#153: THE 11TH HOUR
“So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, “Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.” And when those who came who were hired about the 11th hour, they each received a denarius.” (Mathew 20:8-9) Jesus tells his disciples a parable, narrating the story of a land owner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for His vineyard. He agreed with the laborers to pay them the normal daily wage which was a denarius and sent them into his vineyard to start working. He went out the 3rd hour and met others standing idle in the market place. He called them to work as well in his vineyard and agreed to pay them a fair price. He went out again the 6th and the 9th hour and repeated the same thing. At the 11th hour, he still met others standing idle, and the excuse given was that there was no one to hire them. He hired them immediately and sent them into his vineyard to join the others as well. Now it was pay ...