As I was walking in the field and observing an elm and a vine and considering them and their fruits, the shepherd appeared to me and said: "What are you seeking within yourself concerning the elm and the vine?" "I am pondering, Lord," I say, "because they are most fitting to one another."
"These two trees," he says, "are set as a type for the servants of God." "I would like, Lord," I say, "to know the type of these trees of which you speak." "Do you see," he says, "the elm and the vine?" "I see them, Lord," I say.
"This vine," he says, "bears fruit, but the elm is a fruitless tree; yet this vine, unless it climbs upon the elm, cannot bear much fruit when it lies cast upon the ground, and the fruit it bears it bears rotten, not being held up upon the elm. When, therefore, the vine is laid upon the elm, it bears fruit both from itself and from the elm.
You see, then, that the elm also gives much fruit, not less than the vine, but rather even more." "How, Lord," I say, "more?" "Because," he says, "the vine, when it hangs upon the elm, gives much and good fruit, but when it lies on the ground it bears little and rotten fruit. This parable, then, is set for the servants of God—for the poor man and the rich."
"How so, Lord? Make it known to me." "Listen," he says: "the rich man has wealth, but toward the Lord he is poor, being distracted about his riches, and he has very little intercession and confession toward the Lord; and what he has is feeble and small and without any power. When, therefore, the rich man rests upon the poor man and supplies him with what he needs, he believes that, by working for the poor man, he will be able to find his reward with God—because the poor man is rich in intercession and in confession, and his intercession has great power with God. So the rich man supplies the poor man with everything without hesitation.
And the poor man, being supplied by the rich, intercedes with God, giving thanks to him on behalf of the one who gives to him; and the rich man is still zealous concerning the poor man, that he may not fail in his life. For he knows that the intercession of the poor man is acceptable and rich before the Lord.
Both, then, accomplish the work: the poor man works by his intercession, in which he is rich, which he received from the Lord; this he renders back to the Lord who supplies him. And the rich man likewise, without hesitation, bestows upon the poor man the wealth which he received from the Lord. And this is a great work and acceptable before God, because he understood concerning his wealth and labored for the poor man out of the gifts of the Lord, and fulfilled his ministry rightly.
Among men, then, the elm seems not to bear fruit, and they neither know nor understand that, when a drought comes, the elm, having water, nourishes the vine, and the vine, having a constant supply of water, renders double fruit, both for itself and for the elm. So also the poor, by interceding with the Lord on behalf of the rich, complete their riches, and again the rich, by supplying the poor with what they need, complete their prayers.
Both, then, become partners in the righteous work. He, therefore, who does these things will not be forsaken by God, but will be written in the books of the living.
Blessed are those who have and understand that they are made rich by the Lord; for he who understands this will be able also to render some good service.