The Vine and the Vine-Grower

I was pondering a new hobby – owning a vineyard! Sell some wine, drink some stock, make some money! However, it’s not that simple.

Grapevines take great care and time.  It takes three years to produce fruit, even six with some.   Vines should be pruned and trained to grow along a trellis or wires.
Vines grow best in the dirt that other plants dislike; rocky hillsides with low yielding soils.  It takes many vines to make one good bottle of wine.  It’s expensive to start a vineyard and takes many years before the owner sees a return on their investment.  Suddenly, it’s not so attractive!

Is it unusual then, that something so difficult would be the example Jesus used when talking about the relationship between God and His people?

Not really, because these are the perfect type of fields to demonstrate God’s relationship with His kingdom.

Think about it:

We’re difficult to tend.  We’re like that low yielding soil, full of rocks and like a steep hillside .We take careful pruning and time before we produce good fruit.  We’re costly.

Despite this God, the faithful vineyard owner, cares for us lovingly and with patience. He works the soil and prunes us, the branches intertwined with the vine itself that is Jesus, perfectly to produce fruit for the kingdom.

Revd. Neil Redeyoff,

Rector of The Parish of Holy Trinity and St Oswald’s, Finningley, with St Saviour’s, Auckley