Mark Bailey calls this parable, A day on the job in the kingdom of We are workers of the eleventh hour! The traditional site of the Upper Room in Jerusalem is on the western side of the Old City, on the slopes of Mount Zion. But it must be preceded by that vital phrase, "Love God." If we focus on the rewards of working in Gods vineyard, we miss the pleasure of serving the Master. 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. We could see this as people coming to faith in Jesus Christ during different periods of church history or at different ages in life. Our Father, as you have been walking through your vineyard this morning, you have been looking at various vines growing here. The land was Gods planting (Psalm 80), Gods vineyard (Isaiah 5). Many of the leaders were corrupt. This sermon was delivered at Good Hope Baptist Church in Wake Forest, NC. Do you love Jesus? He does not show favoritism. He was a threat to the religious leaders power and prestige. "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. In order to appease the union workers, the government recognized Labor Day. He owns everything. We are His Laborers Working for His Harvest. (1) Some early in the morning (verse 1) - the Apostles? Did you ever see a bunch of grapes struggling to hang onto the vine, trying to grow larger? Several times, he found people standing idle in the marketplace, which may just mean that were unemployed, not that they were lazy. That is, a vine produces certain shoots (called "sucker" shoots) which start to grow where the branch joins the stem. As a result he was cut off, and he withered. What a privilege and what a responsibility to be a worker! It is typically a time for families and friends to get together to enjoy food, fun and football. Should we not celebrate the grace extended to them? Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? (John 15:6 RSV). Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 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. But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Subject to permissions policy, all rights reserved. Linking is encouraged, but republishing or redistributing, including by framing or similar means, without the publisher's prior written permission is prohibited. California - Do Not Sell My Personal Information. Those who focus on that are really focusing on the material reward for their efforts whats in it for them. 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 There is a spiritual principle here. But we are to be sober, be vigilant, and be steadfast in the faith (1 Peter 5:8-9). Similar efforts are underway in cities across the country. 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[ a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard. All they hear is, "Do as you please." Who Are the Workers in the Parable of the Vineyard? 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. The fact of the matter is that God does not work that way. The fruit is borne by the branches produced by the vine. But where love is responded to, it grows deeper and richer and truer, and eventually becomes a glorious experience. (LogOut/ It is not activity which glorifies God; it is character, it is what you are, and the way you react to a situation. 5"I am the vine; you are the branches. It appears that this master, however, does not share that expectation. He exercised the power of God by performing miracles. 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." This illustration is particularly for the individuals who might feel privileged due to their heritage or by the alleged position of authority that they may hold. 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. Secondly, there is the demonstration of discipleship, Verse8: "By this my Father is glorified, that you bear much fruit, and so prove to be my disciples." Web-Working in the vineyard involves work! The point here is that it is the masters money and he can pay as much or as little as he wants. (LogOut/ In fact, if God were to give us exactly what we do deserve, we would receive condemnation. Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or lands, for my names sake, will receive a hundredfold and will inherit eternal life. Would we demand fairness for the first group, for the first Christians? 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. We thereby are If we did, then it would not be grace. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Enter your email address to follow this blog and receive notifications of new posts by email. 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. 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. So from this point on we properly should no longer call this passage of Scripture the Upper Room Discourse. They are not mere mechanical practices which every Christian ought to do in order to stay "in" with the crowd, or to maintain his "membership card," or to get "brownie points" with God! (5) stewards of the Lords money, seeking to extend His work. View all posts by davesdailyscriptures. But that is only part of it. This is also suggested in the parable. 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. God is glorified when his people manifest fruit, i.e., Christlikeness. If you love somebody, and reach out toward them, you can go only so far unless they respond to that love. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. 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. Several biblical passages describe the grape harvest as a time of They mistakenly believe that they are the ones in charge and can call the shots in Gods Kingdom. They will not build and another inhabit, They will not plant and another eat; For as the lifetime of a tree, so will be the days of My people, 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." Or is your eye evil because I am good? So the last will be first, and the first last. 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. Compare Acts 8:29; 9:11; 10:19; 13:1-4; Isaiah 6:1-8. Gods kingship overturns all our expectations of being treated as we deserve, all our human conventions of social honour, all our natural desires to be recognized as Many employees look forward to this day as another paid day off from work. In closing, the principle of this parable is that it is foolish to demand fairness from God. Why Did Pharaoh Tell Joseph to Enjoy the 'Fat of the Land'? If in relating to others you merely get together and have coffee and talk about the weather, you will find it useless. 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. This is what it means to abide in him. What Is the Meaning of Psalm 91 and Why Is it Popular? So you can do what you please when you love God. 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. The workers of a railroad car manufacturing company began the strike because they thought they were not treated fairly. 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. 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. Here is the case our Lord mentioned earlier when he said, of one aspect of the Father's work, "every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away." They were not to attempt to do the occupation without assistance. 7If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. Judas was a paramount example of this. 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. Labor Day was first recognized nationally in the United States in 1894 following a massive railroad strike. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. Whatever work you do, do it as unto the Lord (because you are!) In this parable, I recognized three reasons why we fail to walk in Gods grace and how to overcome them. The Father is at work to cut them off, to prune them back. On others you see luscious, tempting, delicious fruit which gladdens and delights your heart, glorifies you, and we thank you for that. This fact leaves us all without excuse, because there is some valuable job of work we can all do. Jesus was teaching things that were contrary to religious tradition. 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. I am the vine, you are the branches. In Gods vineyard, people have no anxiety at all. Instead of worrying they pray with thanksgiving, [making] their requests known to God. In this, they can be utterly Music City Construction Careers in Nashville is one such bridge-building program. There was a sense in which the workers were right in standing and waiting. (John 15:2b RSV). The withering process was very short in his case. You see, you can make choices but you cannot fulfill them. No one can gain more favor than another, whether we spend a lifetime serving God or, like the thief on the cross, a person who comes to repentance at the end of ones life will be saved and enter into paradise (see Luke 23:39-43). 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