Grapes of Wrath

Mark 12:1–11 CSB

He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went away. At harvest time he sent a servant to the farmers to collect some of the fruit of the vineyard from them. But they took him, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent another servant to them, and they hit him on the head and treated him shamefully. Then he sent another, and they killed that one. He also sent many others; some they beat, and others they killed. He still had one to send, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenant farmers said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill the farmers and give the vineyard to others. Haven’t you read this Scripture: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This came about from the Lord and is wonderful in our eyes?”

This parable is based on Isaiah 5:1-7, a passage those hearing this would have immediately recognized.

God gave us all the tools needed to produce fruit.

Notice that the owner had done all the hard and costly work

The owner planted the vines, installed a fence, built a winepress, and even built a watch tower.

The tower served as protection for the workers and the crop.

It also was a place to store things as well as temporary living quarters for the workers.

All the workers had to do was tend and harvest the crop - this was not just a plot of dirt, it was a fully functioning turnkey operation.

God’s provision always goes before His expectations.

He doesn’t demand fruit without providing the grace, the tools and the proper environment to grow them.

He didn't just give us the tools to work (the winepress); He provided the spiritual foresight, boundaries, and protection needed to guard our hearts and ministries from the enemy.

God sent us to do the work.

We are merely managers of this life

God is the owner

The breath in our lungs, our talents, and our time are leased to us by God.

God has not abandoned us but He is trusting us with the gifts He has given us.

This creates space for us to have responsibility in the mission He has given us.

God is not looking for us to maintain (just go to church, sit and soak)

He desire for us to cultivate it (make disciples, serve others, practice justice)

If God sent a servant to look at the harvest of your life today—your relationships, your finances, your thought life, your ministry—would He find fruit, or would He find an empty vineyard?

Saved people are sent people. We are not called to be consumers of grace, but producers of fruit.

The world can be hostile toward God’s family.

If a landowner died without an heir, the land could be claimed by the first people to occupy it.

Sin blinds people into thinking they can eliminate God and claim his authority

First, the tenants beat a servant (v. 3). Next, they wound him in the head and treat him shamefully (v. 4). Finally, they kill him (v. 5).

Sin is never static; it grows more aggressive when it is confronted.

The world doesn't just reject Christians; it rejects the authority Christians represent.

Secular culture wants the benefits of God's world (the vineyard) without acknowledging God's ownership.

When you stand up for biblical truth, you are reminding the world that they are not the owners of their lives, and that sparks hostility.

When a foreign object or a healthy medicine enters a diseased body, a confused immune system will sometimes attack it. The body views the cure as an enemy because it disrupts the current, infected state of the system.

The Church is called to be a healing, holy presence in a spiritually sick world. But because our values—humility, purity, honesty, and submission to God—are foreign to a culture built on pride and self-interest, the world's "immune system" attacks us. Hostility is often proof that you are injecting something heavenly into a corrupt environment.

We have a choice - build on Jesus OR face His wrath.

Verse 44 gives us two options: fall on Jesus (repentance) or have Him fall on us (judgment).

When we humble ourselves, fall at the feet of Jesus, and confess our sins, our pride, self-righteousness, and independence are shattered. But this breaking is redemptive.

God breaks us down so that He can rebuild us into something beautiful.

If we refuse to humble ourselves before Jesus, He will eventually crush us in judgment. This breaking is destructive and final.

You cannot leave here neutral about Jesus. He is in your path. He is an immovable, unavoidable obstacle. You cannot walk around Him, and you cannot push Him out of the way. You have only two choices. You can fall on Him tonight in brokenness, surrender, and repentance—allowing Him to shatter your pride so He can rebuild your life. Or, you can ignore Him, continue to live as the owner of your own vineyard, and allow Him to fall on you in judgment. Everyone in this room will be broken by Jesus. The only question is: Will you be broken to be healed, or broken to be destroyed?"