EARLY OR LATE, IT DOES NOT MATTER

LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD

The Parable

Matthew 20: 1-16

  God provides work for man, He gives a field to be tended. The vineyard or field can be either the world or the church. The world, the church, and man himself are all due to God's grace. It is God's grace that provided the field (the world and church) for man to work in and without God there would be nothing (Romans 11:36; Col. 1:10).

God goes out to seek and calls men to labor. The workers do not come to Him. God's going out after man is grace, marvelous grace (Luke 19:10; John 3:16; John 15:16).

   Every step involved in the call of God is of grace: the call itself, the challenge to go and labor, the promise of wages (reward), the acceptance of the responses, and the sending forth into the field. God does not have to issue a call or take any of the steps mentioned; each is marvelous demonstration of God's care and grace.

Know this:  man is going to serves something. He either will serve himself and sin, or he will serve God and righteousness. As Bob Dylan put in the song, You’re Gonna Serve Somebody, you’re going to serve the Devil or you’re going to serve the Lord. Man will either work for the world and its end or for heaven and its end (Romans 6:16-22). For this reason God issues call after call.

   God's grace pays the promised wages to those who work for Him and He will pay at the appointed time. That will be In the evening, at death, when all labor ends. This is the meaning of the evening, of the appointed time.

God pays everyone out of a heart of grace and care. This is important to understand: God is love, He cares for all His servants, no matter how old or how long they have been serving Him. He cares, wanting the laborers to have enough to meet their needs. A day's wage (the reward of eternal life) was necessary to meet their need. He would have no servant go away without at least that much. Therefore, He pays even the late-comers a full wage (eternal life).

When speaking of eternal life and perfection, that is, glorification, being conformed to the nature and image of Christ, God does not show any preference. All will be made just like Christ, perfected in nature.

   God's pay (reward) is not as man sees, but as God wills. Our eyes are evil because we are of an evil world. Therefore, we judge and understand from an imperfect and selfish stance because of our sinful nature which will battle with the Spirit until glorification. (Romans 7: 14-25; Galatians 5:17). God cares and is full of mercy and grace. He gives eternal life to all who come, no matter when they come, at the early call or the call at the  eleventh hour.