Chapter Five
The King's Vineyard
This gate, which was stained across the top and on both side posts, framed still another garden—this one bursting forth with a rainbow of roses, and in the very center, The Rose of Sharon. A soft breeze swirled the fragrance in intoxicating circles. His gracious rain still sparkled on the petals of each flower, but the seat which the Son gestured to was dry.
He smiled. “Come child, and join me at my feast.”
She took her place in the chair He provided next to a small table and she lay her pomegranates and figs in a bowl already brimming with plump grapes. A plate before her held roasted lamb, parsley, and unleavened bread. A bowl of salted water sat next to a glass of wine.
“Before you begin, come and pick a bit of this Chicory.” She followed Him to a small herb garden patch at the center of the rose garden. “Take the bitter herbs, and place it in your pouch. Take a bit more and bring it to the table to add to the feast.” She did so, and then He continued. “Eat, and drink abundantly,” He said. She thanked Him and as she shyly began to eat, she asked, “Are you not eating as well?”
“I have eaten. Your Companion is busy working Fruit in you and I have enjoyed my fill of it. By allowing Him to work in you, the fruits of your labor are My meal, prepared first for Me, so that you, now in turn, may enjoy and eat until you are satisfied,” He replied and then added, “Even in a simple meal there is purpose. Enjoy the feast so you will be strong to share Living Bread with others. Then you may tell them ‘Taste and see that the Lord is good!’ And this meal that you enjoy will always bring to you a remembrance of Me.” He smiled. “Have you enjoyed your walk through the garden this morning?”
“Oh it was wonderful!” she said, and began to partake of the food.
“And what do you think of My roses?”
“They are most beautiful of all, I think,” she said.
“As I walk through these green alleys I prune, and pluck, and water, and tend and care for each and every flower.” And He began to explain the process to her of His tender care for the garden.
He smiled as she enjoyed her meal. “Eat all of the Lamb, Beloved, do not leave any of it. And be sure to eat the Unleavened Bread and taste of the bitter herbs as well. I found those tender grapes there though they are just the tiniest of fruit. I was delighted to find them! And The Wine…it, too is from this very vineyard. Drink deeply.”
She looked at where He gestured and saw that they were seated at the very end of the rose garden, and at the top of a hill. Growing down the slopes of the hill and further off to the horizon were rows and rows of vines, hanging heavy with fat grapes bursting with juice.
“My people are My vineyard, little one. I bought this vineyard with a price and planted a hedge about it. Thorns and briars filled this vineyard but I have had My hand in it bringing it to health and preserving it. It is a fruitful hill, now. The soil itself is enriched by that which was shed to purchase it.”
“Was it costly to purchase, my Lord?”
“Oh yes, little One…more than I can explain to you at this moment.”
“But You would never sell it, would you my Lord?”
“I would never give the inheritance of My Father to any other, child. This vineyard is forever Mine.”
“To bring this vineyard to such fruitfulness must be hard work!”
He laughed. “It is indeed! But know this… there is much increase from the tillage of affliction. I obtain the richest of all fruit from bleeding vines. The heaviest bunches come from those which have been sharply cut and pruned down to the ground. Choice flavours, dainty juices and delicious aromas come mostly from the use of the keen-edged knife of trial and the double edged sword which penetrates even to dividing soul and spirit.”
“But surely it is worth it, my Lord! What beautiful fruit is produced!”
“Yes it is worth it, child. The branch must bear fruit to have value. As a matter of fact, the branch of the vine is of all trees most useless unless it bears fruit. You can not use it for building purposes as you use other woods. No, it must either bear fruit, or else it must be consumed in the fire. The branch must remain in the vine,” He stressed.
A warm gust of wind swirled lightly around her feet at these words and sent a shiver through her while sorrow gently stroked her heart.
He smiled kindly. “You are planted in exactly the spot where you need to be, little one, in this great vineyard. I will see to it that you remain a healthy branch, producing much fruit, bringing to completion that which I have begun in you.”
“But I am just a lowly servant, my Lord. How can I produce fruit such as this that I see in Your vineyard?”
“You may not do it, but it shall be done unto you. You long to bear fruit—ask and it shall be done unto you. Look at the vine branch. It simply remains in the vine and by remaining in the vine the fruit comes from it. It is done unto it. The branch does not produce a cluster, or even one grape. The fruit must come forth from the stem. It is My work that is being done through you.”
“But how do I remain in the vine, My Lord?”
“Come child, let Me show you,” He said, and He stood. She followed Him to the vineyard where he held up a branch for her to see. “Do you see this branch? It was not of this vineyard, nor of this vine. I brought it here, made an incision into the vine, and grafted the branch into it. The two were knit together and the sap from the vine began to flow to the branch, bringing life…and fruit. In the same way, I brought you into My vineyard where I am the Vine and you are the branch. To abide in Me you must completely immerse yourself in My Presence and live every single moment of your life in Me.”
He paused as the reality of this Truth penetrated her heart, and then He continued, “As long as you remain in Me, and My words remain in you, you may ask whatever you like and it will be done unto you.”
“My Lord!” she cried. “I would be too afraid to ask anything of You—afraid I would ask the wrong thing!”
He smiled. “Just as the leaf and the fruit come out of the vine without any conscious effort on the part of the branch but simply because of its living union with the stem, so your requests will bud and blossom and produce fruit. Trust Me, child, you will ask and without effort. It will come naturally to you. You will ask when you arise in the morning, you will ask through the day, and at night you will fall asleep asking. You may even ask in your dreams. And you will not fear asking the wrong thing, IF….”
“If?”
“Yes, you notice there is a condition upon the asking. You must abide in Me and My word must abide in you. The branch gets all it wants while it abides in the stem since all that the branch wants is already in the stem. By abiding in Me, your desires will be for all that is within Me and I will readily supply those needs and desires. ”
“What about the part where Your words abide in me?”
“Ahh yes…tell me child, what does the golden key say?”
She smiled for she knew these words already. “Call upon Me and I will answer you and tell you great and unsearchable truths.”
He nodded and smiled. “And what did the door say that you entered through?”
“Pray without ceasing,”
“Yes, child. These are My words and they have already found a home in your heart. Continue to find a place for My words in your heart and you will meet the condition that has been set. The desires of your heart were placed there by Me and I offer the power of The King and His Son at your disposal to bring your desires to fruition. Does this not make your mouth water for the privilege of asking and abiding?”
“Oh yes, my Lord!”
“Remember that abiding in Me means more than trusting Me. You must yield yourself up to Me in order to receive the life that will work itself out in you.”
“I do want to trust and yield, my Lord!”
“I must warn you, child, that there will be severe pruning for those who abide in Me. You will be asked to endure trials and the sharp knife of c
utting everything away…even, and most especially, those areas in which you are most fruitful. Will you even then, when you are being cut most closely, continue to abide in Me?”
“If You will give me the strength and courage to do it, my Lord.”
“Beloved, you have just asked for something that comes from abiding in Me. You asked for exactly that which I, the Vine, will give you! Do you see how the sap of My desires for you flows from Me to you? Do you see how I can say ‘Yes’ to such requests as these? Look, we have returned to the King’s Palace.”
He pointed to a little stone path way leading through the grape vines. “This is not the door I came through,” she said.
“No, this is a different door. Your Companion is waiting in the hallway to guide you on the next step of your journey.” The Son kissed her lightly on the forehead, and opened the door for her to return to the hallway. As she stepped through the opening she was greeted by her Companion and she turned and waved to The Son as He returned to the vineyard.
“Ah, there you are, little one. Did you enjoy your meal with The King’s Son?”
“Oh yes!”
“Look at the words on the door behind you that you have just passed through. It is where you have spent time with The King’s Son. What does it say?”
“If you abide in Me and My Words abide in you, you shall ask what you will
and it shall be done unto you.”
“And do you understand the depths of these words now?”
“I’m afraid I am still wading in the shallows, for this is a very deep Truth indeed!” she said in wonder and amazement.
He smiled. “You speak the Truth more than you know, little one. For only a lifetime of abiding will bring the dawning of comprehension concerning this blessing and that process has begun in you this day. Let us move on now…there is so much more I want to share with you!”
Questions for Reflection
Why do you think the entrance gate to the vineyard is stained on the top and side posts?
What does feasting on the Lamb's supper and eating the bitter herbs mean to you?
What is the purpose of this simple meal prepared for the Servant Girl?
What does it mean to "taste and see that the Lord is good?"
How does the Son describe his care of the rose garden?
What kinds of actions do you see God taking in working in the garden of your heart?
Why does the Son tell the Servant Girl to eat all of the Lamb?
How does the Son describe His vineyard?
What does the Lord do to His vineyard and how does that make you feel?
What did it cost Him to purchase it?
What does it mean to you to "be fruitful?"
How does the Son describe the hard work required to bring forth fruitfulness?
What do you think will be required to bring forth fruit in you?
What does it mean to be pruned? Have you experienced pruning?
What does the Son tell the Servant Girl about the branch?
Why did she react the way she did when He told her?
What does it mean to "ask and it shall be done to me?" Who does the doing?
Describe a time when it was "done unto you."
Describe a time when you tried to "do the doing."
What does the Son's description of grafting the branch into the Vine mean to you?
What does it mean to you to be "an Abider?"
The Son says it means more than trusting. What exactly does it mean?
Why is the Servant Girl afraid to ask anything of the Son?
What does He tell her about asking, and what does that mean to us?
What does the Son mean when He says that the branch gets all it wants while it abides in the stem?
What is the condition set for asking?
How do we meet this condition?
What is the Son's warning and how does that affect us?