Ree Pashley (Indiana, USA)
Are you envious because I am generous? - Matthew 20:15 (NRSVUE)
One of my kids has an innate sense of fairness. He can be counted on to divvy up snacks so that everyone gets their fair share. When it comes to chores, he insists that if he cleaned the table then it is only fair that his sister should do the dishes.
I tend to gravitate toward a strict sense of fairness too. However, when I reflect on it, I realize that the “fair” approach is often based on certain limiting factors: the kids take turns because there is only one jump rope; we portion out the strawberries because there are only a handful left. But what if there were an abundance of strawberries? What if there were unlimited scooters, jump ropes, and trampolines for all the kids? Who would worry about the number of berries each child ate or how many minutes each child played with a toy? We wouldn’t — because there would be more than enough.
It’s easy for me to resonate with what feels like the unfair treatment of the first, early-morning workers in Jesus’ parable of the workers in the vineyard. They received the same pay as those who had worked only a few hours, and it doesn’t seem fair. But the answer Jesus gives doesn’t focus on fairness. Instead, he points out the generosity of our Father God. God’s grace is inexhaustible and abundant. God always gives us more than enough.
There is an abundance of grace, and God gives it generously.
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