That’s Not Fair?
Sometime in your life, you’re going to feel the sting of unfairness. Maybe it’s hearing your mother’s will read and realizing your brother and sister got more than you. Maybe it’s your friend that’s never taken a golf lesson carrying a ‘3’ handicap. You’re an ‘18’ and you’ve taken lessons all your life. Maybe it’s finding out someone is making more money than you, doing the same kind of work. Some junior guy…with less experience who comes along at the right time and gets lucky. Or it’s the cute young girl with the Harvard MBA who everybody thinks is so smart.
Jesus knew we would struggle with “fairness”, so He left us with a very cool story (in Matthew 20:1-16) to teach us how to respond. Here’s the set up –
Several groups of workers were hired by the owner of a vineyard to help harvest the grape crop. We don’t know this for sure, but judging from the number of workers being hired and the wages being paid, one would suspect the grapes were ripe and had to be harvested fast or be lost. The boss cut a separate deal with each of the groups.
“I’ll pay you a day’s wage for a day’s work”, he said to the first group at 8:00 a.m. Fair enough. They went to work.
Then at 11:00 a.m., he hired another group and he agreed to pay them a full day’s wage too…just to work the balance of the day. Hmmm.
Then at 2:00 p.m., he hires yet another group to work “the rest of the day”, which is now only a few hours. He agrees to pay them a full day’s wage as well.
Then, believe it or not, he hires yet another group at 4:00 p.m., just an hour before quitting time, and he pays them a full day’s wage …to work just one hour!
When everyone sees the different amounts of work done for the same pay, they go postal.
“He’s paying you WHAT?”
“What you got for half a day is what I’m getting for a WHOLE DAY!”
“And those guys over there only worked an hour! They didn’t even work through the noonday heat!” You can imagine the outrage.
If you have the master’s perspective, it could make sense. He knew his labor requirements. Maybe the grapes would ruin if they stayed in the field another day, so he paid more as the day went on out of desperation. Maybe the workers who showed up later in the day were stronger, more experienced and could pick more in the short time left in the day. Maybe the boss saw these workers in the town square and had pity on them because no one else had hired them. Maybe he just wanted to give some guys a break. We don’t know what was in the mind of the boss.
Jesus added another dimension to the master’s response. Maybe he’s not to be questioned. It’s his money. He owns the vineyard. He paid you what he promised. So what’s your “beef”?
My “net out” of this story…
1. God’s the boss. We don’t know everything He knows. If we believe that God is good and He loves us, we can relax, even when it doesn’t look “fair”. The question is “Will I trust Him?”.
2. Because He’s more generous with someone else makes us mad. Should it? Maybe it should make us proud to know Him, like we’d be proud of our earthly dad if he did something admirable and we’re proud to be his son or daughter. It’s the opposite of jealousy.
3. When we get wrapped up in what someone else is getting, we forget about the generosity shown to us.
4. It IS all His. He has all the votes. He is God. I am not. Learning to trust Him and accept what He puts in our hand…that’s the ticket to contentment. Start questioning His “fairness” and we’re judging God. Not a good idea.
Application?
Don’t get bogged down comparing yourself with everybody else. You don’t know what God is up to in their lives, nor do you know what He’s planning for yours.
Contentment is built on a foundation of gratitude and trust. Gratitude for what we’ve been given and trust in Jehovah Jireh… “God, our provider”.
Next time you get a hint that someone may be getting a little more than you, smile and relax knowing that the “boss” loves you. Be grateful for what He’s given you and look away from what others get.
Question: Have you faced this situation…where someone “junior” or less deserving got more money or better treatment? How did you respond? How might you respond now? Please comment here.
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Responses (2)
I’ll never forget in RMG, Regi once said you never get it until your grateful. What want I get? Now I have “learned to be content”. Gratefulness teach us contentment in God’s abounding love and graciousness.
Thanks for your comment J.D. I know you live life through a grateful heart!