The Vineyard

The Parable of the Tenants

Mark 12:1–12 NIV

Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.

I think we all can see the story that Jesus is telling here.

-God created the world, designated a stewards to take care of, to extend his rule and reign. To bring about his truth and love to all corners of it.

-Yet, they didn’t.

-So God sent prophets. One at a time to bring them back to God. But each one they killed.

-Finally he sends his son, Jesus - and what do they do… Kill him too.

This is the interpretation of what is happening and everyone knows it.

-Everyone knows what he’s talking about. He doesn’t need to pull his disciples aside. The room knows and is aghast.

And everything is coming to a head to bring that demise of the son. For this comes on the back of some other moments where the pot has been stirred and the religious leaders are furious.

This story comes on the back of Jesus coming to Jerusalem as the King - in a Palm Sunday event.

-Then the curse of the temple and the fig tree

This stirs up the leaders of the temple to question his authority and challenge him.

-So he tells this story… and it doesn’t need explanation at all.

But there is a dot we need to connect.

Jesus is finishing the story or the poem that was started by the prophet Isaiah.

Isaiah 5:1-7 (Read in Bible)

And this gives us a bit more context about what Jesus is saying.

The first thing we see is WHY the tenants are not willing to send “some fruit” back with the servants.

For according to Isaiah 5 - the FRUIT WAS BAD.

So we have our first major point we need to discuss today:

The tenants are hiding their inability to produce good fruit

The lack of fruit - protecting the fact that they’ve been terrible tenants.

This is an interesting nugget. Because we often think it might be greed that keeps them from accepting the servants. But it’s deeper and more shameful than that. It’s that the tenants have actually been awful at being tenants.

They’ve turned the vineyard into something that produces bad fruit.

This goes right along with what Mark has been presenting in this narrative. When Jesus cursed the fig tree and the flip the tables in the temple courts.

-He was frustrated that the temple was not being the temple. It was instead producing bad fruit.

Or in the next chapter how he predicts the destruction of the temple

-For it was not producing fruit.

Or the widow’s offering was a lament on how the poor and widows were being mistreated.

The servants come to check-in on the vineyard but the vineyard is in disrepair and the fruit in inedible.

This is an important point that we need to consider for our own lives.

God has wired us with PURPOSE and GIFTS and has entrusted us with his resources.

Our life itself is the vineyard.

-When you look at the garden of your life, what do you see? Is it producing fruit? What kind of fruit? Is it in disrepair?

The crazy part about it all - is the tenants don’t have to do it on their own strength. They only have to live into the plans laid out and the way laid out by their MASTER.

-We also don’t need to do this life and come to Jesus all put together. We are only asked to trust in the GARDENER. To sow his seeds that produce his fruit. To stay connected to him.

I know we keep coming back to this text but this is what Jesus asks of us and he once again uses the imagery of a vineyard.

John 15:1–8 NIV

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes so that it will be even more fruitful. You are already clean because of the word I have spoken to you. Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me. “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

True vine - Father is the gardener — he cuts off every branch that doesn’t bear fruit.

Prunes the one that does produce so it will produce more.

So listen… They were hiding the fact that they weren’t actually producing FRUIT.

And I believe there are many Christians that do the same thing. The secrets of your life is that you only look good but you’re not actually connected to the vine.

You polish yourself up but you are not letting the gardener work in your vineyard.

You need to let conviction settle in a bit on this one.

This doesn’t mean to become more MORAL or to try harder —- the secret to the fruitful vineyard is TRUST JESUS. Stay connected to his way, and his plan.

So this parable should be haunting for us too.

At this point when Jesus is sharing this parable, this is specifically an indictment of Israel and especially the temple. But this is a warning for all of us.

Jesus makes this point over and over and over and over while teaching. Producing good fruit. But also being ready when he returns. Like a bride made ready for the groom.

Be the people that can produce a fruitful vineyard

For the vineyard owner will return and he will be looking to see if the tenants have actually produced good fruit.

So let’s talk about this in three steps:

1- Stewardship

The Bible uses the language of stewardship when it comes to all of creation, our time, our money, our abilities.

“For the world is mine, and all that is in it.” -God in Psalm 50:11

Psalm 19 - all creation declares the glory of God

What is a steward?

-“One designated by a master to oversee family, household, or state matters.” -Eerdmans Bible Dictionary “In general every Christian is a steward entrusted with gifts from God.” -Eerdmans

-1 Peter 4:10

A GOOD steward has TWO VERY IMPORTANT ATTITUDES

1- “It’s Not Mine”

2- “I’ll do my best with what’s been entrusted to me.”

Soooo if you want to be a person that produces God fruit, you

-Stay connected to the vine.

-You live into your identity as a GOOD STEWARD of God.

The parable gives us an example of BAD STEWARDS. Which Jesus talks a ton about in his parables. To the point where the leaders/stewards are tossed out and the vineyard now is given over to new leaders/tenants. Aka - Jesus as the Prophet/Priest/King for all of Israel and Gentiles too.

2- Fruit - Good or bad?

Matthew 7:17–20 “Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them.”

We are all producing fruit. Would people want to be part of what you are producing?

Lire-giving or soul-sucking.

“When I am around _____ I just feel so much better.”

“I get stressed to just see that person.”

“I feel so refreshed just spending time with ____.”

“Whenever I see ____ in public, I work hard to avoid them.”

“My life is so much better with ____ in it.”

Life-giving or soul-sucking.

Be the person that produces good fruit. That produces LIFE in others. That encourages, uplifts, loves well, and deeply cares for others.

But let’s be real, there might be a middle tier. You ever had a fruit at the grocery store that was neither good nor bad.

This happens a lot with watermelon. It’s not terrible but it’s not great.

For the vast majority of us, this may be the fruit that we produce.

Neither helpful nor hurtful, just sorta there. However, that’s not how God created you either!

Challenge - Be a high value person.

-How?

-By living into the GIFTS God has given you and doing it in a way that blesses those around you.

-If you have the gift of encouragement - encourage

-Prayer - pray for others

-Teaching - teach

-Listening - listen

And lean into another gift - that you want to grow in.

3- The Bride made ready (corporately)

Matthew 25:1–13 ““At that time the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom. Five of them were foolish and five were wise. The foolish ones took their lamps but did not take any oil with them. The wise ones, however, took oil in jars along with their lamps. The bridegroom was a long time in coming, and they all became drowsy and fell asleep. “At midnight the cry rang out: ‘Here’s the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’ “Then all the virgins woke up and trimmed their lamps. The foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil; our lamps are going out.’ “ ‘No,’ they replied, ‘there may not be enough for both us and you. Instead, go to those who sell oil and buy some for yourselves.’ “But while they were on their way to buy the oil, the bridegroom arrived. The virgins who were ready went in with him to the wedding banquet. And the door was shut. “Later the others also came. ‘Lord, Lord,’ they said, ‘open the door for us!’ “But he replied, ‘Truly I tell you, I don’t know you.’ “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know the day or the hour.”

This is a strange parable that I don’t want to dive into fully today. There’s also a lot there like there is in our MAIN parable today. But this parable is saying a similar thing to the one we are saying —- BE READY. BE ALERT. STAY PRAYED UP.

If you stay ready you don’t have to get ready.

One of the major imageries of the New Testament about the Return of Christ is this idea of a bride being ready for the groom.

Revelation 19:6–9 “Then I heard what sounded like a great multitude, like the roar of rushing waters and like loud peals of thunder, shouting: “Hallelujah! For our Lord God Almighty reigns. Let us rejoice and be glad and give him glory! For the wedding of the Lamb has come, and his bride has made herself ready. Fine linen, bright and clean, was given her to wear.” (Fine linen stands for the righteous acts of God’s holy people.) Then the angel said to me, “Write this: Blessed are those who are invited to the wedding supper of the Lamb!” And he added, “These are the true words of God.””

The bride made ready. Which means more than just individually. This is now a collective goal. A promise to work together as one body, being connected to the vine, being good stewards, loving others well, our neighbors well, holding each other accountable, keeping the faith, reading the word, praying, discerning, hoping, encouraging, etc.

The body working together to be ready for the Lord to return. How do we do this, we do it by individually staying connected to the vine but all of us connected together to produce a BEAUTIFUL VINEYARD!

Be part of this vineyard together, Praise Covenant. Even connected to the larger vineyard of Christians and Jesus followers everywhere.

On Orchard street.

Let’s land this plane with Jesus’ final words in this parable: Mark 12:10–12 “Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture: “ ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.”

The temple leaders knew that Jesus had spoken this against them, and looked for a way to arrest him. But it’s that quote in the middle let’s lean in on to land this plane.

Jesus the true leader and true example

So the parable is a condemnation of the temple leaders of Israel. Unlike Isaiah 5 where the vineyard is destroyed. Jesus throws out the corrupt leaders in the conclusion and replaces them with what? A stone the builders rejected.

Which is a quote from Psalm 118 - and it’s a way of Jesus asserting the source of his authority.

-The true son of the VINEYARD OWNER

-The one that was rejected and killed, the son, is now the cornerstone for the renewed temple, not made with human hands but, God’s new community, new kingdom built on JESUS as the cornerstone.

Psalm 118:22–23 “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”

the importance of Jesus using Psalm 118 is vital to our understanding - “The rhetoric of Psalm 118 has been turned back upon itself. Whereas the Psalm celebrates the destruction of the Gentile enemies who have scorned and rejected Israel, the Markan interpretation predicts the vindication by God of the one rejected by Israel’s leaders and the replacement of the temple with the multiethnic community of Isaiah’s eschatological vision.” -Mark: A Theological Commentary

It’s a Psalm of victory — and it’s now being applied to Jesus and his new KINGDOM.

So Jesus now becomes the true leader, steward, example, and yet also the one in whom the vineyard relies upon. The source of the fruit of the kingdom is found in the new cornerstone, Jesus.

What’s this mean for you?

Jesus is Prophet

Jesus is Priest

Jesus is King

Give your heart to him.

*****Land the plane…Mark*****

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In what ways can we reflect on our personal lives as a vineyard that is either flourishing or in disrepair?

How can we identify the bad fruit in our lives that may be a reflection of spiritual neglect?

What does it mean for us to remain connected to the vine in our daily routines?

What steps can we take to become better stewards of the gifts and resources God has entrusted to us?

How does understanding Jesus as the cornerstone change our perspective on our role as tenants in God's vineyard?

How can we ensure that our actions produce life-giving fruit in our relationships with others?

What practical ways can we live into our identity as stewards in our communities?

How do we recognize when we are producing 'fruit' that is neither beneficial nor harmful?

In what areas of our lives do we feel that we are not fully connected to the vine, and how can we address this?

How can we collectively as a church body work together to be a fruitful vineyard for God’s kingdom?