Jealousy and anger are very human emotions. These emotions often catch us off guard sometimes in a way that we cannot explain why we got so upset in the first place. The parable about the workers as found in Matthew's gospel brings to light how these emotions come about. The parable shows that all jealousy begins with a comparison. We first compare our situation with someone else’s, and that comparison leads us to conclude that we are on the short end of the stick. We feel like we didn’t get what we deserve in comparison to what someone else has or receives. The green-eyed monster rears its ugly head and we become jealous. Our jealousy often leads to anger and resentment, or worse.
Notice
that, so long as the first workers in the parable are unaware that the last
workers will receive the same pay for doing less work in better conditions, the
first workers are satisfied with their pay.
They accept the offer of the usual daily wage with no complaint. Later, however, when they become aware that
the last workers receive the exact same pay for doing less work in better
conditions, they feel cheated. They become jealous.
From
their perspective, simple fairness dictated less pay to the five o’clock crowd. Jealousy pushes the complainers into anger
and resentment toward their employer for what they perceive to be an injustice. Rather than give them more pay, however, the
employer rebukes them for their attitude.
He makes no apologies for his generosity and offers no justification for
his actions.
The
parable ends on that rather harsh note, but the lesson is clear. Comparisons often lead to jealousy, and
jealousy does not bring about anything good, even if it stops short of anger. Even
so, as a practical matter, I doubt that we can avoid making comparisons. We learn at a very early age to compare
ourselves with others. As we were
growing up, for example, how often did we hear phrases such as, why can’t you
wear pretty clothes like your sister; or, why can’t you be nice like your
brother; or, why can’t you make better grades like your friend so and so?
Sometimes
such comments can be positive, but only if we are cautious about how far we let
them take us. The outcome to avoid is
feeling jealous. The employer’s rebuke in
the parable seems to suggest that satisfaction with what we have without
feeling jealous is possible, indeed, the preferred outcome.
On
a spiritual level, however, the parable reveals more. It reveals a difference between fairness on human
terms and fairness on God’s terms. This
difference is the hard lesson from Isaiah: “For my
thoughts are not your thoughts, nor are your ways my ways, says the Lord” (Is 55:8). God just doesn’t see fairness the way we
do. We tend to think of fairness in
terms of productivity and merit. On our
terms, we get what we deserve and we deserve only what we have earned.
We
tend to think this way even when it comes to the kingdom of God. We often think we earn our own way to the
kingdom, we earn our own salvation, through our own dint of effort. We think this even though Jesus makes it
clear that getting into the kingdom is not a matter of getting ahead of others;
rather, it is a matter of getting behind others. Not first in line, but first in service. This is fairness on God’s terms.
And,
this is the whole point of the parable.
God measures fairness in terms of faithfulness. The common factor among all the workers in
the parable—from the first to the last—is that each is a faithful servant. Each person worked for the length of time
requested for the agreed upon pay in the circumstances in which they found
themselves. As a result, not one got cheated. All receive the pay they were promised for
the work they did. They were faithful
servants; they did what was asked of them, and their faithfulness was rewarded
exactly for that reason.
Perhaps the take away is this.
God does not look for grandiose effort on our part as a condition of our
participation in his kingdom. Rather, he
looks for faithfulness to his word as each of us understands and applies that
word. In that case, rather than begrudge
the gifts and achievements that our neighbors enjoy, we can celebrate their
successes. At the same time, we can be
grateful for our own gifts by using them in loving service to others. Faithful service is all that God expects from
each of us, and we can expect a reward for nothing more.
