Sermon Text for Wednesday of the Fourth Week after the Epiphany

Wednesday of the Fourth Sunday after the Epiphany 
1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5 Matthew 20:1-16

O Lord, let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable to you, my rock and my redeemer. Amen. 

For those of us who are concerned about fairness, the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard can be difficult to hear. By fairness I mean that people are treated the same. Perhaps it is a mercy to us that those who arranged the lectionary do not include anything of chapter 19 into this gospel reading. There too, Jesus says a number of things that sound “unfair.” One example is in Matthew 19:13-15, Jesus rebuked the disciples for preventing little children coming up to Jesus. Jesus explains, “Let the little children come to me and do not hinder them, for to such belongs the kingdom of heaven.” 

That is a confusing statement. Do little children know what to do with a kingdom? It’s not a toy or a game. The kingdom of heaven is for those who are worthy. Surely the kingdom is for those who know a thing or two and who have lived and have experience in the ways of the world. They need to know how to govern, prioritize, handle and manage property, and have good interpersonal skills for dealing with people. Right? Children don’t know those kinds of things. 
 
Another difficult saying of Jesus is the verse before the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard. “Many who are first will be last, and the last first.” To which the fair minded amongst us say, “Nope, nada, no thank you friend.” Those at the back of the line stay at the back of the line. Those who were first in line are the first to come inside and get warm and dry and have some food. Those slow pokes at the end of the line are getting what they deserve for not starting out earlier. 

The parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard is an illustration of Jesus’ saying. In his commentary on Matthew, Jeffrey Gibbs labels this parable, “Offensive Generosity and Equal Reward.” For the fair minded amongst us, that label gets it right. This is offensive. How can workers who didn’t do a thing all day but sit around talking get paid the same amount of pay as those who worked a full day and are dead tired because of it? The very thought of this discrepancy is offensive. 

Yet, the kingdom of heaven is not the same as the world. The two do not work with the same rules at all. In the kingdom of the world, a person is responsible for their own work. In the kingdom of heaven, our work does not mean a thing, because we cannot ever work sufficiently to earn our place in it. Does not matter how long, how hard, how well, we work. We can never gain entrance to the kingdom of heaven because by our very sinful nature, we do not belong there. Our sinful being and subsequent choices would stink up the place. The only way into the kingdom of heaven is for the master to let us in. 

We are not eligible, but Jesus Christ is. He dies on the cross for us so that the kingdom of heaven is a possibility. The Holy Spirit creates faith within us so that we can believe the good news that Jesus’ sacrifice is for our forgiveness. On account of Christ’s sacrifice and the forgiveness conferred upon us by Christ, we are welcomed into the kingdom of heaven. God sees faith in Jesus, faith like a little child’s faith, not time served. For Jesus did all the work for us so that we can enjoy his gift. Regardless of when we come to faith, God’s generosity welcomes us into His kingdom. 

From a human perspective, this may not be fair, but from God’s perspective, it is all grace. Because of our disobedience, we have no right to be there at all. We give thanks to the LORD for his grace to all of us. For Jesus died on the cross for all people. He welcomes all who have faith in him into his eternal kingdom. 

The peace of God which passes all understanding keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus. Amen.