He was involved: According to verse 8, the Landowner had a foreman. Why didn't he send him to hire his laborers? Why did he go himself? Maybe he wanted to be involved, to have a conversation, to look his laborers in the eye, make a deal and shake hands. It was almost as if he was raising them up to a level higher than societal norms placed them. By going himself to make a labor deal with these folks, he was showing them some level of decency and respect. Maybe he wanted to show those he was about to hire dignity by treating them the way he would want to be treated. When he could've sent someone else to do the work, he chose to become involved.
But that's so... messy. What if you give them a fair wage, and then they want more? What if you have to listen to their story about their sick mother who lives in Padukah, Kentucky and desperately needs a liver transplant? What if they want to come into your house to borrow the phone?.... messy.
It's also dangerous. The landowner didn't know these people he was hiring, and yet he brought them to his land and let them see all that he owned. What if they collaborated together to beat him up and rob him? What if they took the day's wage, but came back in the middle of the night to steal from him?.... dangerous.
Definitely messy. Absolutely dangerous. And yet this is our example of the Kingdom of Heaven.
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