Should you be jealous because I am kind to others? Matthew 20:15 (NLT)
The parable of the workers (Matthew 20:1-16) is about a landowner who goes out and invites people to work in his fields. They agree on payment and go off to work. He does out again at various times of the day and does the same. When payment time comes, the folks who worked longer complained that their pay wasn’t fair. The landowner replies that they were given what they were promised.
In our Western society we read this parable and think “Well, that’s not fair.” The workers should have gotten paid their wages according to what they worked. That’s fair. In our world today, there would have been law suits, accusations of discrimination and all sorts of news stories.
But if we put on our Jesus hats, we would have the exact opposite response. We would say “Everyone come! The reward is the same for all! It doesn’t matter if you’ve worked your whole life or just entered into the banquet as the party was ending. Everyone gets to hear ‘Well done good and faithful servant!’”
We would want as many people to be invited as possible. We would be out there in the fields checking to make sure everyone was. I would venture to say that the Kingdom of Heaven is not fair…..really. Everyone who calls on Jesus as their Savior can get in. Doesn’t matter what you did or didn’t do. Doesn’t matter if you come in late to the game. Doesn’t matter what you look like, where you are from, what you do or don’t do for a living. The only thing that matters if you say “Yes” to the invitation.
And since Jesus has asked us all to extend the invitation, we should be out there in the fields, on the streets, where ever we live, work and play being disciples. We should be inviting people in and when they say “I can’t I haven’t ___________________ (fill in the blank), let them know that all are welcome. Let them know that there is no entrance fee. Let them know how kind Jesus is to anyone that wants to come in.
And then, treat them like you mean it. Today, put on your Jesus hat and start inviting. And remember the Kingdom of Heaven is about not about who is first….it’s really about who is last.