The parable of the vineyard is about God's call for all mankind to follow the historical Jesus in proclaiming and living the Paschal Mystery. God's universal promise to all laborers, in God's economy of grace, love and truth, is a fair wage as fishers of men. The universal fair wage is deliverance from bondage and slavery to sin and passing over into the glorious freedom of God's love, truth and grace, through the universal Christ of Faith, God's image and likeness in the spiritual body of the historical Jesus and all persons (John 3:16-17).
Many believe the householder's vineyard represent the diverse human traditions, religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups, throughout our planet earth. Within each of these groups some adherent choose to live and dwell in the mind of the flesh, others in the mind of the spirit (Romans 8:1-11). Adherent who dwell in the mind of the flesh, do not and cannot seek, serve and worship the Godhead, through the Christ of Faith, within themselves and other persons. In believers and unbelievers alike, the mind of flesh blocks and destroys mankind's awareness and appropriation of God's divine presence, provision, providence, protection and promises, through the indwelling Christ of Faith, in the spiritual body of the historical Jesus and all persons.
Before sharing this parable about workers the vineyard with his disciple, in Matthew 19:13-30, the historical Jesus responds to a wealthy, powerful, elite questioner, about what good deed he must do to have eternal life and partake in God's eternal kingdom and economy of grace. First, Jesus reminded the questioner that only Godhead was all good. He then admonishes the questioner to sell his possessions, give them to the poor, and follow him in kingdom living. The man refused to repent. He maintained his carnal minded outlook, attitudes, mindsets and actions. He did not follow the historical Jesus in denying self, taking up his cross and follow Jesus in kingdom living (Matthew 16:24).
To Jesus, the attitudes, mindsets, responses and actions of this wealthy questioner reflected the dominion of the mind of the flesh. This young ruler chose to dwell in the kingdom and empire of Satan (Matthew 16:23-24). His focus and love were not on divine things, but on the things of men. He was preoccupied and overly obsessed with his personal wealth, heritage, privilege, power, skills, education, his social status and exclusiveness. He had no time or place for heavenly things and the things and mind of the spirit in his life (Romans 8:1-11).
The rich man's response was quite different from Jesus' disciples, who immediately left their nets and followed Jesus (Mark 1:16-18). Peter therefore challenged Jesus, "Look, we have left everything and followed you. What then will we have? Now Jesus previously assured his disciples that those who follow him, as fishers of men, will be rewarded with a new spiritual family. They will live within a new, witnessing paschal faith community. They will share in God's economy of grace, love and truth, in which present hierarchical social structures are reversed. They will join him as Messiah, in revealing God's universal presence, promises, provisions, providence and protection, to all people. They will be empowered by the Holy Spirit to follow the historical Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery, in the mind of the spirit (Matthew 16:24).
Jesus recognized that within his witnessing, paschal, faith community, many who believed and responded to his call, never embraced living in the mind of the spirit. They continued to live their lives, in the mind of the flesh. In the parable of the laborers in the vineyard, the historical Jesus addresses these carnal minded, spiritually blind, spiritually deaf and spiritually asleep believers. There are workers within present day witnessing paschal faith communities, who are still preoccupied with the things of men. Their minds are also centered in their wealth, education, social status, tradition, heritage, power, privilege and exclusiveness.
The historical Jesus honored Christ-centered, Holy Spirit-based believers, in all traditions, religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups, who choose to truly repent, by casting out the mind of the flesh and put on the mind of the spirit. Jesus promised that those believers who choose to follow him in living the Paschal Mystery in the mind of the spirit, will discern and embrace God's original inclusive design for kingdom living here on earth. In the mind of the spirit, they will in Christ-centered faith, humility, forgiveness, love, grace, truth, and civility, manifest kingdom living, on earth, as it is in heaven (Genesis 1:26-31, Luke 17:20-21).
In the spiritual kingdom of heaven and God's economy of grace, there are no favorites. Unfortunately, the spiritual kingdom of heaven, which Jesus revealed and modeled has remained hidden from our discernment, experience and practical application in our daily lives. Down through the ages and generations, too few fishers of men, in all traditions, religions, cultures, ethnic and secular groups, have focussed on divine things and centered their lives the mind of the spirit, as revealed and modeled by the historical Jesus (Colossians 1:26-27) .
In the beginning, the Godhead originally designed and equipped mankind for kingdom living and building in and through the Christ of Faith, His image and likeness, in all persons. In God's original design, mankind lived in the mind of the spirit. Mankind's life on earth, through repentance, faith, humility and obedience to the indwelling Christ of Faith, is described as very good (Genesis 1:26-31). Human life lived in the mind of the spirit is egalitarian, inclusive, loving, civil, compassionate, Christ-centered and Holy Spirit-based.
God's universal fair wage for Christ-centered spiritually awake fishers of men is deliverance from slavery and bondage to the sin and spiritual death of the mind of the flesh. In faith, humility, self-denial and obedience, believers are passing over from life on earth in the mind of the flesh, into the glorious freedom of God grace, love, and truth, through life the mind of the spirit. They experience the same proper mental alignment and incarnation of the universal Christ of Faith, which the historical Jesus experienced and proclaimed, by following Jesus in living the Paschal Mystery, in the mind of the spirit.
Are you willing to respond to God universal call to work in His vineyard as a fisher of men, in God's Economy of Grace? Are you willing with God's help to cast out the mind of the flesh? Will you with God's help embrace and dwell in the mind of the spirit? Will you seek and serve Christ in all persons? Will you with a grateful heart and mind, thank God for his universal wage and gifts of deliverance from bondage and slavery to sin? Will you by faith pass over into the freedom and glory of God's love, through the incarnation and manifestation of the indwelling Christ of Faith, through your spiritual body? Will you follow the historical Jesus in proclaiming, sharing and living the Paschal Mystery, in the mind of the spirit?
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