Today’s gospel reading shows how the graciousness of God can be easily mistaken for injustice. On the one hand, it does not seem fair to pay all of the labourers the same wage regardless of the amount of time they worked. On the other hand, they all received exactly the amount for which they had contracted. Therefore, there was no injustice. In the owner’s payment we find the shift in perspective that we have come to expect in Jesus’ parables. He demonstrates the eschatological reversal: the last shall be first. The real paradox is seen in his generosity, which supersedes his justice. It is clear that justice and grace do not always fit well together. This parable shows that the reign of God is based on the latter, not the former.