Lessons from Isaiah: God’s Sign to King Ahaz

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Then Isaiah said, “Listen well, you royal family of David! Isn’t it enough to exhaust human patience? Must you exhaust the patience of my God as well? All right then, the Lord himself will give you the sign. Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son and will call him Immanuel (which means ‘God is with us’). By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yoghurt and honey. For before the child is that old, the lands of the two kings you fear so much will both be deserted.”
Isaiah 7:13-16 NLT

Isaiah is frustrated with King Ahaz because he refuses to ask God for a miracle to save his country. Isaiah points out that Ahaz is not just testing the patience of human leaders but also God’s. But isn’t that like some people, who stubbornly stick to their sinful and selfish ways, even when they know that they are wrong, and ignore the advice or counsel about the right way? We have people today who choose a lifestyle that does them harm, physically and mentally, even though they know it is wrong, even admitting as such when challenged. But that was King Ahaz, and he probably knew the old Frank Sinatra song, “I’ll do it my way”, down to the last note. The second verse sums up Ahaz well, “I’ve lived a life that’s full / I traveled each and every highway / And more, much more / I did it, I did it my way“.

But Isaiah continued by giving Ahaz a sign from the Lord Himself. It is a famous verse, much used in the season of Advent, because it prophesies the coming of Jesus. A virgin having a child was a very rare event, and we marvel at such a prophetic foretelling of Mary and the Christmas story, something that has been a cornerstone of the Christian faith. But was there perhaps a second, more immediate, meaning for Ahaz that day? Isaiah explained how this sign from the Lord worked as a “timer” for the war. The boy would eat simple, everyday foods like “yoghurt and honey“. Before this child was old enough to know right from wrong (roughly age 12-13), the two kings threatening Judah, along with their lands, would be destroyed. This historical timeline was likely tied to a baby born during Isaiah’s time, providing immediate proof of God’s Word. 

We cannot leave these Scripture verses without turning to Matthew’s Gospel. A young peasant girl called Mary was engaged to be married, but “she became pregnant through the power of the Holy Spirit”. “Joseph, to whom she was engaged, was a righteous man and did not want to disgrace her publicly, so he decided to break the engagement quietly” (Matthew 1:19). But God had different plans and the account continues, “As he considered this, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream. “Joseph, son of David,” the angel said, “do not be afraid to take Mary as your wife. For the child within her was conceived by the Holy Spirit. And she will have a son, and you are to name him Jesus, for he will save his people from their sins.” All of this occurred to fulfil the Lord’s message through his prophet: “Look! The virgin will conceive a child! She will give birth to a son, and they will call him Immanuel, which means ‘God is with us.’”” The same prophecy from Isaiah was quoted by Matthew, and we know the rest of the story, with Jesus, God’s Son, being born in a Bethlehem stable.

Did Jesus fulfil the next part of Isaiah’s prophecy, that “By the time this child is old enough to choose what is right and reject what is wrong, he will be eating yoghurt and honey”?. There is perhaps a fulfilment of this, because we know the event that happened when Jesus was twelve years old. He went missing at the time of the Passover festival and was found in the Temple speaking with the religious teachers. “His parents didn’t know what to think. “Son,” his mother said to him, “why have you done this to us? Your father and I have been frantic, searching for you everywhere.” “But why did you need to search?” he asked. “Didn’t you know that I must be in my Father’s house?” But they didn’t understand what he meant” (Luke 2:48-50). Was that the time when Jesus began to be aware of His mission, choosing what was right and rejecting what was wrong?

We pilgrims, with the benefit of hindsight, see how the Biblical prophecies were fulfilled and how foundational they were to the first coming of Jesus. We know that He will return again, and many prophecies apply to the event yet to come. But are we ready and prepared as prophecies work out in our lifetimes? Jesus said, “So you, too, must keep watch! For you don’t know what day your Lord is coming” (Matthew 24:42). Peter wrote, “But we are looking forward to the new heavens and new earth he has promised, a world filled with God’s righteousness. And so, dear friends, while you are waiting for these things to happen, make every effort to be found living peaceful lives that are pure and blameless in his sight. And remember, our Lord’s patience gives people time to be saved …” (2 Peter 3:13-15a). 

The question, “Are we ready?” hangs in the air and impacts every facet of our believing lives, day by day. We must do all that we can to be faithful to our calling.

Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your prophets and their messages of events yet to unfold. Help us to stay near the cross of Jesus so that we will be ready when the day comes, pure and blameless in Your sight. Amen.

Isaiah’s Call: Responding to God’s Message Today

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Wheat field at sunset with orange and purple clouds and distant hills

“He touched my lips with it and said, “See, this coal has touched your lips. Now your guilt is removed, and your sins are forgiven.” Then I heard the Lord asking, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” I said, “Here I am. Send me.” And he said, “Yes, go, and say to this people, ‘Listen carefully, but do not understand. Watch closely, but learn nothing.’””
Isaiah 6:7-9 NLT

Imagine the relief that would have flooded over Isaiah, now that he was aware that his guilt was gone. That his sins had been forgiven. But he didn’t have much time to enjoy the occasion, because he heard the Lord speaking. God was asking a question, “Whom should I send as a messenger to this people? Who will go for us?” Isaiah couldn’t wait to respond to the question, and he immediately said, “Here I am. Send me.” 

We notice the “us” in the Lord’s question. Yet another example of our triune God, to add to other Scriptures such as Genesis 1:26a, “Then God said, ‘Let us make human beings in our image, to be like us.’ …”. The other thing that we notice is that, although God is all-powerful and can do all things, He asked for someone, a human being, to do His work for Him. God asked for a messenger, someone who would take His message to a people who were hard of spiritual hearing, who were unable to listen to a Word from God and act upon it. Sound familiar?

Isaiah had been cleansed of his guilt and sin by the Lord Himself that day in the Temple. He went there in a time of political upheaval and instability, perhaps hoping for some direction and insight from God about what would happen now, and instead, he came out a totally transformed man with a message from God that not only encouraged him, but would encourage others, if they would listen, that is.

Did we pilgrims experience an overpowering sense of relief when we discovered that Jesus had forgiven us for all our sins? Many Christians do, and some go on to be active messengers for God, hearing the call to take His message to a people who are hard of hearing. Spiritual deafness is prevalent in the 21st-century, just as it was in Isaiah’s day.

I can think of two men who were involved in drugs and who were released from their addiction through the power of God. Each of them was so overwhelmed by what God had done for them that they became evangelists, one on a foreign mission field, and the other in the very area of Glasgow where he had become involved in drugs in the first place. But we pilgrims are called to take God’s message to those around us as well. The same question that God asked in the Temple still hangs in the air today. We read what Jesus said about evangelism in Matthew 9:36-38, “When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them because they were confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. He said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, but the workers are few. So pray to the Lord who is in charge of the harvest; ask him to send more workers into his fields””. 

I meet many people who are “confused and helpless” inside, even though on the outside they are full of self-confidence. A few gentle questions, if an opportunity arises, soon expose a deep yearning for something more. Some people will object almost angrily to the idea that there is a God with a message of hope. They know the truth of course, but a reminder is often not well received.

So, I would encourage all pilgrims everywhere to respond to the call of God. Instead of responding, “Here I am. Send me”, we must answer with our names, personalising the call and confirming our willingness to take the Good News about Jesus to those who are “confused and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”. Jesus could see the need. He knows where there is a harvest, and He also knows that there are willing helpers, fellow pilgrims like you and I, just needing a little push, some encouragement, to get out there and do something for God. 

Dear Lord Jesus. The harvest is waiting for the workers to bring it in. Please guide us to the right places, the right people, so that we can do what You have asked us to. In Your precious name. Amen.

Exile and Captivity

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“He will send a signal to distant nations far away and whistle to those at the ends of the earth. They will come racing toward Jerusalem. They will not get tired or stumble. They will not stop for rest or sleep. Not a belt will be loose, not a sandal strap broken. Their arrows will be sharp and their bows ready for battle. Sparks will fly from their horses’ hooves, and the wheels of their chariots will spin like a whirlwind. They will roar like lions, like the strongest of lions. Growling, they will pounce on their victims and carry them off, and no one will be there to rescue them. They will roar over their victims on that day of destruction like the roaring of the sea. If someone looks across the land, only darkness and distress will be seen; even the light will be darkened by clouds.”
Isaiah 5:26-30 NLT

A scene of devastation marks Isaiah’s vision, as God calls upon foreign nations to administer His judgment over Judah. Wonderfully poetic language graphically describes the invading forces and their motivation to complete the day of destruction, leaving the land full of darkness and distress. Miraculously, in a way, the invading army will not suffer the usual irritations, like breakdowns in military equipment. What a terrible day that would be for the Judaeans, but we know from our historians that the exile took place in 586 BC, because the people never turned from their sinful ways. 

Did the people of Judah, languishing in captivity, ever regret what happened to them? Did they remember their sinful ways once more and long again for their parties, their drunken orgies, and their idol worship? Or did they finally come to their senses and decide to turn back to God? Psalm 137 provides a partial answer: “Beside the rivers of Babylon, we sat and wept as we thought of Jerusalem. We put away our harps, hanging them on the branches of poplar trees. For our captors demanded a song from us. Our tormentors insisted on a joyful hymn: “Sing us one of those songs of Jerusalem!” But how can we sing the songs of the Lord while in a pagan land?” (Psalm 137:1-4). 

Jesus Himself could see what would happen to Jerusalem much later in history. He knew what was going to happen within a few years of His death, as recorded in Matthew 24:1-2, “As Jesus was leaving the Temple grounds, his disciples pointed out to him the various Temple buildings. But he responded, “Do you see all these buildings? I tell you the truth, they will be completely demolished. Not one stone will be left on top of another!”” Jesus entered Jerusalem on the day we now call Palm Sunday. In the Jewish calendar, this took place just before the Passover festival. He wept over Jerusalem, as we read in Luke 19:41-44, “But as he came closer to Jerusalem and saw the city ahead, he began to weep. “How I wish today that you of all people would understand the way to peace. But now it is too late, and peace is hidden from your eyes. Before long your enemies will build ramparts against your walls and encircle you and close in on you from every side. They will crush you into the ground, and your children with you. Your enemies will not leave a single stone in place, because you did not recognise it when God visited you””. Once again, the Jewish people had rejected God’s care and compassion, even to the extent, as we know, of killing His Son.

But God never gave up on His Covenant with His chosen people. There will be another day, yet to come, when an invading army will once again approach Jerusalem. In Revelation 19:19-21, we read, “Then I saw the beast and the kings of the world and their armies gathered together to fight against the one sitting on the horse and his army. And the beast was captured, and with him the false prophet who did mighty miracles on behalf of the beast—miracles that deceived all who had accepted the mark of the beast and who worshipped his statue. Both the beast and his false prophet were thrown alive into the fiery lake of burning sulphur. Their entire army was killed by the sharp sword that came from the mouth of the one riding the white horse. And the vultures all gorged themselves on the dead bodies”. 

We pilgrims worship a faithful God, who has throughout history always loved His people, first the Jews and now the Gentiles. We know that He sent His Son, Jesus, to be the One who saved us from our sins, an act of love that sets Christianity apart from any other religion. Jesus said He was “the way, the truth and the life” and still is today. We pilgrims have the opportunity to extend God’s love to those around us in this season of grace, secure in the knowledge that His mercies are new every morning to those who love him.

Dear Father God. We praise and worship You today, the God of love and grace. Amen.

Podcast Episode: Isaiah 5 Judgement And Woes

Posted on by Adrian Clark

Pip: There is something quietly relentless about the book of Isaiah — it keeps finding us wherever we are, even in the twenty-first century, still doing roughly the same things the people of Judah were doing in 700 BC.

Mara: Adrian Clark has been working through Isaiah 5 this week, and the posts cover territory that stays uncomfortably relevant: divine justice and what it demands of us, and the specific catalogue of sins Isaiah names as woes against his own society.

Pip: Let's start with the justice side of things — what righteousness actually means, and what happens when it runs out.

Judgement and divine justice in Isaiah 5

Mara: The central question here is what God's justice looks like when it finally arrives — and what it requires of people in the meantime.

Pip: The post on Isaiah 5 opens with a passage that sets the stakes plainly. The verse reads: "Humanity will be destroyed, and people brought down; even the arrogant will lower their eyes in humiliation. But the Lord of Heaven's Armies will be exalted by his justice. The holiness of God will be displayed by his righteousness."

Mara: What that means in practice is that the wealth and revelry of Judah's ruling class had a shelf life. Historical record confirms it — foreign invaders entered, the land was emptied, and the partying stopped. Pride gave way to humility, not as a spiritual exercise but as a consequence.

Pip: And the post is careful to define what righteousness actually is, not just what it punishes. It draws in Micah 6:8 — "to do what is right, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God" — and Proverbs 21:3, which puts righteous action above religious ritual.

Mara: The follow-up post, "The Judgment to Come," extends the same argument into the present tense. It quotes Isaiah 5:24-25, with its images of fire consuming straw and mountains shaking, and connects that to Jesus's words in Matthew 24 — that no one knows the day or hour, but the call to keep watch stands.

Pip: The remnant thread is what gives it shape. Jeremiah, offered safe passage to Babylon, chose to stay with those left behind. That choice frames the question put to readers directly: are we warning our generation, or are we huddled quietly in the pews?

Mara: The post puts it this way — pilgrims today are effectively that remnant, the faithful lineage through which restoration moves forward. The responsibility that comes with that is not passive.

Pip: Which brings us neatly to what, exactly, the people of Judah were actually doing that warranted all this.

The six woes: a catalogue of sinful living

Mara: Isaiah 5 doesn't just pronounce judgment in the abstract — it names specific behaviours, and the post on the six woes works through each one.

Pip: The anchor passage covers several of them at once: "Woe to those who call evil good and good evil, who put darkness for light and light for darkness, who put bitter for sweet and sweet for bitter."

Mara: That inversion of moral categories is the one the post treats as most urgent for today — the point where a society stops being confused and starts actively recategorising what God condemns as acceptable, and what God approves as ridiculous.

Pip: The post on hedonism in Isaiah 5 fills in the social backdrop — wealthy people in Jerusalem who had turned drinking and pleasure into a full-time occupation, from early morning to late at night, to the point where they simply stopped noticing God at all.

Mara: And the six woes post ties the alcohol culture directly to injustice: those who are "champions at mixing drinks" end up acquitting the guilty for a bribe and denying justice to the innocent. Excess and corruption travel together.

Pip: Paul's line from Romans 12:2 gets the last word — don't let the world squeeze you into its mould. The J.B. Phillips version is the one quoted: "let God re-mould your minds from within."

Mara: Righteousness as a daily practice, judgment as a present reality, and a faithful remnant called to be visible — that's the thread running through all of it.

Pip: Isaiah was writing to people who couldn't see what was coming. The question for next time is whether we're any better at looking up.

Lessons from the Rich Landowner: A Cautionary Tale

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Sun rising over mist-covered fields and hills with scattered trees and a farmhouse

“What sorrow for you who buy up house after house and field after field, until everyone is evicted and you live alone in the land. But I have heard the Lord of Heaven’s Armies swear a solemn oath: “Many houses will stand deserted; even beautiful mansions will be empty. Ten acres of vineyard will not produce even six gallons of wine. Ten baskets of seed will yield only one basket of grain.””
Isaiah 5:8-10 NLT

A strange picture emerges of a land with empty houses, surrounded by empty fields. A landowner has bought up farms and houses because their owners could no longer afford to live in them. Yes, the landowner lived in great splendour, but many poor people were forced into unsuitable accommodation because their family home, sometimes there in their family for several generations, had been sold. And we end up with the landowner living isolated from his immediate neighbours. A lonely existence that was never in God’s plan for the communities of Israel and Judah. 

God foresaw such an eventuality when he gave Moses relevant instructions. The Year of Jubilee was instituted, as we read in Leviticus 25:13, “In the Year of Jubilee each of you may return to the land that belonged to your ancestors”. The Lord continued, “The land must never be sold on a permanent basis, for the land belongs to me. You are only foreigners and tenant farmers working for me” (Leviticus 25:23). The rest of the Leviticus chapter provides some detailed instructions regarding property, but for the farms and houses out in the countryside, the price of any purchases were calculated with an eye on the remaining years before Jubilee, at which point the property had to be returned to the original owner.

Reading on in today’s verses, we see what will become of the beautiful mansions of the wealthy landowners. Not only will the farmhouses stand empty and neglected, but, for one reason or another, so will the mansions. Such is reality for people who think they will live forever. There have been many building projects over the years that have ended up unfinished because of the owners’ premature deaths. Also, perhaps the Lord’s judgements in those unstable times created situations in which wealthy people were removed, went to live elsewhere, or faced other family calamities. God never intended that such a dysfunctional society would exist. Greed replaced the fruit that God demanded from His people. 

The final verse from our verses from Isaiah 5 today describes how, all of a sudden, the yield from the farms the wealthy have acquired plummets, with insufficient crops being harvested even to replace what had been planted. What could have caused that? Well, as any farmer knows, climate problems such as drought can decimate their crops. Blight or disease was not unknown in those days either. Sadly, the Jewish people had forgotten the instructions given through Moses in Leviticus 25:18,-19, “If you want to live securely in the land, follow my decrees and obey my regulations. Then the land will yield large crops, and you will eat your fill and live securely in it”. Simple, really, I think we agree, but so often the Jews rebelled against God and abandoned His ways.

What about these verses today? Are they relevant to us pilgrims? Jesus told the story of the Rich Landowner, which we can find in Luke 12. He had a “fertile farm that produced fine crops”, and he decided to tear down all his barns, build bigger ones, and store enough crops to keep him going for many years. Then he could “take it easy [and] eat, drink and be merry”. Such a worldly perspective is common today, with certain people working hard to accumulate riches and possessions, all with a view to early retirement and a life of pleasure to follow. In the UK today, the state retirement age is 67, but many save for retirement through shrewd investments, hoping to have sufficient resources at 55 or 60. But none of us knows the time or place when we will leave this world, and all that they have accumulated will be left to someone else. We read further in the story of the Rich Landowner, “But God said to him, ‘You fool! You will die this very night. Then who will get everything you worked for?’” (Luke 12:20). Jesus was quite forthright when He said in the next verse, “Yes, a person is a fool to store up earthly wealth but not have a rich relationship with God”. I remember a man I worked with who was approaching the company retirement age, and he spent a significant amount of time planning for the day he would stop working for a living. He lived in a large house in an expensive part of Edinburgh, which he and his wife sold before buying a more modest dwelling in a more rural part of Scotland. He added equity release to his already substantial savings, and then planned his first retirement project in meticulous detail: a walking tour around Norway. So his retirement day arrived in the middle of January the following year, and he left to complete the final arrangements for the house and his project. However, we, his workmates whom he had left behind, were shocked to hear that he had suddenly experienced a massive heart attack just a few weeks later, from which he never recovered.

We never know when God will call us home. Blaise Pascal, the French philosopher and mathematician, decided that it would be better to live his life God’s way, setting aside the sinful and hedonistic lifestyles of his society, because otherwise he would have too much to lose after death. Jesus said, “Don’t store up treasures here on earth, where moths eat them and rust destroys them, and where thieves break in and steal. Store your treasures in heaven, where moths and rust cannot destroy, and thieves do not break in and steal. Wherever your treasure is, there the desires of your heart will also be” (Matthew 6:19-21). Sound advice.

Dear Father God. Sometimes we weary of the world in which we live, a world with all its evil and difficulties. We look forward to the increasing glow of Glory, appearing over the horizons of our lives, and pray that we will be ready for the day when it comes. In Jesus’ name. Amen.



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The Son of God Rejected

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He ploughed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle, he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.”
Isaiah 5:1-2 NLT
“Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop.”
Matthew 21:33-34 NLT

In this, another parable from Jesus, using a vineyard to illustrate His point, he told the story of a landowner who planted a vineyard, equipped it with a hedge, a winepress, and a tower, and leased it to tenants before going to a distant country. When harvest time came, he sent servants to collect his share of the fruit, but the tenants abused and stoned them. After sending more servants, who ended up with the same fate, the householder finally sent his son, thinking they will respect him. Instead, the tenants conspired to kill the son to seize his inheritance, and they subsequently did so. The owner then punished the tenants and leased the vineyard to others who produced its fruit in due season. The landowner represented God and the vineyard symbolised Israel, the people of God. The tenants who had leased the vineyard, and agreed to pay the rent through providing a share of the crops, were the religious leaders in Israel at that time, and they treated the servants sent by the landowner very badly, servants who represented the prophets who were often rejected and even killed by the people they shared God’s message with. The son represented Jesus Christ, whose rejection and subsequent crucifixion fulfilled the central message of the parable.

So, what do we learn from this parable? The story builds the picture that God is patient, and is prepared to send multiple messages to people in the land of Israel, as well as to everyone in the ages and generations since. But there comes a time when judgment replaces grace. Jesus asked the religious leaders who listened to His parable what they made of it. ““When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?”” (Matthew 21:40). The next verse provided their response, “The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest””. An interesting response because they damned themselves in their reply. Finally, the penny dropped and we read, “When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realised he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers” (Matthew 21:45).

So, is there anything here that is of help to us pilgrims? I cannot think of any situation where a Christian would reject and even abuse someone sent from God. The problem for the religious leaders in Jesus’ day was that they failed to recognise Him as the Messiah. In fact, it went further than that, because Jesus challenged their cosy little world, with its financial benefits and their favour with the Roman authorities. So it was quite likely that even if they did accept Jesus as the Messiah, the consequences for their lives was something that they could not accept.

So it is with people today. Quite often when we share the Gospel with someone we find that, after initial interest, a rejection follows because the person realises that there is a cost to following Jesus. “Then Jesus said to his disciples, “If any of you wants to be my follower, you must give up your own way, take up your cross, and follow me. If you try to hang on to your life, you will lose it. But if you give up your life for my sake, you will save it” (Matthew 16:24-25). Jesus also said the following, a scripture that has been much misinterpreted, “If you want to be my disciple, you must, by comparison, hate everyone else—your father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even your own life. Otherwise, you cannot be my disciple. And if you do not carry your own cross and follow me, you cannot be my disciple” (Luke 14:26-27). There is indeed a cost when we turn from our natural, sinful lives, and instead repent of our sins and follow Jesus and His ways. Too often, a different Gospel has been preached with words that emphasise God’s love and grace, perhaps majoring on prosperity or healing, but one that minimises or ignores His righteousness and judgment, and people entering the Kingdom of God through that route often find that they are not prepared for what is to follow.

We pilgrims are a people who are true believers of Jesus, and we know the cost. We have experienced God’s blessings and, for us, there is no turning back.

Dear Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your grace and love. For just a little while on this earth we suffer and put aside the desires of our flesh. We thank You for all You have done for us. Amen.


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Vineyard Parables: Lessons on Grace and Generosity

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Vineyard rows on rolling green hills with a village and farm buildings in the distance

“Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He ploughed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle, he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.”
Isaiah 5:1-2 NLT
“For the kingdom of heaven is like a landowner who went out early in the morning to hire workers for his vineyard. He agreed to pay them a denarius for the day and sent them into his vineyard.”
Matthew 20:1-2 NIVUK

Here is another parable about a vineyard, this time from Jesus, our Master, who taught about Kingdom truths in the form of parables. We know the story. The owner of the vineyard hired some workers early one morning, and he sent them to work tending the vines. He agreed to give them the standard manual rate for a day’s work in those days – a denarius. But, deciding that he needed more labour, he returned to the marketplace several times during the day to hire more workers. He agreed to pay each of them the standard day’s rate, even though they were starting to work later in the day. Finally, at the end of the day, the owner instructed his foreman to give each worker a denarius, starting with those who had joined the workplace most recently. What followed was much grumbling from the workforce, particularly from those who had worked from early in the morning. We read, “When they received it, they began to grumble against the landowner. “Those who were hired last worked only one hour,” they said, “and you have made them equal to us who have borne the burden of the work and the heat of the day”” (Matthew 20:11-12). This is a wonderful picture of God’s grace, so freely given. If we equate the denarius to the gift of salvation, we see that no matter when we receive the gift, we will be accepted into His Kingdom. Jesus finished this parable with the words, “‘But [the vineyard owner] answered one of them, “I am not being unfair to you, friend. Didn’t you agree to work for a denarius? Take your pay and go. I want to give the one who was hired last the same as I gave you. Don’t I have the right to do what I want with my own money? Or are you envious because I am generous?” ‘So the last will be first, and the first will be last’” (Matthew 20:13-16). Whether or not we have been a Christian for 50 years or 50 minutes, the outcome is the same. God’s generosity and grace know no bounds.

The vineyard in this parable represents the Kingdom of God, and the vineyard owner is God Himself. In the vineyard, the workers are God’s people, but we should note that they are not just standing around, doing nothing. They are working at tending the vines. They will be removing weeds that spring up around the roots. They will pick off harmful insects that might be sapping the strength of the vines. And when harvest time arrives, they will collect the grapes and take them to the winepress to be pressed into wine. A vineyard is a wonderful analogy for God’s Kingdom and the people we find there.

But there are some significant points that apply to us pilgrims. We have work to do in the Kingdom of God, and, incidentally, beyond. On earth, we are part of the Great Commission, working to introduce people to Jesus, and, for ourselves, we have fruit, spiritual fruit, to produce. Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” And instead of grumbling when we see people we feel don’t deserve it receiving God’s grace, we must rejoice along with the angels in Heaven.

Heavenly Father. Thank You for Your grace and patience. You lovingly accepted even sinners like us into Your Kingdom, something for which we will be eternally grateful. Amen.



Bearing Fruit: Lessons from Jesus’ Vineyard Parable

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Person wearing gloves and a hat pruning vines in a foggy vineyard at sunrise

“I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: my loved one had a vineyard on a fertile hillside. He dug it up and cleared it of stones and planted it with the choicest vines. He built a watchtower in it and cut out a winepress as well. Then he looked for a crop of good grapes, but it yielded only bad fruit.”
Isaiah 5:1-2 NIVUK
“I am the true grapevine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch of mine that doesn’t produce fruit, and he prunes the branches that do bear fruit so they will produce even more. You have already been pruned and purified by the message I have given you. Remain in me, and I will remain in you. For a branch cannot produce fruit if it is severed from the vine, and you cannot be fruitful unless you remain in me.”   John 15:1-4 NLT 

The first four verses of John 15 were much referred to in the early days of the charismatic renewal. I can still remember a conference sermon based on these verses, delivered in 1979 or thereabouts, in which the speaker lambasted the charismatic audience for producing lots of leaves but no fruit. The “leaves” were all the charisma and excitement of a new move of God, but where was the Holy Spirit fruit being manifested in people’s lives? But Jesus’ illustration was clear. He described Himself as being like a grapevine from which many branches emanated, and there are as many branches as there are believers. The grapevine has always been of great spiritual significance to the Jews. For example, we read in Isaiah 5:1-7 about a vineyard God planted with great care, but instead of producing a harvest of sweet grapes, its fruit was bitter. And Isaiah finished with, “The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence ” (Isaiah 5:7). So, when Jesus described Himself as the Grapevine, the people of His land would know what He meant.  

To a Christian, a true, born-again believer in Jesus, His presence in our lives is indispensable. We cannot survive for long without Jesus’ life-giving spiritual nourishment, which sustains us and provides the resources we need for our daily life and pilgrimage. Sadly, some try to live without Jesus. They will read their Bibles. They will do all the right things, singing all the hymns and saying all the prayers, following their denominational liturgies to a fault, but in reality, they have been cut off from the true Grapevine. Their hope is that if they dig in and don’t do anything they shouldn’t, then they will get into Heaven. But Jesus went on to talk about fruit. Which brings us around to the thought – what fruit are we pilgrims producing? 

Jesus’ analogy was that He was the Grapevine but His Father was the Gardener. The thing about a vine is that it can’t just be left year after year, in the hope that the crop of grapes will never end. It has to be pruned. Dead and unfruitful branches must be cut off. The farmer and his staff therefore, and with great skill, know exactly where to prune to maximise the return on their investment. Some parts of the vine will stop producing the sort of grapes that are required, so those branches have to go. Other parts only produce small grapes – they are no good either. And so by careful husbandry, the vine is cleaned and fruitful. In a spiritual setting, the Master Vinedresser, Father God Himself, carefully does His pruning, and by doing so He allows even more spiritual fruit to be realised. What are we doing that we shouldn’t be doing? Can we feel the secateurs starting to cut? Are we producing fruit that is bitter and sour? Cut, cut. And so the process continues day by day, through God’s careful pruning.  

Thankfully, the Master Gardener is very patient. In Luke 13:6-9 we read, “Then Jesus told this story: “A man planted a fig tree in his garden and came again and again to see if there was any fruit on it, but he was always disappointed. Finally, he said to his gardener, ‘I’ve waited three years, and there hasn’t been a single fig! Cut it down. It’s just taking up space in the garden.’ “The gardener answered, ‘Sir, give it one more chance. Leave it another year, and I’ll give it special attention and plenty of fertiliser. If we get figs next year, fine. If not, then you can cut it down.’”” God is in no hurry to lop off unfruitful branches, but in the end, fruitless branches are finally cut off and burned, and there is no way that they can be re-attached without repentance at the foot of the Cross. Thankfully, our Lord and Master, Jesus Christ, will never reject a repentant sinner.  

Dear Father God, the Wonderful Master Gardener, we praise and thank You today. Amen.

The Parable of the Vineyard: Lessons from Isaiah

Posted on by Adrian Clark
Rain showers over vineyard with grapevines and dirt path under dark stormy clouds

“Now I will sing for the one I love a song about his vineyard: My beloved had a vineyard on a rich and fertile hill. He ploughed the land, cleared its stones, and planted it with the best vines. In the middle, he built a watchtower and carved a winepress in the nearby rocks. Then he waited for a harvest of sweet grapes, but the grapes that grew were bitter.”
Isaiah 5:1-2 NLT

A song about a vineyard. A strange topic for the lyrics? But there have been many stranger ones. People of my vintage might remember the Beatles song, “I Am a Walrus”, which contains the words, “Semolina pilchard climbing up the Eiffel Tower/Elementary penguin singing Hare Krishna”. A good example of piffle, and reminiscent of an age of drug experimentation, hippies, and general nonsense. But Isaiah penned lyrics that describe the establishment of a vineyard. It belonged to the “beloved” who prepared the ground well, removing anything that would get in the way of the growing root systems. The best vines were planted, and all the infrastructure necessary for the functioning of a vineyard, such as the watchtower and the winepress, were put in place. But all to no avail – the fruit was not the intended sweet grapes, but instead, the fruit was bitter and of no use at all. 

What was there about this song that led to its being included in the Bible, in Isaiah’s writings? The first two verses of Isaiah 5 are part of the “Parable of the Vineyard”, a seven-verse story of God’s love for His people and how they spurned and abused His care. It was a lengthy process to create a vineyard from scratch. The correct location had to be found, with soil suitable for the best crops and free of rocks and stones that would prevent vine growth. The locals in Isaiah’s time would have known very well what was required and how long it would take, and the song’s topic was a good example of God’s love for His people. The song describes how, after his beloved had worked hard in preparation and waited for his first harvest, the grapes turned out to be “bitter.” Instead of the sweet grapes used for making wine, the owner discovers that after all the work he has put into his vineyard, the harvest is worthless. 

The next two verses of the parable continue with a question: “Now, you people of Jerusalem and Judah, you judge between me and my vineyard. What more could I have done for my vineyard that I have not already done? When I expected sweet grapes, why did my vineyard give me bitter grapes?” Why, after all of that hard work and preparation, did the fruit turn out to be sour and worthless? What more could have been done? Was it the owner of the vineyard who had done something wrong, or was it the vines, or perhaps the soil? At this point, the listeners were asked for their opinions. But the vineyard owner acted before any response was recorded, taking remedial action by abandoning the vineyard. Walls and hedges were broken down, and the beautifully prepared vineyard would become a wild place of weeds, thorns, and brambles; a dry and dreary place indeed.

But finally, the song’s explanation was given. “The nation of Israel is the vineyard of the Lord of Heaven’s Armies. The people of Judah are his pleasant garden. He expected a crop of justice, but instead he found oppression. He expected to find righteousness, but instead he heard cries of violence” (Isaiah 5:7). The verse is self-explanatory and continues the complaint given in previous chapters. Judah was behaving in a way that was against God’s design, a way in which oppression, injustice, unrighteousness, and sin were prevalent, all characteristics that were the opposite of God’s expectations. The vineyard owner was none other than God Himself, and the beloved was the Lord. The vineyard was Israel and Judah, and the Lord was going to great lengths to ensure the people understood that He established His people as His own. They were His vineyard. His desire for them was that of a grape farmer, that his vines would produce good and useful fruit.

What lesson can we pilgrims draw from this parable, since we were not living in Judah nearly three thousand years ago? Our “vineyard” is well established where God has planted us, and we have a manual of expectations, the Bible, that describes the fruit that He expects. Paul even described the fruit, which can be found in Galatians 5:22-23, “But the Holy Spirit produces this kind of fruit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control. There is no law against these things!” We would do well to reflect on the “Parable of the Vineyard” and think of our Heavenly Father, who loves us so much, who has done so much for us, and who even sent His Son, Jesus, to ensure that we would one day be in His presence. 

Dear Father God. Thank You for Your care and compassion. Help us to be willing workers in Your vineyard here in our place and generation, that we too would produce the fruit You require. In Jesus’ name. Amen.

Isaiah’s Vision: Hope and Judgment in Jerusalem

Posted on by Adrian Clark

“But in that day, the branch of the Lord will be beautiful and glorious; the fruit of the land will be the pride and glory of all who survive in Israel. All who remain in Zion will be a holy people— those who survive the destruction of Jerusalem and are recorded among the living. The Lord will wash the filth from beautiful Zion and cleanse Jerusalem of its bloodstains with the hot breath of fiery judgment. Then the Lord will provide shade for Mount Zion and all who assemble there. He will provide a canopy of cloud during the day and smoke and flaming fire at night, covering the glorious land. It will be a shelter from daytime heat and a hiding place from storms and rain.”
Isaiah 4:2-6 NLT

In his vision, Isaiah could see the day when the Lord would have dealt with the “filth” in Jerusalem by applying “the hot breath of [His] fiery judgement”. He could see a beautiful and glorious city with the survivors, a holy people, washed and cleansed. And the Lord will protect Mount Zion, where Jerusalem was located, with something reminiscent of the flight of the Israelite slaves from Egypt – “a canopy of cloud during the day and smoke and flaming fire at night”.

But what was the “branch of the Lord” that Isaiah could see? Some scholars believe this is a pointer to the coming Messiah, Jesus Himself, the divine descendant of David. There is also mention of the branch in Zechariah 3:8, “Listen to me, O Jeshua the high priest, and all you other priests. You are symbols of things to come. Soon I am going to bring my servant, the Branch.” But is this a prophecy foretelling the First or Second coming of Jesus? Perhaps there is more evidence for the Second, because we have read Revelation and the chapter about the new Jerusalem. However, the picture of a redeemed and holy people, a remnant who have survived the destruction of Jerusalem is an encouragement that God will always bring new shoots of growth as he fulfils His promises to His people. Judgment will ultimately come at the End of the Age, and the “filth [of] beautiful Zion” will be washed away. In the parable of the Wheat and Tares we read, “Let both grow together until the harvest. Then I will tell the harvesters to sort out the weeds, tie them into bundles, and burn them, and to put the wheat in the barn” (Matthew 13:30). Jesus’ parable describes how good and bad people will co-exist until the “harvest”, which is the End of the Age, the day of Judgment. Isaiah also referred to “the fruit of the land”, perhaps an indication of blessing and peace being restored after devastation and judgment. 

Isaiah could see a remnant of God’s people surviving the destruction of Jerusalem. But what about those, the larger group, who will not survive? They are those whom Isaiah spoke out against in the previous chapters. Amongst them were people who “made alliances with pagans”, who practised sorcery, who were involved in idolatry, and who rebelled against God. God views sin very seriously and sooner or later has to deal with it. Judgment is real and will ultimately cleanse His people, but in each generation, a small group of His covenant people remains. Today we are the people, people of the New Covenant, who Peter wrote about in 1 Peter 2:9, “But you are not like that, for you are a chosen people. You are royal priests, a holy nation, God’s very own possession. As a result, you can show others the goodness of God, for he called you out of the darkness into his wonderful light”. 

We notice that Isaiah’s vision did not indicate when the judgment would occur. It was a warning to all those who engaged in sinful behaviour, and many, then as now, refuse to believe that God’s judgment would actually take place. People today live their lives without considering that there will come a time when they will be held to account for their sins. That judgment will occur is without any doubt, because, otherwise, why was it necessary for Jesus to come to this world? He came to provide a remedy for sin so that all who believe in Him will not have to face the terror of judgment. I recently met a man who shared a concern that he needed to move out of London for his retirement, but was at a loss about where to move to. I asked him if he had a faith, and he talked about his Roman Catholic upbringing, but admitted that he rarely gave God any thoughts anymore. I gently reminded him of John 3:16, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life”, after which I talked about sin and the need for salvation in Jesus, as otherwise the only alternative was that he would “perish“. He went away thoughtful, and I pray that the Holy Spirit directs his house move to a place where he will find a Christian community.

Do we pilgrims know someone who needs to hear the same message? After all, there are plenty of opportunities because Jesus said, “ ... The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field” (Luke 10:2). So perhaps we need to brush up on our testimonies and have them ready for the next person we happen to meet.

Dear Father God. Please lead us to the people You want us to share Your wonderful message of hope with. We thank You for Jesus and all He did for us in Jerusalem, two thousand years ago. Amen.