The Parable Of The Workers In The Vineyard

And the elephant and the grape

Image by author and Craiyon

Comparison is a very useful mental tool. We use comparison all day long to help us make decisions. It helps us decide what to eat for lunch and whether or not to take a job offer or go on out on a date.

It is however a terribly destructive tool when misused. Unfortunately, we take it for granted and its negative effect is often extremely difficult to detect. The discipline required to control its harmful tendencies is well worth the effort.

An example of what I am talking about comes from the parable of the workers in the vineyard in the book of Mathew.

“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius for the day, he sent them into his vineyard. When he went out about nine o’clock, he saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and he said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and I will pay you whatever is right.’ So they went. When he went out again about…