Poetry · Chapter
Go Work in My Vineyard explained
The narrator describes a divine call to labor in the Lord's vineyard, gathering the bruised grain left by reapers.
What happens
The narrator describes a divine call to labor in the Lord's vineyard, gathering the bruised grain left by reapers. Despite initial pain and weariness, a dream reveals the need to help the fallen and wounded. The task becomes sacred, and the narrator finds peace and hope that even broken offerings will be precious to God.
Themes in this chapter
Resilience and Sacrifice
The narrator persists in the painful task of gathering bruised grain, sacrificing personal comfort for divine service.
Hope and Redemption
The broken sheaves are seen as precious in God's sight, and the mists vanish before His smile, promising light at eventide.
Characters to notice
- Unknown Narrator
The speaker who hears the Lord's call, labors in pain, and finds divine purpose in gathering the bruised grain.
- Christ
The Lord who commands the work in the vineyard and whose smile brings light at eventide.
Key passages
“Go work in my vineyard, said the Lord, And gather the bruised grain; But the reapers had left the stubble bare, And I trod the soil in pain.”
The Lord commands me to labor in his vineyard, collecting the damaged grain that the harvesters left behind, and I walk the field in suffering.
The opening lines establish the divine call and the painful reality of the task.
“My hands were weak, but I reached them out To feebler ones than mine, And over the shadows of my life Stole the light of a peace divine.”
Though my own strength was small, I extended help to those even weaker, and a heavenly peace quietly illuminated the darkness of my existence.
The narrator finds peace through helping others despite personal weakness.
“And when the reapers shall lay their grain On the floors of golden light, I feel that mine with its broken sheaves Shall be precious in His sight.”
When the harvesters present their full crops in the heavenly threshing floor, I believe my humble, broken offering will also be valued by God.
The narrator expresses hope that even imperfect service is accepted by God.