“Simple Math”

Seventeenth Sunday after Pentecost

September 24, 2023

Jonah 3:10-4:11

Matthew 20:1-16

Children’s Message:

Lesson of the three ropes. We heard today about a landowner who went to town and found people to work on his land. He went out very early and hired several people right away. And they agreed that they would work for the full day, and he would pay them for the full day. Like this long piece of rope, they worked for 12 hours.

And then he went back several times to get more workers and told them he’d pay them what was right. Like this middle piece of rope, they worked for part of the day, but not the whole day. And then, the landowner went back near the end of the day and found more people to hire. He didn’t even talk about paying them. They only had an hour of work. Like this short piece of rope.

And when he paid them, he started with the ones who only worked for an hour. And you know what he paid them? A whole day’s wage! And those who worked for part of the day came to the table, and you know what he paid them? A whole day’s wage! Do you think these folks were happy? Yes! And then the ones who worked a whole day came up. And you know what he paid them? A whole day’s wage!

Do you think they were happy? Why not? Oh, because they worked the most, but were paid the same. That’s not fair, is it? But that’s what they agreed to. The others were just happy to have work. But these last ones compared themselves to the others and said they were not equal.

But God says they are. God says we are. No matter what we can or cannot do, no matter how valuable we think we are or others tell us we are not, God loves us all. Equally. Just like these ropes.

Let’s pray. Thank you, God, for your love for us and all people. Help us see the value of one another. Amen.

Message:

Pastor Philip Martin tells about graduation at his high school in Winston-Salem, NC. Years before, the principal had decided that all the students would be equal in graduation. No honors, no sashes, no student speeches, no special awards, no sports accolades. Now, Philip thought this was how all graduations went. He didn’t realize how controversial it was when the principal first started it. But he had wanted all the graduates to look the same. A diploma was a diploma, regardless how one achieved it.

Anyone want to guess who fought the most against it? Of course. The parents of the high achievers. They wanted their children to stand out. They worked hard. They accomplished great things. They did more academically or extra-curricularly. Their children deserved to be recognized.

But I imagine the principal was also thinking about the sacrifices and hard work of the children who barely scraped by. Who didn’t have time for sports because they had to work to help their family. Who maybe didn’t even have a family or home to return to—who may have lived out of their cars. Who lingered in the foster care system or did their best to avoid going back to an abusive parent. Schools don’t award special sashes or accolades for those kinds of achievements.

It’s not unlike today’s reading. 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. 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.

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 the hardest 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 who haven’t been able to work a full day in years but who still needs to provide for their family. There’s the young 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. It’s not like their employer provided insurance or bothered to provide for him. He’s just lucky to be alive. 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 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 to offer. 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 are infuriated. 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.

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. When God wanted Jonah to go to Nineveh, he turned and went the opposite direction, aiming for the furthest point he could thing of: Tarshish. It wasn’t that he was afraid of what God would do. He was afraid of the people. This was the immoral capital city of the Assyrian Empire.

But God turned him around and pointed him back to Nineveh. When 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 what would happen. And, 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.” Whatever. 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. God’s in the business of love and salvation. And that, my friends, is given freely. Period. No math required.

Pastor Tobi White

Our Saviour’s Lutheran Church

Lincoln, NE