“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard.” (Matthew 20:1)

The parables are a great guide for those who are diligently seeking God. As we study our Bibles we begin to appreciate who God is and why He is the way He is. We can learn much about the Creator of the universe if the desire is there. One thing for sure is we will soon learn that God’s ways have a purpose entirely void of man’s perceptions of how things should operate.

“For my thoughts are not your thoughts, neither are your ways my ways, saith the LORD.” (Isaiah 55:8)

In His parable of the vineyard owner, Jesus shows mankind a different type of employer. A  good man owns a vineyard and he needs laborers. This good man heads to the marketplace early in  the morning to hire laborers to work in his vineyard. When he sees men standing around he approaches them and contracts with them to work in his vineyard. The vineyard owner offers the first men a day’s wage and they accept his fair offer and head off to work in the man’s vineyard.

After contacting and sending out men throughout the day to work in his vineyard, at about the eleventh hour (5:00 pm) the good man heads back to the marketplace where he encounters a few more men standing around and he inquires of them why they are just standing around.

“And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.” (Matthew 20:7-8)

So the vineyard owner offers to pay these last workers fairly and they head off to join their fellow laborers who are already working.

Now the work day has ended and the vineyard owner tells his steward to settle up with all the workers. In the minds of most humans a great injustice is about to occur here. This perceived injustice would depend on which group of laborers you belonged to; the workers which spent just one hour at labor in the vineyard couldn’t possibly see any injustice as they received their day’s wage. You see, there was no difference in pay for any vineyard worker that particular day.

That full day’s pay must have made the one hour group extremely content. But the men who labored all day in the hot sun had a little different opinion on the matter “…they murmured against the good man of the house, Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.” Matthew 20:11b-12.

But the vineyard owner had this to say in response to their murmurings “…Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a penny? Take that thine is, and go thy way: I will give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? Is thine eye evil, because I am good?” (Matthew 20:13b-15)

Was there any injustice done as the above workers perceived? Were any of them taken advantage of? No, they all agreed on the wage for the day, which at that time in history was a fair day’s wage. The problem arises when we consider only the human side of this parable. We see a great injustice done to the laborers who spent the entire day in the vineyard.

We must conclude that these men had every right to murmur against the vineyard owner. In the minds of most humans a travesty of justice had occurred. In our economy today the laborers who worked longer hours should have been paid according to the hours they worked, not what some vineyard owner felt was fair and just for all. Right? Maybe.

But remember, in the first verse of this chapter of Matthew Jesus brought our attention to the fact that He was likening the good man/vineyard owner to the Kingdom of Heaven, not to any humanistic pursuit for earthly gain.

In this parable the vineyard owner represents God, and the day’s wages represents God’s distribution of heavenly rewards. God rewards those He sees fit to reward and He does so as He desires. The rewards are according to God’s good pleasure, not man’s good works or hard labor.

Many believe that what they’ve done in their life will assure them many rewards in heaven. But that isn’t how God works. The men who worked one hour of the day received the very same reward as the men who worked all day because it pleased the good man of the vineyard (God) to reward them in this manner. In God’s economy there was no injustice, only God’s grace and mercy.

Looking at God’s rewards as He distributes them can be confusing to many since the mindset of most of earth’s population has a humanistic me, me, me mindset, which of course is not at all godly. As believers in Christ we should always be others-centered, never self-centered. Self-centered individuals will forever misunderstand how God decides to reward those He rewards and will never see God’s blessings as a part of His Kingdom.

His rewards have everything to do with His will, not ours. Also, His rewards and blessings have nothing to do with whether or not we are worthy. After all, none of us are worthy to receive even one blessing. “…for he maketh his sun to rise on the evil and on the good, and sendeth rain on the just and on the unjust.” Matthew 5:45b.

We may witness the lost of this world receiving what most of us would consider great rewards/blessings. But the blessings and rewards we might receive during this life on earth are insignificant in view of what awaits those of us who love and trust God.

Think about this for a moment. What was Jesus’ purpose behind this parable? Was it to expose a world of jealousness and hatred to our fellow man? Not at all. Jesus’ motivation begins in chapter 19 of Matthew when His disciples disputed among themselves about who would be first in the kingdom of heaven.

That chapter and this parable are tied together. If you want to be first you’ll be last. If you are last you’ll be first. And that’s just part of the parable and how God’s rewards flow, there is much more to discover about this parable.

What more of a reward could God have blessed us with than the reward of eternal life? Receiving the gift of eternal life is the greatest blessing and easiest to accept from the Father by all who will believe in the Son. The parable above is all about God distributing His rewards and blessings as He so desires. Viewing salvation in this parable gives us much more insight into God’s process of distributing blessings and rewards.

Many of you reading this commentary might have asked Jesus into your life at a very early age. My granddaughter for example is only 7 years old and yet was so moved by what she is being taught about Jesus that she asked Him into her life to be her Savior and Lord. On the other hand, I was in my mid 40’s when I made that same decision. There are, of course, those who will live a life of ignoring God’s invitation all together.

Although, if a man or women waits until the last hour of their life to say yes to Jesus and believe, according to God they receive the same reward as those who’ve believed and been born again for most of their lives. There are other rewards in God’s economy but here we are speaking only of the reward of everlasting life.

It’s not up to us to question God on this point. He rewards those who come to Him and place their trust and faith in Him. It’s His good pleasure to reward the believer as He sees fit; He glories in blessing the diligent who seek Him through a thorough study of His word, and He does this to glorify Himself. God is greatly glorified each time someone makes a commitment to Him early in their life and then they live their life according to His Word and will.

But God is also glorified by the fact that He shows mercy on those who’ve rejected Him for almost their entire life. As the very old gentleman or lady lay on their death bed and confess to their loved ones that they have been extremely foolish all their life for rejecting Jesus as Savior and Lord, but now they believe and trust Him to save them even at this late hour. And who gets the glory for that late hour revelation? God.

So we can see that in God’s economy rewards are equal no matter what time of day they are received. No matter when we show up in humble adoration before our Savior and Lord we are all rewarded equally. How can that be? “Then Peter opened his mouth, and said, Of a truth I perceive that God is no respecter of persons:” Acts 10:34. God doesn’t play favorites. He is just and fair in His dealings with all His creation.

I’m not saying that everyone should wait until they are old and grey headed to become a born again follower of Jesus Christ. Those who wait must also contend with the very real fact that their life could be snuffed out instantaneously, forever losing the opportunity to accept God’s free gift of salvation.

Something else that’s missed out on is fellowship with God and the joy of knowing and living a life for Christ. Many people flirt with death completely oblivious of what awaits them on the other side as they spend a lifetime rejecting Christ. Many others have been blinded by the god of this world, thus they see no significance in a God who died for them.

Earlier I mentioned I was in my 40’s when I finally opened my heart to Jesus Christ. What I didn’t mention was the fact that I had many brushes with death prior to my conversion. I was an alcoholic and I rode motorcycles, a very deadly combination. For some reason God spared me and through His grace and mercy I’m here today with a message of hope for anyone who might be where I was twenty years ago.

The crux of the matter is this, waiting until those twilight years before making a decision for Christ is not only foolishness, but like riding motorcycles while in a drunken stupor, very dangerous. Why wait? If you are one of those waiting for the most opportune moment to ask Jesus into your life, do now. Tomorrow may never come.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham

“And when the woman saw that the tree was good for food, and that it was pleasant to the eyes, and a tree to be desired to make one wise, she took of the fruit thereof, and did eat, and gave also unto her husband with her; and he did eat.” (Genesis 3:6)

Since the beginning of our human existence the influence of one spouse over another has been, in many cases, disastrous. Eve was deceived by the serpent, not Adam. But through Eve’s influential prodding Adam made a decision that led to his death. It was Eve’s will that Adam should eat of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil. From the very beginning we see that one spouse can have a strong influence over the other.

Stumbling blocks and strongholds of the enemy are continually placed in all our lives. We must learn to fight to withstand the enemy forces. The lost people of this world will find this increasingly difficult. One such stumbling block is known as conformity. A somewhat touchy subject for any writer is to address the conforming influence a husband has over his wife, or vice versa.

A man and woman will have various conflicting convictions prior to marriage, but soon after the consummation of that marriage a change begins to occur. Many times that change results in one or the other being conformed into accepting what the other believes. In most cases the wife’s beliefs change to mirror the beliefs of her husband.

In some cases it’s not a bad thing; sometimes a spouse, being at one time lost and worldly, begins to see God’s truth. Thus the positive influence of this spouse is a good thing. On the other hand, when a husband or wife holds to a false belief system and influences their spouse against believing the truth of the gospel of Christ, this conformity will only lead to destruction. Satan knows the truth, that Jesus the Christ is alive. But to fight that truth, a weapon in his vast arsenal is the influence of one spouse over the other.

Each individual on this planet must make a choice concerning the eternal. This choice is a personal decision affecting only the person making the choice. For example, I can’t make the choice for my wife nor can she make it for me. The same goes for our children, we can teach our children right from wrong, we can teach them about faith and love—all about Jesus—but we can’t make the most important decision of their lives for them.

I’m sure some of us would like it if we could make that decision for a loved one, but it just doesn’t work that way. Even though salvation is a free gift of God, He’s made it abundantly clear it’s personal not corporate. Everyone must face the reality that Satan wields his influence over the lost like a king over his kingdom. An unbelieving spouse is a subject of that king, thus he/she must do his bidding.

My wife and I were married in June of 1988. I was 36 years old. I was pretty well set in my ways. I was already an alcoholic, my vocabulary was more than just laced with profanity, and I had a mean disposition. My new bride, a godly shy woman, a born-again Christian with a heart that could only have come from God, knew that she was not following the Word of God by becoming yoked with a non-believing and very ungodly, worldly man.

I was for all intents and purposes a follower of the enemy of God; this is something my wife should have been repulsed with. Instead she fell in love me and I with her. We were married shortly thereafter. Can you see how horrible my influence over her life could have been? But instead she influenced my life. Please understand, it seldom works out that way.

Husband or wife, whichever one follows Satan normally will have the stronger influence. In most marriages the husband is the dominant force. They exercise an incredible amount of influence over their wife’s life. A wife who obeys her unbelieving and many times manipulative husband, when it comes to a decision for Christ may just obey him right into hell. In many marriages this tragedy is very real. Similarly, a wife can have the same detrimental effect on her husband if she remains in her satanic induced blindness toward the truth.

When men or women ignore the truth of God just to appease their spouse they are only foolishly falling into a trap laid down by the father of all lies (Satan). This personification of evil keeps a tight rein on those who belong to him. Satan will work one spouse against the other convincing them to remain in his camp.

I’ve seen this type of situation time and time again, where a spouse begins to climb out of the muck and mire of the filthy camp of the enemy only to be waylaid by their other half who unabashedly steps in to do Satan’s bidding. I’ve also witnessed that at this point both of their hearts become incredibly hardened against their Creator, and when they remain in that steadfast position they all but cement their decision to spend an eternity in hell.

Many will follow their spouses into the abyss instead of using their own intellect to come to a decision for Christ. Ignoring the power of the enemy is a common mistake these days as so many relegate Satan to nothing more than a mythological existence at best. Thus, he’s able to keep his hold on people through their own ignorant and erroneous beliefs.

Influence and conformity can be powerful stumbling blocks that, when coupled with decision making, can and do lead people astray. Certainly there are everyday decisions that affect the marriage and those decisions must be made together. Both spouses must participate in the decision making process to really enjoy a good and loving marriage. But the decision to turn one’s life over to Christ is the most important decision in this life, and it is personal not corporate.

Over the years I’ve learned, as many of you have, that marriage is a great institution. I can’t, or won’t, even contemplate living alone without my wife. My wife is not just a woman I met, fell in love with and then married; she is more, much more. She is a major part of my life, she has become a part of me—bodily she and I are one. I can’t be separated from her for any length of time at all without missing her in a way that is almost impossible to describe. The love we have for one another is that same love that Jesus has for His Church.

When she is away from me it’s the same as though a part of my body has been ripped away. God meant for us to view marriage just as He described it in the book of Genesis:

“Therefore shall a man leave his father and his mother, and shall cleave unto his wife: and they shall be one flesh.” (Genesis 2:24)

God meant it. When a man takes a woman to be his wife there’s a lifelong bond established. This bond is never to be broken. This is exactly why the influence of one spouse over the other can be so great. If one spouse is a non-believer, the adverse affect that that one person can have on the other can truly mean Hell for all eternity.

This is precisely the reason why we (believers in Christ) aren’t to be unequally yoked with non-believing people:

“Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness?” (2 Corinthians 6:14)

Why is the apostle Paul giving us this admonition? Because time and time again unequal unions result in a most devastating end for one or both participants.

Then, of course, we have marriages with both husband and wife being non-believers. These two unbelievers aren’t really going to know love, the love of Christ that transcends all barriers, since their union was not built on a godly foundation. This ungodly union can place an incredible strain on a marriage, especially if one spouse begins to learn the truth about God.

There’s a span of time where one spouse might begin to see God in ways they’ve never perceived before. This can cause friction in a marriage and even result in divorce. Even though one spouse emerges victorious in Christ they may have just destroyed their marriage. The Bible tells us that God hates divorce – and please don’t misunderstand, I’m not advocating divorce, but God in His Word tells us that the believing spouse is under no obligation to remain in a marriage with an unbeliever.

“But if the unbelieving depart, let him depart. A brother or a sister is not under bondage in such cases: but God hath called us to peace.” (1 Corinthians 7:15)

Because of the incredibly powerful influence of their spouse, many who might be on the verge of making a decision for Christ will be convinced to stay in unbelief. As such they continue to drink from Satan’s pool of damnation. This is just another of Satan’s tools of deception. It’s a horrible sight to be witness to, especially when it occurs within your own family.

In the big scheme of life, a personal decision for Christ is the most important of all decisions; all other decisions are comparatively immaterial. If we understand nothing else in this life, we must come to grips with the fact that a decision for Christ is personal not corporate.

Wife, your husband has no say in the matter concerning your eternal destination – husband, your wife has no say in the matter concerning your eternal destination. Here’s something to consider: When you stand before the God of all creation at His throne of judgment with the rest of those who rejected Christ as their Savior, you will not be able to use the excuse that it was your spouse who kept you from making the decision to avoid hell. It will be too late at that point to make excuses and there will be no chance for you to change your mind concerning your eternal destination.

Here are your choices: follow my unbelieving spouse into Hell or follow Jesus Christ into Heaven. Remember influence works both ways—your decision for Christ could be just what your spouse has been waiting for—to see the love of Christ in you. That Christ centered love might be the catalysts that turns another hardened hear toward Christ. Hear Jesus promise to you:

“My sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me: And I give unto them eternal life; and they shall never perish, neither shall any man pluck them out of my hand.” (John 10:27-28.

God bless you all,

Ron Graham