Then He began to tell the people this parable: A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.. He said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. He will compensate us as indicated by our devotion to do the work that he has called us to do. You can check out his work here. God came looking for justice and righteousness; instead he found oppression, cruelty, exploitation, and indifference to the needs of others. How difficult that would be! None are self-appointed. Would we demand fairness for the first group, for the first Christians? The last point is that we are the laborers in the Masters vineyard. He built a tower; he protected the vineyard and cared for it, Isaiah 5:2(. Is that what we really want? Was it unfair for them to receive what they received from the master of the vineyard? If you left everything family, friends, a good job, material possessions in order to follow Jesus, you might expect something more from Jesus. If we focus on the rewards of working in Gods vineyard, we miss the pleasure of serving the Master. It is the third of these parables that we will study, and notice in verse 1 that the Landowner is our Lord Himself, and the Workers He sent into His vineyard represent all who have been saved (Matthew 1:21), chosen (John 16:16), and commissioned by Him (Matthew 9:38). In making claims of unfairness, we forget who the boss isand it is not us! Probably they will respect him when they see him. But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, This is the heir. Whatever work you do, do it as unto the Lord (because you are!) These wicked workers in their masters vineyard decided the workers that came late didnt deserve a full days wage. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. The land was Gods planting (Psalm 80), Gods vineyard (Isaiah 5). In order to appease the union workers, the government recognized Labor Day. View all posts by davesdailyscriptures. In that unique way which was his, our Lord took what lay at hand and made it unfold spiritual truth. The life which is in the vine produces fruit which Paul describes in Galatians5 as: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. It seemed to me a far cry from cleansing away debris to pruning back the branches -- until I learned that, in the usual practice of viticulture (i.e., the care of vines), the branches are pruned back each year in order to cleanse them. We will see more of what that means as we go on in this account. Without both of those, fruitlessness is the result. Several times, he found people standing idle in the marketplace, which may just mean that were unemployed, not that they were lazy. By the time it became a federal holiday, thirty states had already officially celebrated Labor Day. He or she may not have sung in a choir, never taught a Sunday School class, nor been a part of a church committee. Prayers are answered, growing out of that relationship of an obedient and a dependent heart -- leaving the process and timing to God. Similar efforts are underway in cities across the country. It is now generally viewed as a time for barbecues and the end of summer, but it was originally observed to acknowledge the contribution workers make to our society. Do you love God for Who He is, or do you love Him for the benefits He gives you? (Aimee Shelide Mayer is a social justice and spiritual formation consultant to nonprofits, churches and schools. There are seven fundamental lessons relating to our service. But we are to be sober, be vigilant, and be steadfast in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-9). "Without me you can do nothing.". St. Augustine once gathered up this very truth in a beautiful way: That frightens some people. Apprenticeship graduate Joseph Kenyiawa, who was resettled through Catholic Charities in Nashville from Sudan 20 years ago, is a pillar of the Sudanese Catholic community. [Jesus said to the people:] Listen to another parable. God has blessed me tremendously and so thankful for His grace and the people He has put in my life and His work in and around me. God is glorified when his people manifest fruit, i.e., Christlikeness. The fact that the labourers are in a vineyard suggest the Eucharist, with the clergy as the workers providing the super-substantial bread and wine of salvation. Its a place where to keep you from being idle, to ensure you dont live a As a result he was cut off, and he withered. When God sent someone to give a message, they would not listen. 10If you obey my commands, you will remain in my love, just as I have obeyed my Father's commands and remain in his love. Only believing in Christ and accepting him as Lord and Savior is what prompts a home in heaven. -It involves sowing seed, and watering and cultivating, and maintaining and protecting the vineyard, and reaping the harvest. This ranch is owned and operated by a mutual friend and is designed as a guest-ranch for wealthy and affluent people. So from this point on we properly should no longer call this passage of Scripture the Upper Room Discourse. And if you are truly loving him, you can ask whatever you will. Look up Psalm 126:6; Matthew 25:21; 1 Corinthians 4:2. He does not show favoritism. We are only stewards of what God has graciously allowed us to use. Stand Up Nashville, a grassroots organization supported by the Catholic Campaign for Human Development, also in Nashville, has fought for a community benefits agreement around the new soccer stadium construction project to ensure that local residents benefit from living wage employment opportunities. He will interview perhaps 300 young people and from them select only 30. Second, "and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit." Workers in the Vineyard Gods Extravagant Grace PBCC. And about the eleventh hour he went out and found others standing idle, and said to them, Why have you been standing here idle all day? They said to him, Because no one hired us. He said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right you will receive., So when evening had come, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers and give them their wages, beginning with the last to the first. And when those came who were hired about the eleventh hour, they each received a denarius. Here is the process in which the branch is cut off, and then it withers -- grows dry and dull and dead. Our Lord goes on now to point out the consequence of not abiding in him: "If a man does not abide in me, he is cast forth as a branch and withers; and the branches are gathered, thrown into the fire and burned." And our Lord is indicating that the very purpose of the vine is to produce such fruit. On the other hand, he says, "He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." The context of this parable was right after Jesus was talking with the rich man who valued his riches and was sad when Jesus told him to leave it behind to follow Him. (2) Jealousy (verse 10) - the Devils master-stroke among the Lords workers! 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. As he held this vine and its branches in his hand, he indicated that this was the copy. That is, "This pruning has gone on in your life already." He says, first, "As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me." He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others., And when they heard it they said, Certainly not!, Then He looked at them and said, What then is this that is written: THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED HAS BECOME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE ? You do not even have to do a thing to manifest that. No, it simply stays in the vine and lets the life of the vine produce the fruit. This is somewhat counter cultural as the world seems fixated on entitlements. When he said, "I am the true vine," he did not mean, "true in contrast with something false, fake, counterfeit," but rather "real, genuine, as opposed to the mere copy or symbol." The other aspect was that the Jews figured they were Gods people and were the only ones that had the right to heaven. But where love is responded to, it grows deeper and richer and truer, and eventually becomes a glorious experience. (2) Christian authors and teachers who use the printed word. Today there is a manpower shortage in the Kingdom of Heaven! Who Are the Workers in the Parable of the Vineyard? On the other hand, our Lord gives us the results of fruitbearing -- four beautiful manifestations. And then we must rest on him, count on him to see us through, to supply that enabling power which makes us able to love and forgive and rejoice and give thanks, even when everything is going wrong. We expect that those who work harder and longer will receive a greater reward than those who do not. Remember that earlier in the passage our Lord had said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments," (John 14:15 RSV). This is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED BY YOU BUILDERS, WHICH HAS BECOME THE CHIEF CORNERSTONE. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.. (1) For the kingdom. Then the last result of fruitbearing -- the fullness of joy, Verse11, "These things I have spoken to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full." That is abiding in him. (3) people of prayer behind the scenes. The parable provides an illustration of this statement. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. The fruit is borne by the branches produced by the vine. They continually were seeking ways to quiet Him or destroy Him. 1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. As work became more industrialized, Pope Leo XIII advocated for just working conditions, the rights of workers to bargain collectively and form unions, and to earn a living wage all of which our church still supports today. If you open your Bible and begin to read it without the conscious expectation that it is going to tell you something about him, you will read in vain. None of us are worthy to be there, but Jesus paid for our sins and died for us, so that all who believe may enter into heaven. We do not have to agonize and struggle to produce these qualities or characteristics; they are brought about naturally by the vine. That is what joy is -- this sense of our unity with Jesus, the sense of his power, his adequacy, his ability to handle the problems which are thrust upon us. There he is, back on the subject of that basic relationship which is already established by the coming of the Holy Spirit into an individual's life: "You in me, and I in you." 6If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. The Gentiles may have been called in at the eleventh hour, but they receive the same as what was offered unto the Jews, salvation. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." All rights reserved. There are a couple things to note in this story, I think. He received a note one day during a meeting that said the following: Dear Dr. Torrey, I am in great perplexity. If you try to pray as though it were some exercise in which you chalk off fifteen minutes' worth, mechanically going through a list like the turning of a prayer wheel, it is a valueless experience. 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