Savary, LESSON 21, Matthew 20-21:17, Parable of the Laborers

LESSON 21

Matthew 20-21:17

Parable of the Laborers

I would like to do something different today. Instead of commenting on the specific chapters and verses of today's lesson, I think we are far enough along in Matthew to get a sense of his primary message and thrust. I want us to look at the whole gospel. Instead of focusing on each little detail, let's look at Matthew's big picture.

We begin with the most general question: What is the central and pervasive topic of Jesus' gospel? What topicties the entire gospel together?

Answer:The most dominant theme—the topic that pervades Jesus' preaching, parables and healing—is the kingdom of God. Nobody can challenge that. The entire gospel revolves around "the kingdom of God."

The next question is: How did Jesus picture the kingdom of God? How did he present it and describe it?

If he were to answer that question in today's language, he would probably say that the kingdom of God is an ongoing project of God, but an unfinished project. It is God's unfinished project. The kingdom of God is not a location or a place like England or Saudi Arabia or even some planet in our galaxy. It is something happening everywhere. It's a living project, an ongoing project. It is in process underway all over the universe.

It is not limited to any location, any organization, or any religious institution. For us on Earth, the kingdom of God involves transforming the human race in love. It involves everyone. It was first announced to the Jewish people, but it involves everyone. God wants to transform creation so that we, all together. fulfill the great commandments—love of God and love of each other. When Jesus says "the kingdom of God," he is talking about God's loving project for creation. Lord knows, we still have a long way to go to accomplish that project.

How do we know the kingdom of God is an unfinished project? Answer: If the project had been complete, we would not have needed Jesus to come.

Next question: What was Jesus' role in that project? Why did he come to Earth?

His job on Earth was to explain to us what still needed to be done to finish God's project. Actually, there were three parts to Jesus' job.

The first part of that job was to tell us that God has a project. Jesus' task was to describe the workings of that project so that we could recognize it, so that we couldn't miss it.

The second part of Jesus' job was to help us realize that God hashad this project going on since creation, and that it was still an unfinished project.

The third part of Jesus' job on Earth was to enlist us in helping him get that project done. Jesus needed us to help make it happen.

Next question: How do we know these three things were Jesus' primary roles on Earth?

Just look at the prayer he taught us. We call it the Lord's Prayer. It's his prayer. It was Jesus' prayer even before itbecame our prayer. Let's look at the prayer.

What do two key petitions in the Lord's Prayer focus on?

The first one focuses on the kingdom of God, or God's project. We pray every day, "May thy kingdom come." In other words, May God's dream for creation come true. Or, May God's project for Earth be accomplished

The second petition we make, right after "Thy kingdom come," says that we want to be involved in accomplishing God's project. We pray, "May thy will be done by us on Earth. In other words, in carrying out God's will, we pray that we humans be as attentive and effective as the angels and saints in heaven are, that is, in accomplishing what you, God, want to get accomplished by us here on Earth. In other words, "May we be fully attentive and effective in doing our part to help complete your divine project."

Just in case you didn't realize it, whenever you say the Lord's Prayer, you are telling God that you realize you have some work to do for his project, work that is uniquely yours.

By the way, God has specific jobs on his project for everyone, not merely for Catholics or Christians. God's project involves Jews, Muslims, Hindus, Buddhists—all believers and nonbelievers too. The fact that every human being has a role to play in God's project is the underlying point of the parable of the laborers that we studied today.

The vineyard owner kept going back to the labor pool again and again, all day long, until the very last hour. Notice that, every time he went back to the labor pool, he hired everyone who was there. He never left anyone behind. When he saw idle laborers waiting, he would ask, "Has no one hired you?" When they said No, the owner said,"Well, I will hire you." That parable is about God enlisting every single available person to work on his project.

Who are these workers he hired last? They were probably the ones that otherowners wouldn't hire because they were either too weak, too old, sick, lame, blind, or mentally ill. But Jesus in his three years of healing healed all these kinds of forgotten people. As he healed them, he was hiring them all. He showed that they too were workers God would hire—and needed to hire. God was leaving no one behind.

The interesting thing is the last part of the parable. That is where everyone gets paid the same wages. Why would God pay everyone the same? Because God has only one thing to give us—it is the fullness of life. "I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full" is the way Jesus put it. God wants everyone to have the fullness of life. That's the primary way we'll know that the kingdom of God is almost complete—when almost everyone is enjoying the fullness of life.

Now, for the particular question, the harder question: What kinds of work are you and I supposed to do to contribute to the becoming of the kingdom of God? What kinds of work are we expected to do on God's project? What does Jesus say about that?

Later in Matthew's gospel, Jesus will tell the parable of the talents. A wealthy merchant goes off to a far land and he gives money to his associates to invest for him while he is away. They are to use their own creativity and skills to build up their Lord's business. (Jesus is always focused on building the kingdom of God, which is the lord's "business.")

Back to the parable. The merchant's associates take calculated risks and make lots of money for their Lord. When he returns, he praises their creativity and initiative on his behalf. With one exception—the fearful associate! The merchant does not appreciate the one who merely hid the investment money he had been given. He had done nothing to help God's project succeed.

This parable's lesson is that we are to be creative and to take initiative on the Lord's behalf. God expects us to be willing to try anything for God, because we want our Lord's businesson Earth to succeed. God has made an investment in each of us, entrusting us with talents and abilities. God is counting on us to invest our talents, not just hide them.

The next question that each of us asks is: But what kind of work does God expect of me? How do I figure that out?

To answer this question, we go way back to the first preaching of Jesus. In English, Jesus' very first teaching was, "Repent for the kingdom of God is at hand." We learned that "repent" was a poor choice of words for what Jesus actually said. The original Greek is clearer. It said metanoia, that is, put on a higher mind, a new way of looking at the world. Put on new eyes so that you can recognize God's project at work in your own neighborhood, your own school, your own workplace, your own home, your own church community. We might restate Jesus' first teaching in modern words. "Put on the new way of thinking that I will teach you," said Jesus,"and you will be able to see God's project at work all around you. With those new eyes, you will be able to discern God's project and find your best way to get involved."

Question: How do I get started?

In his parables and metaphors of the kingdom, Jesus gives you and me some options. God's project has a visible and tangible side. Jesus said the kingdom of God is like a mustard seed. It starts small but keeps growing so that it spreads and people recognize it. It keeps growing bigger and bigger. That's the visible side of God's project. Perhaps you would like to be involved in the tangible side of God's project, showing love in a visible public way.

Another metaphor emphasizes the invisible and intangible side of God's project. Jesus that the kingdom of God is like yeast hidden in the flour that slowly permeates and influences every part of the bread. Perhaps you your talents would be best being involved in the intangible side of God's project, showing love in a hidden way.

Perhaps your personality leads you to want to work on God's project in a visible way, like the workers in the parable of the laborers or the wealthy man's associates involved in the investment business. In our own day, visible workers would be people like those who work in health care, manufacturing, government, the service professions, the postal service, waitressing, or public service like law enforcement. These are typical careers where your work is public and can be seen by all.

Perhaps, in contrast, your personality leads you to want to work on God's project in a more hidden way—influencing God's project from behind the scenes. In our day, the hidden workers that few of us really see in their true work are the lawmakers, the judges, the teachers, the therapists, the people managing social media sites, cleaning crews,and sanitation workers. These hidden workers also include those who pray for others, or those who sprinkle their world with love each day as they go about their life, showing compassion, joy, humor, knowledge, beauty, gracefulness, and politeness.

Or perhaps, you are drawn to help God's project by doing a bit of both tangible and intangible work.

One other question we may have: What is the proper attitude or disposition for those of us who work to fulfill God's project?

Jesus makes the point clear later in today's chapter of Matthew. This divine project is not about leadership or power. Jesus' manner of service is the model for each of us. In God's project, everyone is a servant of everyone else. Jesus tells his disciples, "Anyone who wants to be great among you must be your servant. And anyone who wants to be first among you must be your slave. Just as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give his life for the ransom of many."

Jesus message is clear and unambiguous. He will make clear this universal obligation of our service to others in Matthew Chapter 25, where Jesus tells the parable of the sheep and the goats. "Whatever you did to the least of my brothers and sisters, you did to me." The message is that every single one of us is expected to show compassion and kindness to those among us who are poor, needy, lonely, sick, and helpless. In our day, we might add others to Jesus' list. Those who require our service also include immigrants (legal or not), migrant workers, exiles, the abused, the slaves, and those seeking asylum.

A final question that occurs is: How much of my life and my day does Jesus expect me to dedicate to God's project? An hour a day? Eight hours?

Jesus earlier told another parable about the kingdom of God. A man went out for a walk through a field one day and discovered hidden treasure. He covered the treasure back up, went and sold all that he had and bought the entire field.

When you and I experience the metanoiathat Jesus talked about, we wake up as new beings, with new eyes. We begin to see things we never noticed before. With new eyes, we become more likely to find the treasure that this man found. We can assume that, perhaps, hundreds of people without those new eyes had walked through that same field many times before and had never noticed the treasure. But this one man had eyes that could see and recognize the treasure.

The key point is to notice that, to this person, his discovery was so valuable that he sold everything just to possess it. The realization of what the treasure was was transformative. There was no question of the treasure's value to him. He gave up everything else in order to buy the whole field, so no one could claim that he had stolen the treasure. He was willing to give up his whole life for that discovery.

When you're working on a project of such importance as God's very own project, you do not limit your service to an hour a day, or even eight hours a day. You give God all your energy and talents, to be at God's disposal.

When, like this man, you one day make the discovery that God has an ongoing project to transform the world in love and you realize that Jesus has invited you to be part of that project, you will have discovered what Jesus called the treasure hidden in the field.

The most important thing in Jesus' life was completing his Father's grand project, carrying out his Father's will to build the kingdom of God on Earth, to bring the fullness of life to all. It is the greatest project ever imagined by a loving God. Would you turn down a job on the greatest project ever? Would just want to work part time?

If I read Matthew right, Jesus' good news—his gospel—was not so much that God has forgiven our sins. The biggest part of that good news is that God has a grand project in process and that you and I have been invited to actively participate in helping Jesus accomplish his Father's dream—his great project—for Earth. "Thy kingdom come! Thy will be done on Earth!"

That is why the kingdom of God is the central theme of the gospel. The good news is that God has a project and we have the privilege of being involved in it. We must never lose sight of that theme as we continue to study Matthew.

Our lesson today also included Jesus' entry into Jerusalem. Please note that the final eight chapters of Matthew describe things that happened in a single week. Everything from now on till the end of Matthew's gospel is about one final week of Jesus' public life. It is a very full week. Everything in it—every event—has to do with the Kingdom of God, God's incomplete project.

Here we are many thousands of years later—and God's project is still incomplete. Jesus' invitation still stands. He's inviting you to come and work in his vineyard.

The big question Jesus asks each one of us is: Are you in or out?

Heavenly Father, we thank you for Matthew and his commitment to tell the story of Jesus and of God's incomplete divine project. May your Holy Spirit come and open our eyes in metanoia so that we may see your kingdom operating all around us. More importantly, may we clearly see the unique work you have invited each of us to do to help your dream for creation come true. And may we find in our hearts the generosity to give ourselves totally to your work, and to do it out of love for you and for your vision for us.