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Christ Our Saviour and Saint Ambrose Anglican Mission In San Diego, San Diego, CA (2026)

Today there are so many high-end technology products, high-speed rail trains going 300 miles per hour, and people moving so fast they don't have time to think. These changes as it is referred to as the velocity of history, often times has an adverse affect on people. People need the unchanging message of Christ and the life-Giving Trinity;the essence of calm in a turbulent world. We plan to do bri

ng that calmness through the ancient western mass, the Missal, the 1928 Book of Common Prayer, and the Unchanging Word of God.

12/07/2024

Reference Guide for the 1928 BCP Holy Communion
1928 American Book of Common Prayer: Quick Reference Guide For The Service of Holy Communion.

The Lord:s Prayer: Based on the ancient Jewish Shema Israel Prayer where believers pledge love of God and neighbor.

The Collect for Purity: A prayer to the Holy Trinity in which we acknowledge the all knowing and all powerful nature of the Father, the Son as the High Priest, and asking the Father to impart wisdom through the Holy Ghost so that we may worship God properly.

The Decalogue: The Decalogue is the Ten Commandments
with responses from the congregation. It is usually said on the first Sunday of each month. In it, we pledge to keep God's Commandments, and ask His help in doing so.

The Summary of the Law: The Summary of Law given to us by Jesus in Luke's and Matthew's Gospel. The legal experts of Our Lord's day tried to make the Law of Moses so complicated to understand, so that they could charge large fees to people, especially widows to interpret it. Jesus just tells us the Law in a nutshell is to love God fully and love not only one's friends' but also one's neighbor. That neighbor could be an enemy or adversary such as in the parable of the Good Samaritan.

The Kyrie: The word Kyrie means Lord. It is a prayer to the Holy Trinity repenting of sin and asking God to withhold
punishment for going against His will.

The Salutation: The Salutation at the time of Jesus was an initial greeting said at the beginning of the Jewish Synagogue service, and also services in the ancient Christian Church. The prayer call us as a body of believers to obey God's commandment as individuals, but also as a faith community as well

THE SALUTATION BEGINS THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

Collect of the Day: A prayer that as Father Shepherd points out" where it designated a prayer that summed up, concluded, , or collected the thoughts of a preceding litany or devotion." Shepherd continues and states that a collect has the following features:" one: an opening address to God, , with a relative clause stating some attributes of His nature or manifestation of His mind, and will by reason of which a petition is made to Him; two: the petition itself, often followed by a clause dwelling upon the good result to ensure if the petition is granted : three:a concluding oblation or meditation in the Name of Our Lord, through Whom all our prayers are offered , United to a doxology recalling all Three persons of the Trinity."

The Epistle: Letters to the ancient Christian churches written by the Apostles , the first Bishops to admonish, inform, or encourage the faithful. The Epistles were designed to create a bridge between the Old and New Covenants.

The Gospel: The Gospels are books of the Bible that begin the New Testament, and chronicle the life Birth, Life, Exploits, Sayings or Wisdom, Death , and Resurrection of Jesus. A specific passage from the Gospel is read during the Mass that confirms to a liturgical season like Advent or Lent for example.

The Nicene Creed: A profession of faith stating the co-eternal nature of the Holy Trinity, and its intervention in the past, present, and future of mankind. Completed at the Council of Constantinople in 381, it was designed to combat the A***n heresy that denied the divinity of the Holy Ghost and the Son.

END OF THE MINISTRY OF THE WORD

The Offertory: The offering of unconsecrated bread and wine for Holy Communion, as well as alms. During the Offertory, we give thanks to God for the things He has given to our use and to those around us, especially the poor and neglected.

The Prayer of the Church: a long intercessory prayer in which we: prayer for the peace and unity of the Church, civil rulers, ordained clergy and the congregations to their care, the needs of the afflicted, and those who have died. Used in both the East and West in various forms since the Fourth Century. The act of Christians praying for the Roman Empire led to the Emperor Constantine ending persecution of Christians via the Edict of Milan in 313.

The Invitation to Confession: A statement made the Celebrant to invite the faithful to confession their sins.

The Confession: A prayer to God the Father to forgive our sins and renew us in body and soul. During this prayer we implore the Father to use the Son and the Holy Ghost to assist in the process.

The Absolution: A. Benediction and Declaration said by the Celebrant acting on behalf of Almighty God to absolve us from our sins through His mercy, and bestow on the gifts of goodness and eternal life.

The Comfortable Words: declarative statements said by the Deacon, Priest, or Bishop, again as Fr. Shepherd points out "the redeeming action of Our Lord, in His incarnation, Atonement, and eternal Priesthood after His ascension."

The Sursum Corda: Two Latin words that opened what is called the Prayer of Consecration. Again quoting Father Shepherd: " the Eucharistic action takes place in the heavenly sphere where Christ has entered and led the way for us."

The Proper Prefaces: Hymns of praise, thanksgiving , and adoration by the Church in heaven and earth " , as well as the angels at"all times and places" There are several prefaces, and each one is geared for a season in the liturgical year.

The Sanctus: a hymn of praise and adoration to the Holy Trinity said by the entire Church and the angels in heaven and on earth. Derived from the vision of Prophet in Isaiah in Isaiah 6:1-3 and Revelation 4:8.

The Prayer of Consecration: The Prayer of Consecration is divided into three parts: the consecration with reenactment of the Last Supper by Jesus for remission of sins and ushering in the New Covenant,; The oblation:offering up gifts to God, and described by Fr. Shepherd as:"The oblation is the hinge of the whole Consecration Prayer. It gathers up thanksgivings and memorials that have gone before and offers them to God by means of the Holy Gifts, the instruments of bread and wine which out Lord Himself chose to represent . His own sacrifice and to be occasion of its continuing and innumerable benefits to His Church."
The innovation is the third part of the Prayer of Consecration in which the Celebrant petitions God the Father through the Son and Holy Ghost to change the bread and wine into the Body and Blood of Christ.

The Lord's Prayer: said by the Celebrant and congregation.
The Lord's Prayer is placed before the beginning of the Holy Communion service, a holdover from the Sarum Rite, used by the English Church prior to introduction of the Book of Common Prayer on June 9, 1549, during Whitsunday or Pentecost.

The Prayer of Humble Access: A prayer said by the Celebrant and congregation acknowledging through our sinful nature we are not worthy to receive God's grace, but through faith we ask through to God's grace to consume the Body and Blood of Jesus, so that we can be cleansed from sins and "so that may evermore dwell in Him and He in us."

Words of Administration: words said by the Celebrant or other appointed minister when administering the Body and Blood of Christ.

Prayer of Thanksgiving: A prayer to God the Father for: one: receiving the Body and Blood of Christ; two: for the gift of Christ and His Church, and three: the everlasting Kingdom of God; four: assistance to do good works all with the assistance of His Son Jesus Christ the High Priest.

The Gloria: a hymn of praise to the Holy Trinity.

The Final Blessings: To be said by the Celebrant at the end of service, blessing the faithful in the name of the Holy Trinity

Note: this is a quick reference guide to facilitate the understanding of the 1928 Book of Carmen Prayer communion service. It is only being put out for educational purposes only and in no way is being utilized for profit. If anyone has questions regarding some of the points of the mass will be more than happy to answer them in an expedient manner. Blessings Father David.

10/12/2024

Sermon Notes: 20th Sunday After Trinity
October 13, 2024 AD
By Father David Valentini
Gospel:Matthew 22:1-14

Matthew’s Gospel is geared towards a Jewish audience. The wedding feast or the marriage supper is called in Judaism:seduat nissuin.
Under the Law of Moses it was a mitzvah or a commandment to enjoy the wedding reception for the bride and groom. Prominent guests were invited, along with all members of the community, including the poor. The higher point of the Law of Moses is mercy, and the poor who attended could collect alms from the wedding guests. In addition, a special table was set up for the poor so that they could participate in the wedding feast. This brings us to today's Gospel: Matthew 22:1-14.

Jesus begins by stating that a King made a marriage supper for His Son. The King is God the Father and the Son is Jesus Christ. The wedding feast represents the marriage of Christ and His Church. The King sends His servants out to invite three prominent men to the wedding feast. The first two men who refused the wedding invitation represent those who through their spiritual blindness could not accept Jesus as the Messiah. The third man represents those who murdered the early Christian missionaries who brought the message of the Gospel.

Jesus says upon hearing this, the King becomes angry at the murder of His servants and orders the city of the murderers to be burned down. This refers to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70AD prophesied by Jesus in Luke 19:41-44.

The King then tells His servants that those who originally invited to the wedding feast who refused are not worthy; they may represent those who rejected Jesus and the Gospel and may represent those in the nation of Israel. The King’s Commencement to invite everyone else, rich or poor, good or bad refers to the Great Commission, which Jesus commands His disciples to make followers in every nation through baptism in the Holy Trinity. The Great Commission is mentioned in all Four Canonical Gospels and the Book of Acts.

Next, the King notices that one of the guests does not have on a wedding garment. A wedding garment in Judaism was called a kippah, which is a brimless hat worn by the guests, given to them by the host for this special occasion. Now what does the wedding garment represent? Some commentators attest it represents humility and righteousness. Jesus in Matthew 6:33 says to seek first the Kingdom of God and His righteousness. So the man by failing to seek the Kingdom of God is seeking the Kingdom of Darkness which results in eternal separation from God.

Jesus ends the passage by saying that many are called but few are chosen. What does this mean? God calls all men to eternal life and salvation: many are called. However, through faith, baptism, and repentance we must believe in Jesus and His Commandments. However, not all men will do this and this results in eternal separation from God. Those who believe and obey by doing God’s will are called to eternal life: few are chosen.

In today's world many have been invited to the wedding feast. It has been translated into every language and available in every nation on Earth.
Despite this only 2 billion people out of 8 billion
have accepted an invitation to the wedding feast.
But the question is why haven’t the other six billion accepted the invitation or failed to put on the wedding garment of righteousness and humility? Like the men who declined the wedding invitation and like the man who failed to wear the wedding garment, many who have not accepted Christ are consumed with the pleasure of this world. In the Parable of the Sower which appears in Matthew 13:1-23, Mark 4:1-20, and Luke 8:4-15, Jesus talks about those who accept the Gospel then forsake it for worldly pursuits abandoning righteousness and humility.

The reason also that many do not reject the invitation to the wedding feast or fail to put on the garment of righteousness and humility is that they simply have not been asked. The Lord commands us in the Great Commission to make disciples of all nations through baptism in the name of the Holy Trinity. Many Christians do not tell people about Christ; this is actually a sin;let's look at James 4:17:

Therefore to him to knoweth to do good and doeth it not, to him, it is sin.

Even in our contemporary society when one receives a wedding invitation there is advanced notice. First a save the date notice is sent out with a time and place. You will be politely asked to RSVP. RSVP comes from a French phrase please respond.. In the Anglican Tradition the bonds of marriage will be published three weeks before the wedding and wedding feast.

Revelation 19:9 tells us of the marriage supper of the Lamb. This wedding feast will be the union of Christ and His Church. All believers throughout history will be there which will dwarf any other gathering in the history of mankind. That same verse says blessed are they that are called to the marriage supper of the Lamb.

To get to the marriage supper of the Lamb, Jesus must return to earth to judge mankind and vanquish evil. The signs of the return of Jesus and the marriage supper of the Lamb are becoming more numerous. One of the signs of Our Lord’s impending return is that the Gospel has been preached to all 195 nations on earth. In Matthew 24:14, Jesus stated that the Gospel will be preached to every nation on earth and the end will come.

In order to be admitted to the marriage supper of the Lamb we must put on the garment of humility
and righteousness. In order to do this we must believe in God and follow His Commandments.
We must tell others about Christ. I'm doing so we are doing the will of God which is a prerequisite for entrance into eternal life: Matthew 7:21. Father Massey Shepherd, an Anglican priest, states that we must choose between God and Satan’s Kingdom. He goes on to say that spiritual neutrality is not an option. In the end the choice is yours.

05/05/2024

In James 1:17 it says that every good and perfect gift cometh down from the Father
of Lights. In the Holy Trinity, God the Father
is the source of all things; God the Son speaks things into being, and God the Holy Ghost delivers them.

In the Old Testament God spoke in two ways to the People of Israel; one through signs and also through the spoken word. In Exodus 13:21-22, God leads the Jews by a pillar of cloud by day and fire by night. Commentators believe that the pillar and cloud and fire also mentioned in Numbers 9:25-22 ,Exodus 14:19, and 1 Corinthians 10:1-3 represent Christ, the Son of God, God Incarnate, and the Messiah. The answer to the question is why some think this is a long one, but is due to Our Lord’s promise to be with us always Matthew 28:20 and Christ’s own wilderness experience in Matthew 4:1-11 and Luke 4:1-13.

But yet as mentioned above God speaks to the People of Israel through the Eternal Word directly as evidenced in Exodus 20:1-17 with the Ten Commandments. The Ten Commandments tell what God expects of us to conform to His will.

Today in the liturgical calendar we are Rogation Sunday and the Gospel is John 16:23-33. The word rogation in Latin means to ask. It is based on an ancient church festival in which we ask for God’s blessings and deliverance from calamities.
This is followed by Rotations Days: three days of fasting before the Ascension of Jesus into heaven. Rogation Sunday and Rogation days are based on the Jewish feast of the Pentecost or Shavuot where the Jews gave thanks for the first fruits of the wheat harvest.

At the time of Christ, if a Jew wanted the High Priest to make intercession on their behalf they had to go to Jerusalem. The High Priest would make an atonement of sin from the blood of an animal such as a pure unspotted male lamb.
However, many Jews lived as far away as Egypt in North Africa and Gaul in Europe. However, many Jews would come to Jerusalem on Feast Days such as Pentecost, Tabernacles, and the Passover walking for days to get there.

The Bible tells us that Jesus is the High Priest.
Hebrews 7:25 tells us: Wherefore He is able to save them to the uttermost that come unto God by Him, seeing He ever liveth to make intercession for them.

In this passage what Jesus said to His disciples must have astonished them. Jesus said that God the Father will answer your prayers if they ask
In His Name(in the name of Jesus). This meant that Jesus being the High Priest could intercede on their behalf to God the Father. They did not have to give an animal.sacrifice nor make a pilgrimage to Jerusalem: they could be at any place on Earth and ask Jesus to intercede to the Father on their behalf and when their requests would be granted their joy would be full.

Jesus as the Messiah is a Priest, Prophet, and King. He is the Priest interceding on our behalf: Hebrews 7:25, a Prophet out of the Nation of Israel: Deuteronomy 18:15, and King; Psalm 24:1 says that Jesus is the Lord of Creation. Jesus slips into the role of the Prophet and speaks of a future time when He will speak to His disciples not in Proverbs, as one would speak to a child in simple stories, but rather directly and reveal in very direct Words about who God
The Father is. This must have astonished His disciples as the high priest in the Temple in Jerusalem once a year entered an inner room called the Holy of Holies where the presence of God or Shekinah dwelled; only he was allowed to come back there. In addition, when
he came out into the sanctuary of the Temple and he did not speak plainly of God the Father.

As we continue in the passage, Jesus speaks directly to His disciples. He tells when they shall ask in His name, He will pray to God The Father. Jesus says that He will do this because the Father loves them because they loved Him and believed that He was sent from God. Next, Jesus says that He came into the world from God the Father, and will leave the world to go back to the Father.

Moving on, the disciples remarked on how Jesus spoke plainly to them. It would not be a reach to say that our Lord's disciples were astonished that he spoke so plainly to them about the mysteries of the kingdom of God. A small group of prophets such as the prophet Isaiah and the Prophet Daniel saw what Jesus looked like and were exposed to the mysteries of the kingdom of God. In Isaiah 6:1-2, the prophet Isaiah had a vision of the Son of God sitting on his throne. In Daniel 7:13-14, the Prophet Daniel had a vision of the son of God coming at the end of time to judge mankind. But here in this passage the disciples are hearing from God incarnate God in the flesh speaking plainly about the mysteries of the Kingdom of God.

Throughout the Gospels the disciples follow Jesus faithfully but they were not totally convinced that he was the Son of God. But in this passage the disciples now say to Jesus they know that He knows of all things and that He does come from God the Father. And what Jesus said is a confirmation of that belief. Because He asked them all do they believe that Heis truly the Son of the living God as Peter professed Matthew 16:16. Jesus knowing their hearts is aware that they believe that he is truly the Son of God.

In 1 Kings 19:1-18, the Prophet Elijah escapes into the wilderness. The wicked Queen Jezebel threatened his life. In Matthew 4;1-11 and Luke 4:1-13, Jesus is led by the Holy Ghost into the wilderness. In each case, Almighty God is with them. God orders Elijah to go to Damascus with the implication that he will not die at the hands of men. When Jesus is in the desert, He was in constant prayer with God the Father.

Next Jesus states that the disciples will be going out into the world after his departure and his Ascension to God the Father. Jesus states that when his disciples go out into the world that He will not be alone as God the Father is always with Him. Jesus tells us disciples that they will never be alone because he will always be with him basically echoing Matthew 28:20 in which she says that He will always be with them.

Near the end of the passage, Jesus tells His disciples that they will be scattered. Here He turns into the role of a Prophet, and tells them of future times where they will be spreading the Gospel throughout the world. And writers basically have chronicled where many of these disciples had gone. By tradition it's believed that St Andrew went as far as Russia and that Saint Thomas had gone to India. Some believe that St Philip had made his way to what is modern-day France. They were going into situations that could become violent or even can result in their own deaths. So when they heard the words of the Lord that they would be scattered their initial reaction would have been fear. But then Jesus says be of a good cheer for I have overcome the world. These words would have been great comfort to them because as mentioned before, whatever they needed they could ask in the name of Jesus and their heavenly father would grant it to them meaning his disciples. And secondly that the disciples would have joy in the face of adversity. The biblical definition of joy is even in adversity having a good feeling generated by the Holy Ghost.

In today's increasingly non religious world it seems that both Judaism and Christianity seem to be under attack. One only needs to turn on the news and you see demonstrations with young people being hostile towards both Jews and Christians on college campuses and being encouraged by professors and University administrators to do so or worse University administrators turning their back and ignoring the problem. As President Ronald Reagan once said in 1988 that seems that God has been kicked out of the classroom. John Adams said over 200 years ago if you do not have religion you will have anarchy. One can see this in our public schools today as well as our cities. The Ten Commandments have been stricken from many courts despite the fact that our country has very much Christian origins. But these words rang true today that even as Christians that we are the faithful remnant and that we must continue to spread the Great Commission as our Lord commands us to do. We must listen to the words of Our Lord when he says be of good cheer for I have overcome the world. Amen.

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04/19/2024

As we are currently in the season of Eastertide: it is a period of 50 days from Easter Sunday to Pentecost. During this time, Jesus appeared to His disciples, comforted the,, taught them, and told them of future events, including His ascension into heaven. Many commentators believe that Genesis 5:24 is a foreshadowing of the Ascension of Jesus. The verse speaks of a man named Enoch who lived 365 years who walked faithfully with God, and was assumed into heaven.

Today's Gospel is John 16:16-20. The Gospel of John is distinctive in that it spends a lot of time focusing on who Jesus is. John 6:35 for example says: I am the Bread of Life. This passage indicates that Jesus is the Son of God. In it, Jesus tells His disciples of His future return to God the Father. The Fourth Evangelist tells us that Our Lord’s disciples did not understand what He was talking about. Jesus then does two things: One: he tells them again He is leaving them and returning to God the Father. Knowing their hearts, Jesus knows that the disciples are anxious, sorrowful, and fearful. Luke 16:15 states that God knows the hearts of men.

Jesus continues on and states to His disciples that they will weep and lament after his departure. At the time of Jesus, at a Jewish funeral, before the deceased was placed in the tomb, mourners could stop the procession and express grief through emotion or words. The Bible tells us to lament. Let’s look at Psalm 6:3: My soul is vexed, but thou O Lord how long? Jesus goes on to say that while His disciples will be sorrowful, the world will rejoice at the departure of Jesus. In Job 42:10, it says that the Lord restored the prosperity and fortune of Job, who lost a part of his family, his close friends, and his fortune. But Jesus tells His disciples that their sorrow will return into joy when they see Him again; he likens it to a woman giving birth to a child, but when she gives birth, she remembers the pain no more and experiences pure joy. The passage ends with Jesus saying that their hearts will rejoice and that the joy that they will feel that no man will take from them. One definition of joy that I came across is the following: a good feeling of the soul produced by the Holy Ghost. Let’s look at Romans 14:17:

For the kingdom of God is not meat and drink, but righteousness and peace, and joy in the Holy Ghost.

In today’s modern world many are sorrowful that Jesus has not returned yet. Some people have become fearful and anxious. A 2017 study stated that over 320 million people around the world are on anxiety medication. A Christian commentator once commented that younger people are more fearful than psychiatric patients were in the 1950’s. But despite Jesus going to the Father, He tells us that He will be with us until the end of the age: Matthew 28:20. Let's also look at Isaiah 41:10:

Fear thou not for I AM with thee;be not dismayed for I am thy God. I will strengthen thee, yea, I will help thee yea. I will uphold thee with my right hand.

In Acts 1:9 and Luke 24:51 Jeus is assumed into heaven. Luke’s recording of the event was that the disciples returned to Jerusalem with great Joy. The Book of Acts tells us that after Our Lord ascended into heaven, the disciples returned to Jerusalem and got right to work to spread the Kingdom of God. They chose Matthias to replace Judas as the 12th Apostle: Acts 1:12-23.
From there, many new believers would be won for the Gospel. In Acts 2:41-47, 3000 people became followers of Jesus and were baptized after the Apostle Peter had preached. We in this modern era as followers of Christ are bound by the Great Commission as mentioned in all four cannonical Gospels and the Book of Acts to make disciples of all nations. The Jewish understanding of the nations were all those outside the nation of tsrael and not those who were not the Children of the Book or the Children of the Covenant, but those Gentiles who pagans ranging from God-fearers who believed in the God of Israel to those who rendered human sacrifices to the God Baal.

The French often say the more things change the more they stay the same. Ecclesiastes 11:9 says that there is nothing new under the sun. Today, there are over six billion people in the world who are not yet followers of Jesus Christ. We have a lot of work to do in sharing the Gospel. Despite this, many anxiously wait for the Second Coming of Christ. Christ through the
Gospels tells us as to the signs of His impending return. In Matthew 24:14, Jesus says that the Gospel will be preached to all nations and then the end will come. It is prudent to notice the
signs of the Lord’s return. But Jesus tells us to continue to build the Kingdom of God until His
Jesus likens us to servants who should be caught living and doing the Great Commission until He returns. Let look at Matthew 24:46:

Blessed is that servant, whom the Lord when He cometh shall find him doing.

As mentioned before, joy is a good feeling in the soul produced by the Holy Ghost. Job in.the Old Testament suffered more than anyone in the Bible. He lost his wealth, friends, children, and physical health. Job never loses his faith, and inJob 42:10-17, God not only restores his former wealth but doubles it. At an advanced age , Job is also blessed with additional children. But yet in
the darkest of his days job expresses joy towards God in Job 6:10:

Then should I yet have comfort; yea, I would harden myself in sorrow.: let Him not spare; for I have not concealed the Words of the Holy
One.

Right up to the Second Coming of Christ there will be tribulation. Matthew 24:21: Jesus says: There shall be great tribulation, such as was not since the beginning of the world to this time, no, nor ever shall be.

But yet tells us to have joy in the most darkest
of times. Let's look at John 16:33:

These things I have spoken unto you, that in Me ye may have peace. In the world ye shall tribulation:but be of good cheer;for I have overcome the world.

Let's also look at Psalm 94:19:

In the multitude of my thoughts,within me thy comforts delight my soul.

Jesus tells His disciples that when He returns that the joy that they will feel that no man will take for them. When He returns the Bible indicates that we will be right alongside the disciples when He returns. Let's look at what the Apostle Paul says in 1 Thessalonians 4:17:

Then we which are alive and remain shall be caught up together with those in the clouds
to meet the Lord in the air, and so we shall be with Him forever.

Hebrews 12:1 speaks of the great cloud of witnesses. These were those who died before the Second Coming of Christ. With them that includes the Apostles, the saints, Patriarchs, Prophets, and loved ones. We will be with God forever, and have a joy as Jesus said that no man can take from us. The Bible gives simple practical advice to keep our joy as well. Let's look at Proverbs 3:5:

Trust in the Lord will all thine heart; and lean not unto thine own understanding.

When we will have joy because we will be with God for all eternity; a contentment without end.
Thomas Aquinas a 13th Century Italian theologian stated that we will have pure joy as we will for eternity discover something new about God that will keep us in awe. That is the hope that we should share with others.

01/28/2024

Today’s Gospel is Matthew 20:1-16. Jesus tells
a parable of men working in the vineyard during
the day. At the time of Christ the shift ran from
sunrise to sunset. The image of the vineyard
would have been familiar to Our Lord's Jewish
listeners. The Prophet Isaiah writing over 700
years Before Christ says the following about
the vineyard in Isaiah 5:7:

For the vineyard of the Lord of Hosts is the House of Israel, and the men of Judah His
pleasant plant.

At the time of Christ, men who worked in the
Vineyard did different tasks: some pressed
the grapes into wines, others did pruning,
and others picked grapes. Commentators
have pointed out that in the ancient Near
East only the strongest men were picked to work in the vineyard. It was back breaking work in
the hot sun.

Jesus in Matthew 21:28-31 Jesus tells a minor parable of two sons who were commanded by
their father to work in the vineyard. The first
son reluctantly obeyed his father and did so, while
the second son did not. Jesus says that the
the first son did the will of his father.

The vineyard represents the world and the workers are those who are tasked with spreading the Kingdom of God here on Earth. The vines
represent Christ Himself. In John.15:1 , Jesus
says He is the true vine. So the workers are those
who bring the true vine, Christ to those who do
not yet know Him, those following the Great
Commission to make disciples of all nations,
baptizing them of the Father, Son, and Holy
Ghost. The Great Commission is mentioned in all four canonical Gospels and the Book of Acts.

Jesus begins the narrative talking about the owner of the vineyard who went out and recruited
laborers to work for a penny in the vineyard
for a day's work. A penny depicts compensation for a day’s wages. Commentators point out that the agreement to work in the vineyard was a
verbal agreement between the workers and
the vineyard owner. In this case, the workers
are the Christian missionaries, disciples, and
the Apostles, and the vineyard owner is Christ
The penny represents eternal life.

The Vineyard is used in the Old and New Testament to illustrate the world. But the implication contained in the imagery of the vineyard is to make a choice between the Kingdom of God and the Kingdom of Satan and darkness. Proverbs 24:30 talks of a vineyard owned by a man devoid of understanding whose
vineyard is covered up with thorns and nettles
This represents a world corrupted by sin and devoid of God’s Word.

Jesus goes on to say that the Vineyard Owner goes on to recruit workers in the third, sixth, ninth and eleventh hours of the day. The third hour of the day is associated with the descent of the Holy
Ghost at Pentecost: Acts 2:15. It is also the time
that Jesus was put on the Cross. The sixth hour
depicts our Lord ‘s ministry to Gentiles as was
evidenced by Our Lord ‘s interaction with the
Samaritan woman in John 4:7-26, and when He
Is on the Cross and darkness comes over the
land: Mark 15:33. The ninth hour represents
the death of Jesus on the Cross: Matthew 27:46,
and when the Prophet Elijah prayed to God against the Prophets of Baal, and God answered
with fire from heaven: 1 Kings 18:36-39, the
Confession and Intercessory Prayers by the Prophet Ezra that lead to a religious revival among the people of Israel: Ezra 9:5, and
the first Gentile convert Cornelius who was
praying at the ninth hour of the day: Acts
10:3. The eleventh hour represents many believe the last days prior to the return of Jesus and one
last chance to repent and be saved.

Deeper into the passage, the workers are gathered together and are paid the same wage:
regardless when they began to work in the vineyard. The First Evangelist goes onto to say that the workers who came to work at the beginning of the day complained to the Vineyard
Owner that since they worked longer hours, that
they should receive more money than those who came later.

Commentators believe that the.workers who
were recruited at the beginning of the day
represent the Jews in the Nation of Israel
and those workers who were recruited later as the Gentiles. God first came to the chosen people
the Jews made a covenant with them as far back
as the Book of Genesis. In Genesis 12:1-3,
God promised Abraham that the people of
Israel will dwell in their own land and be blessed,
that Abraham himself will be blessed, and the
nations will be blessed through Àbraham. The nations refer to the Gentiles

Near the end of the passage, Vineyard Owner
told the disgruntled workers that He honored
the agreement to pay the workers a Penny.
Again, the penny represents eternal life. The
Vineyard Owner continues and says that the
workers agreed to the terms of payment which
also symbolizes the agreement that God made
with the Jews as a chosen people. The Owner goes on and stated that He has not sinned
in any way.

The workers that came into the Vineyard in the third through eleventh hours represent the
Gentiles. The Gentiles were simply people
at the time of Christ who were not Jews. They ranged from pagans who gave human sacrifices to the god Baal, to the Samaritans who only
recognized the first five books of the Old Testament, to the God-fearers: pagans who
believed in God but did not become Jewish
such as the Canaanite Woman in Matthew
15:21-28, the Centurion in Matthew 8:5-13,
Luke 7:1-10 to the Centurion at the foot of
the Cross in Matthew 27:54.

So the workers who came into the vineyard later were those Gentiles who accepted Jesus as the
Messiah. The Gentiles by lineage were not
Children of the Book or Children of the
Convenient, but through faith, therefore belief they share in the promises that God gave to the
Nation of Israel. Let's look at what the Apostle
Paul says in Galatians 3:7:

Know ye therefore that they which are of faith
the same are the children of Abraham.

Almost at the very end of the passage Jesus says that the last shall be first, and the first shall
be last. What Jesus is saying here is that the
one's position in the Kingdom of God will be
determined by one’s degree of humility and
faithfulness, and not lineage or social standing.

The last thing that the Lord says that many are called but few are chosen. Many have weighed
in on this phrase. Many commentators have
said that this phrase by Our Lord is that the gift
of salvation is available to all mankind so that we may all enter the Kingdom of Heaven and receive
eternal life. But Jesus says that not all who are
called will enter the Kingdom of Heaven. In Matthew 7:21, Jesus tells us that not all who
call Him Lord will enter into the Kingdom of
Heaven, but only those who do the will of
God the Father. This means we must have
faith in God. Hebrews 11:1 defines faith as the
substance of things hoped for and the evidence of things unseen. We therefore believe in Christ as Our Lord and Savior, and if we believe must obey His Commandments
to love God and our neighbor: Matthew 22:37-40.
In doing so, we do the will of the God the Father,
are God workers in the vineyard and inherit
eternal life.

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