Septuagesima Sunday (1905)

Matthew 20:1-16 We men are by nature not content with the reign of God in the world. We cannot comprehend that it often goes so well with the wicked, while the faithful must bear the cross and all sorts of trouble.1 Likewise, it displeases the natural man that God distributes the goods of His grace in His Kingdom not by merit but by grace. The natural man gladly compares himself with others in self-righteousness; mercenary that he is, he looks askance, even murmurs against God because He is so good. What does God say about such murmuring?2 We want to focus our attention today on the last part3 in particular. "Am I not allowed to do what I want with Mine?" The answer is: 1. God is no man's debtor. a. The owner of the vineyard went out to hire laborers for his vineyard. No one came forward to him to work in his vineyard, so he went out to look for them.4 And whom does he call?5 Idlers who stood idle the entire day.6 Did the landlord owe these people something? Had they some claim on his vineyard? No, none of that. It was kindness that prompted him to address them, to give them right and authority to go into his vineyard and work, and to give everyone wages. b. This parable is a picture of the heavenly Kingdom. God is no man's debtor. Was He guilty toward the men? The man fell into sin. God conceived the plan for his redemption and in time he executed it. Was He guilty toward Him?7 He has prepared His vineyard, it is His property. No man by nature has a right to it. By nature we all stand idly in the marketplace of sin; we do not want to enter into God's Kingdom8; we can do nothing about it.9 God goes out through the preaching of the Gospel and calls men into His vineyard. What motivates Him to this? Is it men that are guilty? Has He found in any one man even the smallest reason for this? No, man is a fallen man, a sinner. In a sinner is nothing but sin and enmity against God.10 God is not indebted
1 Psalm 73:3; Jeremiah 12:1. 2 Matthew 20:13-15a. 3 Matthew 20:15a. 4 Matthew 20:1. 5 Matthew 20:2a. 6 Matthew 20:6. 7 Romans 11:35. 8 Psalm 14:2-3. 9 1 Corinthians 2:14, 12:3 (Walther, "Festklnge", p. 103). 10 (Walther, "Festklnge", p. 38ff.), Romans 3:23-25.

to him, but He is indebted to God.11 When God calls him into His Vineyard, it is grace.12 God does not need us to work in His Vineyard, He has servants like flames of fire.13 God owes us no wage. That we are able to work in His kingdom is even a gift from Him. We do not have the power to do it, but He must give it to us.14 The sects should remember this well: they still attribute something meritorious to men: God is no man's debtor - not even to the thousandth part. But God is no man's debtor, 2. so of course He has the power to do what He wants with His. a. He has power to hand out His goods, that belong to no one else, that no one else has entitlement, and can make a legal claim to whomever He wants. He has power to hand out these to sinners and thieves that have no merit whatsoever to show. b. He has power to hand out His goods at an hour in which He wants.15 He calls one earlier, the other later in His Kingdom; He lets one bear larger loads, another smaller loads: Job, prophets, apostles, the first Christians, etc. He allows one to perform a lot of work: Moses, Paul16, Luther, etc., others little work. c. He even has power to hand out as much as He wants of His goods.17 In the kingdom of the world it is indeed so: "As the work, so the reward." In the Kingdom of Christ the goods are nothing but gifts and presents, and God distributes these as He wishes, and not according to the merit or worthiness of the receiver. He gives the same grace to all: David, thief on the cross. d. Anyone who looks askance because God is so good, he denies God the right that He is indebted to no man, and that He has the power to do what He wants with His; he arrogantly rises up against his neighbor, he overturns the whole dispensation of grace and annihilates the salvation of his soul.18 God is simply a God of grace, pure, clear grace, and has power to do what He wants with His. And we should not take this honor from Him. W.C.K.

11 12 13 14 15 16 17 18

Saulus. 2 Timothy 1:9. Psalm 104:4; Luke 1:11, 26, 2:10, 24:4 (Walther, "Brosamen", p. 441). 1 Corinthians 15:10; Philippians 2:13. Matthew 20:10-12. 2 Corinthians 11:23. Matthew 20:13-15. Matthew 20:14, 16.