Bible Study – We Are All a Part of God’s Work
Share: Your highs (something that made you happy) and lows (something that made you sad) this week with others around you or write them down.
In this season after Pentecost, we hear stories of Jesus’ ministry in the world and our call to engage in that mission. This season is also known as Ordinary Time coming from the word “ordinal” which means counted time. This time is not ordinary as in common or regular, but it is the time of counted weeks between Pentecost and Advent. The color for this season is green and it is often referred to as the green growing time as we hear stories of what God is calling us to do in the world, we join in that call, and we grow in our faith
This parable appears in the section of Matthew where those around Jesus are questioning him about everything. As Jesus continues his ministry and the disciples are witnessing his great works, they keep coming to him with questions about taxes, who is the greatest in Heaven, forgiveness, divorce, and how to inherit eternal life. The disciples are trying to figure out this new world that they are experiencing through Jesus’ miracles, parables, and teachings. Just prior to our lesson today, the disciples have heard Jesus tell the rich young man that he must sell everything and give the money to the poor. They begin to wonder, “We have left everything and followed you. What then will we have?” Meaning, we have left our homes and our families, we have left behind what we know and love to follow you…what will we get in return?
So, Jesus tells them the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard. This is a difficult parable as there are many ways it can be read. It could be seen as unfair or pitting justice with grace. However we read it, this parable is about God’s generosity and God’s grace.
Opening Prayer: Gracious God, we thank you for your words that teach us about your love and the amazing gifts that you give us. Be with us as we learn more about you, that we might come to know you in a new way. Amen.
Please open your Bibles to Matthew 20:1-16 and read or read the scriptures below.
Matthew 20:1-16
The Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
20 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard.
3 “About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5 So they went.
“He went out again about noon and about three in the afternoon and did the same thing. 6 About five in the afternoon he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’
7 “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered.
“He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’
8 “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’
9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘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.’
13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’
16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.”
Questions:
- What did you like most about the story?
- What questions did you think about as you listened?
- What do you think it was like to be the first laborers that were hired?
- What do you think it was like to be the laborers that were hired at the end of the day and only had to do a few hours of work?
- What do you think it felt like for them to all receive the same amount of pay for their work?
- What do you think it was like to be the landowner who was generous and giving to all his workers?
- Who do you think the landowner could be?
When you hear “The first will be last and the last will be first.” It isn’t just about letting the last person in line go first or that you should always be last to receive a reward, but this is about how much God loves you that it does not matter where you are in line or where you are finding God, but more that we are all a part of this together and we will all receive God’s amazing love and grace.
In today’s world, we sometime worry a lot about things being fair. We think we earn and deserve things that we get, and we get upset if we think we’ve been cheated or mistreated. In this parable, Jesus reminds us that we don’t always need to be the first, or the hardest working or the best in society’s eyes. Maybe we go to church our whole lives and maybe we learn about Jesus in a nursing home. Maybe we make mistakes, or maybe we aim to do a lot of things right. God offers forgiveness to all of us. If we wanted life to be “fair” so that we would always get exactly what we deserved, we would actually get what we deserved for sin.
Click here for the young learner’s lesson
Videos (Click on url)
Parable of Jesus: The Hired Vineyard Workers (Matthew 20:1-16) https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=pZ0VUrGoeEM
Laborers in the Vineyard – Matthew 20:1-16 - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Cgnc9X3p_DU
Activities:
Who’s More Important? Cut five pictures of people out of an old magazine. Find pictures of a wide variety of people (homeless, children, elderly, professional celebrities, etc.) and be creative with cutting and cropping. Tape or glue each picture to a separate piece of construction paper. Now arrange the pictures according to which person is most important.
Where would you put your own picture in this lineup? Why did you choose some people as more important than others? Does God see one person as more important or more valuable than another? How would God arrange these pictures? (All would be equal) God wants us to treat others as He treats us.
Prayer Pebbles: Collect a range of stones or pebbles, different sizes, some may be smooth others rough. Write on your pebbles people who may find it difficult to belong or fit into groups. Place theses pebbles into a circle, hold each one and think about that person you have named. When you return your pebble to the circle, remember that just as we are, they too are loved by God.
List of Favorites: Make a list of some of your favorite things, such as toys, clothes, pictures, etc. Put your most favorite item on top of the list, followed by your next favorite thing, etc. Now make a list of your friends. Put your favorite friend first, your next favorite friend next, etc. Does God have a “people list” like that?
Parable of Vineyard Workers Crossword Puzzle: https://sermons4kids.com/vineyard_workers_crossword.htm
The Workers in the Vineyard Decoder: https://sermons4kids.com/vineyard_workers_decoder.htm
The Workers in the Vineyard Word Search: https://sermons4kids.com/vineyard_workers_wordsearch.htm
Prayer: Gracious God, we thank you for your unconditional love and grace that you show us each day. Help us to remember that we are all a part of your kingdom and we are all called to do your work in the world around us. Amen
