"The Burden And Heat Of The Day"
Last Updated on May 24, 2015, by eNotes Editorial. Word Count: 178
Context: Leaving Galilee, the scene of His early ministry, Jesus preaches in Judea beyond the Jordan River. He speaks in parables to His disciples about His mission in establishing the spiritual kingdom of God. He tells of a householder who hires workers for his vineyard at various times of the day, but who, at the end of the day, pays each worker an identical wage in spite of the difference in the hours worked. Christ indicates that with equal generosity, God grants His kingdom to men who cannot merit the reward. In the parable the appointed time for payment arrives:
And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a penny.
But when the first came, they supposed that they should have received more; and they likewise received every man a penny.
And when they had received it, they murmured against the goodman of the house,
Saying, These last have wrought but one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.
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