The joys of food delivery in Dallas Tx. -- Image by Image by Whitney Gibbens from Pixabay
A Modern retelling of "The Workers in the Vineyard"
In the bustling city of Dallas, where the skyline glittered with glass towers and traffic crawled down I-35 like a reluctant herd of turtles, a delivery app called QuickBite was running a promotion.
The deal? One flat daily rate of $300 for any driver who worked that day — no matter how many hours.
The announcement hit the app at 6 a.m., and by 6:05, the early birds were already on the road. Raj, a veteran driver, was first out, weaving through morning traffic on Stemmons Freeway with a breakfast order balanced in his front seat. He liked to brag he'd been driving since before QuickBite had GPS, "back when we had to actually know where Mockingbird Lane was."
Maria joined soon after, rolling out of Oak Cliff in her hatchback, thermos of coffee in the cupholder, picking up office orders in Uptown where people paid $12 for toast.
By noon, the midday crew trickled in — college kids between classes at UTD, side-hustlers grabbing lunch-break runs, a guy in a suit whose big meeting got canceled at the last minute.
Then at 4 p.m., when the sun was sliding low over Reunion Tower, the latecomers logged in. Some had just rolled out of bed, others were scrolling TikTok when they saw the push notification. One of them, Devin, admitted while sipping a Cherry Coke, "Yeah, I'll probably do like… two deliveries before dinner."
At 8 p.m., the day ended. Drivers gathered at QuickBite HQ — an old warehouse off Industrial Boulevard with sticky floors, motivational posters, and the faint smell of stale coffee that had been brewing since 1998.
The payout manager handed Raj his $300. "Nice work today," she said.
She handed Maria her $300. "Thanks for the double shifts."
Then she handed Devin his $300.
Raj blinked. "Uh… you must've made a mistake. He only worked an hour."
The manager shrugged. "That's the deal. Everyone gets the same rate today."
Raj's voice jumped half an octave. "I was out there for fourteen hours! Sat in standstill traffic on LBJ for forty minutes to deliver one poke bowl!"
"Yeah," said Devin, tearing into a vending machine Snickers, "and I worked for one hour. Sounds like we both made good choices today."
The manager leaned forward, calm but firm. "Raj, you agreed to work for $300 today. That's exactly what you got. Are you upset because I kept my promise to you — or because I was generous to someone else?"
Raj had no comeback. He just muttered something about "principles," stuffed the envelope in his pocket, and left.
He accepted the job at the flat rate. He didn't have to work all day; the ad had stated clearly, "no matter how many hours." But Raj was proud of his work, praised for his accuracy and professionalism. It never occurred to him to stop early.
Devin, meanwhile, called a rideshare to Deep Ellum for an open mic night, smiling like a man who'd just found the cheat code to adulthood.
Based on Matthew 20:1-16 (The Workers in the Vineyard)
Synopsis:
We think fairness means I get more because I worked more. But in God's economy, the reward is the same for all who accept His offer — whether they came early or late. Eternal life isn't earned by hours on the clock; it's given freely to everyone who says "yes." So instead of resenting someone else's blessing, rejoice that the same grace is big enough for you both.
Tap to read the actual bible passage:
parable of the Workers in the Vineyard
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