Discussion on the parable of the vineyard

No more than 22 sermons delivered by St. Cyril of Alexandria during his episcopal service in Alexandria. Some of them survive in fragments. "Discourse on the Parable of the Vineyard" is the 17th homily. In it St. Cyril gives an allegorical interpretation of the 3rd, 6th, 9th and 11th hours in the parable of the hired workers (Matt. 20:1-16) as 4 periods of God’s economy: before the law, subordinate, prophetic and evangelical. According to St. Cyril, the Householder is the Lord, the house is the world, the vineyard is human nature, and the workers of the vineyard are saints working to save people. Until the 9th hour (before the Incarnation), the Old Testament saints worked in this vineyard, and at the 11th hour the Master, coming out and seeing the idle pagans, hired them: “And so the idle became laborers; for this Church, which was once idle, is now working; the face of the apostles, martyrs, ascetics, monastics, holy virgins, virgins and those living in an honest marriage works. And this Church deservedly took one denarius. A person who works so quickly can do in one hour the same thing as someone who has worked since early morning.” “Likewise... there is the kingdom of heaven for the homely man, who went out in the morning to hire laborers for his grapes” (Matthew 20:1). You have heard, beloved, the gospel parable of the Lord; listen to our best explanation. The ruler of the great house is the Lord God, for the house is the world; The Lord who created it is God. His vineyard is human nature; the workers of the vineyard are saints working to save people. The first hour signifies the time of the pious under Abel, Enoch and Noah, for they were the first worshipers of God, that is, the first workers of the vineyard. So Noah—mean this in a spiritual sense, for words are spiritual (mysterious)—planted a vineyard. They worked until the 3rd hour. The time after the 3rd hour is the period of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob, for they too are the workers of our salvation, three in number, which is why they worked until the 6th hour. From the 6th hour - the middle of the day, when the sun illuminates the universe brighter - this is the time of the law, because now the true light - our God - has illuminated humanity with the commandments of the law. Thus, indeed, “the commandment of the Lord is bright, enlightening the eyes” (Ps. 18.9), and also: “light are Thy commandments” (Is. 26.9). From the 6th hour - noon. Indeed, when the times reached the end from the beginning of the world until the end of time, then Moses and Aaron were sent as the noon ray, and here is the cult of the law until the 8th hour. The ninth hour is the time of the spirit-bearing prophets, for they too, as wonderful workers, were sent by the Master of the House to cultivate the vineyard of our soul until the 10th hour. The tenth hour is the coming of the Only Begotten; for at the end of time, after the fulfillment of the ages, the Son of God, the Word of God, came down to us; and just as from the 11th hour to the 12th there is already one last hour (time), so from the coming of Christ until the fulfillment (of the centuries) is one year (time). Listen to what John says: “Children, this is the last hour” (1 John 2:18). You see that the Lord of the vineyard, coming out at the 11th hour and finding idle people, hired them. Who are these idle people? We are of tongues, for we were idle from the knowledge of God, idle from good deeds. And he says to them: “Why are you standing here idle all day” (Matthew 20:6)? He called the time from the beginning of the creation of the world until the coming of Him (the Savior) a whole day, for hitherto the pagans were idle, not knowing God, for no one hired us, they answer. The pagans are prudent: indeed, no one hired them - neither the law nor the prophets; the latter were sent to Israel, and not to the Gentiles. Therefore, they answer very sensibly, as if no one hired us. But the good Householder says: “You too go and work in my grapes, and if there is righteousness, I will give it to you” (Matthew 20:4). And so the idle became laborers; for this Church, which was once idle, is now working: “the face of the apostles, martyrs, ascetics, monastics, holy virgins, virgins and those living in honest marriages is working.” And this Church deservedly took one denarius. A person who works so quickly can do in one hour the same thing as someone who has been working since early morning. So in one hour the thief heard: “Today you will be with me in paradise” (Luke 23:43). But listen to what they say: we have suffered “burden and burden” (Matthew 20:12). They say the truth: “during the period of the law the pagans did not bear the yoke of the law, and yet they were equal to the first in work.” Friend, he says, I don’t offend you. The righteous Judge does not offend. And so that the words: I want to give this, as I do to you, you do not consider partiality, and not a matter of grace, think like this: no matter how much we do, no matter how much we work, we do nothing worthy of the price: “all the truth of man is like an unclean port” (Is. 64:6). Everything is a work of grace, as Paul says: “we will be justified through His grace” (Rom. 3:24): and “not because of works, lest anyone should boast” (Eph. 2:9). The gift of God is not because we do not work, but because we cannot do anything worthy of a reward. For it is said: when you have done all that is commanded to you, say, for we are unimpeachable servants, as we must do them, and do them. In fact, you give bread to the poor, but you receive the Kingdom of Heaven as an inheritance - you see what it means: I want to give... And further: “even if your eye is evil, because I am good” (Matthew 20:15). He did not say that the saints are evil; on the contrary: “Are you not evil, since I am good”? For truly He is good in goodness. It is not according to work, therefore, the pay: the work is insignificant, but the reward is great (Isaiah 64:4). You gave a thirsty cup of water to drink, and you receive “without sight or ear” (1 Cor. 2:9). You see how good He is. And He begins from the last to the first because the first will be last: and I will call My people My people (Hos. 2:23) and then: “until the fullness of the tongues has come” (Rom. 11:25-26) in Christ. Jesus our Lord, to whom be glory and dominion forever and ever. You might be interested in: