Work for No Reward
Matthew 20:1-16
February 13, 2022 anno Domini
On the Talk Show “Garage Logic” Joe Soucheray would occasionally give out an award called “Today’s Stupid Principal.” The award was given to principals who promised things like this, “If our school reads 500 books next month, I’ll shave my head, wear a diaper, and ride a tricycle through the parking lot while you throw water balloons at me.” Joe considered that principal not the smartest because he was awarding students for doing what students are supposed to do. Students are supposed to read books. Reading a book is a reward in itself. He also gave the award because a principal should not shave his head, wear a diaper, and ride a tricycle through the school parking lot ever.
You should not expect a reward for doing what is right. Let me push that even farther. It is not Christian to expect a reward for doing right. That is one of the messages of today’s parable.
The Kingdom of heaven, according to the parable, begins with the master of the house going out. You could apply these words to your creation or your salvation. God comes out and does all the work. In creation He made everything out of nothing. If you are male that’s his doing. If you’re female that’s His doing. If you are married that’s His gift too. If you can drive a semi-truck or sew a dress or create beautiful art or have business smarts that’s His doing. Those workers in the vineyard had nothing until the Master came and said, “Work in my vineyard.” Then they had jobs, then they had a way to receive money, but they couldn’t claim, “That’s my job. You owe me.” He had given them everything. It was all His — the vineyard, the work, the wages.
The workers in the parable are simply doing what the master has given them to do. If you have been given hands, put them to work. If you have been given a body, take care of it. If you are male honor all the women around you by not having sex with anyone but your wife after you are married. If you are female respect men by dressing modestly and not giving any room to temptation. God has called you by virtue of your creation to work at whatever He has given you. If you don’t know what you should be doing read and memorize commandments – there’s enough there to keep you busy all day, every day. If you don’t find enough there to fill your time, look at your neighbors and serve them. Are you a husband? Then then look after your wife. Are you a father? Provide for your children. Teach them the faith. Be a real godly man. Are you a son or daughter? Take care of your parents. If you have a job, work hard. If you’re a student study. If your driveway is full of snow shovel it. And don’t ask, “Why should I?” or “What’ll it get me?” Those aren’t Christian questions. Those are sinful questions.
But there’s the problem – sin. We didn’t stick to the original agreement. God gave us everything we have and are. He set the rules, just like the master in the parable set the rules – work all day and I’ll give you a denarius. God said, “All this is yours, just don’t sin. Don’t take what I haven’t given you. Listen to Me and Me alone. It’s My vineyard and these are the rules.” But we ate the forbidden fruit. We listened to the Devil’s word. We thought the master was holding out on us, so we took what we were not given. So now what do we deserve? What should be our wage? God says, “The wages of sin is death.” What we’ve earned is a debt. We have to pay of our souls for our sin. We have to render our bodies to the ground because we said, “It’s my choice. I’m going to do what I want.“ We pay with our lives for saying, “I want to live my own life.”
That’s why you need the whole parable. You need to hear the ending. The master of the vineyard goes down to the Jerusalem temp agency all day long. We’re in that day right now. As long as the Lord’s Word is still being preached and His sacraments are being rightly administered, the Lord is going out and calling you in to His Kingdom. So, listen up.
At the 11th hour the master goes out. Back then they worked 12-hour day. 12 is the number of apostles. 12 hours is the time of the church. So, the Lord keeps calling until the day of grace is ended, until His church is full.
The temp agency in Jerusalem isn’t open for 12 hours, but the bar across the street is and there the master finds more guys. Who knows if they really didn’t hear his call to work or if they were lazy or if they are liars when they said, “No one hired us.” What about you? Have you heard the call? Been lazy? Lied? The Master still calls them and you, “You go into the vineyard too.”
Those 11th hour workers got a gift, but so did the first hour workers. It’s gift upon gift in the kingdom of heaven. Now comes payday, but remember this empire isn’t run by Mark Zuckerberg or Elon Musk. This isn’t a Union Shop controlled by Local 101. This is God’s kingdom and he runs a heavenly economy.
In the end they each got a denarius. The 11th hour workers and the all-day workers. What does this mean? It means the kingdom of heaven isn’t fair. It is merciful. If God was fair, you would get nothing but death and hell and torment for all eternity, but God isn’t fair. He doesn’t pay you what you deserve, He gives you what He has earned for you. He works and gives you His wages.
The Son of God became man and He worked. He kept every commandment. He loved His neighbor more than Himself. He worshipped God alone and never missed a Sabbath and never daydreamed during the sermon. At His baptism Jesus took on our debt. He did not become the chief of sinners, but sin itself. On the cross He paid our debt. His body was sacrificed. His soul suffered the hell of being abandoned by God. In those few hours He bore the heat of our eternal separation from the Father.
Today is Septuagesima Sunday. Septuagesima is Latin for 70 days. We are seventy days from Easter (more or less). Easter is the proclamation that Jesus did what His Father gave Him to do. There was no reward for the Son of God coming to earth. There was humiliation. The Son of God set aside His glory, to become a zygote, an unborn infant, a baby wearing a diaper. Then He was rejected by the Jews, accused of crimes He didn’t commit, convicted, and crucified. The Son did what His Father had given Him to do. There was no big reward in the end – just His Father’s good pleasure and one other little reward – you. He did all this for you and gives it freely to you so you can have Him.
In Septuagesima (70 days) we’ll rejoice in the resurrection. On the way there we will go through Lent. Lent is a season in which God calls us to do what He has given us to do, not for reward, but because He is our Father and has given us His son. In Lent we are given three tasks – pray, fast, and give. We pray, not for ourselves, but others, especially those who don’t pray at all. We fast, and deny ourselves the good gifts of God, to remember only one thing is necessary for life (and it’s not a vaccine). It’s Jesus. We give to those in need because we have all we need in Jesus. The sermon’s almost over. The service will end shortly. It’s almost time for you to get to work. Not for reward, but because that is what your Father has given you to do and because your Father isn’t fair. He gracious to you. In the name of Jesus. Amen.