I don't get it. I mean there are parts of scripture that make complete sense to me. Like 'love your neighbor as yourself' cause clearly those who love themselves should learn how to extend the same kind of love to others. But this part of scripture makes no sense to me, at all. I mean I side with the workers, if I show up to work at 8am and labor all day but homeboy shows up half an hour till closing, and still gets paid the same amount as my tired butt, I'm gonna be looking for a new job tomorrow.
It feels unfair. It seems like the boss doesn't know how to run a business. It feels like at best the boss has checked out emotionally with his employees and at worst he's playing favorites. There lies the problem or so it seems. Clearly the boss is the one with the problem and not the grumbling workers. I mean unless the workers are plain out lazy or disrespectful, it's easy to empathize with their frustrations.
In our home, I play the role of "mommy." Even with two of the sweetest and best behaved children on planet earth, I have found myself in situations where I am last. Last to shower, last to dinner, last to bed, last to relax, last to lots of things. You get the picture. In this case, I can relate to the employee who showed up last. I mean, I meant to get there on time but somewhere between making my kiddos breakfast, washing the dishes and slopping some make up on my face (some things take a little more maintenance than others), I came in last. I've always been late. In fact, early seems foreign. Like if I'm the first person to show up for an event or party, I will literally pull out the invitation to make sure I didn't mix up the date or something.
Getting back to the story, I guess I can also relate to the late employee more than I care to admit. So when the boss in the story says, 'don't I have the right to do what I want with what belongs to me? Or are you resentful because I'm generous?' I would say yes to both. Yes the boss can do whatever he wants with his belongings. And yes I am resentful because of his generosity toward others. I'm much less resentful when he is generous toward me. So does the problem lie with the employees or the boss? It's the employees. There's an absolute double standard when it comes to the employees response to the boss' actions.
I've always heard this story explained in regard to the kingdom of heaven. It's about the idea of God's children. Those who serve God their entire life and those who choose to serve Him on their death bed recieve the same reward... entrance into heaven. Yay, mystery solved time to move on! Except, I think that maybe there are even deeper truths to this parable. I think many of us can relate to both employees in the story. As the 8am-5pm, faithful worker, you have earned your wages and have completed an honest days work. You can go home and enjoy the fruit of your labor. You can sleep with a clear conscience and wake up to repeat again without a second thought. If you never knew the other employee had recieved the same wages for less, you'd be a happy camper. Ignorance is bliss. As the late employee, you're just relieved you have a job. You're relieved that you didn't get punished or penalized for showing up late. You are on the receiving end of the boss' mercy.
Perhaps the story has nothing to do with the employees and more to do with the boss. The boss in this story is God, himself. The boss has rights. The boss can do whatever he wants with His belongings. He can hold onto them or give them away. He can choose to be merciful and generous or he can choose justice. We don't have control over His choice, we only have control over our choices. He calls us friend. He can do no wrong. He does what He agrees to. He can start at the back of the line and quickly make His way up to the front of the line. What He decides is best. Simply put, God's ways are higher than ours. He has more insight and investment into the lives of His people than we do. The way the world does things is not the way God does. He uses the foolish things to confound the wise.
If I think something He does seems unfair it probably is because it's a direct display of His mercy.
The wages that sin pays are death, but God’s gift is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord. (Romans 6:23 CEB)
Every one of us "employees" have earned the wages that sin pays. As a result of our humanity, we have earned the wages of death whether we started at 8am or half an hour before closing. We have earned equal wages because of our sinful nature. But as a gift, our boss has decided to give us what we could never earn no matter how early we show up or how hard we worked, He chose to give us life. Life beyond what we currently see and understand. This eternal life has been purchased at a high price, the life of another who didn't earn the same wages as us, because He didn't sin. This employee is a real life "undercover boss" who has chosen to trade wages with us. Remember we earned death because of our sinful nature. He didn't. As the boss, He can do whatever He wants with His belongings. He has chosen to give them away, starting with His life. Each of us has earned death for our work on this earth yet God chose to be generous! His generosity may never make sense to me but I'm super grateful that He chose to be merciful and not give me what I've earned.
If you are reading this and can relate to what I've shared whether you're struggling with resentment or having a hard time receiving grace. I invite you to say this simple prayer with me: "Jesus, I don't understand your ways. I know that you both are a God of justice and a God of mercy. I know that your ways are higher than mine. Your thoughts are more complete than mine. You see the whole picture and I only see it in part. I invite you into my heart. I invite you into my thoughts. I invite you into my life. I am so grateful that you chose my wages, the wages of death, so that I could have abundant life. Help me to walk in this new life. Help me to honor your sacrifice and respect your choices, even when they don't make sense to me. Teach me to do what pleases you. In Jesus name, amen."
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