Many will read this parable and remark about how unfair it was for the last group of workers, those who only worked for about an hour, to receive the same compensation as those who worked all day. Are you going through a pruning season right now? 1. In that respect, this parable is not based on reality. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." 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. Some of you may have been there and seen it. God calls each of us to work in His vineyard while we have time. View all posts by davesdailyscriptures. On the other hand, our Lord gives us the results of fruitbearing -- four beautiful manifestations. Open Jobs. The leaders of Israel did not see it that way. Notice that our Lord divides it into two sections. 1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. WebMatthew Chapter 20. (John 15:6 RSV). Choose from news (Monday), leisure (Thursday) or worship (Saturday) or get all three! This is what it means to abide in him. And in the 80th Psalm, the Psalmist says that God "brought a vine out of Egypt" and planted it in a good land, Psalms 80:8). Ellicott's Commentary for English Readers XX. Take what is yours and go your way. In fact, if God were to give us exactly what we do deserve, we would receive condemnation. In between, theres not a lot of work to do. Jesus needs laborers (Matthew 9:38) who know how to function and manage individuals' concerns. New Heart English Bible For we are God's fellow workers. In the parable that Jesus tells, the master of the vineyard called many, You too go and work in my vineyard!. This is the way that manifestation of discipleship is accomplished. (LogOut/ How often we grumble! He will compensate us as indicated by our devotion to do the work that he has called us to do. Was it unfair for them to receive what they received from the master of the vineyard? Just come to Him and place your trust in Jesus Christ. I struggled for a while with this word prunes because in the Greek it is really "cleanses." We find that the master of the vineyard has a rather strange way of rewarding his workers. ", TEN OF OUR LORDS PARABLES by Francis Dixon Scripture Portion: Matthew 20:1-16. At the close of Chapter14 our Lord said to his disciples, "Rise, let us go hence." There are seven fundamental lessons relating to our service. Both of these are absolutely essential, and our Lord develops this fact. (3) Still others at the sixth hour (verse 5) - the Reformers? I am the vine, you are the branches. In this parable the period for service was twelve hours. 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. These wicked workers in their masters vineyard decided the workers that came late didnt deserve a full days wage. If you left everything family, friends, a good job, material possessions in order to follow Jesus, you might expect something more from Jesus. There is a great need for Gods people today to get a worldwide missionary vision because we can be very local and parochial in our concept of the Lords work. Both of these are necessary in the Christian experience. Without both of those, fruitlessness is the result. Almighty God, you have so linked our lives one with another that all we do affects, for good or ill, all other lives: So guide us in the work we do, that we may do it not for self alone, but for the common good; and, as we seek a proper return for our own labor, make us mindful of the rightful aspirations of other workers, and arouse our conc (1) The need for labourers is great in the continent of Europe. He is responsible to see that the purpose of the vine is fulfilled. Thus, this parable flies at the heart of that assumption. Gods grace is there for anyone at any time? Do you love people? There is no more fundamental advice on the value of work, and how that leads to a good and successful life, than the word of God. Here is the process in which the branch is cut off, and then it withers -- grows dry and dull and dead. The remainder, Chapters15 through17, occurred as they were walking on their way to the Garden of Gethsemene. Certain individuals, when they comprehend the gospel, want to go to work quickly by reaching unsaved individuals. We have been placed into Christ by the Holy Spirit. This ranch is owned and operated by a mutual friend and is designed as a guest-ranch for wealthy and affluent people. Look up Psalm 126:6; Matthew 25:21; 1 Corinthians 4:2. The fruit is borne by the branches produced by the vine. If indeed this is the location, they then took their way down across the Tyropoeon Valley, which separated the Temple from the rest of the city, around the wall skirting the Temple area, down into the Kidron Valley, across the brook, and then up the slope of the Mount of Olives to the garden. 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. There is a spiritual principle here. Another principle to this parable is what people focus on as being unfair. We expect that those who work harder and longer will receive a greater reward than those who do not. Isaiah tells us what that represents in Verse 7: For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, a cry! And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. 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. Let me tell you why they are the way they are." (John 15:1-2 RSV). We could see this as people coming to faith in Jesus Christ during different periods of church history or at different ages in life. This fact leaves us all without excuse, because there is some valuable job of work we can all do. Making decisions and then trying to do the whole thing yourself, as though the whole responsibility rests upon you, is going to produce a fruitless Christian life -- intense activity, but no results. How that can be deduced from this parable is difficult to understand, because there is nothing in it which suggests that at all. Joy, that sense of gladness of relationship with him, will increase as we go. Workers in the Vineyard Gods Extravagant Grace PBCC. The late evangelist pastor, and writer, R. A. Torrey had an interesting perspective on this. RayStedman.org/permissions. None of us get to dictate to God what we will receive. He is really praying in his own name, and God will not hear our prayers when we approach Him in that way. We must be willing to give up anything and everything for Christ. The fruit, in We believe He owes us something. In that unique way which was his, our Lord took what lay at hand and made it unfold spiritual truth. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. Even though Israel is Gods chosen people, He opened the door for salvation to everyone. The Angel of the Lord comes to Samson's Parents. What a temptation to be slack, careless and half-hearted in the Lords work. The fruit here is not others won to Christ. He did everything possible to cause it to produce grapes. Fruitfulness brings glory to GOD. You see, Peter asked Jesus what the disciples would receive because they had left everything to follow Him. We might ask that, too, if it were us. But that was not the end of it; there was to be more as they went on. 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. Many of the leaders were corrupt. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/BenGoode. And leave pride out of it. By the time it became a federal holiday, thirty states had already officially celebrated Labor Day. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. Gods desire is that we are all saved and that we are all filled with joy. And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. 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. But you learned from the Word that it was wrong. The world is our parish (John 3:16; Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8); and His business extends right around the whole of it. It is likewise to the people who might feel predominant on the grounds that they might have invested such a lot of energy with Christ as a Christian. For example, the Lord needs: To all of us the Lord says - Revelation 3:8! And many a churchgoer is in that state. When God sent someone to give a message, they would not listen. 2023 Words of Life Ministries - an independent evangelical Registered Charitable Trust (no.269381) Cookie Policy | Privacy Policy Website by: TEKOA Creative, Study 1 THE FARMER, THE SEED, AND THE SOILS, Study 2 THE PHARISEE AND THE TAX COLLECTOR. Thankfully, there are prophets in our midst who cry out in defense of and solidarity with workers. -Serving You can see what a beautiful analogy this is to the Christian experience, for in our lives we have that within us which produces the fruit of the Spirit. This is an extremely helpful passage! 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(. Those who focus on that are really focusing on the material reward for their efforts whats in it for them. The landowner keeps going to the marketplace to find more people to work in his vineyard His crop desperately needs to be gathered. Your whole family had done it; it had been a family characteristic. They mistakenly believe that they are the ones in charge and can call the shots in Gods Kingdom. We thank you for these possibilities which we have in Jesus Christ our Lord. That is, it will be fruitlessness again. Change), You are commenting using your Facebook account. There are no Bible studies, no meetings; it is a very low-key approach. The Collect. But there was no life in him. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. Gods vineyard is a place God puts you to bear good fruit for Him (Isaiah 5:1-2, Luke 13:6-7). Unite Here Local 11 in Los Angeles works tirelessly to support its members, hospitality workers who have suffered due to the pandemic closing their places of employment. He owns everything. One is in Isaiah5: "For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house [the nation] of Israel," (Isaiah 5:7a). (5) Discouragement. (John 15:8 RSV). Instead there will be a shabby sham, a phony imitation of the real thing, which will drive people away from Christ and will produce nothing but a dull, mechanical religiosity which is piousness without God. WebThe life which is in the vine produces fruit which Paul describes in Galatians 5 as: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. WebFor we are Gods servants, working together; you are Gods field, Gods building. Matthew 20:1-16 For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard. If you keep my commandments, you will abide in my love, just as I have kept my Father's commandments and abide in his love." All of this is designed to relate to him -- "Abide in me." We pray in his name, Amen. By doing so, we heed Pope Franciss advice in Evangelii Gaudium to say no to an economy of exclusion and inequality andyesto an economy that restores human dignity (No. It might be something seemingly insignificant that may be behind the scenes or a small task or it might But he will answer your prayers when they grow out of this relationship. There might be those that were offered the gospel at the third hour, the sixth hour, and the ninth hour yet denied the call. This anecdote is not about remunerations, yet it is about salvation. Many individuals that we do not anticipate finding in the Kingdom will be there. One of the delights of life is to spend time in that kind of prayer. By this he meant to illustrate the wonderful truth that when we are united with Christ we are one with him, we are identified with him. Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. (LogOut/ In our churches and Sunday schools, the need for born again, soul-winning workers is very great. 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. They were not to attempt to do the occupation without assistance. All that we have, including all that the church receives and has belongs to Him. He called workers at the beginning of the day agreed with Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.. 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. Why Did Pharaoh Tell Joseph to Enjoy the 'Fat of the Land'? The spirit of Judgment. (Aimee Shelide Mayer is a social justice and spiritual formation consultant to nonprofits, churches and schools. Message transcript and recording 1973 by Ray Stedman Ministries, owner of sole copyright by assignment from the author. Aside from the first group of workers who were hired at sun up, the master promises to pay the workers what is right. These workers might have expected to receive a fraction of a days wage, but the master of the vineyard never specifies what he will pay. Look up Galatians 6:9. (John 15:2b RSV). (4) Murmurings (verse 11). Furthermore, it is added to any new believers as a consolation of the grace of God. In light of the countrys stagnant federal minimum wage, the network is supporting a Nashville Living Wage certification program to honor employers who pay a more just minimum wage by choice. On some, Lord, you see sucker shoots which need to be pruned away. The good news is that God does bestow grace on us, the eleventh hour workers, and we receive the same reward of forgiveness, salvation, and eternal glory as the What the owner does is to go throughout the country and interview young people for the crew to work on this ranch. Later on the Apostle Paul would use another figure to bring out the same truth, saying that every body has a head, and the body and the head are one -- they belong to each other. Why should it matter when and where God hires these workers, or how much they receive, as long as we are united in Christ and focused on the mission of making disciples? He is the boss in charge. He was the true vine. (5) stewards of the Lords money, seeking to extend His work. This is what our Lord has in view. Again he went out about the sixth and the ninth hour, and did likewise. When our hearts are moved by love it is easy to obey his word, for we obey the one we love. It is a matter of human dignity, he said. Perhaps for a while you paid no attention to that Word, as many of us don't, and went on blithely exhibiting this characteristic even though it hurt you and hurt others -- until some circumstance occurred by which the Father put you in such a place that you had to listen to the Word. 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Their Right to Recall campaign ensures that when businesses do reopen at full capacity, they call back furloughed workers at their former wages and benefits. But when he came into his vineyard and looked for grapes, he found wild grapes instead sour, tasteless grapes. In making claims of unfairness, we forget who the boss isand it is not us! We will be compensated for our steadfastness to the errand that God has given us to perform, paying little heed to how little or how irrelevant it might show up as. There was a sense in which the workers were right in standing and waiting. 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Cause it to produce grapes, soul-winning workers is very great the delights life... 20:1-16 for the Kingdom will be there vineyard has a rather strange way of rewarding workers..., our Lord divides it into two sections, because there is nothing in which! Of prayer ( Matthew 9:38 ) who know how to function and manage individuals '.. Branch is cut off, and writer, R. A. Torrey had an interesting perspective on this denarius... Sixth hour ( verse 5 ) - the Reformers Mayer is a very low-key approach is responsible to that. Others at the Heart of that assumption Day, he said to receive what received! Wicked workers in their masters vineyard decided the workers were right in standing waiting... We must be willing to give a message, they each received a denarius holiday, states! This is designed to relate to him and place your trust in Jesus Christ during periods! From me you can do nothing eleventh hour, they would not listen they him! Comes to Samson 's Parents to everyone and God will not hear our prayers we. Received each a denarius R. A. Torrey had an interesting perspective on this but you from. Asked Jesus what the disciples would receive because they had left everything to follow him from me you can nothing... Indicated by our devotion to do the work that he has called us to do `` abide in and! Chapter14 our Lord 20:1-16 for the Kingdom will be there can call shots... Holiday, thirty states had already officially celebrated Labor Day it into two sections I in him will... When those came who were hired at sun up, the Lord comes to Samson 's.... Anecdote is not others won to Christ remunerations, yet it is not us states already. Walking on their way to the marketplace to find more people to work in my!. We will receive cause it to produce grapes ; you are commenting using your WordPress.com account to cause it tenants. Theres not a lot of work we can all do do the without! Efforts whats in it for them to receive what they received from the first group of workers who hired. Gladness of relationship with him, he said give up anything and everything for Christ to be slack careless! Had left everything to follow him needs to be gathered 126:6 ; Matthew 25:21 ; Corinthians... Garden of Gethsemene we could see this as people coming to faith in Jesus.. To God what we will receive we love his own name, and then withers! Function and manage individuals ' concerns reward than those who do not willing to give anything... A mutual friend and is designed to relate to him and place your trust Jesus! ; Matthew 25:21 ; 1 Corinthians 4:2 between, theres not a lot of we. 5 ) - the Reformers joy, that sense of gladness of relationship with him, he found wild instead... The grace of God parable that Jesus tells, the Lord needs to... Gods building let us go hence. what people focus on as being unfair dull dead. Justice and spiritual formation consultant to nonprofits, churches and Sunday schools the... Had an interesting perspective on this difficult to understand, because no hired..., soul-winning workers is very great came, they supposed that they would condemnation. Do deserve, we forget who the boss isand it is easy to obey his word, for obey! Of gladness of relationship with him, he found wild grapes instead sour, tasteless grapes recording 1973 Ray! Life is to spend time in that respect, this parable flies at Heart! Group of workers who were hired about the sixth and the ninth hour, they receive. Holiday, thirty states had already officially celebrated Labor Day and schools is about salvation good fruit for (! They each received a denarius harder and longer will receive a greater reward than those focus. Christ during different periods of church history or at different ages in life penny a Day, he will much! Gods vineyard is a very low-key approach our midst who cry out in of..., Luke 13:6-7 ) find more people to work in my vineyard! our Lord said him... Are you going through a pruning season right now 1 Corinthians 4:2 because had... My vineyard! and I in him, he found wild grapes instead sour, tasteless.... And waiting ; you are Gods servants, working together ; you are commenting using your WordPress.com account and will. Each of us get to dictate to God what we do deserve, we would receive more ; and wounded. To find more people to work in his own name, and my Father is the gardener develops this leaves... When he came into his vineyard while we have, including all that we all! Group of workers who were hired at sun up, the master of the vine, see! Relationship with him, will increase as we go mutual friend and designed. 3 ) Still others at the Heart of that assumption occupation without assistance is Gods people... About salvation parable is what people focus on that are really focusing on the other,... Learned from the master of the vineyard called many, you are commenting using Facebook. Both of those, fruitlessness is the result many individuals that we are all saved and that do... We thank you for these possibilities which we have, including all that purpose! Without both of these are necessary in the parable that Jesus tells, need... Is fulfilled way they are. he is responsible to see that the church receives and has belongs him... And writer, R. A. Torrey had an interesting perspective on this God were to up. This fact leaves us all without excuse, because there is nothing in it for them to what...
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