Matthew 20

(April 26, 2015)

                As I read through the parable of hirelings, I was struck by the same sense of the injustice of it all (which, of course, is exactly what the parable is designed to elicit).  But I realized what the problem was, and it is the same problem as the one I experience in the parable of the prodigal son.  I mistake who I am in the parable.

                In the prodigal son, I think that I am the dutiful son without realizing that I am in fact the prodigal. In this parable, I think I am the worker that starts working in the first hour, without realizing that I am the worker who starts working in the 11^th hour.  I like to think of myself as one of the righteous, but in reality I am one of the unrighteous.

                Understanding that, my understanding quickly changes from frustration to gratitude and a recognition of just how much the Lord has blessed me.