Workers and the Vineyard

Matthew 20:5-7 - And they went. He went out about the sixth and ninth hours and did the same. And he went out about the eleventh hour, found others standing and said to them, "Why are you standing here idle all day?" They said to him, "Because no one has hired us." He said to them, "You also go into my vineyard."

The first thing that stands out is that the vineyard manager doesn't mention a price. He just hires them and they go. We can assume that he'll pay them 'whatever is right.' We can also assume they would not expect a full day's wage, but rather a pro-rated wage. It's left blank and we fill that blank with our own ideas of fairness and justice, if we fill it in at all.

The second thing that sticks out is the continuous going back to hire new workers as the day progresses. On the surface, this shows us how the vineyard manager is concerned with both the work and with hiring as many workers as he can get. If Israel is the vineyard and God is the manager, this piece of the parable shows God's care and concern for both the vineyard and the workers. The vineyard needs people to weed, prune, and harvest the crops. We are the workers AND the vineyard, God calls people in all places and times, continually coming to invite more people to join the work and to benefit from the work being done for us. The work is not over and therefore God will continue to come and invite us.

This image of people as the vineyard and the workers highlights the importance to Israel, God, Jesus, the church and humanity of community. Recognizing we are all interconnected by webs we'll never now about - even though we can feel the tug and give of others. This interconnectedness is both a weakness and a strength. A weakness because when we cannot see how intricate these connections are, we tend to make choices that harm others and ourselves. If too many take this route, our very survival as a species could be threatened. In fact, we are seeing this with global climate change and the Republican denial that we are a driving force. And yet God trusted this earth to us, flawed as we are. Why?

Because while we have the capacity to be selfish, self-centered, and to perpetuate evil, we also have the capacity do beautiful, life-giving things. The way people come together after natural disasters like the recent hurricanes are an example. People gave their lives saving others. Somehow, God has faith in us that we'll choose rightly. An awesome responsibility.

Are we up for becoming workers as well as vineyard?
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