WebThere is a great need for God s people today to get a worldwide missionary vision because we can be very local and parochial in our concept of the Lord s work. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. We would be foolish to appeal to God for justice rather than grace, for if we really received justice, we would all be condemned. Then God the Father sent His only Son. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.. They wanted the power and prestige and didnt want anyone to take that from them. Notice the workers were called at different times:-. Matthew Henrys Commentary tells us that the immediate object of this parable is, to show that the Jews were first called into the vineyard, finally, the gospel should be spread to the Gentiles, and that they are to be conceded to the same advantages and benefits with the Jews. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. In the parable that Jesus tells, the master of the vineyard called many, You too go and work in my vineyard!. We must decide to do things which expose ourselves to him and keep ourselves in contact with him. What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? There are a couple things to note in this story, I think. The vineyard is the kingdom, the sphere of Gods rule. In this parable we encounter a situation that just does not seem right. Either we will feel inadequate or have pride or grumble. If you try to make all the choices and carry all the responsibility yourself, you will lead a fruitless life. Fruitfulness shows that we are in partnership with GOD. It was then that the Landowner said, You also go (verse 7). Many employees look forward to this day as another paid day off from work. But when he came into his vineyard and looked for grapes, he found wild grapes instead sour, tasteless grapes. In order to appease the union workers, the government recognized Labor Day. WebGod needs workers for his vineyard. Note in verses 4 and 7 that He sent them out. Though it is wonderful when one has the privilege of leading many to Christ, and any of us perhaps can do this on one occasion or another, it is no indication of fruitlessness if you never have had this experience. And he went out about the third hour and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, and said to them, You also go into the vineyard, and whatever is right I will give you. So they went. As a result he was cut off, and he withered. He or she may not have sung in a choir, never taught a Sunday School class, nor been a part of a church committee. They continually were seeking ways to quiet Him or destroy Him. However, the illustration might be applied all the more by and large to show us that God is not in debt to anyone; an extraordinary truth. Second, "and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit." A friend of mine passed through Palo Alto this week on his way to Colorado to participate in a very unusual ranch. However, we are not entitled to anything, especially from God. This anecdote is not about remunerations, yet it is about salvation. In 1 Peter we are told that we shall receive a crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4). They may have been members of churches for years, but there is no life evident at all. If we use the basic principle of understanding Scripture, which is common to all of Scripture -- letting Scripture interpret itself -- there is no doubt as to what this fruit is. Fruitfulness gives GOD glory. Without both of those, fruitlessness is the result. As leaders, they should have been leading the people to Him. And our Lord is indicating that the very purpose of the vine is to produce such fruit. And there are conversions after conversions throughout the remainder of the week -- because of young people who manifest by their lives that they are Jesus' disciples. It becomes a continuing sense and experience of his love for us. This is a picture of those church members who, despite attending church, never have any manifestation of truth, never have any sign in their lives of that quality of love and forgiveness and understanding and compassion which is born of the Holy Spirit, but are rigid and narrow and hard and harsh and condemning and difficult -- even though they say and do the "right" thing. That is, it will be fruitlessness again. (3) people of prayer behind the scenes. So he has designed this ranch for that purpose. In that unique way which was his, our Lord took what lay at hand and made it unfold spiritual truth. 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. The story includes a master, his vineyard, and some workers. The person might have never addressed hundreds or thousands of individuals like some ministers and evangelists do, yet they loyally brought up their youngsters, and possibly those kids became teachers who served God on unfamiliar soil or someplace within their own country. We ought not to resent the people who go to God in the last snapshots of life, in light of the fact that, truly, nobody merits timeless life. We do not have to agonize and struggle to produce these qualities or characteristics; they are brought about naturally by the vine. But many are troubled by those who claim that, unless a Christian is constantly winning others to Christ, he is a fruitless Christian. Who Are the Workers in the Parable of the Vineyard? And, as Jesus goes on to point out, he has a two-fold work: First, "Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away;" (John 15:2a RSV). There is no other way to salvation but by faith in Jesus Christ. As Isaiah tells us, God cleared out the rocks in his vineyard and hedged it about. When that happens, there will come these additional benefits: answered prayer, a glorifying of the Father through the demonstration of discipleship, a deepening of the experience of love, and joy made full. Many church people take issue with this. It is almost certain that Jesus stopped in the midst of a vineyard, took a vine, and used it as a means of illustrating to his disciples the great secret he had been seeking to impart to them in his whole discourse there in the Upper Room, the most fundamental and basic secret of Christian life -- the secret which lay at the heart of his own experience and ministry, "I am in the Father, and the Father is in me" John 14:10(, and now the secret of their lives by the Spirit when he would come, "You in me, and I in you," (John 14:20b RSV(. The whole earth is the Lords, but other nations did not enjoy their lands as the planting of the Lord . We will see more of what that means as we go on in this account. They mistakenly believe that they have earned whatever they have. Recall, verse two of the passage: Matthew 20:2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. The evening is eternity. 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." Meaning and 10 Examples, What Is the Parable of the Sower? I struggled for a while with this word prunes because in the Greek it is really "cleanses." You see, you can make choices but you cannot fulfill them. How that can be deduced from this parable is difficult to understand, because there is nothing in it which suggests that at all. The figure of the vine is used many times in the Scriptures. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/BenGoode. Does it Matter That I Didn't Keep My Goals for Lent? So you can do what you please when you love God. Even though Israel is Gods chosen people, He opened the door for salvation to everyone. We know that your work with us is to the end that we may produce more fruit, that all of us here in this vineyard will be so fruit-laden, that it will be a fruitful place which will make the world around us drool with desire to learn the secret of such fruit. "Abide in me, and I in you," and you will be fruitful -- without realizing it -- manifesting the characteristics of the Spirit, the fruit of the Spirit, the quality of life which is like Jesus. That is the main issue with this parable. But Jesus explains that salvation is for everyone, Jew and Gentile alike. Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. That is, a vine produces certain shoots (called "sucker" shoots) which start to grow where the branch joins the stem. (Isaiah 5:7 RSV). No, it simply stays in the vine and lets the life of the vine produce the fruit. Both of these are absolutely essential, and our Lord develops this fact. Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Change). The world is our parish (John 3:16; Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8); and His business extends right around the whole of it. (4) Murmurings (verse 11). Linking is encouraged, but content may not be published, broadcast, rewritten or otherwise distributed including, but not limited to such means as framing or other digital copying and/or distribution method, in whole or in part without the publisher's written consent. Thus, this parable flies at the heart of that assumption. If you are not feeling the depth of love you would like to experience, one of the reasons may be that you are not responding to the love which is already reaching out to you. There is a spiritual principle here. Catholic Labor Network has also supported local Catholic Charities agencies around the country that are exploring partnerships with North Americas Building Trades Unions Multi-craft Core Curriculum (MC3) Apprenticeship Readiness Program to channel Catholic Charities clients, low-income Catholic parishioners, and referrals from local St. Vincent de Paul conferences into stable and fiscally solvent careers in the union construction trades. This parable is about the masters generosity His grace. (John 15:7 RSV), Answered prayer is one of the first signs of a fruitful life. His beautiful analogy has helped a great many Christians to understand the relationship God wants them to know. The Father is the vinedresser. Several biblical passages describe the grape harvest as a time of The masters promise was entirely fair; however, since the master of the vineyard gave the others who worked less than a full day the same wage as those who had borne the burden of the day, those first workers believed that they deserved something more. (5) Discouragement. St. Augustine once gathered up this very truth in a beautiful way: That frightens some people. Suffice it to say, the Lord will someday reward the person who may have been a member of a small church. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. There was no fruit. 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. It is not part of the fruit itself; it is the result of a life which increasingly is becoming Christlike. Was it unfair for them to receive what they received from the master of the vineyard? Or is your eye evil because I am good? So the last will be first, and the first last. Christians should work diligently to glorify the Lord and bring others to Christ, and because of the genuineness of our hearts will we obtain rewards in In agriculture theres a sowing season, then a reaping season. He may have been eager to make sure people had work. He exercised the power of God by performing miracles. So it is evident from that parable that the fruit which God expects of the vine is moral character, or as we have it in the New Testament, the fruit of the Spirit -- the fruit which the Spirit produces. Lets take the definition of fruitfulness. He is really praying in his own name, and God will not hear our prayers when we approach Him in that way. Again, let God be your guide. Compare Acts 8:29; 9:11; 10:19; 13:1-4; Isaiah 6:1-8. I believe that this is similar to today. What the owner does is to go throughout the country and interview young people for the crew to work on this ranch. He is teaching us here that right in the midst of the circumstances of life there can be more likeness to Christ, more of the moral character of Jesus, more fruit. Bible Meaning and Text. So it is with the church: we need all the workers we can get to accomplish all that God has called us to do. The parable provides an illustration of this statement. We are workers of the eleventh hour! This sermon was delivered at Good Hope Baptist Church in Wake Forest, NC. He will compensate us as indicated by our devotion to do the work that he has called us to do. There are no Bible studies, no meetings; it is a very low-key approach. "Without me you can do nothing.". We are laborers in His vineyard and He is calling the shots. The late evangelist pastor, and writer, R. A. Torrey had an interesting perspective on this. Those who focus on that are really focusing on the material reward for their efforts whats in it for them. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. (John 15:9-10 RSV). The invitation has been given, many will accept it and work, many will not. Economic security is an essential foundation for strong families, explained Father Ty Hullinger, pastor of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church, who joined other Baltimore Catholics in a successful campaign for Right to Recall in his city. He adds here the ingredient that when we obey his word, keep his commandments, we will abide in his love. 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. Linking is encouraged, but republishing or redistributing, including by framing or similar means, without the publisher's prior written permission is prohibited. Today there is a manpower shortage in the Kingdom of Heaven! The steward, perhaps, represents Jesus Christ, to whom has been committed all judgment. At the close of Chapter14 our Lord said to his disciples, "Rise, let us go hence." Your heart may go out to those workers who labored the whole day only to receive the same wage as those who worked for only one hour. Eventually these branches are to be gathered and burned. Judas was a paramount example of this. Unless otherwise noted, all material copyright 2023, Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. I have been the superintendent of the Sunday school for twenty-five years, and an elder in the church for twenty years; and yet God does not answer my prayer and I cannot understand it. We find that the master of the vineyard has a rather strange way of rewarding his workers. This is Labor Day weekend. God owns the vineyard! Let us work together while there is time and much work to do. God is glorified when his people manifest fruit, i.e., Christlikeness. When we understand ourselves as all workers in Gods vineyard (Mt 20:1-14), we cannot help but join the fight for our fellow workers who are being mistreated. Certain individuals, when they comprehend the gospel, want to go to work quickly by reaching unsaved individuals. For those who have accepted Christ and may at times cry foul when life seems unfair, remember that the truly desirable thing is to be called by the Master and work with all our might not for the reward but out of love for the Master. I have been a member of the Presbyterian Church for thirty years, and have tried to be a consistent one all the time. See how many times the Landowner went out to appoint workers - verses 1, 3, 5, 6. We Christians are God's great vineyard. 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.. All of us have learned, one way or another, that love demands a response if it is to grow. 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 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." Do you want to be known as a disciple of Jesus? Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. But it is conceivable that the master had a lot of work to do and wanted all the workers he could find to do it. 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. Both these relationships are absolutely essential, not one as opposed to the other but both together. In fact, if God were to give us exactly what we do deserve, we would receive condemnation. But we are to be sober, be vigilant, and be steadfast in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-9). On the other hand, if you let him take all the responsibility and you make no choices at all, if you depend on him to do everything including making the choices, you will also have a fruitless life. Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. We are His Laborers Working for His Harvest. Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit." 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