There are stories that pull at our heart strings. Stories, that when we hear them we get so riled up, we feel like we need to “get out there and do something”. When these stories are true, they are all the more effective at inciting us. But even when they are mere allegory, they can still have a profound effect on us. When injustice is the theme, something in us cries out for things to be made right. Perhaps this is part of the image of our Creator that wells up within us. Perhaps even though we suffer from corruptions we have embraced, there remains an imprint on our soul, that longs for equity over injustice, and that longs for love over isolation. When King David listened to the Prophet Nathan about the story of the one little sheep that was so beloved, and then taken by the greedy wealthy man, David was indignant. He believed the story to be real, and determined that somebody needed some killing … until he realized that “he” was that wealthy man who had stolen the sheep.
As stories have always been an effective weapon in the arsenal of persuasion, Jesus had one of His own to tell. To set the context, Jesus had been teaching in the Temple for 3 days, since His triumphant entry into Jerusalem riding on a colt that had never been ridden, and fulfilling another prophecy about the Messiah. The leaders of the Temple, did not believe the Temple belonged to Christ, that it had been given to “Him”, but rather they believed the Temple was “theirs”, and He was trespassing without their consent. How much like us, who believe our churches to be “ours”, only allowing believers to enter with our consent, as it is convenient for us. Those sworn enemies of Christ, the religious leaders of His day, perhaps of ours, had just confronted Him. And now, Christ had something to teach them as well. Jesus was looking to reach that divine imprint that still remains upon their souls, the place they could not reach to have it removed.
Peter begins the recollection to John Mark in his gospel in chapter 12 beginning in verse 1 saying … “And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country.” This was to be a parable, a story. Not all the ideas laid out in the story were concrete facts, but the parallels were easy to draw, and the ideas easy to be understood. In this story, the certain man was Jesus Christ. It was He who planted the vineyard, which in this case was to be His church. It was He who tried to defend it with the hedge, who made the preparations for it to be fruitful with the place for the winefat and tower. And finally it was He who had chosen the husbandmen, or selected the priesthood, in order to maintain the vineyard, His church, until He could return to do it Himself.
As the context of this story begins with Jesus speaking to the Pharisees, it is easy for our minds to leave the parallels right there, in history. But consider how closely this story could be told to us, to our religious leaders, to the man in our mirrors. All the points are the same. There is no generational difference, in fact, the idea that Jesus had gone away and was hoping to return again, speaks more to us, than it did to the Pharisees. Mark continues in verse 2 saying … “And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. [verse 3] And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.” The church was ready to bear fruit. So Jesus sends a servant with a message and a mission to harvest what was ready to be given.
But the leaders of the church, or the husbandmen in this story, did not allow the harvest. They prevented it, by catching the servant of the master, of Christ, and not only did they prevent him from doing his appointed work, they beat him, and sent him away. The religious leaders of their day, and of our day, are very often quick to punish servants of God. They ostracize them, they despise them, they envy them … and so when they can, they prevent them from their appointed work, and punish them for their willingness to serve. It is now interesting the reaction of the certain man, of the real owner of the church, of Jesus.
Jesus continues in verse 4 saying … “And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.” The owner does NOT abandon the vineyard, or His church, or His people. He does not just give up, or give in. For Love drives Him to reach out again. He sends another servant, and the violence against the servant of God escalates. The religious leadership is not content with just a beating this time, this time they throw rocks at his head, wounding him, and sending him away wounded and shamefully treated. Servants of God who have a message and a mission are the ones punished by the religious leadership of the church. And once that leadership rejects the message and the mission, the violence against God’s servants escalates.
Jesus continues in verse 5 saying … “And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.” Jesus still does NOT abandon His church, or the vineyard. He sends yet another servant, and this one they kill outright. The violence has escalated once again. The husbandmen, or the person appointed originally by Jesus to lead the church, has decided to kill the servants of God rather than relinquish control of the vineyard back to its original owner. Imagine this in our day. Are the leaders of today so concerned with control over the message and the mission, that they would kill to keep control over it?
Are we so ready to do church our way, that we would cast out those who disagree with our style, our preferences, and our methods? What do we expect to greet those who are cast out of the fellowship, but Satan, the enemy of souls? Is it worth the eternal loss of our brothers, over matters of taste? Our arguments conflating our preferences with the only acceptable preference of our God, are mere arrogance on our part, and the excuse we tell ourselves as we cast them out of our fellowship. But the joke is on us. For Jesus is no longer in our fellowship, He was cast out a long time ago. Those we cast out now, only seek Him out away from us. It is Satan that now resides over our hallowed halls, and weak minds. It is his Satanic majesty we serve, calling him Messiah, and not even realizing what we do.
Jesus makes it clear in this parable, He would not abandon the vineyard ever. He continues to send servants of God with message and a mission. They are met with violence every time, either beatings, or murder, as it is with the sons of Satan who deceive themselves into thinking that since they were originally installed in positions of leadership in His church, it is their positions that save them, not their association with the true owner, with God. This kind of self-deception was not just meant for the Pharisees in His day, but for those who carry the banner “Christian” today. The leaders have long been tempted to believe leadership was a position of power over the vineyard. But God does not send leaders to His church, He keeps sending servants, those who understand that service to the vineyard is more precious than authority over it.
Jesus continues in verse 6 saying … “Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. [verse 7] But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. [verse 8] And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.” This part of the story seems like it was directly aimed at the Pharisees. The well-beloved and only Son is sent to the original church, to the leadership to redeem the vineyard. He too has a message and mission. But alas, even He is killed by the wicked leaders, presuming they will take His “inheritance” and be able to perform salvations on others instead of Christ. They kill the Son without remorse. They cast Him out of the vineyard.
Now look in the mirror at yourself. You may not carry a large wooden cross for Him, or the nails and hammer to insure the job is done right. But when you decide that “you” can be responsible for your own salvation with God, it is you who attempts to claim His inheritance. When we, who call ourselves by His name, cast out from our fellowship, those who we are meant to love; when we cast away love itself from our hearts, and in the person of others, we too cast Him out of our vineyards. And over what? Because our youth prefer another kind of music? Because our elders do not? Because our divorced have clearly made at least one mistake? Because our widows and orphans, and least among us, need to “man up”, “get a job”, and “take care of themselves”? Because those caught in public sin, deserve our public ridicule, ever driving them away from forgiveness? Why do we Christians cast out Christ from our vineyards and call ourselves righteous while we do it. And yet we believe this parable to be about “them”, not about “us”.
Jesus now poses the most just of all questions in verse 9 saying … “What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.” The leaders who reject the message and mission, are no longer leaders. Their position does not protect their souls. Their position was “given” to them by Jesus. It is only through continued association with Jesus that they remain in this position, not through anything inherent in themselves. When the message and mission is rejected, the owner Himself comes back, destroys the husbandmen, and gives the vineyard to others. Whether in the days of the Messiah, when Judaism loses its prominence to Christianity, or in the last days when Christianity, is returned to Christ; human leaders of the faith do not keep their positions over it by power, but by service. We do not preside, we support. We do not have power, we have love. We do not have control, we have a message and a mission.
As to those who reject Jesus as the Messiah He continues in verse 10 saying … “And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner: [verse 11] This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?” What men cast aside, is the cornerstone of the next faith. Judaism loses its prominence NOT because God ever rejected them, but because they cast God out of their vineyard. What they cast away has become the cornerstone of our faith. But why they cast Him away, what they were tempted to do that led to that, must be the watchword ever in our ears, or we will do exactly the same thing, exactly the same way. If history is to avoid repetition, let it be with us, in this matter. Let us hold love close. Let us serve with a message of our conversion, and of our redemption, and of our perfection, by Jesus Christ alone. Let us serve with a mission of pointing others to Christ, and loving them every day while they do so, through all of their failings, shortcomings, and negativity; just like Christ does for us.
The post mortem on this story was terrifying in verse 12 saying … “And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and they left him, and went their way.” The husbandmen wanted to kill the only begotten and well-beloved Son of God right there and right then. They literally wanted to act out the parable Jesus said, as if He prophesied right to them. They reasoned that somebody needed some killing … not the wicked leaders who had done so many injustices to the servants of God, but instead to His only Son. If this was the response in their hearts and minds, is it likewise in ours. Are we ready to kill the one who continues to suggest that we should embrace “all” genres of music in our worship of God? Are we ready to kill the one who suggests we should reform our church services to be action oriented, instead of only passive? Are we ready to kill the One who would save us from our sins, and our evil motives, and evil thinking and instead do it ourselves?
It is we who deserve the killing we espouse; that, would be only justice. Like David, it is we, who are “that man”. Are we to continue with the arrogance of our forefathers believing that once installed it is our prerogative to remain in power forever over His church? Or can we submit to Christ, and finally be a servant, with a message and a mission, heading in to support the vineyard, no matter what the consequences to us?
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