Bible Study: Deciphering The Parable of The Workers in The Vineyard

Jesus uses the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard, also known as the Parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard or the Parable of the Generous Employer, which can be found in the book of Matthew, to simply imply that any laborer who accepts the invitation to the work in the vineyard (representing the Kingdom of God), no matter how late in the day, will receive an equal reward with those who have been working the longest.

This parable is too clear and almost not up for debate. But in this article, I'm going to decipher it anyway, and prepare my readers for the connection between this parable and the narrow gate in Matthew 7:13 as well as its connection with the Parable of the Ten Minas in Luke 19:11-27.

"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’" —Matthew 20:1-7

It is quite obvious that the landowner who represents God in this parable, is literally hiring anyone who wants to be hired. This resonates very well with Romans 2:11 where Paul states that God does not show favoritism. What does that exactly mean? The answer is in the same context, in Romans 2:9-10.

Apostle Paul says that there will be trouble and distress for every human being who does evil: first for the Jew(metaphor for a true believer), then for the Gentile(metaphor for an unbeliever). but glory, honor and peace for everyone who does good: first for the Jew(metaphor for a true believer), then for the Gentile(metaphor for an unbeliever).

"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’" —Matthew 20:8-16

A denarius which is declared to be the wages of the workers in this parable obviously represents the gift of God or eternal life. How do we know that? Because it is given equally to all workers regardless of their works or performance, but only and only upon their willingness to work or their acceptance of the offer.

This obviously resonates very well with what Paul says in Ephesians 2:8-9. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God—not by works, so that no one can boast.

"But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first will be last." —Matthew 20:13-16

The answer of the landowner is quite fascinating to me and resonates very well with Romans 9:20 in conjunction with Romans 11:35. In other words, who has ever given to God, that God should repay them?

And who is in a position to question what God decides to do or not to do? And the answer is imply no one! As Paul says in Romans 11:36, For from Him and through Him and for Him are all things. To Him be the glory forever! Amen.

As we can see, many who are last, will be first which very clearly means that just because the majority of people do not find the narrow gate for most of their lives, it does not mean that they will never find it. I personally believe that the majority of people will eventually find the narrow gate, but most of them will find it in the very last days of their lives.

I know that this triggers a lot of those who claim to be Christian, some of whom may not even be saved yet in my opinion; only God knows. The cause of their trigger is of course the same as the landowner's generosity towards his hired workers, in the parable that we just read. But these triggers will never change God's generosity, mercies, decisions and plans!

Many are quick to say that if this is the case, why should I work for God now? I will wait until my deathbed and then will say a quick prayer and will make it to heaven! But that would be a huge strawman of what the Bible actually teaches.

First of all, you do not know when you're going to die. You could die instantly without getting a chance to say the little prayer that is apparently going to save you.

Second of all, God knows the heart and will not answer prayers that are not genuinely from the heart. You may want to consider Proverbs 1:22-33 in this case. I have actually written a separate article about this point which can be found HERE.

And last but not least, working for God and/or in God's Kingdom is a beautiful privilege that comes with lots of blessings and rewards, both in this life and the afterlife! In my next article, I am going to explain more about these blessings and rewards by deciphering the Parable of the Ten Minas in Luke 19:11-27.

Do Miracles Still Happen?

If God/Jesus appeared to some Christians today and wanted to bless them or heal them, they would be like NO! This can't be God/Jesus! It must be Satan! God/Jesus wants us to suffer! This is a tragedy that is unfortunately very present among so many Christians today. The false theology behind this tragedy is known as "cessation-ism" which teaches that the gifts of the Holy Spirit such as healing the sick have stopped!

How convenient, isn't it? If we can't heal the sick like Jesus and his first disciples did, why blame it on our lack of faith, or our lack of understanding of the scriptures, or our sins? Let's blame it on God! Isn't that the ultimate road every unbeliever takes? Blame it on God! We prayed and it didn't work. THEREFORE, these gifts must have stopped! Is that really how it works? What did Jesus say?

Let's visit the gospel of Mark, chapter nine. Here we see a man from the crowd coming to Jesus and saying, "Teacher, I brought you my son, who is possessed by a spirit that has robbed him of speech. Whenever it seizes him, it throws him to the ground. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid. I asked your disciples to drive out the spirit, but they could not." What is Christ's response to the man? The gifts must have stopped? The gifts aren't for everyone? Not what the Scripture says! In verse 19, we read: "You unbelieving generation," Jesus replied, "how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Bring the boy to me." —Mark 19:9

Have you ever been to a Charismatic or Pentecostal church where they repudiate the doctrine of cessation-ism and don't shy away from praying and believing for miracles? I have, and I was desperate for a miracle. Words can't explain how desperate I was to be healed. The first church I went to was a meeting held by a pretty famous healing evangelist known as John Mellor.

I saw some people get healed but some didn't. Some fainted and fell on the floor. I could feel the presence of God. I could feel the abundance of strength, joy and peace that was present in that atmosphere, especially during the worship hour. But I wasn't healed and you know what? I could feel this extreme anger within me that wanted me to blaspheme the Holy Spirit and completely turn away from God and go somewhere quiet and commit suicide.

What am I trying to say here? If this stuff wasn't real, why did I feel so angry towards God, because I wasn't healed? To cut the long story short, it took me a while to completely understand how God's grace works. It is not by works, so that no one can boast. It is extremely sad that so many Christians don't completely understand this. They are still trying to earn what cannot be earned.

I wasn't healed instantly or should I say miraculously, but I did slowly improve especially after I came to realize what God's grace really is and how it works. It was only then that I could feel in my spirit that I can overcome the world per se. More importantly, I learned that what makes the biggest impression is not what we do in the good times; that’s easy—but rather how we respond in the tough times!

So, does God want us to suffer or prosper? Perhaps the answer to this question is not as black and white as many would like to think it is. If I had to choose one, I would definitely choose "prosper." YES! God wants us to prosper. In Jeremiah 29:11, God says, "For I know the plans I have for you," declares the LORD, "plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future."

The question that rises then is why is there suffering in the world? The answer is that suffering exists because of disobedience. Not necessarily our own sins, so I'm not saying that there is perfect justice in this world. But what I am saying is that because of our sins, there is pain and suffering in this world. Sometimes or should I say most of the times, it is our own fault whereas other times it is someone else's fault.

The suffering that we're called to endure under preaching the Gospel is the persecution that comes from standing on the Word of God. It is not sickness or poverty. You cannot be a blessing to others and work in the Kingdom of God, if you're so sick that you can't even get out of bed, or if you're so poor that you can't even survive! To conflate prosperity with suffering in this manner is a huge mistake that will only lead to the death of the church.

Now back to the main question. Does Jesus still heal the sick today? I'm going to say absolutely yes. Jesus Christ is the same yesterday, today and forever. He hasn't changed and He will never change. Why is it then that some people aren't healed? I do not understand all of the reasons behind it but some reasons are very clearly laid out in the scriptures.

There can be certain spiritual blocks in our lives that can prevent us from being healed. These spiritual blocks hinder us from fully walking in the Spirit and as a result receiving the gifts and blessings of God in this very life. Some of these spiritual blocks can be unforgiveness, ignorance, willful disobedience, lack of faith or unbelief, not being honest or transparent, letting fear into your heart, bitterness, anger, resentment, pursuing signs, etc. To find out more from John Mellor's perspective, click here.