In this morning’s Gospel text Jesus once more told a parable describing the workings of God’s ruling as He said: “The kingdom of heaven is like…”   A man who needed some help in his vineyard and so he went to the market to hire some laborers. He hired some at daybreak agreeing to pay them a denarius, then went again and he hired some more about three hours later, some more about lunch time, and some a while after that. Each time he found men being idle, he hired them. Even into late in the afternoon, he kept on hiring even with only one hour left in the day. By the time they got to the actual vineyard they would have labored for almost no time at all. Then it was time to pay them all off. He began with those he hired last. Those workers who barely had time to get out to the vineyard before the sun went down received a full denarius, a full day’s pay even though they hadn’t worked all day. The other workers seeing this thought that maybe they would get more for having worked more, but they were shocked and upset to receive the same wage. It certainly does not seem fair to the workers who had put in more hours, who did work all day toiling under the heat of the sun. Yet, Jesus said that the kingdom of heaven is like this man who hired all these laborers paying them all the same regardless of the amount of work. The kingdom of heaven does not make sense from an earthly point of view. Regardless of when you are called to faith or come to faith, it is the same salvation, the same forgiveness of sins. You do not receive an extra portion of salvation for having been Christian the longest, nor for suffering the most trouble or persecution. To us it may not seem fair. “But we have worked for so long and so hard in your name, Lord.” But then again, our own salvation is not fair. The Creator of the entire universe took on human flesh, suffered, and died so that sinners could have eternal life. God the Father poured out the just wrath for sin upon His own totally innocent Son so that guilty sinners can go free. How is that fair? Even as the Son suffered on the cross for the sins of the world He turned to the thief and said, “Truly, I say to you, today you will be with me in Paradise.” A thief goes to heaven because the innocent Son of God suffered for his sin. Is it fair that Jesus’ suffering and death on the cross offers the same forgiveness, life, and salvation to the best of saints as well as to the worst of sinners? We might be tempted to think that God’s system of rewards is unfair. The conversation that the landowner had with the resentful laborers at the end of today’s parable warns us against that sort of thinking. It is a warning for those of us who have been believers all our lives. Satan will surely tempt us to think more highly of ourselves than we should. He will tempt us to believe that we deserve more power, glory, and honor because we have been Christians for a longer time and have in a sense labored longer than others in His vineyard, the Church. There is a place that continuously doles out things in fairness: fair punishment that sin deserves. That place is Hell. Hell is filled with people who the Lord went to the cross to save. They are there because they are getting what their sins deserved. They are there because in pride they rejected the gift of salvation which the Lord earned for them with His totally unfair yet merciful suffering and death. God does not want them there, but they insisted on an eternity that was fair, thinking they could be saved by works, by their own understanding without God’s grace. How thankful we can be that God’s salvation is not fair. If God were utterly fair, then we would all have to spend an eternity in hell for every slander, every adulterous thought, every jealous grumble, and every time anything or anyone has been more important than God in our lives. We might think our sins are tiny and unimportant, but one breaking of the commandments makes us guilty of them all. We can be so thankful that God is not fair. He gives a payment that is not based upon our labor but upon the generosity of His grace and the labors accomplished for us in Jesus Christ’s perfect life, crucifixion, and resurrection. It is because of His sacrifice that we are even able to enter the vineyard of the master so that we may live and labor in this life in His safety and peace by His forgiveness until the final judgment. As members of His Church we find comfort as we labor in His vineyard in faith, living in gratitude for His service and salvation to us. We do not live idle lives with unsure futures; we have the sure promise and confidence that we shall be given that denarius coin of eternal life at the end of time because the master has promised it. We may make mistakes, sin, then repent, struggling to remain faithful, but the Lord will come to our aid. He will refresh, restrain, retrain, and forgive. He does not judge according to the so called quality of our own work, merit, or labor, but gives grace to all believers, who live in Him, laboring for Him, by faith, in answer to His call. That coin which is promised is the merits of God’s Son, Jesus Christ, the forgiveness of sin won by Him, redemption from death and every affliction, His Holy Spirit, and finally eternal life with Himself in the resurrection of all flesh. God continues to search the marketplace of this world looking for workers for His vineyard. The Holy Spirit finds and calls people in the marketplace early in the morning when, as infants, He works faith in them through the Word combined with the water of Holy Baptism. He uses His Word through the witness of His people to find, call, and recruit people at different points in their lives, perhaps even the 11th hour, at the exhalation of the last breath before the sun goes down. No matter when that faith is received, the guilt of every sin is removed because of the Son’s sacrifice on the cross. By His resurrection and ascension, our Lord Jesus Christ has prepared a place for you. Whether your faith is old or young, you shall receive the gift of life everlasting for the sake of His unfair and boundless grace and generosity in Jesus Christ. The parable in today’s Gospel illustrates the unfair nature of God’s generous grace, but this is good news. No matter when we receive saving faith from the Holy Spirit, we all receive the same heaven, the same righteousness of Christ. From this parable we learn that while there is still breath, the Holy Spirit can still call, gather, and enlighten people to come to true faith through His Word and sacraments. This is a great comfort for those who come to faith later in life, perhaps committed many terrible crimes and sins. A great comfort for those who have loved ones who are not yet Christians or who have fallen away. There is yet hope for them as they share the Word of God. It is this Word of God which has the power to convert and bring faith. Here is also comfort is for you and me who daily sin much. There is hope for forgiveness, for renewal of faith in Jesus Christ. Therefore, we come to the cross and confess our sins, and for the sake of Jesus Christ, He forgives us, and allows us entry into His Church and restores us. He then gives comfort to His laborers throughout the heat of the day by feeding, clothing, and sheltering them under His protection in the shadow of the cross. That is why we gather here. Here He shades us with His presence, He serves us the cool refreshing drink of His Word to drink the wine and blood poured out for our salvation to feed upon the bread of life: His body. This makes us whole with Him and our fellow believers. This gives us strength in the heat of the day, to stand firm in Him and His Word against any temptation to despair, doubt, or grumble. Some may say “If God is gracious regardless of when I come to faith, why not enjoy life in dissipation and then become a Christian at the last minute?” Why not? Because no one really knows when the sun will set on their life. Sometimes death is the result of a long illness and there is time to prepare. But accidents and tragedy happen and sometimes quickly. Why not already live in His hope, in His forgiveness, His peace, prepared, and ready? God’s grace is for you now. As you labor in His vineyard fulfilling your vocations, have that confidence and knowledge that because of God’s generosity, for the sake of Christ, your sins are forgiven through faith in Him. Jesus is with us in this world. We are never alone. We have the privilege of talking to God in prayer at any time, giving Him our anxious cares, and then thanking Him for all His blessings as He come to us in His Word and Sacraments. The parable in today’s Gospel reminds us that sometimes it is good for us to be treated unfairly. The Lord promises to deal with us not according to our sins, but according to His great generosity, mercy, and love in the sacrifice of Jesus Christ our salvation. May He keep each and every one of us in that faith, in His service until He comes again in Jesus’ name. Amen. Pr. Aaron Kangas