Preface: The Laborers in the Vineyard parable (Matt 20: 1 – 16) was originally told 2000 years ago in a land conquered, occupied and governed by the Roman Empire. The Roman Empire was not known for its respect of the rights of those conquered. In the parable the landowner asks the rhetorical question, “Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own?” The answer, in a land conquered, occupied and governed by the Roman Empire was, “yes.” Read below to see what the answer may be in 21st Century Pennsylvania.
- Roy Timpe
Note: if you're unfamiliar with the original parable you may want to click here to read the original at the bottom of this page.
Consider the vineyard owner who went out at 7:00 AM August 1, 2007 to hire laborers for his Pennsylvania vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for $55.00 for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about 9:00 AM and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, “You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.” And so they went. Again he went out about 11:00 AM and 12:00 PM , and did the same thing. And about 3:00 PM he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, “Why have you been standing here idle all day long?”
They said to him, “Because no one hired us.”
He said to them, “You go into the vineyard too.” When quitting time came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, “Call the laborers and I will pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.” When those hired about 3:00 PM came, each one received $55.00. When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received $55.00
When they received it, they grumbled at the vineyard owner, saying, “These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.”
But he answered and said to one of them, “Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for $55.00? Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you.”
So when the workers hired first heard this they called a bureaucrat from the Pennsylvania Bureau of Labor Law Compliance. The bureaucrat said to the vineyard owner, “ What is going on here?”
The vineyard owner explained how he had hired his workers throughout the day and was now paying his workers the agreed upon price of $55.00 for the day.
The bureaucrat stopped him and asked, “How many workers did you hire at each time?”
“Each time I went to city I was able to find three able workers.” replied the vineyard owner.
“So then by your own admission, you hired your tenth employee shortly after 12:00 PM today?” barked the bureaucrat.
“ Yes, but what does that have to do with my agreement with the morning workers?” asked the vineyard owner.
“Everything,” replied the bureaucrat, “ in 2006 the Pennsylvania legislature changed the minimum wage law. as of July 1, 2007 businesses with fewer than 10 employees are required to pay $6.65 per hour.”
“But, $55.00 is $6.88 per hour for 8 hours work,” interrupted the vineyard owner.
Then the bureaucrat said, “Pennsylvania law requires you to pay $7.15 per hour once you go over ten employees. By your own admission you hired more than ten at noon today. You owe these men $57.20 ”
“But I only owe them $55.00” said the vineyard owner.
“If you wish to pay these men $55.00 rather than $57.20, you'll have to lay off the men you hired later in the day to get yourself below ten employees. Even then you still owe these men $57.20 for today, but after the layoff, tomorrow you can pay them $55.00.” explained the bureaucrat.
The vineyard owner replied, “I made an agreement with these men; I am paying the agreed amount. How is this wrong? Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? ”
Then the bureaucrat asked, “Lawful for you to do what you wish with what is your own? What is your own?”
The vineyard owner replied, “What is my own? This whole vineyard of course. It has been in my family for generations.”
“Show me the entries in your check book for April and August and tell me what you see there.” the bureaucrat commanded.
“Those are my property tax payments to the local and county government and the school.” replied the vineyard owner.
The bureaucrat said, “You see, your vineyard is collectively owned by the people of Pennsylvania. You only rent it from them. The people's representatives in the government decide what rent you should pay. The people's representatives decide which uses are allowed on the land you rent, and the people's representatives have also decided that you should pay them a minimum of $57.20 for the day. Now pay them what you owe them, not what you and they agreed upon!”
At this point the vineyard renter was distressed. He said, “You are telling me I am not a liberty to negotiate wages with my workers, I am also not a liberty to sell my product to any retail outlet in the state, but must sell to state stores run by state unionized employees. What country is this that has no private ownership of land, unilaterally inserts itself into every business agreement I make, controls what I pay my workers, and where and when I can sell my product?”
The bureaucrat answered, “This is the state of Pennsylvania in the United States of America, The freest country on earth.”
The vineyard renter asked, “How is it that a free people have come to this condition?”
The bureaucrat leaned across the table, looked around to assure that none of the workers was listening, and he lowered his voice and answered, “They let us educate their children.”
The unaltered Laborers in the Vineyard Parable Matthew 20: 1-16 New American Standard Bible:
Note: a denarius is a silver coin worth about a day's wages in the first century.
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. When he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the market place; and to those he said, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ And so they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did the same thing. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing around; and he said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day long?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You go into the vineyard too.’ When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the laborers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last group to the first.’ When those hired about the eleventh hour came, each one received a denarius. When those hired first came, they thought that they would receive more; but each of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they grumbled at the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the scorching heat of the day.’ But he answered and said to one of them, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for a denarius? ‘Take what is yours and go, but I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. ‘Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with what is my own? Or is your eye envious because I am generous?’ So the last shall be first, and the first last.” Matt 20: 1 – 16 NASB
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