A Change in the Sunday Blog #147

I am tentatively changing my writing topics to having a religious post on Mondays after thinking about the Gospel or other readings from Sunday. Wednesdays will be published on Thursday and be similar to previous topics. As always, suggestions and feedback are welcomed.

Sunday’s Gospel was the parable of the vineyard. Jesus said the kingdom of heaven is like a vineyard’s owner who goes out in the morning to hire workers for the daily rate. A few hours later the owner returns and seeing some men standing around, hired them as well. Again, he hired more workers. A fourth time he went and hired more workers. 

At the end of the day it was time to pay the workers starting with those hired last and ending with those hired first. The ones who were hired last received a full day’s wage. And the ones who were hired first, and who had worked the entire day, also received the full day’s wage. This group complained saying it was unfair that they got the same as those who had only worked an hour, or three or five. The vineyard’s owner said he was not unfair as they were paid the agreed upon amount. And the owner said he could do as he wished with his own money. And he concludes with “so the last shall be first and the first shall be last.” 

So, what does this mean? 

One interpretation could be that those who convert later in life (like those who were hired later in the day) will get the same reward (heaven) as those who have always believed. However, if that’s the case go ahead and start sinning like crazy…just leave enough time at the end of your life to repent and believe. Seems like a bad message. 

Then what about “the first shall be last and the last shall be first?” True, the workers lined up that way, but is there a meaning behind it?  One school of thought is that all believers, no matter how long or hard they work, will receive the same reward of eternal life. Again, it seems like you can sin and sin and sin, and just before you die you repent and believe. 

Maybe there is another way to look at the parable. The first group of workers expected to get more based on what they saw the group that only worked a partial day receive. But the first group had agreed to the daily wage and that is what they got. Do comparisons help or change things for the better? One can always improve, but getting carried away with constant comparisons doesn’t help at the end of the day. 

The second thing is that in the kingdom of heaven, there is a discrepancy between what is valued on earth and what is valued in heaven. The ones who seem to have everything of earthly value like money, fame, success, etc. may be first on earth, but last in heaven. Likewise, the downtrodden or poor or those who seem last in earthly rankings may be first in heaven.