His.