What, Or Who, Constitute Fair?

We have two stories in the lectionary this week that bring to mind the childhood quest for understanding about what is  “fair”.  It is actually not just a child’s quest.  It is a human quest!  

The question can be asked of both the Old Testament Reading from the Book of Jonah (I’ll talk about Jonah tomorrow), and the Gospel reading about the landowner who hired labors to work in his vineyard.  Then at the end of the day he paid the same wage to each worker whether they had work from morning to evening; or just the last few hours of the day.  They all got the same amount of money.  And the question invariably arose:  Is that fair?  “These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat”.(Matt. 20:12 -13 NRSV)  The landowner’s response?  Are you envious because I am generous?

Just think about what a labor union could do with that!

As most of you know, a parable has a two point message.  One part is always familiar to the culture.  A common issue of the day.  And in Jesus day people who needed work, to provide for themselves or their families, would gather in the town square and hope that someone would hire them for the day.  This day the owner of a vineyard came early in the morning and hired works for a “daily wage” — usually one denarius.  A denarius was a low wage that was barely  enough for one person let alone a family.  A denarius  today would be less than ‘minimum wage’.   So you can understand why the workers who worked all day would be miffed!

Here is the twist!  Parables are most often meant to  expose  the presuppositions that all too often shape our lives to such an extent that we cannot even imagine alternatives.  It exposes our set of values and expectations  of how and what is fair.  Parables expose our parameters, our inability to see past “what has always been” — and “should be”.  These stories tell us that in the Kingdom of God we find that God usually doesn’t follow our set of presumptions, values and parameters.  That God is not limited to our narrow mindset.  

So, when that happens.  When God doesn’t follow our plan.  We grumble!  We question!  We pout and maybe even have a tantrum.  Or, we take to the streets and scream for justice.  Or, we gather around us people who agree with our point of view ; and stand firm in our resolve to make it right, to make it fair.  To make it happen our way.  

So then!  One has to ask: what constitutes fair?   And here in lies the point of the stories!  The story of the landowner!   And the Story of Jonah!  

The point of the parable is not about human presumptions, values, and parameters.  The point that Jesus is making — at least in this Matthew text — is only about God.  About how God operates!  About how God loves!  About how God’s generosity, forgiveness, mercy and grace works.  And, the problem we have with God’s choices!

1 "God's kingdom is like an estate manager who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 They agreed on a wage of a dollar a day, and went to work. 3 "Later, about nine o'clock, the manager saw some other men hanging around the town square unemployed. 4 He told them to go to work in his vineyard and he would pay them a fair wage. 5 They went. 6 At five o'clock he went back and found still others standing around. He said, 'Why are you standing around all day doing nothing? 7 ' "They said, 'Because no one hired us.' "He told them to go to work in his vineyard. 8 "When the day's work was over, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman, 'Call the workers in and pay them their wages. Start with the last hired and go on to the first.' 9 "Those hired at five o'clock came up and were each given a dollar. 10 When those who were hired first saw that, they assumed they would get far more. But they got the same, each of them one dollar. 11 Taking the dollar, they groused angrily to the manager, 12 'These last workers put in only one easy hour, and you just made them equal to us, who slaved all day under a scorching sun.' 13 "He replied to the one speaking for the rest, 'Friend, I haven't been unfair. We agreed on the wage of a dollar, didn't we? 14 So take it and go. I decided to give to the one who came last the same as you. 15 Can't I do what I want with my own money? Are you going to get stingy because I am generous?' 16 "Here it is again, the Great Reversal: many of the first ending up last, and the last first." (Matt. 20:1-16 The Message)