The Wall, the Winepress, and the Watchtower

I wrote this poem after reading the passage in Mark 12 about the vineyard and its tenants. What really got me thinking was the phrase in verse one which says this: "A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower." The poem is written in a way that focuses on the care that the Father takes of his children, and various attributes of God. I realize this is not at all the original meaning of the parable, but these are the things that came to my mind when I read that phrase in Mark 12.

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‘Round about His children the Father builds a wall
To keep them from the danger that encompasses them all.
The wall stands tall and firm, hemming each one in,
Helping shield them from the evils of flesh, and self, and sin.

He also builds a winepress, to trample out His fruit
For when it has been crushed it yields up all its juice.
The crimson that flows out from ‘neath the oxen’s feet
Has been pressed, but not destroyed, for its taste is sweet.

Last of all a tower, in which His guards await,
Looks out across the vineyard, watching all the gates.
When the enemy is spotted, there sounds a great alarm
And defenders soon respond by taking up their arms.

The meaning of these verses is carefully explained;
In each one an attribute of the Father is contained.
The wall depicts the strength with which He keeps His own,
In a shelter fortified, instead of leaving them alone.

The winepress shows us how He also tests and tries,
Using suffering and trials, His children to refine.
All is done in love, and when no dross remains
Unharmed they are brought through the purifying flames.

The tower in the field where the guardsmen stand
Is the ever-seeing eye that watches all the lands.
An urgent cry resounds, and warns all those inside
There is refuge in the Lord for those who will abide.

~A.L. 09/04/09