Year C. 1st Term. Lesson 3. Parable Series: The vineyard

Scripture: for teacher background:  Matthew 20:1-15

Making contact:

1. Discuss the grape juice in Holy Communion. Where does it come from and how is it made? Show pictures of a vineyard and have some grapes, raisins and grape juice on display. If possible have a branch of a vine.
2. Play a game where all the contestants get the same reward not based on achievement. E.g. a running race, or throwing a ball or straw. See who did the best and give everyone the same size prize or the same number of points. Discuss if they felt annoyed that everyone got the same.
3. Hand out points or sweets for jobs done at Sunday school. Again everyone receives the same whether they arrive early and do most of the work or merely pick up one paper or do some tiny job.

 Exploration:

This is a parable about a vineyard. When the grapes are ripe they all have to be picked very quickly, so the more hands to work, the better.
Quite often a farmer would hire a whole team of people just for a few days. In Jesus’ story the man went to hire some workers early in the morning.
 He agreed to pay them one silver coin for the whole day’s work. They were very happy with this and they got to work.

- At 9 O Clock he went and got some more workers and promised them a fair pay.

- At 12 and

- 3 O Clock he got more workers.

- Even at 5 O Clock he found some more workers.

 When evening came the workers gathered around to receive their pay.
He paid the ones he hired last first. He gave them a silver coin.
When the men who had been hired early in the morning also got a silver coin, they grumbled.
“We worked in the hot sun all day and you paid us the same as those who only worked an hour”, they complained.
He said he hadn’t cheated them. He paid them what they had agreed upon in the morning and didn’t he have the right to pay others the same even if they worked much less.
He asked if they were jealous because he was generous.
He then said: “So those who are last will be first and those who are first will be last.”

Application

This story has an unusual message. The farmer was so generous to the workers employed last! What does this story mean?

-          There are people who love and serve God who think they are better and deserve more love and reward than other people who come in late. There are sinners who come to know God late in life, after messing up all their life long and they get the same reward as those who have been good all their lives. These people get mad at God and think He isn’t fair. They are jealous.

-           It isn’t a very nice quality and it actually proves they don’t understand God’s love. God loves every sinner – whether they repent early in life or late.

-           It’s not up to us to judge each other and decide that some people deserve less than others. God does not have favourites as some religious people think. Some are not better than others. We are all equal in God’s eyes and He wants to bless us all equally.

-           We should be happy that people come into God’s kingdom at all, even late like the thief on the cross.

-           It doesn’t always have to be fair. God isn’t fair when He dishes out love. He is GENEROUS!

Challenge to Mission

Just as the wine farmer was generous to everyone, even if they didn’t deserve it, who can you be kind and generous to this week? We don’t only give to people who can give back, but we can be kind to everyone.

Make a card and give it to someone who doesn’t really deserve it, but you are being kind and generous. This kind of work actually makes you feel blessed. Jesus said don’t only be kind to your friends, even non Christians can do that, but in His strength show grace and kindness to those who don’t deserve it.

Consolidation

Worksheet – the children must first draw in the clock faces to show what time the workers began and then they can draw arrows to the appropriate little faces from the clocks – whether it is showing an angry face like the early workers or a smiley face because they got full pay for only a half of quarter day work.

Memory Verse

“I pray that you may have the power to understand how broad and long, how high and deep is Christ’s love.” Ephesians 3:18

(You could put the memory verse in a picture of a bunch of grapes.)