Parable of the Tenants

Introduction

bad renters

The Parable

Read Mark 12:1-12

Who remembers why Jesus would speak in parables?

Some of the parables are much easier to understand than others. This parable would have immediately made sense to Jesus audience. Jesus is making a clear reference to Isaiah 5.

Isaiah 5:1–2 “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.”

Isaiah 5:7 “For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are his pleasant planting; and he looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!”

There is also clear imagery of Israel being God’s vine in Psalm 80.

Psalm 80:8–9 “You brought a vine out of Egypt; you drove out the nations and planted it. You cleared the ground for it; it took deep root and filled the land.”

the man who planted the vineyard = God

vineyard = Israel

tenants = religious leaders of Israel

servants = prophets and other messengers sent by God

the planters son = Jesus

God’s Care v.1

It was the Lord who brought out Israel from slavery. It was the Lord who planted Israel in a good land. It was the Lord who drove out the people of the land. It was the Lord that prospered His vineyard! God had done everything needed for His vineyard to take root and produce fruit.

He even gave tenants to watch over His people and help them produce fruit! What else could Israel ask for?!

God’s Expectation v.2

What is the point in planting a vineyard? To get the fruit that it produces!

What would be the fruit that God desired from Israel?

righteous living (according to the Law)

worship that was whole hearted

being a light that would draw the Gentile nations to the Lord

Despite all of God’s gracious care for His vineyard, it still produced sour fruit.

they lacked love for justice (rich taking advantage of the poor)

they worshipped the idols of the Canaanites

the tenants prophesied falsely

the tenants grew prideful and arrogant

the tenants refused to acknowledge their sin and repent from it

the tenants sought power and authority

As the spiritual leaders go, so do the people!

God’s Patience v.3-5

The Lord, instead of completely uprooting His vineyard, sent messengers to call Israel to repentance. How did the people respond to these messengers? They ignored, beat, tortured and ran them out of town!

2 Chronicles 36:15–16 “The Lord, the God of their fathers, sent persistently to them by his messengers, because he had compassion on his people and on his dwelling place. But they kept mocking the messengers of God, despising his words and scoffing at his prophets, until the wrath of the Lord rose against his people, until there was no remedy.”

Nehemiah 9:26 ““Nevertheless, they were disobedient and rebelled against you and cast your law behind their back and killed your prophets, who had warned them in order to turn them back to you, and they committed great blasphemies.”

Hebrews 11:36–38 “Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”

v.6-8

Even after all of their disobedience, the Lord sent His beloved son to his people.

The son is separate from the other messengers by authority (the Son fully carried the father’s authority)

The son is separate from the other messengers by His importance (the firstborn/only son)

Instead of listening to the son, the tenants killed him to keep the vineyard for themselves. They were so radically unrepentant that they kill the very son of their master!

God’s Wrath v.9-11

God’s patience can only be extended so far, and this is where the Lord draws the line. The rejection and murder of His beloved son brings about the wrath of God. He will eradicate the tenants!

remember God’s longsuffering (God’s desire was for them to repent)

Matthew 23:37 ““O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often would I have gathered your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing!”

acknowledge that God is just in His judgement

rejoice in God’s punishment of sin (sounds weird but it is important that God hates sin!)

So what how did the destruction of the tenants happen?

Destruction of the temple in AD 70 which completely destroys the way Israel used to worship.

Gave the vineyard to the Gentiles (includes the present blinding of Israel’s faith)

Application

How are we to respond to a passage like this? By learning from the religious leaders mistakes!

Receive Jesus v.10-11

The greatest mistake that the religious leader made was not acknowledging the authority of Jesus and repenting from their sin to follow Him.

Hebrews 1:1–3 “Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high,”

God has chosen to now speak through Jesus. This means that everything Jesus taught has complete and utter authority. As the Lord of creation He gets to determine the standards for living in righteousness. Just like the vineyard in Jesus parable, you have been planted with the purpose of producing fruit. You have been created to know the Lord, worship the Lord, and be a light for others to know the Lord.

The problem that we all face is our sin nature. Every one of us has an innate desire to rebel against God and do life our way (like the tenants from our story). The bad news for us is that our sin separates us from God and that it creates a permanent blemish on our record. This separation means that we are spiritually dead and will not be with God when we die.

However, our situation is not without hope. In God’s great mercy and love for us He sent Jesus to be the payment for our sins. Jesus took on flesh to be tempted like us but did not fall into sin like we have. Since He is perfect, He could intercede for us on the cross. Jesus died in our place, the work is already done for us! Jesus, rose from the dead and proved His authority over sin and death. He offers us the same type of spiritual life!

What we must do to be saved (sins removed and receive eternal life) is believe in Jesus life,death and resurrection. This means trusting in Him and changing our lives to look like His! If you have not done this you must, or you will be subjected same fate of the tenants from our parable tonight.

 “If you do not hear the wellbeloved Son of God, you have refused your last hope. He is God’s ultimatum. Nothing remains when Christ is refused. No one else can be sent; heaven itself contains no further messenger. If Christ be rejected, hope is rejected.” (Spurgeon)

Have you submitted your life in faith to the Lord Jesus? What stops you from doing this tonight?

The fruit of our lives belongs to God

Receive the Word with meekness

Spiritual leaders will be held accountable