Maximum Exposure
Mark 12:1-12
Intro: One day, a bus driver was driving along his usual route. He didn’t encounter any problems for the first few stops; a few people got on, a few got off, and things went generally well. At one stop, however, a big hulk of a man got on. He was 6’ 8" tall, built like a wrestler, and his arms hung down to the ground. He glared at the driver and told him, “Big John doesn’t pay!” Then he sat down at the back of the bus. The driver was 5’ 3" tall, thin, and very meek, so he didn’t argue with Big John. But he wasn’t happy about it.
The next day, the same thing happened. Big John got on again, made a big show of refusing to pay, and sat down. It happened the next day, and again the day after that. The bus driver began to lose sleep over the way Big John was taking advantage of him.
Finally, he could stand it no longer. He signed up for body building courses, karate, judo, and a class on finding your self-esteem. By the end of the summer, the bus driver had become quite strong and felt really good about himself.
The next Monday, Big John entered the bus and again declared, “Big John doesn’t pay!” Enraged, the driver stood up, glared back at Big John, and bellowed, “And why not?!”
With a surprised look on his face, Big John replied, "Big John has a bus pass."
. The bus driver thought that he had lost control of the situation.
. In leading up to our scripture this morning, the Pharisees knew they were losing control of the situation.
. Jesus had just arrived in Jerusalem for His final Passover.
. He had gone into the Temple and turned over the tables of the people who were selling sacrifices there in the temple.
. The Jewish leaders were incensed and were trying to figure out a way to get control back from Jesus because so many were following Him.
. At the end of chapter 11 here they demand to know what gives Him the right to do the things that He is doing and He refuses to give them the response that they are looking for.
. Jesus saw this as a teaching moment and tells them a parable.
. Mark 12:1-12; 1Then Jesus began teaching them with stories: “A man planted a vineyard. He built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country.2At the time of the grape harvest, he sent one of his servants to collect his share of the crop.3But the farmers grabbed the servant, beat him up, and sent him back empty-handed.4The owner then sent another servant, but they insulted him and beat him over the head.5The next servant he sent was killed. Others he sent were either beaten or killed,6until there was only one left—his son whom he loved dearly. The owner finally sent him, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’
7“But the tenant farmers said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’8So they grabbed him and murdered him and threw his body out of the vineyard.
9“What do you suppose the eowner of the vineyard will do?” Jesus asked. “I’ll tell you—he will come and kill those farmers and lease the vineyard to others.10Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.
11This is the LORD’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.’ ”
12The religious leaders wanted to arrest Jesus because they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. But they were afraid of the crowd, so they left him and went away.
. Have you ever heard of sharecroppers or tenant farmers?
. Back when I was a little boy I had an uncle who was a tenant farmer. He lived in a house that was owned by someone else and he farmed the land that this homeowner had there around the house. Part of his payment for living in that house and farming the owners land was a portion of those crops.
. That’s the basis for Jesus’ story here.
. The man here in the story that provides the land and the wine press and the watchtower is God.
. The wicked farmers were the Jewish nation and the religious leaders.
. The servants that were killed and beaten were the prophets that God had sent to the people in an effort to bring them back into a relationship with Him.
. The son that was killed was Jesus.
. The Pharisees didn’t understand all that Jesus told them but they understood enough to want to arrest him but knew they couldn’t because the people loved them.
. They went away in shame; I’m sure wanting even more to kill Him.
. That’s the story. Pretty simple isn’t it.
. Jesus used this story to shame them for the way they had been treating God.
. As we look at this story closely, we will see that this story exposes much about God, Mankind and Jesus
. The story shows us that God is a generous God
. The vineyard had all that was necessary for success.
. It should have been a slam dunk. They had the grapes, the wine press, walls for protection of themselves and the crops and a watchtower to see enemies from afar.
. The land owner had provided all that they needed
. This was true for the people if Israel. God had watched over them and provided for them. He had given them all that was necessary for success.
. All He wanted was a relationship with His chosen people with whom he had been so generous.
. God is generous even today to His people.
. We are provided all that we need here on this planet we call Earth. All God seeks from us is the same thing He has always wanted from His creation.
. In his generosity, He is seeking a relationship with His creation.
. This story also tells of the patience of God.
. Not once or twice but many times the master gave the farmers they opportunity to do the right thing.
. To do what they needed to do to stay in the relationship with the master.
. Thank God for His patience this morning.
. Patience is a hard thing isn’t it.
. A man’s car stalled in heavy traffic just as the light turned green. All his frantic efforts to get the car started failed, & a chorus of honking horns behind him made matters worse. He finally got out of his car & walked back to the first driver behind him & said, "I’m sorry, but I can’t seem to get my car started. If you’ll go up there & give it a try, I’ll stay here & honk your horn for you."
. One Calvin & Hobbes comic strip pictured his father sitting at a computer saying, "It used to be that if a client wanted something done in a week it was considered a rush job, & he would be lucky to get it. Now, with modems, faxes, & car phones everybody wants everything instantly." About that time Calvin walks by holding a microwave dinner, reading the instructions. "It takes 6 minutes to microwave this," he says. Who’s got that kind of time?"
.Thankfully God is a patient God.
. This story also exposes to us the God of Justice.
. Several years ago, a Charlotte, North Carolina man, purchased a case of rare, very expensive cigars, insured them against ... get this ... fire. Before he had made a single payment on the policy, he smoked every last one of those 24 cigars... and then he filed a claim against the insurance company stating that he had lost the cigars in "a series of small fires." The insurance company refused to pay citing the obvious reason that the man had consumed the cigars in a normal fashion.
Well the man sued the insurance company.
And he won!
The judge ruled that - since the man held a policy from the company in which it had warranted that the cigars were insurable, and also guaranteed that it would insure the cigars against fire, without defining what it considered to be "unacceptable fire," it was obligated to compensate the insured for his loss.
Rather than endure a lengthy and costly appeal process, the insurance company accepted the judge’s ruling and paid the man $15,000 for the rare cigars he lost in "the fires."
But after the man cashed his check the insurance company had him arrested.
Can you guess the charge?
. Arson! 24 counts of arson!
. I’m sure you have heard the saying “what goes around comes around”
. That statement is very true in all things.
. Justice will eventually prevail in all things.
. We talk of the patience of God and rightly so but as in all things, patience eventually ends and judgment and justice come.
. God will only put up with our rebellion and disobedience for so long and then He acts.
. In this story we see the judgment and justice of God.
. This story also tells us some things about Jesus.
. Jesus knew who He was at all times.
. While all the others who were sent were called servants, Jesus called himself a son.
. Jesus was saying that in the Son, the last opportunity was being given.
. There was to be no one else after Jesus. Accept the Son or be subject to the judgment and justice of God.
. In our world today of acceptance of all religions and our political correctness, we lose sight of this fact.
. There is no one else coming. The Son was the last one to be sent.
. The only way for reconciliation was through the Son.
. If you don’t accept my Son, there will be judgment and justice for what you have done.
. The Son is the only way to bring back the relationship with the Father.
. This story also shows that Jesus knew His future.
. The cross was not a surprise to Him. Even in this parable, Jesus knew that the son was to die.
. What determination and love and courage it must have taken for Jesus to perform the mission of dying for all mankind.
. We look at Jesus and say yes but He was God. Yes He was but He was also man.
. Philippians 2:6-11 tells us that yes He was God but He gave that up voluntarily to become man.
. Though he was God,
he did not think of equality with God
as something to cling to.
7Instead, he gave up his divine privileges;
he took the humble position of a slave
and was born as a human being.
When he appeared in human form,
8he humbled himself in obedience to God
and died a criminal’s death on a cross.
9Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor
and gave him the name above all other names,
10that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow,
In heaven and on earth and under the earth,
11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is kLord,
to the aglory of God the Father.
.He experienced all our fears and heartaches and joys and pain.
. He gave up all His rights as God to know and experience what man goes through.
. Can you even imagine going through life knowing that you ultimate purpose is to die.
. The Hunger Games is a book and a movie about people having to live in fear of being selected to possibly die so that others could live.
. Jesus did away with the hunger games as well as all other sacrifices.
. He died for all so that all could live.
. In this parable we see the acknowledgment that Jesus knew His ultimate destiny.
. Lastly, this parable exposes a lot about our humanity.
. Why do you think that the farmers thought that if they killed the son, they would be ok?
. They must have thought that the owner was too far away to act.
. In our humanity, many people see God as too far away.
. We see Him in the abstract. We say that we believe in Him but He is not close so we figure out of sight, out of mind.
. This happens when we don’t have a relationship with Him.
. When we don’t spend time with Him and let Him speak to us through His word.
. We talk to God through prayer.
. He talks to us through His word.
. The only way to have this intimate relationship with Him is to spend time with Him.
. Do you have a relationship with Him through Jesus Christ this morning?
. A man was asked one day if he thought Jesus was alive and he said certainly. How can you answer that with certainty? I can answer with certainty because I talk with Him daily.
. Can you say with certainty that you have a relationship with Jesus this morning?
. Will you be one that suffers God’s judgment and justice.
INVITATION
*** To my Christian brothers and sisters, thank you for taking the time to read this sermon. I ask that you take another second and score this for me. I am always open to feedback so that I can continue to grow in the proclamation of God’s word.
May God bless you as you continue to strive to walk worthy of His calling.
Sources:
The Holy Bible, Nlt
The Gospel Of Mark, William Barkley
Patience, Fruit of the Spirit, Melvin Newland
