Grace—the best definition I have ever heard was told to me when I was young. It is simple yet profound when you stop and analyze it. Grace is “God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense!” When I think of grace, I’m reminded of what it cost God and His Son, Jesus.
When Jesus came to this earth to fulfill the prophecies of the Old Testament, it was not just for the Jews. They were God’s chosen people to bring the Messiah into the world, but with the Messiah, salvation was made free and accessible to all people. When the veil was torn in the temple at His death, it signified that all people could have access to God through His Son, not through a Jewish priest.
A good illustration of this grace is found in Matthew, chapter 20. Jesus teaches a parable of a man looking to hire men to work in his vineyard. In verse 2, he and the laborers agreed to work for a penny a day. No problem. They agree to the wages the owner had offered, and off they go to work. They are happy to have the job. This same scenario plays out three more times during the day, except he offers to pay them “whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive.”
Matthew 20:1-10 “For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again, he went out about the sixth and ninth hour and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour, he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So, when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first. And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny. But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.”
At the end of the day, they each receive the same amount. This makes those who worked all day feel that they were treated unfairly. Based on what the others received, they thought they deserved more than they were promised. When we look at this, we may feel they were justified in how they felt rather than the landowner justified in his actions. It was pride that caused them to think that they deserved better than they received.
This is exactly how the Jews felt about God’s grace being extended to the Gentiles. After all, they were God’s chosen people. They should have been grateful that God was extending His grace to all mankind. It shows the kindness and generosity of their Master. It didn’t take anything away from them; it only extended His grace to others. The thought of Gentiles being fellow heirs to the Jews was beyond their comprehension.
God is not a debtor to anyone. He offered this grace to the Jews first. Those who would follow by putting their faith in the Messiah would be saved. The Jews represented those who entered the vineyard first. However, when God sent His Son to offer salvation to all men, of whom some might be on their deathbed, just as the thief on the cross, but they still would be saved and obtain eternal life. Jesus, as always, was teaching a lesson to all of us. God’s promise to Israel was not lessened because He opened the opportunity of eternal life to all.
As followers of Jesus, we should want all men to be saved, whether it be on their deathbeds or as young people with years of life to come. We should want no one to perish and go to Hell. The idea that we deserve more because we served longer and with greater zeal is ludicrous. If we get what we deserve, we will spend eternity in Hell! God’s grace provides us with eternal life, not our actions. It is the greatest gift ever given by the goodness of God. When we realize how great His grace and mercy are to us, we will stop focusing on what is fair according to our standards. The first laborers missed what a privilege they had to serve such a gracious, merciful Master. Take time today to think about God’s Riches At Christ’s Expense!
