5 Oct 2014 - grape faithfulness

The purpose of the vineyard is fruit. The LORD desires that his vineyard will bear fruit that will remain. He wants fruit so much that there is nothing which could be done for the vineyard to ensure the growth of fruit which he doesn't do.

What more was there to do for my vineyard
that I had not done?

We become anxious when we hear that he wants fruit so much that he doesn't leave a defective vineyard in place for long. The watchtower comes down and the hedge is taken away. If the grapes choose to grow wild he will allow them to live in the wild, beyond his protection. These wild grapes are people that choose bloodshed instead of judgement and justice. The spirit of rebellion and disobedience is opposed to a harmonious and well ordered life in community. It is the sort of attitude which finds the watchtowers and hedges to be intrusions. It rejects any peace which it cannot create itself.

Yet once they are in the wild, wild grapes do realize that they have chosen a hard life. When we chose to do something on our own apart from God we do have the opportunity to realize our mistakes. Life outside of the vineyard only ever works partially. Nourishment, peace, and success only come in fits and starts. There is never enough. We do well to cry out:

Once again, O LORD of hosts,
look down from heaven, and see;
take care of this vine,
and protect what your right hand has planted
the son of man whom you yourself made strong.
Then we will no more withdraw from you;
give us new life, and we will call upon your name.

We can imagine, then, why Jesus is hard on the tenants of the vineyard. The grapes are trying to grow but they are being used and abused. They are not given over to their true purpose, but hoarded for selfish ends.  The landowner cares so much for this fruit. He wants it to fulfill its purpose so much that he sends his son to ensure that happens. Yet the son himself is slain by the selfish impulses that horde the fruit. The impulse is the most destructive in those given charge of the vineyard. But it exists in all of us. We express it when we treat people selfishly, using them for our purposes rather than treating them as ends in themselves.

The LORD really cares that we bear fruit. We need to see our own lives from this perspective. The fruit he wants is the fruit of the Holy Spirit, including love, peace, and joy. He does everything necessary to ensure that we can bear fruit. He pours out his Spirit in abundance. We need to see the lives of others in the same way. We need to desire them to bear fruit as well. To the degree that they don't they are living as wild grapes, rejecting the protection God offers. That isn't the life they are meant to have.

Ultimately Jesus comes to find a system incapable of bearing fruit. It is too trapped by it's own selfishness. He offers us a new system with a better foundation, a foundation built on rock.

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
by the Lord has this been done,
and it is wonderful in our eyes?

At first we hear that we have to bear fruit and we have anxiety about everything. But as we learn that fruit is God's desire before it is ours our anxiety begins to subside. As we learn how good the fruit is it fades still more. We aren't afraid to fail because we know that he wants it even more than we do. He does everything necessary to make it happen. We are able "by prayer and petition, with thanksgiving" to make our requests known to God. As we do "the peace of God that surpasses all understanding will guard your hearts and minds in Christ Jesus."