In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus is sharing a parable about the Kingdom of Heaven. This parable talks about a landowner who goes out to hire laborers to work in his vineyard. He goes out early in the morning to hire them, and continues to hire laborers throughout the day. The last group he hires only works for a hour, but all of them are paid the same daily wage. Those that were hired early in the morning expected to get paid more than those hired at five o’clock. When they saw they were paid the same daily wage they were not happy, and felt the landowner should have paid them more. The landowner reminded them they received the agreed amount. The purpose of this parable is to remind us, the Lord will not give up on anyone. There are some in Church that accepted Jesus Christ when they were teenagers, and did not stray from Him. Others accepted Him in their twenties, and others were older. The reality of this parable is to remind us the Lord never stops trying to reach people. As long as someone is breathing the Lord will continue to knock on the door of their heart. Jesus Christ came to give the entire world an opportunity to accept Him. He did not come to leave anyone behind, everyone has to decide for themselves to accept Jesus Christ. The issue being addressed is how those who come later in life are treated. We will all receive the same gift from the Lord. As the people of God we have gained eternal life in accepting Jesus Christ, as our Lord and Savior. When someone comes to Christ we are to rejoice, because they are no longer lost. When someone is older when they come to Christ we need to support and encourage them, because they are already beating themselves up for waiting so long.
When Jesus begins this parable, He is telling us about the Kingdom of Heaven. The Lord does not hold any grudges against those who come to Him late in their lives. He is happy to see they have made the decision to accept Him. So, we are to rejoice when people make the decision to accept Jesus Christ into their lives. We serve a God who does not show partiality. However, we are all expected to serve the Lord. Continue to walk in your blessings!