The parable of the laborers in the vineyard isn’t just a lesson about unfairness; it’s about how Christ promises to make all things fair.
As I read the parable of the laborers in the vineyard found in Matthew 20: 1–16, the unfairness of the situation stood out to me. On that particular occasion, it wasn’t the laborers of the first hour that I sympathized with, but those of the eleventh. I was heading into my senior year at BYU, and it seemed all my friends were pairing off and getting married, while I had no prospects. I wasn’t naive about the work involved in marriage and relationships; it was work I was willing and wanting to do, but unable to find.
The laborers of the eleventh hour must have felt similar frustration, as Elder Jeffrey R. Holland points out in his general conference address “The Laborers in the Vineyard.” He explains that a day without work for someone of that time was not a day of leisure, but a day filled with anxiety about how to survive and provide for a family. Those who labored diligently from the beginning of the day perhaps worked harder but were also in a more fortunate situation. Given the choice, I would much rather be among the laborers hired at the beginning of the day.
Photo by Pat Whelen
Elder Holland teaches, “The formula of faith is to hold on, work on, see it through, and let the distress of earlier hours—real or imagined—fall away in the abundance of the final reward.” In the parable, the lord of the vineyard paid a full-day’s wage to all those he employed, regardless of how long they had worked. Previously, when I had read this parable, this seemed like a moment of injustice, but as I empathized with the laborers of the eleventh hour, I realized it was actually the moment where the lord overcame all injustice.
Because of the Atonement of Jesus Christ, I will be rewarded for my patience and my willingness—in addition to my work. Because of Jesus Christ, I can feel confident that no blessing will be withheld from me. Even if the Lord chooses not to give us the blessings we are willing to work for until the eleventh hour of our lives, we can trust that the reward will be no less magnificent. When we feel discouraged waiting for promised blessings, that is when we should look to the Savior as our assurance of good things to come.
To learn more insights from the parable, read Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s full address, “The Laborers in the Vineyard.”
Source: General Conference
—Contributor, Latter-day Saint Insights
FEATURE IMAGE BY PHILIPPE SERRAND
Find more insights
Read Sister Maryssa Dennis’s article “What I’ve Learned from Waiting on the Lord” to learn how another young adult views the growth that comes from waiting for blessings.
Listen to Elder Jeffrey R. Holland’s general conference address “An High Priest of Good Things to Come” to learn more about how Jesus Christ can help us feel confident in his promises.