Parable of the Burdened Laborers

A number of people gathered before a prophet and said, “Give us tasks, for it is harvest and we wish to do God’s work in the field!”

And the prophet replied, “God’s work is difficult, and it must be done while carrying a weight upon your back. Are you sure you want to be assigned tasks?”

And the people replied, “Yes! Give us tasks!”

And the prophet said, “Very well.” And he went to each of the laborers and placed an invisible object on their backs. One of the men felt the weight press down upon him as the prophet anointed him. It was heavy, but the man shouldered it and set off into the field to do his work.

After a time had passed, the man looked around and saw a number of the other laborers sitting in the shade. “What are you doing?” He demanded of them. “God has given you tasks. How can you sit around on the job?”

The resting workers looked at him, and got to their feet and began to work again.

A short time later, the man looked around and saw the same laborers sitting on the ground. And he said, “You lazy and disrespectful workers. God has given you tasks. How can you sit around instead of performing the tasks he has assigned you?”

At that moment, the prophet came into the field. And the man said to the prophet, “Look at these people who rest instead of doing the work God has assigned them. Send them away so that they may not partake in the fruit of our labor.”

The prophet looked at those who were working, and he looked at those who were resting. And the prophet commanded the burdens he had given the laborers to become visible. And the man saw that on his own back was a small brick, but on the backs of those who rested were packages of ten, twenty, and even fifty bricks. Only one man who rested had a burden of just one brick. The prophet said to that man, “Be gone, for you shall not partake in the fruit of this labor.”

To the rest of the laborers, those who were working and those who were resting, the prophet said, “Let those whose burdens are light finish their tasks. And when they have finished, let them aid in the tasks of those whose burdens are heavy. For all of you shall all partake in the fruit of your labor.”

And the prophet left. And the man who had judged those who rested finished his task. But when he finished, he did not help those who were still laboring.

And once all the work had been done, the prophet returned and removed their burdens, and began to divide up the fruit of their labor. But when the prophet came to the man who had judged, he asked, “When you finished your task, why did you not help those who were still working?”

And the man said, “I have faithfully completed the task I was assigned. Please give me my share of the fruit of our labor.”

And the prophet handed him a single small coin and said, “Because you did not help those whose burdens were heavy, your share will be divided among them. Go and join the man who did not work despite his burden being light.” And the prophet sent him away and divided his portion among those who had done the least work because their burdens had been heavy.

And the man took his coin and left, angry at the prophet and at God because he had worked an equal share of the labor but had not been given an equal share of the reward.