hey you're my wrecking ball

won't you come and knock me down

The Gospel according to St. Matthew:

Today’s parable is right in our “wheelhouse,” grace. It’s all grace. 

That’s what we’re all about here too, grace.

We hear Jesus tell this parable of the landowner who treats all the laborers the same, and we applaud. 

After all, we’re the “nice” Lutherans. We don’t make folks jump through hoops, we don’t exclude - we, just like the landowner, we’re gracious. 

Yes, this parable seems to have been recorded just for us.

We hear today’s Gospel, and we settle in and get ready to pat ourselves on the back. We hear today’s Gospel, and before the preacher can open his mouth, we already know the punchline, “let’s keep acting like that magnanimous landowner.” 

In fact, I know you; you blue collar union-workers; why you even commend the landowner for paying all the workers the same. When Jesus tells that the landowner is just as generous to those 11th hour workers as she is to the those ones who have been working all day; we nod along, with no modesty. 

Yes, today’s Gospel seems to be meant for folks exactly like us. 

In fact, why am I even bothering with a sermon? 

You don’t need any exhortation for this parable!

Let’s just applaud ourselves and get back to the business of acting like that landowner…

…It isn’t just that easy, though; is it?

Something is amiss.

For as well as we think we’ve put this parable safely away in our wheelhouse; we can’t help but feel a little uneasy as the pastor reads from St. Matthew and then announces “The Gospel of the Lord.” Although we know we’re supposed to say, “Praise to you, O Christ,” we can’t help but stumble over these words.

This parable subtly unsettles us; before the parable is over we’re a little off-balance.

Although we may not admit it at the union-hall or the democratic headquarters; we can sympathize with those folks who have been working all day. I mean; sure, we’re all in favor of equality, but let’s not go overboard with it.

That isn’t the only problem with today’s parable, though; because when Jesus tells of the landowner’s reply to these grumbling laborers, “am I not allowed to do what I want with what is mine,” we can’t help but admit we agree with the landowner too!

Before Jesus has finished we’ve gone from championing worker’s rights to singing the rights of the employer to pay however they want…

No, for one day of the year, let’s not kid ourselves; this parable has teeth. 

In fact, for as inclined as we are to flippantly give our blessing to this parable, the parable itself never pretends to be so domestic. 

Typically the punch of Jesus’ parables comes about twenty minutes after they’re read; but not today’s. No, Jesus doesn’t beat around the bush, this parable is going to shock any reasonable person. 

Jesus doesn’t pretend otherwise; this parable has teeth, and it isn’t afraid to bear them.

So, for those of you who can’t shake your apprehension as this parable is read, take heart. Those of you can’t help but hear this parable and wonder if it isn’t sanctioning so much as it is implicating, lift your head. 

Have courage, you fearful lot. Don’t be afraid because, as this parable has it’s way with you, you find yourself standing, not with the self-satisfied masses, but with the repentant thief and every other sinner Jesus came to get.

So what, then? What is the cause of our misgiving with today’s parable? If on the face of it, we seem to be in agreement with this parable, why does it give us pause?

If we are going to be honest about our aversion to Jesus’ words, let us, at least, try to also name the source of our aversion. Why is it that this parable unsettles us?

As is true with any word that has the ability to stun, the rub of Jesus’ parable sits out in the open, it’s right under our noses. 

As that old saying goes, “if it were a snake it would have bit you.” And that’s exactly what Jesus intended! As you search his parable for a moral, something to do, the shock of Jesus’ Word jumps up and gets you. The edge of today’s parable, like all glaring truths, is so obvious, we’re all too likely to miss it…

A college pastor tells a story about studying this parable with some students on a sleepy monday morning. After reading the very same parable we just read to a group of coeds, the pastor asked, “what impresses you most about the landowner.”

The students were quiet, and then slowly one student raised her hand. “Yes,” the pastor said. “Well,” the student offered, “the landowner keeps leaving the land.”

Everyone, including the pastor, was quiet for a moment. The pastor read the parable over again, and admitted, “by golly, you’re right! The landowner keeps leaving his blasted land!”

And there, hidden in plain sight, is the shock of this parable! The absentee landowner’s very absence is the cause of our discontent.

Jesus says, “the kingdom of heaven is like this landowner.” Alright, fair enough. When Jesus ventures to describe the landowner, though; we can’t help but get a little uncomfortable. 

This landowner begins the day by going out and hiring some laborers. No sooner has the landowner gotten back to the vineyard, though, that he get anxious. After an hour or two, the landowner goes back in the marketplace to hire more laborers. Once the landowner has returned with these laborers, an hour or two passes and the landowners gets restless and leaves yet again.

This scene replays itself five times!

In fact, the landowner is so anxious to get more laborers into the vineyard, that as late as one hour before quitting time, that landowner turns up in the marketplace again looking for more laborers! I mean, can you imagine the kind of folks who were left looking for work one hour before quitting time?

That’s the shock of the parable right there! 

The bombshell of this parable isn’t the landowner’s management- or rather mismanagement, it isn’t even the equal, or depending on your perspective unequal pay. No, the revelation of today’s parable is that the landowner won’t stay put!

The thunderbolt of today’s parable turns out to be the landowner himself. 

See, if we could somehow make this parable play by our rules, if we could just get it to tell us a moral or ideology, something to do; we could deal with it. The parable refuses to play by our rules, though. 

The parable intends to have it’s way with us. 

No, this parable shocks us because, as Jesus says at the very beginning, “the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner.” Jesus doesn’t say, “okay, here’s what to do, here’s how to vote, here’s how to manage your business.” 

In fact, to make today’s parable into some business model, would not only be to tragically miss the point of the parable, it would also be a good way to lose your every last red-cent.

No, Jesus expects us to protest to this parable. Jesus foresees that we will join those folks who have been working all day and shout, “hey, that isn’t how things work,” when they see what the landowner is up to.

Jesus wants us to protest, in fact. That’s why Jesus begins the parable the way he does, so that when we inevitably protest, he can reply, “exactly. I’m not talking about you and your miserable little kingdom; I’m talking about God.” 

That’s what shocking about today’s parable. That’s why, as the pastor says “The Gospel of the Lord,” you can’t help but have second-thoughts while you’re replying, “Praise to you, O Christ,” on cue.

This parable gets us all uncomfortable because of it’s not-so-subtle threat; God’s after you. God is on the prowl.

God’s after you and there isn’t a thing you can do about it. God’s after you, and God isn’t concerned about the contents of your bank-account, whether your name is on the rolls of some upstanding congregation, political party, charitable organization; or -more than likely- not. 

No, the only thing that matters to God is that when Jesus comes to where you are and says, “you also go into the vineyard,” you trust that Word. You trust that the landowner gives the vineyard to you.

This parable is scandalous because it asserts that you don’t have to do a rotten thing; the landowner has left the vineyard!

This parable makes us uneasy because it proclaims that, to God, it makes little difference if you’ve been a member in good standing your entire life or if your standing in life is the cause for shame. This parable makes us uncomfortable because it asserts that, since God is the actor, all our accomplishments as well as our failures; no longer define us. 

This parable makes us uncomfortable because of the unbelievable promise it makes, God chooses you.

Sisters and brothers, God is on the prowl. In fact, you could even say the kingdom of heaven is like landowner who keeps leaving the land to get you there.

Let me hear you say it, “Amen.”