This past week has brought to the forefront the financial challenges of what happens when the government gives Wall Street impossible orders to obey. What members of the government meant for the good of the poorest in the land has turned Wall Street upside down. This is a perfect illustration of good intentions over riding common sense. Instead of helping the poor out of poverty through education and job incentive programs, the government demanded that banks and financial institutions had to give housing loans to folks who had no means to pay them back. The fallout has resulted in a financial mess of such magnitude that the government and financial experts have joined together for a quick fix of hundreds of billions of dollars at the expense of the American public. This has caused a lot of concern from the American taxpayer who is already in economic distress. Although Wall Street might approve, it is the small businesses and the workers of this country who will ultimately be the losers as employees are laid off to meet the increase in taxes to pay the bill caused by good intentions with no common sense.
In today’s gospel reading, the parable of the workers in the vineyard that were all paid a day’s wages, even though most of them didn’t even work a full day; seems just about as unfair as what we saw happen on Wall Street and in the bail out by Uncle Sam this past week. Those who worked all day were given the same pay as those who worked for only an hour. When those who had endured the heat of the day and worked longer than the other workers complained to the owner of the vineyard they were told, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you. Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?”
While both of these scenarios seem to be examples of unfairness for the every day worker who was not even involved in the housing debacle that has now become everyone’s problem, there is a major difference. Jesus tells us that the story of the vineyard and the workers is like the kingdom of heaven. It is the phrase “the kingdom of heaven” that changes everything.
To enter the kingdom of heaven one must first be chosen by the owner or God. The owner or God generously takes in all who make themselves available to work in His vineyard, which is the Body of Christ. We know the vineyard is the Body of Christ because Jesus tells us that He is the vine and we (the believers) are the branches. Scripture also tells us that Jesus is the Head and we the believers are the Body of Christ. All of us become members of the Body of Christ through the Holy Spirit who draws us to God through Jesus Christ.
However, we do not all begin working for the Kingdom of God in the vineyard at the same time in our lives. Some begin working for the Lord from childhood or the beginning of their lives. These are those who are brought up in a Christian home and know no other life other than to live for Christ alone. Then there are those who begin their work as teenagers or young adults. While still others do not make themselves available for the work of the kingdom of God until their latter years and or even in the last hour or with the last breath of life make a decision for Christ. Yet, they all receive the same payment or reward. Now what would that payment or reward be?
To help us understand this better, we need to turn to the gospel of Luke, chapter ten where Jesus literally sends out seventy followers to spread the good news. Jesus describes their assignment in this way, “After this the Lord appointed seventy others and sent them on ahead of him in pairs to every town and place where he himself intended to go. He said to them, ‘The harvest is plentiful, but the laborers are few; therefore ask the Lord of the harvest to send out laborers into his harvest. 3Go on your way. See, I am sending you out like lambs into the midst of wolves. Carry no purse, no bag, no sandals; and greet no one on the road. Whatever house you enter, first say, “Peace to this house!” And if anyone is there who shares in peace, your peace will rest on that person; but if not, it will return to you. Remain in the same house, eating and drinking whatever they provide, for the laborer deserves to be paid. Do not move about from house to house. Whenever you enter a town and its people welcome you, eat what is set before you; cure the sick who are there, and say to them, “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”
In this assignment, the seventy, who are sent out in twos, are to receive as payment housing, food, and drink and whatever else the people choose to give to them. This means that some of them will be given more than others, but they are all given the same task, which is to heal the sick and to proclaim the good news that “The kingdom of God has come near to you.”
When the seventy returns rejoicing over what they think is their successful journeys; Jesus tells them to rejoice instead over something more valuable than what they have seen. Luke writes, “The seventy returned with joy, saying, ‘Lord, in your name even the demons submit to us!’ He said to them, ‘I watched Satan fall from heaven like a flash of lightning. See, I have given you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and over all the power of the enemy; and nothing will hurt you. 20Nevertheless, do not rejoice at this, that the spirits submit to you, but rejoice that your names are written in heaven.’”
It is not the signs and wonders done in Jesus’ name that the seventy are told to rejoice in, but to rejoice in their names being written in the Book of Life. This alone is cause for celebration. So too the workers in the vineyard are all given the same reward, which is the gift of eternal life. No matter how long one has lived on this earth serving the Lord God for Jesus’ sake, we will all be given the same reward. The same reward of which Jesus told the seventy to rejoice about is the reward given to all who do the work of the Lord.
Although some may think this unfair that those who have given their entire lives for the kingdom of God will receive the same reward of eternal life as those who make confessions of faith at their death, this is how it is.
he thief on the cross at Jesus’ crucifixion, who confessed Jesus as Lord, received the gift of eternal life the same as the disciples who had given up everything to follow Jesus as their Master. Luke writes, “One of the criminals who were hanged there kept deriding him and saying, ‘Are you not the Messiah? Save yourself and us!’ But the other rebuked him, saying, ‘Do you not fear God, since you are under the same sentence of condemnation? And we indeed have been condemned justly, for we are getting what we deserve for our deeds, but this man has done nothing wrong.’ Then he said, ‘Jesus, remember me when you come into your kingdom.’ He replied, ‘Truly I tell you, today you will be with me in Paradise.’”
Brothers and sisters in Christ, although we may be tempted to be worried and distressed concerning the adversities that we are called to endure on this earth. We have something to rejoice about no matter how badly things may become even in the midst of a financial crisis on Wall Street. Those of us whose names are written in the Book of Life can overcome all things, because we have the gift of being able to look at the adversities in this life from an eternal perspective. It is in knowing that all things on earth are temporal, but our reward of eternal life is forever. May we rejoice in the words of St. Paul who wrote, “For to me, living is Christ and dying is gain.”
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