Matthew 20: The Landowner Who Hired Workers

Randy Owens

This blog is intended for Christian discussion. Each week I hope to post on a different verse from the Common Lectionary and solicit discussion. Matthew 20:1-16 is the parable of the landowner who hired workers throughout the day and at the end of the day paid them all the same wage.
Key Points:

  • God is the landowner

  • The landowner called and hired new laborers at 9am, noon, 3pm, 5pm, and the end of the day. This is symbolic of God calling throughout our lives; as infants, adolescents, teens, young adults, middle age, and when elderly. God is always calling.

  • The landownder paid all who answered his call and labored for him the same, regardless of whether they labored the entire day or or labored the last hour of the day. God rewards all who answer his calling, and God decides the reward. What humans consider fair is not a consideration, because God's fairness is not judge against human standards.

  • The landowner, God, agreed to pay what is right. His fairness is for all and is meted out according to his justice. We have opporunties to accept God's calling and labor for him throughout our entire lives. Those who accepted early should be joyful when others accept, even right before their dying breathes. This isn't about human fairness, but soul redemption.

  • The last will be first and the first last. What does this mean? Does it mean that those who have lived a life without God, were converted and heard the calling of the landowner will be accepted first in the kingdom of heaven? Does it mean the Gentiles who accept Christ will be the first in heaven? Does it mean the dregs of society, the prostitutes, the lepers, the tax collectors, and the sinners who came to accept Christ will be first.

  • Does having a Christian spirit mean that when those considered by human thoughts to be the low and underserving, accept Christ we celebrate all the more? A Christian disposition and perspective is based on the relationship with Christ and not on what would be considered fair or acceptable in the world.

    In closing, the most important thing is to focus on what God has called you to do. Others may be called to things more grand and elaborate, but if we just labor in the area where God has called us, we will be rewarded with what is right.