✠ Psalmody: Psalm 18:4a, 5a, 6a, c, 18:1-2a; Psalm 9:9b–10, 18–19a; Psalm 130:1–4; Psalm 92:1; Psalm 31:16–17a
✠ Lection: Daniel 9:2-10; 1 Corinthians 9:24—10:4; Matthew 20:1–16
In the Name of the Father and of the ✠ Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
So, the last will be first, and the first last. With these words, the dear Lord Jesus calls us to judge wisely and correctly, to make necessary distinction between truth and lie, between labor and idleness, between good and evil, between how God sees us and how we see Him. Such distinctions are necessary in this life, for the need to cultivate and labor for joy is what we have inherited ever since fruit of the forbidden tree was eaten.
Ponder, then, distinctions brought about by the Lord’s parable of the laborers in the vineyard. Consider how man, time, creation began with a garden as by His Word the Almighty created the heavens and the earth and upon the latter, He Himself planted Paradise, eastward in Eden. Out of the idle dust of the ground He called forth man. He formed him, created him in His own image, breathed the breath of life into his nostrils, and he became a living being. God took man and placed him into the Garden to cultivate His goodness, but instead Adam cultivated wickedness in His disobedience and distrust. By this, God’s wrath was kindled, yet He came to the Garden not in fury and justice but in His infinite mercy, walking in the cool of the day, calling out to man who had destroyed and hidden himself. Labor that was created to be joyful for us, yea, even creative itself, now became sweaty-browed, loathsome toil, even for gaining the bare necessities of life. Man was cast out of the Garden, prevented and forbidden from also eating of the Tree of Life, which stood in its midst, lest he was to live forever in sin and death.
But the distinction is that the Lord has planted another Garden, a vineyard, to use our Lord Jesus’ words. This new Garden is the Kingdom of Heaven, a restoration by God of what man lost, and we humbly pray in the Our Father that this Kingdom would come to us; that our Father in heaven would give us His Holy Spirit, so that by His grace, we believe His holy word and lead godly lives here in time and there in eternity. Here and there we understand His Kingdom to be, for the Kingdom of God is wherever His redeemed dwell. In heaven there is a countless myriad who have gone before us, who have died in the faith and await the Resurrection of the Dead. Yet, this parable is not for them, for they have run their race. They have received their prize of an imperishable crown. The vineyard in the parable is more akin to the Kingdom as it exists here, that is, the Church on earth, made up of those who labor in her in this life in this day. Yet, daylight shall end, for the day is coming when no one can work this work any longer. Night is coming. Wages shall be distributed. Eternity shall be all there is; be we in the Light or in the outer darkness. Until then, the Father continuously calls throughout the day of this age so that laborers come into His vineyard, into His Garden, into His Church, to joyfully labor for the godly fruit He grows by the warmth of Heaven and the moisture of the ground as we ourselves in this new Garden eat of the Tree of Life, Who is Christ our Lord standing in our midst. From Him we are not barred but bidden by the merciful Father to come often to the Tree, to be not idle in the false joys of the world and death, but to labor in life, to take, eat.
The second distinction from the parable is this: there are those who stand idly by and there are those who enter the vineyard ready to labor. By whatever reason, there are many, yea, most in the marketplace of the world who care not to heed the gracious and merciful Landowner’s call to come, all to His delight and our own. For, indeed, the cup of the fruit of the vine gladdens the heart of man as the sweet godly fruit wrought within the laborers themselves gladdens the very heart of God. It is His delight to have laborers in His new Garden; to have them grow as the fruit themselves. The warning for those with ears to hear is to not stand idly by as day-by-day passes and the good fruit of godly labor goes untended; goes unripen; goes wasted. Such godly labor, such good works, the Landowner calls his laborers to take up, so that within us fruit abounds by Christ’s labor: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control. All of these are fruit of God’s Holy Spirit produced in us by Him and by His means of grace, namely, brought about by the laborers gathering around the Tree of Life every Lord’s Day to joyously eat from the cross the heavenly food that grants us life eternal with the saints yonder and bestows strength and joy to labor well while still here. Life in the vineyard is work; at times grueling, yet good work, for the Lord does not force us to come partake of it. He will neither pick us up nor drag us into this blessed vineyard, the only place in which we may truly grow and live. He mercifully calls and bids us come, labor. Strive for that which is good! Let us not stand idly by while the Divine Service passes unattended, while the Bible rests unopened in the week, while the prayers go unasked to Him Whose ear is inclined to us, while God and neighbor go unloved.
The third distinction is for those who have been called, who have entered into the vineyard of His Church and have much good labor ready before us. First, we must be aware of our tendency toward laziness in the midst of His call, that the flesh embraces gluttony and drunkenness as we eat and drink this world’s pleasures failing to notice what we have accepted as normal; that much of our luxurious society has trained us, deceived us, trapped us into believing that idle, passive consumption of its rotten delicacies is the good life; and that if God wants us to have something, He’ll make it to where nothing is required of us as we click Him on and off at will or else dismiss Him as unworthy of our labor, of our sacrifice, of our pursuit giving no effort on our part to get up off the rump that He has given us, to use our blessed legs to carry, to labor, us to where His promises are to be grasped and enjoyed in accordance with His good and gracious will and call. Beloved of God, having been called to come labor, do not return to the idleness of the world. It’s so-called easy and fun life is a trick, a lie. Our Father in Heaven calls us to forsake such lies that entrap us and deprive us of true good works, of true good fruit, and to discover everlasting joy that abides in Him as He abides in us and we in His vineyard.
Thus, given that true godly labor is good, right, and necessary for all laborers in this vineyard, in this new, eternal Garden of the Lord, the distinction within us must be made as to why we labor; why we do good and forsake evil. Do not shy away from the good work needed to till the ground of your heart and mind so as to discover the condition, for in such labor, the Lord intends to bring about your good. Take up this tool in your thoughts to aid you: what if there were no Heaven or Hell? Would you still do the good works that you do now knowing that they couldn’t earn Heaven for you? Would you keep yourself from the evil that you desire to do knowing that there would be no danger of tormenting flame? If, then, the vineyard, and more importantly the Landowner, the Lord, is good, then how do your good works, your labor in the vineyard, fit into His call, His fruit, His reward, His close of the day? In other words, do you seek by your good works to make yourself first in God’s sight? Do you labor so that you may earn yourself Heaven? If so, then you are like the laborers hired early in the morning, who have borne the burden and the heat of the day with only in mind what will be the reward. You are trying to earn Heaven when you can’t. The later-hours workers, they came into the vineyard only upon the Landowner’s goodness and words spoken in it. “You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.” The distinction is between those who come into the vineyard laboring either for reward or for fear of punishment as opposed to those who respond in joy that they have been called by The Good Landowner to come joyfully into His garden to do good labor in a response of love and trust in Him and in belief of His good word. Where else than with Him shall labor be not in vain; shall labor be good? The laborers’ desire is Him, to be with Him, to serve Him in everlasting righteousness, innocence, and blessedness as only He gives. So, the last will be first, and the first last. Those who are last love Him, humbly trust that they need not make themselves first by their works in His sight, because by His word it is Him Who shall make the last first in giving what is right according to Who He is and to what He desires to give to all of His vineyard laborers.
Come to me all you who labor and are heavy laden and I will give you rest. Leave behind the heavy load of believing that you must work to earn Heaven or not sin so as to avoid Hell. The Tree of Life, Christ’s true rest has settled the issue. Your sins are forgiven, you have gained Heaven, only because of Christ. Therefore, respond to His call, labor in joyous relief in work that is good, turn away from sin and idleness as the One Who loves you and gave Himself for you so desires. What lies before you are true lightness of load and delight in good works, because Heaven has been earned for you by Christ alone. God is your beloved Father Who by grace will give you the inheritance of the eternal kingdom according to His own wish, to His own will. Is it not lawful for Him to do what He wishes with His own things? Amen, and gladly so amidst all our burdenless labor!
In ✠ Jesus’ Name. Amen.
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