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哥林多前书：9:7-12: 7有谁当兵自备粮饷呢？有谁栽葡萄园不吃园里的果子呢？有谁牧养牛羊不吃牛羊的奶呢？8我说这话，岂是照人的意见？律法不也是这样说吗？9就如摩西的律法记着说：“牛在场上踹谷的时候，不可笼住他的嘴。”难道神所挂念的是牛吗？10不全是为我们说的吗？分明是为我们说的。因为耕种的当存着指望去耕种；打场的也当存得粮的指望去打场。11我们若把属灵的种子撒在你们中间，就是从你们收割奉养肉身之物，这还算大事吗？12若别人在你们身上有这权柄，何况我们呢？          

保罗陈述了一个基本原则，即，劳动者配得应有的报酬。曾经有一个十几岁的女孩帮忙照看我的孩子，但她说不想让我付报酬给他。我就引用了保罗说的这句话：“牛在场上踹谷的时候，不可笼住他的嘴。”上帝甚至关心那些服事我们的牲畜，更何况那些服事我们的人呢，他们岂不更应该得到他们应得的！       

当然，保罗在这里是为了说明他作为使徒应有的权利，他有权从福音传教工作中获得报酬。但我们也可以将这个原则应用到更广泛的背景之下。我曾经和一个在奶牛场工作的非法移民劳工交谈过。我问他工作能拿多少薪水。他愁眉苦脸的说道：“我每个小时的收入是7.5美元，每天要工作12个小时来照料这些奶牛。”他揉了揉下巴，接着说道：“这些牛还会踢人呢。”我曾听到那家奶牛场的老板在电台采访中，为自己雇佣非法移民劳工的做法进行了辩护。他说：“没有其他人愿意为我出的工资工作。”上帝在旧约里强烈谴责那些剥削工人的主人。做工的人配得应有的薪酬，不论是合法工人还是非法工人。         

我在这里并不是为那些非法入境的劳工进行辩护。那完全是另一回事。做工的人，无论是青少年，还是妇女，老人，非法劳工，等等，他们配得应有的薪酬。  

祷告：主耶稣，在你成长的过程中，你也曾靠双手养活自己，做的也是普通的工作。因此，你也把我们所做的事分别为圣，并且呼召我们去做，不论是挤奶牛，带孩子，还是在快餐店打工。愿你教导那些雇主，公平的付薪水给那些为他们工作的人。阿们。

1 Corinthians 9: 7 Who serves as a soldier at his own expense? Who plants a vineyard and does not eat its grapes? Who tends a flock and does not drink the milk? 8 Do I say this merely on human authority? Doesn’t the Law say the same thing? 9 For it is written in the Law of Moses: “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain. Is it about oxen that God is concerned? 10 Surely he says this for us, doesn’t he? Yes, this was written for us, because whoever plows and threshes should be able to do so in the hope of sharing in the harvest. 11 If we have sown spiritual seed among you, is it too much if we reap a material harvest from you? 12 If others have this right of support from you, shouldn’t we have it all the more? EHV)

Paul states a basic principle when he says that a laborer is worthy of his or her hire. A teenage girl once said she didn’t want me to pay her for babysitting for my children. I quoted Paul and said, “Do not muzzle an ox while it is treading out the grain.” God is even concerned for the animals we use to serve us! How much more doesn’t he want us to give those who work for us their due!         

Of course, Paul is applying this to his right as an apostle to receive compensation for his work of preaching the gospel. But we can also apply this principle to a much broader context.  I once spoke to an undocumented worker who worked a dairy. I asked him how much he was paid for his work. He made a sour face and said, “I get $7.50 an hour and I work twelve hours a day behind the cows.” Then he rubbed his jaw and said, “And those cows can kick.”  I heard the owner of that dairy speak on a radio interview and defend his practice of hiring undocumented workers.  He said, “No one else will work for what i can pay them.” God consistently condemned his people in the Old Testament for taking advantage of their workers.  Laborers are worthy of their hire, documented or not documented.

I am not arguing the case for undocumented workers coming to our country illegally. That’s another discussion all together. Laborers are worthy of their hire – teenagers, women, elderly, undocumented labors, etc.             

Prayer:   Lord Jesus, you grew up working with your hands and doing common labor. In doing so, you sanctified the work we do and have called us to do it, from milking cows to babysitting children or working in a fast food place.  Teach those who employee your people to pay them fairly for the work that they do. Amen.