Who is the vinedresser?; Angels: Day 193

In the parable of  the fig tree, the vinedresser begs the owner not to cut down the tree until it has one more chance. Is that vinedresser the angel who guarded Is- rael throughout the Old Testament? Or is it the Son interceding with the Father? St. Cyril of Alexandria thinks either interpretation is reasonable.

But the vinedresser begged him, saying, “Let it alone, sir, this year also, till I dig about it and put on manure. And if it bears fruit next year, well and good; but if not, you can cut it down” (Luke 13:8-9).

Now we need to ask who is to be understood by the vinedresser. If you decided to say that it is the angel who was appointed by God as the guardian of the synagogue of the Jews, you might be giving one appropriate interpretation. For we remember that the prophet Zechariah wrote, that one of the holy angels stood of- fering supplications for Jerusalem, and saying, “O Lord of hosts, how long will you have no mercy on Jerusalem and the cities of Judah, against which you have had indignation these seventy years?” (Zech. 1:12). And it is written also in Exodus, that when the ruler of the land of the Egyptians with his warriors was pursuing af- ter the Israelites, and was already upon the point of engaging with them in battle, the angel of God stood between the camp of the Israelites and of the Egyptians, and the Egyptians did not come near the Israelites all the night. There is therefore nothing wrong in supposing here also that the holy angel who was the guardian of the synagogue offered supplications in its behalf, and prayed for a respite, in case, yielding to better influence, it might yet bring forth fruit.

But if anyone should say that the vinedresser is the Son, this view also has some reason on its side. For he is our “advocate with the Father” and “the expiation for our sins” (1 John 2:1-2), and the husbandman of our souls. He constantly prunes away whatever injures us, and fills us with rational and holy seeds, so that we may bring forth fruits for him. –St. Cyril of Alexandria, Commentary on Luke, Sermon 96

IN GOD’S PRESENCE, CONSIDER . . .

In Christ and in his angels, I’ve been given everything I need now to grow and bear fruit abundantly. What fruit will the owner of the land find when he comes back to check?

CLOSING PRAYER

Guardian Angel of my parish church, Guardian angel of my diocese, guide us to healthy growth, so that we may bear fruit for Christ.

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