Lord Jesus, you have
endured the doubts and foolish questions of every generation. Forgive us for
trying to be judge over You and grant us the confident faith to acknowledge You
as Lord.
The Parable of the Tenants
12 And he began to
speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it
and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and
went into another country. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant[a] to the
tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they took him
and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another
servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he
sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and
some they killed. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him
to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one
another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be
ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9
What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants
and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture: “‘The
stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;[b] 11 this was the
Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” - Mark 12:1-11
“The vineyard of
the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel” (Isaiah 5:7), which He planted “on a very fertile hill” (Isaiah 5:1). He
did everything for His vineyard, not only clearing it of stones and planting it
with “choice vines,” but also
building the “watchtower” of His
prophets and hewing out the “wine vat”
of His priesthood in its midst (Isaiah 5:2). But when “he looked for it to yield grapes,” there were only “wild grapes” of bloodshed and
unrighteousness (Isaiah 5:2, 7).
The Lord Jesus likewise described the unfaithfulness
of those who were called to care for His vineyard. But in this He also describes
His cross and Passion, by which He has redeemed the vineyard for Himself.
He is the true Vine, planted by death into the ground,
and in His resurrection He brings forth “the
fruits in their seasons.” Among those good grapes of the true Vine is the
apostle Paul. Once a zealous persecutor of the Church, he “suffered the loss of all things” in order to “gain Christ and be found in him,” to “know him and the power of his resurrection” (Philippians 3:8–10).
“This
is the heir” – This is not fair!
Still
another parable of Jesus –
There
was a landowner, who planted a vineyard.
Put
a fence around it.
Dug
a wine press.
And
built a watchtower.
Then
He leased it to tenants. And went to another country.
When
the harvest time had come.
He
sent His slaves to the tenants to collect His produce.
"A
certain owner" happens to be the holder of everything. He built the fence.
Dug the press. And built the tower. He lent it out to "earth
workers." They were hired. To work the ground. It is His fruit after all.
Owners
do not pay rent. Who are you? Do you act as though you are the owner of your
world and the master of your life? You are “tenants.” You do not own this
place. You are not a permanent resident. You are a renter. Obliged to pay rent
for the privilege of being on this earth. You are tenants. Expected to share
the harvest with the Owner. You have a responsibility. To return to God His
just desserts - as owner of the vineyard.
But
the tenants seized His slaves; beat one,
Killed
another, and stoned another.
Again,
He sent other slaves, more than the first;
and
they treated them in the same way.
They
flogged. They violently and maliciously killed. Notice the progressive acts of
violence. Sin compounds sin. It gets worse and WORSE. They are asserting a
dominion they do not have. They are not behaving in a manner recognizing the
King as the owner.
When
a prophet was killed, He kept on sending other prophets and servants. What a
remarkable contrast to what most would have done under similar circumstances.
Finally,
He sent His Son to them, saying, ‘They
will respect my Son.’
But
when the tenants saw the Son, they said to themselves,
‘This
is the heir; come, let us kill Him and get His inheritance;”
So
they seized Him, threw Him out of the vineyard, and killed Him.
This
owner. By earthly standards is reckless. And way too patient and lenient. He sent, at last, His Son...”they will have
regard for Him my beloved...”they will be shamed by the Son.
The
incomprehensible patience and love of the Father produces an unexpected, odd
response.
So
what do you do when you run across a problem with a troublesome renter? In most
cases, you demonstrate, patience – but ultimately and finally, patience has a
limit. So also, with God.
Time
after time, He came for His due until finally He makes the ultimate appeal in
His Son. These earth workers kill Him. And possess the inheritance. This
inheritance. It is a gift. This is NOT fair! It makes no sense. You killed My
Son. So now, I'll write you into the will, so you receive the inheritance. This
is the foolishness of the cross. Your sin kills Jesus! And you receive the
inheritance...forgiveness, life, salvation...It's not fair! But it’s grace.
The
Lord continues to demonstrate His patience. He is still giving you time - to
bring forth the fruit of faith. He continues to love and seek your love. He
continues to provide those means which you need to receive His mercy and care.
True,
they received Him. Took Him out of the
vineyard. And killed Him. Rebellious tenants kill the Son in the hope of taking
over the vineyard by force. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will
He do to those tenants?”
They
said to Him, “He will put these wretches to a wretched death and give the
vineyard to other workers. And lease the vineyard to other tenants. Who will
give Him the produce at the harvest time?”
Jesus
said to them, “Have you never read in the scriptures:
‘The
stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
this
was the Lord’s doing, and it is amazing in our eyes’?
Therefore,
I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you
and
given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom.
The
one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces;
and
it will crush anyone on whom it falls.”
The
Church has, always used these words. The point is the kingdom will be given to
others. Peter, on the day of Pentecost, reminds the crowd, “you killed
Him...repent...and your sin will be blotted out...He will be faithful and just
and cleanse you from all unrighteousness.” This is unfair, unexpected, and Good
News.
God
brings repentance. He brings contrition.
He brings faith. God brings them all to repentance. This is how the
gospel works. The Son dies. And the murders receive the inheritance!
When
the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables,
they
realized that he was speaking about them.
They
wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds,
because
they had Him out to be a prophet.
The
patience of God also has its limits. Eventually this world will end. Then there
will be a final judgment. In these last times. If people reject the Gospel, it
will be taken from one and handed to others.
History
has demonstrated this reality. The Gospel message began in Jerusalem. It
spilled into Judea, Samaria. Finally, the continent of Africa became the
epicenter of the Christian movement. Over time, it found its prominence in
Europe, then the Americas, and now Africa has become the hub of world
Christianity. Luther reminds us that the Gospel is like a cloud. If it is not
embraced in one place, it moves on, to nourish another people - somewhere else.
Spurn
not His mercy. Receive the tokens of His grace, His compassion, His leniency,
His grace.
The Holy Bible, English Standard
Version. ESV® Text Edition: 2016. Copyright © 2001 by Crossway Bibles, a
publishing ministry of Good News Publishers.
