tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778905687600416321.post774713264989419671..comments2023-11-05T02:55:10.230-06:00Comments on Gottesdienst Online: Evil Eyes and the Good Master: Thoughts on SeptuagesimaPr. H. R.http://www.blogger.com/profile/16756503062523543708noreply@blogger.comBlogger1125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-4778905687600416321.post-82686887793865741422013-01-21T17:13:21.965-06:002013-01-21T17:13:21.965-06:00If the world is going to end tonight, then the own...If the world is going to end tonight, then the owner of the vinyard could do this for one day and it would be remarked upon all up and down his valley. However, if you pay 10.00 for 8 hours of work, and 10:00 for 1 hour of work, you're not going to be able to get a price for your grapes that will justify such extravagance. Your grapes must cost more because you paid so much more than any other vinyard owner to collect them. You used a method of paying workers that the workers didn't like and that weakend your position in the marketplace. If you are so unconcerned about the viability of your business, that will lead to the loss of your land, eventually, and no one will want to work for you at such unpredictable remuneration. "He pays ten dollars for 8 hours or 1 hour of work. I don't want to work for him because he's mixing up generousity with business, and a business that makes little money cannot be very generous for very long. <br /><br />I suspect what you have here is an owner who spends most of his time at the royal court, thinking of ways to spend other peoples' money. Sorry, it's just they way the middle-class thinks. Survive in business and you can do some good and still feed your family too. The story teller assumes the vinyard owner is rich and can waste his money if he pleases with no consequences. He must be getting a substantian subsidy from the government to hire as many people as possible, costs be damned.<br /><br />Out side of story ville, this man will lose his land to the bankers and his own family will go hungry, because he confused bad business practices with generousity.<br /><br />There's got to be a better message in this seemingly senseless story. I think his brother-in-law has been invited over to dinner by his wife to talk to him about how the vinyard world works. His strange behavior is attracting the wolves.<br /><br />In this world, you must be fair, and you must be seen to be fair. He was fair to the 1st work gang; he was not fair with those, especially from the 6th hour onward. He was being generous with them, not fair. He did not seem to be fair and for that he will have trouble hiring men tomorrow.<br /><br />But, if their is no tomorrow and Jesus is just reminding his followers, that no matter how long they have followed him, even for just one hour, he will have mercy on them, he will pour out grace upon them all, and he will take them all into his Kingdom (Heaven). So, those who were first are the luckyiest to have been with him in the Truth the longest, but the result for all is the same, salvation. Those who were in the Savior's vinyard the longest working in the presence of the One they Love, had the least to worry about, they knew for the whole day that they were saved, whereas the last didn't know and lived in doubt and ignorance for the whole day. They suffered more for their good ending was not at all sure to them till the end of the day. Your first ones knew they were in the Kingdom, laboring with joy under Jesus watchful eyes. Though the money was the same, your whole day in the Kingdom was a much higher payment than those who didn't know till the end of the day if they would make it or not.<br /><br />In business, good businessmen will pay more for protection from risk. Less risk and more risk are things people in business and who work, that they understand, and they understand the monetary value of it. I think that's how the insturance business makes money.<br /><br />The first gang pay almost nothing for their risk of getting into the Kingdom. By dawn, they were in. No risk. Those last hour poeple paid dearly in "standing around and not knowing" all day. They paid a risk premium for that full day's wage.<br /><br />Oh, and let not your left hand know what your right hand pays in salaries. The green eye of envy is everywhere. Do not encourage envy, nor provoke it, it is the common nature of mankind and socialism has made it a virtue.Joannehttps://www.blogger.com/profile/09777514643611989502noreply@blogger.com