What Do You Expect From God?

18th Sunday after Pentecost, 10/12/14
Matthew 20:1-16


What Do You Expect From God?
I. Do you expect him to pay you for your efforts?
OR
II. Do you trust his grace to bless you?


Legally binding contracts are good business for your attorney. It keeps a roof over his head, food on his table, and a smile on his face. Before you sign one of any importance, it’s a good idea to have him or her review it thoroughly because the devil is in the details. That contract states in black and white what your obligations are to another party and what that party’s obligations are to you. What’s in that contract that could cause you a good deal of heart burn? What did you assume was included in that contract that actually isn’t? Where does that contract leave you vulnerable? On the other hand, does it clearly state what you expect you will receive?

All too often—when it’s too late—you’re painfully surprised to find out that that contract you signed doesn’t cover this particular situation. The other party is now released of its obligations. You aren’t going to get what you thought you were under contract to receive. You feel as if you’ve been taken advantage of. You’ve been duped. You feel foolish.

Unfortunately, if that happens to you, you’re not alone. It happens every day in the business and legal world.

Even worse, it happens in the spiritual world as well. Somehow the vast majority of people in our world today—if they even believe there is a god—feels that god owes them something. What they expect can range from a pleasurable experience in the life after this one to success in their current efforts to a little rest and relaxation. And they expect it because they consider themselves to be decent people who try to maintain their spiritual lives— whatever that may be.

And while we know those ideas are false, they can to a degree enter our hearts and minds as well. And that puts us into good company, because those ideas were in the hearts and minds of Jesus’ disciples on the day he spoke this parable before us this morning, the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard.

So, because we share those thoughts occasionally, let me ask you, “What do you expect from God?” This parable will reveal two opposite possibilities. Let’s see what they are.

Part I.

Questions that are asked of us can cause all sorts of emotional reactions—everything from joy and amazement when we’re asked, “Is this really for me?” to disappointment and pain, “How could you forget again?” Those two questions either reveal that we’ve exceeded the expectations or we fallen woefully short once again.

I wonder how Jesus felt as he spoke this parable before us this morning. And I wonder that because he spoke it in response to a question he was asked by his disciple, Peter. Towards the end of the previous chapter, Matthew records these words of Peter to Jesus, “We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?” As far as questions go, it sounds rather innocent at first. It’s an honest question on his part. He’s simply stating the truth. Those twelve disciples had dropped everything in their lives to follow Jesus. They had placed family and friends on hold. They had ended their business affairs. They had crisscrossed the Holy Land on foot with Jesus for the past three years.

But following that statement of truth comes the question that must have bothered Jesus. “What then will there be for us?” Peter’s not so selfish to limit it to himself; he includes the other eleven. But it certainly reveals what’s in Peter’s heart. He’s wondering what he’s going to get for all his trouble of following Jesus. To state it rather brashly, he asks, “What’s in this for us and it better be more than the other people receive because we’ve put in more time and effort than anyone else.”

And that’s exactly what was in the hearts and minds of the first laborers hired in the parable. Jesus stated, “So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’” A denarius was equal to the common worker’s wage for a day’s labor. These men had worked the full twelve hours. One group had worked nine hours. Another, six. Still another, three. One grouped only worked one hour. They all had received a denarius. Only giving a denarius to the group that worked twelve does seem unfair.

But these were not union grape pickers. They had not signed a collective bargaining agreement. The owner of the vineyard had paid them what he had told them he would pay them when he hired them. He paid them what they agreed to receive. It was an honest wage for an honest day’s work. But it didn’t seem fair to them. They expected more because they had done more work.

What do you expect from God? Do you expect him to pay you for your efforts? Do I?

The quick and easy answer is, “No. Of course not.” And the reason is that we know we can’t earn anything good from God. We know, believe and confess that we can’t earn forgiveness for a single sin and we surely can’t work our way to heaven. No amount of worshipping, praying, charitable giving, serving others, or being a good neighbor can do that. We know that. Peter knew that, too. But, like Peter, we feel our “service” to our Lord and others deserves some recognition from our God. We’re faithful followers of Jesus. We don’t steal from our employers. We’re honest and hard working. We take care of our families. We’re decent people who avoid the flesh pots of our world. We obey the laws of the land, try to “pay forward” because we’ve been blessed, and we’re fairly faithful in worship to boot. What’s coming our way for our efforts, our sacrifices? When that’s our attitude, then Jesus tells us, “Take your pay and go.” And he’s not saying that with joy in his heart. He’s disappointed and disgusted. What do you expect from God? Do you expect him to pay you for your efforts? If so, be careful what you wish for because “the wages of sin is death” (Rom. 6:23).

Part II.

There’s that word again—“wages.” And from a wages standpoint it just doesn’t seem fair. Some served a little—some only an hour—and received a lot when measured by the prevailing wage. Some worked a lot and received little by comparison. It just doesn’t seem fair. And our angst is only increased when we make the connection that the owner of the vineyard represents the holy God who is always just and right.

To help us make sense of it all, it would be good for us to be clear what the denarius represents in the kingdom of God. Obviously it’s not an amount of money. One of the best explanations I came across actually stated that the denarius represents one of two things.

The first is that the denarius represents what you expect to receive from your own efforts. If you’re serving others in the kingdom of God because you want honor, glory and appreciation from others, then that’s what you’ll get. If you’re working in God’s kingdom because you want others to see what you do and you want to be proud of what you’ve accomplished, then that’s what you’ll receive. That’s a little self-centered, isn’t it? But that’s what Peter was looking for when he asked Jesus, “What then will there be for us?”

The other thing that the denarius represents is what you expect to receive from Jesus’ efforts. And that includes an eternal abundance of blessings. Because of Jesus’ efforts, we live in the daily forgiveness of sins. Our guilt is gone. He took the punishment we deserve. We have new life in his kingdom as one of his own dear children. We know he already has a place prepared for us in heaven where we will see his glory and live with him forever. He gives us an inner peace and joy that are out of this world. He guides our daily lives and strengthens us to face whatever Satan and our evil world hurl at us. Jesus is the One who rules over all things for the good of his people. He’s using his almighty power to set limits on the evil in our world so that his Church on earth is not overwhelmed. Jesus is doing all that, not because you served him, but because he served you. He did it even though we didn’t deserve it. He did it out of his grace—his undeserved favor.

What do you expect from God? Do you trust his grace to bless you? If so, then that’s what you receive in abundance.

Contrary to what you might hear some of today’s popular preachers tell you, don’t expect God to grant you success in your personal and business life. Don’t expect a life of ease. Don’t expect to be pain free. Don’t expect to find fulfillment in whatever you set out to accomplish. But you can expect him to bless you as he sees fit and deems best for you. You can expect him to renew you with his forgiveness and comfort you with his power and presence. You can expect him to keep you safe in the ark of his Church while the storms of life pound your life day after day. You can expect him to strengthen your faith and your relationship with him through word and sacrament. You can expect all these because they’re all gifts of his grace.

What do you expect from God? Do you trust his grace to bless you? If so, you’ll never be disappointed. You’ll always be filled with spiritual peace and joy. Amen.