"On the Road to the Cross - The Parable of the Wicked Tenants" (Mark 12:1-12)

Having come into Jerusalem on ‘Palm Sunday’, Jesus told a parable. This would be a story drawn from real-life images that would make an important point well beyond the story itself. Jesus had just been in dispute with the religious leaders (the chief priests, the scribes, the elders), and these would be the ones particularly present to hear this parable. These are the ones who had been trying to derail and be rid of Jesus for the last three years. Events were now coming to a climax, and Jesus was able to capture this in a dramatic story.

God was moving in the world; so much so that he had sent Jesus to reconcile people to their Creator. But was Jesus received with enthusiasm or disdain? Perhaps with enthusiasm … when the people thought that he would break the Roman rule, or heal all their physical infirmities! In short, if the people themselves could control the agenda, then they would be enthusiastic about Jesus. Maybe they could define for themselves what Jesus’ mission was about; maybe they could even redesign Jesus in their own image. “Hosanna” to that idea … I could be in this. I’ll try getting excited and throwing around a few palm branches!

But it wasn’t like this! Jesus wasn’t about mass political overthrow, and had more to do than just dealing with people’s personal setbacks; Jesus was about people growing in faith towards a God they could trust their whole life to (from whatever situation they found themselves in). And so when it came to the crunch, Jesus was sent to a cross. This was because the challenge of faith was too great, for faith had to be built on humility, openness, vulnerability, and repentance (a change of direction), together with a radical reorientation towards care for one’s neighbour.

And unfortunately the leaders of this anti-Jesus movement were the religious leaders of the time, who were threatened by the challenge to their positions of power and authority. Ah ha … but hadn’t they heard Jesus say that the first will be last, and the last will be first … whoever wishes to become great among you must be your servant … for the Son of Man came not to be served but to serve, and to give his life a ransom for many. Obviously, they didn’t want to listen. How would they then react to a story?

There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, and made all the appropriate preparations to make a nice living out of this little business. He set the vineyard up with everything required for a successful outcome. Then he decided to employ a management team to come in and run the vineyard for him, while he left for another country to have a rest and pursue some other interests.

The time came to collect some profits from this vineyard business. This would have been the amount left after the workers had been paid, and the management fees deducted. The landowner sent one of his assistants over to the vineyard to collect the money, but the request was refused, and the assistant sent away empty handed, also a little bruised and battered. We can see that the hearts and minds of the managers had become hardened and selfish, and they had forgotten who had given them the opportunity in the first place, who had placed trust in them. [And seemingly it didn’t take long for this to happen.]

Maybe they would change their minds though! So the landowner, with great patience and hope, sent over another assistant. Alas, this one was verbally abused and beaten severely around the head. How could they do this … this was such unreasonable action! You could imagine the irrational words that were spoken, as they really didn’t have any leg to stand on! The managers had obviously let their selfish intent get the better of them; and in continuing to deny their responsibility and their crime, they could now only strike out with further aggression. This is the behaviour of people at war with themselves. The third assistant sent by the landowner was actually killed; and others that followed were either killed or beaten up badly.

For the landowner, there was only one option left. There was no way he was going to give up … there was still so much potential for this vineyard, if it could ever be properly managed. There was a beautiful environment around this vineyard, and there were many good labourers who would work there in the right spirit. And so, with some sense of trepidation, and a degree of apprehension, the landowner made the decision to send his own son to collect what was rightfully his. Surely they will listen to my son!

[The audience may have been surprised at this. Why would the landowner take the risk of sending his own son when all of the other assistants had been beaten so badly or even killed? He must have really cared heaps for his vineyard!]

But, as the story proceeds, we see that the managers didn’t even respect the son; in fact they even thought that if they killed the landowner’s son and heir, the landowner would give up, and that they would be left to occupy and rule the vineyard themselves for ever. Such unrestrained arrogance – leading to vicious violence! The managers killed the landowner’s son and callously threw his body away. But they were wrong about the landowner, for this was not going to be the end of his commitment to the vineyard. The managers would have to be replaced no matter what, and other managers brought in, so that the vineyard would survive for the benefit of future generations.

This is the story that the religious leaders heard; and correctly understood as strongly criticising the way they had managed spiritual affairs and the way they had out-rightly rejected Jesus. They could have listened to this story in a way that would allow them to change. If only they could have seen in the drama of this story, the extraordinary exhibition of the grace of God, and recognised the pathos (the emotional compassion) when they heard the owner’s phrase – “they will respect my son”. But instead they even more so set their minds on destroying Jesus; and would now begin to manipulate events to achieve this end within a few days.

But they, through their thickheadedness, did miss another major point in the story: that the one that they had ultimately rejected and killed, the son and heir, would return and become the “cornerstone” of the new management of the vineyard – and that this will be amazing to witness! It will certainly be marvellous to see for those Gentiles in Mark’s worshipping community that now have free access to God through Jesus.

God had created a magnificent planet on which life could be sustained. All of God’s creation was deemed to be “very good”. Human beings were given the opportunity to relate to God and live in harmony – yet turned their back on this and went their own way. This led to continual rebellion within God’s people in Israel. Prophets were raised up by God to challenge and correct the people regarding their wrongdoing. These prophets seem to be characterised in our parable as the initial slaves who were sent to collect the landowner’s just returns. God’s true prophets were regularly rejected (especially in their own time). One such prophet was Isaiah, and he also wrote about a vineyard that was mishandled by its inhabitants. Isaiah (5:7) said:

“For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel,
and the people of Judah are his pleasant planting;
he expected justice, but saw bloodshed;
[the Lord expected] righteousness, but heard a cry!”

There needed to be a new beginning, and Jesus would be the “cornerstone” of this new beginning. This would be a multi-national, inter-cultural movement referred to in the gospels as “the Kingdom of God”. Those who have been saved by and follow Jesus will participate in and contribute to this “Kingdom”. Those in this “Kingdom” would be gifted and empowered by the Holy Spirit; and it would seek through the quality of the human life within it, to transform the world towards God’s purposes. Such participants in the “Kingdom” will form local worshipping communities, and through the leading of the Holy Spirit will make some little but significant impact there. Lives will be changed!

But you might join me in saying … oh … there is just so far to go! Isaiah again says: “… [the Lord] expected justice, but saw bloodshed; [God expected] righteousness, but heard a cry!” So many mistakes have been made! So many people have sought their own ends, and thus brought so much disaster; violence and poverty being the worst ills we face! The church struggles to make a positive difference. We just can’t seem to know God well enough, or understand his Word clearly enough. As Paul writes in Romans (8:19): “… the creation waits with eager longing for the revealing of the children of God”.

So we must look to our “cornerstone”. This is the ‘stone’ that ensures that the whole building holds together; the whole building (of the Kingdom of God) will depend upon its “cornerstone”. The “cornerstone” (or foundation stone) concept is derived from the first stone set in the construction of a masonry foundation, important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure (Wikipedia). Jesus is the foundation, the focal point, the unifying force of each church community (or should be; or needs to be if a church is truly going to be the church).

1 Peter 2:4-6 carries on this tradition: “Come to him, a living stone, though rejected by mortals yet chosen and precious in God’s sight; and like living stones, let yourselves be built into a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. For it stands in scripture: See, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious; and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.”