4Remain in me, and I will remain in you. 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. 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. The steward, perhaps, represents Jesus Christ, to whom has been committed all judgment. There might be those that were offered the gospel at the third hour, the sixth hour, and the ninth hour yet denied the call. 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, 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. However, we are not entitled to anything, especially from God. (4) Murmurings (verse 11). Or is your eye evil because I am good? So the last will be first, and the first last. All of this is designed to relate to him -- "Abide in me." Whatever work you do, do it as unto the Lord (because you are!) And from that we saw that obedience grows out of love. This is what our Lord has in view. 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. Gods vineyard is the entire earth, and the workers in the vineyard 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. That is abiding in him. See how many times the Landowner went out to appoint workers - verses 1, 3, 5, 6. Then God the Father sent His only Son. What Is the Significance of Not the Letter but of the Spirit? Let all that be present in the heart, and the face will light up with joy! Its a place where to keep you from being idle, to ensure you dont live a 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. Should we not focus on the other four groups of workers? 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. 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. Perhaps you were manifesting or defending some attitude. This is somewhat counter cultural as the world seems fixated on entitlements. No, it simply stays in the vine and lets the life of the vine produce the fruit. It brings GOD glory it shows we are disciples. "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. The Father's work is to find a branch which is beginning to bear fruit, beginning to produce the likeness of Christ, and to cut it back, trim off the shoots, so that it may bear more fruit. 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. The laborers in this parable were hired to do a work for the master of the vineyard. Music City Construction Careers in Nashville is one such bridge-building program. So the vine includes the branches, and Jesus says, "I am that vine; you are the branches.". 2 He agreed to pay them a denarius[ a] for the day and sent them into his vineyard. Do you want to be recognized as one who follows Jesus? Jesus further explained the participation rules of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is only by God's grace. Maybe God has not called a few of us to accomplish something extraordinary or fantastic for him, yet would we say that we are unwavering in doing what he has allocated for us to do? 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. He says, "Now, it may seem strange to you that I should ask that last question. 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. The strike and a boycott shut down much of the nations freight and passenger traffic west of Detroit, Michigan. Jesus needs laborers (Matthew 9:38) who know how to function and manage individuals' concerns. All that we have, including all that the church receives and has belongs to Him. This ranch is owned and operated by a mutual friend and is designed as a guest-ranch for wealthy and affluent people. 2 And when he had agreed with the labourers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. When you love God, then all that you do is touched and controlled by love, and love is the fulfilling of the Law. (LogOut/ 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. Just come to Him and place your trust in Jesus Christ. God owns the vineyard! You see, you can make choices but you cannot fulfill them. Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. But there was no life in him. In the first 13 verses of chapter 20 of the Book of Matthew, Jesus is telling the parable about workers being paid equally. What the owner does is to go throughout the country and interview young people for the crew to work on this ranch. It is the third of these parables that we will study, and notice in verse 1 that the Landowner is our Lord Himself, and the Workers He sent into His vineyard represent all who have been saved (Matthew 1:21), chosen (John 16:16), and commissioned by Him (Matthew 9:38). In this parable, I recognized three reasons why we fail to walk in Gods grace and how to overcome them. 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. The Lord requires faithfulness and not necessarily (as judged by human standards) success. and do it wholeheartedly. Listen to godly advice. We do not have to work at it. When God sent someone to give a message, they would not listen. 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. Gods grace is there for anyone at any time? 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. This anecdote is not about remunerations, yet it is about salvation. There are hungry people to feed. Article Images Copyright 2023 Getty Images unless otherwise indicated. 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. Suffice it to say, the Lord will someday reward the person who may have been a member of a small church. The Angel of the Lord comes to Samson's Parents. 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 ? This is an extremely helpful passage! I have been praying for a long time for something that I am confident is according to Gods will, but I do not get it. 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. We Christians are God's great vineyard. You cannot tell him how to answer your prayers. (John 15:4-5 RSV). The point here is that it is the masters money and he can pay as much or as little as he wants. Probably everyone feels that a person ought to be compensated fairly for his or her work. I am always amazed to find people who read this as though the fruit were others won to Christ. He said, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. -It involves sowing seed, and watering and cultivating, and maintaining and protecting the vineyard, and reaping the harvest. (1) The need for labourers is great in the continent of Europe. God sent prophets to Israel to tell them to get right with God, but they were ignored, beaten, and/or killed. He is a retired Navy Chief Hospital Corpsman with over 30 years of combined active and reserve service. So he has designed this ranch for that purpose. There are no Bible studies, no meetings; it is a very low-key approach. He employs the workers and not the other way around. Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. WebThey will also plant vineyards and eat their fruit. But if they remain unresponsive over the weeks and months and years, love finally is limited to that initial step of reaching out to them. The fruit is borne by the branches produced by the vine. 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 will compensate us as indicated by our devotion to do the work that he has called us to do. (2) Christian authors and teachers who use the printed word. Does the Pandemic Still Affect Church Attendance? In that respect, this parable is not based on reality. This sermon was delivered at Good Hope Baptist Church in Wake Forest, NC. For permission to use this content, please review Many people have a problem with this. If we did, then it would not be grace. Vineyards were especially evocative as they produced wine, to gladden their hearts (Ps 104:15). Jesus says, "Abide in me, and I in you." 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." We find that the master of the vineyard has a rather strange way of rewarding his workers. 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. Fruitfulness shows that we are in partnership with GOD. He received a note one day during a meeting that said the following: Dear Dr. Torrey, I am in great perplexity. 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. In a vineyard the vines are pruned not just once in their lifetimes; the process is repeated every spring. He decides who does what and who receives what from working in his vineyard. You are to rest upon his ability to see you through, to work it out. If you open your Bible and begin to read it without the conscious expectation that it is going to tell you something about him, you will read in vain. They may have been members of churches for years, but there is no life evident at all. This is what Bible study and prayer are all about. But it is an That is, he cuts it off, he eliminates it from the life of the vine. He adds here the ingredient that when we obey his word, keep his commandments, we will abide in his love. The denarius represents eternal life. The figure of the vine is used many times in the Scriptures. As you venture out on that basis you expect him to support you and to carry you through. Notice the workers were called at different times:-. Photo Credit: iStock/Getty Images Plus/BenGoode. 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.". 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! He did everything possible to cause it to produce grapes. 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. God calls each of us to work in His vineyard while we have time. 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. We must decide to do things which expose ourselves to him and keep ourselves in contact with him. I suspect not! As Isaiah tells us, God cleared out the rocks in his vineyard and hedged it about. We must be willing to give up anything and everything for Christ. We should never compare ourselves to others. 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. 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. This gift is for everyone. Your whole family had done it; it had been a family characteristic. On the other hand, our Lord gives us the results of fruitbearing -- four beautiful manifestations. Our Father, as you have been walking through your vineyard this morning, you have been looking at various vines growing here. The world is our parish (John 3:16; Matthew 28:19; Acts 1:8); and His business extends right around the whole of it. 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. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. 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 He asks them only three questions: First, "Do you love work?" The point is that God owes us nothing. The withering process was very short in his case. Nationally, the Catholic Labor Network works to build church-labor partnerships to further the work of justice, by protecting vulnerable workers and educating the faithful about church teaching, including on a just and living wage. We are workers of the eleventh hour! If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 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! Gods desire is that we are all saved and that we are all filled with joy. We are only stewards of what God has graciously allowed us to use. Maybe the master was trying to keep the unemployment rate low during that time. Take what is yours and go your way. The leaders of Israel did not see it that way. 30 Verses to Reflect on in the Book of Hebrews. Then the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? (1) For the kingdom. May our attitude be as Jesus said: Luke 17:10 So you also, when you have done all that you were commanded, say, We are unworthy servants; we have only done what was our duty.. We are to each be sowing seed in His field. God came looking for justice and righteousness; instead he found oppression, cruelty, exploitation, and indifference to the needs of others. (2) In other continents the need is vast - where the darkness of heathenism, superstition and ignorance abound. 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 Was it unfair for them to receive what they received from the master of the vineyard? He has served as a Sunday School teacher, a youth director along with his wife, a music director, an associate pastor, and an interim pastor. -Serving It is His vineyard and He chooses to do with it as He sees fit. Joy, that sense of gladness of relationship with him, will increase as we go. And he tells them about the three questions he asked: Do you love work? Do you love people? I want to reassure you that this is not the case. All rights reserved. It is typically a time for families and friends to get together to enjoy food, fun and football. (John 15:3 RSV). (LogOut/ The Gentiles may have been called in at the eleventh hour, but they receive the same as what was offered unto the Jews, salvation. If He gives you a denarius for a days worth of work, then you ought to be grateful for that. Caring for Gods Vineyard: My Sermon on Matthew 21:33-46. Copyright 2023 Catholic News Service, Inc. All rights reserved. Remember that earlier in the passage our Lord had said, "If you love me, you will keep my commandments," (John 14:15 RSV). So you can do what you please when you love God. The Progression: Chronological - The parable emphasizes the times that the laborers were hired. Do you love God for Who He is, or do you love Him for the benefits He gives you? How can we work for the Lord until He has directed us? That is what Jesus is talking about. Fill in your details below or click an icon to log in: You are commenting using your WordPress.com account. 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. Are you going through a pruning season right now? 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. Lets take the definition of fruitfulness. Both of these are absolutely essential, and our Lord develops this fact. 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. Choose from news (Monday), leisure (Thursday) or worship (Saturday) or get all three! (Isaiah 5:7 RSV). 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 He built a tower; he protected the vineyard and cared for it, Isaiah 5:2(. Surely, Did you not agree with me for a denarius? As leaders, they should have been leading the people to Him. In many ways it constitutes the most needy mission field in the world today. God is gracious to us, calling us from our idle state and placing us in His vineyard to work for His harvest. It is not about us, but about the Master, His vineyard and His harvest that He is reaping. Today there is a manpower shortage in the Kingdom of Heaven! None are self-appointed. All they hear is, "Do as you please." Similar efforts are underway in cities across the country. Had been a member of a small church him -- `` Abide in me. and has belongs him... You can not tell him how to answer your prayers branches produced by the perceived of! 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Who may have been looking at various vines growing here branches produced by the branches produced by the unfairness... Worth of work, then it would not be grace found oppression, cruelty,,! Significance of not the case ) who know how to overcome them are commenting using your Twitter account Isaiah us.
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