In Matthew 19, Jesus had just told his disciples how difficult it was for a rich man to enter God’s kingdom. He then reveals something about salvation that the disciples didn’t understand:
25 When the disciples heard this, they were greatly astonished, saying, “Who then can be saved?” 26 But Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”
Jesus reinforces the Father’s role in our salvation with the parable of the workers in the vineyard. An initial group of workers were hired, with an agreed-upon wage. Throughout the day more workers were brought in. At the end of the day, everyone received the same wage as the first group. This caused some commotion, as the first group thought it wasn’t fair that the group brought in last got paid the same as they did. The master asks his workers “Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs to me? Or do you begrudge my generosity?” (Matt. 20:15).
Jesus uses this parable to remind us that the triune God is responsible for salvation. Not us, and certainly not our good works. It’s easy to think that the longer we’ve been following Jesus or, the more hours we spend serving his Church entitles us to the salvation or blessings he freely gives. But they don’t.
God’s grace is unmerited and freely given.
Moments like these should prompt us to repent and shift our focus from our good work to God’s great grace.
When distractions come that tempt us to think we deserve more than we’ve been given, turn your eyes back to Jesus and his remarkable grace. Chances are, those distractions will turn strangely dim.
