“Holy” envy
One PLC morning, I woke up early for class. I was tired since I hadn’t slept well
the night before, but I couldn't afford to be late for class. I hurriedly went to the
classroom. I was so late that I didn't have time to eat.
The students are supposed to arrive early to class with at least five minutes in
advance because Pastor David Zic hates tardiness. To him, being on time to
class is the same as being late, and that morning was no different! I came “late,”
as the pastor would say, with about two minutes to nine o'clock. That's when I
realized I wasn't the only one missing in the room. There was one other student
missing. I thought to myself, "Wow, that's strange. I thought I would be the last
one to arrive in the room." But the longer the class went, the student still didn’t
come. Maybe he had an emergency and couldn’t attend today, or perhaps he
lost track of time. I asked his roommate, but he didn’t know either. I and my
classmates texted and called the absent student, but there was no response.
The whole day went by, and the only news we had from him was that he didn't
want to attend class that day. Once again, I thought to myself, "Wow, he didn’t
go to class the entire day and everything’s fine! I could have slept in this
morning!”
The next day, he didn't show up again. I was curious, so when I ran into him
later, I asked him what had happened. He said he was dealing with some
problems and that wanted to drop out of PLC.
Few more days passed. The student talked to Pastor Zic and soon returned to
attend classes again with us. We were happy he came back, but at the same
time, I couldn't help but think, "Wow, he skipped a whole week of classes and
had several days of rest. I wish I could’ve had that, too!"
The reason why I mention this event is to help show a bit of the message that
Jesus left us in Matthew 20:1-16. Many times, we feel envious because we
have been on the Lord's path for so long and see other people with different
purposes than ours, for much less time, but who still achieve the same level of
reward and salvation as we do. In Matthew, Jesus tells us the parable of the
workers in the vineyard.
The story goes something like this:
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.
Many times we may think, "I've worked so hard, Lord. I keep all your
commandments, help the poor, and give my tithe. I have been in the church for
twenty years. I sing, preach, and pray. And this person who just arrived at the
church, who has never done anything for you, who has never tithed, will receive
the same reward as me?"
This parable teaches us many things. One of the first lessons it imparts is that
we cannot compare ourselves to others. Whatever we do for God in whatever
capacity, whether we do more or less than someone else, will have the same
reward. So, focus on yourself and set aside anything that distracts you from
Christ.
But what do I gain from this story? You gain the peace of understanding that
there is no one greater than anyone else in the kingdom of God, and He
decides the reward for each individual.
The second lesson we can draw from this parable is not to desire anything
beyond what has already been agreed upon. When you agree to something,
such as wages or a reward, do not expect more than that. Your reward will be
what you agreed to, and you will receive it. If you receive something beyond
that, be grateful, as it may be a divine blessing in your life.
The third lesson is that there is no meritocracy in the relationship with God. It is
not about the time spent in church, the amount of work you do in the church, or
how much you dedicated yourself to the things of God. Instead, it is about
whether you accepted Jesus as your personal Savior. Grace is for everyone,
even for the worst in the world, as seen in Luke 23:39-43 when the thief on the
cross accepts Christ's grace. After doing so much sin on earth, the thief will also
inherit the kingdom of heaven because he believed in the promise of salvation
through Christ. Everyone has a purpose for their lives. The purpose of the thief
on the cross was to teach us that it is never too late to repent, and that we
should accept Jesus just as we are, believing that through His grace, we will
meet Him in paradise.
Reading this parable, I reflect on our ingratitude to God. He sent His only son to
die for us. It wasn’t only for me that He died but for all who believe in the grace
of Christ and accept Him as their personal Savior so that, as John 3:16 says,
“all who believe in Christ will not perish but have eternal life.” Our focus, then,
cannot be on our neighbor but on Christ, who sacrificed Himself for us and
gives us the opportunity every day to repent with the hope to one day be with
Him in paradise.
