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In our country, 14 million Americans are members of labor unions. People join unions to foster better working conditions and fair pay. Jesus once told a parable about a man and his workers that some think promotes unfair labor practices. He told how a farmer went out early in the day and hired workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them the usual daily wage and sent them out to work. He went again at 9 o’clock and saw other people idle, and hired them. He told them he would pay them what was right at the end of the day. He went again at noon, 3 o’clock, and 5 o’clock and hired more, telling each group he would pay them what was fair. That evening, he told the supervisor to pay each a full day’s work. Those who started to work early were outraged. How could he pay those who worked for an hour the same as those who toiled all day? The owner told them that he paid them what he agreed to pay. He asked, “Why should you be angry because I am generous and chose to pay others for a full day?” Some people today still stumble over this parable because, to them, the man was unfair. God wants employers to be fair. But the purpose of the parable is not about labor practices. It is to show how God gives us far more than we deserve. God’s blessings overflow daily. Plus, He gave His Son to die for us that we could have eternal life when we accept Him as our Savior.
