Sermon - Septuagesima 2024 - Matthew 20:1-16

The Parable of the Wicked Workers of the Vineyard, 2013, Andrei Nikolayevich Mironov

Grumbling about Grace

1. God is gracious, and we often respond by grumbling.

1. God rescued the Israelites from slavery, and they grumbled.

2. The Master of the vineyard graciously hired and paid His laborers, and some grumbled that they didn’t receive more.

2. Nevertheless, God is gracious.

1. He continually invites and calls.

2. He calls us to be laborers, to work alongside Him; this work is not toilsome.

3. He brings us into a vineyard, which produces wine, which gladdens men’s hearts; this is a joyful place.

4. He gives to all the same reward, even though we are all undeserving; thus it’s all received by grace.

A few months ago a librarian called from the Emmetsburg Library on my day off saying that there was a guy there worrying the librarians and asking for a pastor. So, I got dressed up and drove over there, thinking that there was some serious issue I would have to deal with. Upon arriving it turned out there was just a hitchhiker, who claimed to be a “hitchhiker for Jesus” (whatever that means), and wanted me to pay for his hotel room. So using the ministerial association funds I got him a hotel room. In order to do that I had to drive him to the police station, then to the motel, then he needed me to take him to a couple stores. All along the way in the car and to whomever we met, he quite seriously grumbled and complained about LCMS pastors being mean and strict. After perhaps the 20th time he had grumbled about LCMS pastors, I told him: “I’m an LCMS pastor, as you know, and I took time out of my day off with my family to drive you around town, and you continue to grumble and complain about me the whole way while I try to ignore it and be friendly to you. If you really find me so unbearably mean you’re welcome to walk the rest of the way.” 

Grumbling about grace. That experience I had with that hitchhiker was quite similar to God’s experience with us. God is gracious toward us, and we often respond with grumbling. After God had heard the complaints of the Israelites in Egypt, He rescued them, destroyed Pharaoh and his army in the Red Sea, and even let them plunder the riches of Egypt when they left. But how do the people respond? They complained and grumbled against Moses. It was so bad Moses cried to the Lord, saying: “What shall I do with this people? They are almost ready to stone me.” God showed them such enormous grace in rescuing them, and they respond with grumbling as soon as life isn’t perfectly easy. Grumbling about grace.

Or in today’s parable we hear about a master of a house who hired laborers for His vineyard and paid them a full-day’s salary. He paid everyone in His vineyard, regardless of how much work they accomplished, the same salary. Is that fair? Of course not! But the only one who lost money on this deal was the master of the vineyard who paid everyone the same amount. Nevertheless, even though those hired first received exactly what was promised to them, they grumbled because they didn’t get paid more! “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.” The Master was gracious, and the workers complained. Grumbling about grace.

Those two biblical stories are hard to hear, and sometimes even disliked. Why? Probably because when we read them we identify with the bad guys, we identify with the grumblers! Like the Israelites, God has blessed us so richly, far more than we deserve. Yet, as soon as something doesn’t go the way we want it, or we have some trouble, what do we do? We grumble! We forget about all of the blessings, we forget about God’s providence, and we get angry at God and others. God is good to us, and we grumble.

Or like the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, we begin to think that we deserve what God gives us because we think we earned it and we’re such good people, so that when God is gracious to others who we don’t think deserve it we grumble about God’s grace! We think God should love us more, should give us more, should treat us better than others because we have worked harder than others. God is so good to us, and we grumble. This is truly very shameful behavior on our behalf.

Nevertheless, in spite of our grumbling, God is gracious! This parable shows us how gracious God is towards us grumblers. For one thing, He continues to call and invite people to come into His kingdom. In the parable the Master goes out not only the first hour of the day, but throughout the day, even in the eleventh hour when there’s hardly any time left to work. This is obviously a poor employment strategy, since those hired later in the day aren’t going to do much work. Not to mention that those hired last were standing idle all day, there’s no way these lazy bellies were going to make good laborers.

But the point is that God is always calling and inviting people to come into His kingdom. It’s not really about how much labor you can accomplish. Of course labor matters, of course living good Christian lives is important, but God’s chief desire is that we are in His kingdom. In the parable only those hired first were promised a denarius, none of the others, the chief instruction for them was that they come into the vineyard. In a profound way being in the vineyard with the Master is itself the reward.

God called us into His vineyard to labor, to work alongside Him, and this work is not toilsome. Those hired first grumbled about the labor, describing it as burdensome. But that’s not at all how we should view our labors with Christ. For sure it’s not easy work, but it’s not burdensome and toilsome, instead the Lord says: “Come to Me, all you who labor and are heavy laden, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and lowly in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.” It’s a joy and a delight to work in God’s kingdom!

Working alongside God is kind of like when I have my little kids help me work. Usually it’s more work for me if they help. However, it’s a joy to have my kids with me, and my kids enjoy the privilege of getting to work with their father. Likewise with God our heavenly Father, it’s not like He couldn’t just accomplish everything better and quicker without us, but He calls us to labor alongside Him for the sake of joy.

What’s more, He calls us to labor where? and produce what? He calls us into a vineyard and to produce wine. Wine makes glad the hearts of man. Thus, our Lord calls us into His Kingdom for the sake of gladness! It’s not God’s fault that we grumble about every little thing and are constantly discontent with our station in life and all of the blessings God has given us. God’s kingdom is a kingdom of joy, peace, and gladness.

All of God’s blessings are received entirely by grace. None of us are deserving of what God gives to us, it’s not as if we’ve earned it, this is evident from the fact that all the laborers receive the same wage regardless of their efforts. The accusation of the grumbling labors is absolutely correct: “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us.” Regardless of our labors, God gives to us love and forgiveness. In fact we are all equal in the sense that we are all sinners and undeserving of God’s gift, and so we all receive God’s gift by grace. None of us have earned our salvation, it is all by grace. It is only by the labors of Christ that we receive God’s gift of salvation.

Those who grumble reveal their hearts which are rejecting God’s grace, and they thus put themselves at risk of losing the actual reward of living with God in His kingdom. The Master’s words are harsh and biting: “Take what belongs to you and go.” In other words, take your sins, take your filthy rags, and get out of My kingdom. But for those who realize they have nothing to offer God and simply labor in His kingdom, dependent on God’s grace, He gladly welcomes them as laborers in His vineyard who find joy and gladness in His abundant blessings.