MY WELL-BELOVED HATH A VINEYARD IN A VERY FRUITFUL HILL (CONTINUED)
Scripture Reading: Mark 12:1-9 "And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.
2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard.
3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.
5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.
7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.'
8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.
ISAIAH 5:1-2
5 Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill:
2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes.
We will now examine each loving act our Well-Beloved, also referred to as a certain man, bestowed upon His vineyard which speaks to His people. First, He planted the vineyard. To plant carries several meanings such as to beget, bring forth, produce, to be born, to spring up, to grow, to shoot forth. Our concern is with spiritual things and each of these meanings take on a powerful weight in our hearts and thinking. This whole thing is about a wonderful Lord and His people. Isaiah 61:3 reads, "To appoint unto them that mourn in Zion, to give unto them beauty for ashes, the oil of joy for mourning, the garment of praise for the spirit of heaviness; that they might be called trees of righteousness, the planting of the LORD, that he might be glorified." Romans 6:5 adds "For if we have been planted together in the likeness of his death, we shall be also [in the likeness] of [his] resurrection." We are the planting of the Lord!
This vineyard speaks to Israel both naturally and spiritually. John 15: 1-5 reads, "I am the true vine, and my Father is the husbandman. 2 Every branch in me that beareth not fruit he taketh away: and every branch that beareth fruit, he purgeth it, that it may bring forth more fruit. 3 Now ye are clean through the word which I have spoken unto you.4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit of itself, except it abide in the vine; no more can ye, except ye abide in me. 5 I am the vine, ye are the branches: He that abideth in me, and I in him, the same bringeth forth much fruit: for without me ye can do nothing. These Scriptures verify the necessity for several meanings of the word "plant." Always remember that in any single act of God results in a multiplicity of spiritual benefits.
Continued