The Parable of the Landowner
It is impossible for me to study the parable of the Prodigal Son without thinking of the parable found in Matthew 20 of the landowner. The questions of the elder son are the same as the questions of the laborers who had worked all day. "Why should he/they get what I'M getting? Don't I deserve MORE?"Here's what Henri Nouwen had to say:
"Why didn't the landowner pay those who worked many long hours first and then surprise the latecomers with his generosity? Why, instead, does he pay the workers of the eleventh hour first, rasing false expectations in the others and creating unnecessary bitterness and jealousy? These questions, I now realize, come from a perspective that is all too willing to impose the economy of the temporal on the unique order of the divine.
It hadn't previously occured to me that the landowner might have wanted the workers of the early hours to rejoice in his generosity to the latecomers. It never crossed my mind that he might have acted on the supposition that those who had worked in the vineyard the whole day would be deeply grateful to have had the opportunity to do work for their boss, and even more grateful to see what a generous man he is. It requires an interior about-face to accept such a non-comparing way of thinking. But that is God's way of thinking. God looks at His people as children of a family who are happy that those who have done only a little bit are as much loved as those who accomplish much."
When we work as hard as we do in His service, especially those of us who are off the payroll, it's good to remember why we are working. We serve at His pleasure. And we should take joy in His generosity.
posted by Thurman8er @ 9:25 AM
3 Comments:
This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.
Would you say God is into “inequalities” rather than “equations” when it comes to our human need to “compare” things like time invested, worth, and talent?
tmjkdyy (tomorrow just another day)
The spirit of competition is killing the spirit of unity amongst churches all over. We all have this idea the the biggest church building and most programs wins!
That kind of thought process that leads us into competition is worldly and in our fellowship it stems, I believe, from a legalistic midset. The church with the most right answers is right. The church that does worship right is right. The church that has the most members must be doing something right.
I think this "backward thinking" of God (backward to our way that is) challenges us to get out of our status quo and rethink wheree we are in our walk with Him.
That is possibly one reason that Jesus deals in so many paradoxes. Losing life to find it. First will be last and last first. This kind of "reasoning" is unreasonable but it is from Jesus and it is the truth.
We have to remember that God is not "rational" in the sense of this world. Faith, hope, love, all of these things which are central to our walk with Him are so irrational it makes our heads swim.
God help us to be proud of others who are "ahead" of us. Let us be thankful for their blessings not jealous!
Sorry to have written so much, but I preached about this last Sunday and plus I feel so "litosbny."
Post a Comment
<< Home