Vintage Vintage

Watchtower In Vineyard, The American Colony In Jerusalem

Matthew 21:33-43

There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower.

Sometimes hardships can lead to creative beauty. Sometimes loss can lead the grieving party to make provisions for others. Many of you may be familiar with the hymn "It Is Well with My Soul" but not the story behind it. Wikipedia shares this about it's writer Horatio Spafford:

This hymn was written after traumatic events in Spafford’s life. The first was the death of their only son from Scarlet Fever in 1870. Second was the 1871 Great Chicago Fire which ruined him financially (he had been a successful lawyer and had invested significantly in property in the area of Chicago which was decimated by the great fire). His business interests were further hit by the economic downturn of 1873 at which time he had planned to travel to Europe with his family on the SS Ville du Havre. In a late change of plan, he sent the family ahead while he was delayed on business concerning zoning problems following the Great Chicago Fire. While crossing the Atlantic, the ship sank rapidly after a collision with a sea vessel, the Loch Earn, and all four of Spafford's daughters died. His wife Anna survived and sent him the now famous telegram, "Saved alone …". Shortly afterwards, as Spafford traveled to meet his grieving wife, he was inspired to write these words as his ship passed near where his daughters had died

Many of you who attend a church of predominately eighty-year-olds may have already been familiar with the story of the hymn. But have you heard about the rest of Horatio Spafford and his wife Anna Spafford's lives? Well, that's what Wikipedia is for:

The Spaffords later had three more children. In 1881, the Spaffords, including baby Bertha and newborn Grace, set sail for Israel. The Spaffords moved to Jerusalem and helped found a group called the American Colony; its mission was to serve the poor. The colony later became the subject of the Nobel prize winning Jerusalem, by Swedish novelist Selma Lagerlöf.

So that is where this post begins. At a new beginning in Old Jerusalem. The Spaffords and there American comrades were eventually joined by several Swedish community members. Though this community was a Christian one they were held in high regard by there Muslim and Jewish neighbors for their service to the community and selfless giving. They also gave timeless treasures to the world's archeological community by photographing many of the ruins of Palestine and the daily life of local people. The American Colony in Jerusalem (as it came to be known) became the home of several photographers and primarily supported itself through the selling of their images. This was the impetus behind photographer and community member G. Eric Matson's documentation of vineyard farming in Palestine. A better description of these images would be "vintage." By vintage, I mean it's contemporary usage as a world meaning both old and quality... something worth preserving. Yet I also mean the original meaning of vintage, denoting the farming of the vineyard and things connected to winemaking. These images are vintage vintage. Jesus' parable in  Matthew 21:33-43 is also vintage vintage. He is both sharing a parable about the workings of a vineyard and also participating in a centuries old discussion involving prophecy, psalm and parable... all centered around the image of the vineyard. Jesus even adopts the imagery and format of the earlier arguments to empower the point that he is making. To understand the full implications of Jesus' vintage vintage image we must delve into the earlier images that he was working from.



Ein Karem, Ancient Winepress, Natives with Middle Bronze Jars, The American Colony In Jerusalem

The Prophecy: The Problematic Produce

Isaiah 5:1-7 
Now let me sing to my Well-beloved
A song of my Beloved regarding His vineyard:
My Well-beloved has a vineyard
On a very fruitful hill.
He dug it up and cleared out its stones,
And planted it with the choicest vine.
He built a tower in its midst,
And also made a winepress in it;
So He expected it to bring forth good grapes,
But it brought forth wild grapes.

“And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah,
Judge, please, between Me and My vineyard.
What more could have been done to My vineyard
That I have not done in it?
Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes,
Did it bring forth wild grapes?
And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard:
I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned;
And break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down.
I will lay it waste;
It shall not be pruned or dug,
But there shall come up briers and thorns.
I will also command the clouds
That they rain no rain on it.”

For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
And the men of Judah are His pleasant plant.
He looked for justice, but behold, oppression;
For righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.
 

A prophet represents God and brings His words to the people. As God's representative a prophet acts as both God's confidant and emissary. In the context of this relationship the Old Testament Prophet Isaiah describes God in this prophecy/poem/song/parable in terms of friendship: his "well beloved." His friend God has a problem with produce. Isaiah shares that the vineyard that He has planted is not bearing fruit. This is a problem because vineyards are not planted for their beauty but rather for their grapes. Grapes create wine and wine creates joy. These vineyards are not fulfilling their purpose. So through the words of Isaiah the Creator speaks to Creation. By the end of the poem Isaiah reveals that the vineyard is Israel. The thrust of his argument is an appeal to return. This message is important in itself, however, the literary structure that gives us the message is important as well. The following is my untutored outline of this scriptures' structure.

I. Presentation of a problem
     A. Disappointment

II. Background
     A. Possession/ownership
     B. Location
     C. Preparation/care
     D. Features

III. Response to the Problem
     A. Destruction as a form of judgement

IV. Identification
     A. Identity of Vineyard
     B. Reason for Disappointment
     C. Identity of Destroyer

V. Challenge
     A. Reason

VI. Conclusion
     A. God makes the "What was I to do?" argument

I highlight this structure because it is going to be repeated and tweaked by others who are involved in this ongoing vineyard debate.

Vineyard & Watch Tower. Ain Yabrud, The American Colony in Jerusalem

The Psalm: Protest of the Proprietor

Psalm 80:8-19

You have brought a vine out of Egypt;
You have cast out the nations, and planted it.
You prepared room for it,
And caused it to take deep root,
And it filled the land.
The hills were covered with its shadow,
And the mighty cedars with its boughs.
She sent out her boughs to the Sea,[a]
And her branches to the River.[b]

Why have You broken down her hedges,
So that all who pass by the way pluck her fruit?
The boar out of the woods uproots it,
And the wild beast of the field devours it.

Return, we beseech You, O God of hosts;
Look down from heaven and see,
And visit this vine
And the vineyard which Your right hand has planted,
And the branch that You made strong for Yourself.
It is burned with fire, it is cut down;
They perish at the rebuke of Your countenance.
Let Your hand be upon the man of Your right hand,
Upon the son of man whom You made strong for Yourself.
Then we will not turn back from You;
Revive us, and we will call upon Your name.

Restore us, O Lord God of hosts;
Cause Your face to shine,
And we shall be saved!
 

A psalm is a community worship song, however, they are not always happy. They display the complex prayer life of the ancient Israelites. Some can be laments and Psalm 80 in particular centers around asking God why He has seemingly abandoned His people. While I believe that "All Scripture is given by inspiration of God" I also observe that God is not speaking in every verse. Sometimes it is the writer and or characters in the text. When the text is quoting characters that contradict God's words, like Job's friends, it is obvious that these are not God's words or opinions. So All Scripture is given to us by God as a presentation of His whole argument (including His responses to contradictory opinions). I say all this to bring us back to Psalm 80. It is written from the perspective of the vineyard. This is not God's words but rather God's people's words to God. Specifically I see it as a response in the ongoing vineyard debate. In Psalm 80 God's vineyard protests its Proprietor. The vineyard (the people of Israel) ask if the Lord an absentee landlord? Creation cries out to the Creator and asks why He has allowed his vineyard to be overrun and abandoned. Why has God forsaken His people Israel? Notice how the structure parallels (and diverges from) the structure of Isaiah 5.

I. Presentation of a problem
     A. Destruction

II. Background
     A. Possession/ownership
     B. Location
     C. Preparation/care
     D. Features

III. Response to the Problem
     A. Disappointment as a form of judgment
    
IV. Identification
     A. Reason for Disappointment
     B. Identity of Destroyer

V. Challenge
     A. Return, Revive, Restore

VI. Conclusion
     A. The People make the "What will you do? argument

The aim of the Psalmist's lament is an appeal for God to return back to Israel. The two different perspectives in this debate call for a mediator. This is where Christ enters the story. 


Gathering Grapes in Vineyard, The American Colony in Jerusalem

The Parable: Possession of the Property

Matthew 21:33-43
“Hear another parable: 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 vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers 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 vinedressers 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 vinedressers?”
They said to Him, “He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons.”
Jesus 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’?

When Jesus shared his parable in Matthew 21:33-43 he was also adding his voice into the ongoing d vineyard debate. As the Messiah he stood in between God and Mankind. His act of redemption was an act of mediation. When Christ tells his version of the vineyard story, he doesn't tell it from the perspective of the vineyard or the owner...even though he appears as one of the characters. In mediating between two parties it is always important to clarify what the discussion is all about. Jesus does this by retelling the vineyard story with a new perspective. The outline of this structure answers both Isaiah 5 and Psalm 80. But I feel by this point you can point out the similarities in structure without me posting them. You can probably tell the problem, background, response to the problem and identification similarities with the previous stories. I would like to tell you the difference between Jesus' story and the others and how it clarifies the story that God is telling. The difference is the source of the problems. The source of the problems with the vineyard is the labor. The tenants who have been called to work the vineyard have not only ruined the crop (according to Isaiah) but according to Jesus they have also held it hostage! Think about it, wild grapes (like in Isaiah) occur when they are not weeded out. Wild grapes occur naturally and their presence show a lack of gardening by the tenant farmers. The wild grapes a destructive because like any weed they take the place of the useful crop. Jesus is clarifying God's earlier position in Isaiah. God is not angry at the vineyard (all of Israel), rather He is angry at the irresponsible and rebellious tenant farmers. The tenant farmers are analogous to the temple priests and the elders of the people. God is punishing the religious leadership of Israel. They have not shepherded the people into works of righteousness and acts of love. They have held the people captive and prevented any other holy leadership occurring. Therefore when God places judgment on them it causes a power vacuum and the people suffer. In this way the judgment of a few falls on the many. Jesus also shares that the landowner (God) sent his servants with his message whom they beat, killed and stoned. These were the prophets, like Isaiah (who tradition says was martyred by King Manasseh), who as God's spokesman were both outside of the official religious leadership and rejected by them. The son of the landowner who brings the message of his father is analogous to Jesus, the Son of God the Father who not only brings the message of God but is the Word of God. Their rejection of God would be accepted by God and in return he would reject them. This subtheme of rejection leads Jesus to start a smaller sub-parable to enforce his conclusion. Jesus not only prophesies his own rejection and crucifixion but also shares their significance and impact. He says that his rejection (as a stone) from the religious authorities (the builders) would lead to his being the building block (chief cornerstone)of something new that God was now building. This new structure that would measure itself by the standard of Christ. So what is this new thing that God is doing?   

Arab Man Pruning Vines, The American Colony In Jerusalem

The Paradigm of Paradise and the Paradox of Providence

“Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it.

Sometimes hardships can lead to creative beauty. Sometimes loss can lead the grieving party to make provisions for others. Horatio Spafford's loss lead to his penning of hymn that has reminded countless believers of God's comfort in troubled times. It also lead to the founding of the American Colony in Jerusalem that showed the unconditional love of Christ in action to many nonbelievers. The American Colony in Jerusalem fostered the development of photographers like G. Eric Matson who provided images that illustrated the imagination of those worldwide who would hear the stories of Scripture. A Scripture that begins with the story of a garden and two gardeners. Whether you believe in the literalness of the Adam & Eve story or not, you have to recognize that it is accurate in it's being set in a garden. A garden is the picture of God and Man's cooperation. God creates the plants and Man creates ways for them to be organized and thrive. Man prunes and develops the beauty that God has graced him to oversee. So the Fall is the story of Mankind's refusal to cooperate with God. When Mankind ate of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil (another phrase for "judgment"), he judged the prudence of God long before God exercised judgment upon Mankind. In exercising this condemnation of God Mankind proved himself unworthy of eternal life (symbolized by the Tree of Life). Before God banished Mankind from His garden, Mankind had banished God from his heart. Mankind terminated the contract of cooperation. Mankind refused to love God as a father. So the Apostle Paul tells us that with the loss of Adam, God enacted His plan for the new Adam: Jesus Christ.  

Romans 5:15-19

"But the free gift is not like the offense. For if by the one man’s offense many died, much more the grace of God and the gift by the grace of the one Man, Jesus Christ, abounded to many. And the gift is not like that which came through the one who sinned. For the judgment which came from one offense resulted in condemnation, but the free gift which came from many offenses resulted in justification. For if by the one man’s offense death reigned through the one, much more those who receive abundance of grace and of the gift of righteousness will reign in life through the One, Jesus Christ.) Therefore, as through one man’s offense judgment came to all men, resulting in condemnation, even so through one Man’s righteous act the free gift came to all men, resulting in justification of life.  For as by one man’s disobedience many were made sinners, so also by one Man’s obedience many will be made righteous."

Sometimes hardships can lead to creative beauty. Sometimes loss can lead the grieving party to make provisions for others. That's what God is all about... creating new beautiful things. When God lost Adam he planned to bring about a new Adam. This didn't mean that he had rejected all of Mankind or Creation, but rather He would redeem mankind and all of Creation through Christ. When God lost the prophets who were martyred he planned to bring about His final spokesman and substitutionary martyr. This didn't mean that he had rejected all of the idea of religious leadership, but rather He would redeem religious authority through the headship of Christ. Likewise Jesus tells us when God lost the nation of Israel, His vineyard, he planned to bring about a new nation bearing fruit. This didn't mean that he had rejected all of the Jews (as many have accused replacement theology of stating), but rather He would create a nation of the redeemed Mankind in the Body of Christ. Jesus' parable is the story of Adam & Eve's Fall in reverse. Instead of God throwing Man out of the Garden, Man has thrown God out of the Garden. The rest of Salvation has been about God trying to reenter the Garden through His Word. Jesus' story of the vineyard is the most vintage of the vintage stories. The garden of grapes that has been mismanaged for ages is the garden of paradise that God is calling us back to. The work of the garden is cooperation between God and Mankind. It is a peace between the vineyard laborers and the Landowner that God the Son died to achieve. More than anyone God knows loss. Like Horatio Spafford, He is a bereaved Father... yet this loss will create beauty and provision for others. The death of God's Son has created a new community... a new nation.