Thursday, May 9, 2013

The kingdom of heaven

20:1 "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
20:2 After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard.
20:3 When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace;
20:4 and he said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' So they went.
20:5 When he went out again about noon and about three o'clock, he did the same.
20:6 And about five o'clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why are you standing here idle all day?'
20:7 They said to him, 'Because no one has hired us.' He said to them, 'You also go into the vineyard.'
20:8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, 'Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.'

20:9 When those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage.
20:10 Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage.
20:11 And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner,
20:12 saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.'
20:13 But he replied to one of them, 'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage?



20:14 Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you.
20:15 Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?'
20:16 So the last will be first, and the first will be last."    Matthew 20:1-16

The reward is the same whether we believe in God for 5 minutes or for a life time - Eternal Life!


Beyond Comparison

The landowner said, “Are you envious because I am generous?”
- Matthew 20:15 (NRSV)
 
In our reading for today, Jesus tells of a man who hired different workers at different times of the day: morning, noon, and evening. When it was time for the workers to receive the wages promised to them, those who had worked all day were upset that those who came later were paid just as much as they. The employer told them he had done no wrong, that he paid each one what he had promised. 
 
 
 
So what caused these all-day workers to be upset? They compared their situations to someone else’s. If they had not compared, they would not have been dissatisfied. Sometimes, looking at others’ lives, I become dissatisfied because theirs look richer and fuller than mine. Maybe they have the kinds of relationships that I long for. Or maybe they have luxuries that seem unattainable to me. When we compare ourselves to someone else, we may end up feeling better than that person, which can fill us with pride; or we may end up feeling worse, which can fill us with insecurity and jealousy.
The parable we read today teaches us that focusing on what others have or do not have leaves us feeling empty. If we focus instead on the goodness of God and how trustworthy and wonderful God is, we will find that the spiritual life offers riches beyond comparison.

Prayer

Dear heavenly Father, help us to trust that you will sustain us. Amen.
Prayer focus - To let go of jealousy








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