Let’s continue to confront any sense of superiority, jealousy, or competition we might harbor against people who offer up deathbed confessions. God will be the judge; he’ll rescue that 11th hour worker if he so desires.
Hi, I’m Joni Eareckson Tada and I thank the Lord for the 11th hour.
Actually, I'm thanking God for that wonderful parable in Matthew 20, the one about the workers in the vineyard in the 11th hour. I’m sure you know the story. A vineyard owner hires workers at 6 a.m. for a day’s wages to labor in his vineyard. And then he hires more at 9 a.m., and at noon, and hires more at 3 p.m. And then at 5 in the afternoon he hires additional workers. At 6:00 in the evening, [the 11th hour] the owner gathers all the workers together to pay them their wages. But the guys who were first hired early in the morning feel cheated when they see that the men who got hired on at 3 and at 5 in the afternoon received the same amount. I mean, a lot of those fellows only worked an hour or two – and here, they are receiving a full day’s pay? They grumbled at what seemed to be blatant unfairness. But the owner of the vineyard reminds those early-hour workers that he paid them exactly what they agreed to. He tells them, “‘Friend [and please notice that he calls them his friends], I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money, or are you envious because I am generous?'”
Now, I’ve noticed over the years that a lot of people have problems with that parable. You know, you hear stories of [I don’t know] murderers who, upon facing execution, break down, repent in tears, turn to Christ, and even try to ask forgiveness of the offended parties. They die, whispering John 3:16, as their last words. Are angels actually rejoicing over their salvation? Are people like that happily embraced in heaven? You bet they are, if their confession is true. People like that are ‘11th hour workers’, getting into heaven by the skin of their teeth. True, they may not have much to show for when Jesus gives his followers rewards; not a lot of crowns for them, but hey, they’ve been rescued; they’ve been delivered; they are citizens of heaven; they have the righteousness of Christ.
I have a quadriplegic girlfriend who became spinal cord injured when she was assaulted by a rapist with a gun. She has spent more than 35 years in a wheelchair, while her assailant only got three years in jail. But until the day that man died, my friend prayed for his salvation. Although as far as she knows, he did not receive Christ, still, if he had, my quadriplegic friend would have rejoiced. I am certain that she would not have been envious of God’s generosity had that man come to Jesus. The parable of the workers in the vineyard teaches that God doesn’t treat people according to human standards of justice. Instead, the parable emphasizes the mercy of God as the basis for salvation, and it also forces us to confront any sense of superiority or jealousy or competition we might harbor against people who offer up deathbed confessions. God will be their judge; God will rescue that 11th hour worker, if he so desires.
The parables of Jesus are filled with the kind of wisdom that often goes against our grain. Our human logic just bristles against the parables and their lessons. And that’s why they should be read and studied. One more thing Romans 12:7 says, “When we serve, we should do it well.” Learn how to serve well by signing up as an intern with Joni and Friends. Get all the details at joniradio.org.
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