Parable 2

2.1 The Elm Tree and the Vine

I was walking in the country and noticed an elm tree and a vine, and was thinking about them and their fruit. The shepherd appeared to me and said, “What are you asking yourself about the elm tree and the vine?” “I am considering,” I said, “sir, that they are well suited to one another.”  “These two trees,” he said, “are given as a type for the servants of God.” “I would like,” I said, “to know the type of these trees of which you speak.” “Do you see,” he said, “the elm tree and the vine?” “I see,” I said, “sir.”  “The vine,” he said, “this vine bears fruit, but the elm tree is unfruitful. But this vine, unless it climbs the elm, it is not able to bear much fruit, being spread on the ground, and what fruit it bears, it bears rotten, not hanging upon the elm. Therefore when the vine is attached to the elm and it bears fruit from itself and from the elm.  Therefore you see that the elm tree also gives much fruit, not less than the vine but instead even more.” “How,” I said, “sir, even more?” “Because,” he said, “the vine, hanging upon the elm, gives abundant and beautiful fruit, but being spread on the ground it bears sparse and rotten fruit. Therefore this parable is applicable to the servants of God, to the poor and the rich.”  “How,” I said, “sir? Make it known to me.” “Listen,” he said. “The rich person has wealth, but he is poor to the Lord, being distracted with his own riches, and he has very little intercession and praise to the Lord, and what he has is feeble and small and has no other power. Therefore when the rich person relies upon the poor and supplies to him what is necessary, he believes that if he does something for the poor, he will be able to find a reward with God because the poor person is rich in intercession and in praise, and his intercession has great power with God. Therefore the rich person provides all things without hesitation to the poor.  But the poor person, being provided for by the rich, intercedes to God, giving thanks to him for the one who gives to him, and that one is even more zealous for the poor, that he may lack nothing in his life, for he knows that the intercession of the poor is acceptable and rich to the Lord.  Therefore both of them complete the work: the poor person works in intercession, in which he is rich, which he received from the Lord; this he pays back to the Lord who provides to him. And the rich person likewise supplies without hesitation the wealth which he received from the Lord to the poor. And this work is great and acceptable with God because the rich person understands about his wealth and works for the poor with the gifts of the Lord and completes the ministry rightly.  Therefore, among people the elm tree seems not to bear fruit, and they do not know or understand that when there is drought, the elm tree, having water, nourishes the vine, and the vine, continuously having water, gives double the fruit, both for itself and for the elm. So also the poor, interceding to the Lord for the rich, complement their wealth, and again the rich, providing to the poor what is necessary, complement their prayers.  Therefore they both become partners in the righteous work. Therefore the one who does these things will not be deserted by God, but will be recorded in the books of the living.  Blessed are those who have wealth and understand that they have been made wealthy by the Lord, for the one who understands this will also be able to do some good ministry.”

Brannan, Rick, trans. 2012. The Apostolic Fathers in English. Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.