God's grace is not fair!
Jesus carried neither swords nor spears; nor did he have an army behind him. His only "armament" was his words, and it was precisely this message that brought him great distress. Many not only considered it erroneous—it seemed dangerous to them because it had the potential to shake the Jewish fabric. What cause could so rouse the spiritual elite that they ultimately had the preacher killed?
A provocative message
The scribes and Pharisees were indignant at Jesus and asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” Jesus replied, “It is not the healthy who need a physician, but the sick. Go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.” (Mt 9,12-13)By inviting prostitutes and tax collectors to the Kingdom of God, Jesus touched the pride of devout, achievement-oriented thinkers. They grumbled: That's not fair. We've worked hard to live decently—why should these people be allowed to join without the same effort? Even today, this idea evokes unease. Christians who place great value on fulfilling their duties often long for a God who aligns with their sense of justice. In matters of salvation, however, God proves to be generous.
God remains just
God not only acts justly, he surpasses every human conception of justice. His grace exceeds the measure of what we could hope for or deserve. He is generous, merciful, and loves us unconditionally: “But God, who is rich in mercy, because of the great love with which he loved us, even when we were dead in our sins, made us alive together with Christ—by grace you have been saved.” (Eph 2,4-5).
Even if you find yourself in a deep hole, have repeatedly broken the law, or consider yourself the worst sinner, you don't have to struggle to find salvation. God, for Jesus' sake, grants forgiveness—undeservedly and out of pure grace. Take him at his word: “For by grace you have been saved through faith, and this is not from yourselves; it is the gift of God, not of works, so that no one may boast.” (Eph 2,8-9)This message is good news, especially for ordinary people.
Such promises turn the thinking of religious leaders and achievement-oriented people on its head. Those who believe that harder work yields greater rewards and virtuous behavior leads to higher wages cry out indignantly: "I worked hard to climb out of the abyss—should others be pulled out without contributing?" That's not fair! Grace doesn't follow commercial calculations—it remains grace, and therefore undeserved. God may show his generosity to whomever he wishes, and the good news is that he offers it to all people. In doing so, he proves himself just, because the same basic rule applies to everyone, even if one person is forgiven a huge debt while another a small one.
Die Arbeiter im Weinberg
To illustrate this, Jesus tells the parable of the laborers in the vineyard: “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers on a denarius for the day’s wages, he sent them into his vineyard. Going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace. He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. Again he went out about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same. About the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing idle all day?’ They replied, ‘No one has hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his manager, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last hired and working your way to the first.’” Then those who had been hired about the eleventh hour came, and each received his silver coin. But when those hired first arrived, they thought they would receive more; and they too each received his silver coin. And when they received it, they grumbled against the master of the house, saying, “These last men worked only one hour, yet you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.” (Mt 20,1-12).
The employees, who had toiled all day, felt the payment was unfair. Although they received their previously agreed-upon wages, they resented the fact that those who arrived late received the same amount. The owner replied matter-of-factly: "Or do I not have the power to do what I want with what is mine? Do you look askance because I am so kind?" (Mt 20,15).
The outrage arose because they compared themselves to others and inflated their expectations. When we perceive something as unfair, the problem often lies in our own perceptions, not in what we actually received. How would you react if your employer gave new hires a bonus while long-serving employees received nothing? Jesus wasn't offering tips on payroll accounting here; rather, he was illustrating the Kingdom of God: "For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Römer 6,23)In the Kingdom of God, everyone receives the same reward – eternal life by pure grace – because Christ gave his life for all.
The true value
No matter how long we have been part of the church or how many sacrifices we have made, all of that pales in comparison to what God has given us. Paul, who probably worked harder and gave up more for the gospel than any of us, nevertheless described his merits as a loss: “But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. Indeed, I consider all these things a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have lost all these things and consider them rubbish, that I may gain Christ.” (Philipper 3,7–8).
Our own accomplishments pale in comparison to what Jesus has done for us. If we fulfill all that is commanded, we remain—as another parable says—useless servants: “So you also! When you have done everything you were commanded, say, ‘We are unworthy servants; we have done what we ought to do.’” (Lk 17,10).
Christ has redeemed our entire lives; every thought and every action rightfully belongs to him: “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the futile way of life inherited from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
Even if we faithfully fulfilled every commandment, we could add nothing to God's work. We are like the laborers who worked only one hour and still received a full day's wages. We have only just begun to work, but God already treats us as if we had accomplished something significant.
Dear reader, do you recognize in this overflowing grace what a gift God's goodness has given you? There's no question of human fairness here. Through suffering, death, and resurrection, Jesus Christ has made it possible for Him to dwell in you through the Holy Spirit. Thank Him again and again. Through this grateful heart, the truth of His work increasingly takes shape in you!
by Joseph Tkach
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