The Vineyard
09/21/08 06:10 Filed in: Crises
This parable of the vineyard is jarring in its implications because the storyline runs counter to the economic model of a market-driven, capitalistic system.
“So shall the last be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.” (Matthew 20: 1-16a)
In the parable of the vineyard, Jesus portrays His heavenly father as a generous employer, ready to treat all who labor in His fields equally, regardless of when they answer His call or how hard they work.
This parable is jarring in its implications because the storyline runs counter to the economic model of a market-driven, capitalistic system. A vineyard owner with an eye on the bottom line would have bargained hard and paid less to the late hires. By our standards, it doesn’t seem fair. Then, again, economics has been called “the dismal science.”
The shortcomings of economic theory have been writ large in recent months. We’ve watched in stunned disbelief as Bear Stearns collapsed into the arms of J. P. Morgan; federal regulators seized control of Indy Mac, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy; Bank of America acquired Merrill Lynch; the federal government bailed out AIG; and central banks around the world pumped hundreds of billions into the global economy. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of homeowners with sub-prime mortgages lost their houses in foreclosure proceedings.
It has been said that this crisis is without precedent. Maybe so, but it is not the first time in the recent past that corporate greed has left the economy in turmoil.
Names like Tyco, Enron, Adelphia, Qwest and Global Crossings leap to mind. Then, too, the names of prominent executives have been headlined in stories about the illegal back dating of stock option grants that guaranteed them hefty bonuses. (Incredibly, in some cases, the Board of Directors – charged with protecting stockholders’ interests – actually promoted the schemes.)
“Take that which is thine and go,” Jesus said, when speaking of the greedy laborers. What would He have to say about today’s CEOs? While they are enriching themselves, workers at the lower half of the pay scale are falling further and further behind.
According to the Census Bureau, in 2007, most households needed two wage earners to get by on a median income of $50,233. But income distribution was highly concentrated at the top of the pay scale with just 6 percent of households earning roughly one third of all the nation’s income.
Median compensation for S&P 500 CEOs on the job for two years was $8,828,589. By contrast, the average hourly worker earned $7.25 per hour or about $14,500 for the full year.
You don’t have to be an economist to know that a household can’t get by on $14,500, or even $29,000 (assuming there are two minimum wage earners in the home). You don’t have to be an economist to realize why the average household’s credit card debt has doubled in the past ten years. You don’t have to be an economist to know that poverty contributes to crime, violence, hunger, disease and ignorance.
You don’t have to be an economist to know what Jesus thought about a just wage. “Whatever is right I will give you,” He said.
The highly compensated executives make an easy target. But, in reality, we are all employers to some degree. Each time we tip a waitress, a hairdresser or garbage hauler; each time we hire someone to mow our lawn or paint our home; each time we contribute to church and to the support of its dedicated staff, we have an opportunity to live out today’s Gospel theme of generosity.
You don’t have to be an economist to know how Jesus felt about generosity.
In the parable of the vineyard, Jesus portrays His heavenly father as a generous employer, ready to treat all who labor in His fields equally, regardless of when they answer His call or how hard they work.
This parable is jarring in its implications because the storyline runs counter to the economic model of a market-driven, capitalistic system. A vineyard owner with an eye on the bottom line would have bargained hard and paid less to the late hires. By our standards, it doesn’t seem fair. Then, again, economics has been called “the dismal science.”
The shortcomings of economic theory have been writ large in recent months. We’ve watched in stunned disbelief as Bear Stearns collapsed into the arms of J. P. Morgan; federal regulators seized control of Indy Mac, Fannie Mae and Freddie Mac; Lehman Brothers filed for bankruptcy; Bank of America acquired Merrill Lynch; the federal government bailed out AIG; and central banks around the world pumped hundreds of billions into the global economy. Meanwhile, tens of thousands of homeowners with sub-prime mortgages lost their houses in foreclosure proceedings.
It has been said that this crisis is without precedent. Maybe so, but it is not the first time in the recent past that corporate greed has left the economy in turmoil.
Names like Tyco, Enron, Adelphia, Qwest and Global Crossings leap to mind. Then, too, the names of prominent executives have been headlined in stories about the illegal back dating of stock option grants that guaranteed them hefty bonuses. (Incredibly, in some cases, the Board of Directors – charged with protecting stockholders’ interests – actually promoted the schemes.)
“Take that which is thine and go,” Jesus said, when speaking of the greedy laborers. What would He have to say about today’s CEOs? While they are enriching themselves, workers at the lower half of the pay scale are falling further and further behind.
According to the Census Bureau, in 2007, most households needed two wage earners to get by on a median income of $50,233. But income distribution was highly concentrated at the top of the pay scale with just 6 percent of households earning roughly one third of all the nation’s income.
Median compensation for S&P 500 CEOs on the job for two years was $8,828,589. By contrast, the average hourly worker earned $7.25 per hour or about $14,500 for the full year.
You don’t have to be an economist to know that a household can’t get by on $14,500, or even $29,000 (assuming there are two minimum wage earners in the home). You don’t have to be an economist to realize why the average household’s credit card debt has doubled in the past ten years. You don’t have to be an economist to know that poverty contributes to crime, violence, hunger, disease and ignorance.
You don’t have to be an economist to know what Jesus thought about a just wage. “Whatever is right I will give you,” He said.
The highly compensated executives make an easy target. But, in reality, we are all employers to some degree. Each time we tip a waitress, a hairdresser or garbage hauler; each time we hire someone to mow our lawn or paint our home; each time we contribute to church and to the support of its dedicated staff, we have an opportunity to live out today’s Gospel theme of generosity.
You don’t have to be an economist to know how Jesus felt about generosity.
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