25th Sunday of Ordinary Time, That's not fair.

Matthew 20:1-16A

Jesus told his disciples this parable:

"The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner

who went out at dawn to hire laborers for his vineyard. 
After agreeing with them for the usual daily wage,
he sent them into his vineyard. 
Going out about nine o'clock,
the landowner saw others standing idle in the marketplace,
and he said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard,
and I will give you what is just.'
So they went off. 
And he went out again around noon,
and around three o'clock, and did likewise. 
Going out about five o'clock,
the landowner found others standing around, and said to them,
'Why do you stand here idle all day?'
They answered, 'Because no one has hired us.'
He said to them, 'You too go into my vineyard.'
When it was evening the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman,
'Summon the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and ending with the first.'
When those who had started about five o'clock came,
each received the usual daily wage. 
So when the first came, they thought that they would receive more,
but each of them also got the usual wage. 
And on receiving it they grumbled against the landowner, saying,
'These last ones worked only one hour,
and you have made them equal to us,
who bore the day's burden and the heat.'
He said to one of them in reply,
'My friend, I am not cheating you. 
Did you not agree with me for the usual daily wage? 
Take what is yours and go. 
What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? 
Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? 
Are you envious because I am generous?'
Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last."

"That's not fair!"  Those are three words that every parent hears from their children.  You tell your kids it's time to clean and you delegate out certain age appropriate chores.  My kids (that live at home) are 13,9, and 3.  My wife and I try and find age and ability appropriate household chores for our kids.  All to often, the middle child will yell out that's not fair because her three year old sister doesn't have to do "as much" as she does.  There are any number of countless scenarios that can lead to these infamous words that kids learn at such an early age.  But in the end, no matter who does what, the end goal-the end result is hopefully the same.  A clean house.  Personally as a parent, I don't care what kid does what as long as the job gets done.  If my three year old could vacuum, i'd let her because she's more ambitious than her 9 year old sister.  But from a practicle standpoint, I know that because my three year old can't run the vacuum cleaner herself, it won't get done without an extraordinary amount of help from dear ol dad.  

This Gospel speaks to us about the end result.  Jesus uses a parable to tell us about our Salvation.  He tells us that it doesn't matter when we come to him, our reward will be the same no matter what so long as we do come to him before the end of the day, meaning our earthly life.  No matter if you're a faithful Christian who's struggled with sin your entire life, or the most dastardly of sinners who finds Jesus on his dathbed, Jesus forgives all who come to him with a contrite heart and rewards us each the same, eternal life.  That's a hard pill to swallow for many of us in the world we live in today.  There are many who don't believe that a repentant murder deserves Heaven.  Someone may cry out, "That man was a child molester and now that he's in prison and on his deathbed he finds Jesus?  THAT'S NOT FAIR!"  

We may think it's not fair, but it's up to the landowner, that is God to give out the wage (eternal life) and for us to take what is given to us.