While I was fasting, sitting on a certain mountain, and giving thanks to the Lord for everything He had done with me, I saw the shepherd sitting beside me. He said, “Why have you come here so early in the morning?” “Because, Sir,” I said, “I am keeping a station.” “What is a station?” he asked. “I am fasting, Sir,” I said. “And what is this fast that you observe?” he asked. “I fast as I have been accustomed to do, Sir,” I said. “You do not know,” he said, “how to fast to the Lord, nor is this unprofitable fast that you observe for Him really a fast.” “Why do you say this, Sir?” I asked. “I tell you,” he said, “that this is not the fast you think you are observing. But I will teach you what a fast acceptable and complete to the Lord is. Listen. God does not desire this kind of empty fast, for by fasting to God in this way you accomplish nothing toward righteousness. Instead, fast to God with a fast like this: do no evil in your life, but serve the Lord with a pure heart. Keep His commandments, walk in His ordinances, and let no evil desire rise in your heart. Believe God; for if you do these things, fear Him, and exercise self-control from every evil deed, you will live to God. If you do these things, you will keep a great fast, one acceptable to God.”
“Listen to the parable I am about to tell you concerning fasting. A certain man had an estate and many servants, and he planted a vineyard in one part of the estate. He chose a certain servant who was faithful, pleasing, and honored, called him, and said to him, ‘Take this vineyard that I planted and fence it until I return, but do nothing else to the vineyard. Keep this command of mine, and you will be free with me.’ Then the servant’s master left on a journey. After he had gone, the servant fenced the vineyard. When he finished fencing it, he saw that the vineyard was full of weeds. So he reasoned within himself, ‘I have fulfilled this command of my lord. Now I will dig this vineyard as well, and once it is dug it will be more beautiful. Without weeds it will give more fruit, because the weeds will not choke it.’ He dug the vineyard and pulled up all the weeds that were in it. That vineyard became very beautiful and flourishing, with no weeds choking it. After some time, the master of the servant and of the estate returned and entered the vineyard. When he saw the vineyard beautifully fenced, and also dug, with all the weeds pulled up and the vines flourishing, he rejoiced greatly over the servant’s work. So he called his beloved son, whom he had as his heir, and the friends who were his advisers, and told them what he had commanded his servant and what he found had been done. They rejoiced with the servant because of the testimony his master had given him. The master said to them, ‘I promised this servant freedom if he kept the command I gave him. He kept my command and added a good work to the vineyard, and this pleased me greatly. Therefore, because of this work he has done, I want to make him a co-heir with my son, because when he conceived the good thing, he did not disregard it but carried it out.’ The master’s son agreed with this purpose, that the servant should become a co-heir with the son. A few days later the master held a feast and sent the servant many foods from the feast. When the servant received the foods sent to him by his master, he took what was sufficient for himself and distributed the rest to his fellow servants. His fellow servants received the food and rejoiced, and they began to pray for him, that he might find still greater favor with the master because he had treated them so well. His master heard about everything that had happened and again rejoiced greatly over his conduct. The master once more called together his friends and his son and told them what the servant had done with the food he had received. They approved all the more that the servant should become a co-heir with his son.”
I said, “Sir, I do not understand these parables, nor can I grasp them unless you explain them to me.” “I will explain everything to you,” he said, “including whatever I speak with you. I will show you His commandments. But if you do some good thing beyond the commandment of God, you will gain greater glory for yourself and will be more glorious before God than you would otherwise have been. Therefore, if while keeping God’s commandments you also add these acts of service, you will rejoice, if you observe them according to my command.” I said to him, “Sir, whatever you command me, I will keep, for I know that you are with me.” “I will be with you,” he said, “because you have such eagerness to do good; and I will also be with all who have this eagerness. This fasting,” he said, “is very good when the commandments of the Lord are kept. Therefore this is how you will keep the fast you are going to observe. First of all, guard yourself from every evil word and every evil desire, and cleanse your heart from all the vanities of this age. If you keep these things, this fast will be perfect for you. And you will do it this way: after fulfilling what has been written, on the day you fast taste nothing except bread and water. Calculate the amount you would have spent that day on the foods you would otherwise have eaten, and give it to a widow, an orphan, or someone in need. In this way you will humble yourself, so that the person who receives from your humility may satisfy his own soul and pray to the Lord for you. If, then, you complete the fast in this way, as I have commanded you, your sacrifice will be acceptable to God, and this fast will be recorded; and service performed in this way is good, joyful, and well-pleasing to the Lord. You are to observe these things in this way, together with your children and your whole household. By observing them you will be blessed; and all who hear these things and observe them will be blessed, and whatever they ask from the Lord they will receive.”
I pleaded with him earnestly to explain to me the parable of the estate, the master, the vineyard, the servant who fenced the vineyard, the fences, the weeds pulled out of the vineyard, the son, and the friends who were advisers, for I understood that all these things were a parable. He answered me, “You are far too insistent in your questioning. You ought not to ask anything at all,” he said, “for if something needs to be explained to you, it will be explained.” I said to him, “Sir, whatever you show me without explaining it, I will have seen in vain because I do not understand what it is. In the same way, if you speak parables to me and do not interpret them for me, I will have heard something from you in vain.” Again he answered me, saying, “Whoever is a servant of God and has his Lord in his heart asks Him for understanding and receives it, and he interprets every parable, and the words of the Lord spoken through parables become known to him. But those who are weak and idle in intercession hesitate to ask from the Lord. Yet the Lord is abundant in compassion and gives continually to all who ask from Him. But you, having been strengthened by the holy angel and having received from him such intercession, and not being idle—why do you not ask the Lord for understanding and receive it from Him?” I said to him, “Sir, since I have you with me, I need to ask you and question you, for you show me everything and speak with me. But if I saw or heard these things apart from you, I would ask the Lord that they might be explained to me.”
“I told you just now,” he said, “that you are crafty and insistent when you ask for the interpretations of the parables. But since you are so persistent, I will interpret for you the parable of the estate and everything else connected with it, so that you may make these things known to everyone. Listen now,” he said, “and understand them. The estate is this world. The Lord of the estate is the One who created all things, completed them, and gave them strength. The servant is the Son of God. The vines are this people, whom He Himself planted. The fences are the holy angels of the Lord who hold His people together. The weeds pulled out of the vineyard are the lawless deeds of the servants of God. The foods He sent to the servant from the feast are the commandments He gave His people through His Son. The friends and advisers are the holy angels who were created first. The master’s absence is the time remaining until His coming.” I said to him, “Sir, all these things are great, marvelous, and glorious. Could I possibly have understood them?” “No,” he said, “nor could any other person understand them, even if he were very intelligent.” “Then explain to me also, Sir,” I said, “what I am about to ask you.” “Speak,” he said, “if there is something you want.” “Why, Sir,” I asked, “is the Son of God presented in the parable in the manner of a servant?”
“Listen,” he said. “The Son of God is not presented in the manner of a servant, but in great authority and lordship.” “How so, Sir?” I asked. “I do not understand.” “Because,” he said, “God planted the vineyard—that is, He created the people—and entrusted them to His Son. The Son appointed the angels over them to preserve them, and He Himself cleansed their sins, laboring greatly and enduring many toils; for no vineyard can be dug without labor or toil. Having Himself cleansed the sins of the people, He showed them the paths of life, giving them the law that He received from His Father. As for why the master took his son and the glorious angels as advisers concerning the servant’s inheritance, listen. God caused the pre-existent Holy Spirit, which created the whole creation, to dwell in flesh that He willed. This flesh, therefore, in which the Holy Spirit dwelt, served the Spirit well, walking in reverence and purity and in no way defiling the Spirit. Since the flesh had lived well and purely, had shared the Spirit’s labor and cooperated with the Spirit in every matter, conducting itself strongly and courageously, He chose it as a partner with the Holy Spirit. For the course of this flesh was pleasing, because while possessing the Holy Spirit it had not been defiled on the earth. Therefore He took the son and the glorious angels as advisers, so that this flesh also, having served the Spirit blamelessly, might have some place of dwelling and might not seem to have lost the reward of its service. For every flesh found undefiled and spotless, in which the Holy Spirit has dwelt, will receive a reward. You now have the interpretation of this parable also.”
I said, “I was very glad, Sir, to hear this interpretation.” “Listen now,” he said. “Keep this flesh of yours pure and undefiled, so that the Spirit dwelling in it may bear witness for it and your flesh may be justified. Take care that the thought never enters your heart that this flesh of yours is perishable and that you therefore misuse it in some defilement. If you defile your flesh, you will also defile the Holy Spirit; and if you defile the flesh, you will not live.” “But if, Sir,” I said, “there was some earlier ignorance before these words were heard, how can a person who has defiled his flesh be saved?” “For the former acts of ignorance,” he said, “God alone is able to give healing, for all authority belongs to Him, if from now on you do not defile your flesh or the Spirit. For the two share together and cannot be defiled apart from one another. Therefore keep both pure, and you will live to God.”