Picking Grapes in God’s Vineyard

The Gospel for this weekend, Matthew 20:1-16, is the parable of the vineyard owner who goes out and hires workers the whole day.  He then pays those who worked one hour the same wages as those who worked all day.

I borrowed the comments below from the online blog “in the Meantime,” by David Lose:

We tend to identify – perhaps unconsciously – with the laborers working all day who feel rather taken advantage of, rather than with those who have received unexpected and unmerited generosity.

1) God gives enough. Each of the workers received a day’s wage. Some labored all day…just as they had signed up to do. Others labored for just an hour. But at the end of the day, they all received just what they needed: enough. (Think of the petition, “give us this day our daily bread.”) God gives enough, and enough is something over which to rejoice.

2) God does not give up but keeps looking to find and save all. The landowner in the parable keeps going out – all day long! – in order to find more and more people to labor in the vineyard. He will not stop. Just so, God will not give up on seeking out the lost, the vulnerable, all who are in need, all of us.