Matthew 20 1-16

This parable is kind of bothering me. We're working on it for my church's Youth Sunday. And luckily I get to write a homilies on it... (note the sarcasm in my words please) Normally it is the seniors who write the sermons, which I would be fine with for next year when I am a senior, but this year, I am not a senior, so it's just stressing me out...

Anyways, the story goes that "The kingdom of heaven is like this:..." And then Jesus goes on to tell a story of a vineyard owner who hires these people at the beginning of the day and agrees to give them a days wages for their work, at midday he hires more hands and then again and again later on. Then at the end of the day he pays the people he hired last first and the people he hired first last, and they all get one silver coin. The people who began working first are enraged. The owner of the vineyard basically tells them to shut up, it's his money and he can pay everyone equally if he wants right? And then Jesus comes back and says the first shall be last and the last shall be first and then it's done.

So hmm... what does this mean? Why is everything so equal, but yet still seems unfair? What do I write my sermon on??? It is an interesting passage though, is it not?

It's such and interesting story I think, but it's so difficult to understand. Writing about this will be a challenge for sure. The Bible is filled with parables that seem SO SIMPLE in Sunday school when you're five. And they mean what they're written as, but know we have to read between the lines and figure it out for real. Hmm, but I guess that's the same in all I read.