“Salvation by the Generosity of God”

September 21, 2014
The Fifteenth Sunday after Pentecost


GOSPEL LESSON: Matthew 20:1–16 [The landowner and the hired workers.]
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’
And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius. Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more, but each of them also received a denarius. And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying, ‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what belongs to you and go. I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?’
So the last will be first, and the first last.”

Jesus ended the parable of the Workers in the Vineyard with the words, “So the last will be first, and the first last.” And so it seems appropriate to start this sermon with the conclusion. The conclusion is that we not saved by our work, but rather by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. We are not saved by what we do or do not do, but by what Christ has done and is still doing for us. Now let’s go back to the first and see how we come to that conclusion.

In the previous passage, Jesus blessed the little children. Mt. 19:14-15, “Jesus said, “Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these.” 15 When he had placed his hands on them, he went on from there.” Of course little children and babies can do nothing to earn their salvation. Then a rich young man came up to Jesus and asked, Mt. 19:16, “Teacher, what good thing must I do to get eternal life?” He was good, law-abiding man and asked 19:20, “What do I still lack?” Jesus answered, 19:21, “If you want to be perfect, go, sell your possessions and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.” Vs. 22-24, “ When the young man heard this, he went away sad, because he had great wealth. 23 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “I tell you the truth, it is hard for a rich man to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the kingdom of God.” People try to get to heaven by what they do, probably because that is how we are taught to get ahead and survive in this world. But the Kingdom of Heaven is not the same as the kingdoms of this world. And so Jesus told today’s parable.

Matthew 20:1-16. The vineyard is the Kingdom of God. The landowner is Jesus Christ. The workers are Christians who have been called by Christ. Working in the vineyard is the daily activity of the follower of Christ. Working all day for twelve hours is like a person who has been a believer since childhood and working for only one hour is like a person who has become a Christian and baptized on their deathbed. The end of the day is the end of the world. The denarius is salvation, it is eternal life.

The vineyard is the Kingdom of God. The Kingdom of God is wherever God is King. For a Christian who accepts Jesus as their Lord and Savior and King, wherever they go Christ rules in their life. And so the Kingdom of God is wherever there is a Christian. That means the church, the home, the school, the work, the beach, the restaurant, the bar, the bowling alley, and the back alley, too. Wherever a Christian is, is the Vineyard of God. That is where God has called us to work for him. It is not just teaching Sunday School or doing evangelism and other churchy stuff. A Christian’s whole life is in service to the Lord of the Harvest. Taking out the garbage, changing the diapers, training for the battlefield, bird watching, and every else is doing what God wants us to do. Committing sin is not really serving God, but because our sins are forgiven, our pay is not docked. We still get our full wages, one denarius of salvation.

One denarius of salvation is enough for eternal life. Even if we do work more in the Kingdom than other people, we do not need two or three denarion of eternity, because, mathematically speaking, two time infinity equals infinity. Now, maybe those who worked longer thought they should get better places in heaven, a nicer mansion or something. In the next story in this chapter, the mother of the sons of Zebedee, the mother of James and John, came to Jesus and asked that her sons might be given special seats in the Kingdom of God. Jesus refuses her request. The Kingdom of God is not like human governments of power and prestige, but rather of service, where the greatest is the one who serves the most. The lowest is the one who serves the most, who works the most and so is the greatest. It is as Jesus said in Mt. 20:28, “The Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

And so, who is it really who does the most work in the vineyard of the Kingdom of God? Who is it who has “borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat?” Who bore the burden of the sin of the world? Who suffered on the cross? Who descended into Hell to rescue us from the slavery of Satan? The denarius he received was resurrection on the third day. That resurrection denarius has infinite value and gives to us all salvation and eternal life. It is not silver or gold, but his precious body and blood, given and shed for us. It is not the wage we receive for our work, it is a free gift from the generosity of God.

I was wondering how many years I have been working in God’s vineyard. And I realized that I have spent a lot of hours sleeping in the shade of a tree. We all know about goofing off at work. And so I must rely completely on the generosity of God. What time of the day did you start working for Jesus? What time of your life did Jesus call you to work in his vineyard? When did you answer the call? Today Jesus is calling you again. The Holy Spirit calls you by the Gospel. Sometimes the work is sweat and tears. Sometimes it is joy and love. But it is always service—service to God and to others. We do not work in order to pay for our salvation; we have already been given eternal life. And so there is freedom and the hope of Paradise.

And let’s repeat the conclusion that we have used as our introduction. The conclusion is that we not saved by our work, but rather by the grace of God through faith in Jesus Christ. We are not saved by what we do or do not do, but by what Christ has done and is still doing for us.

Amen.

Michael Nearhood, Pastor
Okinawa Lutheran Church


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