Jesus, The Great Farmer
Living in an agricultural community, it is extremely common for farmers and farm hands to work from sunrise (6am) to sunset (8pm) during the warmer months. When I was in my teens, I worked at a ranch, which meant we had to put up hay. Loading bales in the field onto a wagon and then stacking them in the hay loft is back breaking work. About three times a summer, we would start doing hay in the late morning and work until sun down or until the field was done. I would often question how much I really loved horses and my job during hay season. It was especially frustrating when people didn't show up to work on time when they knew we had to do hay. I admit, they got a lot of side-eye from me. I don't know anyone who likes to do hay, except the person who gets to drive the tractor. It is hot, sweaty, exhausting work. There were never too many hands during hay season. You could always use more help.
Looking back, putting up hay produced two positive outcomes. First, it fed the horses, and I loved horses. Second, I got paid for my work. It was probably against child labor laws, but I started working on the ranch when I was 12. I can't imagine I made a lot of money. We all got paid by the hour. If you worked a 10 hour day, you got paid 5 times more than the person who only worked 2 hours. That seemed fair. It also encouraged me to work more. It wasn't uncommon for me to work more than 40 hours a week, even at 12. I liked the horses. I liked the ranch, and I liked money, which is why one of the parables in the Bible bothered me.
Matthew 20:1-16 teaches us about a farmer who at the beginning of the day went out to hire people to work in his vineyard. Those he hired early in the morning all agreed to work a full day for a certain amount. After a few hours of work, the farmer decided to hire more workers and told them he would pay them whatever is right. This process repeated itself every three hours until the last batch of people were brought on to work at about 5pm. At the end of the day, about when the sun went down, all the workers were gathered together to receive their pay for the day. The workers who were hired in the morning had done almost 8 times as much work as the workers hired at 5pm. But when the paychecks were distributed, everyone was given the same pay. The early morning workers saw this and became upset. Even though they received what they were promised, they believed workers who worked less should be paid less. But the farmer reminded the morning workers that he had kept his promise to them, so they should not be upset. He also explained that he had every right to do whatever he wished with his own money.
To understand this parable, we need to recognize a few important parallels. First, the farmer is Jesus. The workers are those who follow Christ. And the pay represents eternal life. As a teen, I misunderstood this parable and incorrectly believed the workers were being paid for their work. But I was wrong. The truth is, the workers were not paid according to their work, but rather according to their response to the farmer.
So it is with us. Jesus is calling all of us to Him. As long as we are alive on this earth, we can respond correctly to Jesus. God is so patient with us. He does not wish that anyone should die in sin, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Up until the sun sets on our lives, we still have a chance to follow Christ. And if we do, we will receive eternal life with Him. We will get to go to Heaven. No one can earn Heaven by their work. Any good work we do is because of our response to God. Subsequently, those who follow Christ sooner will work longer, but this does not make them any better than those who were called later.
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, (Psalm 95 7b-8a). You do not know when your final breath will be. For many, it is easy to think they can get through this life on their own. But when death is eminent, it becomes very clear that we are not in charge. Instead we are at the mercy of our Creator who will decide our destiny. Do not wait until the last minute to make the right choice. Choose to follow Christ. No one can get to Heaven without Him. Talk to God. Repent of your sins. Ask God to teach you the truth. Submit your life to Christ, and follow Him for the rest of your days. There is never a wrong time to do the right thing.
Looking back, putting up hay produced two positive outcomes. First, it fed the horses, and I loved horses. Second, I got paid for my work. It was probably against child labor laws, but I started working on the ranch when I was 12. I can't imagine I made a lot of money. We all got paid by the hour. If you worked a 10 hour day, you got paid 5 times more than the person who only worked 2 hours. That seemed fair. It also encouraged me to work more. It wasn't uncommon for me to work more than 40 hours a week, even at 12. I liked the horses. I liked the ranch, and I liked money, which is why one of the parables in the Bible bothered me.
To understand this parable, we need to recognize a few important parallels. First, the farmer is Jesus. The workers are those who follow Christ. And the pay represents eternal life. As a teen, I misunderstood this parable and incorrectly believed the workers were being paid for their work. But I was wrong. The truth is, the workers were not paid according to their work, but rather according to their response to the farmer.
So it is with us. Jesus is calling all of us to Him. As long as we are alive on this earth, we can respond correctly to Jesus. God is so patient with us. He does not wish that anyone should die in sin, but that all should reach repentance (2 Peter 3:9). Up until the sun sets on our lives, we still have a chance to follow Christ. And if we do, we will receive eternal life with Him. We will get to go to Heaven. No one can earn Heaven by their work. Any good work we do is because of our response to God. Subsequently, those who follow Christ sooner will work longer, but this does not make them any better than those who were called later.
Today, if you hear his voice, do not harden your hearts, (Psalm 95 7b-8a). You do not know when your final breath will be. For many, it is easy to think they can get through this life on their own. But when death is eminent, it becomes very clear that we are not in charge. Instead we are at the mercy of our Creator who will decide our destiny. Do not wait until the last minute to make the right choice. Choose to follow Christ. No one can get to Heaven without Him. Talk to God. Repent of your sins. Ask God to teach you the truth. Submit your life to Christ, and follow Him for the rest of your days. There is never a wrong time to do the right thing.
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