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The Parable of the Vineyard Workers

“When God Isn’t Fair”
By Kent Crockett
www.makinglifecount.net

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the
morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. And when he had agreed with
the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And
when he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the
market place; and to those he said, ‘You too go into the vineyard, and
whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went.
Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same
thing. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing;
and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’
They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You too
go into the vineyard.’ And when evening had come, the owner of the
vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages,
beginning with the last group to the first.’
And when those hired about the eleventh hour came each one received
a denarius. And when those hired first came, they thought that they would
receive more; and they also received each one a denarius.
Thus the last shall be first, and the first last.”
(Matthew 20:1-10,16)

We might assume that a Christian who served God for many years would earn more
heavenly rewards than a believer who only served a few. Suppose someone served the
Lord for five years until his death at age twenty-five. Wouldn’t he receive fewer rewards
than a person who had been saved for forty-five years and died at age eighty? According
to our way of thinking, the person who died at a young age would have been cheated out
of those years when he or she could have earned eternal rewards.
The parable of the vineyard workers solves the problem of differing life spans.
Remember that each of Jesus’ parables emphasized a different point. The parable of the
unrighteous steward tells us we need to wisely use our money so that we can be received
into eternal dwellings. The parables of the talents and minas pointed out the importance
of accountability and faithfulness. Now the parable of the vineyard workers deals with the
issue our length of service for the Lord during our lifetimes.

Parable Theme
Unrighteous Steward Wise use of money
Talents Ability and accountability
Minas Faithfulness of stewardship
Vineyard Workers Length of service

In this story, the landowner hired several groups of people at different times during the
day to work in his vineyard. Those who were hired earliest worked the entire day. Those
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hired at noon worked for half a day, and the workers hired at 5:00 p.m. only worked one
hour. The different times of the day when they were hired represent the different lengths
of time that people serve the Lord during their lives on earth.
The laborers hired at 6:00 a.m. signify those who are saved at an early age and serve
the Lord for many years. Those hired at 5:00 p.m. represent people who didn’t serve the
Lord very long during their lifetimes. This could be someone who was saved at a young
age and only had a short time to serve God before he or she died, or it could be a person
who was saved late in life.
This parable couldn’t be talking about gaining eternal life because we cannot work to
earn salvation. However, there is a correlation between our labor and our rewards. Our
work starts counting toward eternal rewards from the moment of our salvation onward,
but not before. Therefore, the service of the laborers deals with the length of time serving
the Lord, not necessarily the length of time lived on earth.
For our purposes, let’s suppose the time each group worked can be translated into
years of service for the Lord. The chart below shows how the hours worked for one day
could be stretched into years of service during a lifetime.

Hour hired Time Approximate Years of Service

Early 6:00 a.m. 45 years
3rd hour 9:00 a.m. 35 years
6th hour 12:00 noon 25 years
9th hour 3:00 p.m. 15 years
11th hour 5:00 p.m. 5 years

The person who serves the longest doesn’t necessarily receive the greatest reward. Jesus
told this story to show that God doesn’t measure our work by the hands of a clock. We
don’t punch in and out on a time clock and turn in all our time cards on the judgment day.
The fact that each vineyard worker received the same amount of money does not
mean that everyone will have the same rewards in eternity. That would contradict the
teaching of the parable of the minas, where the slaves received different rewards
according to their faithfulness of service. Certainly there are some people who perform
more work in three years than others who work thirty. Those who are more faithful in
their service will receive greater rewards than those who are unfaithful.
Frederick the Great was once asked to promote an officer simply because he had been
in the army for so long. The Prussian king pointed to his pack mule and replied, "That
mule has carried my pack for twelve years, but he is still a mule."
Just because a person serves for a long time doesn't mean he deserves a reward.
Perhaps he hates his work and continually complains about his employer, or maybe his
work is poor quality. These factors would cancel out any reward he might receive.
Faithfulness of service and attitude of heart may be of greater importance to God than the
actual length of time we served. Are we working for our own recognition, or for the glory
of God?
Although some could serve God for many years, they don’t make the most of their
opportunity. Instead of pleasing God with their lives, they live to please themselves. Their
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length of service becomes meaningless in such cases. God doesn’t pass out rewards
simply on the basis of how long you have been a Christian.

Paying the Workers

The landowner paid each worker at the end of the day, the last group being the first to
receive their wages. If the men who were hired first had been paid first, they would have
taken their wages and gone home, not knowing what the others received. Since they were
the last to receive their wages, they watched the laborers who only worked one hour get
paid a denarius—the regular wage for an entire day’s labor.
The laborers who worked early in the morning assumed they would receive more than
the one-hour laborers because they worked eleven hours longer. But the landowner also
paid them each a denarius. All the vineyard workers were paid the same amount, no
matter how long they worked.
That doesn’t seem fair for a couple of reasons. First, the ones who worked the shortest
were paid first, while those who worked the longest were paid last. Certainly justice
would demand that the group hired first deserved to be paid first because of their many
hours of labor in the hot sun.
Second, the ones who worked one hour were paid the same amount as those who
worked twelve hours. This looked like an injustice to those who worked all day. It wasn’t
fair that the one-hour laborers got paid so much for so little work.
Grace and generosity, however, are never fair. They are better than fair. When God
isn’t fair, He is generous. His generosity always reaches beyond fairness, and His grace
beyond justice. The landowner demonstrated his grace and generosity by overpaying
those who worked so few hours. While the parable of the minas highlights the
faithfulness of the worker, the parable of the vineyard workers emphasizes the generosity
of the employer.

Parable of the Minas Parable of the Vineyard Workers

(Luke 19) (Matthew 20)
Each given the same at the beginning Each rewarded the same at the end
Different degrees of faithfulness Different lengths of service
Emphasizes the faithfulness of the worker Emphasizes the generosity of the employer

When the last group received the same pay as the others, they complained against the
landowner instead of thanking him. They thought they deserved more because they
worked much longer than those hired at the end of the day. They forgot that just twelve
hours earlier they had contracted to work for one denarius. Both employer and employee
shook hands on that fixed amount, so they had no excuse for complaining about what
they received.
Many people today agree to work for a certain wage, yet complain against their bosses
if their fellow employees work less or are paid more. Like the laborers hired at 6:00 a.m.,
they are envious of others’ wages rather than thankful for their own. It’s hard to be
grateful when you are envious. We must never forget that we are always working for a
higher authority than our earthly employers. We are serving our Master in heaven.
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The laborers who were hired later in the day didn’t agree for a fixed amount before
they went to work. Instead, they trusted in the landowner’s generous heart and left the
amount of their pay up to him.
That is a lesson for us as we serve our Master. We don’t need to worry about the amount
we will be rewarded for our labor, but simply need to trust in God’s grace. No matter how
or when we receive our rewards, God will be most gracious when he awards them to his
children.

The Last Shall be First and the First Last

When Jesus told his disciples the “first will be last and the last first” in Matthew 19:30,
he spoke of importance. He meant many well-known people in this life will be at the
bottom in the next, and many unknown people in this life will be in the highest positions
in heaven. On the judgment day many will go from fame to shame, while others will go
from shame to fame (1 Cor. 4:9-13).
But when Jesus said “the last shall be first and the first last” in the parable of the
vineyard workers, he explained the order of being paid on the judgment day. Jesus turned
the phrase in Matt. 19:30 around to make a different point. The first and the last in
Matthew 20:16 pertains to timing, not notoriety. The workers who were hired last were
paid first, and those who were hired first were paid last.

Different Verses Interpretation

“First will be last and the last first” (Matt. 19:30) First and last in prominence
“Last shall be first and the first last” (Matt. 20:16) First and last in receiving rewards

What is the significance of this? On the judgment day God will reward those who have
served Him the shortest time first and those who served the longest last. God’s kingdom
works exactly opposite from this world, where we would reverse the order.
Might this have something to do with our job assignments in the kingdom of heaven?
We don’t know for certain, but God has His reasons for distributing the rewards in this
way.
The parable of the vineyard workers teaches us that God desires to graciously reward
those who faithfully serve Him. Don’t compare your service for the Lord with anyone
else’s, for we are all working to please our Master. There is no room in heaven for envy.
It will be exciting to see our brothers and sisters in Christ rewarded for serving the Lord
and the jobs that will be assigned to each in God’s eternal kingdom.
Now aren’t you glad that God isn’t fair?

Making Life Count Ministries

P.O. Box 680174
Prattville, Alabama 36068
www.makinglifecount.net