Parable of the winegrowers

"The parable of the vinedressers is a Bible story about God's grace.

In this parable, a landowner hires workers to work in his vineyard. Some workers are hired early in the day, others later. However, all the workers are paid the same amount of money. This story teaches us that God's grace is available to all of us, whenever we come to Him.

It also shows us that His grace is sufficient for us, even if we don't deserve it. This story reminds us that we can never deserve God's good graces. Instead, we receive his grace simply because he loves us. And his grace is always sufficient for us, whatever our deeds or shortcomings."

(Matthew 21: 33-46)

33 Listen to another parable. There was a man, master of a house, who planted a vineyard. He put a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower; then he leased it out to vinedressers and left the country. 34 When harvest time came, he sent his servants to the vinedressers to receive the produce of his vineyard. 35 The vinedressers seized his servants, beat one, killed another and stoned the third.

36 He sent other servants, more than the first, and the vinedressers treated them in the same way. 37 Finally, he sent his son to them, saying, "They will have respect for my son. 38 But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, "Here is the heir; come, let's kill him and take his inheritance. 39 So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. 40 Now when the lord of the vineyard comes, what will he do to these vinedressers? 41 They said to him, "He will destroy these wretches miserably, and he will lease the vineyard to other vinedressers, who will give him the produce at harvest time.

The Corner Stone

42 Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures, 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner; it is from the Lord, and a wonder in our eyes'? 43 Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you, and given to a nation that will bear its fruits. 44 Whoever falls on this stone will be broken by it, and whoever it falls on will be crushed.
45 When the chief priests and Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that Jesus was talking about them, 46 and they tried to seize him, but they feared the crowd, because they thought he was a prophet.

We too have been chosen and grafted by God: that's what we can learn from the parable of the vinedressers.

God planted a vine. This vine is called People in Israel. God was disappointed when he was disappointed with his vineyard, for he had hoped to gather good fruit from it. Israel's mission was to be a model people, and above all to make the name of the Lord known in the world.

God took care to organize his people well. Israel had peasants, kings, elders, prophets and priests, men and women of various trades. He lacked nothing, and the Lord himself was always at the head of his army of war. Despite the Lord's best efforts on behalf of his people, he disappointed them to the point of crucifying his only Son, Jesus Christ. A part of the people par excellence thus fell into disgrace. Certainly for a time, and above all in order to take into account the need for the salvation of all mankind.

So God turned to the Gentiles to fulfill the mission once entrusted to Israel. The Church was thus created to complete or continue the famous mission.

According to the Bible, we have been grafted into the place of the Israelites who were cut off to become part of God's people. Branches were severed so that we could be grafted in their place. If we don't bear fruit for God, if our lives don't glorify Him too, we risk being cut off too, and the owners may take their place again, for God doesn't show favoritism. If He has not spared His people, what will become of those who have been entrenched and commit the same sacrileges? Amen.

(It is written in: Romans 11: 17-24)
17 But if some of the branches have been cut off, and you, who were a wild olive tree, have been entwined in their place, and made partaker of the root and fatness of the olive tree, 18 do not glory at the expense of those branches. If you glory, know that it is not you who bears the root, but it is the root that bears you.

19 Then you will say: The branches were cut off, that I might be girded up. 20 This is true; they were cut off because of unbelief, but you stand by faith. Do not give in to pride, but fear; 21 for if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.

22 Consider, then, God's goodness and severity: severity towards those who have fallen, and God's goodness towards you, if you remain steadfast in this goodness; otherwise, you too will be cut off. 23 In the same way, if they do not persist in unbelief, they will be buried; for God is powerful to bury them anew. 24 If you were cut from the naturally wild olive tree, and planted contrary to your nature on the free olive tree, much more will they be planted according to their nature on their own olive tree.

Pasteur Clémentine