God's Generosity

Dear Friends,  

The vineyard owner in today’s Gospel is in a hiring mood. He hires new workers all day long until the last hour. The story flows along with a certain ease when all of a sudden, it develops a twist that brings us up short and makes us question the fairness of the owner. Our sense of justice is offended. We are indignant with the owner and we feel empathy with the laborers who seem to be victims of unfair labor practices. “Call in the union! Call in the arbitrators!” we might want to shout.

For once, Jesus had it all wrong. Or did he? 

Where did this strange little story come from anyway? What was the context that gave rise to it? Why is it in Matthew’s Gospel and nowhere else? And why, in this moment of history, should we care anyway?

It’s important to know that Matthew’s Gospel was not written by some isolated individual who decided by himself what to include. Matthew was part of a community of believers which consisted of Jews who had become Christian. Their Christianity had deep and lasting roots in the Jewish tradition. The temptation for them was a sense of privilege. Matthew’s community had to face and deal with the acceptance of new people who wanted to be numbered among God’s chosen – and these newcomers lacked an unbroken pattern of lifelong piety. The parable points out discreetly that it was time to put exclusivity and division among people aside and welcome into the family of believers, sinners and tax collectors, Gentiles and the unclean.

The parable has nothing to do with justice or labor practices. Instead, it teaches us a most astounding lesson, namely that all generosity is unfair, and it is surprising.

You and I, too, have been the recipients of God’s generosity. Yet we might want to look askance on others who came after us who have received the promise as fully as we have with less time on the job, so to speak. The lesson for us as we go on and on in these pandemic times with its economic and climate woes is to learn to be generous as God is generous. As the landowner gave equal pay for unequal work because he was generous, so too, God gifts all of us seasoned or fledgling disciples equally for unequal efforts. Let’s do in like manner. At first, we might have to swallow hard, but wholehearted practice can bring us to a similar generosity.

Perhaps, most of all, we need to learn to relax and trust this God of ours who does such topsy-turvy things with our expectations and in our lives. Let God bring in others. We just need to welcome them as God does.

~Sister Joan Sobala