<P> In contrast to Rabbinic parables with a similar theme, this parable stresses God's unmerited grace, rather than any sense of "earning" God's favour . In this way it resembles the Parable of the Prodigal Son . </P> <P> The parable has often been interpreted to mean that even those who are converted late in life earn equal rewards along with those converted early . An alternative interpretation identifies the early laborers as Jews, some of whom resent the late - comers (Gentiles) being welcomed as equals in God's Kingdom . However, Arland J. Hultgren writes: </P> <P> While interpreting and applying this parable, the question inevitably arises: Who are the eleventh - hour workers in our day? We might want to name them, such as deathbed converts or persons who are typically despised by those who are longtime veterans and more fervent in their religious commitment . But it is best not to narrow the field too quickly . At a deeper level, we are all the eleventh - hour workers; to change the metaphor, we are all honored guests of God in the kingdom . It is not really necessary to decide who the eleventh - hour workers are . The point of the parable--both at the level of Jesus and the level of Matthew's Gospel--is that God saves by grace, not by our worthiness . That applies to all of us . </P> <P> Some commentators have used the parable to justify the principle of a "living wage", though generally conceding that this is not the main point of the parable . An example is John Ruskin, who quotes the parable in the title of his book Unto This Last . Ruskin does not discuss the religious meaning of the parable but rather its social and economic implications . </P>

What is the lesson in the parable of the workers in the vineyard