embedded, indebted, don't let

no never let it be said 

A sermon Jesus' parable of the reckless estate holder

Well, Jesus has really stepped in it this morning. Hasn’t he? Doesn’t he know this parable hits awfully close to a case that’s before the Supreme court right now?!? 

And doesn’t he know that these days we have no greater margins in our lives than the narrow divides of partisan politics? Doesn’t the immortal, invisible God only wise know that if he isn’t careful, we’ll divide into tribes and be at one another’s throats just like that?!?

Most importantly, though, can’t the guy have a little pity on poor ol’ me?!? Doesn’t Jesus know I DON’T want to preside over any of that?!? Doesn’t he know I just want to give an inoffensive, milquetoast sermon and be home in time for my afternoon nap?!? And, after all, it is all about me. Isn’t it?

Jesus, though, would seem to think not. To hear Christ speak is to come to the definitive conclusion that there are more important matters for him. As far as Christ’s concerned, a chicken-hearted pastor is mere collateral damage. No, for Christ, it’s about the kingdom of heaven.

The kingdom of heaven, that odd place. The kingdom of heaven that’s like a vintner. A vintner went out early in the morning to hire some day laborers. 

…And here, already, we have a couple of unusual details! First of all, no self-respecting estate owner would concern themselves with trifling matters like temporary hires. And secondly, you don’t negotiate with folks standing around, looking for work! 

No, the only reason you go to the halfway house looking for workers is so you won’t have to pay them minimum wage! Not THIS estate owner, though. No, instead of leveraging the poor saps’ desperation, he caves in to it! With no haggling whatsoever, the estate owner just agrees to $20 an hour!

And as unusual as that is, it doesn’t stop there! Jesus seems to want to make sure, beyond a shadow of a doubt, that we understand the kingdom of heaven is not just a little different from this ol’ kingdom. No, it’s really different from it!

Less than three hours later, Jesus tells us this estate owner, who’s like the kingdom of heaven, is back at it! Only this time, he’s letting his reputation speak for itself. Instead of wrangling over pay, the estate owner just tells those down-on-their-luck stiffs that he’ll pay what’s fair. Reminding them, presumably, that he’s mister $20-an-hour. 

And if that wasn’t enough, the estate owner just keeps doing this, too! Every three hours or so, the estate owner hauls himself down to the marketplace to hire more workers. In fact, he does this all the way down to the wire, to 5 pm, one measly hour before quitting time!

You can just imagine the kind of ilk loitering around at that hour. The estate owner, though, doesn’t seem to notice at all! He only seems frustrated that he hasn’t already hired those wastrels!

“What are you doing, standing around like that,” the estate owner exclaims. “Don’t you know it’s hiring time down at Kingdom Vineyards,” he asks. Adding, “Hurry! Grab a spade and get past the gate before the whistle blows!”

…Now, if you ask me, and it’s not just because I’m trying to get out of work, Jesus could have ended his parable there. He’s already painted an ebullient word picture of the graciousness of his kingdom! Don’t you think?

The kingdom of heaven is like a vintner. A vintner who could care less about things like profit margins or operating expenses! You know, the stuff every other entrepreneur obsesses over. This vintner, though, has no greater preoccupation than getting as many people as possible on HIS dole! 

As gracious as that is, though, and it is gracious, Jesus insists it’s not nearly gracious enough for the kind of kingdom he’s describing! And to drive his illustration home, Jesus ups the ante with two more details. One that’s utterly bizarre. And one that’s all too familiar.

What happens is, at the end of the day, this estate owner, who, remember, is like the kingdom of heaven, couldn’t be happier with the day’s work! And don’t forget, all we’re told about the productivity of this vineyard is that a lot of people were in on it. But nevertheless, that’s more than enough to send the estate owner to the reserves practically bursting with delight. 

Accordingly, the estate owner calls in the foreman for one final act of whimsy. “Take everyone’s envelope and fill them all with twelve fresh twenty-dollar bills,” the owner says. And then, apparently, so no one will miss out on the fun, the estate owner tells the foreman to line the workers up in reverse and then give them all their pay.

…Everyone isn’t entertained, though. Are they? No, before anyone can even think about spending a red cent, they’re all back to their sorry old business!

Those last-minute workers decidedly do not report their overpayment. And, when word of their windfall reaches the back of the line, the full-day workers can’t be bothered to congratulate those lucky so-and-so’s, either. Can they? No, the full-day workers are too busy figuring out how much they’re going to get paid now that the hourly rate is $240 instead of the original $20.

But they’re figuring doesn’t pay. Does it? No, now that they’ve calculated they’re getting twelve times more, the original amount they first agreed upon seems like barely a pittance! And they don’t bother to try and hide their indignation, either. 

Within the hearing of God and everyone else, those full-day workers make known what they think of the situation. And as far as they’re concerned, the estate owner isn’t playing fair. When the estate owner paid those eleventh-hour workers the same as them, he devalued THEIR labor.

…This is the final twist of the parable that seems nearly too incredible. Doesn’t it? Upon further consideration, though, it rings all too true. 

No sooner do we get a sweetheart of a boon than we start comparing. What did the Jones down the street get, we wonder. Never minding that at the start, we were all the same. Each and every last one of us was just standing around, HOPING the divine finger would point our way.

And if you think I’m exaggerating, just take another look at that Supreme Court case I hesitate to mention! 

In addition to the states filing the suit, a couple of individuals, may they live in infamy, are bringing a case of their own, too. And as far as they see it, forgiving ALL that debt is coming dangerously close to unfairly making all those other freeloaders out there equal to them!

The evidence doesn’t lie! For all intents and purposes, we seem hellbent on stacking ourselves against one another. Don’t we?

Now, I’ll grant you, I’m playing a little fast and loose with the finer points of the case. But I’m not a lawyer. And I don’t really care anyway! It’s just an inconvenient point of contact with today’s parable!

We cannot abide God, of all people, coming along and just wiping away the distinctions we think give us our worth! In the case of that case, we want to prove how hard of a worker we are. Or, if not that, then we want to prove how compassionate and easy-going we are! 

Take your pick, though! The point being, no matter what it is, we insist on OUR merits. And we do this even when it means making Christ’s MERCY null and void! They say all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God. But that hasn’t stopped us from comparing distances. Has it? 

And all we have to show for our determination to make distinctions is a whole lot MORE unpleasantness than even Jesus’ parable depicts! Don’t we?

…However, while such it may be on this side of heaven, so shall it not be in the kingdom thereof!

The Lord of the vineyard isn’t about to tolerate that kind of guff. If some of the laborers want to stand on some industriousness the Almighty cannot use instead of the uselessness God can, well, they can go get lost. They can take a hike into that forever lostness of trying to keep records God has decisively blotted out in the divine forgetfulness of Jesus Christ and his redemption! 

But, should they needlessly choose to do so, that’s their business. 

It’s as C.S. Lewis depicts; hell is a small, miserable corner of heaven. And the prisoners can leave anytime they want, too. The shock, though, is they never do! They’re too busy counting old scores. 

We’ve talked about how Jesus is resurrected with his scars while the rest of us are promised fully healed bodies in the resurrection. This is probably because hell is that open wound Jesus will not let go of. Even the damned are forever held in Jesus’ loving embrace. The only difference between them and everyone else is that they refuse to enjoy the holy high jinks of the kingdom of heaven!

…And thus, Jesus ends his parable. A portrait of divine largess and human pettiness. And in a final act of beneficence, the divine vintner will even let the folly stand. 

To focus on that, though, is the miss the forest for the fun! The point of the parable is that, yes, contrary to good sense, we all too often insist upon the tedium of bean counting INSTEAD of just enjoying the relief of God’s generosity. 

But Jesus only tells that to help us glimpse our foolishness and so scare us off it! So drop it! Will ya?

As far as the Lord of the vineyard is concerned, it’s all about the delight of packing as many people into HIS vineyard as possible. And the lark of it is, God, in Christ, has insisted that everyone is on the payroll and nobody isn’t getting paid in full, either! 

Best of all, though, that includes you. Yes, you! You’re on the heavenly roll-call! And Christ has a full Good Friday’s worth of redemption to hand over to you! 

You get it. Don’t you?!? Christ has already bought the farm for you! And all your friends, too! And even all those slackers out there! The point isn’t how MUCH we’ve labored. Or haven’t. 

No, the sheer thrill of it is that Christ has opened the vineyard as wide as the bonds of creation itself! Moreover, he hasn’t invited you, me, or anyone else in all creation into his vineyard to judge us. No, He’s opened his estate to bestow the full fruits of his righteousness upon you and me! And everyone else, too! 

… Your value, it doesn’t depend on you! No, it all hangs on God. And on the cross, God didn’t hold back! 

In fact, God did something reckless there! Upon the cross, God, in Christ, poured out the fullness of Thy love! At that tree, God spared nothing! In fact, God lavishly shed ALL God’s righteousness right there. And God imputed all that righteousness upon the righteous and the unrighteous alike!

That’s what makes it God’s righteousness and not ours!

Whatever demerits, and for that matter, merits you had to your name, have been forever erased! And in their place was placed the “it is finished,” Christ called from the cross! In Christ, it’s quitting time! 

BUT the not-so-secret secret is that your wages don’t depend upon you! Thank heavens! After all, the wages of sin is death. No, your payday comes from Christ himself, the first fruits of the resurrection! And by his death, he gained life eternal in exchange for your deficit of death!

As far as God’s concerned, you’re a worker in good stead! No, better than good! You’re a beloved heir to the vineyard itself!

Beloved, GOD’S estimation of you isn’t contingent upon you. NO, on the contrary, God’s love confers an eternal worthiness upon you! In Christ, you, yes, you ARE a beloved Child of God! In Christ, you, yes, you BEAR that honored status forever! And nothing can change that, either!

…I don’t know where you’re standing today. Although I have my guesses. Maybe you’re trying to stand on some shaky self-righteousness. Or maybe, after the last few weeks you’ve had, you’re just crawling in here at the eleventh hour. Or maybe you’re somewhere in between. 

In Christ, though, that’s all beside the point! Wherever you’re standing, Christ goes to you! And he doesn’t go to tell you to shape up or learn a little humility, either. No, instead, he goes to you to invite you into his vineyard! 

His vineyard! His vineyard, where all are welcomed. His vineyard, where all are more than compensated! His vineyard, where everything lost in the first garden, is more than restored once and for all at the new one!

The deadline has come. And in Christ, it’s time to receive the eternal payday. Open your hands wide!