It Ain’t Fair, But It’s Good – Very Good

Pastor James C. Ward

October 5, 2025

Sunday Morning

Matthew 20: 10-15

(10) But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny (11) And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house, (12) Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day. (13) But he answered one of them, and said, Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. (15) Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?

Introduction

Jesus spoke often in parables. The classical definition of a parable is “an earthly story with a heavenly meaning.” According to Mark 4:34, the parable was His main teaching method.

The parable of the laborers in the vineyard is well-known to many. However, please allow me to refresh your memory of it. A landowner’s grapes were ripe for harvest. (You have a limited time to harvest grapes, or they will spoil on the vine.) He went early in the morning to hire day laborers. They were standing in the marketplace; that’s where day laborers congregated to get hired. He hired some of them and agreed to pay each of them a denarius for their day’s work. Perhaps, he would have hired more, but left some of the day laborers for the other landowners. Perhaps, he did not want to be greedy. At 9:00 a.m., he went back to the marketplace seeking more laborers. He agreed to pay them whatever was right. No specific contractual amount was stated or agreed on. This, he did again at noon, at 3:00 p. m., and one hour before quitting time. Perhaps he kept going back to the marketplace to get additional workers because the harvesting of the grapes was not going as fast as he desired. Some theologians believe he kept going back to the market place and continued to hire the unemployed workers because he was truly concerned about their wellbeing, and he hired them out of compassion for the workers and their families.

When the day’s work was over, this employer, beginning with the last hired and going to the first hired, paid each one a denarius, which was the standard for a day’s work. Simply put, all of the workers got the same amount, no matter how long they worked. The first-hired, who had worked all day in the hot sun, complained about his generosity. They thought they should have gotten more than the originally-agreed amount or maybe the later workers should have gotten a lessor prorated amount.

Allow me to paraphrase the landowner’s response. “It may seem unfair to you, dear friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? I kept my word with you. Take your pay and go; there is no more discussion. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?” Let’s delve into this rich parable. (I have four points, so, I am going to move quickly, and then we will observe Communion.)

Exposition

1. God Is Paradoxical In His Sovereignty.

(Imminent And Transcendent.)

(God Is Three Yet One.)

(God Shows Favor But Has No Respect Of Persons.)

(Jesus Was Human And Divine.)

(He Has Grace And Judgement.)

(He Knows What We Need But Still Wants Us To Pray.)

(He Is Unfair Yet Good At The Same Time.)

2. God Will Keep All Of His Promises.

(The First Laborers Got The Money They Agreed To.)

(God Promises Us Eternal Life, The Indwelling Of The Holy Spirit, And So Much More.)

(Numbers 23:19; Titus 1:2; Hebrews 6:18.)

3. God Will Do More Than He Promises Or We Expect.

(The Workers That Started Later Received More Than Expected.)

(They Thought They Would Get A Lesser Amount.)

(There Was A Surprise At Sundown.)

(They Worked On Faith – No Set Amount Was Stated.)

4. God Blesses Patience And Perseverance.

(The Later Workers Stayed In The MarketPlace.)

(They Did Not Leave.)

(They Stayed Hoping Someone Would Hire Them.)

(They Were Willing To Work.)

(They Did Not Get A Bad Attitude Because They Were Not Chosen First.)

Closing Thoughts

This parable shows the greatness of God’s grace. The landowner represents God. He gave those who came in later the same wage. His compassion recognized that it took just as much bread to feed their families as those who were chosen first. The blood of Jesus saves those who accepted Him late in life equally sufficient as those who accepted Him early in life. Remember the thief on the cross. God’s grace ain’t fair, but it is good - very good. God’s grace will supply all of our needs according to His riches in glory.

Give God Glory! Give God All The Glory!

Related Scriptures

Leviticus 19:13; Deuteronomy 24:14-15; Matthew 20:1-16

End Notes

1. This parable has been used in some incorrect ways. Karl Marx used it in Das Kapital to rationalize Communism. In England, several centuries ago, some Christian business owners used it, in exact detail, to run their businesses. Of course, they went bankrupt. A parable, while meaningful and instructive, can be expanded to such an extent, that its true meaning is lost or distorted.

2. Since we believe in the separation of church and state, you can argue about the appropriateness, but this parable was used early in the debate in Congress and in the Senate to justify a minimum wage policy. The advocates said the denarius was an early form of the minimum wage.

2. The English word parable is from the Greek word, “parabole.” It is the commingling of the word “para”, which means beside and “ballo”, which means to throw or lay aside. We are familiar with parallel lines; they extend beside each other, but do not intersect. Our English word ball comes from ballo. It goes with our saying that we throw balls. So, a parable is formed when we throw a story alongside of a great truth. The story makes the great truth easier to understand.