Jesus’ parables are never about church. Not one parable of Jesus is about church. Not one parable is about candles, canticles or choirs. Not one of his parables are about preaching, pews, or processionals. Jesus’ parables are from everyday life. They are from the market place, the farm, the family. Well, today’s parable is about salaries, wages, and a fair day’s pay for a fair day’s work.  Today’s parable is about the pocket book, the billfold, the daily or hourly income. People always get tense, anxious and nervous when you talk about money, salaries, and income.

What is the purpose of this story of Jesus? The key to the story is the contrast between those who came at the last hour and those who came at the first hour. Regardless of when they punched the time clock, all were given a full day’s wage

Those who were given a full days wage at the last hour felt that their wage was undeserved, unearned and a wonderful gift from the owner. The wage was a gift, a surprise, a wonderful delight. And there are Christians who feel that God’s generosity to them is unearned, undeserved, and they are surprised at the generosity of God. Such Christians have this attitude that life has been a wonderful gift from God such as these workers who came to work for only one hour and had received a full blessing from God.

Meanwhile, there are other religious people who were there at six o’clock in the morning and they worked all day long. They were born into the Christian faith; they were baptized into the Christian faith; they went to Sunday School; they went to Youth Group; they did confirmation; they worked in the Altar Guild; they sang in the church choir; they served on the church council; they came to church every Sunday. And they knew in their hearts that God owed it to them. They had the inner attitude: if anyone deserved to be blessed by God, they did because they had been faithful to God and his church all of their lives. God: I deserve your blessing. I have earned your blessing because of my faithful behavior to you and the church throughout the years.

Jesus said those who are last with an attitude of thanksgiving shall be first, and those who think they are first shall be last.

Tell me what did you do yesterday to deserve to be given the gift of life today? What did you do yesterday that was so good that you deserved to live today? To wake up, brush your teeth, have breakfast, see your family, come to church, be with nice people: what did you do yesterday on Saturday that you deserved to be alive on Sunday?

How about the children’s sermon for today? All the little kids, when asked why had a particular child been given flashing, sparkling, beautiful brown eyes, they guessed that this child had loved Jesus, been religious, had been good. The kids guessed and guessed until one child blurted out: “he didn’t do anything to receive his brown eyes” and you clapped with laughter and appreciation,. You knew inside that those sparkling, flashing brown eyes were a pure gift. The child had done nothing to deserve the sparkling brown eyes.

So it is with life and everything in life: life, the abundant life, and eternal life are free gifts of God to us, and we do nothing to deserve or earn them.

I have a friend who faced surgery several years ago, and it happened suddenly. He didn’t have time to emotionally prepare for the surgery. He went to the doctor who sent him directly to the hospital and in hours, he had open heart surgery. This man was grateful for his surgery, his successful life, the extra years that had been given to him. But he also said that he was sad that he was not able to express his love to his children before that critical moment of surgery. He had wanted to tell his children but he didn’t. There wasn’t time.

Months passed; years passed; a decade passed. One day, he was at his doctor’s office only to discover that he needed surgery again. Only, this time, he had two days to prepare. He asked each child, now adults, to come into his hospital room and talk privately with him. He wanted each child, to know that he felt this past decade of life were extra years that had been given to him by God. Not only the past ten years, but his whole life had been a gift of God, that they, his children, had been a total gift of God. God had given him his children, his wife, his family, his work, his faith in Christ. God had given him an abundant life and that God would give him eternal life as well. He wanted his kids to know how he felt. He wanted to tell his children these things ten years ago, and now he had a second chance to do it. And so he told them, each of them, one by one. It was very emotional, and his wife left the room because she couldn’t handle it.

This man expressed what God wants. God wants all people to have this attitude that life is a gift. Life itself, the abundant life, eternal life, it is all a gift. It doesn’t matter what time you logged in, punched your time clock, eternal life is a gift for all.

By Rev. Edward Markquart