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[Mt 21:33] “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who PLANTED A VINEYARD AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT AND DUG A WINE PRESS IN IT, AND BUILT A TOWER, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey. [34] “When the harvest time approached, he sent his slaves to the vine-growers to receive his produce. [35] “The vine-growers took his slaves and beat one, and killed another, and stoned a third. [36] “Again he sent another group of slaves larger than the first; and they did the same thing to them. [37] “But afterward he sent his son to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ [38] “But when the vine-growers saw the son, they said among themselves, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.’ [39] “They took him, and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. [40] “Therefore when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” [41] They said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end, and will rent out the vineyard to other vine-growers who will pay him the proceeds at the proper seasons.”
[42] Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures, ‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER STONE; THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?
[43] “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. [44] “And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”
[45] When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. [46] When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet. (NAS)
Matthew 21:33
[Mt 21:33] “Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who PLANTED A VINEYARD AND PUT A WALL AROUND IT AND DUG A WINE PRESS IN IT, AND BUILT A TOWER, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey.”
The perfect vineyard
It is vital to keep the context of each reading in mind as we read through it. As we begin this reading Jesus has just:
Rode into Jerusalem in triumph
Cleared the extortionists out of the temple and welcomed the excluded in to replace them
The Chief Priests were alerted and responded in anger
That's where this reading begins, Within that context, with the Chief Priests hovering and seeking to arrest him, Jesus tells a story about a perfect vineyard.
The vineyard builder was very attentive to His work. He built a vineyard that would be the envy of all the world. It was the complete vineyard with its own winepress, walls and even towers to guard against enemies. However no matter how strong the walls it was not designed to stand against an enemy within them.
We can certainly see Satan’s tactics in this parable. Our struggles with sin may manifest themselves in appearances but they are motivated—not by outward security—but “in-security.” The enemy within is far more deadly than the enemy without. Jesus was declaring to the people, in the face of the religious leaders, that the enemy was within. The enemies were the vineyard managers and the vineyard managers were the Chief Priests.
This reading demands that we look at our own communities and our own leadership. God has given our world and our communities all that is needed to function fully. There is no reason that anyone should live in poverty if each of us would just choose to live simpler lives of compassion. It is hard to overstate just how rich the Chief Priests had become and how entrenched they were to hold on to their wealth and positions. Their leadership no longer focused on enhancing the state of God’s people but on enhancing their own fortunes. They had taken over God’s vineyard and didn’t expect to be held accountable for their actions. They justified their evil and deception as a means to an end.
What part do we play in this story? Are we the messengers sent forth to remind those around us of their duty to the vineyard owner or do we think of the vineyard as our own and use it for personal gain? The question might be even simpler than that, “Is there unfairness in my vineyard—my community—and what am I doing about it?” That is what the Lord of the vineyard will ask me upon his return.
Questions
On a personal level: What is the vineyard God would have me tend? What is the fruit he will expect of me?
On a fellowship level: What are the fruits that God expects of my fellowship corporately? What is my prophetic role in focusing people on the “rent” that will be due? What is my leadership role as a good steward?
On a community or national level: What are the fruits that God will expect from my city or nation? What is my prophetic role in demanding a focus on the Master’s fruits? Will I respond to the Master’s enquiries before he returns? What am I doing about the unfairness in my own vineyard?
God on a journey
Jesus has a number of stories in which the owner leaves his property to go on a journey. In the process, the owner gives others responsibility for his property or finances. Where does God go?
Matt 25:14
14 “For {it is} just like a man {about} to go on a journey, who called his own slaves, and entrusted his possessions to them.”
Mark 13:34
34 {“It is} like a man, away on a journey, {who} upon leaving his house and putting his slaves in charge, {assigning} to each one his task, also commanded the doorkeeper to stay on the alert.”
We are told that the “Owner” is going to other properties to develop them. Jesus is telling us that God left the Jewish people in the hands of its leaders while he toiled in another garden (the Gentiles). All during that time God was expecting his people—and especially his leaders—to prepare for the Messiah’s return. God was doing his part; were the religious leaders doing theirs? That is the question before us today as well.
We mustn’t think that this implies that God is incapable of tending all the gardens at the same time. We are entrusted with these responsibilities—not for God’s sake—but for ours. Where would our growth be if we were not involved in the vineyard? Sadly, this story tells us of a great tragedy. Those left to care for God’s vineyard began to act in their own self-interest. The walls built to protect God’s fruit from the enemy were instead used to foolishly try and keep out God.
God sent prophets to remind the overseers of their responsibility. But the prophets were stoned and beheaded. So the rightful owner sent his own son and he too was killed.
This was, of course, a reference that Jesus made about himself. Jesus gave the Chief Priests a “heads-up”; “I know what you have in mind for me.” Their position was threatened and their position mattered more to them than truth.
Jewish law asserted that whoever was in possession of a property at the time of the owner’s death would become the rightful owner. The insinuation of Jesus was; “You have forgotten whose vineyard in which you are working. Do you believe that by killing the prophets and the Son of God, you can retain control of the vineyard? Are you planning to outlive God?”
Here is the danger in this story for all of us. Whether speaking about talents or vineyards, the owner does return and ask for a full accounting; “How have you increased the eternal value of what I entrusted to you?” Increasing the earthly value of our position or possession for our own ends is disgraceful in the eyes of God.
It is what we have done with what we’ve been given that give God joy. Every resource we have should go towards that end or at the end of our life we will be considered the worst fool.
Luke 12:16-21
16 And He told them a parable, saying, “The land of a certain rich man was very productive. 17 “And he began reasoning to himself, saying, ‘What shall I do, since I have no place to store my crops?’ 18 “And he said, ‘This is what I will do: I will tear down my barns and build larger ones, and there I will store all my grain and my goods. 19 And I will say to my soul, “Soul, you have many goods laid up for many years to come; take your ease, eat, drink and be merry.’” 20 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your soul is required of you; and now who will own what you have prepared?’ 21 “So is the man who lays up treasure for himself, and is not rich toward God.”
Let’s end our lives wealthy in freindships and justice and not someone who will hear God state, “You fool!”
Guarding the vineyard from the owner
Sometimes, I get the image of our culture as if we were grossly overweight children sitting in the vineyard guzzling down the finest wine. It pours out of our mouths and streams down our jowls flowing upon our robes as we gorge on the Lord’s abundance. Never once do we pause to think; “Hmmm, maybe this isn’t my wine. Am I supposed to be sharing this?”
This morning I sat in on a workshop about “Worship in a PostModern Society.”
I found myself growing increasingly irritated as the leader increasingly spoke about the trends in worship. He shared with us all the bells and whistles that are “necessary” to maintain the attention of a postmodern culture. I kept thinking; “this is all about emotionalism and gadgetry,” and I questioned; “since when did worship become entertainment?”
I thought of the people that I work with in the jails and detention centers and how “low-tech” our worship yet simultaneously, deeply spiritual. It hit me that what some churches lack is not technology, but spirituality. We are using the emotional highs of technological worship to substitute for the spiritual depths of the Holy Spirit. We’ve confused emotions with spirituality. Emotionalism requires gadgets and offers immediate gratification. Worship involves deeply engrained habits of faith and is constant attention. It is easy to lose the focus, the purpose of worship, and suddenly think, "It really is all about me."
Emotionalism in worship is virtually hollow and I think the workshop leader knew that truth. Deep down inside I think that this presenter knew he was on a pseudo-worship treadmill. Emotional worship is as deep as the next technological breakthrough that leads the postmodern flock a half-mile down the block to the next post-post-modern start-up.
This is “fat-child in the vineyard” sleight of hand. Wouldn’t it be great to be involved in worship where closeness to God was not dependent on the presence of digital media and presentation software? A place where our connectedness runs deeper than sustaining honeymoon feelings of bliss and attraction?
Imagine being covenanted to each other by God and mission. Yet, this cannot happen unless we wipe the wine off our faces and invite God back into his vineyard. God reminds us constantly that the “wine isn’t ours to hoard.” Listen hard enough and look close enough, we can see that God is sending His notice:
He appears as an eccentric (prophet) crying for mercy for the oppressed
He comes as John the Baptist dressed in rags, completely counter-cultural and commanding us to turn our life utterly inside-out
He appears as the Son of God through the imprisoned, the sick, the hungry and the thirsty. Jesus constantly appears as the oppressed offering us the opportunity to serve and to relinquish our consumer lives
Let’s move from emotionalism to spirituality. Let’s focus on the true heart of worship (it implies a dog licking its master’s feet). Here is worship at its most poignant:
Matthew 15:27-28
27 But she said, “Yes, Lord; but even the dogs feed on the crumbs which fall from their masters’ table.” 28 Then Jesus answered and said to her, “O woman, your faith is great; be it done for you as you wish.” And her daughter was healed at once.
That should be our response as “managers in the vineyard.” We are not here to drink the Master’s wine (emotionalism and self-indulgence); we are here to grow the Master’s crop (spirituality and compassion).
Questions
God is sending prophets to us to remind us of our “place in the vineyard.” Where have you seen them? How could you become one?
What has been your response to God in these guises?
Matthew 21:42
[42] Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,
‘THE STONE WHICH THE BUILDERS REJECTED, THIS BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone;
THIS CAME ABOUT FROM THE LORD, AND IT IS MARVELOUS IN OUR EYES’?”
The wonderful Psalm of our Savior
The last week of our Lord’s life was a fulfillment of ageless prophesies and Matthew wants us to completely understand that all scripture points to Jesus Christ as Messiah. He was the culmination of the Covenant of God; testified to by the Old Testament, John the Baptist, his own works, the Holy Spirit and by God the Father (“This is my beloved son, in whom I am well-pleased [Matt 4:17]”). Is it any wonder that the words of scripture were ingrained in our Lord’s heart? He inspired them; it was to him that they pointed!
The particular verse that Christ quoted in this parable was Psalm 118:
Psalm 118:22-23
[Ps 118:22] The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief corner stone.
[23] This is the LORD’S doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.
It is not just this verse from the Psalm that lifts our Lord’s name in glorious praise. Look at the other verses in this song of joyous testimony to God’s plan.
Psalm 118:4
[Ps 118:4] Oh let those who fear the LORD say, “His lovingkindness is everlasting.”
Psalm 118:6
[Ps 118:6] The LORD is for me; I will not fear; what can man do to me?
Psalm 118:8
[Ps 118:8] It is better to take refuge in the LORD than to trust in man.
Psalm 118:17
[Ps 118:17] I shall not die, but live, and tell of the works of the LORD.
Psalm 118:24
[Ps 118:24] This is the day which the LORD has made; Let us rejoice and be glad in it.
Psalm 118:29
[Ps 118:29] Give thanks to the LORD, for He is good; for His lovingkindness is everlasting.
There can be no doubt that the plans of the Chief Priests were evident to our Lord. Yet, their threats met nothing compared to the deep abiding comfort that Jesus drank from in God’s Word. A well-spring doubly blessed for us today. For we have seen it’s promise complete—the sacrifice fulfilled. That well is ours to drink from; the words of comfort still full and true. Not one of its words has come to mean less with the passing of time. Instead each word is richer, more perfect and more prophetic; our Lord is returning. We have work to do. Let’s get busy preparing the vineyard for the return of our glorious Master!
Why is it marvelous?
Why would the Psalmist tell us it is marvelous that the stone was rejected?
It is partly because that rejection is the fulfillment of the prophecies of the Old Testament. In a similar fashion, we should marvel when the words of Christ unfold in our lives—even when the revelation leads to rejection. Too much of our energy in this world is wasted on the need for approval. Too little is spent on recognizing that being honest to what we value is more important than being accepted for our compromise.
Yet, what does the bible mean to marvel?
Let’s look at other times that this word was used in the Psalms:
Psalm 31:21-24
[Ps 31:21] Blessed be the LORD, For He has made marvelous His lovingkindness to me in a besieged city. [22] As for me, I said in my alarm, “I am cut off from before Your eyes”; Nevertheless You heard the voice of my supplications When I cried to You.
[23] O love the LORD, all you His godly ones! The LORD preserves the faithful And fully recompenses the proud doer.
[24] Be strong and let your heart take courage, All you who hope in the LORD.
Psalm 71:4-8
[Ps 71:4] Rescue me, O my God, out of the hand of the wicked, Out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man,
[5] For You are my hope; O Lord GOD, You are my confidence from my youth.
[6] By You I have been sustained from my birth; You are He who took me from my mother’s womb; My praise is continually of You.
[7] I have become a marvel to many, For You are my strong refuge.
[8] My mouth is filled with Your praise And with Your glory all day long.
Do you see the pattern? What makes men marvel at God and God marvelous to men?
It is God’s faithful presence in the toughest of situations. It is precisely in crisis that the power of God is strongest, when human hope has dimmed and our resources are drained. It is when we are rescued “out of the hand of the wicked, out of the grasp of the wrongdoer and ruthless man.” That is when God is most marvelous—when we are most at wit’s end, when we are in the greatest need of delivering His salvation to a deaf people.
The Hebrew word used for marvelous [Gadol] is most often translated as great (340 times), as well as large and even loud. Yet we also find it obscurely used for bitter, heavy and hard.
There is pain in growth—what is marvelous is that God promises to be with us when life is bitter, heavy and hard. He promises to establish our strength, be our foundation and point us ever towards his glory—no matter what the world throws at us. Look at how Paul and Silas responded in a great, large and loud manner when their times were bitter, heavy and hard:
Acts 16:22-34
22 And the crowd rose up together against them, and the chief magistrates tore their robes off them, and proceeded to order them to be beaten with rods. 23 And when they had inflicted many blows upon them, they threw them into prison, commanding the jailer to guard them securely; 24 and he, having received such a command, threw them into the inner prison, and fastened their feet in the stocks. 25 But about midnight Paul and Silas were praying and singing hymns of praise to God, and the prisoners were listening to them; 26 and suddenly there came a great earthquake, so that the foundations of the prison house were shaken; and immediately all the doors were opened, and everyone’s chains were unfastened. 27 And when the jailer had been roused out of sleep and had seen the prison doors opened, he drew his sword and was about to kill himself, supposing that the prisoners had escaped. 28 But Paul cried out with a loud voice, saying, “Do yourself no harm, for we are all here!” 29 And he called for lights and rushed in and, trembling with fear, he fell down before Paul and Silas, 30 and after he brought them out, he said, “Sirs, what must I do to be saved?” 31 And they said, “Believe in the Lord Jesus, and you shall be saved, you and your household.” 32 And they spoke the word of the Lord to him together with all who were in his house. 33 And he took them that very hour of the night and washed their wounds, and immediately he was baptized, he and all his household. 34 And he brought them into his house and set food before them, and rejoiced greatly, having believed in God with his whole household.
Paul and Silas sing loudly after they are beaten and thrown into stocks. They start singing at mid-night and they sing right through an earthquake. Similarly, look at how our Lord feasts on the joy of God’s word prior to tasting the bitter herb of sacrifice. He leads us from suffering to joy and his path is truly marvelous. So, next time that we face a situation where life seems bitter, heavy and hard. Respond as our Lord did, respond as Paul and Silas rejoice in a great way; don’t be afraid to be large and loud in the glory of our God.
Matthew 21:43-46
[MT 21:43] “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. [44] “And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.”
[45] When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. [46] When they sought to seize Him, they feared the people, because they considered Him to be a prophet. (NAS)
The people producing fruit
There are two core issues here that are still pertinent to our lives and that were used to condemn the Chief Priests, Scribes and Pharisees:
How can I claim salvation if I am not obedient to Jesus as Lord?
How can I claim obedience if there is no fruit in my life?
So what is fruit? Karpos [NT2590], the Greek term for fruit, was also used for crop or profit. The religious leaders knew that Jesus was speaking about them when he spoke about “fruitless lives.” They knew they were the evil vine-growers who were more interested in intrigue than grapes. In Jesus’ story we must be aware that the Master would not have sent his servants if the vineyard was producing the “fruit” and the “profit” that it was supposed to produce. Every prophet that came to Israel was sent because Israel was being mismanaged; because the fruit of the leaders was evil. Their fruit was self-focused and self-propitiating. When Jesus tells the vineyard story he is no doubt referring to this prophecy in Isaiah:
Isaiah 3:14-15
14 The LORD enters into judgment with the elders and princes of His people, “It is you who have devoured the vineyard; The plunder of the poor is in your houses.
15 “What do you mean by crushing My people, And grinding the face of the poor ?” Declares the Lord GOD of hosts.
The High Priests had received a great privilege in their inheritance and had used it to “plunder the poor.” This is an important concept to understand if we are to understand anything about the nature of our God. To Jesus, plundering the poor is the same as devouring the vineyard. Of course the opposite of plundering the poor is empowering them. That is what the fruit of the Lord’s garden is meant to do. Reaching out to the vulnerable was the very heart of Christ’s mission:
Luke 4:18-19
18 “The Spirit of the Lord is upon Me, Because He anointed Me to preach the gospel to the poor . He has sent Me to proclaim release to the captives, And recovery of sight to the blind, To set free those who are downtrodden, 19 To proclaim the favorable year of the Lord.”
The good news is lived out when the fruits of God are used to free the poor, the captive, the blind and the downtrodden. This is what the Chief Priests had not done. Our question is: Are we? Are we proclaiming the Jubilee Year? Are we proclaiming the year of freedom for those enslaved by poverty? Are we using the fruits of our privilege towards the Lord’s mission and purpose? Are there less poor, captive, blind and downtrodden because of our work?
What we possess in this world is not our fruit and this is not our vineyard. We merely oversee it for God. He will ask an accounting of his fruit and whether or not it was used towards his purposes. That is the truth that God sends the prophets to continually remind us to uphold. That is what Jesus saw as his purpose (as stated above in Luke 4:18-19). Do we have the same purpose as Jesus? Do we have the same purpose as God? Are we using our resources towards the same end? Are we using his fruit towards his ends?
The results of fruitlessness
Jesus prophesies three punishments for fruitless followers of God:
The Kingdom of God will be taken from them;
The kingdom is not a place of empty promises; God will neither make nor tolerate them. his promise to us is salvation—but our promise to him must be obedience and a repentant heart.
In another Holy Week confrontation (this time with the Scribes and Pharisees) a woman caught in adultery is cast before the Lord to be stoned. Jesus does two things that clarify his expectation of us. First, he says to the woman; “I do not condemn you... go and sin no more [John 8:11].” What he commands of her is repentance and obedience. To this day, the prerequisite to the Kingdom is repentance and obedience. Second; he condemns the religious leaders who brought the woman before him:
John 8:24
[Jn 8:24] “Therefore I said to you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am He, you will die in your sins.” [25] So they were saying to Him, “Who are You?” Jesus said to them, “What have I been saying to you from the beginning? [26] “I have many things to speak and to judge concerning you, but He who sent Me is true; and the things which I heard from Him, these I speak to the world.” [27] They did not realize that He had been speaking to them about the Father. [28] So Jesus said, “When you lift up the Son of Man, then you will know that I am He, and I do nothing on My own initiative, but I speak these things as the Father taught Me. [29] “And He who sent Me is with Me; He has not left Me alone, for I always do the things that are pleasing to Him.” [30] As He spoke these things, many came to believe in Him.
[31] So Jesus was saying to those Jews who had believed Him, “If you continue in My word, then you are truly disciples of Mine; [32] and you will know the truth, and the truth will make you free.” [33] They answered Him, “We are Abraham’s descendants and have never yet been enslaved to anyone; how is it that You say, ‘You will become free’?”
[34] Jesus answered them, “Truly, truly, I say to you, everyone who commits sin is the slave of sin. [35] “The slave does not remain in the house forever; the son does remain forever. [36] “So if the Son makes you free, you will be free indeed. [37] “I know that you are Abraham’s descendants; yet you seek to kill Me, because My word has no place in you. [38] “I speak the things which I have seen with My Father; therefore you also do the things which you heard from your father.”
[39] They answered and said to Him, “Abraham is our father.” Jesus *said to them, “If you are Abraham’s children, do the deeds of Abraham. [40] “But as it is, you are seeking to kill Me, a man who has told you the truth, which I heard from God; this Abraham did not do. [41] “You are doing the deeds of your father.” They said to Him, “We were not born of fornication; we have one Father: God.” [42] Jesus said to them, “If God were your Father, you would love Me, for I proceeded forth and have come from God, for I have not even come on My own initiative, but He sent Me. [43] “Why do you not understand what I am saying? It is because you cannot hear My word. [44] “You are of your father the devil, and you want to do the desires of your father. He was a murderer from the beginning, and does not stand in the truth because there is no truth in him. Whenever he speaks a lie, he speaks from his own nature, for he is a liar and the father of lies. [45] “But because I speak the truth, you do not believe Me. [46] “Which one of you convicts Me of sin? If I speak truth, why do you not believe Me? [47] “He who is of God hears the words of God; for this reason you do not hear them, because you are not of God.” (NAS)
Why are the religious leaders condemned? Because they are disobedient and unrepentant. Remember, the Kingdom is an immediate and present place. It is here and now; “On earth as it is in heaven.” Yet, we have no access to the Kingdom or its joy if we are not living according to the promises of repentance and obedience.
“He who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces;”
(See #3 for details).
“...but on whomever it (the stone) falls, it will scatter him like dust.”
The stone is both defined as the cornerstone (upon which rests the weight of the walls) and the capstone (upon which rests the weight of the roof). Mess with either of those stones and you have trouble.
God has established Jesus as the foundational stone. The word rests on him and salvation rests under his care. Take Jesus out of our lives, family, church or country and everything begins to collapse.
This was no empty boast by Christ. Within a generation, these men (the religious leaders), their families and their nation were “broken into pieces” and “scattered like dust.” Their roles as chief priests of Jerusalem—a tradition passed down almost 1300 years since Aaron, the brother of Moses—was buried under the weight of Rome and they were scattered abroad (like dust). The last chief priest of Aaron’s line, Ananias, was in the courtyard on that very day seeking a way to condemn Jesus.
Accounting for the vineyard
It seems like the story boils down to a very personal fulcrum. Each one of us is in the vineyard illustrated by Jesus. Each one of us will be held accountable for locking the gates and keeping the wine to ourselves or throwing the gates open and giving the master his due. The pattern in our lives of opening or closing our hearts will not suddenly change on the day we stand before our Lord for a full accounting. If the gates of our heart are closed to God now (and, in particular, to God through his most vulnerable children) they won’t be any more open to God upon our final reckoning. Dives, the rich man who walks around Lazarus every day of his life, still sees Lazarus as a beggar even when Lazarus is resting on Abraham’s breast in heaven. Dives attitude only hardens in hell. He is revealed for the sinful man that he is. In like fashion, we can’t profess that our gates were open if in-deed, they were not. We can’t bluff God. If we are uncomfortable with the vulnerable now, we will be more uncomfortable with them when God gives them his kingdom. A kingdom upon which the weight of the walls rest in these words: “Blessed are you who are poor, for yours is the kingdom of God [Luke 6:20b].”
Do we not understand that if the kingdom belongs to the poor then they will decide who gets in and who stays out? Will the poor call me “friend?”
In Matthew 20, we saw people stand right next to God; they worked all day in his vineyard and seethed while God generously paid all his people a just wage. Yet, those people who were angry that the “last to come” received a just wage were no closer to heaven than if they had been standing on the other end of eternity—even though they were standing in God’s very presence. They stood next to God and were bitter because he was compassionate. That is hell. Hell is keeping the fruit that was meant for others. It is trying to hoard the fruit for myself—like these Chief Priests. Hell is being angry when God shows compassion.
Pray for repentance and humility
Here is a tough concept to keep in front of us until the Day of Judgment. It appears that standing on the outside of the vineyard walls is wherer you find the righteous, the just and the prophetic in this life. That is where you find those who are stoned, beaten and killed for upholding the Master's rights. The outlook looks bleakest for the “insiders.”
“God, please help us be on the right side of that wall!”
The best way to insure that we are not like the Chief Priests is to be among those who are not gorging themselves behind the closed doors of the vineyard. Let us pray that the master finds us among the poor, the needy and among the forgotten—pleading for a just accounting of God’s fruit.
Today I was blessed to be invited to a birthday party. A young Christian turned 54 at the Homeless Shelter and I got to be among those singing him happy birthday. What an honor. I am sure I saw tears in the corners of his eyes as people fussed over him and profusely told him how blessed they were by his life. I had to wonder how many of his birthdays had previously gone unnoticed. The shelter chaplain said; “You know why we celebrate your birthday?”
Perhaps we all expected a joke or sarcastic comment—but the Chaplain stated; “Because we are glad you were born.”
Friends, there is simply no amount of treasure in the world to replace moments like that. At least for that instant—I knew that I was on the right side of the vineyard gates.
About the Author
Jerry Goebel is a community organizer who started ONEFamily Outreach in response to gang violence and youth alienation in a rural community in Southeastern Washington. Since that time, Jerry has worked with communities around the globe to break the systemic hold of poverty by enhancing the strengths of the poor.
A primary philosophy of ONEFamily Outreach is to teach; “poverty is a lack of healthy relationships.” And, a primary focus of ONEFamily Outreach has been to break down the barriers of poverty through creating “cultures of intentional courtesy.”
As well as having developed ongoing mentoring outreaches in his own community, Jerry travels extensively to work with church leaders, community governments, and educators.
Jerry has received five popular music awards from the American Society of Composers, Authors, and Publishers, a Best Educational Video Award from the National Catholic Education Association, and a lifetime achievement award from the National Federation for Catholic Youth Ministry for living Gospel Values.
To contact or book Jerry for a presentation in your area write or call:
The New Testament Greek Lexicon based on Thayer’s and
Smith’s Bible Dictionary plus others; this is keyed to the large Kittel and the
“Theological Dictionary of the New Testament.” These files are public domain.
The Old Testament Hebrew Lexicon is Brown, Driver,
Briggs, Gesenius Lexicon; this is keyed to the “Theological Word Book of the Old
Testament.” These files are considered public domain.