Matthew 20:7-12: a reflection

7“They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ “He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and you will receive whatever is right.’ 8“When evening had come, the lord of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning from the last to the first.’ 9“When those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius. 10When the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise each received a denarius. 11When they received it, they murmured against the master of the household, 12saying, ‘These last have spent one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat!’

In the parable of the vineyard workers, some are hired early and work all day; others are hired at the last hour and work only briefly. But when the master pays them, he gives them all the same wage. And those who worked all day grumble: You have made these last equal to us who bore the burden of the day. They resent the master's generosity to the latecomers, as though his kindness to others were a wrong done to them.

Notice what the all-day workers grumbled at: the master's generosity to others. They had received exactly what they agreed to, a fair wage; they had no complaint about their own pay. Their grievance was that the master had been generous to others, giving the latecomers the same. They resented the generosity shown to others, as though it diminished them, though it took nothing from them. Envy of the master's grace to others soured their own reward.

That grudging of God's generosity to others is a temptation we can share. God is generous, and his grace to others can stir in us a grudging envy: why should they receive so much, when they have done less? We can resent God's kindness to others, as though his grace to them were a wrong to us, though it takes nothing from us. But God's generosity is his to give; his grace to others does not diminish us. Do not grudge God's generosity to others, resenting the grace he shows them as though it were a wrong to you. His kindness to others takes nothing from you; and his grace is his to give as he pleases. When you are tempted to envy the grace God shows others, the latecomers who seem to receive as much as you, remember that God's generosity is his own, and his grace to them is no wrong to you. Rejoice in God's generosity, to others as well as to yourself, rather than grudging the grace he shows, as the all-day workers grudged the master's kindness to the latecomers. God is generous; do not resent his generosity to others.

Lord Jesus, in the parable of the vineyard workers, those hired early and those hired last received the same wage, and the all-day workers grumbled: you have made these last equal to us who bore the burden of the day. They resented the master's generosity to the latecomers, as though his kindness to others were a wrong to them. Show me what they grumbled at: the master's generosity to others. They had received exactly what they agreed to; their grievance was that the master had been generous to others. They resented the generosity shown to others, though it took nothing from them. That grudging of God's generosity to others is a temptation I can share. You are generous, and your grace to others can stir in me a grudging envy: why should they receive so much, when they have done less? I can resent your kindness to others, as though your grace to them were a wrong to me, though it takes nothing from me. But your generosity is yours to give; your grace to others does not diminish me. Keep me from grudging your generosity to others, resenting the grace you show them as though it were a wrong to me. Your kindness to others takes nothing from me. When I am tempted to envy the grace you show others, help me remember that your generosity is your own, and your grace to them is no wrong to me. Help me rejoice in your generosity, to others as well as to myself, Lord, rather than grudging the grace you show. Thank you for your generosity; help me not resent it in others.