From the earliest age, when kids argue, you eventually hear someone say the famous line, “But it’s just not fair!” No one has to teach us that experiencing an injustice isn’t right. This doesn’t end with childhood games in the backyard but continues right into adulthood.
Most of us support justice being done—hoping a speeding driver who cuts us off gets pulled over or wanting a criminal to go to jail for the crime they committed. Where our ethics are tested is when we’re the ones who are guilty. When we come face to face with our own sin, we’d often rather make excuses or talk our way out of justice than accept the penalty we were so insistent on for others.
In Matthew 20, Jesus tells the parable of the workers in the vineyard. This would have been a very recognizable story in Jesus’ day, as many people would have understood the plight of workers in the fields. But the story takes a turn when those who worked far fewer hours were given the same pay as those who worked all day.
This parable is not meant to sit well with us. It’s actually designed to get under our skin a bit and make us consider: Do I want God’s kingdom to be fair or gracious? If God’s kingdom were fair, there would be no hope of salvation or eternal life for any of us. What’s fair would be the penalty of our sin—death. But by God’s grace, though not one of us “deserves” grace, he has poured it out freely for all of us (Ephesians 1:6).
Through this parable and others, we learn that in the kingdom of God, “mercy triumphs over judgment” (James 2:13). God is certainly a God of justice as well, but it’s his grace that constantly challenges our pride, self-sufficiency, and inability to offer grace to others. I’m so thankful God did not treat us as we deserve, but rather pours out his grace to us every day.
Reflection:
- When you read this parable in Matthew 20, what is your initial reaction? Is there something inside of you that is upset for the workers who were there longer? Why is that?
- Why do you think we so often want God’s justice for others, but grace for ourselves?