Sermon | Year A - The Year of Matthew

September 21, 2008 | Pentecost 19

Jonah 3:10-4:11; Psalm 145:1-8; Philippians 1:21-30; Matthew 20:1-16

God is unfair. I do not give sermon titles, but if I did, that would be the title every time this reading comes around. God is unfair. If you want proof, simply look at the Gospel reading for today; it clearly shows that God gives what is undeserved. The men who worked one hour are paid the same as those who worked all day. In labor negotiation terms, this would be cause for worker unrest.

At a very early age, children learn about fair and unfair. Furthermore, they never grow out of it. People in their old age can pout as much as any five-year-old over not getting as much attention as someone else. The vigilance over fair and unfair stays with us all our days.

Once in a Bible study I had someone who could not get past today’s parable. He would say, “What is the payoff of being a Christian when those who are Christians for only a year at the end of their life are given the same heavenly rewards as those who are Christian all their lives? This all just seems unfair.” To such an outlook, one can only say that God is in fact unfair.

Such a view is looking for a “pay off” when it comes to the faith. Frankly, such a view misses the whole point of being a Christian. I sometimes say that the goal of Christianity is not to get to heaven. In fact, that has never been the goal. Moreover, it has never been the ultimate goal; this is why people who try to scare people into Christianity by saying they will not get to heaven are teaching a false doctrine.

This is because the point of Christianity is to serve God and to praise him in thought, word, and deed. Just as the psalmist for today writes, “I will extol you, my God and King, and bless your name forever and ever. Every day I will bless you, and praise your name forever and ever. Great is the LORD, and greatly to be praised.”

Now as Christians, heaven is our hope, comfort, and joy, but we are Christian because we love God not because we are looking for a heavenly payoff. We look forward to heaven because it means that all things will be restored under the gracious kingdom of our Lord. This motivates us and not a bribe.

The payoff view of Christianity and heaven is the same as saying, “What’s in it for me?” Now, I think we can all sense that “what’s in it for me” is not in harmony with the basic teachings of the faith.

If a couple was planning a wedding and the groom said, “I am looking foreword to this marriage because my bride is rich, and I’ll get money, cars, and cash.” It would be obvious that he needs to rethink the reason for marriage. Marriage is as an act of love and not personal gain. The same is true with being a Christian.

God is a gracious God. He is merciful and forgiving, and the standards of God are in contrast with ours. God is not fair by the human standards. God owes us nothing. Our God is generous.

Today’s parable is actually about the generosity of God. The Lord gives his forgiveness and mercy to anyone who confesses. What our God wants is not a pay scale, but restoration of all humans. God wants all people to receive the fullness of his grace because God is generous. Therefore, this parable is unfair by human payoff standards, but this parable is grace by God’s standards. Being Christian is not a burden that needs a payoff; it is a privilege to praise God.

There is a phrase in today’s letter to the Philippians. In the letter St. Paul says, “For God has graciously granted you the privilege not only of believing in Christ, but of suffering for him as well.”

We see in the early church a sense that to suffer for the Christian faith was a blessing. They were so focused on the importance of the faith that they saw it as an honor to suffer in order to be true to Christ.

This parable tells us that God does not come for us to appease him. Instead, God comes to give his generosity to us. The gods of the Middle East and Roman world were always ones that had to be appeased in some way. One always had to earn their favor. The God of the Christians came and said, it is not I who need appeasing. In fact, I am so gracious a God that I do not force myself upon you. I want to win you through love, forgiveness, and grace.

This message was a new thing; it is still new. Throughout our world, we have to appease so may people and things in order to get through life. However, the one place where the message is completely different is in the presence of our Lord. Here all we do is confess what we are. Instead of hiding our mistakes and failings, our Lord wants us to admit them. He does this out of a free and generous love. We work in the vineyard for Christ not for a payoff. Our God gives us not only a heavenly hope, but strength and forgiveness for this life as well. Amen.