Jesus' Parable Of The Vineyard

 Introduction to Jesus' Parable of the Vineyard

Today we are talking about Jesus' parable of the vineyard. A vineyard is a beautiful garden with lots and lots of grapevines. Let's talk about grapevines and grapes in Bible times! Grapevines were super important back then, just like they are in some places today. Imagine fields and fields covered with these climbing plants, their branches heavy with bunches of juicy grapes! It was a beautiful sight!

Uses for grapes in bible times

Grapevines weren't just pretty, they were incredibly useful. First, and most importantly, they were used to make wine! Remember the winepress we talked about? That's where they would crush the grapes, often by stomping on them with their feet (imagine that!), to get the juice. This juice would then be turned into wine. Wine was a common drink in Bible times, used at meals and celebrations. It wasn't exactly the same as the grape juice we drink today, but it was an important part of their lives.

But grapes weren't just for wine! People also ate them fresh, right off the vine. Imagine how yummy and sweet they must have tasted! They also dried grapes to make raisins, which were easy to store and could be eaten later as a snack or added to food. Think of them like little energy bites!

Sometimes, they even used the grape leaves for food! They would stuff them with other ingredients, kind of like we do today in some cultures. So, every part of the grapevine was valuable!

Growing grapes was a lot of work. People had to take care of the vines, prune them, which means carefully cutting off some branches to help them grow better. They also had to protect the grapes from animals and thieves. That's why they planted the grapes in enclosed yards.

Growing grapes was a year-round job! But all that hard work was worth it when they harvested the grapes and enjoyed all the wonderful things they could make from them. Grapevines were a blessing, a gift from God that provided food and drink for the people. They pointed to a good life and God's blessings.

What is a parable?

A parable is like a special kind of story that Jesus told. He used stories about everyday things, things people could easily understand, like farms and seeds and, in this case, a vineyard, to teach big, important lessons about God and how we should live. 

Jesus' parables were like little puzzles with hidden meanings. Sometimes the meaning is easy to see, and sometimes we have to think a little harder to figure it out. Jesus used parables to help people understand God's love and what it means to be part of His family. 

So, when we hear a parable, we should listen carefully and try to understand what Jesus is trying to teach us. They're like secret messages just for us! Are you ready to unlock the secret message in this vineyard parable?

Now for Jesus' parable of the vineyard

Jesus told the people a parable about a vineyard. Imagine a big, beautiful garden with lots and lots of grapevines. This is called a vineyard! Jesus said that the owner of the vineyard took really good care of it. He put a fence all around it to keep animals out, like a big hug for the grapes! 

He even dug a special place called a winepress where they would squish the grapes to make yummy grape juice. And guess what? He built a tall tower so someone could watch over the vineyard and make sure everything was okay. It was like a super cool lookout!

Now, the owner couldn't stay at the vineyard all the time, so he asked some farmers, called tenants, to take care of it for him. He said, 

"You can use my vineyard and grow grapes, and at harvest time, you can give me some of the fruit." 

Then he went away to another place.

The owner sent his helpers to collect fruit from the vineyard

When it was time to pick the grapes, the owner sent his helper to the tenants to ask for his share of the grapes. But the tenants were mean! They grabbed the helper and hit him! Poor helper! They didn’t give him any grapes, and they sent him away with empty hands!

The owner was sad, so he sent another helper. But the tenants hit this helper on the head! Oh no! And they treated him very badly. The owner sent even more helpers, but the tenants were so naughty! They beat some and even killed others! Can you believe it?

The owner sent his son to collect fruit from the vineyard

The owner was very, very sad. He loved his vineyard so much. He had one more person he could send, his own son, whom he loved very much. He thought, "Surely, they will respect my son." So, he sent his son to the vineyard.

But guess what the tenants did? They saw the owner's son and said, "Look! This is the owner's son! If we get rid of him, all this will be ours!" So, they grabbed him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard! How terrible!

The owner was heartbroken. He must have wondered, “What am I going to do?” Well, the story tells us that the owner will come back and punish those bad tenants and find new people to take care of his vineyard. People who will do the right thing.

Clues to the parable of the vineyard

The vineyard is God's special people Israel

The owner of the vineyard is God. 

Do you remember the winepress? It was like a big strainer. This was the place where the people stomped on the grapes at the end of harvest. When they did so, the juice would press out of the grapes and would become wine after a special process.  The people would shout and be happy as they worked at the winepress. This represents the praises of God's people.

Remember how I said the owner built a tower? In those days, vineyards often had towers for watchmen. These watchmen would keep a lookout for thieves or animals that might try to harm the grapes. They were like the guardians of the vineyard. Also, sometimes the owner wouldn't live near the vineyard. He would leave it in the care of these tenants, trusting them to do their work and give him his share of the harvest. It was a big responsibility!  

In the parable, the tenants were supposed to warn the people about their sins and about attacks from satan who wanted them to fall.  The tenants or caretakes of the vineyard are the priests and prophets who God put there to teach His children to obey God. However, these tenants hated God.  

The tower represents the place of  protection. It also was the place where the tenants were to teach the Word of God.

The helpers are the prophets that God sent to warn the children of Israel about their sins.

The owner’s Son is Jesus, whom God sent to save His people from their sins. However, they did not listen to His message and killed Him on the cross.

Conclusion to Jesus' parable of the vineyard

The parable warns us that we must listen to the Word of God and obey it. The people of Israel killed their prophets and refused to do what pleased God. 

When they killed Jesus, God became angry and punished them. Remember that Jesus the Son of God died to save us from our sins in order to give us eternal life. 

Go here to discover how to be saved from the eternal punishment that God set aside for sinners.

Parable of the Vineyard Scriptures: Mark 12: 1 - 12.

1 And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.

 2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 

3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 

4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 

5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. 

6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 

7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 

8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 

9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 

10 Have you not read this Scripture:

“‘The stone that the builders rejected

          has become the cornerstone

11  this was the Lord's doing,

    and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

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Jesus' Parable Of The Sower In The Bible

Parable Of The Sower Introduction: A Story About Seeds and Human Hearts

  

When Jesus began the Parable of the Sower, He was sitting by the sea, and a huge crowd gathered around Him to listen to His stories. Jesus climbed into a boat so everyone could see and hear Him, and He began to tell a special story about a farmer and some seeds.  

“One day,” Jesus said, “a farmer went out to plant seeds in his field. As he scattered the seeds, they fell on different kinds of ground.”  

1. The Hard Path or Wayside: Some seeds fell on a hard, dusty path by the side of the road. The seeds couldn’t sink into the soil, and birds flew down and gobbled them up!  

2. The Rocky Ground or Stony Places: Other seeds fell on rocky ground. At first, the seeds sprouted quickly, but there wasn’t much soil. As a result, their roots couldn’t grow deep. When the sun got hot, the little plants dried up and withered away.  

3. The Thorny Patch or Thorns: Some seeds fell in a patch full of thorns. The thorns grew faster than the seeds and choked the tiny plants, so they couldn’t grow big and strong.  

4. The Good Soil: But some seeds fell on soft, rich soil. These seeds grew into healthy plants and produced a big harvest.  Some plants made 30, 60, or even 100 times more seeds!  

Then Jesus said, “If you have ears to listen, pay attention to this story!”  

Later, Jesus explained what the story meant. He said the seeds are like God’s Word, and the different kinds of soil are like people’s hearts.  Here's what He said about the different types of soil.

1. The Hard Path or Wayside: Some people hear God’s Word, but they don’t understand it. It’s like the seeds on the path—the devil snatches it away before it can grow in their hearts.  

2. The Rocky Ground or Stony Places: Other people hear God’s Word and get excited, but their faith doesn’t have deep roots. They give up, when hard times of persecution come because of the Word.

3. The Thorny Patch or Thorns: Some people hear God’s Word, but they get too busy with worries or wanting more things like money. These worries and desires choke their faith, and they don’t grow spiritually.  

4. The Good Soil: These are the people who hear God’s Word, understand it, and let it grow in their hearts. They become like strong, healthy plants that produce lots of good fruit!  

Main Message in the Parable of the Sower

The Parable of the Sower tells us that people respond to the Word of God in different ways. Only those who are good soil will germinate the Word of God and allow it to grow and produce god-like fruit in their lives.

Here Are The Clues To The Parable of the Sower.

1. The sower - is a preacher or anyone like a child who shares the Word of God with others.

2. The seed is the Word of God.

3. The soil is the human spirit or heart. When people hear the Word of God, they respond to it in different ways.

4. Fruit from the seed refers to the godly or god-like behaviors that are produced in the lives of people who do what the Word of God says.

5. The seed by the wayside are people who allow Satan to steal the Word of God from them. They do not pay attention to it and forget what it says.

6. The seed on stony places or stony hearts are those who hear the word and immediately receives it joyfully. However; these people do not meditate on the word, they do not learn the word and they do not practice the word of God. 

As a result, the Word of God cannot grow roots in their hearts or spirits. This person will endure for a while. but will give up God when when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word.  

7.  The seed among thorns  are people who hear the Word, but who are busy taking care of other things and who are spending time making money. 

The people whose hearts are thorny put their money making and other interests above the Word of God . They do not pay attention to it at all. Therefore, the Word of God becomes stifled in their lives and they cannot become godly.  

8. The seed on good ground are the people who hear the word, understand it,  and do what it says. The seed of the Word of God grows up in their spirits like a tree, and they bear fruit like God. 

You will know people who have received and obey the Word of God because they bear fruit of the Spirit like love, joy, peace, patience and others.

Call To Action: How To Be Seed On Good Soil

To become seed on good soil, each individual has a daily responsibility to:

• Read the Word of God.
• listen to the Word of God.
• Memorize the Word of God.
• Meditate or think often about the Word of God.
• Do what the Word of God says - no lying, no stealing, no cheating etecetera.

As you practice these habits throughout your life, you will become more and more like God and this makes the Lord happy.

 

Parable Of The Sower Matthew 13: 1 - 9.

1 On the same day Jesus went out of the house and sat by the sea. 

2 And great multitudes were gathered together to Him, so that He got into a boat and sat; and the whole multitude stood on the shore.

3 Then He spoke many things to them in parables, saying: “Behold, a sower went out to sow. 

Four Types Of Soil In The Parable Of The Sower

4 And as he sowed, some seed fell by the wayside; and the birds came and devoured them. 

5 Some fell on stony places, where they did not have much earth; and they immediately sprang up because they had no depth of earth. 

6 But when the sun was up they were scorched, and because they had no root they withered away. 

7 And some fell among thorns, and the thorns sprang up and choked them. 

8 But others fell on good ground and yielded a crop: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty. 

9 He who has ears to hear, let him hear!”

 

Parable Of The Sower Explained Matthew 13: 18 - 23.

18 “Therefore hear the parable of the sower: 

19 When anyone hears the word of the kingdom, and does not understand it, then the wicked one comes and snatches away what was sown in his heart. This is he who received seed by the wayside. 

20 But he who received the seed on stony places, this is he who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy; 

21 yet he has no root in himself, but endures only for a while. For when tribulation or persecution arises because of the word, immediately he stumbles. 

22 Now he who received seed among the thorns is he who hears the word, and the cares of this world and the deceitfulness of riches choke the word, and he becomes unfruitful. 

23 But he who received seed on the good ground is he who hears the word and understands it, who indeed bears fruit and produces: some a hundredfold, some sixty, some thirty.”

Parable Of The Sower Summary

Jesus told this story to teach us how important it is to have a heart that’s ready to listen to and obey God’s Word. Just like seeds need good soil to grow, God’s Word needs an obedient heart to grow and produce godly behaviors in our lives. 

So, let’s be like the good soil—ready to listen, understand, and let God’s love grow in us! 🌱💖

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