1. Christian in the Marketplace

2. Jesus in the Marketplace
Jesus’ profession was a carpenter.
Jesus is familiar with the marketplace. Out of the 32 parables that Jesus spoke of, half have to do with money.
The marketplace is where Jesus performed most of his miracles.

3. Jesus was spiritual not religious.
Peter was a fisherman (Mark 1:16).
Matthew was a tax collector (Matthew 9:9).
James and John were helping their father Zebedee’s business (Mark 1:19-20).
Jesus converted Zacchaeus who was also the chief tax collector. (Luke 19:5)
Luke was a doctor. (Col. 4:14)

4. Dorcas was a very successful dress maker. (Acts 9:36-42)
Lydia was a wholesaler of fabrics. (Acts: 14-15)
Aquila and Priscilla were tent makers. (Acts 18:1-3)
The Ethiopian eunuch was a finance minister. (Acts 8:27)
In the Book of Acts nearly all 40 miracles were performed in the marketplace.

5. Threats in the Marketplace:
1. Digital disruption
2. Government policy
3. Financial crisis
4. Weather and climatic change
5. Interest rate fluctuation
6. Job security
7. Risks to savings and investments
8, Betrayal and emotional wounds suffered in the marketplace

6. The Marketplace is a place of uncertainty and ruthless competition
Marketplace is full of uncertainties in business, in investment and in job security.
Like growing vines in the vineyard, therefore the marketplace provides an excellent platform to communicate the truths of God.
Real concerns in the marketplace formed the contexts for His parables.
The Marketplace is a place of uncertainty and ruthless competition

7. Parables – The spiritual dimension
Jesus used real life context to form the core of his parables to explain the kingdom of God.
“… To what shall we liken the kingdom of God? Or with what parable shall we picture it” (Mark 4:30, NKJV)?
Parables – The spiritual dimension

8. A vineyard represents God’s blessings
I have visited vineyards in France, in Australia and most recently in Napa Valley California.
From a holiday maker’s point of view a vineyard is a relaxing place. The wine is sweet and the food is wonderful. Jesus used the behaviour of an owner of a vineyard to represent what the Kingdom of Heaven stands for. How come?
A vineyard represents God’s blessings

9. 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. 2…for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. 3 
The third hour …4 and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’
… he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, ..
6 And about the eleventh hour he went out again …

10. The first thing we notice is that the Kingdom of Heaven was a person!
What were the strange things he did?
Did he go against economic efficiency and productivity? He is running a charity or a competitive business?
Something was very wrong with his wage system.
Because the kingdom of God is perfected righteousness and righteousness is any behaviour consistent with God’s heart. Vineyard owner is righteousness in action. He did a strange thing he went out to look for workers at 3rd, 6th, 9th and the 11th hour during a 12 hour day that means he worked from 6 a.m. to 6 p.m..
That makes him a very hardworking owner!
What he did was against the principles of market economy that emphasize efficiency and productivity; and he had a wage system that offended the workers.
What do you think motivated him?

11. 8 “So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said …, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ 9 … those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. 10 But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. 11 … they complained against the landowner, 12 saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’

12. 13 But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 14 Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. 15 Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’
We can understand that the owner was not acting in accordance with market concepts of efficiency, cost control and productivity. He did everything wrong.
He was not squeezing from the worker maximum productivity at minimum wage.

13. And why paid him the same as the 1st hour worker?
Why paid the 11th hour worker before the 9th, 6th and 1st hour workers?
And why paid him the same as the 1st hour worker?
Because the 11th hour worker will be grateful and touched by grace and the 1st hour worker will be so angry.
Both are impacted both need to change.
So that the 11th hour worker who is a tough nut to crack will be touched deeply for he received what he did not deserve.

14. The story is really about a father’s heart.
The workers were really being treated as children.
The story is about the courage to love.
He has to go out at different time in order to provide for them – to give them what they really needed.
“Is your eye evil because I am good?"
Is your eye evil because I am good? I will never forget this scathing truth.

15. This is why He said many are called.
Few are chosen because those who complained are still caught up in the worldly standard of fairness. We still have eyes that are evil.
For God, it is never limited by what is fair but interested in what is eternal and good.
God is not interested to meet our expectations He is only interested in changing our heart and our eternal salvation.

16. Where did God go to look for His children?
From the marketplace. Which is all of us.
Just like Jesus called out Zacchaeus the hated tax collector by his name and change his life.
God call us and put into our current job.
Are we paid 1 Denarius per day or oer hour is not important … … what is important is …
Our heart is as big as our Father and we help him to bring other children back to His house.

17. Thank You!