WHY HAVE YOU BEEN STANDING HERE IDLE?

"And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, 'Why have you been standing here idle all day?'"  (Matthew 20:6, NKJV)

In a telling parable concerning the nature of the Kingdom of heaven, Jesus spoke of a householder, or landowner, who was in a quest for people to work in his vineyard. There was tilling, care, and harvesting to be done in his massive and productive vineyard. Whoever worked in the vineyard would be paid according to the agreement made between the owner and themselves.  The workers and the owner concurred payment would be made by the day, not the hour. It was a fair wage for all. Because of the need for workers and the benevolent heart of the owner, four timely efforts were made to solicit workers. One at the third hour (9:00 AM), one at the sixth hour (Noon), one at the ninth hour (3:00PM), and one at the eleventh hour (5:00PM). A work day consisted of twelve hours (John 11:9). The various workers, therefore worked for nine hours, six hours, three hours, and one hour. None of them worked for twelve hours, although all of them received a full day's pay. After the first group was hired at the ninth hour, the owner went three more times to solicit those standing "idle in the marketplace." Because there was still work to be done, he returned to the marketplace at the eleventh hour–the last hour of the work day. There he found some who were still idle. When asked why they remained idle, they replied, "Because no man hath hired us." They apparently were not considered worthy of hiring, or perhaps lacked skills the ones hiring were seeking. But this owner was compassionate, and there was work remaining. He hired them, agreeing to pay them a full day's wage also. At the end of the work day, when the wages were paid, some remonstrated at the thought of these one-hour workers receiving the same wage as those who had worked nine hours. The owner told them what he had done was right.
Here is a picture of salvation by grace–everyone receives the full benefits of Christ's atoning death and glorious intercession. In our day there remain some who are standing idle in life's marketplace. They are not deemed worthy of hiring–but the Lord will bring them in and pay them well. It is good for us to join the Lord in seeking for workers in this eleventh hour of history–at the close of the day. There are great wages to be received by those the world leaves idle. There are many great people in God's kingdom whom the world has counted unworthy of hiring–kings and queens in making. God will hire them when no one else will! Have you not seen saints rise to remarkable levels of growth in Jesus whom the world has rejected?