The Chibi News Daily Reflection
Hi, I'm Chris Tufnell, a vicar in the Church of England. People get understandably angry about unfairness
We talk about the gender pay gap, about big bonuses for people at the top
about someone inheriting a fortune they didn't earn. There's something in us that cries out, that's not right
Well, Jesus once told a story that pushes that feeling right to the surface
Some workers laboured all day in the heat of the sun. Others turned up for just the last hour
And shockingly, at the end of the day, the landowner paid everyone the same wage
When the early workers complained to him, he said this, Don't I have the right to do what I want with my own money
or are you envious because I am generous? It's a killer line. You see, Christianity doesn't say
you get what you deserve. It says something far more unsettling and far more hopeful
It says that God is wildly generous to people who don't deserve it. That's infuriating for those
who think they're deserving and a balm to the soul of those who know they're not
The heart of the Christian message is that Jesus earned what we never could
and then shares the reward with us. Not because it's fair in one sense, it's not
But because God is wonderfully generous and kind