Exodus 17:1-9
1 Corinthians 9:24-10:5
St. Matthew 20:1-16
February 5, 2023
Grace, mercy, and peace be to you from God our Father through our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.
Amen.
We are entering into strange times. No, I’m not talking about a big news story or any massive cultural shift. Today, I’m just talking about the next three weeks. We are entering Gesimatide. Today is Septuagesima, which means “70.” Next week is Sexagesima, which means “60.” And the week after will be Quinquagesima, which, as you probably guessed, means “50.” These three lead up to the first Sunday of Lent. Just for reference, the name for Lent in Latin was “the Quadragesima,” the 40 days of preparation for Easter. Now, you probably know that weeks aren’t 10 days long, so the math does work out perfectly. Suffice it to say that our Christian forefathers decided “Septuagesima” was a long enough name for a Sunday, so they rounded the math.
But what’s the point of Gesimatide? Why do we have Sundays with Latin names and incorrect math? Gesimatide was a time of getting ready, of thinking through and preparing for the Lenten fast. What is fasting? Simply put, its learning to discipline your body, most often by giving something up. This is something we should do. In Matthew 6, Jesus said, “When you fast,” not “If you fast.” So think about this in terms of our Epistle reading today from 1 Corinthians. St. Paul talked about how “every athlete exercises self-control in all things.” He went on to say “I do not run aimlessly; I do not box as one beating the air. But I discipline my body and keep it under control” (1 Corinthians 9:25-27). So think about fasting in terms of practicing. Anyone who has played a sport or even a musical instrument knows the mantra, “Practice, practice, practice.” For what? For the real deal, the game, the performance! When you fast, you practice. You practice giving up food, which isn’t, in itself, sinful, so that when you are faced with sin, you’ll have practiced self-control to resist the temptation.
There are many temptations around us each and every day. In our Gospel reading, Jesus addresses three temptations.
To the first, He says, “Don’t be lazy.” How does He say this? Well, in the parable, the master went out several times calling more and more workers into His vineyard. We live in very different times from what our Gospel reading describes. This master didn’t have a regular payroll. These workers didn’t have labor unions or job search software to help them find and keep a job. But, if you didn’t work, neither did you eat. So unskilled laborers would gather in the town center and wait for a job offer. That’s the setting for our parable. What’s strange is how insistent the master must be. He has plenty of work to do and he’s strapped for workers. Sure is hard to get stuff done when you have to stop what you’re doing and go back into town every three hours. To add insult, when he went out at the 11th hour, he asked, “Why do you stand here idle all day? Because no one has hired us.” What? What are they talking about? These are lazy workers with a lazy excuse! They have heard the master’s call four times already! What did they need? A red carpet? Who knows.
God calls every Christian to work in His vineyard, to join in the communal life of the kingdom through the visible church. You have been called, not mistakenly or abstractly, but by name. When you were baptized, God called you by name to work in His vineyard. He took you from unemployment and gave you a purpose. He sets your vocation before you and promises you your wages. So, get to work. Don’t be lazy. Don’t wait for the red carpet. Your life has already started. The Christian life is a life of faithfulness in the ordinary, whether that’s being a husband or wife, a mom or a dad, a good worker or student, and so on. Be a good worker where God has placed you.
I do need to pause here for a moment and say that Christians are not saved by works, but being a Christian takes work. Being a Christian is not something to be lazy or haphazard about. In Revelation 3, Jesus threatened to spit out the Christians from Laodicea because they were lukewarm; neither hot nor cold. They wanted the eternal benefits of being a Christian, but they didn’t want to live like Christians. Being a Christian takes work every day.
But as you work in God’s vineyard, don’t compare yourself to others. That’s the second temptation Jesus addresses. At the end of the day, the workers compared themselves to one another. For some, their shirts stuck to their backs with sweat, their necks were sunburned, and they had layers of dirt across their faces. But not everyone was like that. Others had neither sweat, nor sunburn, nor the least bit of dirt under their fingernails. They played the comparison game and knew who won.
There is no place for comparison in God’s kingdom. So don’t. As we think about Lenten fasts, there will be a temptation to compare. Some of you might fast from meat, alcohol, sweets, and all social media. Others might just give up chocolate, or fast food, or pop. Is one better than the other? That’s not the point. The point is to practice discipline and grow more reliant on God and His grace. Some of you might think I’m making this too difficult. “Just believe like a child,” right? Right! But what do kids do? They’re active learners. They watch their parents intently. They parrot back words, phrases, and gestures. They practice these words and gestures over and over so that their mouths can say the words their ears hear. That takes discipline and practice, for sure! So, believe like a child. Grow and mature in your faith. Watch your heavenly Father. Listen to His Word. Practice, practice, practice. And help your little brothers and sisters, too. Don’t compare but rejoice with each milestone met.
The problem in this parable is that the workers compared themselves with each other. They wanted justice, but only to their benefit. Sure, their contract said “1 denarius,” but if the new recruits were getting that, then surely the seasoned workers would get more. That’s only fair, right? But if each one of us got what was fair, then we’d be worse than empty handed. Like these workers, we’re all lazy and resist God’s call to serve. Like these workers, we love to look around the pews and note who the “good” Christians are. And like these workers, we don’t get what’s fair.
Why? Because your worth does not come from your works, but from what God is willing to pay. What is that? His only beloved Son. Jesus heard His Father’s call even before the sun rose over Eden. Jesus went to work in this vineyard we call earth. He bore the burden of your sin. He suffered the scorching heat of hate and persecution. But from this vineyard, He did not receive grapes, but thorns. A crown of thorns, to be exact. He suffered God’s justice on the cross. Why? So that He might become the last and least. Then the Last became the firstborn of all the dead as He rose on Easter morning.
In light of Jesus and His work, this parable has nothing to do about your works. Instead, its all about God’s grace giving you unearned payment. That’s coming soon. Shortly, we will all come forward and you’ll receive a small denarius-sized piece of bread. Don’t grumble about this. That’s the third and final temptation Jesus addresses. Don’t grumble that your payment isn’t more. Don’t think this Sacrament isn’t life changing. Don’t ask God to come in some other “more personal” way. Don’t think for a second that this body and blood is anything less than pure grace in your hand and on your lips. That is your payment. Your payment is everything that God has to give to you. Your payment is not earned but given. Your payment is not the thorns you deserve, but the rich fruit of the vine.
So come, you workers, listen to your master’s call. Come receive your payment, given and shed for you for the forgiveness of all your sins.
Now may the peace that passes all understanding guard and keep your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus unto life everlasting.
Amen.
Pastor Schultz
Trinity Lutheran Church
Paola, Kansas
Return to Top | Return to Sermons | Home | Email Church Office