The 17th Sunday After Pentecost \u2013 September 20, 2026\t\t\t\t<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Beloved in Christ,<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
Today we turn to one of the most easily misunderstood parables in the Gospels\u2014often named as the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard. To modern readers, this parable can feel unsettling, even unfair, if we do not read it carefully. Reading a parable properly requires two things. First, place it in its context. If we lift a parable out of context or apply it to questions it was never meant to address, we will miss the heart of Jesus’ message. Secondly, to understand a parable, we must read it according to its genre\u2014looking past the details to discern the single, central message Jesus intends to convey.<\/p>\n
<\/p>\n
I must say, Jesus did not tell this parable to teach His disciples about labour rights, workplace fairness, or economic policy. This parable is not about workers in the vineyard but about the Just, Generous, and Merciful Master and His Kingdom.<\/strong> It is about God’s mercy, God’s generosity, and God’s justice\u2014and about how His kingdom operates in ways that overturn our human assumptions. To avoid misunderstanding, this parable should be titled as a parable about “the Just and Generous Master and His Kingdom<\/strong> not as the parable about the “Workers in the Vineyard.”<\/p>\n <\/p>\n To better understand this parable, let’s talk about what a parable is.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n A parable is an extended simile. It is not a historical account, but neither is it a fable or fairy tale. It is a story drawn from real, everyday life to communicate one main truth. Parables often use exaggerated or hyperbolic language to create tension, capture attention, and amplify the central point.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n That is why we must be careful not to stretch every detail or get lost in the mechanics of the story. The question we must always ask is: What is the one main message Jesus is communicating?<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n And to find that message, context is essential. The biblical authors often place the parable within a frame\u2014what comes before and after\u2014to show us what Jesus is addressing.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n With that background, let us turn to the context of today’s parable.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n THE CONTEXT: Two Questions in Matthew 19<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Matthew 20:1 tells us plainly: this parable is about the kingdom of heaven and how it works. And two questions in Matthew 19 form the backdrop.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1. “Who then can be saved?” (Matthew 19:16\u201326)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n A rich young man approaches Jesus with confidence: \u201cWhat must I do to inherit eternal life?\u201d He has kept all the commandments. He believes salvation is his because he has lived a morally excellent life.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus commends his obedience but then made a demand which would help him to see his own sinful heart: \u201cSell your possessions, give to the poor, and follow me.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The young man walks away sorrowful\u2014because he loved his wealth more than God. Jesus helps him\u2014and the disciples\u2014see that we are sinful at the core and cannot perfectly obey God’s commandments thereby we cannot earn salvation.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The disciples are shocked. \u201cThen who can be saved?\u201d Jesus answers: \u201cWith man it is impossible, but with God all things are possible.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Salvation is not a wage. It is not earned. It is God\u2019s gracious gift.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Immediately after this parable, Jesus explains how God makes salvation possible\u2014through His death and resurrection (Matthew 20:17\u201319).<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2. \u201cWhat then will we get?\u201d (Matthew 19:27\u201330)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n Peter asks the second question: \u201cWe have left everything to follow you. What will there be for us?\u201d Beneath his words lies anxiety: Will God provide? Will He take care of us? Will our sacrifices be rewarded?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In modern terms: Will our salaries be guaranteed? Will we have perks, insurance, pension plans?<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus sees their fear and reassures them: God will provide\u2014abundantly, generously, beyond human measure. But He also warns: the kingdom does not operate on human calculations of merit.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Thus, the two questions behind this parable are:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 Who can be saved?<\/strong> Salvation is God\u2019s work, not ours. <\/p>\n Jesus then tells this parable to reveal the character of the God who saves and provides: a God who is just, merciful, and generous. This becomes the parable’s central theme. The master and his dealings with the labourers reveal God’s fairness, mercy, and generosity toward us, making salvation and earthly and eternal providence possible. With this background, let us dive deep into this parable.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In this parable, we find two types of workers.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 1. The Contracted Labourers (vv. 2, 13)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n These workers are hired early in the morning. They negotiate a contract: one denarius for a day\u2019s work. They trust in the fairness of the contract and in the worth of their labour.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At day’s end, the master pays them exactly what they agreed to. The Master is just and fair and keeps his word.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n But when the contracted labourers see others\u2014who worked far less\u2014receiving the same wage, they become disturbed. They grumble. They feel cheated. They believe they deserve more because they worked more.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n At first glance, we might sympathize with them. But the master was not unfair\u2014they received precisely what they agreed to.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Their frustration reveals something deeper: the sinful human heart marked by self righteousness, greed, and covetousness. They break the 9th and 10th commandments. In their self-centeredness, they fail to see the master’s compassion and his care toward the late workers, who also needed to feed their families.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n This eventually backfired on them. In the end, the master says, \u201cTake what belongs to you and go.\u201d A chilling line. Their relationship with the master is broken\u2014not because he was unjust, but because their greed blinded them to his generosity, and they despised him. I am not sure whether they will ever return to work for the master.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n 2. The Labourers Without a Contract (vv. 4, 7)<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n These workers are hired later in the day. They have no contract. They make no demands. They know they have no bargaining power.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They simply trust the master\u2019s word: \u201cI will give you what is right.\u201d<\/p>\n <\/p>\n They go to work, relying on the master\u2019s goodness. They cannot boast about the length or hardness of their labour.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n And at day\u2019s end, they receive a full denarius\u2014enough to provide for their needs. Not because they earned it, but because the master is merciful and generous.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Master ((Vv. 13-15) <\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n What then can we learn about the Master? This parable reveals the master as:<\/p>\n <\/p>\n \u2022 Just<\/strong>\u2014he keeps his contract. <\/p>\n UNDERSTANDING THE PARABLE<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n How, then, can we understand this parable in the context of the two questions originally asked? To refresh our memories, the two original questions were: <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Who then can be saved? A question about Salvation<\/p>\n <\/p>\n What will we ever get? A question about God’s provision in this world. <\/p>\n <\/p>\n Jesus clearly demonstrates through the first group of contracted workers that you cannot earn salvation and eternal life. Behind the facade of our good works hides a self-centred and evil heart that cannot please God.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first group also represents Christians taken over by anxiety who look to wrong places for their provisions and security. Instead of trusting in God’s goodness and generosity, they settle for something less. They bargain with God, showcasing their sacrifices like the disciples, who said, \u201cWe have left everything to follow you; what then will we get? “\u2014expecting rewards, privileges, and recognition for their sacrifices in God’s kingdom based on their carefully kept reward points scale.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n However, through the second group, Jesus clearly amplifies the gospel message to us. They represent those who come empty-handed. They have nothing to boast about or bargain with. They rely entirely on the master’s generosity. They see the Master’s grace and mercy, and the Master’s compassion and generosity provide for them.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The Gospel in the Parable is that<\/strong> we have a God who is generous, merciful, and compassionate.<\/strong> A God who made salvation possible by sending His only Son to die for us. God who also provides for all our needs according to His riches in glory.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n We serve a master who delights in the well being of His servants.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n <\/p>\n So come to the vineyard with joy as a redeemed Child of God. Serve the Lord freely\u2014without fear, without calculation, without anxiety. Your salvation is secure\u2014not because of your merit, but because of Christ’s cross. Your provision is secure\u2014not because of the quality or quantity of the sacrifices you’ve made for Christ, but because of God’s generosity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n In this parable, Jesus directs our eyes away from us to God’s generosity and mercy. You can trust Him in the bright days of blessing and in the dark days of suffering. Even when you face trials, loss, or death itself, God’s compassion, mercy, and justice will hold you fast. The God who made salvation possible for you is the same God who provides for you, sustains you, and keeps you\u2014because His care is rooted not in your sacrifices, but in His steadfast love and generosity.<\/p>\n <\/p>\n The first (those who trust in themselves) will be last, and the last (those who have nothing else but only God\u2019s mercy) first\u2014because the kingdom of God is beyond our reach, and it is given to us because of a just God who gives it to us because of His mercy and generosity. Amen.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The 17th Sunday After Pentecost \u2013 September 20, 2026 Beloved in Christ, Today we turn to one of […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":5,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"closed","template":"","wpfc_preacher":[181],"wpfc_sermon_series":[],"wpfc_sermon_topics":[],"wpfc_bible_book":[],"wpfc_service_type":[],"class_list":["wpfc_preacher-dr-sam-thompson","wpfc-sermon-single","post-5080","wpfc_sermon","type-wpfc_sermon","status-publish","hentry"],"sermon_audio":"","sermon_audio_duration":"","_views":"3","bible_passage":"","sermon_video_embed":"","sermon_video_url":"","sermon_bulletin":"","_featured_url":false,"sermon_date":1790079592,"_sermon_date_auto":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/5080","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/wpfc_sermon"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/5"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=5080"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/5080\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":5082,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/wpfc_sermon\/5080\/revisions\/5082"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=5080"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"wpfc_preacher","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_preacher&post=5080"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_sermon_series","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_sermon_series&post=5080"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_sermon_topics","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_sermon_topics&post=5080"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_bible_book","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_bible_book&post=5080"},{"taxonomy":"wpfc_service_type","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/redeemerlutheranchurch.ca\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fwpfc_service_type&post=5080"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
\n\u2022 Will God provide for us?<\/strong> Yes\u2014because He is generous and faithful.<\/p>\n
\n\u2022 Generous<\/strong>\u2014he gives beyond what is earned.
\n\u2022 Merciful<\/strong>\u2014he provides for those who cannot provide for themselves.
\n\u2022 Sovereign<\/strong>\u2014he gives as he wills, not according to human calculations.<\/p>\n