Jesus tells a parable about the master of a vineyard who hires laborers for his vineyard.* The master went out early in the morning at 6AM to hire workers for a day’s wage. There were not enough laborers, so the master went out at 9AM and recruited more workers, saying I will pay you whatever is right. The master went out again at noon and at 3PM. Finally at 5PM, the eleventh hour, the master found others standing in the marketplace. He asked them, “Why do you stand idle all day?” The response is a bit unexpected, “Because no one has hired us.” Immediately the master put them to work in his vineyard, saying to them, as does the Master to us, “You also go and work in my vineyard.”
The interesting element of this parable is that all who encountered the master were hired to be laborers in His vineyard. It did not matter when they started. And all who worked for the master received the same reward. Working for the Master is rewarding. It does not matter when we start, but we better start when called. It will be amazing! The implication is that there is no reward for those who are available but don’t work.
What is kingdom work? Making disciples of the nations, going out into the highways and byways and compelling them to come, encouraging one another to love and good works—all with the skills that the Lord has given us. See what adventure awaits you by entering a profile at MissionNext with your criteria for serving the Master and find a compelling assignment. He is pursuing you. You’re hired!
Matthew 20:1-8 NIV
1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’” [More…]
#This parable has perplexed many since all get the same reward. Perhaps that is eternity with Jesus. But Jesus in”… and your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you.” Matthew 6:4,6,18 says the Lord is watching to reward kingdom activity. The Apostle Paul, “You see, faith and actions work together. Actions make faith complete.”James 2:22 and the writer to the “God will not forget how hard you have worked for Him and how you have shown your love to Him by caring for other believers (6:10)”Hebrews do say after we are saved, we must be engaged in Kingdom work for reward to come. It could be gold, silver, precious stones, wood hay or stubble. (See 1 Cor 3)
