There's a parable in the Bible that has always caused me a bit of a hiccup. It's the one about the workers being hired throughout the day and being paid the same at the end. It flies in the face of everything our culture considers right, just and fair. If you work harder and produce more than someone else, you should be compensated accordingly, right?
On the other hand, my assumption when reading the parables of Jesus is that if something seems "off", the fault lies with my perspective.
This morning's sermon was on that parable. As the pastor developed the story, she said something that really caught my ear. She talked about the guys who waited until the very end. And all of a sudden, I could see it:
It's dawn, and 50 men congregate at the marketplace. The landowner has sent out an all-points-bulletin: "Be at the market by dawn and wait to be hired." And they come.
Jim and his buddies are lean, athletic, confident they'll be hired.
Over to the side, there's Carl and his crew; less showy but steady, hardworking men.
Josh and his team, they're young and just starting to make a name for themselves among the landowners.
Sam just lost his job at the local flour mill, but he's willing to learn about vineyards and the Good Lord knows he's got a family to feed at home; he hangs around with some of the other men laid off from the mill.
And then there's Joe and his pal Fred. Not in the best of shape, not the sharpest knives in the drawer, but Joe's a good guy and Fred tries, God bless 'im.
At 6:00, Jim and his buddies are hired. They negotiate sharply and settle on a fair wage.
At 9:00, Carl and his crew are added. They know their worth, and trust the landowner to be fair.
At 12:00, Josh and his team finally get their chance. They forget to ask about the pay.
At 3:00, Sam and his band of misplaced mill hands get picked up. They're grateful; a little pay is better than none.
And Joe and Fred wait.
They don't go home.
They don't give up. They're supposed to be at the market waiting to be hired and that's exactly where they are.
One hour before quitting time, the foreman comes for Joe and Fred.
Most of us know how the parable ends. The payroll clerk hands Joe and Fred the amount Jim had negotiated. When they see the misfits get full pay, the rest begin to envision the nice bonuses they'll surely get - they, who actually worked hard all day. But there is no bonus, just the same pay negotiated at the start of the day.
I'd be upset right along with Jim, and I would be wrong: because it was never about Me or my accomplishments. It was about the Landowner and the worth He places on my trust and willingness, and Jim's, and Carl's, and Josh's, and Sam's and Joe's and Fred-God-bless-im's.
Even - especially - if it means sitting rejected at the marketplace all day.
