Working in God’s Vineyard

Are you making the most of the time that you have to do the work of God’s Kingdom in the world? How much time do you have to do the work of God? When did God call you into His Vineyard? How long have you been laboring? How much longer do you have to do the work God has given you to do?

Each of us is called to do the Kingdom work of God in the world. We are laborers invited into the master’s vineyard.

In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells the parable of the laborers who are hired to work in the master’s vineyard. Jesus said, “For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.” (Matthew 20:1, ESV).

In the first century Jewish context, a day was considered sun up to sundown, 6:00am-6:00pm, and was divided into four three-hour segments (ESV Study Bible, Crossway, © 2008). In John’s Gospel, Jesus said, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.” (John 11:9 ESV).

In the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard, Jesus tells us, “And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them, ‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’ And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.” (Matthew 20:6-9, ESV).

The workers who were called last received the same wages as the worker who were called first, demonstrating the master’s generosity to all those called to work in his vineyard. The master also assumed that every worker called to work was to work faithfully throughout the time allotted to them. Each person is called to serve in their time and for their time, and they are compensated fairly and are rewarded for their work, as the master promises.

May we do the work the master has called us to do, when the master calls us to do the work, and gladly accept the reward the master gives us for our labors, because our master is generous and just.

Post Communion Prayer: “Heavenly Father, we thank you for feeding us with the spiritual food of the most precious Body and Blood of your Son our Savior Jesus Christ; and for assuring us in these holy mysteries that we are living members of the body of your Son, and heirs of your eternal Kingdom. And now, Father, send us out to do the work you have given us to do, to love and serve you as faithful witnesses of Christ our Lord. To him, to you, and to the Holy Spirit, be honor and glory, now and for ever. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, 2019).

A Collect for the Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost, (Proper 20): “O Lord, you have taught us that without love, all our deeds are worth nothing: Send your Holy Spirit and pour into our hearts that most excellent gift of charity, the true bond of peace and of all virtues, without which whoever lives is counted dead before you; grant this for the sake of your Son Jesus Christ, who lives and reigns with you and the Holy Spirit, one God, for ever and ever. Amen.” (Book of Common Prayer, 2019).

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