“For the kingdom of heaven is like unto a man that is an householder, which went out early in the morning to hire laborers into his vineyard. And when he had agreed with the laborers for a penny a day, he sent them into his vineyard. And he went out about the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the marketplace, And said unto them; Go ye also into the vineyard, and whatsoever is right I will give you. And they went their way. Again he went out about the sixth and ninth hour, and did likewise. And about the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and saith unto them, Why stand ye here all the day idle? They say unto him, Because no man hath hired us. He saith unto them, Go ye also into the vineyard; and whatsoever is right, that shall ye receive. So when even was come, the lord of the vineyard saith unto his steward, Call the laborers, and give them their hire, beginning from the last unto the first.” -Matthew 20:1-8
If you had any idea about what was ahead for the Body of Christ, you would be immediately moved to prepare your heart. The authors of the New Testament, by way of the Holy Ghost, made it very clear that God deeply cares for the victory and triumph of His Church (Mt. 16:17-19; Eph. 4:11-16; 5:25-28). There is a destiny that has been programmed into the Church that nothing can malfunction, no, not even the dark world that we are called out from. There is too much glory that has been revealed from generation to generation for anything to slow down this momentum that the Church has gained since it’s formation (Jn. 14:12). Hidden within the above parable of Christ is the spoken outcome for the household of faith. And you can guarantee one thing; Just as the mysterious Christ appeared victorious, despite all the opposition of Satanic forces throughout the ages, so too will the mysterious Church emerge victorious, crushing the serpents and scorpions that would seek to retard its destiny.
For reference, expositors are certain of the following facts in this parable:
God the Father is the householder
The laborers are the servants of God
The vineyard is the world
With that said, let us look at the truth that holds within it the glory of the marvelous Church.
The householder goes out early into the morning to hire laborers. The reason he even has a need to hire laborers is because he is the owner of a certain field that he considers to be his prize and joy (Ps. 24:1-2). His interest is in the development and perfection of that which he owns. Early in the morning he sets out to find laborers willing to help him. In the wee hours of the morning he finds those eager to help him start this work. As the laborers worked, the householder soon realized that in order for the work to be finished by nightfall he must hire other workers to come alongside those who first began. He goes into the marketplace around the third hour (9:00a) hires them, and sends them into the vineyard speedily. The scripture says that he did this same thing at the sixth hour (noon) and the ninth hour (3:00p). The wise householder must have known that as the day progressed, the amount of manpower needed to get the job done before the end of the workday would have to increase, due to the size of the vineyard. It can also be implied, just like any good boss would, that he listened to those who worked for him. No doubt the workers made plea with the householder to hire others to help with the work.
The eleventh hour soon arrived (5p) and the householder noted that in order to wrap the job up and bring it to completion on time, he would have to make one final call for laborers. He rushed back into the marketplace and found a group of individuals who were idle. These were not lawyers, doctors, or religious leaders of the time (all of which would be too busy to stand idle). Rather they were those in need of purpose and equipping. The wise householder gave them the endowment and authority necessary to come alongside the other laborers and finish the job. Finally, one hour after the final laborers were hired, the sun set and the night came upon them. No one could work any longer. But that was ok. The work had been completed.
God the Father is a wise householder who owns the whole earth and the fullness thereof (Ps. 24:1-2). Jesus makes it clear that the earth is a vineyard that is ready for harvest because the gospel came through him. The most significant aspect of this parable that we should give attention to is the hours. At different periods of time, a call would be made, laborers would be added, and the pace would strengthen.
The early morning hours (6a, the start of the workday) represent the early Church and its formation. They were the first group of people to see a mighty move of God, all beginning in the upper room at Pentecost. The burden of the workload, due to limited laborers, was no doubt a price they had to pay. Jesus spoke to them, however, and said “the harvest truly is plenteous, but the laborers are few; Pray ye therefore the Lord of the harvest, that he will send forth laborers into his harvest” (Mt. 9:35-37). When the Church would call upon the name of the Lord, the Lord would rush into the marketplace and find those who were available to become part of His harvesting. We can see this all over the pages of Church history. Moves of the mighty Spirit of God to refresh, strengthen, uplift, and solidify the Body of Christ. From Tertullion, Clement of Alexandria, and Polycarp to St. Anslem of Canterbury, St. Augustine of Hippo, and St. Patrick to the Cevennes Prophets, St. Teresa of Avila, and Martin Luter to George Whitfield, Jonathan Edwards, and Chuck Finney to Evan Roberts, William Seymour, and Smith Wigglesworth to Oral Roberts, Lester Sumrall, and Kenneth Hagin (as well as all the other nameless laborers who faithfully worked under the heat of the sun); God has sent armies of laborers at crucial hours to advance the work of the vineyard.
In the marvelous parable of Christ he mentions that just before the midnight hour, when no man can any longer work (Jn. 9:4-5), he would make one final call. As the sun began to hang low on the horizon (when apparent darkness would become everyone’s concern), Jesus promised that the Father would hear the cries of those who had already labored. And as he was faithful to do before, he would rush again into the marketplace. He would look for those wanting to find destiny, purpose, and the reason they exist. He would equip them with tools and abilities they once never had and give them delegated authority to join the ranks of those who had worked before them, considering them just as great and capable. This is the call of the eleventh hour. The final call. The unusual, unexpected, surprising call to hire a host of workers at the final part of the harvest period.
There is no question that a mighty move, powerful revival, and great awakening is on the horizon. God the Father has heard the cry of his laborers. He has sent the Holy Ghost into the marketplace to find the last and final workers to intensify the harvesting and bring this work to a close. So don’t fear what seems to be darkness. No, no, don’t fear what seems to make you afraid. For their is a cry that went up and that has made provision for the supernatural, unusual, unprecedented calling and equipping of end-time workers. And they shall succeed. And when the even comes, they shall be rewarded for responding to the urgent cry of the eleventh hour call.
Prayer:
“Father, I thank you that you have heard every cry. You have heard every prayer and all the intercession that every one of your workers have made. I declare that I am part of this eleventh hour call. I am willing, available, and eager to be one of those to join the ranks of those who started, carried, and maintained the great work of the harvesting. Now use me to bring this thing to a close; to help usher in the glorious coming of your son, Jesus Christ, demonstrating the power of the gospel and the might of the Holy Ghost. I surrender to you precious Lord. Here I am. IN JESUS NAME. Amen.”
