Rejoicing in a
Generous God
Grace to you and peace from God our
Father, and from our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ. Amen.
The master of the vineyard said, “Go work in my vineyard and I will pay you
what is right.” He never mentioned fairness or equality. He said he would
pay what is right, or righteous. This is the kingdom of God.
You don't get what you have earned; you receive what the Lord freely gives.
Then you realize that whether you work eleven hours or one hour—whether you’ve
been a Christian your whole life or came to faith in old age—what you have from
Him is a gift. That's how the Lord works. Because of Christ, you don't get what
you have earned. You don't get what you've got coming. You get forgiveness,
life, salvation. Jesus does the hard work in His suffering and death. He bears
the heat of the sweltering judgment of God for your sins on the cross so that,
on the Last Day, when it is time to settle your accounts, the Lord just hands
you something you never earned or expected: salvation and eternal life. People
think Jesus told parables using everyday illustrations to make a point. But nobody
ever gets paid this way. The unions would strike. The government would step in.
Labor laws would be enforced. People would go to jail. But in God's kingdom,
you don't get what you have earned. You get what is right—that is, you get what
is righteous in the sight of God. You get what Jesus has earned for you.
If you so choose, you can certainly
complain that it's not fair. You can try to cut a deal with God. You can
approach Him on the basis of your works: He must pay you what He owes you. But
if deal with God like that, you deal only with the Law. The Law says to love
God and love your neighbor. If you don't do those things, you don't get paid.
It's as simple as that. And much as we like to try to fool ourselves that we
love God and love others, our lives and our sins show that we don't. There's a
reason the Bible says, “The wages of sin is
death.” Death is the payment you get for not doing your job. That's what
you've earned; that’s what you deserve for breaking the Law, for not loving God
like you should, for not loving your neighbor as you've been commanded. On the
Last Day, those who thought they could bargain with God on the basis of deeds
will get exactly what they have earned. They will hear those awful words, “Take what is yours and go your way.” My
brothers and sisters in Christ, that is what hell is.
But Jesus did not come to pay you
what you deserve and send you on your way. He came to take the riches of God
and do what He wants: and what He wants is to give you those riches. It doesn't
matter when you've been brought in—as an infant; in adolescence; or even on
your deathbed, inhaling for the last time. He has called you into His vineyard
beginning with your baptism, and He settles up for you according to His
righteous will, giving you the riches of His labors: the riches of forgiveness
and eternal life in the spoken word of absolution and in His body and blood.
When He comes again on the Last Day, there will be a payday, but not like the
world thinks. Oh, for those that wanted to make an agreement with God, they'll
get what they deserve. But you get what is righteous in God’s sight; you get
what is Christ's. He has for you such gifts that all we can do is give thanks
for the generosity of this Lord. True faith and worship is not to come to God
and negotiate. It's to receive from Him the generous gift He has for you. There
is no comparing; there’s just the Lord, who takes what belongs to Him and gives
it to you “without any merit or
worthiness in [you].” That's how the Kingdom of God
works. When it comes to the Lord, you don’t get what you deserve. You get what
Jesus freely gives. You'll get forgiveness. You’ll get everlasting life. The
Lord does not give you what is fair—thanks be to God for that! He gives what is
righteous in His sight. He gives forgiveness, life, and salvation. Come and
receive what the Master freely gives. In the name of the Father and of the
Son (+) and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.
The
peace of God which passes all understanding will keep your hearts and minds in
Christ Jesus always. Amen.
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