Pedagogical Implications of the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16): A Case Study at SD Negeri 078455 Hawauso
Keywords:
Pedagogical, Christian Religious Education, the ParableAbstract
This study explores the pedagogical implications of the Parable of the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) within the Christian Religious Education (CRE) context at SD Negeri 078455 Hawauso, a school in South Nias with 37 Christian students and 11 Christian teachers. The parable, which challenges conventional notions of fairness, merit, and reward, offers a rich theological and moral framework for shaping students’ character, guiding teacher-student relationships, and cultivating a classroom ethos grounded in grace and humility. Using a qualitative descriptive design, this research combines biblical-exegetical analysis with empirical insights gathered through classroom observations and interviews with CRE teachers and students. The findings demonstrate that the parable’s central themes-divine grace, the critique of envy and entitlement, trust in God’s sovereign goodness, and the model of compassionate leadership embodied by the landowner-provide significant educational value for contemporary Christian pedagogy. The study reveals that teaching divine grace helps students develop healthier self-worth beyond performance-based identities, reducing comparison and insecurity. Addressing the parable’s portrayal of envy and entitlement helps students recognize destructive emotional patterns and cultivate gratitude, cooperation, and contentment. Moreover, teachers who emulate the landowner’s fairness, clarity, and compassion foster a relational environment that promotes trust and unity. Students also learn to interpret personal challenges and perceived injustices through a theological lens, strengthening resilience and spiritual maturity. Overall, the research concludes that Matthew 20:1-16 offers a transformative pedagogical resource for CRE teachers, enabling the development of holistic, grace-centered, and relationally mature learners within the school’s Christian learning community.
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Copyright (c) 2025 Waosokhi Laia (Author)
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