Mark 12:1-12 (NKJV) The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers
(Matt. 21:33–46; Luke 20:9–19)
1 Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. 2 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. 5 And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. 6 Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.
9 “Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not even read this Scripture:
The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
11 This was the LORD’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.
V1 “Then He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat, and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.” Jesus is teaching a principle. There may be many applications, but there is only one principle. Jesus used parables because the people had rejected His plain speech. The parable tells the same truth but hidden (Matthew 13:10-17). Most people didn’t ask Jesus the meaning. They could have, and He would have explained it, as He did to those who asked. Compare 1 Corinthians 3:1-2 and Hebrews 5:11.
Israel is the vineyard (Isaiah 5:1-7 and Isaiah 3:14). The man is God the Father. The wine vat is a wine vat. The tower is a tower.
V2 “Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.” The servants are the prophets. See Joshua 14:7, 2 Samuel 3:18, Amos 3:7, Jeremiah 7:25, and Zechariah 1:6.
V3 “And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.” The motive is given a few verses later in verse 7. Their motive is inspired by covetousness.
Hastings Dictionary on covetousness: “Grasping avarice is as incompatible with the spirit of self-sacrifice taught in the NT as is the selfish indulgence in drink or the grosser indulgence in vice. The Bible puts the covetous man in the same category with the murderer and the thief. The Christian Church needs to study anew the Bible teaching concerning covetousness, as found in Jeremiah 22:17, Micah 2:2, Luke 12:15, Romans 7:7, Ephesians 5:3; Ephesians 5:6, 1 Timothy 6:10, Hebrews 13:5, and other passages. No covetous man has any inheritance in the Kingdom of God.”
V4 “Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.” Note the patience of the landowner. Also see Romans 2:4.
V5 “And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.” God’s great longsuffering. Compare Exodus 34:6, Numbers 14:18, and Psalms 86:15. God sent prophets, many prophets, with the same warning messages about their sin and an appeal for their repentance (2 Chronicles 24:19, Jeremiah 25:4, and Zechariah 7:12).
V6 “Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.” Finally, the landowner will send His beloved only begotten Son. Jesus refers to Himself.
V7 “But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” There are some principles here regarding their attitudes and examples of things which God hates. Regarding the 10 Commandments, these are broken: 1) No other gods—they loved money more than God, 2) No murdering, 3) No stealing, and 4) No coveting. This parable was spoken against the religious leaders who wanted the kingdom for themselves. Compare Mark 15:9-10, Psalm 106:16 (regarding Moses’s enemies), and John 11:47-48.
(Ecclesiastes 4:4 NLT) “Then I observed that most people are motivated to success because they envy their neighbors. But this, too, is meaningless—like chasing the wind.”
Often the fleshly, carnal solution to a problem is to kill it. It makes no difference if it is human or not. Their sin is very great. It is a rejection of Israel’s God, the only God.
V8 “So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.” The vineyard is thus Jerusalem. Jesus’s tomb was outside its city walls. Compare Jeremiah 22:17.
V9 “Therefore, what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.” The owner of the vineyard is God the Father. God will give the vineyard over to others. Most likely, the others would be believing Jews, the Israel of God (Galatians 6:16).
V10 “Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.” The quote is from Psalm 118:22. The cornerstone is (Bridge Bible Dictionary): “In ancient building practices, cornerstones were very important. The builders who laid the foundation had to shape and set the cornerstone of the foundation accurately because the whole building was set out in relation to it. The building depended upon the cornerstone for its successful construction (Job 38:6; Isa 28:16; Jeremiah 51:26).
“As the builders moved on to the construction of the walls, they used additional cornerstones to tie the main walls together, thereby bringing stability to the whole structure. The placing of the chief cornerstone was always a satisfying achievement because this was the stone that guaranteed the perfection of the whole building.”
Jesus is the cornerstone of the living temple, the church (a believing people, not an organization or denomination). See 1 Corinthians 3:9-11 and Ephesians 2:19-22.
V11 “This was the LORD’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?” This is from Psalm 118:23.
Joseph Benson comments:
“Mudge renders the latter verse, this is from the Lord; it was impossible in our eyes. “It was the Lord’s doing, they said; in their eyes it was a thing beyond all possibility of belief:” which is the force of the original.”
Henry M. Morris comments: “The word “marvellous” is actually “miraculous.” The resurrection of Christ, after His rejection and crucifixion, typified by the restoration and exaltation of the chief cornerstone after it had first been refused by the temple builders, was the greatest miracle since creation and certainly should be deemed marvelous in our eyes.”
V12 “And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.” They had desire, but the multitude was there. They feared that the people would stop these evil leaders.
We learn:
- Envy and covetousness are terrible sins.
- Jesus is the most important and was rejected by the leaders and many of the people.
Questions:
- Do you accept or reject Jesus as Messiah?
- Is there envy in your life that might cause you to sin?