Mr. Goodman went into town and gathered workers for his vineyard. He found many people who were inactive (just hanging around doing nothing). He promised to pay them $100.00 for: a day’s work (6am-6pm).
The workers arrived promptly at 6am and began to labor. As they toiled in the field, Mr. Goodman went out to seek more help (it was around 9am). He found people standing around, so he told them to go into his field, and he would pay them ‘whatever was right.’ They joined the others in the vineyard. He went out again at noon and did the same thing. At 3 o’clock he hired even more people, with the same agreement (to pay them ‘whatever was right’). The day was going well. Around 5pm, Mr. Goodman saw that there were [still] others not doing anything, and so he sent them to his vineyard; and promised to pay them, ‘whatever was fair.’
At six o’clock the hoot blew and Mr. Goodman told his foreman to pay the workers: in reverse order of their arrival. As they passed through the gate, the foreman (as instructed by Mr. Goodman) handed each of them a one hundred dollar bill. That was great! What a delightful story [you would think] but, no!
The initial workforce didn’t appreciate the fact that they had worked for twelve hours and received the same wage as those who were hired [intermittently] during the course of the day. They started to bicker amongst themselves; Mr. Goodman was annoyed with the preliminary workforce, because of their greediness. Did they have a right to be disappointed; after all, they received what had been promised to them!
Those who arrived, at 9, 12, 3 and 5 o’clock had no idea [what] their pay would be, and yet they accepted the job. They put their remuneration in the hands of the vineyard owner, and it proved to be a sensible decision.
There are many people [today], who would be willing to work in the vineyard if only they knew what to do with the harvest after it has been gathered. And then there are those who think that only a preacher should gather harvest. Others have been taught that salvation will be handed to [a select group of people] on a silver platter, so [in their minds] it would be a waste of time to get busy. They don’t think anything about being idle. After all they go to church and they say their prayers at night.
When Christ Jesus said: “whosoever will,” He really meant it.
