Christianity Oasis Forum

[cimi]

April 5
Saturday


NOT
COUNTING

READ:
Matthew 20:1-16
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The last will be first,
and the first last.
__Matthew 20:16
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The play Amadeus tells of a composer in the 18th century seeking to understand the mind of God. The devout Antonio Salieri has the earnest desire, but not the aptitude, to create immortal music. It infuriates him that God has instead lavished the greatest of musical genius ever known on the impish Wolfgang Amadeus Mozart.

The play poses the same question as the book of Job, only inverted. The author of Job wonders why God would punish the most righteous man on the face of the earth; the author of Amadeus ponders why God would reward someone so undeserving.

Jesus' parable of the workers and their grossly unfair paychecks confronts this scandal head-on. Some people who have been idly standing around are hired by a landowner at "the eleventh hour" (Matt 20:6-7). The other workers, who have been serving him all day long, are shocked when each receives identical pay. What employer in his right mind would pay the same amount for one hour's work as for 12!

Jesus' story makes no economic sense, and that was His intent. He was giving us a parable about grace, which cannot be calculated like a day's wages. God dispenses gifts, not wages. __Philip Yancey

`````````````````Lord, I forget sometimes that my efforts cannot earn``````````````````
````````````````````````````Your love or grace of forgiveness.```````````````````````
`````````````````````````You have lavished grace on me as a gift`````````````````````
```````````````````````````````and not a wage. Thank You.````````````````````````
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In the realm of grace,
the word "deserve" does not apply.

*************************************Today's Bible Reading __ Matthew 20:1-16*******************************

1 For the kingdom of
heaven is like a landowner
who went out early in the
morning to hire laborers for
his vineyard. 2 Now when he
had agreed with the laborers
for a denarius a day, he sent
them into his vineyard....

6 And about the eleventh
hour he went out and found
others standing idle, and said
to them, "Why have you
been standing here idle all
day?" 7 They said to him,
"Because no one hired us."
He said to them, "You also
go into the vineyard, and
whatever is right you will
receive."

8 So when evening had
come, the owner of the
vineyard said to his steward,
"Call the laborers and give
them their wages, beginning
with the last to the first."

9 And when those came who
were hired about the eleventh
hour, they each received a
denarius. 10 But when the
first came, they supposed that
they would receive more; and
they likewise received each a
denarius. 11 And when they
had received it, they
complained against the
landowner, 12 saying, "These
last men have wroked only
one hour, and you made
them equal to us who have
borne the burden and the heat
of the day." 13 But he
answered one of them and
said, "Friend, I am doing you
no wrong. Did you not agree
with me for a denarius?

14 Take what is yours and go
your way. I wish to give to
this last man the same as to
you...."

16 So the last will be first,
and the first last. For many
are called, but few chosen.

>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>>INSIGHT<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<<

Jesus' practice of teaching by parables was a way of helping people
process the spiritual truths He taught. For that reason, parables
have sometimes been referred to as earthly stories with heavenly
meanings.