God calls us … at any time!

Let's look into a puzzling parable

St. Matthew’s Gospel is well known for the number of parables that it contains. We know that Jesus often used parables in his teaching in order to help his listeners (and, of course, us) understand his message. However, some of Jesus’ parables can be a bit puzzling, or even disconcerting, and perhaps the parable we hear at Mass on Sunday is one of those! After all, it does seem unfair that all those who labored under the hot sun all day were paid the same as those who worked for just one hour.  

To get to the meaning of the parable, it might help to do some background research. In the passage of St. Matthew’s Gospel that comes immediately before the one we hear at Mass this weekend, two important things have happened. First, a young man has come to Jesus. He asks Jesus what he must do to inherit eternal life. Jesus tells him that he needs to keep the commandments. The young man replies that he has indeed done this all his life. So far, so good. Then Jesus looks him in the eye and says that he needs to sell all his property, give the money to the poor and then come, follow him. The young man goes away sad (literally “grieving”) because he cannot do this; he cannot give such a total response to Jesus’ calling. After the man leaves, St. Peter jumps in and, true to his warm and impetuous character, blurts out, “What about us … we have left everything to follow you?” Jesus then replies that whoever has left everything and followed him will have life indeed. At this point, he then adds our parable about the landowner.  

Jesus teaches the disciples (and we remember that this includes us!) a number of things about our call (or our vocation), about following him and about God’s gifts and rewards. First of all, it is clear that it is Jesus who does the calling; just like the landowner who goes out to find his workers. Secondly, that calling can come at any time or in any place. 

We can see this in our own experiences and life. Some people, due to all sorts of reasons and circumstances, may only discover that they are truly a disciple of Jesus later on in life. Alternatively, they may follow a new (or second, or even third) vocation, or embark on a particular task that God wants them to do as time goes on. Often, this may occur when their family situation or other matters change.

The point is that they have answered God’s call, even if this has taken some time, just like the workers in the parable who were not called until later on in the day. Those workers do not say “it is too late now” or start quibbling about how much they are going to get for working a few hours only. They simply say “Yes” and then get on with the job. In addition, the parable reminds us that God may really surprise us and ask us to do something that we had never imagined or expected. Perhaps those workers in Jesus’ parable might have been really surprised that someone called them so late in the day to go and work. Again, like those workers in the parable, we are called simply to say “Yes” to Him whenever we are called, or to whatever we are asked to do by the Lord.

But what about that issue of the landowner only paying those who had worked all day the same as those who had worked just one hour? Yes, we understand that this is what was agreed at the beginning of the day; but it does seem reasonable that those who worked all day might expect at least some sort of bonus. Well, maybe, but we can easily miss a key point here if we become caught up in the economics of the story. The landowner is being fair to the workers who worked all day. As we read, they certainly received the just and proper wage. He decides to be generous and compassionate to those who worked just one hour. The latecomers also need to eat and to feed their family! So too with God … let us not be envious or grumble about his generosity. Besides, we also need to see that the “wages” paid to the laborers in the parable really stand for the reward of salvation and eternal life. 

We need to understand that you cannot have more or less salvation or eternal life! It is not really a thing or a quantity: it is a gift and a quality. The reward and gift of God is the same for everyone, and he gives this out of his great love, mercy and generosity.