Let’s look at the maths. They all got the usual daily wage. So let’s just say for arguments sake £30. So those who go in early work for twelve hours, bearing the heat of the day, and are paid £2.50 an hour. Those who get called at 9 o’clock work for nine hours for £3.33 an hour. Those who go in at noon work for six hours at £5.00 an hour. At 3 o’clock the workers work for 3 hours at £10 an hour. And those who come in at 5 o’clock do one hours work and get paid £30 an hour. Is it fair?

Well, it is the economics of the mad house if you’re a land owner. But Jesus is not giving a speech at the CBI nor at the TUC. Jesus in not giving a lesson in economics for he is not an economist: Jesus is a story teller. This is not even a lesson in right and wrong. Jesus isn’t saying this is the right thing for Christian business people to do … or perhaps it would be Jewish business people in his day (but we can leave that on one side) … to pay this much or that much. It’s not a lesson in how to run a business. Jesus isn’t a business guru – Jesus is a story teller.

Jesus is a story teller and his stories give us truths we have to unpick and re-weave for our time. Because this isn’t about the kingdom of this world and the economics of this world, it is about the Kingdom of Heaven and the economics of heaven.

The Kingdom of Heaven is being ushered in now: here and now through the work of Christian people throughout the globe. Through Christian communities like this one, through churches across the world, the Kingdom of Heaven is being ushered in. Those moments when the clouds part and the grace of God falls like a ray of sunshine onto the life of someone who does not know Jesus or God – that is a glimpse of heaven. That is a moment when we are ushering in the Kingdom of heaven. That is what Christian ministry is all about: opportunities to provide people with a glimpse of heaven so that “thy Kingdom may come on earth, as it is in Heaven”.

That is why, amongst other reasons, that is why churches and Christian communities shouldn’t be places where we offer judgement on one another within the community. In fact, we shouldn’t be offering judgement on anyone at all. We should leave that to God, for that is God’s prerogative.

So let’s go to Nineveh. That great city. Three days walk across from east to west. A vast place. And Jonah is sent into Nineveh to proclaim against their actions. He isn’t asked to start a letter writing campaign to the prime minister, he isn’t asked to draw a few people together for a focus group, he isn’t asked to go and have an interview with James Naughtie on the “Today” programme ... he is told to go into the heart of that city and proclaim against the Ninevites.

So, like most of us would, he flees in the opposite direction. But then he goes. He girds up his loins in expectation of being lynched. He says “Ninevites, you’re not doing what God wants!”. And they go “Oh, yes. He’s right, isn’t he. Let’s change.” And the king issues a decree that everyone should wear sackcloth and ashes and repent. Everyone and everything: cows, sheep and fish have to wear sackcloth and ashes and to repent. “Maybe the Lord will relent.” And God does. God changes his mind.

Jonah girds up his loins and, in return, wants to see God’s wrath and God’s vengeance hurled upon these terrors. And God says “No. My compassion and my love is greater than my wrath and my vengeance.”

Workers in the Kingdom of Heaven, that’s you and me, can get overwhelmed on a day by day basis with a desire to see God’s wrath and God’s vengeance come about when things aren’t going our way. When things seem to be unfair, when things seem to need divine intervention, we want God’s wrath and God’s vengeance, yet we are overwhelmed by God’s compassion. We want to see the wrath and the vengeance, we want fairness and equality; and all we are left with is “Why should you be jealous because I am generous?”

It’s one of those head to heart moments. Jonah knew it in his head “I knew that you are a gracious God and merciful, slow to anger and abounding in steadfast love, ready to relent from punishing”. He knew it in his head. It’s just when it hits home to the heart that he found it a bit difficult to take. And perhaps he, perhaps we, are worried there just isn’t enough to go round.