Image by alohamalakhov from Pixabay

“Love seeks one thing only: the good of the one loved. It leaves all the other secondary effects to take care of themselves. Love, therefore, is its own reward.” – Thomas Merton

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Matthew 20:14-16

“‘Take what is yours and go. What if I wish to give this last one the same as you? Or am I not free to do as I wish with my own money? Are you envious because I am generous?’ Thus, the last will be first, and the first will be last.”

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This comes from Jesus’ parable about a landowner hiring men to work in his vineyard for a day.

The landowner goes out to hire more men at nine o’clock, more at noon, then more at three o’clock and again at five o’clock.

All were just hanging out doing nothing until being hired.

So when the workers come back from the vineyard in the evening to be paid, the landowner gives all of them the same usual daily wage.

The men who worked all day are outraged that the men who worked just a fraction of the time got the same amount.

This is when the landowner responds with the scripture quoted above.

I think the key statement is: “Are you envious because I am generous?”

Many people think the landowner is not being fair, but that’s because they are thinking as humans and not as God.

The landowner is God in Jesus’ story.

God is total, unconditional love.

God is eternally generous.

It has nothing to do with quid pro quo.

You can’t earn more of what you already get in an infinite amount.

In the economy of grace, there is no first or last.

That idea doesn’t make any sense in the kingdom of God where all receive all of God’s love simply for being who they are: a child of God.

When you are loved like this, you can’t help but share it with everyone.

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Remember: God loves you!