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"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a farmer who
went out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard.
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After agreeing with the workers on a wage of one
denarius, [the standard daily wage,] he sent them off to his
vineyard.
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Then, on going out at about nine in the morning, he
saw more men standing around in the market-square doing nothing,
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and said to them, `You go to the vineyard too --
I'll pay you a fair wage.' So they went.
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At noon, and again around three in the afternoon, he
did the same thing.
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About an hour before sundown, he went out, found
still others standing around, and asked them, `Why have you been standing
here all day, doing nothing?"
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They said to him, `Because no one hired us.' `You
too,' he told them, `go to the vineyard.'
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"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard
said to his foreman, `Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting
with the last ones hired and ending with the first.'
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The workers who came an hour before sunset each
received a denarius,
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so the workers who came first expected they would
get more, but each of them also received just a denarius.
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On receiving their wages, they began grumbling to
the farmer,
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`These latecomers have worked only one hour, while
we have borne the brunt of the day's work in the hot sun, yet you have put
them on an equal footing with us!'
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But he answered one of them, `Look, friend, I'm not
being unfair with you. Didn't you agree to work today for a denarius?
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Now take your pay and go! I choose to give the last
worker as much as I'm giving you.
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Haven't I the right to do what I want with what
belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?'
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Thus the last ones will be first and the first
last." |
