Let me sing for my Beloved my love song concerning His vineyard:
My Beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill.
He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines;
He built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine press in it;
and He looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded worthless ones.
“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
judge between Me and My vineyard.
What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it?
When I looked for it to yield good grapes, why did it yield worthless ones?
“And now I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard.
I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured;
I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed,
and briers and thorns shall grow up;
I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it.”
For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the men of Judah are His pleasant planting;
Thus He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed;
for righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress! (Isaiah 5:1-7)
The One who
identified Himself as the God of
Abraham, Isaac,
and Jacob sang
this love song through the prophet
Isaiah
about 2,700 years
ago, expressing His heartache over His
people Israel. He
longed for a harvest of righteousness
and justice from
them, but they bore only the bitter
fruit
of division,
violence, and injustice.
Seven centuries
later Yahshua re-told
Isaiah’s love
song as a parable
to the chief priests and elders of what
remained of old
Israel:
“There
was a certain landowner who planted a
vineyard
and set a hedge
around it, dug a winepress in it and
built
a tower. And he
leased it to vinedressers and went into
a far country.
Now when vintage-time drew near, he
sent
his servants to
the vine dressers, that they might
receive
its fruit. And
the vine dressers took his servants,
beat
one, killed one,
and stoned another. Again he sent other
servants, more
than the first, and they did likewise
to
them. Then last
of all he sent his son to them, saying,
‘They will
respect my son.’ But when the
vine
dressers saw the
son, they said among themselves,
‘This
is the heir.
Come, let us kill him and seize his
inheritance.’
So they took him
and cast him out of the vineyard and
killed
him. Therefore,
when the owner of the vineyard comes,
what
will he do to
those vine dressers?”
They said to
Him, “He will destroy those
wicked
men miserably,
and lease his vineyard to other vine
dressers
who will render
to him the fruits in their
seasons.”
Jesus [Yahshua] said to them, “Have
you
never read
in the
Scriptures: ‘The
stone which the
builders rejected
has become the
chief cornerstone. This
was the
LORD’s
doing, and it is
marvelous in our eyes’?
Therefore I say to you,
the
kingdom of God will be
taken from you
and given to a
nation bearing the fruit
of it.”
(Matthew
21:33-43)
Of course, the
Master’s words that day proved
true.
In a jealous
rage they cast the Son out of
the vineyard
and killed Him, and the Owner of the
vineyard took it away
from them and
gave it to a nation that would bear the
fruit
He had longed for
— righteousness and justice. But
who
was that nation,
and how and when did they bear that
fruit?
And what is the
nature of that fruit?
The answer to
these questions is found in the Gospel
of
the Kingdom,
which is what Yahshua was constantly
infusing
into His
disciples. Consequently, it is
also found in what
His disciples did
with what He taught them.
He often talked
to them about vineyards and vines to
help
them understand
what the Kingdom of God is like, as in
this
familiar passage:
“I am
the true vine, and My Father is the
vine
dresser... Abide
in Me, and I in you. As the branch
cannot
bear fruit of
itself, unless it abides in the vine,
neither
can you, unless
you abide in Me. I am the vine, you are
the branches. He
who abides in Me, and I in him, bears
much
fruit; for
without Me you can do nothing.”
(John 15:1,4-5)
Yahshua had come
to restore His Father’s vineyard,
which is a
metaphor for His kingdom. John the
Baptist had
gone before Him
to prepare the way by pronouncing the
old
vine dead and
laying the ax to the root of it,
calling all
Israel to
repent. Then came the Messiah,
just as the prophet
Isaiah had
foretold, “For He shall grow up
before
Him as a tender
plant, and as a root out of dry
ground…”
Yahshua was the
new vine growing out of the old root
system,
in order to bear
the fruit that His Father had begun to
cultivate when He
called and chose Abraham:
“For I
have chosen him, that he may command
his
children and his
household after him to keep the way of
the LORD by doing
righteousness and justice, so that the
LORD may bring to
Abraham what he has promised
him.”
(Genesis
18:19)
It was for the
hope of this fruit that God promised to
make
a nation out of
Abraham’s seed, and to give them
the
land to dwell in
where they would bear the fruit of
righteousness
and justice as a
demonstration to the nations around
them
of what people
are like who are truly connected to
Him.
That is still His
objective and He still needs a
vineyard.
So Yahshua came
as a root out of dry ground, the Vine
of
His
Father’s planting, but who are
the branches?
You may think
that you are one of them, along with
everyone
else who truly
believes in Yahshua, but is that really
what
Yahshua was
saying? Consider the context: He was
speaking
to His disciples,
whom He was training to be apostles, in
their last and
most intimate meal together before He
was
crucified. He was
not speaking for the benefit of the
crowds
that had often
gathered to hear Him teach, for they
were
not in the upper
room that night. So to
“overhear”
His intimate
conversation with His disciples and to
assume
that it applies
to you is presumptuous, don’t you
think?
His apostles
understood Him, for they were very
familiar
with vines and
vineyards. They knew that a cultivated
vine
would be pruned
to have at most twelve branches, and
from
those chosen
branches the vinedresser would expect
to obtain
clusters of juicy
grapes. For the time He had been with
them, Yahshua had
been filling His disciples with the sap
that came from
the root so that they would produce the
fruit
of being
connected to the Vine — clusters
of grapes which,
when squeezed,
would make the sweetest wine.
So Yahshua was
the Vine, and His apostles were the
branches,
but what were the
clusters? To discover that you must
look
at the
“Vinedresser’s
journal” to see
what came forth
from the branches! What the branches
did
is recorded in
The Acts of the Apostles. Here
is the vivid
description of
the first fruit that we find there:
Then those who
gladly received [the branch’s]
word
were baptized;
and that day about three thousand souls
were
added to them.
And they continued steadfastly in the
[branches’]
teaching and
fellowship, in the breaking of bread,
and in
prayers. Then
fear came upon every soul, and many
wonders
and signs were
done through the [branches]. Now all
who
believed were
together [in a cluster], and had all
things
in common, and
sold their possessions and goods, and
divided
them among all,
as anyone had need. So continuing daily
with one accord
in the temple, and breaking bread from
house
to house, they
ate their food with gladness and
simplicity
of heart,
praising God and having favor with all
the people.
And the Lord
added to the church daily those who
were being
saved. (Acts
2:41-47)
Now the
multitude of those who believed were of
one heart
and one soul;
neither did anyone say that any of the
things
he possessed was
his own, but they had all things in
common.
And with great
power the [branches] gave witness to
the
resurrection of
the Lord Jesus [Yahshua]. And great
grace
was upon them
all. Nor was there anyone among them
who lacked;
for all who were
possessors of lands or houses sold
them,
and brought the
proceeds of the things that were sold,
and
laid them at the
[branches’] feet; and they
distributed
to each as anyone
had need. (Acts 4:32-35)
Was this not the
fruit of righteousness and justice that
ought to come
forth from Abraham’s seed? Not
just
individual acts
of righteousness that men may do for
the
sake of
conscience, but a collective
demonstration of the
righteousness of
God. It was a great cluster of fruit,
reminiscent
of the one the
twelve spies brought back as a
foretaste
of their promised
land, which took two men to carry
between
them on a pole! For that is in fact
what that community
in Jerusalem was
to be: a foretaste of the Kingdom to
come
— a
witness, a testimony. Those who lived
together in clusters
were a visible,
tangible demonstration of what it means
to be vitally
connected to the Vine through the good
authority
and care of the
branches. When those grapes were
squeezed
by the
circumstances of their common life,
what came forth
was the sweet
wine of love — righteousness and
justice.
Abundant grace
was upon them all, therefore all were
cared
for.
Now some will say
that the community life described in
Acts
2 and 4 was an
abnormal growth and was not the typical
fruit
of the Vine. They
will even say that the branches are no
longer necessary,
nor are the clusters, but instead the
individual grapes
come forth directly from the Vine. But
it was the
giants of selfishness and
independence that
drove away the
faith of those first-century disciples.
It is convenient
to believe that the early disciples
ceased
living together
in communities, but in fact the pattern
established in
Jerusalem was repeated wherever the
apostles
went, as that
was the grace of apostleship — to
bring
about the
obedience to the faith. Often in his letters,
Paul would send
his greetings to a particular brother
and
the church
that is in his house. Contrary to some
modern
translations, it
does not say “the church
that meets
in his
house.” The church in
those days was not a
meeting,
but the full-time occupation of
disciples dwelling
together in
unity, in extended households, like clusters
of grapes hanging
from their branch — continually
devoted
to their
apostles’ teaching and
fellowship.
The Hebrew word
for branch comes
from a root word that
means to cause
to spring forth, and that is what
apostles
do. They cause
clusters (communities) to spring forth
by
preaching the
Gospel of the Kingdom. This
causes faith
to enter the
hearts of those who hear and are
willing to
do the will of
the Vinedresser. Faith causes them to
obey
the gospel they
are hearing, utterly surrendering their
independent lives
and all their possessions to become
part of the
cluster — the hundredfold
inheritance of all
who obey the
gospel.
Many clusters on
a branch form a tribe, and twelve
tribes
form the nation that bears the
fruit of the Kingdom.
That twelve tribe
nation is the
fullest expression of
the Vine, showing
the whole world the goodness of that
Vine
by the splendid
clusters of fruit it bears —
interconnected
communities full
of whole-hearted disciples who love one
another in the
same way their Master loved them, by
daily
laying down their
lives for one another, taking care of
each
other’s needs.
That expression
of righteousness and justice was the
witness
of the Kingdom
that the apostle Paul at one time
expected
would bring about
the end of the age and the
return of
Messiah in his
lifetime. But
the
time
came
when
he
realized
he
would
not
live
to
see
that
day,
and
increasingly
his
and
the
other
apostles’
letters
contained
dire
warnings
to
the
churches
of
the
ways
they
were
being
led
astray.
Self-appointed
“apostles” undermined
the
authority
of
the
true
apostles
and
led
away
their
own
followings
with
ear-tickling
teachings
that
softened
the
so-called
“hard
sayings” of
Yahshua.
By
the
beginning
of
the
second
century,
when
the
letter
of
James
was
written
to
the
twelve
tribes
“scattered
abroad,”
they
no
longer
shared
a
common
life.
They
were “going
to
church”
rather
than
being
the
church;
the
rich
looked
down
their
noses
at
the
poor,
not
meeting
their
needs;
there
was
strife,
competition,
and
boasting
over
worldly
pursuits;
the
rich
even
oppressed
those
who
worked
for
them.
Gone
were
the
succulent
clusters,
happily
sharing
the
same
source
of
life
from
the
Vine.
Righteousness
and
justice
gave
way
to
a
form
of
religion
lacking
the
power
to
love. 
1900
years
have
come
and
gone,
leaving
a
trail
of
bloodshed
at
the
hands
of
those
who
claim
to
represent
God,
and
cries
of
woe
from
those
who
have
suffered
at
their
hands.
It
is
just
as
the
prophet
Isaiah
sang
for
his
Beloved,
the
Owner
of
the
vineyard,
so
long
ago, “He
looked
for
justice,
but
behold,
bloodshed;
for
righteousness,
but
behold,
a
cry
of
distress.”
Most
of
what
has
been
done
in
His
name
has
made
a
mockery
of
what
is
really
in
His
heart.
So
just
as
in
the
first
century,
He
finds
Himself
in
need
of
being
justified.
His
name
needs
to
be
made
great
again
by
those
who
have
the
courage
to
separate
themselves
from
the
fallen
religious
system
of
this
day
and
restore
the
Gospel
of
the
Kingdom.
Their
life,
which
comes
from
Him,
is
a
foretaste
of
His
coming
Kingdom.
We
who
write
this
paper
have
given
our
lives
to
do
just
that.
Like
a
root
out
of
dry
ground,
the
Vine
has
sprouted
again
and
brought
forth
clusters
–
communities
of
men,
women,
and
children
who
love
Messiah
more
than
their
own
lives,
who
desire
nothing
more
than
to
abide
in
Him
and
bear
the
fruit
of
His
Kingdom.
When
that
fruit
is
ripe
for
harvest,
we
believe
the
Owner
of
that
vineyard
will
again
send
His
Son
to
receive
its
fruit:
Then
I
looked,
and
behold,
a
white
cloud,
and
on
the
cloud
sat
One
like
the
Son
of
Man,
having
on
His
head
a
golden
crown,
and
in
His
hand
a
sharp
sickle.
And
another
angel
came
out
of
the
temple,
crying
with
a
loud
voice
to
Him
who
sat
on
the
cloud,
“Thrust
in
Your
sickle
and
reap,
for
the
time
has
come
for
You
to
reap,
for
the
harvest
of
the
earth
is
ripe.” So
He
who
sat
on
the
cloud
thrust
in
His
sickle
on
the
earth,
and
the
earth
was
reaped.
(Revelation
14:14-16)
That
is
the
first
of
two
harvests
the
Messiah
will
reap
when
He
returns
–
the
gathering
of
His
elect,
also
described
as
His
bride,
who
will
have
made
herself
ready
for
Him.
Then
they
together,
Messiah
and
His
bride,
will
come
to
earth
to
deal
with
the
fruit
of
another
vine
–
that
of
the
Antichrist
and
all
of
those
who
love
and
practice
evil.
They
will
be
trampled
in
the
winepress
of
God’s
wrath.
The
evil
ruler
of
this
world
will
be
bound
for
a
thousand
years,
and
Messiah
will
be
enthroned
in
Jerusalem
and
will
reign
over
the
earth
with
His
bride.
Then
the
Promised
Land,
from
the
Euphrates
River
to
the
River
of
Egypt,
will
be
delivered
over
to
the
remnant
of
the
offspring
of
Abraham,
the
one
third
who,
by
the
end
of
the
age
had
come
to
understand
the
truth
of
Matthew
21:33-44.
They
understood
that
their
people
had
crucified
the
Messiah
sent
to
save
them,
and
they
mourned
over
their
guilt.
Then
the
faithful
“branches” of
the
first
century
will
rule
over
the
restored
twelve
tribes
of
Israel
in
the
Millennial
Age,
just
as
their
Master
promised
them.
They,
along
with
the
faithful
of
the
final
century,
will
fill
the
whole
world
with
the
fruit
of
righteousness
and
justice.
In
that
day, “A
pleasant
vineyard,
sing
of
it!
I,
the
LORD,
am
its
keeper;
every
moment
I
water
it.
Lest
anyone
punish
it,
I
keep
it
night
and
day;
I
have
no
wrath.
Would
that
I
had
thorns
and
briers
to
battle?
I
would
march
against
them,
I
would
burn
them
up
together.
Or
let
them
lay
hold
of
My
protection,
let
them
make
peace
with
Me,
let
them
make
peace
with
Me.” In
days
to
come
Jacob
shall
take
root,
Israel
shall
blossom
and
put
forth
shoots
and
fill
the
whole
world
with
fruit.
(Isaiah
27:2-6)
For
more
on
the
name
Yahshua,
see
What’s
in
Name
Matthew
27:18
Hebrews
13:12-13
There
are
at
least
90
direct
references
to
the
Kingdom
and
the
Gospel
of
the
Kingdom
in
the
four
Gospels.
Matthew
3:3-12
Isaiah
53:2
Matthew
21:43
(quoted
above)
John
15:5
1
Corinthians
12:29
John
2:1-11
was
prophetic
of
this
outcome.
Numbers
13:23
John
13:20;
Matthew
10:40;
Luke
10:16
Numbers
13:30-33
As
in
Thessalonika,
for
example,
1
Thessalonians
2:14.
Romans
1:5
Romans
16:5;
1
Corinthians
16:19;
Colossians
4:15;
Philemon
1:2
The
apostle
Paul
had
been
well
aware
of
this
pattern
of
life
even
before
he
was
saved,
for
it
says
he
entered
every
house,
dragging
off
men
and
women
to
prison
(Acts
8:3).
Did
he
have
to
steal
a
church
directory
to
find
the
house
of
each
individual
church
member?
No,
everyone
knew
where
the
disciples
lived;
their
large
households
were
always
buzzing
with
activity,
like
a
beehive,
which
in
fact
is
what
the
Hebrew
word
for
community
actually
means.
See
Ed
Meets
the
Edah
for
more
about
this.
Acts
2:42
Tsemach
(#6780
in
Strong’s
Concordance)
–
a
sprout
or
branch
(literal
or
figurative);
from
tsamach
(#6779),
a
primitive
root
meaning
to
sprout
(literal
or
figurative);
bear,
bring
forth;
to
cause
to
or
make
to
bud
forth;
to
cause
to
or
make
to
grow
again,
or
grow
up;
to
cause
to
spring
forth,
or
spring
up.
Matthew
28:18-20
Romans
10:17;
John
7:17
Luke
14:26-33
Mark
10:28-30
Not
a
political
nation,
but
a
spiritual
nation,
as
in
1
Peter
2:9-10.
Matthew
21:43
Isaiah
49:6;
Acts
13:47;
26:7;
1
Peter
2:9-10;
Revelation
21:9-12
Matthew
24:14
1
Thessalonians
4:15-18
2
Timothy
4:6-7
2
Corinthians
11:3-4
2
Corinthians
11:4,13;
3
John
1:9-10
Acts
20:29-30
2
Timothy
4:3-4
James
2:2-6;
14-16
James
4:1-4
James
5:1-6
2
Timothy
3:1-5
Isaiah
5:7
Luke
7:29-30
–
To
be
baptized
by
John
meant
to
renounce
the
religious
system
of
that
day
(Matthew
3:7-12)
and
confess
one’s
need
for
true
salvation,
for
the
coming
Messiah
of
whom
John
was
the
forerunner.
Matthew
6:9-10;
Malachi
1:5,11
Job
14:7-9
Matthew
24:30-31;
Revelation
19:14
Revelation
19:7-8,14
Revelation
14:19-20;
19:11-19
1
John
5:19
Revelation
20:2-3
Revelation
11:15
Zechariah
13:8-9
Quoted
near
the
beginning
of
this
article.
Zechariah
12:10
Acts
3:21
Matthew
19:28
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