Septuagesima, 2002
Matthew 20:1-16

Wine, raisins, and table grapes were highly prized in the ancient Middle East, which meant that much activity revolved around the vine. A productive vineyard demanded organizational skills and a sizable work force. Harvesting the grapes was only a small part of the enterprise. At least a couple times a year, workers would have to hoe the weeds that robbed the soil of moisture needed to carry the vines through the rainless summer. If God blessed the land with plentiful rainfall in a given year, soil erosion would sometimes have to be corrected by spading earth around the base of the vines. If precipitation fell short of 16 inches a year, the grapes would have to be irrigated. Usually this meant hauling heavy containers from a well or river to the dry vines. Grafting was a necessary but tedious task. Arbors were constructed so that the tendrils could coil around them, spiral up and support the clusters. Once the harvest began, the picking crew must be careful to remove each cluster one at a time and not damage the grapes. Some grapes would be set out in the sun for raisin-making, the rest would be transported in baskets to a gondola for winemaking. After the vines were stripped of their fruit, they would have to be pruned and the hewn branches hauled off to burn.

There were benefits for the workers: fig trees dotted the vineyards of Palestine, affording the laborers some shade. Also the gleaning laws of Israel permitted the work company to eat all the grapes they wanted. Nevertheless, toil in a vineyard could be backbreaking, and the heat of summer generated plenty of sweat and fatigue.

A large vineyard operation sets the scene for our Gospel text on this Septuagesima Sunday. Jesus spoke a parable to his disciples as a way to answer a question that Peter had posed. In Matthew 19:27 Peter had asked the Lord, "We have left all and followed you. Therefore what shall we have?" The disciples had been following Jesus for some time now under stressful conditions. The sacrifices had been great; the travel hard, the work difficult. Peter is hinting at something: "Lord, since we have worked the hardest, shouldn't we be the most handsomely rewarded?"

Jesus replies to Peter: "Of course you will be rewarded. You twelve will sit on twelve thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Everyone who gives up home and possessions for my sake will receive a hundredfold, and inherit eternal life" (Mt. 19:29). And then, the parable about workers in a vineyard also addresses Peter's query. How will all the followers of Jesus be rewarded in heaven? The Lord speaks to that issue in Matthew 20:1-2. He states: "For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard." How much was a denarius? It was in those days a decent wage. We know that the Roman soldiers were paid that salary, and it was considered a moderately generous payment. Consequently the crew walked out to the vines satisfied, expecting a good day. They would come in from the fields at 6:00 p.m., be paid, and go home happy. Everything would have turned out smoothly, except the owner was an eccentric. He did something that complicated things. At nine o'clock in the morning he went to the marketplace and hired some more workers. Then he returned to the market again at noon, and did the same. He told them, "Go into the vineyard and work; don't worry, I'll pay you a good wage." The landowner went again at 3:00 p.m. to scour the marketplace and find more workers. Then, at 5:00 p.m., with only one more hour left until sunset, he went to look once more. By the time the last team arrived in the vineyard and picked a couple of grapes it was time to quit.

Evening arrived, and the workers came in from the field to be paid. All five groups stood around the steward ­ the exhausted early morning workers, the middle assemblies, as well as the late ones who had hardly broken a sweat. The owner told his steward to pay the five o'clock hands first. He gave each of them a denarius. The three o'clock shift was next in line, and the steward was told to give them a denarius. The noon field hands got a denarius. The men who had been laboring since nine in the morning came forward; they received a denarius. And finally, the faithful who had been toiling all day long since early in the morning got their turn. How were they compensated? They were handed a denarius; one denarius, the same as everyone else. Of course, that is what they had gladly agreed upon at the outset, but now the servants are resentful and envious. They had worked their fingers to a bone for eleven hours, the burning rays of the sun between 11:00 and 2:00 were like a furnace; the sight of the one-hour workers earning an equal salary was too much. The injustice made them envious. They grumbled angrily and sent a spokesman to the owner to lodge a complaint: "These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day." How did the landowner respond? "Friend, I am dong you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?" (Matthew 20:13-15)

This is the chain of events of the parable. It is simple to understand, but how do we interpret it? The great church father St. John Chrysostom considered it "an obscure problem," and he asked, overwhelmed, "What can be the meaning of this parable?" We share his puzzlement. The whole thing strikes us as unfair. "We have a businessman who is paying people who work only one hour the same wage he is paying those who work all day What manager operates that way? It seems irrational. It produces labor problems. More than that, it is bad business. A man who operated like that would soon be bankrupt" (Boice, p. 59).

There has to be something important here. Let us identify the persons in the allegory and analyze the parts. The owner surely represents God the Father. The market is a figure for the world. The vineyard is a metaphor for the Church, or the Kingdom of God. The Lord expects the vineyard to be fruitful. The purpose of the vineyard is to produce succulent grapes whence the winepress will bring forth wine; an elegant red wine of exquisite bouquet and delightful flavor; indeed, a wine to rejoice the Bride of Christ (Song of Solomon 5:1).

What about evening? The arrival of evening in our parable symbolizes the end of time. The steward who rewards the workers is Jesus at his Second coming. The gathering of all the field hands to receive their wages is the Great White Throne Judgment. The denarius coin symbolizes eternal life. The owner who goes repeatedly into the busy marketplace to look for workers is none other than God the Father who calls his elect out of the world, into the Kingdom of God.

Does the Father of the vineyard search for laborers from desperation? Will the vineyard fall apart if he does not get more hands? No, he doesn't need more help. This is an important point. The Father doesn't bring the workers into his vineyard because he needs them, but because he is generous and compassionate. He loves the poor in the marketplace. He seeks them out, and he wants to help many more.

How do we interpret the equal wage given to everyone? Does this mean that there will be no degrees of happiness in heaven? Yes, that is probably what the denarius signifies. In glory, God the Father anoints all his children as kings and priests. All of us who enter heaven will experience the same joy because we will all possess immortal, glorified bodies and stand without flaw. We will see the Lamb on his throne. We will worship him King of kings and Lord of lords. Each and every one of the redeemed will join with angels and archangels and sing a new song: "Worthy is the Lamb who was slain, To receive power and riches and wisdom, and strength and honor and glory and blessing!" (Rev. 5:12) All the blessed in heaven will see Christ, the glory of the communion of saints, and the renovation of nature. In this sense our Lord's parable teaches us that everyone in heaven will experience the most perfect happiness. This is the denarius we will receive, if we are in Christ.

On the other hand, there are Bible verses that indicate gradations of glory. When the Lord said: "In My Father's house there are many mansions" (John 14:2), this was interpreted by the Church Fathers to mean that some heavenly homes would be bigger and more beautiful than others. Jesus told his disciples that they would receive a hundredfold for their sacrifices on earth (Mathew 19:29). The apostles would sit on thrones judging the twelve tribes of Israel. Combining all the Biblical data we may conclude that heaven will manifest both truths: a great equality of happiness, and varying degrees of glory. How is that possible? St. Augustine explained it this way: "Lord, Thou deignest to equalize the wages of life, but not the splendor of eternal glory. The same denarius is given to all; for all the saints shall reign with Thee throughout eternity, but not all in the same splendor. It is common to all the stars to shine continually in the heavens, but they have not all the same brilliancy." Without being dogmatic, it seems that eternity will manifest equality of joy, along with different levels of glory.

What are some other lessons we learn from this parable? It brings out the doctrine of salvation not by works but by grace. That is what we learn as we consider the owner of the vineyard. God's attitude to his servants is not that of careful calculation; it is that of abundant forgiveness, of overflowing favor. When he saves us he is not concerned with what we deserve, he is only concerned with how lost we are and what we need.

Suppose you go to a job interview with a poor resume. You admit to the employer that you have no education, no references; you've tried several jobs and been fired every time. You add that you lost one position by fraud and another by drunkenness. Yet, you declare to the boss that now you honestly want one more chance, and that you really mean to reform. What happens? Usually the employer shows you door with the parting words, "Don't call us, we'll call you."

But if you turn to God and tell him that you don't know much about theology, that you have never cared about Jesus, that your life has been full of meanness and rebellion, but that now you know you need Christ and his help and that you are ready to work for all you're worth ­ what happens? God holds out a hand of welcome and says, "You're the very person I was looking for. You're hired. In fact, I have been after you for a long time. I love you so much I'll make you a business partner in my kingdom." Such a scenario may not occur in the business world, but it does happen with Christ. It is the grace of God in action, and how can we not be grateful to him for it?

What more can we gain from the parable for today? Using the vine metaphor perhaps we can go out on a limb and speak about pruning: spiritual pruning. Septuagesima is an ancient term that indicates we are drawing near to the season of Lent. Even before the time of Christ the roman poet Virgil had given directions for pruning. He and Pliny advocated removing 85 to 98 percent of the annual growth of the vine. This became the normal practice for centuries. Only in modern times have some wine growers begun to see that a less severe removal might be better. Nevertheless, everyone agrees that some kind of pruning is necessary. A pruned vine yields pounds more grapes, and they are tastier.

In a spiritual sense, we need an annual pruning as well. A removal of the excess materialism, consumption, and busyness of our lifestyle makes us more fruitful. The material glut that bars us from a closer walk with the Lord needs to be trimmed. One way to prune it away is by distinguishing between our wants and our needs. Too often we get confused about what we really need and what we merely want. Food is a need. But eating out at fancy restaurants is a want. For this coming Lent, the Church calls on us to eat and drink simply, and fast on Ash Wednesday and Good Friday. Drinking is a need. But drinking pricey bottled drinks is a want. I read in the newspaper the other day that the trendy new Orange County beverage is a coffee called XTZ. It costs $2 for a 12-ounce bottle. Wouldn't the body be healthier drinking water? Clothing is a need. But insisting on a new outfit every day with matching shoes is merely a want.

Not all wants are bad. Listening to beautiful music, reading a fine book, contemplating the moon and the stars, walking around the block. These are proper desires. Not all wants are bad. But a life consumed by fulfilling all our wants is a recipe for frustration and unhappiness. Hence, during this upcoming season of Lent let us seek to practice simplicity. Our parable about the vineyard calls us to prune the excess from our lives and cut away the things that hinder our growth in holiness.

And let us not forget the amazing grace of God to sinners. That is what the Father figure teaches us. He governs his vineyard in ways we find inscrutable. If we complain and grumble, it may be that we don't yet understand the Gospel of grace. The Holy Almighty chooses the miserable and worthless workers of the world and grants them a denarius: He turns them into saints for eternity. In light of God's grace to us, come now to the Holy Communion and offer him your sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving.

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