Mark 12:1-12 NASB
¹And He began to speak to them in parables: A man planted a vineyard and put a wall around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey.
²At the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the produce of the vineyard from the vine-growers. ³They took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
⁴Again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully.
⁵And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others.
⁶He had one more to send, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
⁷But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’ ⁸They took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.
⁹What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others.
¹⁰Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected, This became the chief corner stone; ¹¹This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
¹²And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the people, for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so they left Him and went away.
Devotional
The people of Israel has been given a very special place in God’s dealings with the other nations of this world. After 400 years of slavery in Egypt, the Israelites were miraculously delivered by God from that slavery.
When they arrive in the wilderness at Mount Sinai on their way to the Promised Land after that deliverance, the Lord enters into a covenant with this people (Exodus 19-24). They will be His people through which He wants to deal with this world.
Under his rule they will be an example to all other nations and an instrument in his hand for the salvation of all sinful creation.
But in spite of this high calling and chosen position, the people often go their own way under the direction of their kings and other leaders. As a result, not much is accomplished of their calling and task. Their existence as a people does not yield what the Lord wanted – despite the actions of God’s messengers, the prophets, and now despite the presence of God’s Son.
That is the meaning of the parable that Jesus here first presents to the Jewish leaders (Mark 12:1-9; Israel is called God’s vineyard in the Old Testament, cf. Isaiah 5:1-7; Jeremiah 12:10,11. Jesus here calls its leaders the tenants of the vineyard, who bear the main responsibility. Their actions are becoming more and more brutal). They understand that message very well (Mark 12:12)!
But God will not allow the Jewish leaders to succeed in their evil plan to overthrow Jesus: He Himself will see to it that His plan of salvation becomes a reality and that Jesus – through suffering and death – will be exalted (Mark 12:10.11; Ephesians 1:19-23).
This parable is also a warning to the congregation. The church also serves as an example to the world around us (Compare Matthew 5:13-16).
All too often it has been lacking.
Not only how we Christians treat each other, but also our attitude towards the Jewish people. How we relate to one another and how we carry out our responsibilities should be an example and a testimony of God’s love. Otherwise, it is anti-testimony.
Question for self-reflection
▪︎ What ways of witnessing are you familiar with?
Prayer suggestion
▪︎ Ask God to help you prepare your hours and your time for His praise and service.
Yes Father, I want to dedicate my life to you!
Twitter: @SchoemakerHarry
Website 1: https://devotionals.harryschoemaker.nl
Website 2: http://bijbelplaatjes.nl
About Author
