Not Being Stingy
Matthew 20:14-16 (Message Translation)
I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. Can’t I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?’“ Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first.”
The scripture for today is the last part of Jesus’s parable of the owner of the vineyard and the hired workers. The owner, in need of hired labor, goes out several times to recruit people. The last group hired works only one hour before quitting time. As was customary workers were paid at the end of each day. Those last hired got a full day’s wages. Imagine their surprise and joy. The first hired grumble because they got the same wage.
Through the years, when I have contemplated the meaning of this parable of Jesus I have always seen it as a challenge to not be jealous when others get something that I am not sure they deserve. I tend to assume I am one of the early hires and need to be gracious to those hired last. After all, I have been a Christian and a Methodist from birth. Born into a Methodist Parsonage I started going to church at 9 days old. I don’t remember a time when I wasn’t a part of a church or did not feel the presence of God in my life. So of course, I would have been one of the first chosen in this parable and I need to be gracious when others, finally repent and turn to God.
As important as this thought is, it doesn’t really challenge me to live life differently. I believe Jesus used parables to get people to live differently, to live as members of the kingdom of God.
When I read this parable in the message and hear, “Are you going to get stingy because I am generous,?” I was shocked. Being resentful for the blessings others received, is more than just having feelings of jealousy, it is living a stingy, “Scrooge type” of life. I am acting as if I want all the blessings for myself. Not a flattering image, is it?
This made me asked myself, “What if I was the landowner?” After all, to live in the Kingdom of God is to follow the example of Christ. Of course I would choose those who are eager and willing to work, who are there early in the morning, Or, I could say, I would surround myself with people just like me. But would I want to reach out beyond my comfort zone towards others who are struggling for a variety of reasons? Would I accept them as they are, beloved children of God, or would they have to “prove” themselves first. Would I in the end find it possible to be generous and gracious as God is gracious to me? Or would I see a bit of Scrooge in my actions?
Living in the kingdom of God is a little about not being jealous but even more I think it might be about acting in a God like way towards all, caring for their needs and not being stingy or making them earn it. That challenge is the kind of message Jesus would share, I believe. To live in his kingdom is to live differently than the world.
Prayer:
God help us to remember that living in your kingdom is more than just not being jealous when good things happen to others. It is living by your example and having a generous spirit especially towards those who we might think don’t deserve it. Remind us that they are your beloved children and you love them as fully as you love us. AMEN.
Today's devotional was written by Bill Green and read by Joey Smith.
Grace for All is a daily devotional podcast produced by the members of the congregation of First United Methodist Church in Maryville, Tennessee. With these devotionals, we want to remind listeners on a daily basis of the love and grace that God extends to all human beings, no matter their location, status, or condition in life.
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