Reverend J. Loren Russell
Matthew 20:11-16
And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’ But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.”
Dr. Benjamin Mays penned a poem entitled “I Have Only Just a Minute”. It’s a poem about the value and use of time. He wrote;
“I have only just a minute.
Only sixty seconds in it.
Forced upon me, can’t refuse it.
Didn’t seek it, didn’t choose it.
But it’s up to me to use it.
I must suffer if I lose it.
Give account if I abuse it,
Just a tiny little minute
But eternity is in it.”
In our text, we see a parable that Jesus shared with His disciples to address their misunderstanding about time served and the reward or payment for their service. The disciples were under the misguided impression that there is a greater reward based on
- their length of service to the Master,
- their commitment to serving the Master,
- their diligent efforts while working for the Master.
They were not much different than the followers of Christ today, who think they qualify for a greater reward because
- I am an usher….
- I am a deacon…
- I am a tither …
- I am a preacher …
- I have been in this church 40 years.
All these roles and commitments matter. They are valuable and necessary. Yet none of them, by themselves, entitle us to a greater reward.
Jesus teaches that the true motivation for service is not the payment at the end, but the privilege of serving itself. Kingdom work is about the process, not the payoff. If we labor in God’s vineyard merely for what we expect to receive, then Jesus says we already have our reward.
When the workers who were first hired came to receive their wages, they assumed they deserved more because they had worked longer than the others. Their expectation caused them to miss the heart of the lesson. God’s grace is not measured by hours logged but by hearts transformed.
This parable calls us to a deeper examination of our hearts. It challenges our assumptions about fairness, reward, and entitlement, exposing the subtle sins of envy, superiority, and jealousy that often distort our discipleship. Yet, it also offers hope. God’s mercy and generosity are not simply rewards at the end of our labor; they are revealed in the very process that reshapes us.
In the economy of God’s grace, the greatest reward is not what we receive for our work, but who we become as we submit ourselves to the transforming power of faithful service.
Be Blessed!
Matters of Faith 
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