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Jesus tells a parable in Matthew 20 that is a puzzle for us to understand. It’s the story of an employer who offers to hire workers for a certain amount, the workers agree to the pay, and they go to work in his vineyard. Some start working early in the morning and work all day, others are hired throughout the day, and finally at five o’clock this employer hires even more people to come and work in the vineyard for the last hour of the day.
At the end of the workday, the employer pays them the exact same amount, even though some have worked twelve hours, some ten, and some just one hour. Well, as you can understand, those who worked the entire day were not happy campers.
When they received the pay they had agreed to, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These 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’ (Matthew 20:11-12).
To our human minds, this just seems wrong! It’s not fair! Those are probably some of the first words you ever uttered: It’s not fair! We’re born with an “it’s not fair” attitude—wanting things to be equal, fair, right. But this parable emphasizes the fact that the Kingdom of God is not a fair kingdom! Grace is not fair. God pours his grace and blessings on us though we never deserve them. The Kingdom of God is run on Jesus rules—and those are totally different than the way the world works.
Jesus tells this parable to help his followers understand that he will bless those he chooses to bless and be generous to those he chooses, and we should always remember how unfairly God has treated us—and be very grateful. He doesn’t deal with us as our sins deserve. He doesn’t dispense grace to us based on our performance. His kingdom is not like ours; his rules are usually the opposite of what the world’s rules are.
As Jesus tells this parable, this is how the landowner responds:
But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ (Matthew 20:13-15).
Jesus is trying to show us that God is God, and he runs the show. He rules the universe. It runs on the Jesus rules. But here’s the thing—the Jesus rules are meant to bring us peace and contentment, and they do when we live by them. It’s upside-down living, I know, but it brings immediate and eternal joy.
His message in this parable is that we are to work without envy. We are not to compare ourselves to others and envy what others get or have or do. Envy will eat you alive. Proverbs 14:30 says: A heart at peace gives life to the body, but envy rots the bones.
Is there some envy in your heart today—toward coworkers or others? It will rot your bones—destroy your health, shorten your life. If you want to work by Jesus rules, then you need to clean out the envy in your heart. Believe me, you’ll be so glad you did.
In Matthew 21 Jesus tells the parable of the two sons. The father told the first son to go work in the vineyard. That son refused to go, but later he changed his mind and went. The second son agreed to go, but then he didn’t. Jesus asked, Which of the two did what his father wanted? Obviously the first son did what his father asked.
One of the things this parable teaches us is that we should walk our talk. The second son gave the right answer, he looked and sounded good, but he failed to deliver. He was all talk and no walk. A good rule of thumb is “Under promise and over deliver.” That’s what the first son did. He delivered more than he promised. His talk wasn’t very impressive, but he actually went out and got the work done.
Have you known people who could talk a really good game but never put the elbow-grease behind their talk? Maybe they were lazy and just loved to hear themselves talk. I think many times they actually believe their own talk, but somehow they never produce. I’d rather have a quiet, hard-working, no-nonsense worker any day than a smooth talker.
Are you a reliable person on your job? Does your boss know you can be depended on to do the job and do it right? That’s working by Jesus rules. You may not be the smartest or the fastest person on the job, but you can always be the most dependable and the hardest working.
One way to make a lasting good impression is to be the kind of person who doesn’t have to be watched or reminded. It’s a joy to have workers who are so dependable that you never have to follow up and stay on their case. You just know they will do what you asked, and they’ll do it as quickly as they can. We represent Jesus Christ on our jobs, and one of our trademarks should be that we walk our talk.
No doubt you’ve heard and sung the old familiar chorus: “I have decided to follow Jesus; no turning back, no turning back.” It’s a good song to sing to yourself throughout your day, because it reminds you that you have made a choice to be a disciple of Jesus Christ and keeping that in your mind at all times will help you remember who you are: a Christ-follower.
The parable of the talents, as given in Matthew 25, is a very strong teaching Jesus gave us about how we manage our time and opportunities. Three people are given differing amounts to work with: one five talents, one two, and one received only one talent. As Jesus tells the story: The man who had received the five talents went at once and put his money to work and gained five more. So also, the one with the two talents gained two more (Matthew 25:16-17).
So, one of the lessons Jesus teaches us in this parable is that he expects us to work at multiplying our resources and opportunities. To make the most of what we’ve been given. And we should get right to it—no lollygagging, no wasting time.
Are you working by this Jesus rule—to do the absolute most with what you have? Perhaps you have a job that is not challenging to you; maybe you’ve been doing the same job for years, and you’re just in that old familiar rut. You do what you have to do, but that’s it. Well, if you want to work by Jesus rules, you need to get out of that rut and start finding ways to do more with what you have.
It’s easy to just stay in our ruts, isn’t it? In 2024, we celebrated forty years since this ministry began. Many times, during these years, I’ve had to get myself out of a rut—of just doing it the way I’ve always done it. You know, you must be intentional about getting out of your rut and becoming creative. How about having a brainstorming or strategic planning session with others, to just think about better ways to do what you’re doing? I find that is a really good way to put some fun back in the job and do more with what you’ve been given.
Do you often compare yourself to others? If you do, you usually end up in one of two places. Either you decide you’re a lot better than others, or you decide you fall way short and don’t measure up. Comparing yourself to others is a very bad habit, often a sinful habit, and can truly handicap you.
That is another lesson we learn from the parable of the talents. Take a look at the man who was given only one talent. Did he double his talent, as the other two did, so that he had two talents when the master returned? No, he still had just one because he decided not to do anything with the one he had. After all, he might lose it, and the boss wouldn’t like that. So, he comes up with this lame excuse that he didn’t want to lose his one measly talent, and he hid it.
If he expected to get a sympathetic response from his boss, he was badly mistaken because the boss harshly chastised him for not multiplying what he had. Yes, he started with only one talent, but then all he had to do was come up with one more, and he would have received the same reward the other two received.
I think part of his problem was he compared his one talent with the other guys and decided he couldn’t do much with just one talent anyway, so why bother. He did nothing because he made the mistake of comparing himself with others and then throwing a pity party.
If you work by this Jesus rule, he’s not asking you to measure up to other people, but to simply be faithful to multiply what he has given to you. Comparing yourself to others will often discourage you. Just be grateful for what you have and make the most of it. That’s the Jesus rule.
I’m reminded of the time when Jesus taught Peter something about fishing. You’ll find the story in Luke 5. Jesus was walking along the shores of the Sea of Galilee and saw Peter fishing—or trying to. So, he gave him some advice: Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch (Luke 5:4). Notice Peter’s answer:
Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets (Luke 5:5).
Can’t you hear Peter’s mind working: You’re a carpenter; what do you know about fishing? I’m a fisherman; I know how and where and when to catch fish, and your instructions don’t make sense. But just because Jesus said to do it, he did and caught so many fish their nets began to break. Peter had never seen anything like this. It humbled him as he worshiped Jesus and acknowledged that Jesus had control over fish, and all he had to do was obey.
Whatever your job is, Jesus knows more about it than you do. So, when you’re facing some dilemma on your job, when you need help and advice, why don’t you go to Jesus first and foremost and ask him what to do? The Word of God has all kinds of good advice that is very applicable to every issue you’re facing, on the job and elsewhere.
Make it a daily habit to present your needs and requests concerning your job to Jesus and expect him to give you wisdom, strength, and guidance. A good friend of mine is in a very high-powered, stressful job, which she believes is exactly where God has put her to be a witness for him. And many times, she sends me a text to pray for a specific situation she’s facing on her job. Why don’t you form a buddy-system with someone you know, and agree to pray specifically for each other’s job issues? Two other friends of mine agreed to pray by phone each morning before going to work, and they did that for years. They have wonderful testimonies of how God gave them wisdom and help on their jobs.
So, these are some of the Jesus rules: Work without envy, walk your talk, be dependable, do the most with what you’ve been given to work with, and don’t compare yourself to others. You know, living by Jesus rules is the way to successful living, to joyful living, to contentment. You just can’t go wrong when you live and work like Jesus.
