Matt 20:1-16.
The kingdom of heaven is like a householder who went out in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day's wages, he sent them into his vineyard. And going out about the third hour, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said unto them: Go ye also into the vineyard, and I will give you that which is right. And they went. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and said unto them: Why do you stand idle here all day? They said to him, "No one has given us anything to do. And he said unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard, and that which is right shall be done unto you. And when evening was come, the lord of the vineyard said unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their wages, and lift up the last unto the first. And when they were come in about the eleventh hour, they received every man his penny. But when the first came, they thought they would receive more; and they also received every man his penny. And when they had received it, they murmured against the master of the house, saying: These last have labored but one hour, and thou hast made them like unto us, who have borne the burden and heat of the day. But he answered and said to one of them: My friend, I am not doing you wrong. Have you not become one with me for a penny? Take what is yours and go. But I will give to this last, even as to thee. Or have I not power to do what I will with mine own? Do you look askance because I am so kind? So the last shall be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few are chosen.
This is a sharp gospel, from which the young people and bad people cannot learn much. Nevertheless, because it was written for today's Sunday, we will go through it and say something about it.
(2) There is a parable of a householder who goes out early in the morning and appoints laborers to his vineyard who work twelve hours. Then he orders others who work nine hours, then others who work only six and three hours, and finally those who work only one hour. But in the evening he gives a penny to the last as well as to the first. The work is very unequal, and yet the wages are the same. For the father of the house has promised the workers nothing that he will give them, except the first. But he divides it equally, giving no more to those who have worked twelve hours and no less to those who have worked only one hour, but giving to one as to the other. This is this equality. And if such a thing is useless in the eyes of the world, it would not be right. There it has
*) Held in the house, 1534.
His measure and rule: He who works much is paid much, and he who works little is paid little. But therefore, where one has his conditional wages, he should not and must not interfere with the master, even if he gives something to another out of goodwill. But of course it is wrong to give equal wages, because there is unequal work.
3 The reason the Lord uses this similitude is to separate his kingdom from the kingdom of the world and to teach us that things are much different in his kingdom than they are in the world. In the kingdom of the world things cannot be equal, because the people are unequal. There one should give more to the one who has worked much than to the one who has worked little (although it sometimes happens that more is given to the one who works little, yet it happens in a different way and opinion, et alio respectu; for what one gives to one, the other does not have to demand). Item, the master of the house shall have more goods than his servant, and yet the servant must work more than the master. Such inequality must be and remain in the kingdom of the world. But in Christ's kingdom, all inequalities are to be
equality is abolished, and all shall be equal, one as the other, and one shall have and be worth as much as the other.
4 They shall be unequal by heart, for in outward, worldly life the inequality shall and must remain, just as the estates are unequal. A peasant leads a different life and status than a citizen; a prince a different status than a nobleman. All are unequal and must remain unequal; but in the kingdom of Christ, be they king, prince, lord, servant, wife, maidservant, or whatever they may be called, they are all equal. For no one has a different baptism, gospel, faith, sacrament, Christ and God than the other. They all go to the sermon at the same time, and a servant, citizen and peasant hears the very word that the lord, prince, nobleman hears. The baptism that I have, a poor little girl receives just as well as I; the faith that St. Peter, St. Paul have, the Magdalene and the thief on the cross also have, I and you, if we are Christians, also have it. So the same God and Christ that John the Baptist has, all sinners have when they convert. Everything is the same, even though one is higher and the other lower because of his status, office or gifts, yet it does not hinder, but everything is the same here.
(5) We are to learn these things diligently, that we may be able to distinguish Christ's kingdom from the kingdom of the world. It is especially a comforting gospel for Christians that we are all so completely equal in Christ. Before the world the inequality must remain, that the Father is more than the Son, the Lord more than the servant, that a king and prince is more than his subjects. This is what God wants; he has ordered the classes in this way and created them differently. Whoever wanted to create equality, so that the servant should count as much as his lord, the maid as much as her wife, a peasant as much as a prince, would create a very praiseworthy regime, as has been seen in the rebellious peasants. Now that things are as unequal in the world as they ever can be, we should take comfort in the fact, no matter how high or low we are, that we all have one Christ, one baptism, one gospel,
One Spirit; that no man hath no better gospel, no better baptism, no other Christ, but the least handmaid and the least servant. For though another has more money, goods, and other things than you, yet he has not another or better God, nor another or better Christ, nor heaven, but are all alike.
(6) This is to be learned and diligently remembered, so that each one in his own state may serve God with heart and desire, and say: I am not an emperor, not a king, I do not have cities and castles like the great princes; but I nevertheless have just as holy a baptism, the very Christ who died for me and purchased for me eternal life, which the emperor has. Such great goods, which we have through our Lord Jesus, should make us hopeful that we will learn to despise worldly goods, riches and glory, and that we will have our defiance and comfort only in the fact that we have been baptized in the name of Jesus and that he died for us and ascended to heaven, where he sits at the right hand of God, so that he may also help us from sin, death and all misfortune.
(7) Whosoever therefore hath these things, and knoweth that we are all equal in Christ, goeth forth to his work with joy, and is not troubled, though he be here on earth this short time in a lower estate than another. For there shall be inequality in the outward life, and one shall have much and the other little, one shall be master and the other servant. A Christian does not allow himself to be challenged, but says: In the name of God! On earth it shall not be otherwise. Even though I have a more difficult position than the lord and lady of the house; even though I am not as powerful as a prince, king or emperor, I will not grumble about it, but will gladly and willingly remain in my position until God does it differently with me and also makes me lord and lady, and in the meantime comfort myself that I know that neither emperor nor king, neither pope nor bishop have another Christ or more of Christ than I do. Yes, the pope does not yet have what I have; for I, with Christ's blood, who am at the right hand of God, have not yet been made a priest.
I am washed from sins, whom the pope denies.
(8) Let this be our defiance and consolation, that we know there is no inequality in the kingdom of Christ; let us therefore go willingly in such Christian hope, and do what we ought. In this way each one could be joyful in his position and devout. For everything must go off with joy when a Christian can say from the heart: Why should I murmur on account of my position? For my station is a good and delicious station, though it be lowly and laborious. If it is not a princely estate, it is still a Christian estate; what more do I want or desire?
(9) This is not done by the first laborers, who grumble and look askance because they do not receive more than others. Neither do our monks and nuns and the clergy: they want our Lord God to reward them according to their works, to see how much more they have done than others; to set them higher in heaven for their increase, and to give them a greater and better Christ. For they have taught that if a priest stands over the altar and says mass, he does such a work that he can share it with others and also help them to heaven, as if he were better and had a better standing in the kingdom of Christ and more in heaven than the laity. These grumble about such equality, which is in the kingdom of Christ, and want to bring it to an inequality, as it is in worldly classes. Furthermore, they have taught that a virgin in a convent is better for the faith than a wife. And whoever still teaches otherwise today, they condemn as a heretic. That is why the first ones here grumble and want to have more than the others; they finely count out to our Lord God how long they have worked and how sour it has become for them. But what does he say to this? Because of the outward life," he says, "you are unequal; one may be better and work more than the other. But no one has a better gospel, baptism and Christ than the other.
(10) For monks and nuns to boast that husbands and wives have the common gospel and commandment, but they have the high gospel and commandment.
Gospel, and hold more than Christians are commanded to hold in common: this is not true, but altogether contrary to the gospel. For they would make an inequality out of the gospel, when Christ makes all things equal, and teaches especially in the present gospel that in his kingdom one is to be counted as much as another. In itself it is not evil, nor does anyone prevent or forbid a virgin to remain who has the grace to do so. But to boast of it before our Lord God, and therefore to be better than others, and to expect more reward, is unjust and evil. And the same is the offence and the vexation, when the pope offends and accuses us of forbidding good works. But he does us violence and lies to us. For we do not forbid good works, but this we say: In the kingdom of Christ all things are equal, because God does not want to deal with all of us according to merit, but only according to grace and mercy for the sake of His Son Christ Jesus.
11 After this we say: If thou hast such equality in Christ, then, whether thou be a schoolmaster, or a preacher, or a lord, or a lady, or a manservant, or a maidservant, work and do in thy station what thou owest to do. There remain unequal, as the estates are unequal, and the profession is unequal. But in Christ we are not to be unequal, but equal. The world is offended by this. And the Jews in particular want to be mad and maddened when they hear that we Gentiles are to be blessed who are not circumcised and do not keep the Sabbath and other burdens of the law, as they who bear such burdens with great difficulty that they sweat over them. As the Lord in the parable finely puts it, saying, The first thought they would receive more, and therefore murmured, when every man received his penny, even as they that had wrought but one hour. This is the trouble that the Jews had and still have today. They carried the burden of the law, so that it was almost impossible to tell everything. Therefore they thought, "We Jews are circumcised and bear the burden of the law; the Gentiles are not circumcised and bear the burden of the law.
nor the burden of the law, and yet shall be like us, who have done much good under the law. No, not so; but if God gives this to the Gentiles, he shall give us Jews more cheaply.
(12) But Christ will not suffer inequality at all. "Friend," saith he, "I do thee no wrong; take that which is thine, and go thy way"; that is: Ye have already received your reward, the land of Canaan: but now will I set up another and new kingdom, and there shall all things be equal within. For the property is mine, so I may do with it what I will; you must not teach me how to keep my servants. So the Jews are angry with eternal life, and do not want to be equal with us Gentiles; they accuse our Lord God of this, as if he were doing them wrong; so that he has to answer for it and say, "You have taken away your penny; the property is mine, not yours. What is it to you, then, how I deal with what is mine? The pope and his crowd do the same, do not want to be like us in the kingdom of Christ, but want to be and have something special, and rather delay eternal life.
(13) Therefore, this difference between the worldly life and the heavenly life, or between the kingdom of the world and the kingdom of Christ, should be carefully and diligently noted. For in the kingdom of Christ all things shall be equal, since we all have only one God, Christ, Holy Spirit, gospel, baptism, sacrament, faith. Because of this equality, one is just as good, pious and holy as the other.
(14) If then we have these things, we should thank God for such gifts, and rightly recognize and praise them, saying, "Look at me for what you will; consider me for how little you will; yet I have as much as all the emperors and kings, even as all the saints and angels in heaven. By what? Through Christ. Therefore I will go and be a householder, a housemother, a servant, or a maidservant, and with gladness, courage, pleasure, and love do all that my position requires, since I have such great treasure in my Lord Christ.
(15) This then is the lesson of this present gospel, that here on earth we are unequal, even as persons and offices are diverse and unequal. A prince is a different person and has a different office than a preacher; a maid is a different person and has a different office than her wife; a schoolmaster is a different person and has a different office than a mayor. Therefore they should not or cannot lead the same way or being. Such inequality must remain on earth. But there in the kingdom of Christ it is said: I will give to one as much as to the other. Cause: The kingdom of heaven, the redemption from death and sins, no one has earned from me, therefore I owe it to no one, but give it by grace to whom I will. We should beware of such things, so that we do not grumble, but thank God for them and draw such consolation from all the driving, toil and work that we carry in the outward inequality, so that it will all become gentle and easy for us. May our dear Lord Jesus Christ help us all to do this, amen.