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“Tobias, I need you to take three men over to Zachary’s farm. The olives are ripe and need to be picked today before they rot.”
The man stopped pruning the grapevine and turned to face the speaker, confusion in his face. “But Jesus, we’ve only gotten halfway through this vineyard. If I take three men away, we won’t finish trimming these vines until Friday.”
Jesus nodded to the man. “Yes, I understand. But these grapes are not ripe yet. The olive crop at Zachary’s farm needs harvesting immediately. The entire village depends on Zachary’s olives, so that’s a higher priority for us today.”
The man shrugged. “Okay, you’re the boss. Dan, Hahn and Faddey, come with me. Jesus wants us to pick olives at Zachary’s farm.”
The four men carried the trimmings from their vines over to the edge of the field and dropped them in a pile. After stopping at the cistern for water, they waved to Jesus and walked away.
A few minutes later Nathan appeared at the field. Shielding his eyes as he looked over the work in progress, he commented, “It looks like everything is going well. Wait,” he said suddenly, “where are Faddey, Tobias, Hahn and Dan? Don’t tell me those lazy bums are hiding to avoid their work.”
“No,” Jesus replied quickly, “I sent them to Zachary’s farm for today. They’re needed there. Don’t worry, they’ll be back tomorrow.”
Nathan sputtered in anger. Turning to face Jesus, he said, “Then I’ll cut their wages. I’m not paying them to harvest someone else’s crop!”
“Yes, you are,” Jesus replied calmly. “The more produce we can get to market, the more the people in the city will depend on Nazareth for their food. Today it’s Zachary’s olives. Next month it may be Hozai’s figs. Then it will be your grapes, and then your wine. I will bring workers from those other farms to harvest your crop and produce your wine, just as I’ve sent some of your workers to harvest theirs. You won’t lose anything, and in fact you’ll gain much more. The entire village will gain.”
Nathan’s face still reflected his anger. “But meanwhile I’m the one who’s paying for labor for someone else’s harvest. I’m the one who’s losing money. I have no assurance that those other farmers will repay the favor.”
“You have me,” Jesus replied evenly. “When have I ever let you down? The other workers will come when they are needed, and you are going to have the richest harvest ever.”
Nathan still seemed unsure. “You really think we will be able to produce that much more?” Seeing Jesus nod, he added, “But how would we be able to get that much to market? You know the bandits and the Romans are fleecing everybody on the roads who looks like they have enough to make it worth stealing. I won’t last an hour on the road to the city before they’ve taken everything from me.”
Now Jesus’ face broke into a wide grin. “I’ve got that covered too. Trust me on this. Keep faith.”