Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. Would we demand fairness for the first group, for the first Christians? 1. 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. Catholic social teaching upholds the dignity of work and the rights of workers. 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. The marketplace represents the world, furthermore, it is from there that the Gospel of Christ has called us. 3 About nine in the morning he went out and saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. Even though Israel is Gods chosen people, He opened the door for salvation to everyone. Many church people take issue with this. The third result is the deeper experience of Christ's love: "As the Father has loved me, so have I loved you; abide in my love. All through this account his emphasis is upon the fruit. Jesus must always come first. The man who owns it has a heart of concern for what he calls "the up-and-outers" -- those who are over-privileged, who have all too much of everything, yet to whom very few are witnessing, telling them of life in Christ. Our Father, as you have been walking through your vineyard this morning, you have been looking at various vines growing here. He committed suicide within a few days, and he was burned -- eternally lost. Only believing in Christ and accepting him as Lord and Savior is what prompts a home in heaven. We expect that those who work harder and longer will receive a greater reward than those who do not. 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. (John 15:3 RSV). (1) The need for labourers is great in the continent of Europe. There are seven fundamental lessons relating to our service. What the owner does is to go throughout the country and interview young people for the crew to work on this ranch. Look up John 4:35, and compare John 9:4. He wants them to love their work. Not one of us deserves anything from God.. Some people think the world owes them something a particular standard of living, health care, mobile phones, or other stuff. And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. All they hear is, "Do as you please." Those who focus on that are really focusing on the material reward for their efforts whats in it for them. Many people have a problem with this. What Is a Parable in the Bible? It is not activity which glorifies God; it is character, it is what you are, and the way you react to a situation. 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! The steward, perhaps, represents Jesus Christ, to whom has been committed all judgment. That is, "This pruning has gone on in your life already." and do it wholeheartedly. And though you are responsible to make the decisions and make the choices, you are not responsible for the power to carry them out. 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. She holds a masters degree in theology.). All of us have learned, one way or another, that love demands a response if it is to grow. There is a pruning time, a pruning season. There are no Bible studies, no meetings; it is a very low-key approach. 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. 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. A vineyard is planted not for ornamentation, but to produce grapes, to bear fruit. There will be a harvest and we need to work until that time. Only believing in Christ and accepting him as Lord and Savior is what prompts a home in heaven. If we focus on the material reward of working in the vineyard, we miss the masters generosity to the majority of his workers. Why Did Pharaoh Tell Joseph to Enjoy the 'Fat of the Land'? 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." But I have learned that the only young people who can ever stand up to this grueling demand, and can meet it with an unvarying spirit of joy and gladness, with the kind of attitude that has so impressed you, are those who have learned to love Jesus.". (John 15:7 RSV), Answered prayer is one of the first signs of a fruitful life. God is gracious to us, calling us from our idle state and placing us in His vineyard to work for His harvest. The thief who asked to be remembered as he was dying on the cross beside Jesus (Luke 23:40-43), will be alongside those individuals who have accepted and served God for a long time. This gift is for everyone. 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. Both of these are absolutely essential, and our Lord develops this fact. Again, let God be your guide. This is the glory of Christian liberty. 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. In this parable the period for service was twelve hours. But it is an encouragement for any Christian worker to be reminded that he or she is working in a part of the Lords vast vineyard. The third question is, "Do you love Jesus?". Jerry Tu. We must decide to do things which expose ourselves to him and keep ourselves in contact with him. 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. Thus, this parable flies at the heart of that assumption. We do not have to work at it. Because the field is so great, the variety of workers needed is also great. The parable shocks us when the eleventh hour workers receive as much pay for the one hour they worked as those who had worked all day. 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." 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. But that is only part of it. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." He will call you into the fold and pay you more than you ever deserve. Jesus says, "Abide in me, and I in you." In that unique way which was his, our Lord took what lay at hand and made it unfold spiritual truth. The purpose of this vine, obviously, is to bring forth fruit. Gods desire is that we are all saved and that we are all filled with joy. 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. This anecdote is not about remunerations, yet it is about salvation. In this instance, we should mobilize people to first pray, then gather a band of prayer warriors. Jesus needs laborers (Matthew 9:38) who know how to function and manage individuals' concerns. because they are going to have to work sometimes from seven in the morning until ten or eleven at night. The Diocese of Rochester In America 1868-1993, Catholic social teaching series 3: Human rights and responsibilities: Promoting the common good for all, Catholic social teaching series 3: Rights and responsibilities what we are owned and owe to others in justice, Catholic social teaching series 4: Developing awareness and action for the preferential option for the poor, Franciscan Center of Baltimore exemplifies the preferential option for poor. 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." In Caritas in Veritate, Pope Benedict XVI quotes St. John Paul II in Laborem Exercens: In many cases, poverty results from a violation of the dignity of human work, either because work opportunities are limited (through unemployment or underemployment), or because a low value is put on work and the rights that flow from it, especially the right to a just wage and to the personal security of the worker and his or her family' (No. 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. Maybe the master was trying to keep the unemployment rate low during that time. A certain sense of fairness comes into question among some of the workers, and the parable ends by emphasizing the owners generosity over any subjective view of Working in Gods Vineyard Many are called to do Gods work. God sent prophets to Israel to tell them to get right with God, but they were ignored, beaten, and/or killed. 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. Changing Yourself Hard Work And Perseverance Life By God's Word Self Confidence Receiving God's Word Games, Spiritual Useless Labour Athletics Victory The Fact Of That Day The Christian Race The Soul This is what our Lord has in view. 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 again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out. Therefore, you thought it was right. The remainder, Chapters15 through17, occurred as they were walking on their way to the Garden of Gethsemene. 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. 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. Both of these are necessary in the Christian experience. Your whole family had done it; it had been a family characteristic. He called workers at the beginning of the day agreed with All things being equal, we expect businesses would not pay workers the same wage who worked less than others. (LogOut/ But many are troubled by those who claim that, unless a Christian is constantly winning others to Christ, he is a fruitless Christian. This ranch is owned and operated by a mutual friend and is designed as a guest-ranch for wealthy and affluent people. (John 15:11 RSV). But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. At the close of Chapter14 our Lord said to his disciples, "Rise, let us go hence." Christianity.com is a member of the Salem Web Network of sites including: Copyright 2023, Christianity.com. Suffice it to say, the Lord will someday reward the person who may have been a member of a small church. document.getElementById( "ak_js_1" ).setAttribute( "value", ( new Date() ).getTime() ); Laborers in Gods Vineyard (Matthew20:1-16), https://christambassadors.files.wordpress.com/2013/09/laborers-in-gods-vineyard-matthew-201-16.mp3, Laborers in Gods Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16) | Good Hope Baptist Church, Southeastern Baptist Theological Seminary, God cares more for people than for things, We are His laborers working for His Harvest. 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. 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