The Generosity of God
God cannot be outdone with generosity. Are you envious because I am generous?
The common practice of hiring men to work in vineyards was early in the day seek out men searching for work. You would choose those you want.
Perhaps the person selecting men for work would get to know who the best employees were, who would work the hardest, produce the most, so they would choose those individuals. Yet even having selected the best, there is always more work to be done so it would not be uncommon for the owner to come back to look for more men to hire in the morning, even as late as noon. But to hire men at the end of day, this was not wise. Even stranger would be to pay the last hired as much as the first hired.
God’s generosity is obvious. In a world where everyone is concerned about their pay and what is fair, we tend to see the ‘unfairness’ of God’s payment plan. But God is not paying in money but in grace. His grace is everywhere abundant for all. In other words, heaven is for everyone willing to accept it, whether you were first or last.
One last thought to consider. If you were to hire men to work in the vineyard, would you not look for those who are young and strong? Of course, you would. Could it then be possible those hired at the end of the day were the sick, the weak, the lame? God does not forget anyone.
May the Lord bless you in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen