Sermon Tone Analysis
Overall tone of the sermon
This automated analysis scores the text on the likely presence of emotional, language, and social tones. There are no right or wrong scores; this is just an indication of tones readers or listeners may pick up from the text.
A score of 0.5 or higher indicates the tone is likely present.
Emotion Tone
Anger
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Disgust
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Fear
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Joy
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Sadness
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Language Tone
Analytical
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Confident
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Tentative
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Social Tone
Openness
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Conscientiousness
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Extraversion
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Agreeableness
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Emotional Range
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Tone of specific sentences
Tones
Emotion
Language
Social Tendencies
Anger
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Proper 20
Pentecost 18
Ordinary Time 25
8. Service And Reward
Matthew 20:1-16
"For The kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out
early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.
2After
agreeing with the laborers for the usual daily wage, he sent them
into his vineyard.
3When he went out about nine o'clock, he saw
others standing idle in the marketplace; 4and he said to them,
'You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is
right.'
So they went.
5When he went out again about noon and
three o'clock, he did the same.
6And about five o'clock he went
out and found others standing around; and he said to them, 'Why
are you standing here idle all day?' 7They said to him, 'Because
no one has hired us.'
He said to them, 'You also go into the
vineyard.'
8When evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to
his manager, 'Call the laborers and give them their pay,
beginning with the last and then going to the first.' 9When
those hired about five o'clock came, each of them received the
usual daily wage.
10Now when the first came, they thought they
would receive more; but each of them also received the usual
daily wage.
11And when they received it, they grumbled against
the landowner, 12saying, 'These last worked only one hour, and
you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the
day and the scorching heat.' 13But he replied to one of them,
'Friend, I am doing you no wrong; did you not agree with me for
the usual daily wage?
14Take what belongs to you, and go; I
choose to give to this last the same as I give
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to you.
15Am I not allowed to do what I choose with what belongs
to me?
Or are you envious because I am generous?' 16So the last
will be first, and the first will be last."
Social status may be determined by many factors.
Some of
these may be given by birth, genetics, or for reasons other than
the achievement of the person.
These include such things as
color of skin and eyes, kind of hair, height, body build, gender,
national origin, family's social position, inherited wealth, and
age.
Other factors may be determined by achievements through a
person's efforts.
These include such factors as level of
education, employment, development of skills, hard work, wise
investment, or initiatives taken.
People who have sought to improve their social and economic
status by what they have achieved may resent the higher status of
others who were given their status by the accident of birth or
nationality or family connections.
It would appear to them that
life has not been fair.
The parable of the laborers who worked longer than others in
the vineyard seems to suggest an unfairness in the rewards in the
kingdom of heaven.
The actions of Jesus do suggest that he was
not ready to judge persons by normal standards of determining
social status.
The parable proposes a different basis for
receiving salvation than the way in which persons are generally
rewarded by society.
Context
Context of the Gospels
Matthew has set the parable that is unique to his gospel in
the context of events which both Mark and Luke have.
The
encounter with the rich young ruler (Matthew 19:16-30, Mark
10:17-31, Luke 18:18-30) leads the disciples to raise questions
about whether they will be rewarded for the sacrifices they have
made.
Matthew uses that as the specific occasion for Jesus'
telling of the parable.
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The parable is also in the context of two other events when
people tried to exclude other persons from Jesus' attention.
The
first precedes the location of the parable by Matthew (Matthew
19:13-15, Mark 10:13-16, Luke 18:15-17).
It is the attempt of
the disciples to protect Jesus' time by excluding the children.
Jesus reprimands the disciples for doing so and proceeds to bless
the children and then uses them as an example of those who will
receive the kingdom of heaven.
The children do not receive the
blessing from Jesus for what they have done but just for who they
are and because of his graciousness.
The second is the healing of two blind men in Jericho whom
the crowd tried to exclude by admonishing them to be quiet.
(Matthew 20:19-34; only one blind person in Mark and Luke: Mark
10:46-52, Luke 18:35-43.)
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