Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Today's Frontline Devotion
Monday, September 1, 2003
GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS
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Good Shepherd Lutheran Church
Today's Frontline Devotion
Monday, September 1, 2003 GOOD NEWS AND BAD NEWS |
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Frontline Devotion for Monday, September 1, 2003 by Fritz Foltz
THE GOOD NEWS IS GOD LOVES YOU. THE BAD NEWS IS HE LOVES EVERYONE ELSE JUST AS MUCH.
When I about eight years old, the center of the high school football team was my neighbor. Mackie was an extremely nice guy who was willing to teach the pip squeaks across the alley the fundamentals of different sports. He also was a classmate and friend of my cousin, Jimmie. One day Jimmie and I got in an argument about which of us Mackie liked better. It was ridiculous, but over fifty years later I still remember. There is something basic in human nature about wanting to be better than others.
It was just this kind of argument in which the apostles engaged at the end of our passage. They found it important to be the greatest. Jesus has a different perspective. “Be careful what you seek,“ he warns, “To be on my right and left hands when I come into glory might not be what you think.”
That human desire to be the greatest is one of the greatest obstacles to Christian living. It also stands in the way of understanding the parable. Quite frankly, “The Laborers in the Vineyard” has become my favorite parable, because I think understanding and accepting it is critical in our capitalistic society. And it is certainly appropriate to ponder on Labor Day.
Jesus tells about the owner of a vineyard who hires people to pick his grapes at various times throughout the day. At the end of the day, he pays them all the same wage. Modern readers as well as some of the laborers snap in anger, “That is not fair!”
Yet Jesus is very careful to protect the owner. He very specifically told the first hired they would receive the normal daily wage. He assured all the others he would pay what is right. This is about everyone getting daily bread, not merit pay. He also makes clear that the reason even the last hired were not working previously was not because they were lazy, but because nobody asked them. Anyone close to the wine industry knows the boss was not extending favors. Grapes have to be picked at exactly the right time. He needed all the workers he could find.
A proper response to the parable should be, “What a great story. Everyone does well. The owner has his grapes picked and all the laborers have enough to feed their families.” And because the owner obviously represents God, we should be greatly relieved. God is generous. He makes sure everyone has enough. We can relax, because there is enough love to go around for all of us.
When we hear that good news spoken in the Parable of the Prodigal Son, we rejoice, claiming this is the best parable of all. When the same is spoken in this one, we shout, “Unfair!” and rate the parable the worst. Obviously, our resistance to the Christian message takes place when we get down to concrete applications of love, particularly when we get down to money. It is here that the desire to be the greatest clogs our brain.
On Laborer Day the parable reminds us the first step in providing just economic practices is to accept God loves us all equally and wants us all to have at least daily bread.
Let us pray: Father, you have poured out gifts beyond measure on us. Grant us the compassion to understand your love extends equally on all your children. Enable us truly to see them as our sisters and brothers and inspire us to be the greatest only in service to them. We pray in Jesus’ name. Amen.
To respond to this devotion, write mailto:pastordave@goodshepherdonline.org
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