:: By Andrew Moore
In this passage, Mark chapter 12, Jesus tells the story of a landowner who has leased his vineyard.
You might like to imagine the Hunter Valley.
(pause)
A vineyard.
A landowner… Mr Mcguigan/ Mr Rosemont.
Read v 1b-c.
In the days of Jesus this was very common.
The whole of the upper Jordan valley and a large part of Galilee were owned by FOREIGN landlords.
And this sort of arrangement was common.
There would be a contract with the tenants… rent would have to be paid, in the form of a portion of the produce. And the owner lived away….
And the tenants were left to work. To water, to weed and to fertilise, … the things you do.
And to pick the grapes … and make wine.
I think it would have been fun in the old days when they used to get inside the big vats in their speedos (?) and stomp …. It must have been like one big food fight.
(pause)
Well, you know the story,… things became very bad from here on.
Read verse 2.
Read verse 3.
Read verse 4.
Read verse 5.
Notice the increasing violence… from bashing then treating shamefully (perhaps that means rape),… to murder, then multiple bashing and murder.
These tenants are tenants from hell.
Around here it’s the back packers who are the tenants from hell.
These guys make Alex Yim’s flatmates look like angels.
(pause)
Well see it in v 7- the owner sends his son.
His “beloved Son”. He believes that his Son will command the respect which is obviously missing with the other servants.
A fateful mistake.
Read v 6b
Reav v 7.
His Son is killed and not even given the honour of a proper burial… – he is thrown over the fence for the dogs and birds to devour.
And so we reach the climax of the story—> Read v 9a.
Read v 9b
Jesus quotes from Psalm 118
Read v 10
(pause)
Now this is a parable.
And you might remember from last year when we looked at Mark chapter 4, parables were the manner in which Jesus spoke to the crowds.
And the purpose of parables (unlike we might have originally thought), was to conceal as well as reveal.
If you are on the outside, it was to conceal. To hide…
Everything is said in parables… so you might “be ever seeing, and never perceiving, ever hearing but never understanding, …”, (Mark chapter 4).
And parables teased the crowds and teased the religious leaders… Jesus would say- “he who has ears to hear let him hear”.
In chapter 12 verse 12, the religious leaders know that this parable was told AGAINST them.
BUT to those on the inside, parables revealed… The parables had a message, … a message that only those who had been given the secret of the kingdom of God could understand.
And Jesus would explain that meaning in private.
(pause)
Now this parable … where is the explanation? Where is the real meaning ?
Well, it is in the events which follow.
As you may have worked out, this is talking about the death of Jesus.
(pause)
Let’s clarify it.
Q…
1. Who is the owner?
2. Who are the tenants?
3. Who is the vineyard?
4. Who is at fault —> it’s interesting, in Isaiah 5 the vineyard is still is at fault… it produces wild grapes. And there are no tenants.
In Mark 12, it is the tenants who are at fault.
The religious leaders… Jesus is directing this at the leaders.
(pause)
What is it about the landowner that makes us think this he is God?
For in many ways, this doesn’t sound like God – God is not an absentee ruler. – He is not a businessman. – God doesn’t use us as his slaves, then disappear from the scene,… and USE us as his hired servants to make money. – Also this owner seems a bit stupid. Sending his beloved son after the tenants have already killed three of his servants, – after all of what’s happened he expects them to “respect my son!”. – It reads like a big mistake to me… is that what’s about to happen… Jesus will die as a big mistake?…
… Jesus is in complete control of events in the gospel… 3 times he has predicted his death and resurrection, and all 3 predictions were made before he arrived in Jerusalem.
Well, we need to be careful about drawing too much theology from parables.
Parables usually have one main point.
And there are some important clues-
v 12.
This is obviously directed against the religious leaders of Israel.
In chapter 11:18, the representatives of the Sanhedrin (the council) are there at the temple on day 2 of Jesus’ entries into Jerusalem.
Isaiah 5:1-7 lies in the background.
There are a number of parallels-
The vineyard, the planting, the digging, the fence or wall, the watchtower… it’s all there in Isaiah 5.
Although there is that difference which I’ve mentioned.
And the climax of the story,… is verse 9… in the form of a question.
(read).
The point?
The point is, you (the religious leaders) have really stuffed up.
You are in deep trouble.
God who is patient… has sent messengers to warn you again and again….
Jeremiah (Jer 7.25), Jeremiah 7:2 (NRSV) God says-
2 “Stand in the gate of the LORD’s house, and proclaim there this word, and say, Hear the word of the LORD, all you people of Judah, you that enter these gates to worship the LORD. AMMEND your ways!!”
Amos (Amos 3:7),
Zechariah (Zech 1:6),
… the servants are the prophets.
And of course the latest servant, a contemporary of Jesus…who is it? (Q)…. John the Baptist- “Immediately the king sent an executioner with order to bring John’s head. He went and beheaded him in the prison….”.
That is how God’s servant’s are treated.
And the “beloved Son”…. Mark 1:11, at the baptism of Jesus a voice comes from heaven “you are my beloved Son; with you I am well pleased”.
At the transfiguration of Jesus, with Peter, James and John – “This is my beloved Son; listen to him”.
And as is consistent with how you have treated God’s prophets, who have come from God to call you back to the Law of Moses… you will kill his beloved Son—> And it will signal the judgement of God.
And the sacred trust of the chosen people (the vineyard), will be given to the new Israel of God.
And Jesus will reign. He will rule… his name will be honoured by all- the rough, unpolished stone, the stone rejected, thrown on the rubbish pile, will be lifted up and put into the most important structural part of the building, – it will be the cornerstone or capstone.
And so here is the warning for them… You will kill Jesus, but GOD will destroy you. And God will reverse your plotting, reverse the bashing, the murderous destruction, of God’s final messenger, in a startling display of his power.
He will turn defeat into triumph.
Acts 17:30-31:
30 While God has overlooked the times of human ignorance, now he commands all people everywhere to repent, 31 because he has fixed a day on which he will have the world judged in righteousness by a man whom he has appointed, and of this he has given assurance to all by raising him from the dead.”
Ephesians 1:20-23 (NRSV)
20 God put this power to work in Christ when he raised him from the dead and seated him at his right hand in the heavenly places, 21 far above all rule and authority and power and dominion, and above every name that is named, not only in this age but also in the age to come. 22 And he has put all things under his feet and has made him the head over all things for the church, 23 which is his body, the fullness of him who fills all in all.
(pause)
It is an amazing thing that the people who should know a good stone from a bad stone did not recognize the best stone.
Mark 6:6 says, “Jesus marveled because of their unbelief.” In John he said to Nicodemus, one of the “builders,” “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand this?”
Even today there is no guarantee that the “builders“—the religious experts, the university theologians, the clergy, the bishops—recognize the stone.
Two years ago a theology professor from the University of Leeds in England was appointed Bishop of Durham. In the process he announced that the Resurrection of Jesus was a “conjuring trick with bones.” He didn’t believe in the resurrection- there is a “builder” who still is rejecting the stone.
The bishop’s words reached Muslim people in Sri Lanka, half way around the world. Immediately they began aggressive visitation campaigns to Christians saying that there is no reason for conflict any more since Christians and Moslems both agree now that Jesus is merely a prophet to be honored, not the Son of God to be worshiped. One Anglican rector in Sri Lanka said, “They are killing us with our bishop’s own words.” The “builders” are still rejecting the corner stone and in many churches the walls and the mission are in disarray.”
Bishop Spong of course from the Episcopal church in America is another example. You can walk into Dimmocks or Angus and Robertson, and you’ll find his books on the shelf.
He doesn’t believe in the resurrection.
He doesn’t believe in hell.
He doesn’t believe in repentance.
(pause)
This parable is the gospel of Mark in minature.
The gospel in 12 verses
Jesus has come… the long awaited Son of God. The King, the heir.
He comes from God.
He will die and rise again… and return to judge the world.
And Mark invites US to make an assessment.
To make an assessment of the assessment of others who were there with Jesus- the religious leaders.
Will you stand with Jesus, or will you stand against him?.
(pause)
You have charge, a responsibility, trust (even if it’s just your own life) …what have you done with it?
We do together as a church as well… as one generation takes over the management of this church, this diocese,… what a responsibility!.
And God will call us to account!.
… We are tenants.
One of the wrong things that Western culture teaches us, is that if you work for it, you own it.
Even, if you’re given it, you own it!.
“John Piper has this to say to retired couples in his book “don’t waste your life”: The message of our world is : you’ve worked for it, now enjoy it. And what is the “it”? Twenty years of play and leisure. While the world sinks under the weight of millions of healthy older people fishing, cruising, puttering, playing golf, bridge, bingo, shuffle board, and collecting shells.
All of this in preparation for meeting Jesus Christ face to face with nail scars in his hands.
Possessions are given to us so that by the way we use them, we can show that they are not our treasure, but Christ is our treasure. Money is given to us so that we will use it in a way that shows money is not treasure, but Christ is our treasure.”
(pause)
—> God owns us.
We are just tenants.
And God expects us to be good tenants.
- I own a car, a house, I have money in the bank, I get paid each fortnight …. God has given this to me (mostly through generous family members, but still, they’ve given it to me!)… And I need to lay everything at the foot of Jesus…and pray that I use these resources as God would want me.
- And of course –there is the gospel!! It’s the greatest gift of all. And Paul says to the tenant (translated farmer in 2 Timothy 2:6), to work hard… share in the suffering… and you will be first to share in the fruit of the crops. Endure everything for the sake of the elect….
That was the problem with the religious leaders… they did not serve God’s elect, they were self-serving… self centred, they were not SERVANTS- they were little Lords… and when the Son returned they will lose this right.
What will God say when he returns, to You?
There is one of 2 things-
- Well done, good and faithful servant,
(and that will be the sweetest…. Most wonderful……)
- Or “You fool, tonight your life will be demanded of you??”
(and that will be horrible)
Read Mark 12:10.
Have you not read this Scripture: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
Let’s pray.