Tuesday, October 09, 2001

Parable of the Vinyard -- revisited

For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that was a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire labourers into his vineyard. And behold, he found members of Modern Pentecostal Churches and large Vineyard
Churches and Word of Faith Churches, and behold, some were disciples of Peter Wagner, and others of Loren Cunningham and of Rick Joyner*, yea some had been to Toronto, and others to Pensacola.
And when he had agreed with the labourers for a shilling a day, they said unto the householder, 'Surely, we shall bring in the whole of this great harvest from thy vineyard, for we have the strategy and thou hast given us apostolic authority and prophetic vision*
And he said unto them, 'Good on ya, mate', and sent them into his vineyard
And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing in the marketplace idle: some were Roman Catholics fathers and nuns and some Anglican vicars, and others from tradition churches; and he saith unto them, 'Why stand ye here all the day idle?'
They, answering, saith unto him,'Behold, we are satisfied with the way things are, and want to just carry on with our religious observances'.
And he breathed on them, and said, 'Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you.'
And they went their way rejoicing that they had a part in the great harvest
Again he went out about the sixth hour, and behold, he found Orthodox rabbies standing and discussing Torah, and he saith unto them, 'Why stand ye here all the day idle?'
They answered him, saying, 'We are waiting for Messiah to come'.
He said unto them, 'Behold, I am come.' And immediately, their eyes were open, and they, likewise, went rejoicing into the Vineyard.
And the ninth hour, he went again and behold, he found homeless street children, and drug addicts, pimps, prostitutes and men of the Mafia, and behold, among them were also Neo Nazis, and Fundamentalist Jihad warriors, even one who grieved for he had missed his flight to the World Trade Centre.
And he saith unto them, 'Why stand ye here all the day idle?'
They answered, saying, 'We are the poor and the downtrodden and have been robbed of our inheritance by the imperialistic western establishment.'
He said unto them, 'Behold, I am your inheritance'. Then, their eyes were opened, and they went rejoicing into the Vineyard.
And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing. Behold, these were pedophiles, and traffickers in child prostitution; also with them were former ministers of great churches and television ministries who had fallen into deep sin and had become a stumbling block to many by their fall; yea many others also, who
ought to have had a millstone tied around their neck and thrown into the depths of the sea, but instead were standing idle in the market place.
And he saith unto them, 'Why stand ye here all the day idle?'
They say unto him, 'Because no man will hire us. Behold, we are despised even by the worst of sinners. Surely we are not worthy to even look upon, let alone work in any man's vineyard.'
But as the householder looked upon them with compassion, they began to weep.
He said unto them, 'Behold your sins are forgiven. Go ye also into the vineyard, and sin no more.'
And when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, 'Call the labourers, and pay them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.'
And when they came that were hired about the eleventh hour, they received every man a shilling.
And when the first came, they supposed that they would receive more; and they likewise received every man a shilling. And when they received it, they murmured against the householder, saying, 'These last, that were the worst of sinners, and have spent but one hour, thou hast made equal unto us, who are the trailblazers and missionary statesmen who have borne the burden of the day and the scorching heat with our intercession and strategic level spiritual warfare, yea, we have both planted and watered but they only came for the harvest.'
But he answered and said to one of them, 'Friend, I do thee no wrong: didst not thou agree with me for a shilling? Take up that which is thine, and go thy way; it is my will to give unto this last, even as unto thee. Is it not lawful for me to do what I will with mine own? or is thine eye evil, because I am good?'