PARABLES OF JESUS CHRIST
PARABLE OF THE LABORERS IN THE VINEYARD
DR. JIM DIXON
MATTHEW 20:1-16
OCTOBER 23, 1982
It was called “Bobo’s Bonanza.” It was a restaurant, and we could hardly wait to get there. We had blisters on our feet. We had mosquito bites all over us and we were tired. We had been hiking for more than six days, more than a hundred miles from Mineral King to Mount Whitney Portal. We had had nothing to eat but dehydrated food and trail snacks of nuts and raisins. We had been sleeping on the hard ground and we were exhausted but we had been told that great things awaited us at Bobo’s Bonanza! We had never been there, but we were told that they had steaks the size of frisbees and baked potatoes the size of footballs and we could hardly wait to get there. Some Christians look forward to heaven like that. Of course, they’ve never been there but they know that it lies at the end of the trail, and they’ve heard great things about it.
I want to share with you this morning on the subject of heaven and the nature of our eternal and heavenly rewards. I have three teachings and the first teaching is this. Some rewards will be the same for all of us as Christians. As Christians, we’re all going to get the same basic package. This is illustrated in the Parable of the Laborers of the Vineyard. Some of the laborers work all day, while some work only the very end of the day, but they all receive the same reward.
We will all receive heavenly bodies, and I believe they will all be the same type of bodies. The Bible says the bodies will by “dunamis,” which means powerful, from which we get the word “dynamite.” He tells us that these new bodies will be glorious, from the Greek word “doxa” which means “worthy of praise and worthy of honor.” He tells us that these new bodies will be spiritual from the Greek word “pneumatikos,” which means “subject to the Spirit.” So, we have this promise, all of us who believe in His name, that we will receive resurrection bodies and they will be heavenly. They will be imperishable. They will be powerful. They will be glorious, and they will be spiritual. We will have eternal youth.
You know, Napoleon I ruled France for many years, a great emperor, a great military strategist, a great military planner. He conquered much of the known world. He loved to strategize war but there is no doubt that Napoleon’s great love was Josephine. He married her in 1795 and he loved her with all of his heart. One hundred and seventy- seven years ago, in 1805, Napoleon gave her a beautiful tiara, a small crown, with 880 diamonds, made in a crown of gold and silver. The weight of those diamonds was more than 250 carats. Can you imagine? It was beautiful. Josephine was royal and she was beautiful. She was stately. She was intelligent. I’m sure when she looked upon that crown as Napoleon first gave it to her, there was a sparkle in her eyes.
That tiara was on exhibit in New York City a few years ago and it still looks just as beautiful as it did 177 years ago when Napoleon first gave it to Josephine. It’s still beautiful. But, you see, Josephine has long since passed away, dust to dust, and I’m sure that Napoleon and his love for her would have given her eternal youth and eternal beauty if it had been within his power but he could not give such a gift. You see, there’s only one man in this whole universe that has the power to give eternal youth and that man is Jesus Christ and He promises eternal youth and resurrection bodies to every single person who believes in His name. Then, too, this general package that will be given to every Christian includes the promise of heaven itself and all the glories of heaven.
Five months ago, I shared with you how I’ve always been fascinated for the search for the lost continent of Atlantis. It is true that for hundreds of years scientists and explorers have searched for Atlantis. They have searched as far away as the Bahamas, and they’ve looked for the ruins of sunken cities beneath the sea. They’ve looked in the North Sea. They’ve looked on the coastlands of South America and Spain. They’ve looked in the East Indies, but they’ve found nothing. If you’ve been watching television, you know that even Jacques Cousteau has entered this great quest. But no one has been able to find it. Scientists have tried to reconstruct maps based on the writings of Plato, the Greek philosopher, who supposedly had access to ancient Egyptian manuscripts describing something of the mystery and the beauty and location of Atlantis, but these maps have availed nothing. Some scientists have speculated that the great island, the ancient Greek volcanic island of Santorini which exploded in the 15th century may actually have been Atlantis, but nobody knows because Santorini, the whole mass of that island, was dumped into the depth of the sea.
But, you see, there’s one sense in which heaven is exactly like Atlantis. People want to know where it is. They want to know what it’s like and they want to know how to find it, but the Bible tells us how to find heaven. We find heaven through faith in Jesus Christ. There is no other name under heaven given among men whereby we may be saved. If you believe in Jesus Christ as Lord and Savior today, then you have as an eternal reward this general package promised to all Christians which includes eternal life, resurrection bodies and the glory of heaven itself. As Christians we will all see paradise. We will see nature restored. We are all promised a heavenly city whose builder and maker is God and we are all promised the cosmos, the new heavens and the new earth. These are promises given to all Christians.
But I have a second teaching that I want to give you this morning that relates to heaven and our heavenly rewards and it is this. Some of our rewards are going to vary. Beyond this basic package, we’re going to be receiving varying different heavenly rewards. The person sitting right next to you will not receive exactly the same rewards that you receive. This is illustrated in the Parable of the Pounds as recorded in the 19th chapter of Luke where our Lord Jesus said, “The kingdom of heaven may be compared to a nobleman who went into a distant country to receive kingly power. Calling his servants unto himself, he gave them each a pound and said, ‘Trade with these until I return.’ But some of his citizens hated him and they sent an embassy after him saying, ‘We do not want this man to rule over us.’ Nevertheless, he returned, having received kingly power. He commanded that his servants be brought that he might know what had been gained through trading.
The first came to him and said, ‘Master, your pound has made ten pounds more.’ He said, ‘Well done, my good and faithful servant. You’ve been faithful over a little. You shall have authority over ten cities.’ The next came to him and said, ‘Master, your pound has made five pounds.’ He said, ‘You shall have authority over five cities.’ The third came to him and said, ‘Master, I knew that you were a hard man, taking up where you did not put down, reaping where you did not sow, so I took your pound, and I laid it up in a napkin. Here you have what is yours.’ He said to him, ‘You wicked servant. I condemn you out of your own mouth for if you knew that I was a hard man, taking up where I did not put down, reaping where I did not sow, then you should have taken my money and invested it with the bankers and upon my return I would have had my money with interest.’ And he said to those standing by, ‘Take the pound from him and give it to the man who has the ten pounds.’ They said, ‘But Sir, he already has ten pounds.’ And he said, ‘To him who has, shall more be given.’ He said, ‘As for my enemies, as for those who did not want me to reign over them, bring them here and slay them before me.”‘
Now that’s a harsh parable but it illustrates a very significant truth. The Lord Jesus Christ wants us to know that there are only two types of people in this world. There are those who reject His reign, and they will suffer eternal ruin and there are those who accept His reign but among those who accept His reign, there are varying degrees of faithfulness that will result in varying heavenly rewards as illustrated in the ten cities, the five cities, and the no cities. We see this throughout the scriptures. John, the Apostle of our Lord Jesus Christ, wrote to Christians as recorded in the little letter of II John, and he said his prayer was that they might receive a full reward, but his fear was that some might not receive full rewards. Jesus said, “some would have great reward in heaven” but the Apostle Paul said that some Christians “will suffer loss of reward though they themselves will be saved but only as through fire.” He says this in I Corinthians, Chapter 3, “Some Christians will suffer loss of reward.”
So, you see, we have this teaching that beyond that basic package there will be varying rewards in heaven. Some Christians want to know, “What are they going to be like? What are these varying heavenly rewards going to be like? Are they going to be things physical?” I’ve heard Christians suggest that. I heard one man suggest that when we get to heaven, we’re all going to be assembled in this giant outdoor amphitheater and the Lord Jesus is going to come out front and He’s going to stand there and begin to call our names one by one individually. He’s going to say, “Come on down!” He’s going to be handing out free trips to Andromeda or something like that. But the Bible does not support this picture.
The Bible tells us actually that our heavenly rewards are more functional than they are material. They have to do with our assigned roles, and they have to do with our assigned ministries in the life to come. This is illustrated in the statement of our Lord Jesus Christ that “You’ve been faithful over little in this life. I will set you over much in the next.” So, the varying rewards have to do with our assigned ministries and our roles and our functions. We can’t really understand this until we understand that as Christians, we are all destined to reign and to rule for all eternity.
I’m sure that most of you are not that interested in reigning and ruling because you don’t understand what it means in the context of Christ, but we are guaranteed in the scriptures that each and every one of us as Christians will reign and rule in some sense in the life to come. In the 22nd chapter of the book of Revelation, we are told that as Christians we will see Christ’s face. He will write His name upon us, and we shall worship Him. Night shall be no more, and we shall reign and rule forever and ever. It says in the 20th chapter of Revelation that “The dead in Christ shall rise and we shall reign.” It says in the 5th chapter of Revelation that “Jesus Christ has made us a kingdom of priests and we shall reign.” It says in the first chapter of Revelation that “Jesus Christ has made us kings and priests.” It says in the second chapter of Revelation, our Lord Jesus Christ said, “He who conquers and is faithful unto the end, I will give him power over the nations. He shall rule them with a rod of iron as when earthen pots are broken in pieces, even as I receive power from My Father who is in heaven, and I will give Him the Morning Star. He who has an ear, let him hear.”
In the third chapter of Revelation, Jesus Christ said, “Behold, I stand at the door to your life, and I knock. If anyone open the door, I will come in and live with him and he with me. He who conquers, I will grant him to sit down with me on my throne even as I conquered and sat down with my Father on His throne.” Jesus Christ told His disciples that they would one day sit on thrones in the life to come. The Apostle Paul wrote to Timothy as recorded in II Timothy, Chapter 2, and he said, “This much is sure. If we die with Christ, we will also live with Christ. If we endure, we will also reign with Christ.” And Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth, and he said, “Do you not know that the saints will one day rule or judge the universe.” The Greek word “cosmos” — an incredible statement but this teaching is clear. As Christians, each and every one of you who believe in His name are destined to reign and rule for all eternity.
But perhaps you have a false understanding of what that means because when you think of reigning and ruling, you think of some earthly monarch or some earthly ruler. But God wants us to know that the only adequate illustration of what it means to reign, and rule is given in His Son. When we look at Jesus Christ, we see a reign of love, a reign of service and a reign of example. Jesus Christ said to His disciples, “You know how the rulers of the gentiles loved to lord it over them and their great men loved to exercise authority over them, but it will not be so among you. He who would be the greatest among you must be your slave and he who would be first must be the servant of all, even as the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve and to give His life, a ransom for many.”
In Jesus Christ, we have an illustration of the type of reign that we’ve been called to. It’s a reign of love. It’s a reign of service. And so it was that Christ washed His disciples’ feet and He said to them, “Do you know what I’ve done for you? You call Me Master and Lord and you are right for so I am. If I, then, your Master and Lord have washed your feet, how much more ought you to wash one another’s feet. I have given you an example that you should follow in My steps, and we will.”
The Apostle Peter learned this and towards the end of his life, he wrote to the Christians in Asia. He wrote to the leaders of the churches. He said, “I exhort the elders among you as a fellow elder and a partaker in the sufferings of Christ as well as a partaker in the glory that is to be revealed. Tend the flock, which is your charge, not by constraint but willingly, not for shameful gain but eagerly, not as domineering over those in your charge but being an example to the flock. When the Chief Shepherd is manifested, you will receive the unfading crown of glory.”
The Bible calls us to a reign of love. The Bible calls us to a reign of service. Some Christians want to know, “What or over whom will be reign or rule?” That’s a difficult question. For all eternity, over whom or over what will we reign or rule? I think the Bible gives some insight there. Certainly, the Bible tells us that we will rule and reign forever and ever over the realm of nature. Even as Adam and Eve were placed on this earth and they were given dominion over the birds of the air and over the fish of the sea and over the beasts of the field, so it is that for all eternity we will be given dominion over nature. Our dominion will be extended beyond the earth to the heavens and the earth, and we will not abuse that dominion because we will have the Spirit of Christ.” That dominion over the realm of nature and all the beauty of it is described in Isaiah, Chapter 11, and in Isaiah, Chapter 65.
And then also we are given the promise that our reigning and ruling in some sense is connected to the angels and the angelic realm, that there’s some sense in which you as believers in Jesus Christ will be elevated over the angels. This is a difficult teaching. I know it’s difficult for me because, you see, the angels are high and lifted up. They are lofty. In the Greek they are called the “angelos.” In the Hebrew they are called “the molokiem.” God created them at the dawn of time. They beheld our creation. They have great power, and they have great glory, and they are righteous, and they are holy.
The Bible seems to indicate that there is something that has been given to us that angels do not understand. In the book of I Peter, Peter wrote, and he said, “The gospel is a mystery into which angels long to look.” Perhaps there is something in mercy and grace that the angels, never having needed forgiveness, cannot fully understand but nevertheless there’s a sense in which we are to be elevated over them. The author of the book of Hebrews says, “It is not to angels that God has subjected the world to come of which we are speaking.” Then he goes on to make the incredible statement that “It is to man and to the Son of Man that God has subjected the world to come.” Paul wrote to the Christians at Corinth, and he said, “Do you not know that one day you will judge angels?” An incredible promise.
Then, too, there are those who have suggested that perhaps God, in His great power and dominion, has peopled the universe. Billy Graham has suggested that. Hal Lindsay has suggested that. I certainly think it’s speculative but there are those who think there will be some sense in which we will be sent out into the universe in the name of Christ. Certainly, there are some mysterious passages such as in Romans 8 where Paul says, “The entire creation,” ‘ktizo,’ awaits the coming of the Sons of God.” In Ephesians where the Apostle Paul wrote to the Christians there and he said that “it was in accordance with God’s wisdom and plan that through the church, the gospel might be made known to the principalities and powers in the heavenly places.”
But these are mysteries. You see, the important thing is not that we know over whom we are to reign and rule. The important thing is that we know how we are to reign and rule and we are to reign and rule with the Spirit of Christ. We are to have a reign of service and we are to have a reign of love. This life is a time of preparation for the life to come.
That’s the third and final message that I want to share with you this morning concerning heaven and heavenly rewards. This life is a time of preparation. It is a time of testing. Paul wrote to Timothy, and he said, “Train yourself in godliness.” He said, “Bodily training is of some value but godliness holds value in every way as it holds promise not only for this life but also for the life to come. This saying is sure and worthy of full acceptance for to this end we toil and strive, for our hope is set on the Living God.” And so, Paul wrote to Timothy, and he said to Timothy, “Train yourself in godliness because it prepares you for the life to come.”
As Christians we are called to be trained in godliness. This is a classroom, this world. One day we will step into the real world where everything we’ve learned in this classroom will be applied. In every situation in your life when you are under authority, God wants you to learn a servant’s heart. In every situation in your life when you have been given authority, God wants you to learn to exercise it with a spirit of service.
Barbara and I have been given authority with respect to Heather and Drew and we want to learn to exercise that authority in love and with a spirit of serving them because that’s what prepares us for the life to come. This life is a time of preparation and testing.
Czar Nicholas I ruled Russia for more than 50 years. He was a stern ruler, but he had great compassion for the people. One day he dressed in poverty. He put on beggar’s clothes, and he went incognito out among his people to see if they were growing in love, to see if they were growing in mercy, to see if they were growing in compassion. He began to knock on doors, the doors of his people. He was turned away time after time after time. This is a true story. But he came to one home, the home of a peasant and his wife. They were poor but they invited him in. They gave him food to eat, and they gave him water to drink, and they gave him a cot to sleep upon.
The next morning, the peasant couple arose, and their guest was gone. They didn’t think anything of it. Three weeks later they were sitting on the porch of their little cottage, and they looked out and they saw a great army of soldiers marching down their road towards their house. They were afraid. Beyond the soldiers there was a royal carriage pulled by four majestic horses and in that carriage there was the great Czar Nicholas. He came to their house, and he stepped down before them. He had a smile on his face, and they recognized him as the one who had come as a poverty- stricken man. He gave them rewards and gifts beyond their wildest expectations.
You see, God wants us to know that He is now moving among His people. By His Spirit, He is watching us. Before Him, no creature is hidden but all are open and laid bare before the eyes of Him with whom we have to do. Our Lord Jesus Christ will one day visit us either through our death or through His coming. He will visit us, and we will stand before Him. He longs to be able to say to us, “Come, 0 blessed of My Father. Inherit the kingdom prepared for you from before the foundation of the world for I was hungry, and you gave Me to eat. I was thirsty and you gave Me to drink. I was naked and you clothed Me. I was sick and in prison and you visited Me.” He longs to be able to say “Insofar as you’ve done it unto the least of these, my brethren, you have done it unto Me.” He longs to bless you with rewards beyond your wildest comprehension. Now, of course, there’s no way that any of you can deserve heavenly rewards. We don’t deserve to be in heaven in the first place. But, you see, God, in His love, has chosen to reward us then on the basis of our growth and sanctification now. I’m sure that most of you, as Christians, are far more concerned with having Jesus Christ be pleased when you stand before Him than you are with any awards or rewards that He might give you.
I’m sure most of you have heard of the Victoria Cross. It is the highest commendation that the British Commonwealth can bestow for valor and courage in the midst of battle. The first Victoria Cross was given in 1857. It was given in Hyde Park in London, and it was given by Queen Victoria herself. The man who stood before her to receive it was badly maimed. His body was wounded. He could barely stand. When she looked upon him, tears came to her eyes, and she began to weep openly.
The soldier said, “If I had my life to live over, I would serve you again.” She embraced him. Before she gave him the Victoria Cross, she whispered something in his ear. To this day, no one knows what she said. But the solder was later interviewed. They asked him how he felt to receive the Victoria Cross. He said the cross meant very little. The award meant very little. What meant the most of him was the fact that she was pleased with his life. I think that’s how most of you feel. That’s what your desire is when you stand before Jesus Christ, that He will be pleased with your life, that He might be able to say to you, “Well done, My good and faithful servant.”
Imagine just for a second that you could see three children sitting in a car, aged two, three and four. They are about to go on a vacation. Their parents are in the house and they’re finishing up the packing. If you were to go up to those children and you were to say, “Where are you going?” They probably wouldn’t be able to tell you. If you were to ask them what they were going to eat that night, they probably wouldn’t be able to tell you. If you were to ask them where they were going to sleep that night, they probably wouldn’t be able to tell you. But if you asked them who they were going with, a smile would come on their face and they would say, “With mom and dad.”
There’s an illustration here, I was told, an illustration that depicts the Christian life. We don’t know where we’re going and we don’t know what we’re doing, but we know who we’re going with. Well, I have since learned that that illustration is false. There’s a certain element of truth to it because Jesus Christ does want us to have the faith of a child, but He doesn’t want us to have the knowledge or the information level of a child. It is true that we “see in a mirror dimly” but nevertheless, He wants us to grow in knowledge and He wants us to know that our destiny is heaven. We know where we’re going, and we will one day stand before the judgement seat of Jesus Christ.
This life is a classroom. It is a time of preparation, and He wants us to know it and He wants us to take it seriously. And so, we have these three teachings concerning the nature of heaven and our heavenly rewards. Three teachings given through the Parables. The first teaching is this. All of us as Christians are going to receive the same basic package. We’re all going to receive everlasting life. We’re all going to receive resurrection bodies and we’re all going to receive the glories of heaven itself. But the second teaching is this. Some rewards will vary. Beyond that basic package, there will be varying rewards and they have not so much to do with things that are material, but they have to do with our ministries in eternity. The final message is this. This life is a classroom. It’s a time of preparation and God wants it to be the priority of our life that we might train ourselves in godliness. Shall we pray?