Understanding the Parable: Workers in the Vineyard

When we read The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, we see that Jesus is speaking with another pointer towards “the kingdom of heaven”. And again this will also oppose any relative thinking or concept from a man’s understanding or intelligence.

In the parable, a landowner went out to find workers for his vineyard and agreed to pay each a day’s wage. In the morning, he sees people idling in the marketplace and employed them to work in his vineyard. He did the same thing at noon, in the afternoon and in the evening. Came the end of the day, by his order, his supervisor paid the workers beginning with the latter hired going on to first hired. The earlier hired ones expected to receive more than promised since the latter ones are paid as much. However, when they are paid the same and they grumbled.

Now, the landowner went out to find workers. I’m not sure what is the practice in those times, but this landowner supposing very rich, why must he personally go around to employ the workers? He could have sent his servants or just leave a employment notice outside his vineyard, but no, he went himself personally to hire. Many times during the day.

The people he is hiring are all doing nothing in the marketplace. They are without work and means to support and feed themselves and their family. ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. Most of all, they are all unwanted. But the landowner hired them all on the spot.

When the time came for the wages to be paid, the latter hired workers must be glad to receive a day’s wage for less than a day’s work. Getting more than they ever deserved. But the early workers thought they would get even more since they have worked longer. However, they grumbled when they got the same wage as everyone else. The burden of the work and the heat of the sun, they complained.

Bad business sense?

The earlier workers have something the latter workers do not have. They have the earlier assurance from the landowner that they will be paid while the latter workers were still unemployed. The first workers has been promised the hope of what the wage can bring for himself and his family, while the others still unwanted and uncertain of their livelihood.

The purpose of the landowner is to get workers into his vineyard. We may not know why the people are not all at the marketplace all in the morning, but as he gathered the workers throughout the day, he is not concern about how much wage he is to give out because he sure can afford it, but rather how many can he hire into his vineyard.

Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ The landowner is at worst being fair to the first workers and at best he is generous and gracious to the last workers.

The burden of going out so many times personally in the heat of the sun, the landowner worked harder than anyone of the hired workers, and yet he is the generous one paying everyone else. That is probably the most wonderful mystery about this parable.