῞ΟΜΟΙΑ γάρ ἐστιν ἡ βασιλεία τῶν οὐρανῶν ἀνθρώπῳ οἰκοδεσπότῃ, ὅστις ἐξῆλθεν ἅμα πρωΐ μισθώσασθαι ἐργάτας εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ. 2 καὶ συμφωνήσας μετὰ τῶν ἐργατῶν ἐκ δηναρίου τὴν ἡμέραν ἀπέστειλεν αὐτοὺς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα αὐτοῦ. 3 καὶ ἐξελθὼν περὶ τρίτην ὥραν εἶδεν ἄλλους ἑστῶτας ἐν τῇ ἀγορᾷ ἀργούς, 4 καὶ ἐκείνοις εἶπεν· ὑπάγετε καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν ᾖ δίκαιον δώσω ὑμῖν. οἱ δὲ ἀπῆλθον. 5 πάλιν ἐξελθὼν περὶ ἕκτην καὶ ἐνάτην ὥραν ἐποίησεν ὡσαύτως. 6 περὶ δὲ τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ὥραν ἐξελθὼν εὗρεν ἄλλους ἑστῶτας ἀργούς, καὶ λέγει αὐτοῖς· τί ὧδε ἑστήκατε ὅλην τὴν ἡμέραν ἀργοί; 7 λέγουσιν αὐτῷ· ὅτι οὐδεὶς ἡμᾶς ἐμισθώσατο. λέγει αὐτοῖς· ὑπάγετε καὶ ὑμεῖς εἰς τὸν ἀμπελῶνα, καὶ ὃ ἐὰν ᾖ δίκαιον λήψεσθε.
8 ὀψίας δὲ γενομένης λέγει ὁ κύριος τοῦ ἀμπελῶνος τῷ ἐπιτρόπῳ αὐτοῦ· κάλεσον τοὺς ἐργάτας καὶ ἀπόδος αὐτοῖς τὸν μισθόν, ἀρξάμενος ἀπὸ τῶν ἐσχάτων ἕως τῶν πρώτων. 9 καὶ ἐλθόντες οἱ περὶ τὴν ἑνδεκάτην ὥραν ἔλαβον ἀνὰ δηνάριον. 10 ἐλθόντες δὲ οἱ πρῶτοι ἐνόμισαν ὅτι πλείονα λήψονται, καὶ ἔλαβον καὶ αὐτοὶ ἀνὰ δηνάριον. 11 λαβόντες δὲ ἐγόγγυζον κατὰ τοῦ οἰκοδεσπότου 12 λέγοντες ὅτι οὗτοι οἱ ἔσχατοι μίαν ὥραν ἐποίησαν, καὶ ἴσους ἡμῖν αὐτοὺς ἐποίησας τοῖς βαστάσασι τὸ βάρος τῆς ἡμέρας καὶ τὸν καύσωνα. 13 ὁ δὲ ἀποκριθεὶς εἶπεν ἑνὶ αὐτῶν· ἑταῖρε, οὐκ ἀδικῶ σε· οὐχὶ δηναρίου συνεφώνησάς μοι; 14 ἆρον τὸ σὸν καὶ ὕπαγε· θέλω δὲ τούτῳ τῷ ἐσχάτῳ δοῦναι ὡς καὶ σοί· 15 ἢ οὐκ ἔξεστί μοι ποιῆσαι ὃ θέλω ἐν τοῖς ἐμοῖς, εἰ ὁ ὀφθαλμός σου πονηρός ἐστιν ὅτι ἐγὼ ἀγαθός εἰμι; 16 Οὕτως ἔσονται οἱ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι· πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσι κλητοί, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί. - Matthew 20:1-16
I often have wondered about this passage. What is actually being said? I, a workman for most of my adult life, think often on the injustice of those who labor all day and are paid equal to those who hardly work. But, we are told the manager of the vineyard (the foreman - οἰκοδεσπότῃ) made agreement with the workmen when he hired them to pay them justly (δίκαιον). But what is just in this case, and what does that mean for the Kingdom. I have heard many sermons on the topic, mostly concentrating on the last lines, that in the Kingdom Οὕτως ἔσονται οἱ ἔσχατοι πρῶτοι καὶ οἱ πρῶτοι ἔσχατοι· πολλοὶ γάρ εἰσι κλητοί, ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί.
I suppose it’s my Calvinist background that I have trouble with. The doctrine of election, is often seen in a harsh manner. Frankly I cannot see a just God choosing some for eternal bliss, and others for damnation. But I do accept that what I have and what I have been given is by God’s grace, for except for the Grace of God I would be somewhere and someone else, perhaps part of the reprobate, but I think that God is infinite love and desires the health and welfare of all. Yet I know deeply in my reflective moments that it is true that ὀλίγοι δὲ ἐκλεκτοί. But why should a just God choose to only choose the few?
Perhaps what is being said is that the person who exhibits saintliness and labors for the Kingdom (church) all his/her life is no better that the persons who come to the realization of the virtues of the Kingdom late in life. Perhaps Jesus is saying that the old members of the church, who like to keep themselves busy running things in accordance with their family traditions and their desires for the church, are no better than the late comer, who is truly sincere. The wages, one should note, are the same. An absolute and radical egalitarianism is being asserted here. We are all equal not only in the Kingdom, but all equal in God’s eyes. Those who are chosen may be few in number because perhaps there are only a few who “get it”. Perhaps it makes no difference how much or long you work, but whether or not you get it, understand and come to the Kingdom with sincerity that matters. Perhaps the skeptic and those, like me, who are never satisfied with the doctrine, but are always seeking the answer to our questions, will be among the few, and hopefully our wages will be equal to those who believed for a long time, perhaps their whole life.
I cannot believe in a capricious God, who would treat his subjects in a capricious manner, giving some rewards for less effort than others, but I suppose in the end that is what the parable is about. But when I reflect on the history of the church, this parable is necessary, in order to show God’s treatment of those who came to the church recently as equal to those who came from the Jewish tradition and apostolic times. Equity is important for the church. Perhaps it is an insertion by the early church to make the newcomer welcome - as welcome as those who knew Jesus and heard his message. Ultimately I think herein lies the solution to the apparent injustice described in the parable.
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