Title: People Standing Playing
Contents
Bible: Matthew 20:1-16 Sermon: People who stood and played
Jesus talked about heaven in the parable of the vineyard, a culture that the Israelites could relate to.
1. The story of the owner of the vineyard (1-16)
Today's text is the story of the owner of the vineyard. ‘The kingdom of heaven is like the owner of a house who went out early in the morning to get a servant and bring him into the vineyard’...(1) He promised the servants one denarius a day and sent them into the vineyard..(2)
1) Jewish way of counting a day
Jews count a day from sunrise to sunset. We count a day based on the subjective criteria that I open my eyes and close my eyes. Human greed eats up the night, and human indolence eats away the day, and the soul and body begin to get sick. Satan makes humans engage in endless competition, distorting the desire to live faster, more, higher, and bigger into happiness.
2) People who were playing
The owner went out early in the morning to find laborers to bring into the vineyard.
The time from early morning to dark is the early church and the Laodicea church in the history of the church. If you count the hours by age, early morning is a teenager and 5 pm is a silver generation like Moses in his 70s and 80s.
An entomologist studied ants and found that many ants seem to be working diligently, but only 10-20% of the ants actually work, and the rest just come and go without doing anything.
Those who stand idle are not unemployed, but they are also applicable to those who work diligently for the work of the flesh. Anyone who is not working for the kingdom of heaven (the kingdom of God) or who is outside the kingdom of God is not employed by God and is playing.
3) The owner's consideration
The owner of the vineyard is a merciful person who comes to the market and brings them into the vineyard in order to save even one who stands idle and pays wages.
Enter the vineyard without reproaching those who are playing, and I will give you a fair share...
We should be thankful that Gentiles and sinners were called by God to enter the vineyard and work for the Kingdom of God.
3) Principle of payment of wages (grace not compensation)
The principle of paying the master's wages is at odds with natural and commercial notions. The wages were paid equally according to the favor and kindness of the master, not according to the wages of the servants. It is not the principle of work and compensation, but the principle of grace and that the order of work and the order of rewards are different is also the principle of the kingdom of God.
2. Third Passion Announcement (17-19)
Our death is always foretold. If I die...how will I die? Jesus knew. In the religious city of Jerusalem, the religious men, the wise men of the law, will convict them and hand them over to the Gentiles to ridicule and flog and crucify them. However, on the third day he will rise...
All human beings are good at designing for the living side, but they are ignorant, indifferent, and incompetent about the design of the dying side and the life after death. You should receive after-care consulting, not old age. Just as Jacob made his son Joseph take an oath by putting it under the hip bone (Genesis 47:29-30), you should consult with your children after death.
Conclusion/Thank you for calling a man who stood up and bringing him into God's vineyard. I will be faithful in the vineyard while preparing well for heaven.