This is Labor Day weekend. Remember that earlier in the passage our Lord had said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments," (John 14:15 RSV). Second, "and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit." The remainder, Chapters15 through17, occurred as they were walking on their way to the Garden of Gethsemene. Doors of opportunity are closing in many parts of the world - look up 1 Corinthians 7:29. He was the vine from which true life is received. 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." Look up Psalm 126:6; Matthew 25:21; 1 Corinthians 4:2. The laborers in this parable were hired to do a work for the master of the 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.. What Is the Significance of Not the Letter but of the Spirit? Is that what we really want? 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. Jesus told the parable of the Laborers in the Vineyard to illustrate the point that no one deserves Gods grace and each of us should joyfully serve Him with the time we are given. In the second parable, Jesus teaches that all are equal in Gods kingdom. We would be foolish to appeal to God for justice rather than grace, for if we really received justice, we would all be condemned. All rights reserved. Does it seem fair to our standards that this is the case? The whole plant was the vine. 1"I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. It is not part of the fruit itself; it is the result of a life which increasingly is becoming Christlike. There is a pruning time, a pruning season. 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. Fruit, here, is that which is produced by the vine and is the natural outflow of the life of the vine. The parable occurs between two very similar statements in Matthew: The first will be last, and the last first. We are workers of the eleventh hour! (LogOut/ It appears that this master, however, does not share that expectation. His beautiful analogy has helped a great many Christians to understand the relationship God wants them to know. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. A friend of mine passed through Palo Alto this week on his way to Colorado to participate in a very unusual ranch. 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. Judas was a paramount example of this. Again, He is the Master of the vineyard, not us. This ranch is owned and operated by a mutual friend and is designed as a guest-ranch for wealthy and affluent people. As you venture out on that basis you expect him to support you and to carry you through. (2) Jealousy (verse 10) - the Devils master-stroke among the Lords workers! Here in remarkable imagery he captures the work which goes on in our lives as the Father employs the circumstances in which we are found, the situations of our lives, to make us heed and hear the Word which corrects and changes. The last point is that we are the laborers in the Masters vineyard. The same is true for God. We believe He owes us something. This sermon was delivered at Good Hope Baptist Church in Wake Forest, NC. Not one of us deserves anything from God.. 2He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. The Gentiles may have been called in at the eleventh hour, but they receive the same as what was offered unto the Jews, salvation. These three vineyard texts insist that God remains in personal relationship with his people, continues to care for and preserve them and stays faithful even when the people fail to do so. (4) Still others at the eleventh hour (verse 6) - twenty-first century witnesses? So he has designed this ranch for that purpose. Many church people take issue with this. But many are troubled by those who claim that, unless a Christian is constantly winning others to Christ, he is a fruitless Christian. Music City Construction Careers in Nashville is one such bridge-building program. 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! He built a tower; he protected the vineyard and cared for it, Isaiah 5:2(. Meaning and 10 Examples, What Is the Parable of the Sower? He says, "Now, it may seem strange to you that I should ask that last question. The parable is about a master calling people to work for Him. What we receive from God is a gift and undeserved. He exercised the power of God by performing miracles. (4) Murmurings (verse 11). St. Augustine once gathered up this very truth in a beautiful way: That frightens some people. When we do, we are abiding in him and letting him abide in us. 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 (4) workers who visit and use their practical skills (Acts 10:38). We are only stewards of what God has graciously allowed us to use. 9"As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you. Your whole family had done it; it had been a family characteristic. Probably everyone feels that a person ought to be compensated fairly for his or her work. What Does it Mean That We Are Co-Workers with God? This is the way that manifestation of discipleship is accomplished. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 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. Therefore, you thought it was right. 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. 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. I struggled for a while with this word prunes because in the Greek it is really "cleanses." (5) stewards of the Lords money, seeking to extend His work. 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. Given the circumstances, we should center around God's benevolence toward us, and be grateful for what we have. 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. His joy, the joy that was always there at the bottom of his heart, that gladness of relationship with his Father, is now to be our experience. Needless to say, such behavior doesnt impress God at all. "Without me you can do nothing.". It is not activity which glorifies God; it is character, it is what you are, and the way you react to a situation. In this parable, I recognized three reasons why we fail to walk in Gods grace and how to overcome them. This huge story represents a vital truth: it is not the measure of time, which we serve nor the unmistakable quality or significance of our position, which decides our reward. 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. Subject to permissions policy, all rights reserved. When our Lord says "Abide in me," he is talking about the will, about the choices, the decisions we make. The traditional site of the Upper Room in Jerusalem is on the western side of the Old City, on the slopes of Mount Zion. We also have a day in which to work for the Lord - look up 2 Corinthians 6:2 - the Day of Grace. The Progression: Chronological - The parable emphasizes the times that the laborers were hired. That is abiding in him. 3 And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, That is what Jesus is talking about. In this instance, we should mobilize people to first pray, then gather a band of prayer warriors. That is a hard lesson to learn, because oftentimes when we go to God in prayer thinking we deserve something from Him. There was a sense in which the workers were right in standing and waiting. 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." He or she may not have sung in a choir, never taught a Sunday School class, nor been a part of a church committee. (2) Christian authors and teachers who use the printed word. (John 15:2b RSV). All things being equal, we expect businesses would not pay workers the same wage who worked less than others. But it is an Do you love God for Who He is, or do you love Him for the benefits He gives you? 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. 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 ? Just come to Him and place your trust in Jesus Christ. Fruitfulness brings glory to GOD. They plant their empires through conquest and war (Genesis 10:8-12), intoxicated with a taste for blood instead of the pure wine of divine governance (Revelation 17:2, 6). We thereby are Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. New Heart English Bible For we are God's fellow workers. Somebody might vocally protest that "those individuals did not function or work as hard as I did." In fact, if God were to give us exactly what we do deserve, we would receive condemnation. Certain individuals, when they comprehend the gospel, want to go to work quickly by reaching unsaved individuals. The strike and a boycott shut down much of the nations freight and passenger traffic west of Detroit, Michigan. Jesus was teaching things that were contrary to religious tradition. If you try to make all the choices and carry all the responsibility yourself, you will lead a fruitless life. The workers of a railroad car manufacturing company began the strike because they thought they were not treated fairly. He decides who does what and who receives what from working in his vineyard. Also, Jesus teaches in this parable that all who come to Him will be equal in the kingdom of God, rich or poor, Jew or Gentile, young or old. They mistakenly believe that they are the ones in charge and can call the shots in Gods Kingdom. No matter who a person is or what they have done in their life, or how late in life they repent and trust in Jesus, they will be saved and we should rejoice in their salvation, not grumble about it. There is also the other side -- "Let me abide in you." 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." There will be a harvest and we need to work until that time. It is His vineyard and He chooses to do with it as He sees fit. It is the love of Jesus for us, "shed abroad in our hearts by the Holy Spirit" (Romans 5:5 KJV), which awakens our love toward him in response. Also, there is much work to be done. That is, "If you do not abide in me, you will be fruitless." Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. -It involves sowing seed, and watering and cultivating, and maintaining and protecting the vineyard, and reaping the harvest. In 1 Peter we are told that we shall receive a crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4). We are to abide in him (that is active, something we do), and we are to let him abide in us (that is passive, something we allow him to do). Or is your eye evil because I am good? So the last will be first, and the first last. The Bible illustrates that many who start last, now and then by Gods grace, may sometimes reach a more noteworthy accomplishment in effect, biblical knowledge, and grace, than others whose entry into the faith was all the earlier. If in relating to others you merely get together and have coffee and talk about the weather, you will find it useless. There is no other way to salvation but by faith in Jesus Christ. Many people have a problem with this. (1) preachers who are used by their Spirit-filled preaching. When God sent someone to give a message, they would not listen. We will see more of what that means as we go on in this account. No matter how long or how much you have served God, you do not deserve His grace. Surely, She holds a masters degree in theology.). What a temptation to be slack, careless and half-hearted in the Lords work. If you left everything family, friends, a good job, material possessions in order to follow Jesus, you might expect something more from Jesus. Gods desire is that we are all saved and that we are all filled with joy. View all posts by davesdailyscriptures. Some of you may have been there and seen it. Change). Now we must choose to maintain that relationship by the decisions we make, i.e., decisions to expose ourselves to his Word in order to learn about him, and to relate to him in prayer wherein we converse with him, and to relate to other believers in body-life experiences, i.e., bearing one another's burdens and confessing our faults and sharing in fellowship with one another, wherein we learn about and see Christ in one another. If we did, then it would not be grace. 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. (LogOut/ Prayers are answered, growing out of that relationship of an obedient and a dependent heart -- leaving the process and timing to God. We must make choices, we must determine to expose ourselves to him, we must seek his face in the Word and in prayer and in fellowship with others. The third question is, "Do you love Jesus?". God is gracious to us, calling us from our idle state and placing us in His vineyard to work for His harvest. The laborers are believers, people who come into the service of the King. [Jesus said to the people:] Listen to another parable. He does not mean that without him you remain just an immobile blob. The relationship is not merely to be recognized; it is to be acted upon: "Abide in me, and I in you. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? So it is a complete cycle which keeps producing deeper and deeper experiences of love. You may believe that the master of the vineyard owes those workers more. Cultivating the vineyard of the Lord includes cultivating the lives of those who toil in the vineyard. No, they are means by which we know him. If we do that we are fulfilling this active, necessary decision of the will to obey his Word, to do what he says, and to stay in touch with him. So it is with the church: we need all the workers we can get to accomplish all that God has called us to do. He may have been eager to make sure people had work. The Gospel reading was -- and remains -- one of the most incendiary of Jesus' parables: that of the generous landowner The fruit is borne by the branches produced by the vine. Both of these are necessary in the Christian experience. Many religious leaders are more interested in their fame and fortune than they are at leading people to the truth. Well then, manifest fruit in your life by abiding in him, and he in you. Catholic social teaching upholds the dignity of work and the rights of workers. At the close of Chapter14 our Lord said to his disciples, "Rise, let us go hence." A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time. 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. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. Our Father, as you have been walking through your vineyard this morning, you have been looking at various vines growing here. The point here is that it is the masters money and he can pay as much or as little as he wants. I believe this is a reference to other such Scripture passages which say that the angels will be sent out to gather out all which offends in God's kingdom and cast it into the eternal fire where it will be burned. That is why the New Testament says: Open your hearts, widen your hearts, be responsive -- love back. To uphold the dignity of work and the rights of workers means to question unjust systems that violate human dignity by not paying a fair wage, withholding wages or preventing workers from their right to organize and bargain collectively for their safety, livelihood and protections on the job. Another way to state this and illustrate the unfairness is that those who worked the whole day received the same compensation that they agreed to receive as those who worked for only one hour. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.. The story includes a master, his vineyard, and some workers. Whatever work you do, do it as unto the Lord (because you are!) And when they had received it, they complained against the landowner, saying, These last men have worked only one hour, and you made them equal to us who have borne the burden and the heat of the day. But he answered one of them and said, Friend, I am doing you no wrong. 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). He did not abide in Christ, and Christ did not abide in him. 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. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. I am sure you have all had the experience of being confronted with a word of Scripture and learning from it that something you had been doing all your life, and which you thought was right, was actually wrong. Rather, they were to ask God for additional helpers. -Serving 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. We are to each be working to make more disciples of Jesus Christ while we have time. Those who focus on that are really focusing on the material reward for their efforts whats in it for them. We thank you for these possibilities which we have in Jesus Christ our Lord. 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. 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. God calls each of us to work in His vineyard while we have time. 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. But if you pray because you are talking with One whom you love and want to know more of, sharing with him out of the fullness of your heart, then prayer becomes a beautiful and marvelous experience. He even shared in the experience of ministry with the other disciples. When we read this parable we are probably struck by the perceived unfairness of the master toward those who had worked the longest. You see, you can make choices but you cannot fulfill them. You can be flat on your back in bed, sick, but manifesting a Christ-like spirit, and you are glorifying God by that experience. WebThe Workers In The Vineyard Matthew 20:1-16ESV / 10 helpful votes HelpfulNot Helpful For the kingdom of heaven is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire It might be something seemingly insignificant that may be behind the scenes or a small task or it might be something that will impact many others. In that unique way which was his, our Lord took what lay at hand and made it unfold spiritual truth. Another principle to this parable is what people focus on as being unfair. What a privilege and what a responsibility to be a worker! Do you love Jesus? This is somewhat counter cultural as the world seems fixated on entitlements. 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. Well, that is the work of the Father, and it is done in order that you might bear more fruit, be more like Jesus in your reactions -- in your home, in your shop, in your recreation, wherever you may be with people -- that you may be like Christ. 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. 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