What is the meaning of the passage of the laborers of the vine? (Part 1).
When we read this passage, our proclivity is to think that the owner of the vine was unrighteous. After all, by our logic, who works more deserve to gain more.
Nonetheless, the first thing that we need to observe is what Jesus told about this passage:
• Mat 20:1 -> “For the *kingdom of heaven* is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.”.
The standard of justice of this world is different of the standard of justice of the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s sufficient to think that, here, who commits a crime ought to pay for their own mistakes and delicts. Nonetheless, spiritually, we sin and, however, it was Jesus who paid for our crimes.
What happens is that:
• in the Kingdom of the Earth people earn pursuant to what they do. The payment is a debt (as it was in the Old Testament):
o Rom 4:4 -> “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.”.
• In the Kingdom of the Heaven people earn pursuant to Jesus’ grace and mercy. People receive from Jesus without being worth of it, only for believing in His perfect justice and get pleasure in His salvation (Ps 13:5; 18:35; 20:5; 21:1; 40:16; 51:12; 70:4; 119:81,123,166,174) to the point of manifesting it for the glory of His name:
o Rom 4:5 -> “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,”.
In other words, we should receive with gratitude the blessing that He prepared for us instead of expecting in Him the blessing that our soul longs for. The pleasure isn’t only in the aftermath and reward, but in the process, in virtue of knowing that we are doing something very important and for the privilege of staying close to the Owner of the Vineyard (see John 3:29) and His other laborers.
• In the Kingdom of the Creator, what is important are people who believe in Him and get pleasure in hearing and serving Him with love:
o Luk 17:20,21 -> “And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you.”.
• In the Kingdom of men, what is important are the works (the outcomes) and the reward which comes with them.
So, have a good day coming into the Kingdom of the Creator and embracing the Kingdom of Heaven.
Tomorrow we will continue.
When we read this passage, our proclivity is to think that the owner of the vine was unrighteous. After all, by our logic, who works more deserve to gain more.
Nonetheless, the first thing that we need to observe is what Jesus told about this passage:
• Mat 20:1 -> “For the *kingdom of heaven* is like a master of a house who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard.”.
The standard of justice of this world is different of the standard of justice of the Kingdom of Heaven. It’s sufficient to think that, here, who commits a crime ought to pay for their own mistakes and delicts. Nonetheless, spiritually, we sin and, however, it was Jesus who paid for our crimes.
What happens is that:
• in the Kingdom of the Earth people earn pursuant to what they do. The payment is a debt (as it was in the Old Testament):
o Rom 4:4 -> “Now to the one who works, his wages are not counted as a gift but as his due.”.
• In the Kingdom of the Heaven people earn pursuant to Jesus’ grace and mercy. People receive from Jesus without being worth of it, only for believing in His perfect justice and get pleasure in His salvation (Ps 13:5; 18:35; 20:5; 21:1; 40:16; 51:12; 70:4; 119:81,123,166,174) to the point of manifesting it for the glory of His name:
o Rom 4:5 -> “And to the one who does not work but believes in him who justifies the ungodly, his faith is counted as righteousness,”.
In other words, we should receive with gratitude the blessing that He prepared for us instead of expecting in Him the blessing that our soul longs for. The pleasure isn’t only in the aftermath and reward, but in the process, in virtue of knowing that we are doing something very important and for the privilege of staying close to the Owner of the Vineyard (see John 3:29) and His other laborers.
• In the Kingdom of the Creator, what is important are people who believe in Him and get pleasure in hearing and serving Him with love:
o Luk 17:20,21 -> “And being asked by the Pharisees, when the kingdom of God cometh, he answered them and said, The kingdom of God cometh not with observation: neither shall they say, Lo, here! or, There! for lo, the kingdom of God is within you.”.
• In the Kingdom of men, what is important are the works (the outcomes) and the reward which comes with them.
So, have a good day coming into the Kingdom of the Creator and embracing the Kingdom of Heaven.
Tomorrow we will continue.