Oh the injustice

I was hurting, and hoping for one of those special “God moments”. So I turned to my Bible. Before opening it I prayed, “Oh Jesus direct me to a word to heal my hurt. Show me scripture of what you think about me.” I know this probably sounds absurd to many of you, but you see just the other day I was overcome with sadness. I felt so insecure and unworthy. I started to believe I was deserving of my sadness. A small whisper in my heart said to turn on the radio. Before I could even do it, the lyrics,” I believe what you say of me” played in my mind. I couldn’t quite place the song, but the second the radio came on Laura Daingle’s song ‘You Say’ started playing. I recognized the lyrics and knew instantly the Lord wanted me to hear this. So here I was trying to milk another compliment out of God. Yeah, it doesn’t work that way… I was reminded of this when I opened my Bible to Matthew 20.

For those of you who are unfamiliar, its a parable Jesus gave. It talks about a vineyard owner hiring men to work in his field. The first group of guys agree to a full days work for a denarius. Throughout the day the owner goes around hiring anyone without work, up until the last hour of the work day. At the end of the day everyone gathers around for their payment. The owner pays them in order of last hired, or rather shortest time worked. He starts handing out a denarius to each of the workers. The original group of workers see this, and of course assume it means they will be getting a pay raise. Well I’m sure you can imagine their shock when they too received a single denarius. I mean talk about injustice! They work all day only to be paid the same amount as the guys who only worked for an hour?! Its like when you realize that lazy employee you work with is making the same amount as you. It’s not fair! It’s degrading. Isn’t your hard work and time worth more? They of course speak up saying, “These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.” Today we would applaud these men for standing up for their rights. Even though I know this story, I can’t help but nod my head in favor of the poor hard working made up men. I relate and sympathize with them. The moral of this parable is found in the owners response, “Friends I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a deniarus? Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what I own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous”

These guys were content to work this field for a denarius, and that was without knowing all the help they would receive throughout the day. So technically they did less work then they were expecting, and still made the same amount of money. They couldn’t see that though, because they became focused on what everyone else was getting. Suddenly the worth of their work was diminished by the worth of others. They felt entitled to more than what they agreed upon and expected the owner to do what they wanted with his money.

How often do we let others determine our worth? We take our eyes off our calling and blessing and begin sizing it up with everyone else around us. We begin to feel like what we are and have isn’t enough. We can feel entitled to their blessings. In our minds they can become collateral damage on our path to self appointed self worth. We begrudge God for blessing others. What a blessing this payment was to these men without work! If we view this story as a testamony for the guy hired last, its a beautiful story of God providing. You wouldn’t even give a second thought to the the first group of guys hired. I know the meaning of this parable is to explain that you can live your whole life being good and following after God, and the next person could live a terrible life and give their life to the Lord and still get the same heavenly reward as you. But for me today, it was a polite way for the Lord to say, stay in your lane. Stay focused on where you’re going, don’t be distracted by everyone around you. What they are doing doesn’t diminish what you are doing. It wasn’t quite the compliment I was hoping for, but it was the denarius I needed.