Initiate

A video introduction using illustrations, personal stories, metaphors, or active learning examples to begin the discussion.

Interact

After the video, prompts are supplied for thinking and sharing with others personal perception and experience. This opening activity prompts participants to think about and relate to the topic, and to share with others. 

It’s Not Fair

Traffic fines are often perceived as inconsistent. Some individuals receive warnings while others get tickets, influenced by subjective judgment rather than uniform application of the law. While officers aim to prioritize safety in their decisions, the variability can lead to feelings of relief or frustration depending on the outcome.

Share the following scenarios with the group and ask: 

1. How would you feel in this situation? 

2. Do you think the outcome is fair? Why or why not?

• You are driving safely, but someone else doesn't and causes injury to you.
• You are driving over the speed limit and get caught when others don’t.
• You drive over the speed limit but never get caught.
• You get caught speeding, and the officer gives you a ticket.
• You get caught speeding, but the officer gives you a warning instead of a ticket.

3. How does our sense of fairness change from one situation to the other? 

Insight

The Bible discussion begins with a careful reading of the whole passage, either from your own Bibles, or from the provided images below.

Then participants are to ask:

1. What is going on in this passage of Scripture?
2. What are the key words and phrases? Highlight them.
3. Why do you think this passage is included in the Bible?
4. What does it contribute to our “knowing Christ” and “living in Christ”?

Read Matthew 20:9-16:

9 “The workers who were hired about five in the afternoon came and each received a denarius. 10 So when those came who were hired first, they expected to receive more. But each one of them also received a denarius. 11 When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12 ‘These 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.’

13 “But he answered one of them, ‘I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? 14 Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?’

16 “So the last will be first, and the first will be last.
 

Download PDF of Matthew 20:9-16

Parables are designed to convey a central teaching point, and the parable of the workers in Matthew 20:1-16 is no exception. In this story, workers are hired throughout the day, yet all receive the same pay. While some respond with gratitude, others feel frustrated despite agreeing to their wages. This highlights the landowner’s generosity, symbolizing God’s grace, which often surpasses human notions of fairness.

God’s grace is most evident in the question, “Are you angry because I am generous?” It challenges us to reflect on whether our frustration stems not from what we lack but from God’s extravagant grace toward others. As Romans 3:23, 5:8, and 6:24 remind us, none of us earn grace—it is a gift freely given.

If the religious leaders of Israel needed this lesson, so do we. The call is clear: embrace God’s grace, celebrate His blessings for others, and reject resentment or comparison. Who in our lives can we celebrate and welcome with the same generous spirit God shows to all? Let us rejoice in His grace!