ARAMAIC WORD STUDY – VALUELESS – ‘ASHITH אשוית Alpeh Shin Vav Yod Taw

Matthew 20:1,12 “For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man [that is] a householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. (12) Saying, These last have wrought [but] one hour, and thou hast made them equal unto us, which have borne the burden and heat of the day.”

“A heavenly voice exclaimed: ‘Ketiah Shalom is destined for eternal life in heaven!’ Rabbi Akiba upon hearing this wept saying: ‘One may acquire entrance to heaven in a single hour, another may acquire it after many years!’” Talmud Abaodah Zarah 10b.

I read something interesting today in the Midrash Song of Solomon Rabbah 21:4 and the Ecclesiastes Rabbah 72:4 It seemed the story Jesus told in Matthew 20:1-16 was quite familiar to the first century Jews as the Talmud (Tradition of the Fathers) told similar stories about a man who hires certain individuals throughout the day and ends up paying the ones who worked ten hours the same as the ones who only worked one hour.

The workers who worked from the early morning said that the master made them equal to us. The word used in the Aramaic is ‘ashuith which could come from the root word shia’ which means to be unleavened or flat, equal. It could also come from the root word sho’a which means to be worthless, of no value. I believe the intent is for both meanings. The ones who worked for ten hours are complaining they got equal pay as those who worked only one hour and that all their hard work was worthless for they did not get extra pay over those who did not labor as hard and as long as they did.

In our Western culture, these workers who complained had a good point and the labor unions would be all over that vineyard owner. But we are talking of a different time and a different culture. The owner’s response was simply that he had the right to pay each individual what he wanted to pay. If he wanted to be generous to those who only worked an hour, who was to stop him. These other workers did not seek work, they were recruited and they did not negotiate pay as the first workers, they were simply told they would be paid as the master felt right.

But still, no matter what culture you are in or what time period you lived it just is not fair to work ten hours and get paid the same as someone who worked only one hour at the same job. In the Talmud, the story is told of Rabbi Akiba who wept that someone should receive eternal life in heaven who only labored for God for one hour while he labored for God all his life.

I have heard people condemn the Old Testament because it is no longer applicable to us today, only the New Testament. Why the Old Testament is filled with racism, provincialism, tribalism every nasty ism except socialism and we wall know who father that. A man named Karl Marx who happened to be Jewish. For over more than 100 years Marist Socialism has been a noble experiment that has consistently failed. The idea sounds good, all are equal, no one has a better position than the next, all get equal pay, equal living expenses, no rich, no poor, all get free medical and education. There is just one problem with that which is pointed out in Midrash, the Talmud and in Matthew – human nature. We are competitive and selfish. We want more than the other person if we work harder. We want to own our own things, we do not want a government to own our land, houses, and property. We want the right the drive a Tesla rather than a Ford Focus if we work hard enough. As much as many people would like true Marxism to work, it won’t. Human nature is too selfish, self-seeking and competitive to make it work.

Yet, there was a man on the cross with Jesus. You see only escaped slaves and traitors were executed on a cross during the time of the Roman Empire. If the man was a traitor he would not have told his buddy they were getting what they deserved. If he were convicted of treason he would not feel he deserved to be punished, he was only seeking to free his people. That leaves a slave. If he were a runaway slave he would still not feel deserving of punishment for he would feel a right to freedom. However, if he murdered his master, then he would feel deserving of the cross. So, more than likely this man hanging on a cross next to Jesus was a murderer. He had no background of living a righteous life. Yet, he asked Jesus to remember him and Jesus promised that that day he would be with Him in paradise. Now that would not go over too well with the religious leaders who spent their lives serving God. What right did this murderer have to receive eternal life in heaven?

Yet, in the Kingdom of Heaven, it is a true socialistic state. We are all equal, kings and peasants, rich and poor. No one will be wealthier than the next. No one will be greater than another, Jesus said as much. I have heard people say that the great men of God like Moses, Peter, Luther, Billy Graham will have the largest mansions in heaven, they will live in exclusive and elite estates, they will have much greater blessings. I find that nowhere in the Bible. I do find that in Western thought, however. After all, is it not only fair that those who spent their lives trying to serve God, trying to keep all his commandments should have a better reward than some convicted killer who cries out to God just as the warden pulls the switch?

There is one thing I did not notice in this story that I found in the story in the Midrash and going back to the account in Matthew I find it is in the story, I just very easily overlooked it. Verse one tells us that the man is a householder. The word is Aramaic is the master of a house or byith a family man. In other words, these laborers did not serve just the master, but the family.

Jimmy Durante once said that he asked an old friend: “Well, who are you working for these days?” The man replied: “Same people, the wife, and kids.” This is the basis of this parable that Jesus taught. We are not laboring for God alone, but for His family. As a family it should not matter if one member gets paid more than the other, it is for the benefit of all. Jesus is referring to the perfection of love, which serves not ourselves but for others in the family.