Now when he had agreed with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Notice that our Lord divides it into two sections. You can even pastor a church without Christ. This is the point our Lord makes in the story. The relationship is not merely to be recognized; it is to be acted upon: "Abide in me, and I in you. When we do, we are abiding in him and letting him abide in us. Labor Day was first recognized nationally in the United States in 1894 following a massive railroad strike. Recall, verse two of the passage: Matthew 20:2 After agreeing with the laborers for a denarius a day, he sent them into his vineyard. Did you not agree with me for a denarius? 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. They were not to attempt to do the occupation without assistance. This is also suggested in the parable. The parable occurs between two very similar statements in Matthew: The first will be last, and the last first. He received a note one day during a meeting that said the following: Dear Dr. Torrey, I am in great perplexity. 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. The Father is at work to cut them off, to prune them back. If they respond just a little, then your love can reach out further, can deepen and grow. The purpose of this vine, obviously, is to bring forth fruit. 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). Change), You are commenting using your Twitter account. The figure of the vine is used many times in the Scriptures. But you learned from the Word that it was wrong. I want to reassure you that this is not the case. 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. It is a solid education about the grace of God and his generosity toward humanity. It was so in the parable; it is so today. Needless to say, such behavior doesnt impress God at all. 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. He is really praying in his own name, and God will not hear our prayers when we approach Him in that way. Jesus further explained the participation rules of the Kingdom of Heaven, which is only by God's grace. 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.. God is gracious to us, calling us from our idle state and placing us in His vineyard to work for His harvest. In the second parable, Jesus teaches that all are equal in Gods kingdom. 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. The parables of the Ten Minas (Luke 19:11-28), the Talents (Matthew 25:14-30) and the Workers in the Vineyard (Matthew 20:1-16), were all related by the Lord to emphasise three aspects of Christian service. It was then that the Landowner said, You also go (verse 7). For many are called, but few chosen.. It is not activity which glorifies God; it is character, it is what you are, and the way you react to a situation. The Jews would grumble when salvation is provided to gentiles as well. Matthew Henrys Commentary tells us that the immediate object of this parable is, to show that the Jews were first called into the vineyard, finally, the gospel should be spread to the Gentiles, and that they are to be conceded to the same advantages and benefits with the Jews. But many who are first will be last, and the last first.. 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 earliest workers. That is, "This pruning has gone on in your life already." 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 We thereby are Judas was a paramount example of this. People come and spend a lot of money, staying a week or so at a time. (Aimee Shelide Mayer is a social justice and spiritual formation consultant to nonprofits, churches and schools. Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 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. 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. And if you are truly loving him, you can ask whatever you will. That person may not have done anything of importance within the church but look at the rewards he or she may have. He will call you into the fold and pay you more than you ever deserve. It is also a holiday that is observed to celebrate those who labor. 1 For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. (John 15:11 RSV). Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country.. By the third evening the guests are all asking, "Where did you ever get this tremendous crew of young people? He was the true vine. That is what Jesus is talking about. (5) Discouragement. And many a churchgoer is in that state. So the vine includes the branches, and Jesus says, "I am that vine; you are the branches.". 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 life which is in the vine produces fruit which Paul describes in Galatians5 as: love, joy, peace, longsuffering, gentleness, goodness, faith, meekness, self-control. 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 Do you love people? In making claims of unfairness, we forget who the boss isand it is not us! Jesus must always come first. 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). The third question is, "Do you love Jesus?". 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. 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 We expect that those who work harder and longer will receive a greater reward than those who do not. He responded, This man thinks that because he has been a consistent church member for thirty years, a faithful Sunday school superintendent for twenty-five years, and an elder in the church for twenty years, that God is under obligation to answer his prayer. The religious leaders of the day knew that Jesus was speaking of them. Again, let God be your guide. The fruit, in other words, is Christ-likeness. 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. He is responsible to see that the purpose of the vine is fulfilled. None are self-appointed. Compare Acts 8:29; 9:11; 10:19; 13:1-4; Isaiah 6:1-8. What is that fruit? For the master of the vineyard, there must have been a lot of work to be done for him to hire so many workers so many times during the day. 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. And leave pride out of it. (John 15:6 RSV). Bible Meaning and Text. 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. (4) Still others at the eleventh hour (verse 6) - twenty-first century witnesses? There are at least four truths this parable teaches us: The first thing we ought to realize about this parable is that the master owns the vineyard. He is the vine, we are the branches. A. He did not abide in Christ, and Christ did not abide in him. This is what our Lord has in view. This fact leaves us all without excuse, because there is some valuable job of work we can all do. Also, there is much work to be done. The traditional site of the Upper Room in Jerusalem is on the western side of the Old City, on the slopes of Mount Zion. 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. If in relating to others you merely get together and have coffee and talk about the weather, you will find it useless. These are signs of human dignity being upheld, of people being placed over profit. This gift is for everyone. Workers in the Vineyard Gods Extravagant Grace PBCC. If you left everything family, friends, a good job, material possessions in order to follow Jesus, you might expect something more from Jesus. God owns the vineyard! The parable is about a master calling people to work for Him. 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(. He or she may not have sung in a choir, never taught a Sunday School class, nor been a part of a church committee. Upon graduation, Kenyiawa said that joining the Laborers International Union is his opportunity to leave a firm foundation for (his) family.. [Jesus said to the people:] Listen to another parable. 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. They mistakenly believe that they own whatever they possess. 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. What then will we have? Jesus said to them, Truly, I say to you, in the new world, when the Son of Man will sit on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel. So from this point on we properly should no longer call this passage of Scripture the Upper Room Discourse. Mark Bailey calls this parable, A day on the job in the kingdom of When you love God, then all that you do is touched and controlled by love, and love is the fulfilling of the Law. If we focus on the material reward of working in the vineyard, we miss the masters generosity to the majority of his workers. And then we must rest on him, count on him to see us through, to supply that enabling power which makes us able to love and forgive and rejoice and give thanks, even when everything is going wrong. Because the field is so great, the variety of workers needed is also great. We are only stewards of what God has graciously allowed us to use. 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. God does not need us to do anything for Him He is completely sufficient on His own; however, God desires to employ us to work in His vineyard. It is His vineyard and He chooses to do with it as He sees fit. 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. In this illustration, God is the householder, and believers are the workers. Today there is a manpower shortage in the Kingdom of Heaven! (LogOut/ We do not have to agonize and struggle to produce these qualities or characteristics; they are brought about naturally by the vine. But when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received each a denarius. 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. 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). On the other hand, our Lord gives us the results of fruitbearing -- four beautiful manifestations. Then, "Do you love people, do you like to be with people and relate to them?" What we receive from God is a gift and undeserved. But this man seems to have had a large vineyard that was supposed to make him a lot of money. 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. 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. The day of work is their lifetime. Here is the process in which the branch is cut off, and then it withers -- grows dry and dull and dead. The story includes a master, his vineyard, and some workers. We trade the Giver for His gifts. Listen to godly advice. The evening is eternity. WebGod needs workers for his vineyard. Even though Israel is Gods chosen people, He opened the door for salvation to everyone. The land was Gods planting (Psalm 80), Gods vineyard (Isaiah 5). They are most likely stunned to receive a full days pay for only small amount of work. "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. Is it not lawful for me to do what I wish with my own things? 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. He is the boss in charge. The last point is that we are the laborers in the Masters vineyard. The late evangelist pastor, and writer, R. A. Torrey had an interesting perspective on this. We are to each be sowing seed in His field. 3You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. There is an activity which is to be done, and a passivity which is to be acknowledged -- an active voice and a passive voice. Change). He does not even owe us a denarius. But if you share where you are spiritually, what your struggles are, what you are going through, and if you bear one another's burdens and love each other in the Lord, it becomes a delightful, marvelous, strengthening experience. I love the saying, "Joy is the flag which flies over the castle of the heart when the King is in residence." These wicked workers in their masters vineyard decided the workers that came late didnt deserve a full days wage. When God sent someone to give a message, they would not listen. RayStedman.org/permissions. What Does it Mean That We Are Co-Workers with God? The withering process was very short in his case. It is not about us, but about the Master, His vineyard and His harvest that He is reaping. 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. I lived in the far corner of Northeastern Washington with my beautiful wife, but now live in Wisconsin while I look for work. Several times, he found people standing idle in the marketplace, which may just mean that were unemployed, not that they were lazy. And, as Jesus goes on to point out, he has a two-fold work: First, "Every branch of mine that bears no fruit, he takes away;" (John 15:2a RSV). As Isaiah tells us, God cleared out the rocks in his vineyard and hedged it about. (4) Murmurings (verse 11). 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. Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.. The point was to not hang on to your possessions too tightly. There was no fruit. He who abides in me, and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing." 11I have told you this so that my joy may be in you and that your joy may be complete. They mistakenly believe that they are the ones in charge and can call the shots in Gods Kingdom. I am always amazed to find people who read this as though the fruit were others won to Christ. The strike and a boycott shut down much of the nations freight and passenger traffic west of Detroit, Michigan. 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. Unless otherwise noted, all material copyright 2023, Rochester Catholic Press Association, Inc. There is no other way to salvation but by faith in Jesus Christ. 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. If we did, then it would not be grace. What is that? We ought not to resent the people who go to God in the last snapshots of life, in light of the fact that, truly, nobody merits timeless life. In 1 Peter we are told that we shall receive a crown of glory (1 Peter 5:4). Let us remember that God is in control, not us. 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. 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