Envy in the world and in the church.

[MoreCoffee]

The Lord told a parable so that he could teach about envy and its fruit in the Kingdom of the heavens. This is the parable.

'Now the kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day and sent them to his vineyard. Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place and said to them, "You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage." So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing around, and he said to them, "Why have you been standing here idle all day?" "Because no one has hired us," they answered. He said to them, "You go into my vineyard too." In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, "Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first." So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the landowner saying, "The men who came last have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day's work in all the heat." He answered one of them and said, "My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the lastcomer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why should you be envious because I am generous?" Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.' (Matthew 20:1-16)

How does that parable square with your views of rewards?

 

[pinacled]

Maybe a search in the scriptures will reveal the meaning of the parable
Interesting choice using the word square.
)1
)3
)6
)9
Then the 11 th hour.
So how long is a day?

Also something that might be of interest. Compare this parable to the parable of the talents.
The Torah will also teach about the vineyard.

 

[psalms 91]

The Lord told a parable so that he could teach about envy and its fruit in the Kingdom of the heavens. This is the parable.

'Now the kingdom of Heaven is like a landowner going out at daybreak to hire workers for his vineyard. He made an agreement with the workers for one denarius a day and sent them to his vineyard. Going out at about the third hour he saw others standing idle in the market place and said to them, "You go to my vineyard too and I will give you a fair wage." So they went. At about the sixth hour and again at about the ninth hour, he went out and did the same. Then at about the eleventh hour he went out and found more men standing around, and he said to them, "Why have you been standing here idle all day?" "Because no one has hired us," they answered. He said to them, "You go into my vineyard too." In the evening, the owner of the vineyard said to his bailiff, "Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last arrivals and ending with the first." So those who were hired at about the eleventh hour came forward and received one denarius each. When the first came, they expected to get more, but they too received one denarius each. They took it, but grumbled at the landowner saying, "The men who came last have done only one hour, and you have treated them the same as us, though we have done a heavy day's work in all the heat." He answered one of them and said, "My friend, I am not being unjust to you; did we not agree on one denarius? Take your earnings and go. I choose to pay the lastcomer as much as I pay you. Have I no right to do what I like with my own? Why should you be envious because I am generous?" Thus the last will be first, and the first, last.' (Matthew 20:1-16)

How does that parable square with your views of rewards?

Just fine I beleive in deathbed convertions and I think that fits perfectly into this scripture and shows that those who are saved are on a level playing field, if saved earlier it is us that choose good or bad and gain or loss of rewards

 

[pinacled]

For all those who had part in building the
Tabernacle (Mishkan). Are of equal hire.
Yehoshua ch.5 vs 2-.. there is mention of gilgal.

 

[Brighten04]

I was taught a long time ago that you do not tell your co-workers how much your salary is because you might be making more ,and that causes tension on the job.

 

[popsthebuilder]

Envy has no place whatsoever.

On a different note, slightly, I think that we should not do for reward, or not do because of consequince. To me, we should do what is right according to the teachings of Christ and the things placed on our heart by the Holy Spirit because it is the right thing to do. How is doing something for reward justified if we are to be one in Christ? If heaven, hell, and earth are to be wiped away and nothing will remain but the will of GOD, then what is reward and punishment? Why do we wish to bring all into the salvation of the Lord? Is it for their sake, or ours?

Faith in selfless Unity for Good.

 

[tango]

I was taught a long time ago that you do not tell your co-workers how much your salary is because you might be making more ,and that causes tension on the job.

... or you might be making less and that can cause tension too.

When a company explicitly forbids discussion of salaries with coworkers you can be sure they are trying to reward the wrong people.

 

[psalms 91]

It would mean someone is making more I would think

 

[Brighten04]

Well, It happened to me. Once many years ago when I was a nursing student, working part time at the local hospital. I was making about 20 cents per hour more than someone who had been working there a lot longer. We started and started just casually talking about salary, and in my naivete I divulged my salary and, man, the fit hit the shan. One of my instructors was moonlighting and witnessed the exchange took me to the side and raked me over the coals. So I learned a valuable lesson that day.

 

[MoreCoffee]

In the world envy over salary is understandable it is like the hired help in the parable where some think they deserve more than they agreed because others who worked less got as much as they did. Jealousy and envy work together. People measure their well-being more by their relative status than by their comfort. So if you have a home and comforts and food enough for your needs and then some it can suddenly all seem inadequate when your neighbours have more and are in the same social class as you. But in the church things ought not to work that way yet all too often they do. And some folk make status a part of heaven with a theory of rewards tied into their theory of salvation and their theory of judgement thus we get crowns and rewards in proportion to something we do or believe or whatever as a kind of merit based heavenly rewards scale.

 

[psalms 91]

And once again we will disagree. We are given rewards or loss of rewards, the part you are forgetting is that we are given crowns and with those crowns we cast them at Jesus feet because we know that without Him we couldnt do it, they are Hisd and not ours

 

[MoreCoffee]

And once again we will disagree. We are given rewards or loss of rewards, the part you are forgetting is that we are given crowns and with those crowns we cast them at Jesus feet because we know that without Him we couldnt do it, they are His and not ours

I am not sure what you disagree with.

 

[Brighten04]

And some folk make status a part of heaven with a theory of rewards tied into their theory of salvation and their theory of judgement thus we get crowns and rewards in proportion to something we do or believe or whatever as a kind of merit based heavenly rewards scale.

Well yeah, Jesus taught that there will be some in heaven who will be called great and some who will be called least. But He also said that none were greater on Earth than John the Baptist, but the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John.

 

[psalms 91]

I am not sure what you disagree with.

The fact that we dont get rewards or lack of them. The bible is clear that we will get rewards and crowns

 

[Full O Beans]

The parable teaches us that everyone who follows after Jesus Christ is rewarded with eternal life, whether one is saved early in life or late in life, or at their deathbed. While at the Bema Seat judgment of Christ, rewards are given for our service to Him and some will receive more and some less, all believers, great and small will receive the greatest reward: eternal life and entrance into the Kingdom of God.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Well yeah, Jesus taught that there will be some in heaven who will be called great and some who will be called least. But He also said that none were greater on Earth than John the Baptist, but the least in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than John.

What do you reckon that means?

 

[MoreCoffee]

The fact that we dont get rewards or lack of them. The bible is clear that we will get rewards and crowns

That's not what my post said.

 

[tango]

Well, It happened to me. Once many years ago when I was a nursing student, working part time at the local hospital. I was making about 20 cents per hour more than someone who had been working there a lot longer. We started and started just casually talking about salary, and in my naivete I divulged my salary and, man, the fit hit the shan. One of my instructors was moonlighting and witnessed the exchange took me to the side and raked me over the coals. So I learned a valuable lesson that day.

I remember some years ago I was fixing the chairman's PC and found an unencrypted file titled something like "salary review (year)". It showed that a couple of the other guys who did less than I did got paid 70% more than I got. It wasn't long between then and my resignation.

 

[MoreCoffee]

Will your Earthly works decide your position (high or low) in heaven?

 

[psalms 91]

Depends are they directed by God? Do they further the kingdom?