【1.18】远超过公平More Than Fair


“‘因为我作好人,你就红了眼吗?’” – 太 20:15

我们自小便深深警觉到公平的重要性。所以,假若我妈妈给我兄弟的那块蛋糕比给我的那一块稍微大一点,我便会抗议:“不公平啊!”

耶稣讲了很多个比喻 - 一些借用日常生活熟悉的情景和图画,来教导关于神国的事情。这些故事往往出人意料之外、有时甚至是令人震惊的。例如,耶稣所讲的比喻中,有些包括一些似乎不公平的结果 - 这样可能令我们感到惊讶或甚至生气。不过,如果公平不是故事的重点又如何呢?

在今天这个关于葡萄园工人的故事中,公平与否是一个大问题。当园主发工钱时,无论工人做了多少个小时,他们都得到整天的工钱,那些做了整天的工人便抗议:“我们整天劳苦受热,那后来的只做了一小时,你竟叫他们和我们一样吗?”这当然是不公平;然而,这里的重点不是公平与否。

神的国不是公平的,它乃是远超公平的。神的国乃是慷慨施与的;耶稣是一个慷慨施与的君王,衪应许过的衪全都赐给我们,并且远超过我们配得的。

祷告

慷慨施与的主耶稣,我们为你是谁和你所作的感谢你。求你帮助我们感激你对我们的慷慨施与,又帮助我们也同样慷慨待人。阿们。

马太福音 20:1-16

1“因为天国好像家主清早出去雇人进他的葡萄园做工,
2和工人讲定一天一钱银子,就打发他们进葡萄园去。
3约在巳初出去,看见市上还有闲站的人,
4就对他们说:‘你们也进葡萄园去,所当给的,我必给你们。’他们也进去了。
5约在午正和申初又出去,也是这样行。
6约在酉初出去,看见还有人站在那里,就问他们说:‘你们为什么整天在这里闲站呢?’
7他们说:‘因为没有人雇我们。’他说:‘你们也进葡萄园去。’
8到了晚上,园主对管事的说:‘叫工人都来,给他们工钱,从后来的起,到先来的为止。’
9约在酉初雇的人来了,各人得了一钱银子。
10及至那先雇的来了,他们以为必要多得,谁知也是各得一钱。
11“他们得了,就埋怨家主说:
12‘我们整天劳苦受热,那后来的只做了一小时,你竟叫他们和我们一样吗?’
13家主回答其中的一人说:‘朋友,我不亏负你。你与我讲定的不是一钱银子吗?
14拿你的走吧!我给那后来的和给你一样,这是我愿意的。
15我的东西难道不可随我的意思用吗?因为我做好人,你就红了眼吗?’
16这样,那在后的将要在前,在前的将要在后了。”

More Than Fair

“Are you envious because I am generous?” – Matthew 20:15

From the time we are little children, we have a keen sense of fairness. So if my mom gave my brother a piece of cake just a little bigger than the one she gave me, I would protest: “That’s not fair!”

Jesus told lots of parables—stories that use familiar scenes and images from daily life to teach about the kingdom of God. These stories are often surprising, and sometimes even shocking. For example, some of Jesus’ parables include outcomes that don’t seem fair—and that can surprise us or even make us upset. But what if fairness is not the point?

In today’s story about day-laborers in a vineyard, the issue of fairness comes up in a big way. When the landowner pays all of the laborers for a full day, no matter how many hours they have worked, the laborers who worked all day protest: “We worked the whole day. The sun beat down on us for hours. Why should the people who worked only one hour get the same pay as we do?” This is certainly not fair. But fairness is not the point.

The kingdom of God is not fair. It’s much more than fair. The kingdom of God is generous. Jesus is a generous King. He gives us all that he promises and more than we deserve.

Prayer

Generous Lord Jesus, thank you for who you are and for what you do. Help us to be grateful for your generosity to us, and help us to show the same generosity to others. Amen.

诵读: 骆云秀
片头: 张妙阳

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