Wages

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, 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.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’  So the last will be first, and the first last.” Matthew 20:1-16. I felt like talking about this parable today. This is explaining the kingdom of heaven like the master of a house or perhaps a farmer searching for workers to take in his harvest. First God's harvest, God's harvest God sets the rules. God is sovereign.  This master goes out early looking for workers to work in his fields and he finds some and they agree on wages for the day. Later in the day he searches again for more workers and finds them, the text says the third hour. Up to the 11th hour of the day the master is looking for workers to bring in his harvest.  It seems they are working 12 hour days, or at least those that started at the first call that set the wages. At the end of the day, the master chooses to pay every last worker the same wages. This is about the kingdom of heaven because that is how this chapter starts out, telling us that very fact. It is more about the kingdom of heaven than it is about farm labor wages. The earliest workers did not like the fact that the 11th hour workers got paid the same.  The Master (God ) says it is my harvest, it is my money that I am paying these wages with, have I not given you what we agreed upon? God had given them the agreed upon wages. He did nothing wrong. So if this is about the Kingdom of Heaven, which it says it is. We will all inherit eternal life when we sign p to work for the Master. It doesn't matter if you labored all your life, and you get to heaven and you see an 11th hour Christian up there getting the same reward as you. God has chosen to give eternal life to all that would call on him for the pardon of their sins.  This is about the Kingdom of Heaven, our wages, our reward will be eternal life.  All who come to God even those that come to him on a death bed repentance will receive eternal life. It is not based on how many years I served the master, but on have I accepted Jesus as Savior and Lord. That is the criteria, not how many hours I labored in the sun, but have I accepted Jesus as Lord and Savior. I have heard of death bed repentance, but many who wait for a death bed repentance could be taken by surprise and miss their opportunity. The time to accept Christ is when he calls on your heart. When he knocks on your hearts door, you do not know but it could be the eleventh hour for you. Tomorrow is not promised. Only God knows the number of our days. Life is so soon gone.  Have you arranged to work in the Masters fields, they are ready for harvest and he is looking for workers.  God bless, LVZ.