Is God Too Nice?

SEPTUAGESIMA

70 Days before the Resurrection

January 28, 2018

ST. MATTHEW 20:15

Is God Too Nice?

In the name of the Father and of the + Son and of the Holy Spirit. Amen.

Does someone cutting in line upset you? Driving east-bound on Kimberly Road just past Brady and a car races by on your right to get out in front of you. What a yahoo … but … now the last is first.

Children, do you get mad when another kid grabs that old light-up rubber ball? You know, that ball that no one has seen for five months, but now that it has turned up, everyone is waiting for a turn. And to have a littler kid cut in line and take it and have a grown-up say that they keep playing with it when you have been waiting makes you mad because it's unfair … but … now the last is first.

Everywhere patient drivers and righteous kids expect “first come, first served.” But this is not the case in God's kingdom. Here the last will be first and the first will be last.

Strictly speaking this is unfair. But it is quite wonderful when we realize that the only Innocent One is Jesus Christ and we are all guilty. And we receive the benefit of His innocent suffering and death by faith. In this Kingdom we who didn’t work get paid as though we did, and we are even invited to remain in the vineyard. However, those who come demanding fairness, well, they get only what they deserve, and nothing more, and they are sent away.

This isn't fair. This is offensive to just and righteous people because the Kingdom of Heaven is not earned by the industrious or the good. It is given to the wasteful, to the lazy, to sinners, to us. The only way to get in is to repent and be humbled. It is to simply trust that vineyard owner will give us whatever is right. Only those accept the Kingdom as a gift from the Lord’s generosity come in. That is the definition of grace. It is getting the opposite of what you deserve.

This is fine when you are getting in to the vineyard, the Kingdom of God. But we see others in God's Church who shouldn't be here. Isn't God being too nice when He commands His pastors to forgive all sinners who repent? Even the repentant father who will probably lose his tempter again? Even the repentant wife who will probably nag her husband again? Even the repentant kid who will probably sulk at her parents again? Even the repentant gossip who will probably tear down other church members again?

Yes, even them. God is too nice. But He doesn't do what is fair or nice. It's not accurate to say that He doesn't care about what is fair or nice; indeed, He is origin and embodiment of all good things: fairness, niceness, justice, mercy. The point is that He doesn't do superficial nice things to be applauded by the world; instead He does what is actually good for you.

Those workers worked hard all day long. I usually see these workers as life-long Christians. Born and baptized as babies, served as obedient children, prepared for Holy Communion, served as husbands and wives, mothers and fathers, sometimes serving as organists, musicians, altar guild, ushers, Sunday school teachers, elders, and the like. And when we see God's chosen people who used to be out in the darkness of the world, now drawn to the Light, who is Christ, we will not resent, but instead rejoice.

Is God too nice? Yes, for the sake of Jesus Christ He is too nice to me! It is not fair, but it is good!

ST. MATTHEW 20:13–16 “He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius? Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jealous because I’m generous?’ So the last will be first, and the first last.” CSB 2017

In Jesus' Name. Amen.

God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Thanks be to God!