We all have a sense of what is fair and unfair. From children on the playground to women and men in the workplace, we try to be fair to others and expect others to be fair in their dealings with us. Cheaters, whether it be on the football or soccer field or in the boardroom are those who have acted contrary to that innate sense of fairness. We are taught to hold cheaters in low esteem.
Today’s Gospel puts a different spin on our sense of fairness. Jesus tells the story of a landowner who needed workers for his vineyard. He goes out at dawn and hires workers, then at 9:00, at noon, at 3:00 and finally at 5:00. When the time comes for him to pay the workers, he gives everyone a day’s wage, regardless of the length of time they spent in the vineyard. The men who were in the field since dawn complained to the landowner. Their sense of fairness was piqued.
How could those who had worked only a few hours get the same remuneration as they who had labored in the heat of the day? Isn’t it unfair that they do not receive more? Is the landowner cheating the workers? In today’s world, with unions and government labor regulations, there would probably be lawsuits filed in response to the seemingly unfair landowner.