Parable of the Employees
October 29, 2023 4:41 PM
Sarah
Given 10-29-23 8am
You own a business. You seek to hire people to help you reach your goals. You give your potential employees an Instruction Manual to read before they sign the job agreement and enter into your employ. If they obey the Instruction Manual, you tell them of the rewards they will receive, one of those being a paycheck. You send out a notice into the world. You await the responses.
¼ of the people in the world who read your announcement are not interested. They do not understand what your work entails and they have no interest in asking you to help them understand. They do not want to work for you. They want to work for themselves or some other employer.
Another ¼ of the readers respond to your ad. They meet with you and you give them your Instruction Manual which teaches them what you expect if they want to call themselves your employee. These read only the benefits section in the Manual. They sign on the dotted line saying that they have indeed read your Instruction Manual, and yes, they agree to obey what you want them to do.
Because these employees only took the job for the benefits, they never read the part of the Instruction Manual that detailed various trials they would have to go through…(all who are godly will suffer persecution, many are the trials of the righteous but The Lord delivers them out of them all), they thought they could negotiate the trials parts, or they thought that they were so special that the rules didn’t really apply to them. Either way, they were offended that the job required them to know you and that only you could help them when problems arose.
When difficulties came, these rebelled against what you stated were your expectations for the employee. They complained against you because you corrected them when they disregarded the things that you required of those who claim to be your employee. You showed them where they signed the employment agreement, and ask them how can they consider you as their employer if they do not do what you mandate. (Many will call Jesus Lord, Many will say Lord, Lord…why call Him Lord if you do not obey His Word?)
Many of these employees quit, offended that you hold to the Instruction Manual. They knew that they were the ones responsible to read the Instruction Manual that tells potential employees to count the cost to themselves BEFORE signing the agreement. Many of these employees who stayed somehow seemed to ‘stay under the radar’ with their rebellions (which actually cost the company money and resources)…thought that their employer, you, did not see when they didn’t show up on time or stole in other ways from you.
When these employees wanted to retire, they were shocked when you told them to depart from your company. You don’t recognize them as faithful employees. By rejecting the entirety of the Instruction Manual, they also rejected the benefits that are only slated for faithful employees.
Another ¼ of your job ad readers accept your jobs with enthusiasm. They didn’t read the whole Instruction Manual either. Soon they are given offers to work for/with your competition. They claim to be YOUR faithful employee, but they secretly (or so they think) serve your competition also. They believe they can serve two employers with complete loyalty. When you return from being away and expect to find much fruit for their labors, you see that they had nothing left to serve you with because they indeed chose to serve another.
These are not- in reality- your employees, even though they brag to others about being in your employ. They teach other employees that they can get away with not following the Instructions. Many of your other employees follow them and rebel against the Instruction Manual that you gave to each of them, that they also had agreed to obey. But they succeed in the ways of the world and think that you do not see their disloyalty. Many follow their ways because they look so successful in their blindness. Who wouldn’t want to get away with slacking off and hurting the company’s bottom line, just a LITTLE BIT?
The Instruction Manual says that they will not get away with disloyalty…but, well, these employees never read the whole Instruction Manual… or they skimmed it over, not asking you to explain how you wanted things done. They pridefully believed they could get away with disloyalty, and the world’s rewards reinforced that, indeed, they MUST be getting away with their disloyalty. That you don’t know that they are serving another.
These employees thought they could rely on their own ‘smarts’ and outsmart you. They thought they knew better than you when you told them that faithfulness was required to be your employee. They served others despite the warnings in the Instructions.
When these went to retire, they also found that they had, in fact, severed their own employment with you. You had stated clearly in your Instruction Manual that such employees would not gain retirement benefits from you. They argue with you regarding their retirement benefits: “We didn’t do things YOUR way but we STILL made some good deals. Look how great we are and how much we did for you! We did things our own way, but we thought you didn’t know or care.”
As their employer, you see that their selfish ambitions did indeed allow for every evil in their lives, and they were blind. They could not grasp the fact that even though they did things that they THOUGHT would please you, they in reality had never obeyed your Instruction Manual. It’s YOUR company, but they thought they knew better about how to reach YOUR goals than you. So, they never received their hoped-for reward. They were shocked when you told them that you don’t even recognize them, and that they must depart from your presence, never to receive the rewards listed in your Instruction Manual.
Another ¼ of the job ad readers respond to your ad. They do the work of reading about your company and your goals. They agree to align with you. They take time to read your whole Instruction Manual, and they ask you directly to explain things to them that they need clarification for. These understand the costs and benefits of working for you. They agree to costs such as getting up early, or having to work every other weekend, and that their faithfulness will promote what you endeavor to accomplish. Once they understand all of what being an employee of yours entails, they sign on the agreement line and become your employee.
These follow your Instruction Manual, and ask you to help them as they learn. Soon, with your help, these employees see an increase in your business because they obey your Instruction Manual. They rejoice to be able to bring you increase, and you bless them with rewards. They submit to your teaching them how to improve in certain areas. They are faithful, life-long employees.
When they retire, these faithful employees gain all of the benefits listed in the Instruction Manual, and even more than they could even think to ask for!
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Interpretation: God seeks laborers. The Bible, WORD, is our Instruction Manual. Most of those who agree to be employees (2/3), call themselves Christ followers, but are like the seed that fell on the rocks and on the thorns…they did not read or obey The very Word of God. They did not seek God to teach them. They did not bear God’s fruit, but in fact they stole glory from God and caused many others to not know Him because they loved sin. They taught other non-Bible reading and non-God seeking “Christ followers” to follow them and their rebellions. They had convinced others that they could still get your benefits package even when they didn’t follow your ways.
Why would God reward those who do not obey His Word, those who do not seek Him, who do not abide in Him? Why would Faithful and True say “well done” to disobedient people who refused to learn of Him and His ways? God is not mocked and He never lies: He won’t say “well done” to those who choose not to seek Him or bear His fruit for His glory. One day, fake Christians will know the Truth, but it will be too late to get oil in their lamps.
The ¼ who get the retirement benefits are these: (Jesus spoke His Father’s Words)
Luke 8:15 “But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.”
Matthew 13:23 “But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”
Matthew 13: 3-23
3And he spake many things unto them in parables, saying, Behold, a sower went forth to sow;
4And when he sowed, some seeds fell by the way side, and the fowls came and devoured them up:
5Some fell upon stony places, where they had not much earth: and forthwith they sprung up, because they had no deepness of earth:
6And when the sun was up, they were scorched; and because they had no root, they withered away.
7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprung up, and choked them:
8But other fell into good ground, and brought forth fruit, some an hundredfold, some sixtyfold, some thirtyfold.
9Who hath ears to hear, let him hear.
10And the disciples came, and said unto him, Why speakest thou unto them in parables?
11He answered and said unto them, Because it is given unto you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it is not given.
12For whosoever hath, to him shall be given, and he shall have more abundance: but whosoever hath not, from him shall be taken away even that he hath.
13Therefore speak I to them in parables: because they seeing see not; and hearing they hear not, neither do they understand.
14And in them is fulfilled the prophecy of Esaias, which saith, By hearing ye shall hear, and shall not understand; and seeing ye shall see, and shall not perceive:
15For this people’s heart is waxed gross, and their ears are dull of hearing, and their eyes they have closed; lest at any time they should see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should be converted, and I should heal them.
16But blessed are your eyes, for they see: and your ears, for they hear.
17For verily I say unto you, That many prophets and righteous men have desired to see those things which ye see, and have not seen them; and to hear those things which ye hear, and have not heard them.
18Hear ye therefore the parable of the sower.
19When any one heareth the word of the kingdom, and understandeth it not, then cometh the wicked one, and catcheth away that which was sown in his heart. This is he which received seed by the way side.
20But he that received the seed into stony places, the same is he that heareth the word, and anon with joy receiveth it;
21Yet hath he not root in himself, but dureth for a while: for when tribulation or persecution ariseth because of the word, by and by he is offended.
22He also that received seed among the thorns is he that heareth the word; and the care of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, choke the word, and he becometh unfruitful.
23But he that received seed into the good ground is he that heareth the word, and understandeth it; which also beareth fruit, and bringeth forth, some an hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.
Luke 8: 4-15
4And when much people were gathered together, and were come to him out of every city, he spake by a parable:
5A sower went out to sow his seed: and as he sowed, some fell by the way side; and it was trodden down, and the fowls of the air devoured it.
6And some fell upon a rock; and as soon as it was sprung up, it withered away, because it lacked moisture.
7And some fell among thorns; and the thorns sprang up with it, and choked it.
8And other fell on good ground, and sprang up, and bare fruit an hundredfold. And when he had said these things, he cried, He that hath ears to hear, let him hear.
9And his disciples asked him, saying, What might this parable be?
10And he said, Unto you it is given to know the mysteries of the kingdom of God: but to others in parables; that seeing they might not see, and hearing they might not understand.
11Now the parable is this: The seed is the word of God.
12Those by the way side are they that hear; then cometh the devil, and taketh away the word out of their hearts, lest they should believe and be saved.
13They on the rock are they, which, when they hear, receive the word with joy; and these have no root, which for a while believe, and in time of temptation fall away.
14And that which fell among thorns are they, which, when they have heard, go forth, and are choked with cares and riches and pleasures of this life, and bring no fruit to perfection.
15But that on the good ground are they, which in an honest and good heart, having heard the word, keep it, and bring forth fruit with patience.
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