The vineyard owner said, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong…. I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you.”   Matthew 20: 13-14

My neighbor found the parable of the laborers in the vineyard confusing because it pictures God as unfair, and that cannot be true. I reminded her that the story is a parable, not to be read literally. Besides, the parable does not depict the landowner, who represents God, acting unfairly. The landowner’s unconventional fairness teaches us how God treats us. Grace does not fit our usual ideas of justice.  God’s divine economy surprises and challenges us. We seek to thrive economically through competition and merit. Generally, we speak of fair wages and assume a person should receive only what he or she earns. In our human economy, grace appears impractical, odd. Yet the parable teaches that God chooses to give us more than we deserve — for that is God’s nature.  This idea challenges us as much as it did those who first heard Jesus speak it. We are challenged to appreciate the unconditional nature of God’s kindness to everyone and to cooperate in the divine economy of giving more good than people deserve. We do this by approaching our relationships with the grace given through Christ. We who follow him have been entrusted with sharing God’s overflowing generosity, lavishing kindness on everyone. 

Dear God, help us to be gracious in difficult situations. Let us show your lavish grace in all we do. Amen.