A Branch on the Vine of Christ
adapted from a sermon by Fr David Shehata
Passage Luke 20:9-19
On the final days of Christ’s ministry, the chief priests and the elders come to Him questioning His authority. Christ does not respond in the way they wanted, but with the parable of the vineyard.
At any point when Christ provides a parable, this is a story that we too, can benefit from. This parable is said by the early church to describe the entire Old Testament along with the New Testament in a short story.
For Jewish listeners at the time, this would not have been unfamiliar. This story resembles Isaiah chapter 5.
My Well-beloved has a vineyard
Isaiah 5:2
On a very fruitful hill.
He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also made a winepress in it;
So He expected it to bring forth good grapes
The Lord did not use any vine, but the finest. He has encapsulated it with a wall so that it does not succumb to predators. What more could He do to keep it out of harm’s way? He has done everything possible for its protection. Naturally, it should bring forth good fruit.
The Lord expects from His vineyard, some fruit as a result of His labour. The Lord expects the same from each of us also. God has provided everything in my life for the produce of good fruit. This is the expectation of each of us.
In the parable, the master of the vineyard has not asked for a lot of fruit from his workers, but some of it. This is what the Lord asks from us. Not that we give Him everything in its entirety, but some of the fruit so that He may be partakers with us of the good fruit. He is not here to be a Dictator, but in His humility, He gives us everything so that He may share with us in the produce.
Where else in the Gospel do we hear of His work in the vineyard? He also describes Himself as the vine and we are the branches.
I am the true vine, and My Father is the vinedresser. Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit He prunes, that it may bear more fruit.
John 15:1-2
Fr Matta El Maskeen comments on this – If we think of God as the vine and us the branches, can you have a vine without branches? You can, but it wouldn’t be considered a vine without the branches. Can you have branches without the vine? No, because there would be no life left within them. In God’s humility, we are extensions of the vine. The Lord wishes this of you and I. He wishes for us to be involved in His Love and affection. He wants us to be a part of Him.
A common question that many of us will ask is, “What does God want from me? What is God’s Will for my life?”
From this passage, we can infer that God’s will for my life is to bring forth fruit. The master asked for some of the fruit in the parable. He wants the same from us. He wants to share in the good fruit that He has given us.
What does this mean? It means the Lord cares for us and wants to see us succeed. He has fashioned our lives so that we may share in the fruits that we produce with Him.
Where did the vinedressers go wrong?
One mistake was that they thought the owner was far away. So far away that he forgot about them. There is a rule in Jewish tradition that if the owner of the vineyard hires vinedressers and does not return for three years, then the vinedressers would own that vineyard. In this parable, perhaps the vinedressers had plans to own the vineyard. They mistakenly thought that the owner lived far away and forgot about it completely.
We make the same mistake in our own lives. Sometimes we think that God is far away, we think He does not exist and so, we are able to do as we please. We feel we are an authority to ourselves and not accountable to anyone.
The second mistake that the vinedressers made was that they thought he would not return. This made them behave in terrible ways. They would beat the servants of their master. They lost all accountability. Finally, they killed even the son of the master, for they felt that God had abandoned them.
Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts; Look down from heaven and see, And visit this vine, And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted, And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.
Psalm 80:14-15.
When King David felt alone, he cried out for God’s return. HH Pope Shenouda III would say that when we remember the presence of God, we will not fall into sin. When we forget His presence, that is when we succumb to sin.
This parable is a reminder that God is ever-present. God remembers me and He loves me. He is going to return to me, and He is always with me. I need to remind myself that I do not own anything in my life. I am a steward, just as the vinedressers were.
Do I think that I am the owner of my life? My home? My business? My family? Do I own even my intellect? Sometimes even those that feel strong and in control of their health can pass away through unbelievable means. Many times we find those that own businesses of multi-millions can lose even this. The lockdown is pivotal to unseen losses.
I need to be prepared to account for my stewardship in this life. For all aspects, am I able to demonstrate to the Lord how I used my gifts on this earth for His glory? Did I help my family grow in virtue? Did I demonstrate charity in my wealth? Was I able to use my mind to glorify God? God has given us everything so that we, as stewards can give back to Him the fruits of our labour.