No entitlement in the Kingdom of God
The parable of the workers in the vineyard, in today’s Gospel, serves as a corrective to false notions of entitlement and merit. The story reflects the socio-economic background of Palestine at the time of Jesus. The parable is offensive to our mundane culture and it challenges our secular sense of justice.
The workers who were hired first appeal to common sense, equitable treatment, logic, and reason. Their complaint is not necessarily that the last hired received a payment, but that, if the householder was so generous with the last, then certainly he might provide them with a “bonus” for having endured the heat of the whole day. The fact of the matter is that from the purely human, logical point of view, they had reason to complain. However, this parable is not about ethical and fair labor management, but rather about the radical nature of God’s generosity, compassion, and the entry into the Kingdom.
The owner of the vineyard reserves the right to pay his employees not on the basis of their own merits but rather on the basis of his own compassion.
Perhaps many of us feel strongly with the disgruntled workers of the first hour. How often have we known employers who have compensated lazy or problematic workers far too generously, rather than acknowledging the faithful, dedicated workers? We may ask ourselves: How can God be so unfair? How can God overlook his most faithful workers? How many times have we experienced this entitlement attitude in our places of worship? Some may grumble and claim that their long, dedicated, tireless service qualifies them instantly for higher pay, higher rank, and greater privilege and prestige.
Underneath this parable is the issue of bargaining with God. From the very beginnings of religion it has been assumed that we mortals can bargain with God to obtain from him what we want. Wrong!
It is precisely at moments like this that we must humbly acknowledge that we are like those eleventh-hour workers. None of us deserves the blessings that God has prepared for us. All our good works give us no claim upon God. How much less do we have the right to demand, even if we have done everything we ought to do, that we should be honored and rewarded by God in a special manner as if we were such meritorious, indispensable persons in his service? The word “entitlement” does not exist in the vocabulary of the Kingdom of God.
