« So the last shall be first, and the first last : for many be called, but few chosen. »
(St. Matthew 20.16)
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
At first glance, nothing seems right or fair about today’s Gospel. How could the Lord Jesus justify paying someone who worked for an hour the same as someone who worked all day? But that is what we heard a few minutes ago. How is this possible? Well, let’s start by reviewing the details. You may want to follow along, beginning on page 133.
Please note that the parable in today’s Gospel reading was told by the Lord Jesus, and written down by St. Matthew – and, it is found at the beginning of chapter twenty. However, allow me just a brief word of introduction. At the end of chapter nineteen, St. Peter had asked Jesus a question. He said, “We have forsaken all, and followed Thee; what shall we have therefore?”In other words, ‘What are you going to give us as a reward for giving up everything to follow You?’ In reply, Jesus assured Peter that he would receive a seat of honor in the Kingdom of Heaven, and that he would inherit everlasting life; but, Jesus said, “Many that are first shall be last; and the last shall be first”. Thisis important to note: that today’s Gospel is framed by this statement--‘the first shall be last, and the last first’.
Okay, let’s check out the details in between. First of all we are to understand that this parable is meant to teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven. Second, the parable centers around a vineyard. If a vineyard is unfamiliar to you, picture a farm at haying season. The owner (or the farmer) went out early in the morning to the local Employment Office to hire some workers; and, he agreed to pay them a penny for their days’ wage. He went again to the Employment Office at the third hour, which would be approximately nine o’clock in the morning; again at twelve noon; again at three in the afternoon; and again at five o’clock – ‘the eleventh hour’. In each of these later hirings, he agreed to pay the labourer ‘whatsoever is right’.
At quitting time, he instructed his steward to pay the workers, beginning with the last ones hired. As you know, when those eleventh hour workers came, they were given a penny. When those who were the first hired got wind of that, they expected to be paid more; but, surprisingly, they only received what they had been promised – a penny. Of course, they complained, and who could blame them? “These last have worked only one hour,” they said “and you have made them equal to us, who have borne the burden and heat of the day”.
The owner had an answer ready, and it is a difficult one to argue with: he said, “Friend, I do you no wrong; did you not agree with me to work for a penny? Take what is yours, and go your way; I will give to this last worker the same as I give to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with my own money? Is your eye evil, because I am good?“ His point is simple:basically, He is saying, ‘What’s the problem? I am paying you exactly the amount you agreed to work for; and, at the same time, I am being generous with those who didn’t work as long.’
Legally, and even morally, he is right – he is honouring his word. He is paying the earliest workers exactly what he promised them. So, the problem is not with the owner in the story, the problem is with us, and with what we perceive to be fair. But hold on, Jesus told this parable for what reason? To teach us about the Kingdom of Heaven. Do any of us think that Heaven will be a carbon copy of earth? Of course not. If it is, it will be a great disappointment! Heaven, as the Lord said, will be beyond our human experience and understanding, for there, “God shall wipe away all tears…and there shall be no more death, neither sorrow, nor crying, neither shall there be any more pain.” Everything will have been made new.How? Through Jesus’ Suffering, Death and Resurrection – through His precious Blood that was shed for us on the Cross, and through His victory over the grave. By Christ’s defeat of death, everything will one day be made new.
But stop right there! Why did Jesus suffer and die for us? Not because we were worth it, and not because He owed us. Think about that – none of us, no matter how good, deserved to have God’s only Son suffer and die as our Substitute. Who would dare suggest that? …..So, why did Jesus offer Himself in our place? For one reason only – because He loved us. That’s what the Good News is all about! “ForGodso loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son…” (St. John 3.16)
This perfect Love –this holy Charity – is the key to understanding today’s parable. Why did the owner pay everyone the same? Because he was merciful. What is this parable about? The great Mercy and Charity of God. It is about God’s gift of forgiveness to us, something that we do not deserve to be given.
Let’s pause here for a minute, because we all need to think long and hard about God’s gift of forgiveness. We need to consider every day how much the Lord has forgiven us over the years. There are too many things to count – things we have done wrong that we don’t remember, and things of which we are not even aware! And, if we forget how gracious God has been to us, we will be impatient and unforgiving with others – just like those who were first hired. You see, God’s definition of ‘justice’ is different from the world’s. What did the owner tell those who were hired last? “Whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive”. What is the difference? The owner met his legal obligation by paying them, but he went far beyond it by the amount he paid them.
God’s justice, then, is measured by the Cross of Christ, not by the law. In God’s courtroom, the guilty verdict we deserve as miserable sinners, has been exchanged for an acquittal and pardon. How? Through the righteousness of Christ. For God, the basis of justice is grace rather than law.
This understanding was difficult for God’s chosen people, the Jews, to accept. They operated on a system of religious laws, and, every ‘t’ had to be crossed, and every ‘i’ dotted.In a certain way, then, the first workers represent the Jews. The later workers, who accept the owner’s gracious offer, represent the Gentiles – the non-Jews – including us. It is up to us, now, to pray for God’s chosen people that they, too, will come to receive God’s saving grace through the Lord Jesus Christ. It is also up to us not to take God’s mercy for granted. As one preacher put it, “This parable is a warning to all believers of what might be – that, however long their work for Christ continues, and however important their responsibilities in the Church, without the humility and Charity of Christ, all is for nought. Pride and self-reliance will spoil our work, no matter how good it may seem, since that work stands only by God’s grace. Without Him, we fall from first to last.”
In the end, all of us are called today to work for the same thing – a penny. And, although some entered the vineyard late in the day, we should NOT delay in our work for God. Once we hear His call, we should answer Him immediately. But what does the penny represent? It represents the one Reward which shall bless everyone in the whole world for all of eternity. Can you guess? …The penny represents God Himself. There is a place in the story of Abraham (while his name is still ‘Abram’), at the time when God promised to give him a son, that the Lord appeared to him in a vision, and told him, “Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.”……….”Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.” In the New Testament, we hear something very similar from the Lord Jesus. What does He say? “I am the Bread of Life: he that cometh to Me shall never hunger; and he that believeth on Me shall never thirst.” (St. John 6.35)
With thanksgiving and praise for God’s amazing grace in Jesus Christ, let us enter into His vineyard again this week and take up the work that He gives us to do, remembering that in calling us, He will reward us with more than either we can ask or imagine – namely, a place in His House of many mansions where we shall see Him face to face, and worship and adore Him forever.
And now unto the King eternal, immortal, invisible, the only Wise God be ascribed all might, majesty, dominion, power, honor and glory as is most justly due, henceforth and forevermore. Amen.
Sermon for Epiphany 3
Monday, 01 February 2010
Epiphany 3, 2010
“ Be not overcome of evil, but overcome evil with good.”
(Romans 12.21)
In the Name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Ghost. Amen.
Last week, the Gospelgave us Jesus’ first miracle, when He changed water into wine, and we considered how He desires to change us – from the children of Adam and Eve into the children of God; from sinners into saints; from darkness into light; from earthly to heavenly; from death into life. The Lord wants to manifest His glory in us – He wants His holy charity to shine through us – so that others would come to experience the new life of Christ.
This week, the Gospel and Epistle set out some things we need to be aware of, and some things that we need to do, so as not to block the light of Christ from shining through us.First of all, it is important to note who approached Jesus at the beginning of today’s Gospel. It was a leper. This poor man had suffered greatly with this disease and the horrible sores that came with it. Often lepers experienced gross injuries to their extremities because of the nerve damage caused by leprousy. For example, not being able to feel the tips of their fingers or toes they easily burned themselves. In any case, as with any of the people presented in the Gospel, we need to see ourselves in this man. He reminds us of the spiritual leprousy we all have as human beings , which is sin. This condition manifests itself in many, many ways, and is resistant to change. Spiritual leprousy gives way to greed, jealousy, resentment, pride, hatred, anger, sexual immorality, filthy talk and all kinds of other selfish behaviours.
The true story is told of a group of Lutheran Nuns who hoped to build a workshop on the land adjoining their Mother House. However, a narrow strip of this land belonged to an elderly woman who insisted that under no circumstances should people give up what they had inherited from their parents. Although many friendly visits had been made by one of the Sisters to discuss the matter, there was no progress. In fact, the gravity of the situation was really felt one day when the elderly woman’s nephew gave the Nun a tour of his great Aunt’s home. Not realizing her neighbor was away, perhaps , the Nun followed the boy into the house. He took her to the elderly lady’s room which was crowded with enough furniture for a whole house, most of it old and dilapidated. In the corner was a bed. The boy took the Nun over to it and showed her how his Aunt used a ladder to get into it because she had stacked all the mattresses that she had inherited from her family on top of each other, and slept on the top one.
Extreme as it is, this situation is a reminder of how bound we can become to the things of this world. This desire to hold onto material possessions is like a spiritual leprousy that numbs our minds and hearts to the great Mercy of God and to the call of His Son for us to follow Him. How can God’s glory shine through us, and how can His Love flow through us, if we have filled our hearts with other things and worldly agendas?
In addition to the desire to hold onto the people and things of this world, our lives can be overtaken with other habits that are resistant to change. For example, in this morning’s Epistle, St. Paul reminds us how we can easily fill our hearts with resentment against someone who has wronged us. He speaks about the spiritual danger of trying to avenge ourselves: “Leave all of that to the Lord,” he says, “and overcome evil with good”. What a wonderful piece of advice for us all as we battle this particular strain of spiritual leprousy: “Overcome evil with good”. In other words, instead of filling your heart with resentment and anger which will quickly block the beautiful Light of Jesus, why not bless the one who has wronged you: “If thine enemy hunger, feed him; if he thirst, give him drink”. In all of these difficult circumstances, our desire should be for God’s glory – for the Light of Christ to shine; for His Love to be shared; and for His Truth to be known. Why? Because, as His children, this is our life’s work – to be instruments of His holy transformation and healing, and channels of His Peace.
Following the healing of the leper, Jesus went to the city of Capernaum. Capernaum was the chief commercial and social center of the area during Jesus’ ministry. It was there on the great highway between Syria and Palestine that the custom taxes were collected and a Roman garrison was stationed. It was at Capernaum that Jesus called Matthew, the tax collector, to be his disciple. As we think about the second part of today’s Gospel, these details will be helpful.
Upon entering the city, a Roman officer (a centurion) who was in charge of one hundred men, came up to Jesus and told Him about His servant who was very sick. Jesus offered to go with the man and perform a healing. But the centurion answered, “Lord, I am not worthy that thou shouldest come under my roof; but speak the word only, and my servant shall be healed. For I am a man under authority, having soldiers under me: and I say unto one man, ‘Go’, and he goeth; and to another, ‘Come’, and he cometh; and to me servant, ‘Do this’, and he doeth it.” When Jesus heard that, we are told that He marveled and said, “Truly I say unto you, I have not found so great faith, no not in Israel”. Then, He told the centurion, “Go thy way, and as thou hast believed, so be it done unto thee.” And his servant was healed in the self-same hour.
Interesting isn’t it? Here was a man in the center of what was then the cosmopolitan world. He was an officer with authority in the world’s most powerful army. The conveniences and pleasures of Capernaum were at his fingertips. But what does he do? He approaches Jesus with great faith. “You do not need to come to my house, Lord. I am not worthy enough for that. Just speak the word and I know that my servant will be healed.” Amazing, really, this man’s faith. He believes in Christ’s power without having to see it at work. He does not need to manage or control or direct the event, he simply trusts that Jesus will do what is required. And his act of faith, of course, is a message to us.
Today’s Collect beautifully summarizes all that we have talked about. It begins by asking the Almighty and Everlasting God to mercifully look upon our infirmities --whatever form of spiritual leprousy they may take. Be it a problem with anger or resentment towards someone who has wronged us (as in today’s Epistle); or be it some attachment to the world which has paralysed us or numbed us spiritually, as with the elderly lady visited by the Nun. “Look mercifully upon our infirmities, O Lord.” …….“However, please don’t just look upon us in our struggles, but also stretch forth thy right hand to help and defend us.” In other words, continue your perfect work in us so that we may be changed and healed.
As we face the infirmities of this old life and experience the many faces of suffering, let us remember the faith of today’s leper and centurion. Both of them trusted in the Lord to help them with situations in which they were completely powerless. We, too, are powerless in so many areas – over nature; over sickness; over death. We are powerless to save ourselves from our own sins. Who can help us? What shall we do? Only God can help us and we should out our whole trust and confidence in His Son, Jesus Christ, Who with the Father and the Holy Spirit be ascribed all might, majesty, dominion, power, honour and glory forever and ever. AMEN.
Saint George's Anglican Church
