Justice is all the rage these days.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
What exactly justice is is a complicated notion, full of complicated sub-discussions and issues. In the Parable of the Generous Vineyard Owner (or the Laborers in the Vineyard) in Matthew 20.1-16, an interesting wrinkle in justice stands out.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Remember the basic story: a man hires workers for a full day for an agreed upon wage, then goes out several more times throughout the day and hires more, finally paying everyone the same amount no matter how long or short they worked. Understandably, the guys hired first are ticked that the latecomers who worked for 1 hour got paid as much as they did, after working for 12 hours. That is not at all fair.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
And you know what? The vineyard owner never talks about being fair. The key word he uses in arranging payment with the latter hired workers is that he will pay them whatever is \u201cjust\/right\u201d (Mt 20.4).<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Justice is a key aspect of God\u2019s dealing with the world. The vineyard owner is like God. While it can be perilous to press every detail of a parable into profound theological points, humor me for a second as we think about his promise to pay them \u201cwhatever is just.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vineyard owner does not prorate the salaries based on hours worked, giving the 1-hour workers 1\/12 of a denarius, and so on. That is what I would expect for a \u201cjust\u201d payment arrangement if I was employed under similar circumstances. And that is what the first set of workers expected. If the last group got one day\u2019s wage, certainly it was all but right for them to get more.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Instead, the vineyard owner calls it \u201cjust\u201d to give everyone a whole day\u2019s wage regardless of how long said worker worked. He doesn\u2019t give anyone more than he had promised to pay; he doesn\u2019t give anyone less than he had promised to pay; and he gives generously all at the same time. Justice, in this parable, does not involve skimping or short-changing anyone, but it also doesn\u2019t involve rigidity; justice is allowed to be generous.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
At risk of raising ugly political feelings, humor me in an exercise to think in a Christian way about justice. When I think of \u201cjustice,\u201d the most prominent institution that comes to mind is \u201cthe (criminal) justice system.\u201d What is \u201cjustice\u201d within this system? While, it is many things, but what strikes me at the moment is that justice is mainly a negative thing. That is, justice is usually measured in retributive punishment. Someone commits a crime and justice is a certain jail sentence, or fine, or sentence to community service, etc. Justice is \u201cpaying off one\u2019s debt to society.\u201d<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Justice, in this context, has room for concepts like \u201cgrace\u201d and \u201cleniency,\u201d as well as \u201cseverity\u201d and \u201cpenalty.\u201d But a word that has never come to my mind in thinking about the justice system: generosity.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In the Kingdom of God, justice is not (only) a negative thing. It is not (only) about punishing those who break the law. It is also a reality that is rich in generosity. Justice comes from a perspective of abundance of love, not scarcity of resources.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
In applying this parable to our own lives, this parable gives us a model of justice to follow. The vineyard owner\u2019s actions of unfairly paying those who worked less the same wage is described as \u201cjust.\u201d Justice in the Kingdom of God is a positive concept animated by love and mercy.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The vineyard owner hires multiple workers at multiple times and this is an exercise in justice. Justice, in this view, looks a lot more like aiming to help others fulfill their potential and meet their needs rather than aiming to punish.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Is punishment part of justice? Of course. But if you are like me, the punishment side of justice is far easier to understand than the generosity side of justice. Being generous with his goodness is part of God\u2019s justice in his kingdom.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Being people who live in God\u2019s Kingdom (under his rule) and who pray for his kingdom to come on this earth as it is in heaven, we probably need to square with the generous justice of God.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
Justice is all the rage these days. What exactly justice is is a complicated notion, full of complicated sub-discussions and issues. In the Parable of the Generous Vineyard Owner (or the Laborers in the Vineyard) in Matthew 20.1-16, an interesting wrinkle in justice stands out. Remember the basic story: a man hires workers for a … <\/p>\n