The Parable Of The Vineyard
THE PARABLE OF THE VINEYARD
MARK 12:1-12
Jesus’ purpose is to show the consequences of repeated rejection of God’s messengers—and of his last messenger.
When Jesus began to speak to the leaders of the people about a vineyard, it is probable that they would be reminded of a parable told by Isaiah in which “the vineyard of the Lord of hosts” was the house of Israel (Isaiah 5:1-7), and the application of Jesus’ words would not be lost on them (12:12).
The “mechanics” of the story seem to be that in certain cases an estate which belonged to a foreigner or proselyte who died intestate could pass to anybody, and the tenants here were determined that they would be the ones to benefit. But although the general build-up of the story can be explained naturally in this sort of way, a number of features suggest irresistibly that the story is an allegorical one, cleverly designed to give a picture of Israel and the way in which it had treated the messengers of God. There are small differences in the way in which this is done in Matthew and Luke. It is, however, a moot point whether the hearers would have realized that “son” had an allegorical significance. Certainly Jesus meant himself by this term and was hinting at his divine Sonship, but the people at large, who did not commonly think of the Messiah as the Son of God, may not have grasped the point.
However, Jesus’ main purpose was not to reveal who he was but rather to show the consequences of repeated rejection of God’s messengers—and of his last Messenger. Salvation would be taken away from Israel and given to others (cf. Matthew 21:43). The closing quotation from Psalm 118:22f. stresses how the rejected Son is God’s Messenger and will be exalted by him.
Meditation Consider love and hate in the light of 12:12 (how it influenced the history of Israel—and ourselves). Perfect love casts out fear; so ultimately does perfect hate.