Judgement for a Vineyard
Text: Is 5:1-7; Jn 15:1-8
Theme: There is judgement for God's vineyard
Doctrine: final judgement
Image: vineyard
Need: repentance
Message: repent and bear good fruit
Judgement for a Vineyard
Is 5:1-7
I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit. “Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between me and my vineyard. What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it? When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad? Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed; I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled. I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated, and briers and thorns will grow there. I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” The vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.
I do not know what it is about a vineyard that has always attracted me, but I have always wanted to live on one. There is something about the idea of waking up in the morning to seeing the sun come up over the rows and rows of grape vines stretching up the hill behind the villa. There is something about a wine cellar lined floor to ceiling with oak barrels full of delicious, perfectly aged wine. I think the idea is attractive somewhat because of what is usually associated with a vineyard. A vineyard owner is looked up at with some respect, I think. They are endowed with an air of authority on things which they may have no clue about. Making wine seems to have a kind of magical allure, as if someone had to have special powers to grow grapes and make wine. In some respects, I suppose this is true. Making wine is not the easiest thing to do. I have had friends who have tried to make their own wine, and it often turned out to taste more like vinegar than wine. Instead of a clear fruitiness that makes your taste buds tingle, there is a sharp tanginess that makes your eyes water.
The other day I decided to have a look at what a proper vineyard might cost. I had always thought that a decent sized vineyard should be somewhere around 10 acres. Not much, I know, but this would be more of a hobby anyway. Well, I looked up the Ontario Agriculture website and low and behold, they have a section on the establishment and production costs for grapes in Southern Ontario. I began looking at the Cabernet Franc. The ministry has a detailed outline of the costs that would be incurred to set up a vineyard.
The pre-planting year costs would be just under $4000/acre. This includes;
plowing - $40/acre
land preparation (leveling, etc.) - $700/acre
tile drainage - $2727/acre
The planting year costs would be just under $12 000/acre. This includes;
grape vines – $3025/acre
trellis – $5126/acre
training – $726/acre
The next three years would cost about 4000/acre each. The final, and fourth year after the planting is when the harvest would begin to offset the costs and one could expect to break even that year. This means that the total establishment costs for a 10 acre vineyard would be $273 900, and this does not include the cost of the land!
I think I'll stick to preaching, a vineyard is too expensive.
Isaiah tells us a story about a person who decides to build himself a vineyard.
“My loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside.
He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines.
He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well.” (Is 5:1b-2a)
Now, look at the effort and care that is put into the creation of this vineyard. The owner picks out a magnificent plot of land on a south facing hillside. Perfectly positioned to make the fullest use of the golden rays of sunlight. He checks to make sure that the ground is fertile. He meticulously turns the soil and picks up all the stones. He hand selects only the choicest of vines and gently places each one in the verdant soil. He builds a watchtower in the middle of the vineyard to watch for enemies and pests. He digs a winepress into the side of the hill in anticipation of the rich harvest of delectable grapes which his newly created vineyard would produce. But then, “Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.” (Is 5:2b)
The owner of the vineyard is rightly enraged. Imagine putting all of that time and money into something, only to have it flop completely. Spending over a quarter of a million dollars on a 10 acre vineyard, waiting for four years for it to begin to produce a good crop, then going out among the rows of vines trained to the trellis, reaching under a leaf and plucking a large cluster of fruit from the vine. The saliva fills his mouth with the anticipation as he pulls one of the grapes from the cluster, and pop it in his mouth. Imagine the confusion he is feeling as a horrid and incredibly sour liquid bursts from the grape into his mouth. Then, the anger and outrage begins to mount as he goes from trellis to trellis, from vine to vine, pulling off a grape and discovering the same disgusting and revolting fact about each and every one. Listen to his scream of protest.
“Now you dwellers in Jerusalem and men of Judah,
judge between me and my vineyard.
What more could have been done for my vineyard than I have done for it?
When I looked for good grapes, why did it yield only bad?” (Is 5:3-4)
Well, you can picture the people of Jerusalem and Judah judiciously shaking there heads. “No, you are right.” They would say. “There is nothing more that could have been done. There is no real reason the crop failed. It had everything going for it, and yet it did not produce what it was supposed to. It sure is too bad.”
So, in a measured and decided tone, the master of the vineyard reveals his judgement for his vineyard.
Now I will tell you what I am going to do to my vineyard:
I will take away its hedge, and it will be destroyed;
I will break down its wall, and it will be trampled.
I will make it a wasteland, neither pruned nor cultivated,
and briers and thorns will grow there.
I will command the clouds not to rain on it.” (Is 5:5-6)
Here, the master of the vineyard is revealed. There is only one person who is powerful enough to command the clouds not to rain. There is only one person who has control over nature, and that is its creator. The master of the vineyard is the Lord Almighty. And “[t]he vineyard of the Lord Almighty is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are the garden of his delight. And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed; for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.” (Is 5:7)
Oh, dear.
The vineyard which was created and cared for so lovingly by God himself; the vine which God chose out of all the nations and brought out of Egypt; the people whom God had done everything for where not producing the good crop to which they were intended. Instead of justice, there was bloodshed. Instead of righteousness, there were cries of distress.
We all understand that this prophesy was directed at the Israelites. We all know that it was they who rejected the message of love from God. We all know that their own stubbornness of heart that lead to the message of salvation being taken from them and given to all nations. We may even secretly be rejoicing in this judgement because we know what it led to. In Mt 21 Jesus says this:
“Listen to another parable: There was a landowner who planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a winepress in it and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. When the harvest time approached, he sent his servants to the tenants to collect his fruit. “The tenants seized his servants; they beat one, killed another, and stoned a third. Then he sent other servants to them, more than the first time, and the tenants treated them the same way. Last of all, he sent his son to them. ‘They will respect my son,’ he said. “But when the tenants saw the son, they said to each other, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and take his inheritance.’ So they took him and threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. “Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?” “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end,” they replied, “and he will rent the vineyard to other tenants, who will give him his share of the crop at harvest time.” Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? “Therefore I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.”
The kingdom of God was taken away from the exclusivist community of Israel and extended to all nations. But before we go own rejoicing in the judgement expressed in these passages, let us take a close look at ourselves. When we look around at this community of believers, what do we see? Do we see justice or bloodshed? Do we see righteousness or hear cries of distress? Do we do all we can to bear one another's burdens or are we too busy to participate in the life of the church? Do we provide for our brothers and sisters, or simply shake our heads in pity while putting our hands in our pockets to protect our cash? Paul warns us about becoming complacent in our faith.
“If some of the branches have been broken off, and you, though a wild olive shoot, have been grafted in among the others and now share in the nourishing sap from the olive root, do not boast over those branches. If you do, consider this: You do not support the root, but the root supports you. You will say then, “Branches were broken off so that I could be grafted in.” Granted. But they were broken off because of unbelief, and you stand by faith. Do not be arrogant, but be afraid. For if God did not spare the natural branches, he will not spare you either.” (Rom 11:17-21)
We must not be complacent, because we all share the same nature, we all have a tendency to suppress the truth in unrighteousness. When God created the universe, he did it to make space for us, for human beings, for creatures made in his likeness with whom he could have a relationship. He made the entire universe, and in this magnificent creation he created a garden, and placed his pinnacle of creation in that garden. However, we did not do as God asked. We did not develop the sweet fruit of love and obedience, but rather the bitter fruit of rejection. We turned our backs on God's love and decided we wanted to be like him rather than with him. So God destroyed that garden. He kicked us out of it. He uprooted his vine and let his garden go to waste.
But he has not left us completely without hope. He kicked us out of the garden in judgement, but with the promise of a future. He justly punished us for our bitter fruit of rebellion, but God promised his help to produce the sweet fruit or repentance. When John the Baptist was preaching in the wilderness, he proclaimed the coming of the judgement for Israel.
“He said to them: “You brood of vipers! Who warned you to flee from the coming wrath? Produce fruit in keeping with repentance. And do not think you can say to yourselves, ‘We have Abraham as our father.’ I tell you that out of these stones God can raise up children for Abraham. The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire. “I baptize you with water for repentance. But after me will come one who is more powerful than I, whose sandals I am not fit to carry. He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire. His winnowing fork is in his hand, and he will clear his threshing floor, gathering his wheat into the barn and burning up the chaff with unquenchable fire.” (Mt 3:7-12)
John proclaimed the coming of the Messiah, the one who would usher in God's judgement. We know that when Jesus came he took upon himself the full weight of this judgement. Jesus bore upon himself the punishment prophesied by Isaiah. He was the perfect vine left in the wilderness of the destroyed vineyard that produced an abundant crop of good fruit. He is the true vine which helps those who remain in him bear much fruit. In John 15 Jesus said.
“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. I am the vine; you are the branches. If a man remains in me and I in him, he will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If anyone does not remain in me, he is like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be given you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.” (Jn 15:1-8)
If we remain in Christ, we will bear much fruit. If we spend time with him, reading his word, praying to him, listening to him, organising our lives on how we can serve him, then we will remain in him. When we follow Jesus, he baptises us with the Holy Spirit. He pours out the fire of faith in our lives and cleanses away all unrighteousness, all disease which limits our productivity. This process can hurt at times. There are times when God disciplines us to get our attention. There are times when he allows things to happen which confuse us and cause us pain. There are times when the burning fire of God's love seems like more than we can bear, but we know that God is working in us to make us into his perfect servants. He is pruning and training us so that we will bear better and more abundant fruit.
Even though a vineyard in Southern Ontario is a bit too costly for me to consider seriously, the vineyard of God's people has cost him much more dearly. God's cost for his vineyard was his own son. He sacrificed his own beloved only begotten Son on the altar of his love so that he could adopt us all as his children. God has given everything so that we can be his people, so that we can bear good fruit. God tenderly cares for all of us and asks us to be connected to the true vine, the second Adam, the perfect servant, the spotless sacrifice which is his son Jesus Christ.
O people of God, hope in the LORD!
For with the LORD there is steadfast love,
and with him is great power to redeem.
It is he who will redeem his people from all its iniquities.
Amen
Let us Pray