Grace Part 6, The generosity of God’s Grace

2 Corinthians 6:1-2 NIV As God’s fellow workers we urge you not to receive God’s grace in vain. For he says, “In the time of my favor I heard you, and in the day of salvation I helped you.” I tell you, now is the time of God’s favor, now is the day of salvation.

In Matthew 20:1-16 Jesus gave the story of the landowner who demonstrated unmerited generosity to people who labored in his vineyard. At the conclusion of the day, when it was time to be paid, the landowner paid the workers from his generous heart. When this occurred the workers became envious. Some had worked all day and some worked only an hour. The landowner commented about their evil heart in Matthew 20:15.
Matthew 20:15 “Are you envious because I am generous?”

In this story, as in life, everyone gets the same grace. Jesus is demonstrating a different principle of equal pay for unequal value of work! The concept is not acceptable to world economic values. It is just not fair. Why should people who worked an hour be paid as much as those who worked all day? This is contrary to our way of thinking. This should be illegal for an employer to do! It seems so wrong!

The mathematics of grace does not make sense. God’s methods do not work in the world. Grace just seems wrong to us, unless we know God!

Paul said: “His grace toward me was not in vain; but I labored more abundantly than they all.” On the surface, it sounds like Paul is saying I earned my way. I did my job. I was worthy of my hire!

1 Timothy 1:14-16 NIV The grace of our Lord was poured out on me abundantly, along with the faith and love that are in Christ Jesus. Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his unlimited patience as an example for those who would believe on him and receive eternal life.

Paul knew that he could not depend on his own goodness. He knew that grace that saves. He knew the mercy of Christ that was abundantly given.

Ernest Hemingway was an American writer, who was known for his outrageous lifestyle and gritty, realistic writing. One of his stories, however, is a beautiful story of grace. An estranged father and son in Spain had a vicious argument and the son had run away to Madrid. The father, wanted to reconcile with his boy. So, he took out an ad in the city paper: “Paco meet me at Hotel Montana noon Tuesday. All is forgiven. Papa.” Paco is a common Spanish name. When the father went the square he found 800 young men named Paco waiting for their fathers.
This is exactly where God’s grace finds us. We have been undeserving. We could not get the help we needed on our own. So, God stepped in and gave grace at the expense of His Son.
God’s grace is generous grace.

God’s grace does not make sense to our logical, worldly minds. Luke 15:3-7 records the parable of the one lost sheep. Jesus tells of a shepherd who leaves 99 sheep to search for one lost sheep. It does not make sense! The 99 sheep were left exposed to rustlers or wolves while the shepherd searched for the one. What if he returned with the one to find 23 now lost? Grace searches for the lost ONE!

In Matthew 20:1-16 Jesus gives us this parable of the landowner who gives grace without relationship to performance. Why did this man pay the part-day workers the same as the full day workers? This parable was a common story circulating in Jesus’ day. Jesus altered it to teach a radical truth about God. In the popular version of the story, the reason the last workers were paid the same was that they worked so hard that they impressed their employer. So, he paid them the full-day wage. But that is not how Jesus told the story! Jesus’ purpose is contained in the question the owner asks: “Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” Matthew 20:15

This is not a story about the rewards of hard work. It is a story about the generosity of God. Each employee received what they needed to feed their families for the day.

Why did the owner hire the eleventh-hour workers? The only reason we are given for hiring them was he hired them because of their need! He did what he did out of grace. Each worker was not paid according to their work, but according to their need. Everybody got enough to feed their families for the day.

God is generous with His grace for us because we need it. It is all of grace. None of us merit it. God is generous because that is the kind of God He is!