📰 The KNGDOM Newsletter – June 28, 2025

Title: The Offense of Grace: You’ll Hate This If You Love Earning

Passage: Matthew 20:1–16

Date: June 28th, 2025

📺 Want to watch the full teaching? Click here to view the June 28th, 2025 Lesson.

Introduction to Today’s Lesson

👋 Hey Friends,

What if the Kingdom of God operated by a logic so different from our world that it actually felt unfair?

That’s the tension we step into this week — a parable that disturbs our sense of merit and challenges our assumptions about justice. Jesus tells the story of a landowner who pays every worker the same wage, regardless of how long they worked. For some, it’s outrageous. For others, it’s grace.

And that’s the point.

So before we jump into the deep end — take a breath, and be ready to let go of the scoreboard in your mind.

Because the Kingdom doesn’t run on earning — it runs on generosity.

Let’s dive in.

⏪ Recap of Last Week’s Lesson

(Matthew 19:13–30)

Last week, we sat with one of Jesus’ most sobering conversations — a rich young man, full of moral résumé and spiritual ambition, asking what he must do to inherit eternal life.

Jesus’ reply wasn’t about checking more religious boxes — it was about letting go.

“Go, sell what you possess and give to the poor… and come, follow Me.”

But the man walked away sorrowful.

Not because he didn’t understand what Jesus was asking — but because the cost was greater than he was willing to pay.  

His hands were too full to receive the Kingdom.

We saw that:

• The Kingdom isn’t achieved — it’s received.
  

• Goodness isn’t earned — it’s gifted.
  

• Whatever we won’t release, will end up ruling us.

And perhaps most provocatively, Jesus declared:

“Many who are first will be last, and the last first.”

Which leads directly into this week’s passage — a story that puts those words into motion.

A landowner.

A vineyard.

And a reward that rewrites the rules of merit, fairness, and grace.

Let’s step into the story.

And prepare to be undone by mercy.

If you missed it or want to revisit the reflection, you can read last week’s newsletter here.

📖 Scripture: 

Matthew 20:1–16 (ESV)

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.

After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.

And going out about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the marketplace,

and to them he said, ‘You go into the vineyard too, and whatever is right I will give you.’

So they went.

Going out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour, he did the same.

And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing. And he said to them,

‘Why do you stand here idle all day?’

They said to him, ‘Because no one has hired us.’

He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’

And when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,

‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last, up to the first.’

And when those hired about the eleventh hour came, each of them received a denarius.

Now when those hired first came, they thought they would receive more,

but each of them also received a denarius.

And on receiving it they grumbled at the master of the house, saying,

‘These last worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us

who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat.’

But he replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong.

Did you not agree with me for a denarius?

Take what belongs to you and go.

I choose to give to this last worker as I give to you.

Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me?

Or do you begrudge my generosity?’

So the last will be first, and the first last.”

🕰 Context & Background

This parable doesn’t happen in a vacuum.

Jesus is on the move — literally. He’s making His final journey toward Jerusalem. By this point in the Gospel of Matthew, the tone is shifting. The cross is looming, and Jesus is preparing His disciples for a Kingdom that doesn’t look anything like what they expected.

Geographically, Jesus is likely somewhere in Perea, across the Jordan River east of Jerusalem, a region full of vineyards, olive groves, and open marketplaces — the kind of landscape His audience would’ve known intimately.

🌿 A Vineyard Economy

The parable begins in a vineyard — no coincidence.

In first-century Israel, vineyards were a core part of the agrarian economy. Landowners would hire day laborers during harvest season when the work was time-sensitive. There were no unions, no contracts, and no job security. You were paid by the day — if you were chosen.

And if you weren’t?

You didn’t eat.

Your kids didn’t eat.

Fairness wasn’t philosophical — it was survival.

👥 The Culture of Day Laborers

Every morning, laborers would gather in the village square or marketplace, hoping to be hired. The first ones selected were usually the strongest, healthiest, or most well-known. As the day wore on, the remaining workers were assumed to be lazy, weak, or undesirable.

In that culture, work equaled worth.

The earlier you were picked, the more “deserving” you were.

The later you arrived, the more suspect your character became.

Compensation followed that logic.

The standard rate for a full day’s work was one denarius — a small silver coin, enough for basic sustenance. Nobody expected more than that. And absolutely no one expected someone who worked one hour to receive the same as someone who worked twelve.

So when Jesus describes a landowner who gives equal pay to unequal work — it’s not just strange.

It’s offensive.

It violates everything they’ve been taught about fairness.

⚖️ Fairness in Their World

To the people listening, fairness meant proportionality:

More hours = more money.

More effort = more reward.

That’s the math they lived by.

But Jesus is challenging the entire equation.

He’s revealing a Kingdom where grace, not grind, gets the final word — and where the landowner has the right to be generous without checking public opinion polls.

In the world of this parable, the early workers aren’t mad because they got cheated — they’re mad because grace leveled the field.

And Jesus is asking us all:

Can you handle a Kingdom where no one earns their place, and everyone gets more than they deserve?

🔑 Key Takeaways

1️⃣ The Kingdom Doesn’t Reward Merit — It Runs on Mercy

Right before Jesus tells this parable, Peter asks a pointed question:

“We have left everything to follow you! What then will there be for us?”

(Matthew 19:27)

It sounds sincere — but it reveals something subtle.

Peter has just watched a rich man walk away unwilling to give up his wealth.

Now he’s measuring his own sacrifice against it — essentially asking, “If he walked away and I stayed… what do I get?”

It’s the economy of merit.

A mindset shaped by comparison, performance, and spiritual scorekeeping.

And that’s when Jesus tells the story of the vineyard workers.

A group hired at dawn. Another at 9AM. Then noon, 3PM — and finally 5PM.

When the workday ends, the landowner pays everyone the same wage.

Those who worked longest are outraged:

“You’ve made them equal to us.” (v. 12)

But that’s exactly the point.

Jesus isn’t just revealing the generosity of God — He’s exposing the entitlement in us.

The kind that believes:

• “I deserve more because I did more.”

• “I’ve earned something others haven’t.”

• “God owes me for my faithfulness.”

But in the Kingdom:

• Grace is not a wage.

• Blessing is not a transaction.

• And fairness is not measured by effort — but by mercy.

📣 Jesus ends with a piercing question:

“Are you envious because I am generous?” (v. 15)

🧠 Reflection:

If we ever find ourselves offended by grace — especially when it’s given to others “too easily” —

that’s not a flaw in the system.

It’s a signal in our soul.

A sign that we’ve confused faithfulness with entitlement, and turned obedience into leverage.

And it’s in those moments we must pause and ask:

👉 Have I really grasped grace? Or have I simply used God to validate my worth?

Because in the Kingdom:

You don’t earn your way in — you receive your way in.

And if that bothers us, it may be time to invite God to do some deeper heart work.

This isn’t a story about what’s fair.

It’s a story about what’s freely given.

2️⃣ Comparison Turns Contentment Into Resentment

At the start of the day, the first workers were thrilled to be hired.

They agreed to the wage. They went to work. They had no complaints.

But by day’s end, something had shifted — not in what they were paid, but in what they saw.

They saw others — who worked less — receiving the same.

And suddenly, what once felt like provision… now felt like a rip-off.

That’s the quiet erosion of envy:

It doesn’t shrink your blessing — it just makes you blind to it.

Comparison is subtle like that.

It doesn’t just measure your progress — it poisons your perspective.

You stop celebrating the gift and start resenting the portions.

You stop seeing God as generous and start suspecting Him of favoritism.

But here’s the deeper truth:

The issue wasn’t the wage — it was the gaze.

They stopped looking at the master and started looking at the other workers.

And that’s what we do, too.

We scroll and spiral.

We compare timelines, salaries, platforms, and “blessings.”

And without realizing it, we trade joy for jealousy.

📍So what’s the remedy?

Refocus your eyes.

Not on who’s ahead — but on how faithful God has already been.

Celebrate the gift — not compare the portion.

Because grace doesn’t follow your math.

3️⃣ The Latecomers Matter to God

In a culture where value is tied to productivity, status, and time served — Jesus flips the script.

In this parable, the landowner goes back to the marketplace again and again —

not just at dawn, but at 9AM… then noon… then 3PM… and even 5PM — the eleventh hour.

Why?

It’s not because he’s understaffed.

It’s because he’s unwilling to leave anyone out.

“Why are you standing here idle?”

“Because no one has hired us,” they said. (v. 6–7)

This isn’t about efficiency.

It’s about dignity.

The landowner doesn’t need more labor —

he’s making space for those who were overlooked, unseen, or simply late to the field.

Here’s the Kingdom principle:

God’s generosity isn’t reserved for the early achievers — it reaches all the way to the end of the line.

And for many of us, this is good news:

• For those who feel behind in life or faith
  

• For those who’ve wasted years in rebellion or fear
  

• For those who think they’ve missed their moment
  

• For those still waiting to feel worthy

In the Kingdom, there’s still room — even for the last ones in.

Jesus is teaching us something radical here:

Your worth is not based on how long you’ve worked — but who came for you.

Whether you showed up at sunrise or sunset, the invitation still stands.

And the reward isn’t smaller — because grace isn’t measured by time.

So before you disqualify yourself based on a late start, remember:

The vineyard is still open.

And the landowner is still walking through the marketplace — looking for you.

🧾 Final Word

At the heart of this parable is a message both liberating and confronting:

The Kingdom doesn’t operate on merit — it runs on mercy.

That’s why the landowner keeps returning to the marketplace.

That’s why the last are paid like the first.

That’s why grace rarely feels fair — because it’s better than fair.

To the early workers, Jesus says:

“You haven’t been cheated — you’ve been chosen.”

Not hired. Not owed. Not rewarded.

Chosen.

To the latecomers, Jesus says:

“You’re not behind — you’re right on time.”

There is no such thing as being too late for grace.

If you’re still breathing, you’re still being invited.

The scandal of this story is not that the last get in — it’s that any of us do.

Because in the Kingdom, entrance is not earned — it’s received.

So whether you’ve been walking with God for decades, or you’re just now taking your first step:

Don’t let comparison rob you of joy.

Don’t let envy choke your wonder.

Don’t let shame keep you at a distance.

The call is the same for all of us:

Come to the vineyard.

There’s work to do.

There’s grace enough.

And there’s still time.

Because in the Kingdom, no one is shortchanged —

And everyone receives far more than they could’ve ever earned.

Let that be your peace this week.

Blessings, 

Michael

Challenge of the Week

Take 10 minutes this week to reflect:

• Where in your life have you been keeping score — with God, with others, with yourself?
  

• How might grace invite you to lay that scoreboard down?
  

This week, practice celebrating what others receive — especially when it has nothing to do with you.