Mt. 20: 1-16A
One of the amazing notions in Christianity is the role of grace in a person’s life. When we think about the song ‘amazing grace’ our hearts are filled with a feeling that raises our hearts and minds to God, for his amazing hands in our lives. The lyrics go thus “Amazing grace, how sweet the sound, that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now I am found, was blind, but now I see.” Whoever sings this song they feel that this song is all about their own life. It reveals to us our salvation history. Over our sinfulness and failures and how God immerses us with his grace and again we are back at in our father’s house. However, the logicality of grace working in each person’s life is beyond our comprehension to understand.
The author of ‘amazing grace’ John Newton had such an amazing story to share with us. John Newton was the son of Mr. John Newton Elder a shipmaster in the Mediterranean service and Mrs. Elizabeth who was died of Tuberculosis when Newton was seven years old. At the age of eleven, he sailed with his father for the first time. Knowing the loose living of his co-sailors, the Senior Newton wanted his son to be a farmer. Anyhow, junior Newton decided to embrace the profession of his father. Meanwhile, he was pressed to serve the Royal Navy; frustrated by the hard life, he tried to desert the ship. But he was caught and punished severely in front of the entire crew. Having disgraced and humiliated, he decided to murder his captain and kill himself. However, he was recovered from this mental trauma.
Thereupon, He was transferred to another ship to assist the slave trade in West Africa.
Even so, He could not get along with the new crew. As a result, they abandoned him in West Africa and he was sold as a slave. He had to undergo ill-treatment and abuse by the natives over there. Due to his father’s efforts and influences, he was saved by the crew of another merchant ship. While returning home, the merchant ship was caught by a turbulent storm. The crew realized that they need supernatural intervention to sail through this storm and this marked the beginnings of the conversion story of Newton. Returning home he was renewed in his faith and tried to stop himself from involving in gambling and other profanity acts. However, the conversion was not complete. He continued to support the slave trade and over time became the Capitan of the ship. A few years later, he had a severe stroke and stopped completely his career as a seafaring. It was similar to Paul’s fall on his way to Damascus; having experienced the amazing grace that transformed his heart of stone to the heart of flesh, he started a movement to abolish the slave trade and became its main protagonist. Succeeding, he became an Anglican clergyman and composed several hymns and among those was born the amazing ‘amazing grace’ which continues to lead many to experience God’s immense love and unconditional mercy that Newton himself experienced in his life…
The history of Christianity presents to us the celebration of God’s grace in the lives so many people who were considered as great sinners once upon a time. Having immersed in the sea of grace, they become completely a new person with a new vision. When we encounter such people, we have nothing but feelings of amazement. What an amazing change? Is he the same person? Several saints of the church have such transformative stories to share with us. The famous saying reminds us of the role of grace in our transformation: “Every saint had a past and every sinner has a future. The lives of St. Peter, St. Paul, Augustine, etc. are magnificent examples of God’s grace.
At the same time, we see also examples of people slipped away from the moments of grace. At times, we may ask the question: ‘why was that person graced more than the other?’ We have no answers. The parable of the master who takes workers to the vineyard throws light to understand the way by which grace works in our life. The owner of the vineyard invites workers to the vineyard at different intervals of the day, promising one denarius. Even 11th hour, he brings workers to the vineyard but at the end of the day, gives equal wages of one denarius to all the workers as he promised. All those who came at the early hour started to grumble against the owner but the master reminds them of the promise of one denarius.
As we reflect on the parable, the symbolism of the parable is clear to us. We are familiar with the owner as well as the workers. In the end where you join? Are you with workers, who are the Israelites privileged to enter into the kingdom before all the other nations, are they right? Or Are you with God who was merciful enough to give place for the least in the kingdom even at the eleventh hour? The people of Israel demanded that they are the only chosen ones; however, they forgot the mercy of God that united a wandering people as people of God and as one nation showering all the graces upon them. At the same time, God wanted to save the entire humanity through their instrumentality but they turned their back to the gentiles with their exclusive mentality.
When it comes to our own life, we too think sometimes, we are leading an upright and saintly life but God showered more graces in my neighbour’s life, who is a sinner, why is it so? The answer is – It is the logic of the amazing graces of God. God showers more graces on one who far away from father’s house than one who is in the house just like John Newton who squandered God’s love and later on his life was enriched by the same grace and love… Let us gratefully thank God for the celebration of amazing grace in our lives.