The Desire of Their Hearts

Last night we read the parable of the laborers in the vineyard as a family, and after explaining what happened I asked my older children if it was fair. Almost in unison they declared, “No!” I think it is hard for all of us to accept that those who labored for just one hour would receive the same reward as those who labored for the entire twelve hours of the day. And yet, the message of the Savior was that this is how the economy of God works, for this parable was meant to teach us about “the kingdom of heaven.” The Lord will always fulfil His promises to us, and sometimes, like He did to the one-hour group, He will give us far more than we deserve. I believe that those who were paid the full day’s wage but only worked part of it were representative of this group that the Lord taught the Prophet Joseph Smith about: “Thus came the voice of the Lord unto me, saying: All who have died without a knowledge of this gospel, who would have received it if they had been permitted to tarry, shall be heirs of the celestial kingdom of God” (Doctrine and Covenants 137:7). The Lord rewards us not just for our actions but also for the desires of our heart. Those groups who were not able to work didn’t sit around because they were lazy but because they couldn’t find work. When the householder asked them, “Why stand ye here all the day idle?” they responded, “Because no man hath hired us.” They were willing and ready and desirous to work for the whole day, and it appears that the householder rewarded them both for their actions and their desires. That is how God will treat us at the judgment day: “For I, the Lord, will judge all men according to their works, according to the desire of their hearts” (Doctrine and Covenants 137:9).

                I believe the jealous attitude of the laborers who worked all day is similar to the attitude of the older son in the parable of the prodigal son. After finding out that his younger brother was being given special treatment, he said to his father, “Lo, these many years do I serve thee, neither transgressed I at any time thy commandment: and yet thou never gavest me a kid, that I might make merry with my friends: But as soon as this thy son was come, which hath devoured thy living with harlots, thou hast killed for him the fatted calf” (Luke 15:29-30). This brother was upset because his brother was getting something that he felt he didn’t deserve. And yet, just like those first laborers, he was not receiving any less because his brother was receiving more. The laborers complained that they “have borne the burden and heat of the day” just as this brother complained “many years do I serve thee.” Both would have been, it appears, perfectly content if they hadn’t observed another whom they felt was receiving something they didn’t deserve. I love the way that Elder Holland spoke about the lesson of this story for each of us: “Brothers and sisters, there are going to be times in our lives when someone else gets an unexpected blessing or receives some special recognition. May I plead with us not to be hurt—and certainly not to feel envious—when good fortune comes to another person? We are not diminished when someone else is added upon…. Furthermore, envy is a mistake that just keeps on giving. Obviously we suffer a little when some misfortune befalls us, but envy requires us to suffer all good fortune that befalls everyone we know! What a bright prospect that is—downing another quart of pickle juice every time anyone around you has a happy moment!”

                Ultimately all of us will be in the 11^th hour group on many occasions. The Lord rewards all of us for things we don’t really deserve, and so it would behoove us to feel joy instead of envy when we see others be blessed for something they too perhaps didn’t fully deserve. If our goal is that people only get what they have earned, then we with all of them will suffer the effects of our sins far from the mercy and grace of God in His kingdom. We can rejoice that, like the householder, God is good, and our eyes need not be evil because of that goodness towards us and all His children.