The vineyard

Isaiah 5:1-7

There was a vineyard. It did what vineyards do--grapes grew. The problem was they were not the grapes the farmer wanted. They were "wild" grapes.

It is that detail from Isaiah's parable that grabbed me. As the prophet utters divine judgment, what Israel is doing is a variation--not a direct renunciation or repudiation--of God's directive for them. They took what God required and made it their own, moving away from God into self-serving practice. That point gets clarification in the last line of the prophet's analogy--
(God) looked for justice,
but, see, bloodshed;
looked for righteousness,
but, see, an outcry!

The results are anything but the other-centered, self-sacrificial love that defines a proper walk with God.

Pay attention, then, to where it goes wrong according to Isaiah--these dire consequences are still grapes--the proper fruit from a vineyard--but not the right fruit for this vineyard. In other words, Israel went wrong by being faithful, but having faith in the wrong center of being.

We need to heed that warning well.

Any theologian will define faith as a trust in an ultimate source of meaning and being. In our faith stream, that center is to be God, the Living God who made heaven and earth, and who redeemed us from sin and death through the revelation of Jesus Christ, who lived, died, rose, and reigned for us. Every single one of us knows that this basic creed is ours. That is what it is to be a part of a Christian fellowship.

However, wild grapes come to our vineyard.

We take that basic creed and we adapt it to fit who and what we are. We all do this, some are more blatantly than others, but we all do this. Thomas Jefferson rewrote the Bible to fit his belief system. You and I may grasp firmly dictums like "Thou shalt not murder," or "Thou shalt not steal," but then we will fudge when we meet the dictum, "Go, sell all that you have and give it to the poor." We may readily confess that loving our neighbors as ourselves is the code by which to live with each other, but then we encounter the troublesome neighbor, or the person who simply does not fit our paradigm of good company, and love of neighbor gets tweaked to fit our circumstance. More insidiously, we will take the Shema--
Hear O Israel, the Lord our God is One,
and you shall love the Lord your God with your whole being
and find ourselves tweaking that, too, replacing God with other centers of being--job, family, health, or something else--track the outflow of your resources, and the center of your life becomes apparent.

The result is wild grapes.

No, we may not kill anyone, but do we meet everyone along the way with the assurance that they are fully wondrous and miraculous creations of God? No, we may not rampage through the neighborhood stealing everybody's stuff, but do we realize that our choice to spend $40 on gourmet hamburgers means that money will not be used to serve someone in need? We may strive to be a good neighbor in our cul-de-sac and to be a responsible citizen who pays their taxes, responds to jury duty, and tries hard to respect the laws of the land, but do we realize that our inability to get over our inner prejudices and inclinations guides us away from truly interacting with those in need?

Every one of those questions beginning with "but" carries tremendous consequences. Yes, I realize that what I am saying piles on demands for action and may seem like a burdensome guilt trip; but bear with me--my intent flows from grace, believe it or not. What Isaiah wanted more than anything was for his congregation to wake up. He told a story about a vineyard to snap them to attention. What he wanted was for them to consider deeply changing directions. They are growing grapes, they just need to make sure they are the right grapes.

Test the flavor of your grapes. Wild or cultivated?

The next time you feel really, really angry with another person; hard as it is, stop and breathe, considering why you are angry. Do whatever you can to keep from boiling up into a murderous rage that hurts everybody. The next time you choose to go out for dinner, consider the best use of your entertainment money. There are some really good hamburgers for a lot less than $40! Then there will money that might help feed someone else. The next time you see a stranger, stop and try to see them as a child. Yes, there are people we need to avoid--there always will be--but even they are children at core, formed by God. Love them, pray for them, and try very hard not to ignore anyone.

In other words, intentionally and mindfully let love become the first step in whatever we say or do. This approach keeps us in touch with the Farmer. It opens us to God's husbandry. It allows us to keep at center what really needs to be there.

God planted a vineyard. God named it earth. We are the vines, loved, tended, and kept by God. Nothing else can be the source of our life. Nothing else can lead us to a fullness of being that brings happiness and peace. So let God in. Examine life as it is. Make the amendments necessary. Do not be afraid to change direction. Do not be afraid to admit mistakes or weakness--those all become windows through which grace blows.