And after agreeing with the workers for one denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard.
This verse reveals the landowner’s just and transparent way of acting, showing that with the workers called first he establishes a clear agreement from the beginning and leaves no uncertainty in their expectations. One denarius in Jesus’ days was considered a fair daily wage, and this fact emphasizes that there is no injustice at all toward the workers called first. Here the emphasis is placed not on the size of the wage, but on the honesty of the agreement, so that later it becomes clear that the cause of the complaint will not be injustice, but people’s comparative way of thinking. In this way Jesus prepares the main point of the parable, showing that in the kingdom of God reward is not measured only by the length of the work, but flows from God’s free, good, and grace-filled will.