Di Workers for Di Vineyard

Evening for di vineyard. One line of workers wey don tire dey wait for dem pay. Di ones for front work only one hour. Di ones for back don work since morning. And everybody go soon collect exactly di same thing.

Jesus dey for road dey go Jerusalem. One rich young man just waka comot from am with sad face, because e no fit leave im wealth. Peter, wey no understand, talk. Look, we don leave everything to follow you. Wetin we go get? Jesus promise say anybody wey leave things because of am go receive plenty pass, and eternal life too. Then e add, But many wey dey first go be last, and many wey dey last go be first. And to show wetin e mean, e tell one story.

Di kingdom of heaven be like one landowner wey go out early for morning to hire workers for im vineyard. When sun dey rise, e waka go di market, where men stand dey wait, dey hope to get work for di day. E agree to pay dem one denarius, di normal pay for one day, and e send dem go inside di rows of vines. Around nine o'clock e go back, and e find more men wey stand there with nothing to do. Una go too, e talk, and I go pay una wetin dey right.

For twelve o'clock e go back again. And for three o'clock for afternoon. More workers every time. Then, for five o'clock, when only one hour of daylight remain, e still find more men for di market. Why una stand here whole day dey do nothing? Because nobody hire us. Imagine dat one. One whole day of waiting, dey watch as dem dey choose other people, dey wonder how you go take feed your family dis night. Una go work for my vineyard too, di landowner talk.

When evening reach, di owner tell im manager, Call di workers and pay dem, start from di last ones wey I hire. Di five o'clock workers come front first. One hour for di vineyard. And for each hand, one full denarius. Full day pay. Dem eyes open wide. For back of di line, di men wey start since morning dey calculate. If dem get one denarius for one hour, surely we go get plenty pass. But when dem turn reach, each one of dem collect one denarius. Exactly wetin dem agree.

And dem begin complain. Dis last men work only one hour, and you don make dem equal with us, wey carry di load whole day for di hot sun. Di landowner answer one of dem. My friend, I no cheat you. No be one denarius you agree to work for? Take your pay and go. I want give dis last man di same thing wey I give you. I no get right to do wetin I want with my own things? Or your eye dey pain you because I dey generous? And Jesus finish: So di last go be first, and di first go be last.

Dat evening pay no be only kindness. Na di law. Di law of Moses talk say worker wey poor wey dem hire must collect im pay di same day, before sun go down, because na wetin e dey depend on. Day labourers no get steady work, and dem no get anything or dem get small wey dem save. Many scholars think say one denarius be like wetin one family need to pass one day. So man wey dem pay only for one hour for go house with money wey no reach to feed im children. Dis landowner make sure say nobody go house with empty hand.

Di Workers for Di Vineyard. You go find am for Matthew chapter twenty, verse one to sixteen. Di workers wey start for morning no be say dem cheat dem. Dem collect exactly wetin dem agree. Wetin vex dem na say di landowner dey generous to another person. Di grace of God no be pay wey we dey work for. Na gift. So see one question wey you go carry dey go. When God dey generous to another person, you fit dey glad?