The Vine Worker

Welcome

Intro

I am so thankful for the ministry of Johnny Jernigan last week. It was amazing to see the response in the altars and to experience the move of God.

Today we are going to jump back into the Book of Matthew.

This section of Matthew is full of Parables. A common Rabbinic practice in Jesus’ Day to demonstrate Spiritual matters in a practical way that is easier to understand.

The Parables are a way of teaching for the Disciples that I believe are essential to understanding how to Follow God………

Jesus has just had an encounter with the Rich Young ruler and after this interaction you can tell that His disciples are struggling to understand what just happened.

Matthew 19:23–26 CSB

23 Jesus said to his disciples, “Truly I tell you, it will be hard for a rich person to enter the kingdom of heaven. 24 Again I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich person to enter the kingdom of God.” 25 When the disciples heard this, they were utterly astonished and asked, “Then who can be saved?” 26 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but with God all things are possible.”

If it is that difficult than who can get in?

Jesus replies that God can save anyone from any circumstance including the rich.

Then Peter responds with a question?

Matthew 19:27 CSB

27 Then Peter responded to him, “See, we have left everything and followed you. So what will there be for us?”

Jesus, what is going to be the reward for our sacrifice.

Matthew 19:28 CSB

28 Jesus said to them, “Truly I tell you, in the renewal of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Israel.

For the Twelve they will sit as the Judges of the 12 Tribes.

Just an aside here: If God is done with Israel than why would he need 12 disciples sitting on 12 Thrones, Judging the twelve tribes of Isreal.

Let’s move on though.

For the Rest of us who accept the call to follow Jesus he says this:

Matthew 19:29 CSB

29 And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields because of my name will receive a hundred times more and will inherit eternal life.

An then He teaches the Spiritual Matter in the Form of the following Parable.

Body

Matthew 20:1–16 CSB

1 “For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. 2 After agreeing with the workers on one denarius, he sent them into his vineyard for the day. 3 When he went out about nine in the morning, he saw others standing in the marketplace doing nothing. 4 He said to them, ‘You also go into my vineyard, and I’ll give you whatever is right.’ So off they went. 5 About noon and about three, he went out again and did the same thing. 6 Then about five he went and found others standing around and said to them, ‘Why have you been standing here all day doing nothing?’ 7 “ ‘Because no one hired us,’ they said to him. “ ‘You also go into my vineyard,’ he told them. 8 When evening came, the owner of the vineyard told his foreman, ‘Call the workers and give them their pay, starting with the last and ending with the first.’ 9 “When those who were hired about five came, they each received one denarius. 10 So when the first ones came, they assumed they would get more, but they also received a denarius each. 11 When they received it, they began to complain to the landowner: 12 ‘These last men put in one hour, and you made them equal to us who bore the burden of the day’s work and the burning heat.’ 13 “He replied to one of them, ‘Friend, I’m doing you no wrong. Didn’t you agree with me on a denarius? 14 Take what’s yours and go. I want to give this last man the same as I gave you. 15 Don’t I have the right to do what I want with what is mine? Are you jealous because I’m generous?’ 16 “So the last will be first, and the first last.”

The first thing we need to understand when reading this passage is that invitation to Work begins with the Generosity of the Owner.

Before working in Ministry I worked as a manager for a Trucking Company….I want to be careful here to not hurt feelings but Truck drivers have way to much time to think and solve the worlds problems. So managing truck drivers is a lot like herding Cats.

The problem I commonly ran into was the idea that the Owner of the company owed them more…….

I would ask a series of questions that went something like this.

Would you be here if the owners didn’t take a risk and buy this business?

Did you take out the $150,000 loan to purchase the truck you are driving?

Is the rate they are paying you what you agreed to work for?

Usually I did not have to ask anymore questions and they didn’t come to me with complaints like that again.

I believe this is what Jesus is framing in this Parable.

You have those that are invited into the Kingdom Early in life……

Notice that all the workers are invited to participate in the work of the Vineyard.

The Vineyard is a metaphor The Kingdom. The Kingdom that has come with King Jesus……..

The Laborers are being employed to bring in the Harvest……

Listen to this excerpt from Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He Was

The parable doesn’t specify the exact nature of the vineyard work, but the story apparently takes place during grape harvest, when the grapes are ripe and must be gathered quickly[1]. This urgency explains why the landowner would seek workers throughout the day[1].

While the text doesn’t detail the specific tasks—pruning, picking, pressing—the harvest context is crucial to understanding the parable’s social backdrop. The parable reflects first-century Palestinian conditions when the era of free farmers harvesting their own vineyards with joy had long passed[1]. Instead, the parable depicts a grey and sober world of work in which labor is only a grind[1]. These were day laborers—economically vulnerable workers hired temporarily for urgent seasonal work, with no guarantee of employment or fair treatment.

This economic reality sharpens the parable’s impact. The workers’ complaint isn’t merely about mathematics; it reflects genuine anxiety about survival. Those hired early secured a full day’s wages, but those standing idle in the marketplace faced potential destitution. The landowner’s decision to pay everyone equally—regardless of hours worked—operates against the backdrop of a labor system where workers had little security or bargaining power.

Understanding the vineyard context also connects to broader biblical vineyard imagery. The vineyard of the LORD represents the house of Israel (Isa 5:1–7), and Jesus uses vineyard work as a metaphor for participation in God’s kingdom. In this parable, the work itself becomes secondary to the owner’s generosity and the workers’ struggle with envy and entitlement.

[1] Gerhard Lohfink, Jesus of Nazareth: What He Wanted, Who He Was, trans. Linda M. Maloney (Collegeville, MN: Liturgical Press, 2012), 111.

1. We should feel blessed to be called Early.

Matthew 20:1-5

What a Joy it should be to be invited into the Kingdom Early……

2. The Work isn’t Finished.

Matthew 20:6-7

Comfort makes room for Transformation

3. Our Reward is Coming!

Matthew 20:8-10

4. Gratitude over Grumbling

Matthew 20:11-16

Eternal Life is Eternal Life

Revelation 21:1–8 CSB

1 Then I saw a new heaven and a new earth; for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and the sea was no more. 2 I also saw the holy city, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared like a bride adorned for her husband. 3 Then I heard a loud voice from the throne: Look, God’s dwelling is with humanity, and he will live with them. They will be his peoples, and God himself will be with them and will be their God. 4 He will wipe away every tear from their eyes. Death will be no more; grief, crying, and pain will be no more, because the previous things have passed away. 5 Then the one seated on the throne said, “Look, I am making everything new.” He also said, “Write, because these words are faithful and true.” 6 Then he said to me, “It is done! I am the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end. I will freely give to the thirsty from the spring of the water of life. 7 The one who conquers will inherit these things, and I will be his God, and he will be my son. 8 But the cowards, faithless, detestable, murderers, sexually immoral, sorcerers, idolaters, and all liars—their share will be in the lake that burns with fire and sulfur, which is the second death.”

This Parable is an invitation to embrace God's grace and generosity. Are we so puffed up that we feel entitled to compare ourselves to others, especially in moments of jealousy or resentment.

God's grace is not based on human standards of fairness or merit.

God’s grace is a divine gift that is freely given to all who come to Him, regardless of when or how you come.

You need to understand that God's grace transcends human notions of fairness.

In God’s Kingdom, every worker is equally valued and rewarded.

Since my trip to Israel I can not shake the notion From Romans 11:25 Until the Fullness of the Gentile has come to pass…..

Romans 11:25 CSB

25 I don’t want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers and sisters, so that you will not be conceited: A partial hardening has come upon Israel until the fullness of the Gentiles has come in.

Israel is preparing for the Coming of Messiah……..

Are we at work bringing in the Harvest a Harvest of Souls?

Let’s get back to work………………

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