Read: Mark 12:1-12
Have you ever been listening to a sermon and thought, “I wish so-and-so could hear this?” I’ll be honest, I’ve even preached a sermon or two with particular individuals in mind. It’s easy to examine the faults of others, especially if they are irritating to us. Our own faults, however, are just something we have to learn to live with, or so we tell ourselves. In fact, we have fought to defend our pet sins. So when someone preaches a message that gets right to the heart of our issues, how do we respond?
Jesus tells us in Mark 4 that the reason He spoke in parables was to obscure the truth from those who were on the outside, “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” But not all of His parables were riddles. This one targeted the religious leaders, and they knew it.
The religious leaders were questioning Jesus’ authority, trying to get Him to disgrace Himself before the crowds. But He turned the inquisition back on them and asked what their view was on the baptism of John (Mark 11:27-33). If he had been a prophet from God, why didn’t they receive him? The religious leaders refused to answer. They could not accept John’s message, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is at hand,” without affirming Jesus’ ministry and exposing the problem within their religious system.
The symbolism in this parable is straightforward. The vineyard represents Israel. The owner represents God. The tenants are the religious leaders. The servants were the prophets of God. How the tenants handled the servants chronicles the history of Israel in the Old Testament and their treatment of God’s messengers. Finally, the owner’s son represents Jesus, whom the religious leaders were trying to arrest and have killed.
While this parable is directly related to the condemnation of the religious leaders, we should be careful to think that we are not susceptible to a similar problem. The Pharisees thought that they were better than the previous generation who had persecuted the prophets. They were astute enough to perceive that this parable was about them, but they could not perceive that their immediate reaction was a direct fulfillment of Jesus’ condemnation.
Jesus wraps up the parable by asking and then answering His own question: “What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.” God is going to replace Israel, but how does this directly apply to us?
The religious leaders had elevated their own power, prestige, and authority with that which belonged to God. Worse yet, they did not want to share with God that which was rightfully His. How did the religious leaders come to this? Jesus’ explanation of the parable of the soils in Mark 4 gives us some insight. In describing the soil covered in thorns, He said, “The cares of the world and the deceitfulness of riches and the desires for other things enter in and choke the word, and it proves unfruitful” (Mark 4:18-19).
The Pharisees cherished their positions and privilege more than God. This is why repentance is necessary in the Christian life. Without daily rooting out the treasures of this world from our hearts, we will begin to think that the gifts are greater than the giver. These thorns grow up and suffocate the life out of our souls. But, when we confess our sins, He is faithful and just to forgive and cleanse us of all unrighteousness (I John 1:9). This is the fruit of repentance.
There is hope in this parable. Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22-23 to demonstrate a twist in the story. “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” The rejection of Jesus would be the catalyst that changed the course of history. They thought they could rid themselves of God’s claim on their lives, but His death brought salvation into the world and judgment on the unrepentant.
Do we think that we are better than the Pharisees? When was the last time you seriously considered your need for repentance? Do you get defensive when your sins are pointed out? What treasures in your life may be preventing you from putting Christ first? Perhaps today is a good day to clear out the garden of all the thorns and weeds.