What’s Fair?
Jesus tells a story of a man who hired laborers for his vineyard. He promised them a salary of one denarius, which was the going rate for a 12 hour day’s wage. Three hours into the day he went again to the market and hired some more workers. This was repeated at the sixth as well as the ninth and eleventh hours. At the end of the work day, the master of the vineyard called all the workers to himself to give them their pay. Beginning with the last hired to the first, he gave them each one denarius. Instead of being grateful, those who were hired first began to complain. I can just hear them say: “It’s not fair!”
Those who had worked all day in the scorching heat felt they had been wrongly treated, because they had been given an equal wage as those who had worked only one hour. Jesus said, “no”. The master of the vineyard had been fair, because he had given them exactly what they had agreed on. For many, fairness is based on comparison. It is like a child who says: “it’s not fair, she got two suckers and I only got one.” Or a worker who says: “It´s not fair, he received a raise in his salary and I didn’t.” This idea of “fairness” is very subjective and tainted by envy.
Fairness for Jesus was being faithful to your word. The master of the vineyard fulfilled his word to his workers. They all agreed on their wage at the beginning of the day and so they should accept and appreciate the fact that the owner of the vineyard was faithful to his word. When we don’t think something is fair, we begin the blame, compare and justify ourselves. When God placed Adam and Eve in the Garden of Eden, He told them not to eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. He said, if they did they would surely die. Well, they disobeyed God and ate of the forbidden tree. When confronted, they began the blame game. “It’s not fair; it was the woman you gave me.” “It’s not fair; it was the serpent.”
God was fair in casting them out of the garden and condemning them to eternal damnation and death. “The wages of sin is death.” (Romans 6:23) That is fair. Hell is fair. Heaven is a gift. Getting what we deserve is fair. The wages were set beforehand. Being forgiven is grace. Salvation is a gift. Just like those who had only worked one hour and yet received a full day’s wage. That was grace. It was a gift from a generous boss.
Instead of comparing ourselves with others and desiring the grace and giftings that others possess, let us be appreciative of what we have received and press into the Lord with a pure heart. Rejoice when others receive from the goodness of the Lord. God is fair and good all the time.
Scriptures to meditate on:
Matthew 20:1-16; II Cor. 10:12; Gen. 1:17; Rom. 6:23;