Connection Church of Arlington Texas

(Matthew 20:1-16) The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a certain amount of money (a denarius, the wage of a Roman soldier) for the day and sent them into the vineyard to work. The landowner goes out again at 9:00 am, 12:00 pm, 3:00 pm, and again at the end of the day and sends more workers into the vineyard. When it comes time to pay for the day’s labor, the landowner pays all of them the same wage even though some have worked from early morning and others only an hour. Grumbling against the landowner the men who worked from early morning argued they were ”entitled” to more than the others. But the landowner asked them, “Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius?”  Basically, “Didn’t we have a contract for a certain amount? And didn’t I pay you what we agreed on? Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money?

We are headed down a slippery slope in America when our government can dictate policy for corporations such as AIG, the automotive industry, the airline industry, and health care to mention a few. Federal regulation oversight is one thing, but contractual agreement should be left up to business owners and corporation CEOs and their boards. If the government can rescind the binding law of a corporation’s contract with it’s employees such as what has happened with AIG…how long before it can do the same with the private small business employer? The employer, like the landowner, should be able to control his business without government intervention. The problem will always be the employee who feels he is “entitled” to more, and looks to big government to provide it for him. 

There are other parables in the Bible, such as the parable of the talents Matthew 25:14-30, that point out that if you don’t work hard then you don’t receive a reward. We are never “entitled to gain” from someone elses hard work. The Bible is clear on our giving to the poor and the needy, it should be a generous part of our Christian walk.  And it is also clear to the slothful and the slacker …”if you don’t work, you don’t eat.” No one in America should be “entitled” because someone else works hard and does well.

Pray for our country as we enter ever challenging times. Remember, if you don’t stand up for the rights and values you believe in, then you may see those rights and values evaporate. As Americans we are “entitled” to our opinion and our right to speak up for what we believe!