Daily Devotional For Saturday, January 10, 2026
Good morning Southside. We are making our way through the Gospel of Matthew. Today, we come to Matthew 20:1-16. Because this is another longer teaching by Jesus using the parable, we are going to look at this over several days as well. Here is the text:
“For the Kingdom of Heaven is like the landowner who went out early one morning to hire workers for his vineyard. (2) He agreed to pay the normal daily wage and sent them out to work. (3) At nine o’clock in the morning he was passing through the marketplace and saw some people standing around doing nothing. (4) So he hired them, telling them he would pay them whatever was right at the end of the day. (5) So they went to work in the vineyard. At noon and again at three o’clock he did the same thing. (6) At five o’clock that afternoon he was in town again and saw some more people standing around. He asked them, ‘Why haven’t you been working today?’ (7) They replied, ‘Because no one hired us.’ “The landowner told them, ‘Then go out and join the others in my vineyard.’ (8) That evening he told the foreman to call the workers in and pay them, beginning with the last workers first. (9) When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. (10) When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. (11) When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, (12) ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’ (13) He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? (14) Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. (15) Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’ (16) So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last” (NLT).
In this parable, Jesus throws several curve balls. One is that the landowner decided to be generous even with those who had worked the least amount of hours. This parable is about the grace of God given for salvation. Salvation is all God from beginning to end. We really have no role or part in being saved. Jesus said this in John 6:44, “For no one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them to Me, and at the last day I will raise them up” (NLT). This means no one on their own decides to receive salvation. God the Father has to draw them to Jesus first. Paul reminds us that salvation is not based or determined by any of our works (see Eph. 2:8-9).
What makes grace so rewarding and repulsing is that it is not based on fairness. This is why in the parable above the workers who had worked all day for the agreed upon wage were angry when those who had worked the least hours were paid the same. The message of the parable is that God’s loving mercy accepts the lowest, poorest and uneducated member of society on an equal footing with the elite, rich and intellectual. God’s grace draws the worst criminal to Christ as well as the faithful member of a church to Christ. Life on this planet is unfair, but life in Christ is about undeserved grace. We tend to make comparisons on fairness to compare and judge others, especially when life seems to be more fair to someone else than to us. Pastor and author Chuck Swindoll gives us some examples:
- “You’re still driving a 15-20 year old clunker to work and one of your fellow employees drives to work with a new Tesla.
- You have seniority, but a lesser experienced and younger employee is promoted ahead of you.
- You’re still in middle age or younger, but your health is failing while others who are very much older have great health to do things.
- Or you have a child with a disability that requires a lot of your time while other families' kids are perfectly fine.
- You’re having to take care of aging parents who have very little resources while others your age have parents prepared ahead of time financially.
- Or a hurricane or tornado or flood destroyed your home but left your neighbor’s home fully intact” (Source: Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Bible Commentary, Matthew 16-28, Vol. 1B, p. 121).
When this happens, we tend to complain and grumble about the unfairness of life and what appears to be the unfairness of God’s grace. Those who come to God—regardless of their political views, social strata, age, material wealth, education/degrees, or heritage, or position of power, and no matter when in life they come—will all be accepted by Jesus on an equal footing. Swindoll writes:
“Yet the owner was not only just, he was also generous. Knowing that p 126 those who had only worked an hour … or three … or six … wouldn’t have enough money to support their families if he prorated their pay, he decided to treat them with grace and generosity by giving them not what they deserved but what they needed—a full day’s wage (20:14). Because the money belonged to him to do with as he chose, the landowner had the freedom to give it to anybody at any time under any conditions (20:15). How natural it is for worldly-minded people to become envious when a generous person demonstrates such grace! This is exactly the reaction of the grumblers” (Source, Charles R. Swindoll, Swindoll’s Living Insights New Testament Bible Commentary, Matthew 16-28, Vol. 1B, p. 125-126).
All will receive their inheritance in the kingdom of heaven—no one will get less than what they expect, and some may receive more. Such generosity, such grace, ought to cause all believers great joy—no one should be in the corner grumbling. We see this when Jesus was crucified between two thieves. One cursed Jesus and the other one called out to Jesus (see Luke 23:32-43). It is never too late for the Father through His grace to draw anyone to Jesus.
As we saw yesterday, Jesus repeated a verse He said in Matthew 19:30. Jesus rejected that nationality, DNA, and wealth got one into heaven. New Testament scholar Bruce B. Barton says that Jesus rejected the notion, “First come, first serve” belief for the following reasons:
- “God isn’t impressed by our achievements. The workers did no more than they were asked to do. The landowner gave them work they did not merit and fulfilled his promise. Those who worked all day were not cheated. Those who worked an hour had no reason to brag. The idea that God “owes” us something is wrong. Instead of complaining, we should be grateful that God seldom gives us what we deserve.
- God rejects our comparisons. To understand our sinfulness, we should examine our tendency toward discontent and ungratefulness. Like children, we demand equal treatment when we think that we have received less than others. Yet we are rarely concerned for others when we’re ahead of them. Like the landowner, however, God holds us to our agreement. God keeps his promises. Comparing ourselves to others will not help our defense when we stand before God.
- God’s rewards are His domain. The landowner held the right to be generous to whomever he desired. If we are not astonished at God’s grace toward us, we will miss it completely” (Source: Bruce B. Barton, The Life Application Bible Commentary, “Matthew,” p. 391).
Tomorrow we will look at this passage one more time.
Assignment: Reflect – do you ever compare life’s fairness to you with life’s fairness to others? If so, do you find jealousy, envy, complaining and grumbling growing a root of bitterness in your heart? This parable reminds us that God the Father dispenses His grace as He best sees fit. To not praise God is to be the first thief on the cross. What exactly do you think God owes you and why? If you believe God is being unfair to you, could it be possible that this might be due to your unfaithfulness to God?
Scripture To Meditate On: James 4:6, “And He gives grace generously. As the Scriptures say, ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble’” (NLT).
Prayer To Pray: “Dear Lord, please forgive me when I resort to judging life and you on the basis of fairness and not grace. Thank You that You do not give me what I deserve – hell, but what I need – heaven. Please forgive me for being self-centered and self-minded at times. I want to be Christ-centered and Christ-minded. I love You Lord. In Jesus’ name, Amen!”
I love you Southside! – Pastor Kelly