Meaning of the Parable of the Workers from the Bible

Shri Anil asked: Could You kindly enlighten us on the meaning of the Parable of the Workers from the Bible?

The Parable of the Workers:

1. For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard. 3. About the third hour he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4. ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he said, ‘and I will pay you whatever is right.’ 5. So they went. He went out again about the sixth hour and the ninth hour and did the same thing. 6. About the eleventh hour he went out and found still others standing around. ‘Why have you been standing here all day long doing nothing?’ he asked. 7. ‘Because no one has hired us,’ they answered. So he told them, ‘You also go into my vineyard.’ 8. When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his foreman, ‘Call the workers and pay them their wages, starting with the last ones hired and moving on to the first.’ 9. The workers who were hired about the eleventh hour came and each received a denarius. 10. So when the original workers came, they assumed they would receive more. But each of them also received a denarius. 11. On receiving their pay, they began to grumble against the landowner. 12. ‘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 and the scorching heat of the day.’ 13. But he answered one of them, ‘Friend, I am not being unfair to you. Did you not agree with me on one denarius? 14. Take your pay and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. 15. Do I not have the right to do as I please with what is mine? Or are you envious because I am generous?’ 16. So the last will be first, and the first will be last.]

Swami replied: The first group of workers entered into a contract with the landowner, which shows that they had an aspiration for getting paid. The work done by them was with an aspiration for the fruit. It is only because the fruit was clearly specified that they entered the field to work. The last group of workers entered the field to work agreeing to accept whatever the landowner would choose to give. Since they had not entered into any contract with the landowner, they never aspired for any fruit. They were ready to accept any amount, even if it were next to nothing. This shows their lack of aspiration for any fruit in return for their work. The landowner stands for God and first group of workers stand for the devotees who serve God but are full of aspiration for the fruit. The last group of workers stand for a devotee serving God without any aspiration for the fruit. They did not ask for a specific amount and they worked without thinking of how much they would be paid. They represent the devotees having real love for God. The first group of workers represent businessmen-devotees. Business-devotion means devotion which is based on a fixed prior contract. The devotee promises God to do something for Him provided God fulfills his desires. So, there is business or mutual give-and-take in business-devotion. In fact, such devotion is not devotion at all! It is only business! In true devotion, which is represented by the last group of workers, there is no contract and no keeping of an account between the devotee and God.  The last group of workers simply entered the field to help the landowner finish the work by that evening. They only looked at the need of the landowner and not the quantity of the work or the amount they would get paid. They would even have worked longer if more work needed to be done. Looking at their selflessness, the owner also reciprocated in the same way. He looked only at the need of the last group of workers. Both groups of workers needed the same amount to run their families for the next day. The owner saw that even though the last group of workers had worked less, their need was no less than that of the first group of workers. In the case of the first group of workers, it was not necessary for the owner to assess their need since they had entered into a mutually agreed contract. These two groups of workers represent business-devotion and real devotion respectively. The majority of us belong to the category of business-devotion or the first group. But the goal is to attain real devotion to God, which is represented by the last group of workers. When we, who belong to the first, become the last, the spiritual effort is fulfilled.

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