labourers in the vineyard Archives - Gerry Lynch: Priest, Writer, Photographer

Preached at Holy Cross, Seend

Philippians 1.21-30; Matthew 20.1-16

“…live your life in a manner worthy of the gospel of Christ…”

Labourers, mostly women in blue smocks and dark skirts, bend over rows of vines turned vivid red and orange at harvest. One woman stands upright under a green umbrella, and a horse and cart wait further back. A low, white sun sits in a blazing yellow sky over the flat horizon and a distant farmhouse. On the right, a water-filled track or stream reflects the golden light, and on the left a row of blue-green trees closes off the field. The paint is thick, with short, energetic brushstrokes. — *Vincent van Gogh, The Red Vineyard (1888). Hangs in the*
*Pushkin State Museum of Fine Arts, Moscow.*

It’s never too late to turn to God. That’s the simple reading of the story that Jesus tells His followers in this morning’s Gospel, about the labourers who start work late in the afternoon getting the same wage as those who’ve toiled from the morning. That’s certainly not an incorrect reading of it. But there’s a lot more to it than that.

The really big question it raises is whether God is fair. You’re going to tell me that of course He is – what sort of vicar would say otherwise? – and I’m going to tell you that God is something far more than merely “fair”. In a fair system we get what we deserve. However, we don’t always want to get what we deserve. We know that sometimes we let ourselves down. Perfect justice is something few of us would want to confront.

God goes beyond fairness, to generosity and abundance and forgiveness, something symbolised by paying everyone a fair day’s wage even when some have done less than a day’s work. You know some people would take advantage of you if you tried to run a company like that. You can see why the labourers who worked all day had a bit of a grumble.