Self Absorption - The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard

The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. “About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. “He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
” ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
“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.’
“The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’
“But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matt.20: 1-16)

NB: A denarius is basically a whole year's worth of wages. A lot of money.

This parable has baffled me for a long time.

This is what I have learned.

Everyone who reads this should consider themselves lucky. Because no matter how hard we think life is, we have been given so many opportunities. For those who complain about studies; understand that you have a chance for a great future and you possess the possibility of learning. For those who complain about the actions taken toward you or a series of unfortunate events; something fortunate has occurred for you to notice that these things are unfortunate in the first place. In financial turmoil we can finally realise all the things we are thankful for that are more tangible than material existence. I find it interesting that after all the self-seeking that people do, finding themselves, their passions and interests that people often never find the things in front of them. Things are temporary and people know that. It is the long term that will sustain the joy that we have and we really experience great happiness even if we're in the same place and situation for the rest of our lives. It seems then, that it is rather silly to look at other people and let ourselves envy. It is also silly to say that we have deserved more.

Because sometimes we envy people we don't even know and then also do the opposite and hate or pity their lives. How do we possibly know what they've gone through? It doesn't make any sense for us to not be graceful and forgiving to anyone because we do not know their circumstance. It makes no sense either for us to wish ourselves upon their lives because perhaps they share a pain greater than us and maybe they're just better than we are. We can't just envy one little aspect of what a person has, because we all each have a place where we are more blessed than our neighbour. But that's the beauty of it - the sharing of our blessings. When we envy we are actually placing ourselves of greater value over others because we are overlooking our own blessings and wanting more than what we have been so blessed with. We are actually thinking that we are worth more blessing than someone else. Before you know it, you've put yourself on a pedestal and you also start to think that some people don't 'deserve' the blessings they've been given.

From blatant criticism to not being happy with what we have or being angry at a fellow human, we are consciously deciding that we are of priority and we are of a greater value than others. Why does that happen? It's because most of us (including myself) are most likely self absorbed without knowing it and we only see right and wrong in others but never ourselves. When Adam and Eve ate from the apple(or whatever fruit it was) of Eden they were told to not eat the fruit specifically by God and that was the only rule. AND SURPRISE SURPRISE. They broke it. They knew very clearly that it was wrong, but yet they did not feel that that wrongness was relevant to themselves. They did the very thing that they were told not to do and there sin was created; the choice to value ourselves to the point where we think we are above repercussion and that we are exceptions. Then we realise that all humans as unique as we are, are the same because we are unique. We're mere people in a very broken world and we make that choice to think that we are special. After classifying ourselves as the special 1 in 7 billion we still fall short of any godly standard.

We're no exception at all. The sad fact that because some who claim to be 'Christians' place themselves of greater value than those who have yet to feel God's grace, they act whilst standing upon a pedestal and it is atrocious. One day I hope that we no longer declare ourselves to be of any value. Not saying to have no self esteem or worth but to understand that we are only as good as our actions are and not what we think ourselves to be. A man should not be measured by how much he has but by how much he gives. Moreover, even if our actions accolade us with righteousness we still cannot deem ourselves better than anyone else nor can we be perfect enough to match the God that created us.

Ultimately we are all lucky to receive the grace that God has given to us; it is not to be kept to ourselves; it is not to be harboured but to be shared. No matter what a person is we can never stand at the same right as God to judge and we can never look down. We can neither envy because we all are imperfect, nor do we know the life of the man we envy. Grace is what we need. We all want what's best for ourselves - it's not wrong - but don't decide what's best for others.


Three Principles
First, no matter when in your life you decide to join His Kingdom, you are entitled to all the rights and benefits pertaining the moment you do. (Ephe 1:13-14) The last ones hired got the same pay as the first.
Second, you have to sign up before the end of the day. (Hebr. 4:7) No one was hired after the end of the day and as I said, the day represents our lifetime.
Third, if you think you deserve more in the Kingdom because you worked longer or harder or lived a better life than someone else, then you’ve forgotten how you got in. You weren’t saved because of your merit or worthiness, but because of His mercy and grace. Thinking He owes you something extra is a sin that if left unconfessed won’t get you thrown out, (remember every worker is a believer) but it could put a strain on your relationship with the Lord during your life and will certainly diminish your joy at having been accepted into the Kingdom.

The first will be last because those who deem themselves as the best, their souls are worth the least. The superior attitude is what will make you estranged as jealousy and arrogance tears you apart. Know that we are all sinners and we are all so lucky to have a God who deemed us to be worth saving.