In 1483, King Edward IV died unexpectedly, leaving the throne to his young son, Edward V. Because the boy was too young to rule, his uncle Richard was entrusted as Lord Protector — a caretaker of the realm until the rightful king could come of age. At first, Richard claimed loyalty to his nephew. But ambition grew in his heart. He declared Edward and his brother illegitimate, imprisoned them in the Tower of London, and within months had himself crowned king. The princes vanished — most believe they were murdered on Richard’s orders. Richard had taken for himself the kingdom he was only meant to guard. But his reign was short and troubled. Just two years later, Richard III was killed at the Battle of Bosworth Field. His betrayal had brought his own destruction.
Power is a unique kind of temptation. Even those who start with the best of intentions, those who want to serve their country, will be corrupted by its allurement. It is clear from history and from the story of the Bible, that no man can keep from its corruption. King David, the great poet warrior who became the unifying king of all of Israel, was a man after God’s own heart. And yet, in a moment of weakness, he used his power to take another man’s wife and have that man killed to cover his sin. So, even the greatest of kings could not rightly handle the power granted to him by God. The priests of Israel were no different. No sooner had Moses left to receive the Ten Commandments, than Aaron was leading the people to worship other gods. Even the prophets were corrupted by power. In the days of Elijah, king Ahaz paid court prophets to offer counter-prophecies to Elijah’s condemnations. Even when the institutions are good, they are corrupted by the evil of man. If this is true, how can the kingdom of God ever truly be realized. Thus far in the Gospel of Mark, we’ve seen Jesus announcing the coming of the kingdom and all of its blessings. He’s done great miracles to show what this kingdom will be like. And yet, at every turn, the priests, elders, and scholars have resisted him. Is he supposed to turn the administration of his kingdom over to them? If so, won’t it be like every other movement that starts with pure intentions, and is then destroyed from within by its own flawed bureaucracy? To answer that question, Jesus gives a parable, in Mark 12:1-12. This parable comes right on the heels of his interaction with the subcommittee of the Sanhedrin which had come to question his authority. Jesus answers their question with a question and puts them into such a political entanglement that they refuse to answer, proving that they have no real authority. So now, Jesus will answer their question with a parable. To see that, let’s read Mark 12:1-12. There are three groups in this parable that we need to identify. So, the three points of my sermon are these: What is the vineyard? Who are the tenants? And Who are the others?
First, we need to answer, what is the vineyard? Jesus begins his parable with a very familiar metaphor. He tells of a landowner who planted a vineyard and took great care to protect it, building a wall and a tower. The priests and scholars to whom he is telling this parable would have probably thought he was just quoting Isaiah 5:1-2, which says, “Let me sing for my beloved my love song concerning his vineyard: my beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; he built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and he looked for it to yield grapes, but it yielded wild grapes.” The prophet goes on to identify this vineyard as the people of Israel, and this metaphor portrays God as a gracious farmer who prepares a beautiful place for his vines, only to be disappointed by the fruit that they produce. So, it was with the people of Israel, whom God had rescued from Egypt and planted in a land flowing with milk and honey, only to have them worship other gods and rebel against his law. Psalm 80:8 also sees it in just this way, “You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it.” So, Jesus clearly means to speak of the people of Israel as the vine that God planted.
Yet, Jesus does not simply mean for the vineyard to represent everyone who is genetically Hebrew. Throughout his ministry he has defined those who are the true people of God. In Matthew 5 he identifies them as the poor in spirit, the meek, those who weep, and those who yearn for righteousness. In Mark 8:34, he said that only those who take up their cross and follow him will be his disciples. Even in Chapter 10, he told the rich young ruler that obedience to the law was not enough, that he must abandon that which he loved most to follow Jesus. So, it is not enough to say that the vineyard represents Israel. No, it represents the people of God, and there is a difference.
Next, we need to answer, who are the tenants? Jesus continues by saying that the master planted a vineyard and left it to tenants with the promise that he would return to collect the harvest. But, when it was time to collect, the tenants sent the first servant away empty-handed, beat others, and even killed the master’s son. These tenants are the very people to whom Jesus is telling this story – the priests, scholars, and elders of Israel. This is fundamental for us to understand – the whole of the OT, from its laws to its institutions and its temples, were given by God to serve as tenants until the fullness of God’s kingdom. The sacrifices of pure, spotless lambs pointed forward to the Lamb of God who would take away the sins of the world. The priesthood pointed to a faithful servant who could mediate between God and man. Hebrews 8:5 says, “[The priests and tabernacle] serve as a copy and shadow of the heavenly things.” Even the law pointed to something greater. Gal. 3:24 says, “So then, the law was our schoolmaster until Christ came.” None of these institutions were intended to be ultimate – they all pointed forward to the fullness of the kingdom, realized in the Messiah, Jesus Christ. But, they had become ultimate. What was intended to be a shadow had been taken as the true image. Those meant to be tutors took on the role of king.
So, when God sent prophets to warn Israel of their sins and call them back to faithfulness, the people persecuted and killed them. Elijah was persecuted by Queen Jezebel. Zechariah was stoned to death in the temple court. Isaiah was sawn in two by king Manasseh. And, now Jesus stands before them as the son of the master of the vineyard, and what do they want to do? Verse 12 says that they sought to arrest him because they perceived that he told the parable against them. In this they prove themselves to be the very tenants that Jesus condemns.
Finally, we need to answer, who are the others? In verse 9, Jesus passes a verdict on these rebellious tenants. He asks, “what will the owner do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.” This is a prophecy of what God will do to the leaders of Israel, the temple, and the whole of the OT system – he will destroy it all. But, where does that leave the vineyard? Where does that leave the people of God? Jesus answers that by saying that the master of the vineyard will give his vineyard to others. In this, Jesus promises that his people will have new stewards who will shepherd them well. In fact, in Matthew’s telling of this same parable from Matt. 21:43, Jesus says, “The kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a people producing fruit.” Jesus tells us who these new stewards are by quoting Psalm 118 – “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” This stone is Jesus himself, and he will serve as the cornerstone for a new temple. He will be the chief shepherd under whom godly leaders will serve. He will be the great high priest who will intercede for his people. And, the new stewards of the people of God will be leaders who build upon that foundation. Eph. 2:19-20 says, “So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole structure, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord.” The church is now the steward of God’s people. We are, every one of us, built together on the foundation of Christ. We encourage one another through our commitment to mutual discipleship. We have pastors and deacons who equip us for the work of ministry. Our pastors keep watch care over our souls. And we are all led by God’s Spirit, so that we have a holy nature that seeks the good of others.
Last week, I emphasized the importance of church and said that you need the church. This is why. The church serves as the tenant, wall, and watchtower of the vineyard of God. It is God’s way of protecting your faith and putting you in an environment where your faith will grow. So may we all bear fruit as we commit to faithfulness in God’s vineyard.
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