Reflections on the generous landowner, Matthew 20:1-16. August 19, 2020 by Buckshot

in our housing estates and deprived neighbourhoods who miss out on employment opportunities.

Come pay time after work the landowner decides to pay all the workers, regardless of their start time and productivity the same denarius. Obviously, the early birds who worked all day are upset, “why do they get as much as we do when they did very little?” Most trade unions would be upset by this story too**, it undermines collective bargaining and solidarity within the workforce. Our landowner defends his generosity and sends the grumblers away with their days pay. Jesus concludes – ‘so the first will be last, and the last first’.

This is a startling and challenging picture of how Jesus sees the kingdom of God playing out in real life. We often hear of the ‘upside down kingdom’ which lifts the lowly and pulls down the proud* – and this exactly happens in this story. Already this week we have read of the rich young ruler turning away from Jesus and the disciples heard yesterday that the first will be last as well. Today’s story is not an anomaly, an exception in the thought of Jesus – it is a consistent theme, so let’s have a closer look.

A lot of Christians shy away from politics, but this story is very political in its outworking. We have an election coming up soon here, thankfully not too much about tax cuts for the wealthy has been thrown around, one good part of Covid 19!

Today’s story is a good picture of generalised anarchist political theory where everyone in a society contributes what they can and receives what they need to live. An Aussie, Dave Andrews (friend and contemporary of Smithy), wrote a good book called “Christianarchy” which looks into this type of concept in depth.

No wonder the rich man turned away from Jesus, it was going to cost him to follow further. No wonder our hard workers were grumpy today, they felt cheated by the less skilled or capable workers being paid the same as them.

Yet we all have the same needs for shelter, food, warmth and a meaningful existence. To contribute is a great honour, it gives us dignity and standing when we can contribute. Much research has proved that giving the poor handouts is not as worthwhile as giving the poor something to do and contribute.

Handouts demean and keep the giver in power. Opportunity lifts up, provides skills and hope for tomorrow.

Our landowner is not only generous, he is casting a vision of what our society could be like if we chose to live in the way of Jesus. How can we be a part of bringing this vision into reality. After all we pray regularly “your kingdom come on earth as it is in Heaven!”

May we have the balls to be courageous and vote for this type of society. May those of us who employ people look for ways to put the last first and the first last – a very difficult thing if we are concerned about the company we keep and what they think of us.

Our communities are bulging now with people cast on the scrap heap by accident, addiction and adverse conditions. This story calls us to include them and give them a meaningful lot so that they have the equal dignity of anybody else. Not the snide remarks and put down comments of politicians or others privileged to make them.

Jesus Christ, friend of Outcasts and sinners – he is Lord and his way will challenge our privilege by flipping it upside down and welcoming those others won’t engage with.

May God give us grace to live in this way.

Rangimarie ki a koutou

Buckshot – Wellington chapter, New Zealand

* – see Mary’s song in Luke chapter 1

**- I am a supporter of trade unions to maintain good pay and conditions for workers. Trade unions sprang from Christian action against powerful landowners exploiting workers, including children, back in the 1700s.

MATTHEW 20:1-16, (NIV)

For the kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.

About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the market place doing nothing. He told them “you also go and work in my vineyard and I will pay you whatever is right. So they went.

He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out again and found still others standing around. He asked them, “why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?”

“Because no one has hired us”, they answered.

He said to them, “you also go and work in my vineyard”.

When the evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, “Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going to the first.”

The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those who were hired first came, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius.

When they received it they began to grumble against the landowner.

“These men who were hired last worked only one hour” they said “and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day”.

But he answered one of them, “Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you.

Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my money? Or are you envious because I am generous?”

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last”