entitlement

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.  After agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace; and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about noon and about three o’clock, he did the same. And about five o’clock he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why are you standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and give them their pay, beginning with the last and then going to the first.’ When those hired about five o’clock came, each of them received the usual daily wage. Now when the first came, they thought they would receive more; but each of them also received the usual daily wage.  And when they received it, they grumbled against the landowner, saying, ‘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.’ But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? Take what belongs to you and go; I choose to give to this last the same as I give to you.  Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matthew 20:1-16, NRSV)

Have you ever felt entitled to something?

We can all probably name a time we thought we should have gotten something and we didn’t…

Maybe now a days it is a 4g signal from our phones…

Or WiFi on an airplane, or in a car. We need to have that signal everywhere we go and when we don’t we start laying into the provider for shoty service…

It wasn’t that long ago we couldn’t even access the internet, let alone get it on our phone!

We think because something is available we should have it. And when someone offers a service we expect it will work all the time with out a problem. But we know tis is not how it works.

In the parable today, those who had worked all day felt slighted when the land owner paid those who had only worked an hour the regular days wage, the same as them. They thought since those who did only an hours work got the day’s wage, they should get more. But did they not agree to the day’s wage? So why should they now get more?

And why were the others not chosen earlier? We really do not know, they could have not been there any of the other times the land owner went, or maybe they just were not seen…

How many of us have ever been invisible?

Ok none of us have ever really been invisible, but we might have felt that way. Like no one saw us, or wanted us, or would pick us.

Maybe them getting the normal day’s wage for the time they spent is what they need. And maybe us settling for what we actually get is better than thinking we should have gotten more.

Because if we start getting what we deserve, then we will really be in trouble! (Thank God for grace!!!)