The Greatest Gift

While describing the Kingdom of heaven, Jesus narrated a parable about a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. They agreed to work for him for a denarius, and he took them to his vineyard. But the owner of the vineyard kept coming back to the marketplace to recruit more workers. He hired a fresh batch of workers at nine in the morning, at noon, at three in the afternoon and five in the evening. To each, he said that he would pay them whatever was right for their time.

Perhaps the landlord’s vineyard had a bountiful harvest and he needed more and more workers to gather the grapes, or maybe, this man was a generous landowner who went out to the marketplace looking for out-of-work labourers and recruiting them to work in his vineyard. When evening came, the owner of the vineyard instructed his foreman to gather the workers and pay their wages, beginning with those who were hired last and ending with those who were hired first.

Seems like an odd practice to pay the newly appointed labourers first, and those who have been working since morning in the end. However, Jesus always gave preference to His new followers like the Samaritan woman, the Centurion, Zacchaeus and the Syrophoenician woman as He expected His disciples who had been with Him for nearly three years to be mature enough to know His heart. However, the disciples did not understand His heart and kept grumbling when they thought they were being treated unfairly.

First In, First Out

Oftentimes, while waiting for the elevator in an office building or a mall, we see people huddling close to the doors in an attempt to be the first ones to enter. What they don’t realise is that while exiting, they would be the last, and their efforts to save time would be in vain. The same behavior can be seen at subway stations, where passengers traveling only one stop often rush into the train the moment the doors open, eager to secure a seat, only to struggle when it’s time to get off at their destination. Those who board the train last and stand near the door often end up being the first to get off when their stop comes.

“So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”- Matthew 20:16 (NIV)

Similarly, seeing the workers who were hired last get paid a denarius, the ones hired first expected to receive more but were disappointed to receive the same wage that they had agreed upon and started grumbling against the owner. The landowner reminded them of their agreement and that it was his prerogative to pay each worker what he deemed fit.

Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ – Matthew 20:15 (NIV)

It is a human tendency to compare our income and achievements with those of our peers. The slightest inclination of knowing that our coworker earns more than us, sends us off in a frenzy. We start making mental calculations about years of experience, age, gender, etc., into consideration to justify the gap. In the parable, the vineyard owner wanted everyone to receive an equal payment, out of the generosity of his heart. It did not matter to him how much effort each of them had put but he wanted to do right by everyone.

A Gift More Precious than a Denarius

The denarius represents Jesus’s love on the cross that was shed for us, which has been freely given to each and every one. Our God is a generous master who has given the gift of salvation to all, irrespective of the work that we have or have not done (with most of us falling in the second category). It is up to us to receive what is freely given to us without grumbling that we deserve more. We should always remember that this gift is because of His grace and not something that we have earned.

We live in a competitive world, and with it, the system of rewards and recognition has been seeped into us. Every action of ours is motivated by recognition, if not reward. Whether it is being top of our class or the best performer in our office, in our churches, or even at home while helping our family, we need recognition for our efforts. We have come to expect the same in our relationship with God.

Like the disciples, we too believe that our efforts in spreading the Gospel or running the church service or leading the worship choir will reap us extra benefits in heaven. The fact is that we are all God’s children, and all of us have been given the gift of salvation freely without us having to earn it. Unlike the laborers who toiled in the fields, we are not required to work for the gift freely given to us by Jesus.

About two millennia ago, Jesus died on the cross not just for the Jews but for every sinner in the world. At the cross, when enduring such excruciating pain, Jesus prayed for forgiveness for the ones who put him there. We mistakenly believe that it was the Jews, living in Jerusalem, during Jesus’ time, who put him on the cross. But it was our sins that put him there. Sins of everyone born before, during and after Jesus’ time. Jesus died for three different groups, and it is time we understand the significance of His sacrifice that was meant for all of us, not just one particular sect of people.

Peter – The Followers

As part of the inner circle of disciples, along with James and John, Peter had the privilege of first-hand witnessing Christ in action. Originally named Simon, Christ gave him the name Petra, which meant ‘Rock’. He hailed from Bethsaida and was from a family of fishermen. He came to know Christ through his brother Andrew and became the spokesman for the twelve disciples. His transformation from a mere fisherman to the pillar of the early church was truly remarkable and justified the name that Christ gave him.

Peter belongs to a set of people who follow and love Christ. They have had their lives transformed and are now working towards the extension of the kingdom of Christ. But no one is flawless except Christ. Peter performed miracles identical to those of Jesus, but he went through phases where he was not in line with the will of God. Jesus even called Peter satan at one point when he tried to interfere in the plan of God.

Everyone goes through tough times, and one may fail. Even Peter, after knowing Christ personally, denied Him repeatedly in front of everyone. We may not be perfect, but we must realise that Christ has died for our imperfections as well and the things that seek to separate us from Him. This realization creates in us a need to do something for Him who has accepted us even after our failures. Indeed, Christ died for his followers so that they can repent and come under his wings and rightfully call themselves the children of God.

But to all who did receive Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God. – John 1:12 (NIV)

Judas – The Haters

Judas Iscariot, whose name is used synonymously with betrayal, was like Peter, a disciple of Christ. His betrayal instigated the chain of events that led to the crucifixion of Jesus Christ. John describes him as a thief and says that, having charge of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it (John 12:6). All the disciples hated him as it can be seen from the way Luke describes his death in his opening to the Acts of the Apostles. We often wonder why someone who was so close to Jesus for three years, who ate bread with him, could lift his heel against him (Psalm 41: 9).  

The Pharisees were well versed with the laws and scriptures, yet failed to recognize the messiah for whom they were waiting so long. Even after committing such a heinous betrayal, if Judas had come back to Christ for forgiveness, he too would have been used mightily like Peter and been instrumental to the early church.

We can only imagine what could have been with Judas, but we know of another man who hated Christ but was transformed when he met the Light, literally. Paul, who was the greatest persecutor of the early church, became the most influential crusader for Christ after his encounter with Jesus on the road to Damascus. Jesus intervened in his life and transformed him while he was on his way to the synagogues of Damascus to imprison the followers of Christ. Paul went on to accomplish great works and became the author of nearly half of the canonically accepted writings in the New Testament.

Today, there are many like Judas who know Christ but have failed to recognize Jesus as their personal Savior. This might be due to some personal hurt that they have received from one of the so-called followers of Christ. If we call ourselves the followers of Christ but do not reflect his image in us, we will be causing more hurt to the kingdom of God.

Going to church and knowing Christ personally are two different things. We must ensure that our hearts are not hardened lest we forget the message of love and think of ourselves as members of an exclusive club that we have earned the right to enter.

Dear friend, do not imitate what is evil but what is good. Anyone who does what is good is from God. Anyone who does what is evil has not seen God. – 3 John 1:11 (NIV)

Barabbas – The Indifferent

Jesus Barabbas was a notorious criminal imprisoned by the Roman Government, awaiting crucifixion for murder. Ironically, His name actually means Jesus, son of the father (bar-abba), and he was the one that Jesus literally replaced on the cross that day. Barabbas was a condemned man, guilty of insurrection and murder, yet through no effort of his own, he was set free while the innocent Son of God suffered in his place. Jesus, though sinless, bore the punishment that rightfully belonged to the guilty, offering redemption and a second chance at life.

As it was customary to release a Jewish prisoner on the Passover festival, Barabbas was released instead of Jesus Christ that year. It can be said that Jesus literally died in place of Barabbas’ sin. Pontius Pilate, despite recognizing Jesus’ innocence (Luke 23:22), gave in to political pressure and allowed the people to decide. Meanwhile, the Jewish leaders, who should have recognized the Messiah, manipulated the crowd (Matthew 27:20), showing that religious leaders can sometimes lead people away from the truth rather than toward it.

Barabbas may not have even heard of Jesus Christ, but Christ took his sins and died on the cross to give him a new beginning, both literally and spiritually. In the same way, the world today is filled with billions of people who have yet to recognize or even hear of Christ’s sacrifice for them. We live in a world of over eight billion souls, many of whom have never had the opportunity to know Jesus, not because they have rejected Him, but because they have not yet encountered the truth of His love and salvation. Just as Barabbas walked away free without fully comprehending the price that was paid, so too do many live unaware that Christ has already taken their burden of sin upon Himself.

.. The world cannot receive Him, because it neither sees Him nor knows Him. But you do know Him, for He abides with you and He will be in you. – John 14:17 (NIV)

Christ Died For Everyone

Christ died for all three groups: those who love Him, those who hate Him, and those who are indifferent toward Him. Each day, we come across people from all three groups—how do we respond to them? Do we treat them differently, or do we respond to all with the same grace and attitude? Jesus died for everyone and not for a particular group of people or for any religion.

Throughout our lives, we may find ourselves in any of these three groups. At one point, we were those who had not yet known about the greatest gift. Then, we came to know and love God, only to later drift away and even grow distant from Him. It does not take much to move from one group to another, but what we must remember is that the greatest gift was given to us regardless of our actions. Nothing can separate us from His love—only we can. It is solely our choice whether to embrace or distance ourselves from His greatest gift that was meant to be cherished.