What does Matthew 20:13 mean?

The master of the household in Jesus' parable (Matthew 20:1) clearly represents the Lord. It is encouraging then to see how the master responds to those who are grumbling at him about their pay. They have voiced their complaint: Those who worked only an hour in the vineyard received the same pay as those who worked all day long, since early in the morning. The master has given equal reward for unequal work.

In many of Jesus' parables, a character who expresses a wrong or selfish point of view is condemned to judgment. Not in this one. Instead, the master refers to the grumblers as "friend." His rebuke is gentle and, above all, reasonable. He insists that he has done nothing wrong to them and asks a question: Isn't this pay what we agreed on?

The bitter perspective of the grumbling workers is wrong, but the master sees them as allies, not enemies. He corrects their attitude, but insists they are friends. In this way, Jesus seems to be picturing the attitude of the Lord to those who follow Him while also, maybe, failing to appreciate His grace to others.