THE PARABLE OF THE TENANTS

Mark 12:1-12
Key Verse 12:10 Haven't you read this scripture: " `The stone the builders rejected has
become the capstone;
I. The Parable of the Tenants (1-9)
Jesus spoke to the religious leaders who came to challenge his authority and later
went out to plot his death. He spoke to them the parable of the tenants which revealed their
own situation very vividly. In fact in my opinion the title of this parable should have been the
parable of the landlord or parable of God’s salvation ministry. But for fallen man only
realization of our sin makes God’s grace indeed meaningful. "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 went away on a journey.” This man was a very rich man who
had abundant cultivable land. He had so great wealth that he need not depend on the produce
of the fields. However his character was far from the landlords of our time to capture land
and live selfishly only for themselves. This man had interest in the people around him and in
their happiness and prosperity. So he made a plan to bless the farmers around him through his
land and through his wealth. He planted a vineyard. For his vineyard he provided every
necessary thing and rented it to the farmers whom he wanted to be benefited by taking care of
his vineyard. His deed was not that of sharing certain percentage. His deed was to let his
vineyard produce the best grapes and choicest wine. As long as the vineyard produced the
best quality of fruit the farmers were free to sell all the products and use almost what they
received for their own benefit. Only they should produce good fruit and acknowledge the
farmer’s goodness for them. This landlord reminds us of God who planted the garden of Eden
and entrusted it to Adam to take care of it. God is so rich and powerful and he lacks nothing
in his life. But he wanted to bless the man he created. Only the man’s hardworking and fruit
bearing life was his delight. God blessed him to be steward of the created world. In return
only God wanted Adam to thank him and acknowledge his blessings. God is the God of
goodness.
“2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the
fruit of the vineyard.” The farmers should have welcomed and honored the servant as if
honoring the master himself who took interest in their prosperity and chose to bless their life
one sidedly. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. It was a
shocking response from the farmers in contrast to the master’s goodness for them. But why
did they do so? It was because after enjoying the produce of the garden they had become
greedy. The servants coming to receive some fruit only reminded that the real owner of the
garden were not they but the master. They forgot what the master had done for the vineyard
and for them in entrusting the garden. Rather they only saw how hard they had worked and
complained that the master had done nothing. Above all they did not like the master’s
ownership over the garden. They paid back the master’s goodness with cruelty and hatred
against the master.
At this the master should have immediately sent armed forces and take back his
vineyard by punishing the undeserving farmers. But instead, he sent another servant to them;
they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. [5] He sent still another, and
that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. In this
way the master lost one after another servant with no one left to be send except his only son.
Verse 6 "He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, `They
will respect my son.' 7 "But the tenants said to one another, `This is the heir. Come, let's kill
him, and the inheritance will be ours.' This shows the farmers’ extreme greed. They wanted to
be the owner of not only the vineyard but of all the property and inheritance this master had
to be inherited to his only son. They wanted to remove the master and take possession of the
master’s power, authority, wealth and everything the master had. 8 So they took the master’s
only son and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. In this parable the tenants are the
religious leaders of Israel whom God entrusted every good things the law, the prophets, the
covenant promise, the temple and God’s presence in their midst to be good tenants of the
vineyard of God’s people. They were supposed to work hard and bear good quality fruits of
holiness and righteousness for the pleasure and happiness of God. But Israel rebelled against
God time and again. They worshipped idols. They mistreated God’s servants the prophets and
even killed them. They also killed God’s one and only Son whom God sent out of his love for
sinners and hope for their repentance and turning back to him.
The parable also reveals in general man’s open rebellion against God. The knowledge
of God’s existence and our duty toward him give burden to the fallen man. They try to finish
God from their life and conscience if possible. They think how enjoyable it would be if there
were no accountability at all. They do not want to give anything to God and if possible they
want to become God themselves.
9 "What then will the owner of the vineyard do? Jesus concludes the parable with the
serious warning of judgment. “He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to
others.” First, God is god of mercy and also the god of righteouness. He does not take action
against our evil immediately. He gives enough chance to realize and repent. But for those
who live against God with constant rebellion and do not repent to the end, he would give
them death, the eternal punishment. Secondly, his bad experience with some farmers would
not deter him from closing the vineyard. He would rent the vineyard to others. Israel did not
give the fruits and failed to be tenants of God’s vineyard. But did not stop the salvation
ministry because of Israel’s failure. In Jesus’ grace of forgiveness he entrusted the salvation
ministry even to the Gentiles, even to us in our time. However, the principle remains the
same. God wants us to give some fruits. These fruits are our acknowledgement of his
existence and ownership over our life and time and health and wealth and working hard to
utilize whatever entrusted into our care to bear fruit without wastage of his grace.
God has gifted me my life, my health, my family, my time, my wealth, my study, my
sheep, and the JNU campus as my vineyard. God wants me to give some good fruits by
working hard for his vineyard. Looking at my life I cannot say that I am taking care of God
given vineyard well. Moreover like the tenants there is the greed in me to think that my life,
time, health, career are mine. There is rebellion in me to reject God’s control over my life and
desire to enjoy free life without any accountability. I hate accountability. I have been
experiencing that whenever I am supposed to give an account of my time or effort my sinful
nature produces rebellion in me against God. Until last week, I was unhappy with Sh Jimmy
Lee for suddenly he began to give more focus on Sunday message, as a result I had to
struggle more than before and invest more time than before to prepare message and rehearse
with him more than once. Whenever my wife asked how I spent my time and whether I
studied hard or not I was angry and often fought trying to suppress her not to question me.
Whether my accountability is questioned through shepherd Jimmy Lee or my wife, first and
foremost God demands an accountability of my life. When I stand before god, I only feel
sorry for wasting time relaxing or doing something unproductive. When I remember God’s
goodness on my life, I only repent of my rebellion against God and god’s servants and decide
to live to bear fruit and give glory to God through my life. Especially God has given me clear
direction to complete my Phd this year and serve JNU sheep. For this God helped me to let
me give all my time. God also provides our family’s needs through Sh Sarah part time job so
that I do not have to spend time on self supporting matter. May God forgive me and help me
faithful to my phd completion and serving JNU sheep. I thank God for helping me to meet
my sheep in JNU last week. But I need to make more effort to have deep and prayerful Bible
study so that God’s word may be planted in them to change them little by little until they can
be the future spiritual leaders of this country. May God grow me to be fruitful through my
faithfulness.
II. The rejected stone became the capstone
10 Haven't you read this scripture: " `The stone the builders rejected has become the
capstone; 11 the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes' ?" The religious leaders
are the builders. They were supposed to build up the God’s salvation ministry and Israel
nation as a kingdom of priests and holy nation for God’s soul saving work. Builders are
professional people. They can distinguish between useful stone and vulnerable stone that can
endanger the building. However the builders made one great mistake. They throw away one
stone which in God’s point of view was to be the capstone calling it as a useless and
dangerous stone. The religious leaders’ attitude toward Jesus is in view. Jesus is the
culmination of God’s salvation ministry. However the religious leaders rejected him and
crucified him as if Jesus was the most useless and dangerous and harmful criminal. The made
this great intentionally denying their conscience and out of their unrepentant sinful heart. But
God made Jesus the capstone of God’s salvation ministry. Mankinds’ sinfulness could not
thwart God’s salvation plan. What is the role of capstone? The capstone makes the building
complete and holds together all parts of the construction. The capstone reveals the glory of
the building.
God has sent Jesus to be the capstone for us. In my opinion, we all are builders of our
life and God’s ministry. We are building through study, through self-support, career, raising
up disciples, etc. However without making Jesus as the capstone our building is incomplete.
Only when Jesus becomes the capstone our life and ministry, it is marvelous in our eyes
because it is marvelous in God’s eyes too and the ultimate purpose of God sending Jesus to
us. If I had not met Jesus, building up my life through study, career etc could have been
incomplete and meaningless. But when Jesus is the capstone my study, job, serving God’s
ministry is marvelous in God’s eyes and in my eyes too. Jesus gave me perfect salvation
which only my study career or religious life could not have given. I thank God for making
Jesus the capstone in my building life. I pray that my study, ministry, serving sheep, family
and raising disciple my reveal Jesus the capstone of my life and in this way bring glory to
God. May God make Jesus the capstone of my sheep who also are building their life. May
God make Jesus the capstone of our ministry too. Whenever people or our sheep look at our
ministry they may see Jesus who is the capstone and we all are under his grace and obeying
his will. Lord thank you for warning me to be faithful and accountable for the time, health
and wealth that you have entrusted to my care. Help me offer some fruits to you by
cultivating the best things you have given to me. Help me be faithful in my phd study and
serving JNU sheep Help me to live under Jesus’ grace and build up Jesus’ ministry and my
own life for Jesus’ sake.

One Word: Faithfulness and accountability