Exodus 16: 2-15 (New Jerusalem Bible)
Matthew 20: 1-16 (Good News Translation)
When first read, this parable in the gospel of Matthew seems very unfair. What’s going on here? People who worked only one hour get the same pay as those who worked all day? That just wouldn’t be the norm in nearly all societies on earth. But Jesus is not talking about the status-quo. He is talking about the Kingdom of God.
Jesus was fully aware of the background of his parable. In Judea and the surrounding areas, the grape harvest ripened toward the end of September. If the harvest was not gathered before the rainy season, then the grapes were ruined. In our area it would be similar to baled hay in the field and the immediate need to get it into the barn before a storm arrives. In such a situation, whether it’s grapes or hay, any worker would be welcomed even if he could give only one hour of labor. The wage paid in Jesus’ time was one silver coin. Some translations call it a denarius. But it was a daily wage just enough to sustain a family, depending on the size of the family.
The marketplace in Jesus’ time was similar to a labor exchange or even today’s temp-service. A man would come there first thing in the morning, sometimes carrying his tools waiting for someone to hire him. Some would wait all day to be hired.
The workers who labored all day were upset and jealous of the workers who only worked one hour and received the same pay. Researchers have long known that human beings are hard-wired to compare themselves to other members of their tribe or group. This is done to determine their status in the pecking order of a hierarchical society. Some comparisons can give rise to positive or negative feelings. Positive feelings would be empathy, while negative feelings could be greed or even violence. The central conflict in this parable arises when the original workers see the later workers as less worthy of the same payment.
During the early stages of human evolution the reptilian brain of our primeval ancestors has conditioned us to have the ability to make comparisons and then the desire to attain more. By contrast, God’s Realm is a place of plenty and wholeness where human hierarchies no longer exist and every person, regardless of rank or resources, has a place at the table.
Unfortunately, there are too many voices today who want to deny people even a chance to get near the table. Migrants coming to our nation to work are often called deviants and even animals. But America itself is a nation of many migrants. Some of our ancestors probably came to America during a time when no documentation was required. But migrants are also blessed children of God who should be welcomed with love and not hate wrapped around barbed-wire fences.
When we read the story from Exodus, we should realize the ancient Hebrews were also migrants entering foreign lands. They were very much the late arrivals similar to the late workers in today’s gospel reading. But the mood of the Hebrew migrants had changed after just six weeks after their liberation from Egypt. Gone was the joy of being free and the celebration of the defeat of Pharaoh's army in the Reed Sea. As their journey continued and food dwindled, their former joy was overtaken by thirst, hunger, fear and anger.
God’s provision of manna and quail for the Hebrews deals with the fact there is enough food for God’s creation. There is enough food for everyone in this present world if it could be distributed fairly. The manna tasted like coriander or honey flavored wafers according to Exodus 16: 31. But there was a rule about manna. It had to be gathered before sunrise or it would spoil in the hot sun. Those who obeyed Moses had delicious manna. Those who didn’t obey Moses had rotten manna.
Manna was called the “bread from heaven.” In the gospel of John 6: 31-34, it says the bread from heaven, gives life to the world. Christians have used the word “manna” as a metaphor for Christ or the Holy Spirit. It is especially important as an image for the bread used during the Eucharist. Like the ancient Hebrews, Christians share the God given sustenance of bread for hope in the future.
At that time the Hebrews had not really learned to trust God fully. But God allows us to experience the darkness only so we might see the Light. God is there, even when the shadows are at their pitch darkest. But the Light is ready to break through the shadows to illuminate our pathway. When we walk in the shadows, those very shadows remind us that God’s Light shines on the other side of the clouds.
The Hebrews in the wilderness were angry and about to give up hope, until God intervened through Moses. The parable in Matthew’s gospel was about angry workers jealous about latecomer workers who were paid the same as them. One way to interpret this parable is to view God as the landowner, Israel as the Vineyard and the very first workers as the Jewish people of Israel. The workers who came late to work are the gentiles. And the Jewish people during the time Matthew’s gospel was written, were angry and jealous about gentiles being brought into the Jesus communities. They thought gentiles were not worthy of Jesus because the Jewish people had him first and gentiles don’t observe the kosher rules of the Hebrew Bible. Back then there was no such thing as the New Testament.
Now, I don’t believe this parable is frozen in time, exclusively for its 1st century readers. It’s very relevant to present-day Christianity. Why do some churches still make certain people feel unwelcomed? Why not be welcoming to people of other faiths? These are the issues we have to grapple with if American Christianity is to survive into the 21st century. We are becoming a pluralistic society and that is a good thing.
This parable in Matthew’s gospel is a classic case of comforting the afflicted and afflicting the comfortable. It is the good news to its original readers who felt unworthy as an outsider looking in. Despite how it might look, there is a hidden pattern of blessing in creation, based not on rewards for being good or correct about religion, but on grace. The “rewards” ethic which is so dominant in the world as we know it, has no place in the Kingdom of God. Be encouraged as we learn from Jesus, “for the last shall be first.” For those who feel entitled and superior and the “holier than thou” crowd, this parable comes as a sharp word of warning. Your wealth, power and prestige will not bring you closer to God. In God’s Realm a homeless person living on the streets will be the first in God’s Kingdom while the rich without a conscience will be last.
In a connection with this parable about workers, we are now experiencing perhaps the largest strike in America in several decades. One of several grievances by the United Auto Workers was very interesting. The long-term Union members were upset about how the newer workers are treated. The problem is the “tier system” that many auto companies have created. To put it briefly, the tier system has newer workers paid less for doing the same job on the line that long-time workers have done for a much higher wage. And it takes years for the newer workers to receive that same wage, if they receive it at all. This is the direct opposite reaction of the jealous and angry original workers in today’s gospel. And I believe it’s fair to say the original long time workers at these auto factories are showing Jesus Values by defending the newer workers who are being exploited by the auto companies’ millionaire CEOs.
Generosity, compassion and empathy are the values of God’s Kingdom. God’s justice is God’s generosity, which is God’s grace. And that grace is given freely and equally to all despite one’s status or religion. Love is more important than being in the correct religion. And love defines God’s Kingdom, on earth as it is in heaven. Solidarity Forever and let us pray:
O mighty Creator, we give thanks for the manna you sent us through the Incarnation of the Christ into Jesus on earth. Let us heed his teachings of justice and equality for all. In the name of Christ we pray, AMEN.
