In this episode, J. Mark studies Mark 12:1-12 where Jesus tells the religious leaders the parable about the wicked tenants. Through this parable, Jesus exposes the religious leaders’ rejection of God’s authority and warns them of the consequences of their rebellion. This passage calls us to examine our own privilege, checking if we respond to His goodness with humble obedience, or if we are complacent and ungrateful.
It is so good to be with you; we are privileged to open God’s Word and learn from it together. In the last lesson, the Pharisees questioned Jesus’ authority; they really didn’t like Him and were trying to use what He said against Him.
In this lesson, Jesus responds directly to them and tells them a parable. He weaves Old Testament language into this parable, connecting it with Scripture they knew. Till the end of the parable, the Pharisees know Jesus is talking about them. This makes them very upset, and they want to arrest him.
Our passage is from Mark 12:1-12. Please turn there and follow along as we look at this passage with Bible teacher Pastor J Mark.
Our study on the previous episode was titled “The Question of Authority.” There, the religious leaders refused to accept the authority of John the Baptist and Jesus. The opening verses of chapter twelve continue this theme. However, Jesus approaches the subject from a different vantage point, the vantage point of privilege. Thus, my title, “Check Your Privilege.”
I invite you to listen carefully as I read Mark 12:1-12.
1 Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.
2 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.
3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
4 Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.
5 And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.
6 Therefore, still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
8 So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.
9 “Therefore, what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.
10 Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone ‘?
11 This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?”
12 And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.
In this parable, Jesus reveals various ASPECTS of privilege and how our response to them determines our future.
The First ASPECT of Privilege is
The Diligence of the Planter
In Matthew 13, Jesus was asked why He used parables. He explained that parables were designed to hide the truth from those who refused to believe. However, this parable wasn’t designed to hide the truth; it is very plain.
The planter’s diligence is the first aspect of privilege. There is no question that God is the planter of the vineyard. We learn this from Isaiah 5:7. “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant plant. He looked for justice, but behold, oppression; for righteousness, but behold, a cry for help.”
Jesus’ audience was familiar with Isaiah’s writings, and Jesus’ words are a loose translation of them. In Mark’s gospel, Jesus adds that the vineyard owner “set a hedge around it.” This was likely a hedge of thorns to protect against thieves and predators.
In addition, he dug a pit under the winepress to catch the juice of the trampled grapes. He built a watchtower for security, leased the vineyard to tenant farmers, and traveled to a distant country. He gave the vineyard every possible privilege so it would thrive and produce.
The parable shows that God is the landowner and that the vinedressers are Israel as a nation, although they are addressed and dealt with in the person of their leaders.
God gave the nation of Israel every possible advantage to bring forth fruit for His glory. I think of Paul’s words in Romans 3:1-2. “What advantage then has the Jew, or what is the profit of circumcision? Much in every way! Chiefly because the oracles of God were committed to them.” Further, Romans 9:3-5 contains a lengthy list of those privileges!
God, in person, gave Israel the Law at Mount Sinai through Moses, including all the commandments they needed to fulfill His plan for them. He set them apart as a special people for Himself. Then, He (went into a distant country and) left them to live out His commands.
What privileges have you received because of the diligence of God, the heavenly planter? It is easy for us to criticize the Jewish leaders, but hasn’t He given us many privileges, too? Many of us have access to the Word of God and resources that help us understand it. We are blessed to see things that prophets, kings, and saints of old desired to see but could not. Yet, how have we treated the giver of all these privileges? How have we responded to His messengers?
That question leads me to the next aspect of privilege.
The Next ASPECT of Privilege is,
The Disrespect of the Tenants
One common way tenant vineyards operated during Jesus’ time was for the owner to receive a portion of the fruit. Generally, these leases were granted for a year or, occasionally, for life. However, sometimes, the leases were hereditary, passed down from father to son. This parable assumes a generational lease.
When the harvest time drew near, the vineyard owner sent one of his servants to the tenant farmers to receive his portion. They caught the servant, beat him severely, and sent him back to the vineyard owner empty-handed.
We would think that the vineyard owner would now take severe measures to acquire his property. But instead, he sends another servant to collect what was due. The tenants treated him disgracefully, threw stones at him, wounded him in the head, and sent him away empty-handed.
Despite this violent rejection, the vineyard’s owner sent more servants. Some were severely beaten; others were killed. Luke’s account of this parable indicates that the authority or rank of those sent increased over time. That makes sense as we reach the climax of the disrespect these tenants show.
Two things stand out to me in this—first, the determined rebellion and wickedness of the tenant farmers. Their guilt increased dramatically with each servant they abused and rejected. Second, the patience and forbearance of the vineyard’s owner are astonishing. He was patient, long-suffering, slow to believe that his tenants were so thoroughly evil.
Finally, the owner, having a beloved son, sent him to collect the debt. He believed that the tenants would honor and reverence him. Did you notice the son was sent to them “last”? The word is eschaton. We get our English word eschatology from it. Jesus’ coming to His vineyard ushered in “the last days,” the final age of redemption.
However, the tenants said to each other, “This is the heir of the vineyard; here’s our chance. Let’s kill him, and the vineyard will be ours.” So, they took him, cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him.
Since the vineyard owner had not judged them for their ill-treatment of the earlier servants, these men assumed that by killing the heir, they would have sole possession of the vineyard. They mistook the vineyard owner’s patience for indifference. It was a grievous mistake. Jesus pronounced a severe indictment of these tenants in Luke 11:47-51.
Have you and I disrespected our Master? Have we taken His patience as a sign of disinterest? How have we treated His messengers, His Holy Spirit, our spiritual leaders, and our brothers and sisters in the Lord? If we have this kind of disrespect, we must repent.
That pronouncement of accountability leads us to the final aspect of privilege.
The Final ASPECT of Privilege is,
The Displacement of the Tenants
What is the proper response of the vineyard owner in light of this abuse of His servants and rejection of His authority? He will come and destroy those wicked tenants and give His vineyard to others. This pronouncement was graphically fulfilled in the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 70 and the opening of the door of faith to the Gentiles. The vineyard has been “rented” to other tenants. Let us be careful lest we face the same fate.
Jesus knew that the religious leaders were familiar with Scripture. So, He asked them, “Haven’t you read this passage? The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?” These experts in building God’s temple had rejected the cornerstone God chose for his own house. But He had the last word, setting aside the building experts, and putting His Son as the Head of the corner.
Immediately, the elders understood the meaning of Jesus’ words in the parable and wanted to arrest Him. However, they feared the people, knowing Jesus had spoken the parable against them. So, they left Him and went away.
Lest you and I be tempted to gloat over the displacement of the original tenants, God has a word of warning for us in Romans chapter 11. “Do not be haughty, but fear. For if God did not spare the natural branches, He may not spare you either.” If we are unfaithful and disrespectful to the vineyard master, we, too, will be displaced.
As Christ-followers, you and I have been blessed with “every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places in Christ…” God did not spare His own Son but delivered Him to death because of our offenses. Christ died for us while we were still sinners. The diligence of our planter is unmatched!
Are we guilty of disrespecting our Master? Have we mistreated His messengers to us? Have we spurned His calls for humble, selfless service in the pattern Jesus gave us?
If we encounter this kind of disrespect in our lives, we must repent. Otherwise, we may be displaced in favor of those who honor God and obey His commands. Each of us needs to “check our privilege.” What is the basis of our relationship with Jesus, and are we walking with Him in loving obedience?
What a contrast! J Mark’s first point was about the planter. Giving the tenants the best start He could, doing all he could for their success. The next two points look at the tenants, the exact opposite of the planter. The tenants’ disrespect and rebellion stood out to me. How could they be given so much and show such disrespect to the one who gave it to them? What were they thinking? Yet how often am I like that when I complain? Is this what others would say about me when they see my responses to God?
What do you do when the tenants remind you of you? Why is it that those who were supposed to be closest to God were the hardest to reach? We’d love to hear any other thoughts you have on this passage. To contact us, please email us. Our email address is hope@heraldsofhope.org, and our website is heraldsofhope.org. There you will find “contact us” under the partner tab on the top right. Click on that to message us directly. We look forward to hearing from you soon.
Thanks again for being with us for today’s teaching. The Jewish leaders, who knew so much of the Old Testament and were supposed to recognize the Messiah, missed Him because they were worried about their religious system. Yet Jesus continued to reach for them; incredibly, His heart is for all people, all the time. Peter tells us God “is longsuffering toward us, not willing that any should perish but that all should come to repentance.” May God give us the same attitude toward those we are working with.
