The compensation kept going up. For the final leg of my daughter’s trip home to Montana for Christmas, the airline had switched to a smaller plane, which meant the airline had to scramble to rebook 15 passengers before taking off.
For starters, they offered what was roughly the monetary equivalent to the price of the ticket. Several people accepted it. Having had bad experiences with holiday travel in the past and just wanting to come home, my daughter held out.
Then the airline’s offer increased to twice the initial amount, and a few more people accepted. In apparent airline desperation as the departure time approached, the compensation jumped to four times as much as the initial offer, which promptly got the remaining people to rebook, including my daughter.
In Matthew 20:1-16, Jesus tells his disciples a parable about a vineyard owner who goes out early in the morning and hires some workers. He then goes again at 9:00 am, noon, 3:00 pm and 5:00 pm, and hires workers each time. But he gave those hired at 5:00 pm the same full-day wage as the people hired first thing in the morning.
So understandably, the full-day workers started grumbling to the vineyard owner. The owner answers, “Friend, I haven’t been unfair! Didn’t you agree to work all day for the usual wage? Take your money and go … Should you be jealous because I am kind to others?” (Matt. 20:13-15, NLT)
Jesus’ parable is about God’s generosity and grace, but it is also about patience. Jesus leads into this parable by saying “But many who are first [in this world] will be last [in the world to come]; and the last, first” (Matthew 19:30, AMP).
He then concludes the parable with an almost identical statement: “So those who are last [in this world] shall be first [in the world to come], and those who are first, last” (Matthew 20:16, AMP). According to the Amplified Bible footnote for Matthew 19:25, Jesus is trying to undo the Pharisees’ teaching that wealth is an indicator of whom God loves, and to get the disciples to focus on eternity.
So the heart of the parable, and my daughter’s story, is actually about patiently waiting for our rewards and compensation. She would have forgone the airline’s compensation if it meant getting home faster, but was rewarded for waiting. Jesus is telling the disciples – and us – to wait until we get home to Heaven for the eternal rewards that will come from being faithful to Him and serving Him here on Earth.
When are you expecting spiritual compensation for your faith?
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