“God’s Just. Not Fair”

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

September 20, 2026

Jonah 3:10-4:11

Matthew 20:1-16

Several years ago, two zoologists decided to test the idea of fairness to see if other animals respond similarly to how humans respond. So, they took two capuchin monkeys and put them in test chambers side by side where they could see each other. The monkeys were taught to perform a simple task. When the human handed them a rock, they were to hand it back, and then they would receive a slice of cucumber. The monkeys like cucumber, and this was a fun thing for them to do. They consistently performed the task over and over without complaint.

But then, the researcher changed things. The first monkey received a cucumber like before, and she was perfectly happy with it. But when the second monkey performed the task, she was rewarded with a grape. That’s like high-end caviar to them. The first monkey again performed the task perfectly, but this time when she received the cucumber, she looked at it, looked at her partner, and threw the cucumber back at the researcher. She shook her cage and pounded her fists and had a fit.

Similar tests have been done with other animals, and it seems that ALL animals have an ingrained sense of fairness. We want the same things everyone else has. Which is why we really connect with the first group of workers in the gospel passage. They worked all day long. And even though they had negotiated their pay with the manager, as they watched the other workers get the same amount, they began to expect that they would get more. It’s only fair.

But when they didn’t, they got mad. People should get what they deserve—what they earn—what they’re worth, especially compared to how they view everyone else. And that, my friends, is why the theology of works-righteousness is so prevalent in the world and in many churches. And it’s why we argue and get offended at the idea of things like raising minimum wage, offering free healthcare to everyone who resides in the country, funding food programs for the unemployed, and so on. We hear arguments such as, “If they want it, they need to work for it,” and “I don’t work 60 hrs/wk so that some lazy good-for-nothing can have what I’ve earned.” It’s why we hate the idea of taxes, even (or especially?) if they go to helping those who have little to nothing, whether or not they deserve it.

It’s where we come up with concepts like ‘the deserving poor’ vs. ‘the undeserving poor.’ But Jesus offers a different way of being. And our challenge is to not just spiritualize the message—not just make it about our personal relationship with God—but to extend it to our relationships with one another.

From a general social and business viewpoint, the landowner is a terrible business-man. He’s undermining the value of hard work. If he’s going to give hand-outs without expecting anything in return, it won’t be long until everyone lounges at home for half the day before queuing up at the marketplace, waiting for him to come along, working for a bit, and getting a full day’s wage. How naïve can you be?

But that’s not the message Jesus is conveying. He’s critiquing the system in place—the system that has been in place since the beginning of time and continues to this day. A system of supply and demand. A system of valuation based on what you can provide, not on who you are or what you need. It’s a system of simple math, but this system is antithetical to God’s system—to God’s economy. God’s not all that interested in that kind of math. God’s just. Not fair.

You see, the system of supply and demand isn’t just about things. It’s about people. In a community that relies on day laborers, there is inevitably more laborers than there is work to be done. Someone will always be left out. So, the managers go to the marketplace, looking for the strongest backs, the ones who can work in the harshest conditions and get the most done, the ones who look healthiest and won’t faint under the sun.

And as the day lingers on, the line dwindles. But it never disappears. And those who are left are not the ones a manager would want. There’s the elderly person who hasn’t been able to work a full day in years but who still needs to provide for their family. There’s the young person whose father died, and it’s up to them to bring home money for their mother and several siblings. There’s the one trying to hide the limp after a work accident which left them unemployed and without healthcare. There’s the malnourished, trying to puff themselves up to look healthier, but this will be just another day where they will go without food, continuing the vicious cycle. It’s simple math, and it’s simply devastating.

This is what the landowner sees at the end of the day. Like the other managers, he went out at 6am to find his day laborers. He chose the healthy and strong to get the work done. They took the time to negotiate the terms—a full day’s work for a full day’s pay. That’s reasonable and honest. Again, at 9 and noon and 3, he went back for more. This time, he just told them that he’ll pay what is right. They’re happy to work and get paid anything at all, so off they go without worrying about a contract. Finally, at 5:00, he goes back one last time. And what he sees fills him with sadness. These folks will soon make their way home after a long day of waiting and hoping and being disappointed. They’ll go home with nothing. Their families will have nothing.

He hires them. He takes them all. They make the trip to the vineyard, resigned to the meager bit they will bring home, happy to have anything at all. They do a little weeding, a little picking, a little digging. And soon enough, the day is done.

But when it comes time to receive their pay, they are put first in line. This is unheard of. And even more unlikely, the manager gives them a full day’s wage. Perhaps they argue a bit, but they are just so grateful. They leave in joy. Those brought in at 3 and at noon and even a 9 have similar responses. But those who came on at 6am anticipate a boon. Surely, they’ll be getting even more than expected, as well. But they get a day’s wage, like everyone else.

It’s not fair. They’ve done more work than the rest. They’ve slaved in the hot sun while the others waited in the marketplace. They are worth more than a dozen of the latecomers. It’s simple math! But God’s not all that interested in that kind of math. God’s just. Not fair.

The landowner reminds them that they were the ones to settle the terms. They had agreed that their work was worth a certain price. They were the ones who put a value on themselves. The landowner simply extended that value to all the workers. He made them equal. It wasn’t about what they deserved but about what they needed. They all did what they could, and they all were given a full day’s wage. The idea of supply and demand as a valuation tool is not the way God works. And God’s way can feel unfair—especially when we think we deserve better than another.

That’s what Jonah thought. Jonah threw a tantrum when he realized God would not punish the people of Nineveh. I love this story because it’s so ridiculous. It’s a parable about God’s generosity and grace—and about the human desire for fairness over mercy.

God called Jonah to proclaim repentance to the evil people of Nineveh in Assyria. After a side-quest, Jonah got there, he gave a half-hearted statement about God destroying them if they didn’t change their ways, and then he stomped back out in a huff.

Then, he waited to see the fireworks and destruction. But, according to the parable, the people listened. Even the animals wore sackcloth in repentance. When Jonah saw this, he threw up his hands in frustration. “It’s not fair! I’d rather die than continue to live on the same planet as these people. I KNEW you would be merciful and slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love,” he spat at God. “How dare you make them equal to me, your faithful servant.”…who ran away from his calling.

But that’s the point. We are ALL in need of God’s mercy. We’re ALL in need of God’s grace. We’re ALL equally underserving of God’s love, and we’re ALL equal recipients of it anyway. God doesn’t work with the simple math of supply and demand. God simply gives us what we need. It’s not fair. It’s not sensible. It’s certainly not good business practice. Good thing God’s not in the business of making money or gaining power. And we shouldn’t be, either. God’s in the business of love and salvation. And that, my friends, is given freely. Period. Because God’s just. Not fair.

Tobi White

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Lincoln, NE