HOMILY FROM CANON STEPHEN BAILLIE
25th Sunday of A20
Unequal Opportunities
Jesus does not see things as we do. Time and time again in his parables, he turns our expectations upside down and helps us to see things in a different light.
Today, he tells the story of the landowner who pays the same wages to all his workers – those who are hired at the crack of dawn and those who only joined late in the day. Naturally, the ‘early birds’ are put out by this – they feel it is unjust, even though they received the wages they were promised.
Maybe we sympathise with the complainers. In our individualistic society, we can fall into the trap of thinking that only certain people deserve good things. Those who work hard, who are law-abiding, who make the most of opportunities – they deserve a decent standard of living. Think of how often we hear people complaining about those who are struggling, saying they do not deserve assistance or ‘handouts’? Such criticism fails to consider that not everyone has the same opportunities or privileges in life.
But in this parable of Jesus, the landowner treats everyone the same, regardless of their productivity. He recognises that not all of them has the same opportunity – some were just luckier than others, in the right pace, at the right time. God is just and generous, and he expects us to have the same respect for everyone, regardless of their position in life.
Sadly, we do not live in an equal world where everyone’s dignity is respected and everyone has equal opportunities. We are mindful in particular of the world’s poor who suffer most as a result of environmental destruction – damage that is often caused by the comfortable lifestyles of others
