Scripture

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire men to work in his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. “About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. He told them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. “He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. He asked them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ “‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. “He said to them, ‘You also go and work in my vineyard.’ “When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, beginning with the last ones hired and going on to the first.’ “The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. ‘These men who were hired last worked only one hour,’ they said, ‘and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day.’ “But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the man who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.” (Matt. 20:1–16)

Prayer

Have a family member pray for your time together.

Ask God to help everyone in the family understand His Word and who He is.

Opening Activity:

Create a small mess in an area of your house. Have each family member agree to help clean it up and in return you will pay them a dollar. Before you begin, assign each family member a task. Have one person’s only task be picking up a small scrap of paper from the floor. The other members will have a larger task to complete.

When someone protests or complains, ask the others if they agree.
Was it fair for me to pay the person who only picked up one piece of paper the same amount as the person who cleaned the window? Why or why not?

 Lesson

Remind everyone of the parable you read. Remember parables have a hidden meaning. Who is the “farmer” in this parable? (God) Who are the “workers”? (Us, the people who live on earth and work for God) Why did the ‘workers’ complain to the ‘farmer’? (those who worked all day got paid the same as those who worked only an hour) How did the ‘farmer’ answer them? (verses 15-16)

The workers complaining to the farmer are really complaining to God. Do you think complaining to God is a good idea? (No, He’s the creator who is in charge of everything)

God is generous. He wants all people to receive All His love no matter when they decide to follow Him. He says, “The First will be last, and the last will be first.” The workers who were hired early thought they were more ‘valuable’ because they had done more work. God’s answer shows that God does not work that way. God is generous and people who believe in Jesus later in life will still be given the same reward.

My husband, Dell, was baptized when he was 22. His father, Kelly, was baptized when he was 71. Dell is happy that both, he and his dad belong to the Kingdom of Heaven. Thinking about older people we know and love who we want to know Jesus helps us not be jealous like the workers.
What does this story show about God’s love? (It’s never too late to come to God and receive All His love.)

Activity

Today we are going to play a game where you will have 3 minutes to gather up as many Plastic Army men as you can. (think easter egg hunt and hide the items around the house) One thing about the game is that everyone will start at a different time. So if you start last you might only get one minute to find the most army men! Spend some time hiding army men around the house and see which family member can find the most! Ok ready set go! 

Start a 3 Minute timer and start a new family member every 30 seconds. Once the timer runs out, stop the game and count up how many army men each person found.

Once counted and determined who found the most; give everyone an equal prize for the game. (candy, coke, etc)