St Mary's

Today Talk from Peter

20th September 2026

Exodus 16:2-25 & Matthew 20:1-16 

Some of you will know that last weekend Janet and I were at Scout Camp. 

I don't know what your expectation is of a group of cubs and scouts these days, but it is fair to say that the range of issues reflected in a group of young people very much mirror the issues in the world today. You might wonder how we got on. Well, it is draining at times, and its good fun at times. However, when the pressure is on, such as when you're trying to get tents down before it rains, then you start to see some of the issues that are in our Bible readings today. 

“You three lads, clean up the mess you have made in your tent”.  

It not my mess it’s his. Why should I clean it, I didn’t make it. I’m not picking that up. It’s not fair. 

That’s not fair, he’s had two of those and I’ve only had one. 

I’m sure you have had similar conversations – hopefully only with children! 

Our two readings deal with different characteristics of man and of God.  

In Exodus we have the Israelites complaining about their present condition and looking back through rose-coloured glasses at the time in Egypt, then in Matthew we have workers complaining about their rights and fairness. We see a God who listens and cares, and we see a God who overturns our worldly view of merit and status with his generous grace. 

Looking at Exodus first, the passage is not really about the people's grumbling. It is about the faithfulness of God in the face of human weakness. One of the main features of this story is that God listens. The Israelites complain against Moses and Aaron, but God hears what lies beneath their words. Behind the anger is fear. Behind the grumbling is insecurity. Behind the accusation is a desperate question: 

"Will God take care of us?" 

God could have rebuked them. Instead, He responds with provision. 

This does not mean that grumbling is commendable. Scripture warns against a complaining spirit. In Philippians 2 verse 14 we read “do everything without grumbling or arguing”. Yet it reminds us that God is compassionate. He knows our fears before we can articulate them properly. 

I’m sure many of us come to God with worries about finances, family, health, or the future. For instance - What impact will AI have on jobs for our children and grandchildren? We may not express our concerns elegantly or faithfully. Yet God hears the cry beneath the confusion. The good news is that our salvation rests not on the perfection of our faith but on the faithfulness of God. 

God's answer is extraordinary: 

"I will rain down bread from heaven for you" (v. 4). 

After the exit from Egypt, maybe the Israelites expected solutions on a grand scale. Instead, God gives them enough for each day. Every morning manna appears with the dew. Every evening quail arrive in the camp. God's provision is regular, dependable, and sufficient. Notice that God does not supply a year's worth of manna at once. He teaches the people to trust Him day by day. 

This lesson remains difficult for us. We prefer security to trust. We want guarantees for the future. We want certainty about tomorrow, next year, and beyond. Yet Jesus echoes this wilderness lesson when He teaches us to pray: 

"Give us today our daily bread." 

Not weekly bread. Not annual bread. Daily bread. 

Our Christian life is often lived one day at a time. God frequently gives us enough light for the next step rather than the entire journey. 

Verse 4 reveals another purpose of manna: 

"In this way I will test them and see whether they will follow my instructions." 

The manna is not merely food. It is a lesson. Will the people trust that tomorrow's provision will come? Will they gather only what they need? Will they learn dependence rather than self-sufficiency? God is shaping a people, not merely feeding a crowd. 

Sometimes we might think God's greatest gift would be the removal of every difficulty. Yet often God uses circumstances to deepen faith, develop character, and teach dependence upon Him. A life free from challenges may not necessarily be a life rich in faith. The wilderness becomes a classroom in which God's people discover both their own weakness and God's reliability. 

An unexpected detail occurs in verse 10: 

"They looked toward the wilderness, and there was the glory of the Lord appearing in the cloud." 

Notice where God's glory appears. Not in Egypt. Not in comfort. Not in abundance. God's glory appears in the wilderness. The place that seemed empty becomes the place of revelation. The situations we would never choose, become the situations in which we learn most deeply who God is. Illness, disappointment, uncertainty, loss, and struggle often become places where God's presence is revealed with unexpected clarity. The wilderness is not evidence that God has abandoned His people. Sometimes it is precisely where He meets them. 

As for the manna, the bread from heaven ultimately points beyond itself. In John's Gospel, Jesus refers to this very story and says: 

"I am the bread of life" (John 6:35). 

The manna sustained Israel physically for a time, but Jesus offers eternal life. The manna came each morning. Christ comes as God's enduring gift to humanity. The manna met physical hunger. Christ satisfies the deepest hunger of the human heart: our need for forgiveness, reconciliation, purpose, and eternal life. Every piece of manna in the wilderness whispered God's promise that one day He would provide an even greater gift. That gift is Jesus Christ. 

The Israelites asked a fearful question: 

"Will God provide for us?" 

God answered with manna from heaven. 

Today we ask similar questions: Will God care for us in uncertainty? Will He sustain us through struggle? Will He lead us through the wilderness seasons of life? Exodus 16 answers with a resounding yes. God is faithful when we are fearful. God is generous when we are anxious. God provides what we need. He Listens, hears, responds. 

Turning to Matthew, the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard is one of Jesus' more challenging teachings. It confronts our natural sense of fairness and reveals the generosity of God's kingdom. In this story, workers are hired at different times throughout the day, yet all receive the same wage. Those who worked longer complain, but the vineyard owner reminds them that he has treated everyone justly. 

This parable teaches us that God's grace is not earned by human effort; it is freely given according to His goodness. 

The landowner went out early in the morning and continued to hire workers throughout the day. Some worked all day, while others worked only one hour. 

This illustrates how God calls people into His kingdom at different stages of life. Some serve Him from childhood. Others come to faith later in life. Some answer His call early, while others respond at the eleventh hour. The important thing is not when we are called, but that we respond when God calls. We shouldn’t compare our spiritual journey with someone else's. God has a unique plan for each of us. The workers who began early expected more pay because they had worked longer. However, the landowner reminded them that he paid exactly what had been agreed upon. 

God is always just. No one in His kingdom receives less than they deserve according to His promises. We can trust God to keep His word. 

Sometimes our dissatisfaction does not arise because we have been treated unfairly, but because others have been treated generously. We should be thankful for God's blessings in our life not measuring them against what others receive. 

The owner asked, "Are you envious because I am generous?" The issue was not justice but generosity. 

This reflects God's grace. Salvation cannot be earned through years of service, religious effort, or personal merit. Whether a person comes to Christ early or late, salvation is the same gift of grace.  

At this point we should remember that this doesn’t mean we can just cruise along. 1 Colossians 3 verse 22 reminds us “whatever you do, work at it with all your heart, as working for the Lord, not for human masters.” or I Corinthians 15verse 58 “Always give yourself fully to the work of the Lord, because you know your labour in the Lord is not in vain” 

The thief on the cross received the same salvation as the disciples who followed Jesus for years. God's grace is lavish and undeserved. 

We then have the statement "So the last will be first, and the first will be last." 

Jesus concludes by emphasizing that God's kingdom operates differently from the world's systems. Human society values status, achievement, seniority, and reward based on performance. God's kingdom is founded on grace. The first workers thought they deserved special recognition, but kingdom life is not about earning position. It is about receiving God's mercy with humility. 

Humility is essential in the Christian life. We stand before God not because of our achievements but because of His grace. 

The message of this parable is not that work is unimportant, but that salvation is a gift. No one earns God's favour. All who enter His kingdom do so because of His grace. As we follow Christ, we learn the same lesson Israel had to learn in the wilderness, and the workers in the vineyard. 

God may not always give us everything we want or expect, exactly when we want it, but He never ceases to give us what we truly need. And through his grace, the greatest gift He has given is Jesus, the true Bread from Heaven, who sustains us today and forever. 

Amen.