The Parable of the Vineyard Owner's Son (Jesus' Authority Questioned)

Sunday Service June 15 2008 - "The Parable of the Vineyard Owner's Son (Jesus' Authority Questioned)" by Rev Richard Tok

Scripture: Mark 11.27-33; 12.1-12

A.1. Mark 11.27-28
Jesus was questioned. The Sanhedrin-chief priests, teachers and elders questioned him.
“By what authority are you doing these things?” “And who gave you the authority to do this?
Jesus had purged / cleansed the Temple and cursed a tree to wither the previous day.His authoritative words and deeds (forgiving and healing) received popular recognition.The religious people doubted and questioned Jesus’ credentials.This showed Jesus’ motive and mission were still a secret (hidden).
On spiritual and religious matters, why ask questions. Is it to learn and understand; to know and practice; to challenge and discredit? Our questioning attitude shows our ignorance, disagreement, opposition or our desire to be a better person.2. Mark 11.29-33Jesus replied with a counter-question.
“John’s baptism – was it from heaven (divine origin), or from men (human origin). Tell me!”Jesus’ authority came from the same source as that of John the Baptist – God. This showed that between Jesus and John there was no rivalry. The answer given by the religious leaders would reveal their opinion of him.
The religious leaders were in a bind, a dilemma.
To answer: “From heaven” - they condemned themselves for not believing in John and not supporting his ministry. They have rejected God’s messenger, John. They would have to accept Jesus’ authority. This is the true answer but not acceptable. They did not believe.
To answer: “From men” – they deny that John was commissioned by God. They discredit themselves before all Jews. They feared the Jews because everyone regarded John as a genuine prophet. This preferred answer was false but it was unacceptable because they feared the people.

Mark 11.33
The religious leaders took an easy way out of the dilemma.
“We don’t know,” they said.
They don’t want to admit the truth or what’s right. They want to maintain what’s safe for their position in the eyes of the public, those who were watching and listening.They pleaded ignorance to save face. They suspended judgement / opinion (no comments). This action or attitude actually showed the rejection of John and Jesus as God’s messengers. Throughout history, many Jewish religious leaders rejected God’s messengers and their message. Jesus points this out in “the Parable of the Tenants.”
When we search for answers for spiritual and religious questions we must be willing to accept them and uphold them in faith and practice. Pretending not to know so as not to practice what we believe does not give us the license to do questionable things. Our belief becomes questionable. We trip ourselves and stumble others. Behaviour=Belief! A good tree bears good fruit.

B.Mark 12.1-12
Social situation: First-century Palestine, especially Galilee, reflected in this parable. Rich foreign landlords owned large tracks of estates. They leased to tenant farmers. Agreement: Tenants cultivated land, cared for vineyards while landlords were away. A portion of harvest was to be paid as rent. Owners sent agents to collect rent at harvest time. Relationship: Tension arose between absentee owner and tenant at harvest time.

1. Mark 12.1
Jesus addressed the Sanhedrin by telling them a parable. They had questioned him on his authority. They were planning and plotting against Him. This parable would expose their evil intentions and warned them of the consequences.
The vineyard is a symbol of the nation of Israel. In describing the landlord’s preparations for the vineyard Jesus showed the owner’s seriousness and desire to have a choice vineyard. Then he leased it to farmers, vine-growers, representing the religious leaders of Israel. Then he went on a long journey and became an absentee owner.

2. Mark 12.2-5
The owner sent three servants on three successive occasions to a share of the fruit at harvest time (the 5th year). These servants or agents represented God’s servants, the prophets, to Israel. The tenant farmers were violent. The first servant they beat and sent away empty handed. The second was seriously wounded and shamed. The third servant was killed.The owner was long-suffering and continued to sent other servants. Those were either beaten or also killed.God had sent prophets to Israel to gather fruits of repentance and righteousness, but his prophets were abused, wounded or killed.We ought to examine the Church of Christ today, our congregation and ourselves when we read the parable. How relevant is it to us, to me? Is it just a story about other people of another time or is it about us and about me? Is it about behaviour and response towards God who is not physically present in our world? But He has agents in our midst. How seriously do we take God’s messengers and the messages we receive from them, time and again? How well have we applied God’s Word to our own lives and know Him as He is?

3. Mark 12.6-8
The owner had one more left to send, his own son – “They will respect my son,” he thought. Unique to Mark, the writer, is his use of “my Son & my beloved Son (1.11; 9.7).” He used them to represent God’s Son, Jesus. They are used here to show that the farmers should give HIM thehonour they had denied to the servants. But they had other thoughts and plans. They killed him in the vineyard and then threw him out.Reading v.7, let us try to understand the rationale to kill the owner’s son. In Palestine of those days, someone could claim a piece of land if it was “ownerless property,” first come first served! The farmers may have presumed that the arrival of the son meant that his father had died. So, it they killed him they could acquire the vineyard.
Some would explain that this portion of the parable predicts what would happen to Jesus. He would be crucified outside Jerusalem. It meant Jesus was expelled from Israel, dramatically showed the religious leaders’ rejection of Him.This reasoning presses the parable too far. The throwing of the son’s body out of the vineyard without burial is better seen as the climax of the leaders’ wickedness. The parable showed their rejection and murder of the son took place within the walls of the vineyard, i.e. within Israel.

4. Mark 12.9
Jesus asked a rhetorical question: “What then will the owner of the vineyard do?”This kind of questioning made the audience think with the speaker. They share in deciding what action the owner should take.Expected answer: He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.
Jesus affirmed the religious teachers’ answer, whether spoken or silent. That struck deep into their hearts concerning the serious consequences as they plotted to kill Jesus. Jesus claimed himself as the “only Son” sent by God (John 3.16).Rejection of the owner’s son was really rejection of the owner! He would come with executive authority to punish the murderers. Then he would give the vineyard to other. Rejection of John the Baptist & Jesus was rejection of God Himself. Judgement on Israel was inevitable. Their privileges would be transferred to others (Rom.11.25)

5. Mark 12.10-11
Jesus focused sharply the parable on Himself when He quoted Psalm 118.22-23. This quotation brought to an end the parable.“The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone;the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”The figures in the Parable “son & tenants” are changed to “stone & builders” in the Psalm. Jesus, the owner’s son, seen as the “stone” was rejected by the tenant farmers, seen as “builders.” But the stone has become the capstone / cornerstone, the most important stone in a building.
The builder’s decision to reject the stone was reversed. An ordinary stone has become the headstone! God overrules in amazing ways. He can & will reverse rebellious human attempts to obstruct His plans & purposes.6. Mark 12.12The real intention of the religious leaders was confirmed. They began by asking Jesus questions. The way they asked was to trip and trap Jesus. They questioned Jesus’ authority. They were looking for an excuse or reason to reject Jesus. So Jesus directed the parable of the Parable Vineyard Owner’s Son at them.
Their reaction was to arrest Jesus. Remember that was the Passover Week. The crowd had just given Jesus a rousing welcome into Jerusalem. Fearing the excited crowd of people & the popularity of Jesus, they left him and went away. Their conscience had been pricked. Their hearts hardened.

What can we learn from this incident and the parable?
The human heart is deceitfully wicked. Whether it was the chief priests, teachers of the Law or the elders of the synagogue, or people like us in the church, everyone has a deceitful heart. The human heart can harden. God says, “Do not harden your hearts.”

Questions are asked. Answers are sought. Are they to reinforce our own idea of how or what things should be? We should learn to change. Pray, “Change my heart, O God.”
In private & group Bible Study, pray that the study of God’s Word has a transforming effect on our faith and practice. When it comes to personal application we must be brave to apply the Word to ourselves. We must learn to think and form an opinion to be expressed with honesty. We must not take the easy way out or the lazy way out by saying, “I don’t know,” “No comments,” “Private and personal.” We must all grow “in grace and in the knowledge of the Lord JC.” Our sincere sharing stirs each other to love and good deeds.

Questioning for knowledge is all right. The religious leaders asked questions to reject Jesus’ authority. In a subtle way it was a total rejection of God. We must be careful about throwing questions around undermining authority. They lead to disagreement, misunderstanding and violent conduct. Ungodly behaviour is the rejection of the rule of God.

Our God may be invisible but He is ever present. The structure of the Church, our worship, prayers, songs of praise and the saying of our Confession, e.g the Apostles Creed, remind us all, that God in Jesus Christ is Alive. He is Omnipotent, Omniscience and Omnipresent.
God is Sovereign. He is King. He is in charge, in command, in control. He died and lived again. Some people may plan and plot against His purpose. He has the power and capacity to reverse the order of things. He is to be feared (honoured). He is to be trusted. Our God is trustworthy. He is worthy to be worshipped.

Examine ourselves. Be careful that by our thought, word or deed we do not reject His authority or His person. Jesus is Lord. Be careful lest we become an apostate.