Jesus shared this parable on a landowner and his hiring of vineyard workers to work in his vineyard. The story is intriguing and full of profound lessons. At the end of the day's work, the landowner decides to pay all the workers the same pay as agreed when he hired them. However, those he hired first became indignant; "When those hired at five o’clock were paid, each received a full day’s wage. When those hired first came to get their pay, they assumed they would receive more. But they, too, were paid a day’s wage. When they received their pay, they protested to the owner, ‘Those people worked only one hour, and yet you’ve paid them just as much as you paid us who worked all day in the scorching heat.’ “He answered one of them, ‘Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go. I wanted to pay this last worker the same as you. Is it against the law for me to do what I want with my money? Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?’ “So those who are last now will be first then, and those who are first will be last.”
Matthew 20:9-16 NLT. In your opinion, was what the landowner did fair? Humanly speaking, shouldn't the workers he hired first have gotten something more than those he hired last? I would like to hear your thoughts on this. Lastly, who do you think Jesus was addressing in the story? In a second teaching, Jesus shares on how to make your prayer powerful so that you can be sure you will get answers to them; "Then Jesus told them, “I tell you the truth, if you have faith and don’t doubt, you can do things like this and much more. You can even say to this mountain, ‘May you be lifted up and thrown into the sea,’ and it will happen. You can pray for anything, and if you have faith, you will receive it.”
Matthew 21:21-22 NLT. The strength of every prayer is determined not by the person praying, but by the person answering. This is why Jesus says; "if you have faith IN GOD and don't doubt". The power in the prayer is standing on one thing and one thing only, what you know about the person answering. That is how to make your prayer powerful, know God better and better.
