Thursday, October 12, 2006

The "unfair" Parable

The parable spoke by Jesus below(Matthew 20) is often seen as an unfair parable. The parable below usually bothers those Christians who think that certain people who don't follow God's way don't deserve understanding and forgiveness. I love it because it shows the generosity and love of God. We should have an understanding attitude towards others instead of the "we are better and more righteous and you should be cursed" attitude. That isn't what changes people anyway. If you have love and compassion and pray for those who do wrong things, I firmly believe that changes will happen more quickly. For an example, I met a girl who believed in abortion. She wanted to abort her child. I had already witnessed to her and she wasn't too sure about being saved she didn't even believe in God. I didn't yell at her or tell her she was going to be a disgusting killer. That would've drove her away and given her a bad taste in her mouth about Christians. Instead I told her what I believed, told her that I loved her and so did God and even though she told me she was still going to do it, I still was kind to her and most importantly I prayed for her. Long story short, she decided to have her baby and she goes to teen bible study on Wednesdays. She's not saved yet, but I'm believing that it will happen soon.

Matthew 20:
1"For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. 2He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3"About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4He told them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.' 5So they went. "He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, 'Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?' 7" 'Because no one has hired us,' they answered.
"He said to them, 'You also go and work in my vineyard.'
8"When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, 'Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.' 9"The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12'These men who were hired last worked only one hour,' they said, 'and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.' 13"But he answered one of them, 'Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn't you agree to work for a denarius? 14Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?'

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