The Vine and the Hedge

Reference Passage:

Restore us, O LORD God Almighty; 
               make Your face shine upon us,
                                  that we may be saved. (Psalm 80:19)

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A certain man planted a vineyard. The speciality of his plantation was the fact that he possessed a mysterious power to keep his estate agelessly fruitful. This also meant that usually, there was no need for cutting down or burning of any sort, anywhere on His property.

The vine flourished under his care and grew in stature and maturity. Its fruit was greatly in demand as word spread like wild fire, that it could bring healing from maladies of all sorts. People flocked to the gates, as the gracious owner handed out the fruit, free of cost. Even then, as is customary of private property, the man had placed a protective hedge around the fruitful vine, away from the control of every undesired influence.

Sadly for the vine, its ego blossomed in proportion to its frame, and soon the hedge was looked upon as a hindrance, than a blessing. The vine greedily eyed the boundless freedom beyond. Surely, I wasn't meant to limit myself to the whims of this man, it thought to itself, there appears to be a greater market outside, and I'll have greater demand, if I were there. Day after day, the vine grew increasingly uncomfortable at the vine dresser's presence, and the fruit became half-hearted. The wise man soon noticed the change of attitude, and tried talking the vine out of its folly. However, when he saw that he couldn't prevail, he agreed to the wishes of the vine and removed the hedge, albeit with great sorrow of heart, for he knew what was coming.

The sulking vine, having achieved its freedom, put on its best and greenest smile once again. As passersby gathered at the spot, hands were soon shoved in, twisting and turning the branches, hoping to grab a handful of the miracle fruit. The vine grimaced with pain, but told itself that it would eventually get used to the attention and everything would be all right. How wrong it was!

One night, there was a strange sound heard from the base of the plant. The vine was shocked to see a boar dig furiously, in search of some elusive worm. As the ground gave way to the frenzied activity, tremors seized the vine like never before. Oblivious to the vine's anguish, the boar continued its attack, until it finally snapped up the little wiggler and walked away with a slurp. The vine was now a pitiable sight indeed, for all that remained was a mangled mess, sans glory, sans fruit – a burden to its place and fit only to be burned.

In those dying moments, the vine lifted its eyes to the hedge that stood guarding the rest of the owner's property, and beheld the ultimate surprise. In the moonlight, the outer side of the hedge was visible and bore all the marks of the very reality, that the vine was now trapped in. Life's irony made its final move – in the dusk of death, the dawn of truth made a fleeting appearance. Being within the confines of the hedge had kept the vine away from the pain that the hedge had taken upon itself, each time the boar paid a visit. The past suddenly made so much sense, but was it not too late for regret?

Great are the provisions of the Cross of Christ whereby God has planted us within His Plan. Love and sorrow mingled there because our salvation and sanctification never really was free. Fruitful by His power, we became channels of blessing in His hands. Yet, our gifts assumed greater priority than God's project, which is why we find ourselves outside the hedge singing "Its my life." Our talents are used and abused, for the world's entertainment and our pride. There is something fundamentally wrong in the 'no-rules' approach to Christian life, in claiming freedom to do anything and everything, without the discernment to see the safety lines that God has drawn.

Soon, when every drop of spirituality and truth has been squeezed out, we'll be quickly forgotten and fit to be 'burnt'.

Do we look to the Cross today and find instructions for life, or would we rather turn a blind eye, until its too late?