Gregory T. Jacobs
 
 Before you even read this, click on the video link above.  I must clarify that as a Banker,  I am not promoting another bank.  However, this commercial from Ally Bank is absolutely hilarious.  Beyond hilarious, it is so true to life.  Sometimes we just feel like a bait and switch has been done on us.  It is easy to say that life is not always fair, but still harder to swallow and accept.

In Matthew 20, we find a story of a Vineyard Owner:

There was once a man who owned a vineyard. Here he grew grapes which were harvested once a year and turned into wine. Each year he would hire men to pick the grapes.  One harvest day he went out early and found some men looking for work. “Would you like to come and pick grapes for me?” he asked. “I will pay you a Denarius for a days work.”  The men agreed it was a fair wage for a days work and went to pick the grapes. They worked hard till lunch time, by which time the vineyard owner decided he needed more men. So he went out and found more men looking for work.  “Would you like to come and pick some grapes for me?” he said. “I will pay you a Denarius if you can work till the end of the day.” The men agreed that was a fair wage and went off to the pick the grapes. All the men worked hard but towards sundown the vineyard owner saw that all the grapes were not going to be picked in time.  So he went out again and found some men who had not been lucky enough to find work that day. “Will you come and help pick the last of the grapes for me?” he said. “There’s about an hours work left to be done and I will pay you each a Denarius.” The men were delighted and followed him to the vineyard.  When the sun set and all the grapes had been harvested, the owner called the men to pay them. He gave the first lot, who had worked all day in the hot sun, a Denarius each. Then he called the second lot who had worked all afternoon in the hottest part of the day, and paid them a Denarius each.  Finally he called the last lot who had only worked an hour in the cool of the evening and paid them a Denarius each.  Well the ones who had worked all day started to grumble, “That’s not fair, we have worked all day in the hot sun and we get the same pay as those who have only worked half the day and those who only worked for one hour.” So they went to the vineyard owner and said, “It’s not fair you are paying us the same wage that you have paid to those who have not worked as long as us. Surely we should get paid more than them?”  The vineyard owner replied, “Did we not agree to a Denarius for your days work? And haven’t I given you that money? My money is mine to do what I like with and it’s no concern of yours how much the others are paid”  And then he said a very strange thing: “The last shall be first and the first shall be last.”

This is just as difficult for us to understand today as it was in Jesus time. But I believe Jesus is challanging our ideas on what fair means.  He says that God’s idea of fair is letting everyone into the kingdom of heaven, even those who find out about it at the last minute.  I challenge each one of us to interpret our definition of Fair...



 
 


Comments

John

Tue, 12 Jan 2010 2:39:21 pm

The definition of "fair" is however God wants to define it.

My definition would be...Where everybody has to play by the same rules, even Senators.

 

Janet Davis

Sun, 24 Jan 2010 2:56:41 pm

I read your last blog first and then backed tracked to this one.I know thats not the way it's suppose to be done but I did. I think your dream has another meaning, Hati earthquake. I felt God was saying I have another task for you where people are trapped and crawling under debri and can't get out. Just what hit me instantly when I read this.

 



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