I just remembered that, in addition to Christ’s words to the Wise Thief, one of my favorite of His parables is the parable of the vineyard workers. I personally think it’s one of the most underrated parables Christ ever told.
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you.’ So they went. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise.
And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here idle all day?’ They said to him, ‘Because no one hired us.’ He said to them, ‘You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive.’
So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, ‘Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first.’ And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, ‘These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day.’
But he answered one of them and said, ‘Friend, I am doing you no wrong. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? Take what is yours and go your way. I wish to give to this last man the same as to you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? Or is your eye evil because I am good?’ So the last will be first, and the first last. For many are called, but few chosen.” [Matthew 20:1-16]
I like this parable for several reasons:
*]I always loved how the landowner went out looking for people to hire, just as God seeks sinners to repent.
*]When the landowner comes across those standing idle at the eleventh hour, he found that they weren’t being lazy, just unemployed, and so he hires them. I always liked that part of the story - it showed the landowner and God both have a caring nature for their workers.
*]The focus of the message is important: salvation is not based on how many good works you do, or how hard you do them, but that you are faithful, and that the rewards are not based on your personal wishes but what God wills (take that, prosperity gospel preachers!). To go back to the Wise Thief, he probably did only 1/18th of what the disciples did and what they would do as apostles, yet he was the first one into Paradise.
John 11:35, it’s short and reminds us all how remorse isn’t a bad thing, nor to be avoided. A message my culture needs to learn.
It’s also the best line in “Hellraiser.” 
Ahem, sorry…
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