Readings: Exodus 16:2-15 Psalm 105:1-6, 37-45 Philippians 1:21-30 Matthew 20:1-16
1 O God of Bethel, by whose hand
thy people still are fed;
who through this earthly pilgrimage
hast all our forebears led.
2 Our vows, our prayers, we now present
before thy throne of grace:
God of our forebears, be the God
of their succeeding race.
3 Through each perplexing path of life
our wandering footsteps guide;
give us each day our daily bread,
and raiment fit provide.
4 O spread thy covering wings around,
till all our wanderings cease,
and at our Father's loved abode
our souls arrive in peace.
5 To thee as to our Covenant-God
we'll our whole selves resign;
and this not as a tithe alone,
for all we have is thine.
Philip Doddridge
Economies
Over the past few months, we have become accustomed to words like ‘lock-down’, self-isolation and ‘furlough’. And we begin to hear how some of those who are at the lower end of income scale cannot actually afford to be off work – when they really should be in isolation. Predictions about the economy are dire, with ever increasing numbers likely to be laid off.
We might want to consider at this point, how we as Christians can raise issues of social justice, add extra products to the food bank basket in the supermarket, or help neighbours in need. That’s a good approach, but it is not what lies at the heart of this parable. Nor is it about the seeming unfairness of the employer in the story. After all, the landowner agreed to pay the minimum wage to everyone – regardless of what time they started work – and they all accepted. (I guess if the employees had known that from the outset, they would have all signed up at the last hour! But then how would you know it was the last hour?) So, the parable does not deal with matters of the kingdom according to a consumer-led, commercial economic system; instead we are introduced to another kind of economy.
It is the final verse of Philip Doddridge’s hymn that gives a clue as to how we are supposed to function within this new system.
To thee as to our Covenant –God, we’ll our whole selves resign;
and this not as a tithe alone, for all we have is thine.
Leaving everything behind
The story really begins in Matthew 19:27:
Then Peter said in reply, ‘Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?’
Just prior to this parable, we read the tale of the rich young ruler being invited to leave everything and to follow, and how with a heavy heart he turned away. Peter, by contrast, includes the disciples as those who have indeed left everything to follow. And you almost sense the fear or panic in his voice: ‘The rich young man turned away, but we have followed, so what can we expect to get out of it?’ And at one level the question is a reasonable one, for all who follow Christ ought to be aware of what it is to which they are being called. So placed in that context, this parable provides a window on issues of discipleship, possessions and authority. And Jesus says, ‘don’t panic, you will find all you need in God’s economy’. This is where the trust begins.
The first thing Jesus did was to assure Peter that there was indeed a reward for all who follow, but there are no special privileges in the divine economy. A little later in this passage, we meet the mother of James and John requesting special privilege for her sons, and of course the reply is the same. Greatness comes not through preferment, but through service; and service is simply our response to God’s generosity to us.
The generous boss
And so it is the generous master in the parable, who gets to choose what to do with his own resources:
15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?
It was the second half of the response that struck me: it translates a Greek idiom ‘is your eye evil because I am good? So it is might be helpful to reflect on Christ’s earlier teaching about the eye: ‘The eye is the lamp of the body. So, if your eye is healthy, your whole body will be full of light; but if your eye is unhealthy, your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light in you is darkness, how great is the darkness! ‘No one can serve two masters; for a slave will either hate the one and love the other, or be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve God and wealth. Matthew 6:22-24
Jesus set out to demonstrate that the healthy eye is the one which can see clearly and respond to the light of God. The the evil eye – the unhealthy eye – leaves a person in the darkness of greed, meanness and jealousy. The envious eye, presupposes that someone has received preferential treatment, or got away with something, and therefore presumes that the complainant has sufficient grounds on which to stand. Most parents will know this conversation amongst their children, who fear that one or the other is getting better treatment. Here is what Marguerite Shuster has to say on the matter:
Grace is not grace if it is qualified by superior virtue in the recipient. Sinners are not sinners if some of them are less completely dependent on grace than others. Besides, if one has enough oneself, why would one even want more than someone else, unless out of some sort of pride and self-righteousness? That it seems so odd to put the question that way – so normal, so natural, is our desire to want more – shows the depth of our sin. The more we insist on our tit-for-tat way of thinking, the more baffled and angry we will be at God’s whole way of dealing with us
Marguerite Shuster on Matthew 20:1-16, in The Lectionary Commentary vol 3 [ed. Roger E. Van Harn] (Grand Rapids, Michigan: Eerdmans, 2001), 113f
The upside down economy
How odd that Jesus turned cultural norms upside down! He talks to labourers about generous landowners, and invites them to emulate such a person. I guess they were a little perplexed! But Jesus does this to focus on the generosity of God, who is creator, because God is the generous landowner, as we have learned from the Psalmist:
The earth is the Lord’s and all that is in it,
the world, and those who live in it;
2 for he has founded it on the seas,
and established it on the rivers. Psalm 24:1-2
The generosity of God notices that some workers were not hired (verse 6) – much as some workers are not hired today, no one wants them: those with learning difficulties; demanding family circumstances; previous convictions; no transport; disabled, women – the list goes on. The fact that legislation enshrines the rights of such groups in the Equality Act (2010) reminds us of this. THE CHURCH HAS ALWAYS BEEN CALLED TO DISCRIMINATE AGAINST NO-ONE. (Those of you who use emails, will no doubt think that I am shouting … I am!) The graciousness of God ensures that all are welcome. But the church has been less than gracious, which is why we must continue to challenge every form of discrimination.
And the stunning thing about this parable is that the landowner did not question why they were unemployable. The landowner simply made sure that each worker ended the day with dignity and the security of a wage to take home to the family.
for all
There is, in this parable, a profound sense of being invited to become a worker in this new kingdom of grace. I love Joanne Harris’ novel Chocolat, and the film based on this book. (It might be something to do with the title.) Set in a small provincial town in France towards the end of the 1950’s, the town is comfortable with its perception of its own ‘tranquillité’. Everyone knew their place, everyone knew what was expected of them, and the guardians of this way of life would very helpfully remind anyone who forgot!
Until Vianne and her daughter arrive in town.
Breaking with convention, Vianne does not go to church, does not arrive with her husband, and has the temerity to open a chocolaterie, and to open it in Lent (when everyone knows that you should not be eating chocolate). Vianne may not attend church, but she certainly knows how to live by grace. She encourages Josephine to leave and abusive husband; she reconciles Armande with her grandson; she draws a widower out of some 30 years of mourning and into a new relationship.
Every time I read this book or watch the film, I am reminded of what it means to children of God and to reach out to the community in which we live with the love of God. Chocolaterie are obviously more appealing than church! Yet isn’t the message of God’s love far more significant and lasting than the momentary delight of chocolate?
Worship at home 