«¿Vas a tener tú envidia porque yo soy bueno?»

Marta Medina Balguerías of Alfa y Omega shared a reflection on the Gospel of Mateo 20, 1-16, which features the parable of the workers in the vineyard.

In the parable, a landowner hires laborers at different times throughout the day, including at dawn, midday, and late afternoon. When it is time to pay them, the owner instructs the foreman to pay everyone the same wage of 1 denarius, starting with those hired last. The workers who began their shift early in the morning protest, believing they should receive more because they endured the heat and the full day of labor.

The landowner responds by stating he has not acted unjustly because the workers originally agreed to the specific wage. He asks if he should not be allowed to be generous with his own resources or if the others are envious of his goodness. The passage concludes with the teaching that the last will be first and the first will be last.