Sermon Tone Analysis

*September 21, 2008 Bothwell & Clachan*

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Jesus Wants Me to Do What? - No. 04.

“Is Jesus Allowed to Be Generous?”

Matthew 20:1-16

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*Introduction*

Is Jesus allowed to be generous?

In order to answer that question I need to ask you two more questions.

Have you ever been envious?

Have you ever been jealous?

If so, this sermon is for you.

So is Jesus allowed to be generous?

Before you answer that, we still need to ask another question.

I’m sure many of us have heard of some nasty old codger who accepted Jesus on his deathbed?

Were you happy for him?

I’ve heard of Baptist people who really got upset when God showed that kind of mercy.

They actually appeared sorry that the older fellow wasn’t about to get what they thought should be coming to him.

Now you do not have to admit to that type of thinking, but if you were ever tempted to think that way then this sermon about Jesus’ generosity is for you too.

In the Bible reading earlier, a character in one of Jesus’ parable stories asked this question:  *Matthew 20:15 Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money?

Or are you envious because I am generous?' *

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Then to make his point Jesus again repeats, with a bit of a twist, what he had just earlier said to the disciples: *16"So the last will be first, and the first will be last."

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At the end of the last chapter he had said:

*Matthew 19:30 But many who are first will be last, and many who are last will be first.)*

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*Envy Is Satan's Best Weapon*

We like to repeat those “first shall be last” proverbs of Jesus, but we are we as quick to claim them when it happens to someone else? Envy is still considered as one of the so-called “deadly” sins and can be a great temptation to us all.

There is a fable that Satan's agents were failing in their various attempts to draw into sin a holy man who lived as a hermit in the desert of northern Africa.

Every attempt had met with failure; so Satan, angered with the incompetence of his subordinates, became personally involved in the case.

He said, "The reason you have failed is that your methods are too crude for one such as this.

Watch this."

He then approached the holy man with great care and whispered softly in his ear, "Your brother has just been made Bishop of Alexandria."

Instantly the holy man's face showed that Satan had been successful: a great scowl formed over his mouth and his eyes tightened up.

"Envy," said Satan, "is often our best weapon against those who seek holiness.[1]

*Warding Off Jealousy*

Once when the famous theologian, John Calvin was sending a letter to his close friend Pierre Viret by one of a pair of students, he noticed that the other was a little jealous at not being the messenger.

Calvin quickly dashed off another letter to Viret.

The letter contained only the request that Viret pretend it was a valuable letter.[2]

Envy and Jealousy: Jealousy and envy.

And no, life is not fair.

Yesterday the Toronto Argonauts used a new quarterback when they faced the Stampeders in Calgary.

The Argos new head coach Don Matthews decided that Cody Pickett would get the ball, replacing starter Kerry Joseph.

Joseph, the CFL's outstanding player last season, had started all 11 games this season for the 4-7 Argos.

…"Is it fair?

No," said Matthews.

"But then again *life isn't fair*."[3]

As the movie “The Princess Bride” says: “Life isn’t fair Princess, and anyone who says it is is just trying to sell you something.”

*The Setting*

So what do these themes of envy and jealousy have to do with today’s message?

Well, Jesus had just sent away the Rich Young Ruler.

You remember him, don’t you?

He was the nice rich religious fellow who had done everything right except for one thing.

He was putting more faith and trust in his money than he was in Jesus.

The disciples are shocked that Jesus lets this rich kid walk away.

In their culture being rich meant that God loved you.

Period.

After the dust had settled Peter asks another of his famous “let-me-see-if-I-can-put-my-foot-in-my-mouth-kind-of-questions.”

“Hey, Jesus, we gave up everything to follow you.

So what’s in it for us?

You could have heard a pin drop.

One of the other disciples must have muttered under his breath “Oh, no, not again.”

*Expectations*

It does sound like a rude question.

I guess the challenge comes for us, like it did for Peter, if we assume that because we have been part of the Church for years and years that we are owed something by God.

It's easy to think that somehow we deserve it.

We come to expect it.

We even plan for it.

A story is told of the lady who had a stranger appear at her door and simply handed her a $100 bill.

She was dumbfounded!

Then the same thing happened the next day.

and the next and the next.

For thirty straight days this stranger gave her $100 without explanation.

On the 31st day the lady was waiting at the door when she saw the man coming down the street.

But then he passed her house and walked up to her neighbor's house, and gave her a $100 bill!

The first lady was indignant and yelled at the guy, "Hey, where's my $100 bill?"

In a similar way here Peter demands to know: “Hey, Jesus, we gave up everything to follow you.

So what’s in it for us?

Maybe Peter was having a temporary brain “cramp.”

He appears to be oblivious to the many times he has already “blown” it.

He can only zero in on the potential undeserved rewards.

I would have expected that God would then reach out with his “heavenly-bug-zapper” and fry Peter on the spot.

But no.

Instead, Jesus just looks at him and says, Don’t worry, Peter You’ll get yours.

Both now and later.”

To get across this Jesus-generosity principle, which the Bible calls “grace,” Jesus tells this curious story of the overly generous vineyard owner who doesn’t appear to know that he only has to pay people for the hours that they have actually worked.

*Matthew 20:1-16 Parable of Vineyard Owner*

Today when we hear of labor disputes, it is often the workers demanding “parity.”

“Equal pay for equal work.”

It seems reasonable enough.

The actions of the vineyard owner in this parable in Matthew 20:1-16 are unfair.

They would be fought tooth and nail by any union grievance committee.

Why should everyone get equal pay for unequal work?

But this parable is not about labor relations.

It’s not about fairness.

It is about the gift of grace.

Grace is a hard word to define.

Phillip Yancey once wrote a book, in which he tried to define this concept of grace.

He humorously entitled it “Grace is Not a Blue-eyed Blonde.”

At youth group the leaders sometimes use an acronym to define Grace.

G.R.A.C.E.

“God’s riches at Christ’s expense.”

A part of it is the Generous, un-earned loving kindness that we receive from God.

Although it might be hard to define, we certainly know it when we see it or experience it for ourselves.