Let's Not Make a Deal
Scripture Reading: Matthew 20:1-16
In this parable of the laborers, those who went out first to labor had an agreement. They made a verbal contract for their work. They would do a certain amount of work and get paid a certain wage. The laborers who were hired late in the day didn’t have any contract. They went and worked and left it up to the master of the house to pay them a fair wage.
As it turned out, the master paid everyone the same amount no matter how many hours they worked. This bothered the men who had worked all day even though they were paid exactly what they contracted for. The master responds to their complaint by asking two questions:
1. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?
2. Do you begrudge me my generosity?
We make a mistake when we operate from a position of works and not grace. With a works mindset, we take the position of getting what we’ve earned. Of course, one problem with that is that what we have actually earned is death. The wages of sin is death (Romans 6:23). The other problem is we miss out on more than we imagine.
Earlier in Matthew’s gospel, in the Sermon on the Mount Jesus talked about doing things to be seen by other people. He mentions prayer, fasting, and giving alms. He says if we do them to be seen and praised, whatever praise we get from others is the only “payoff” for us. On the other hand, if we do it in secret to be seen only by God, we receive our reward from God.
The connection between these two things is that in both cases there are a subset of workers who end up shorting themselves when it comes to what they receive back from their efforts. They end up not receiving all that they might have received had they taken a different approach.
If instead of serving from a position of works, we act out of a grace mindset, the outcome is completely different. The laborers that go out and work without making any demands on what they will receive in return, get far more than anyone anticipated. The people who give, fast, and pray in secret get back from their Father far more than they would ever receive from any man.
The key here is faith. If we believe and trust that our God is a generous God then we won’t need to have any kind of upfront expectations about what we get out of our efforts. If we believe that the praise of God is far better than the praise of man, we don’t have to be acknowledged or recognized for our work.
God is allowed to do what he chooses with what is his. Those who know him, know that he is a good and generous God. They don’t sweat it. By faith, they know they will be blessed in far greater measure than they deserve. They believe in grace, not just for salvation, but for all of life.
