This evening we are going to look at what is called the “Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers.” Our main text will be taken from Mark chapter twelve; however, before we look at Mark, let’s turn to Isaiah chapter five.
In Isaiah we find a parable called the “Parable of the Vineyard,” which is similar to the one we’ll look at in Mark. In His words found in Mark chapter twelve, Jesus appears to be drawing from the “Parable of the Vineyard,” when He further expounds on it to address the sins of Israel. Let’s now take a look at Isaiah chapter 5, verses 1-7, and see what the Lord spoke through the prophet Isaiah:
1 Now let me sing to my well beloved a song of my beloved regarding His vineyard: My well beloved has a vineyard on a very fruitful hill. 2 He dug it up and cleared out its stones, and planted it with the choicest vine. He built a tower in its midst, and also made a winepress in it; so He expected it to bring forth good grapes, but it brought forth wild grapes.
3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge, please, between Me and My vineyard. 4 What more could have been done to My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why then, when I expected it to bring forth good grapes, did it bring forth wild grapes? 5 And now, please let Me tell you what I will do to My vineyard: I will take away its hedge, and it shall be burned; and break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will lay it waste; it shall not be pruned or dug, but there shall come up briers and thorns. I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain on it. 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel . . .
This parable and prophecy was set just before the Assyrian captivity of 721 B.C. Isaiah was warning of impending judgement. The meaning of the parable is fairly easy to interpret. The Lord entrusted to His people Israel the care of Jerusalem and the temple, but they grew lax in their relationship with God; and therefore, they would be destroyed.
They believed that since they were God’s chosen people, and the temple was in their midst, that they would never suffer harm. Their logic went something like this: “1.) The temple was the Lord’s dwelling place, 2.) the Lord would never permit His dwelling place to be destroyed, and 3.) since the temple was located in Jerusalem, then Jerusalem would never be destroyed, since the Lord lived there in the temple.”(1)
The people of Judah (or southern Israel) took God’s protection and their worship of Him for granted; therefore, the Lord was going to come in and tear down the vineyard, or His holy city of Jerusalem. The city would not actually be destroyed until around 587 B.C. If you are familiar with Israelite history, then you are aware that Jerusalem would eventually be rebuilt. The tearing down and burning of Jerusalem was done in order to purge the vineyard of all the thorns and briers; or rather, the disobedient followers of the Lord.
Let’s now turn to Mark chapter 12, verses 1-11, where we find a similar parable; similar in that someone becomes too secure in their care of the vineyard, and they make mistakes for which they will have to answer.
Planting the Vineyard (v. 1)
1 Then He began to speak to them in parables: A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country.
Just as in Isaiah 5:2, a vineyard was built, along with a tower and a winepress. We see that there was a protective hedge built around the vineyard. The hedge was built to protect the vines from being blown over by the wind. There was also a tower: “A watch-tower or stone hut served as a cool shelter during the summer when the laborers lived in the vineyards . . . [it] was erected on an elevation overlooking the vineyard, where the householder and his family kept a watch throughout the vintage period.”(2) When the grapes were ripe for harvest, they were gathered and trampled in the winepress.
The vineyard here is symbolic of God’s kingdom on earth. The Master, or God, has built a vineyard; or rather, established His chosen people. The hedge is symbolic of His protective hand surrounding them. The watchtower (symbolically) is where God’s holy priests and religious leaders would look out on, and tend to the Lord’s precious grapes, keeping a close watch on His people, while waiting for the time of harvest. As we have seen many times before, the harvest is the day when all people will stand before God and are judged according to their works; and trampled in the winepress to be sorted.
The master built the vineyard, left it in the hands of the vinedressers, and went into a far country. In other words, God is in heaven while His priests and religious leaders keep watch over the people, and are responsible for the watering, the pruning, and fertilizing of His precious grapes. The priests and religious leaders are expected to lead people in the ways of righteousness, and tend to their spiritual growth.
Killing of the Servants (vv. 2-5)
2 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. 5 And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some.
The Lord sent servants to the vinedressers. Each time this was done, the servants were killed. Who were the vinedressers again? They were the priests and other religious leaders. So, which religious leaders was Jesus addressing when He spoke of the vinedressers? In Mark 11:27, we see to whom Jesus was speaking this parable; He was addressing the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.
So, who or what is a servant? “The word ‘servant’ is a frequent designation in the Old Testament for the prophets whom God sent to the people.”(3) Jesus was referring to God’s messengers here. 2 Chronicles 36:15-16 says, “The Lord God of their fathers sent warnings to them by His messengers, rising up early and sending them, because He had compassion on His people and on His dwelling place. But they mocked the messengers of God, despised His words, and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of the Lord arose against His people, till there was no remedy.”
The Lord knew that the vinedressers had failed in their duty; for they weren’t taking care of the people. For instance, the Pharisees and priests became more concerned about every little stipulation of the law, than being concerned for the people. The Lord sent messengers time and again to remind them that they needed to tend the grapes, or the people; but they just killed His prophets and ignored God’s message.
Look at what happened to John the Baptist. He was beheaded for speaking in the name of the Lord. Verse 4 says that one of the prophets was wounded in the head after stones were thrown at him. David Garland suggests that this is a reference to the wounded head of John the Baptist. “Struck on the head” (kephalioo) is a Greek phrase related to the word for “beheaded” (apokephalizo). [Both contain the Greek word for “head” within them, which is kephale].
The Lord tried to warn His vinedressers that they were failing at their job, but they killed the messengers and ignored God’s warning. Why? Because the vinedressers wanted control over the vineyard. They wanted things done their own way, without having to answer to the Lord.
In applying this interpretation, the lost are like the religious leaders who wouldn’t listen to the prophets. They can hear about Christ from God’s servants, but they fail to heed them. They ridicule and sometimes kill the Lord’s servants (that is, in non-Christian countries), and they insist on doing their own thing and living without answering to the Lord. But Christians can be the same way. They can twist the Scripture to suit their own agenda, or to support their own views; and they will ignore their brothers and sisters who try to lovingly guide them.
Sending the Master’s Son (vv. 6-8)
6 Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, “They will respect my son.” 7 But those vinedressers said among themselves, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” 8 So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard.
We can easily see to whom Jesus was referring; He was referring to Himself. Look at the phrase in verse 6, used in reference to the son. The phrase “his beloved” is an idiom for an only son.(4) John 3:16 tells us that the “only son” is Jesus Christ. Therefore, God sent His only begotten son into the world to remind the vinedressers, or the religious leaders, of their failure to worship the Lord and care for His people. So, what happened next? The religious leaders killed the only son; and Jesus Christ was crucified on the cross.
Verse 7 says they reasoned that if they killed the master’s son then the inheritance would belong to them. The vinedressers assumed that since many servants, and the master’s own son came instead of the master himself, that the master must have been dead. The son would be the only surviving heir; and, therefore, they reasoned that if they killed him then the vineyard would be “up for grabs.” They felt that if they could destroy Jesus, then all was theirs for the taking.
Mark 15:10 says, “For he [Pilate] knew that the chief priests had handed Him over because of envy.” The religious leaders were jealous of God’s Son, so they put Him to death. How many people today reject the Master’s only Son? There are actually people who have a type of envy within them concerning the Son of God. It is the envy of the Son’s power. If they submit to Jesus Christ, then He has authority and power over their life. This is unacceptable to people who want to be in control over their own life. The lost like having the power to participate in whatever sins they desire. There are even some Christians who have failed to submit themselves totally to Christ because they wish to pursue their own passions and desires.
A Brand New Vineyard (vv. 9-11)
9 Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not even read this Scripture: “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. 11 This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes?”
In verse 9, we see that when the vinedressers ignore the master that he arrives himself; and when he comes he kills the evil vinedressers, and gives the vineyard to some new tenants. First of all, this is a reference to how salvation was extended to the Gentiles. Spiritually speaking, these new tenants are those who put their faith and trust in the Lord instead of the law, and their own interpretation of God’s law. They are followers of Jesus Christ who are saved by grace through faith.
In Isaiah chapter five, when the master saw the corrupt vineyard, he destroyed it and burnt it. This was symbolic of the city of Jerusalem being destroyed, and the people being taken into exile. The exile was a time of purification; which symbolically was purification by fire. The ones who remained faithful to the Lord one day returned to Jerusalem, and the city was rebuilt.
One day the Lord will return, and there will be a great judgement. The vineyard will be destroyed and purified by fire. The ones who are found faithful are those who shall enter into heaven, and become tenants of the new vineyard, or kingdom: the New Jerusalem.
In verses 10-11, we learn something about this new city. Jesus was quoting Psalm 118:25; and “this Psalm explains that the one who is rejected and murdered will be vindicated. The block of stone that the builders discarded becomes either the cornerstone or the capstone of a new structure.”(5)
Back in verse 8, we learned that the master’s son was killed and thrown outside the city; meaning that he was rejected. However, the one who was rejected will be the one on whom a new kingdom will be established. He will be the chief cornerstone of the New Jerusalem. The only way this can be accomplished is if the son is still alive. The son must return to life; and He did just that! Jesus Christ was crucified and buried; but He rose again on the third day!
Time of Reflection
There is a very important message that we learn from this parable. If a person doesn’t know Jesus Christ as his or her Savior and Lord, or if someone is a Christian who is unfaithful to God, then that individual must not forget that we will all be trampled in the winepress. We will all be judged according to our works when the Master returns. In Revelation 19:11-16, the apostle John declared:
Now I saw heaven opened, and behold, a white horse. And He who sat on him was called Faithful and True, and in righteousness He judges and makes war. His eyes were like a flame of fire, and on His head were many crowns. He had a name written that no one knew except Himself. He was clothed with a robe dipped in blood, and His name is called The Word of God. And the armies in heaven, clothed in fine linen, white and clean, followed Him on white horses. Now out of His mouth goes a sharp sword, that with it He should strike the nations. And He Himself will rule them with a rod of iron. He Himself treads the winepress of the fierceness and wrath of Almighty God. And He has on His robe and on His thigh a name written: King of Kings and Lord of Lords.
If we have rejected God’s servants, and rejected His one and only Son, then we are going to answer for these sins. Rejecting God is one thing, but rejecting His Son is an even greater offense. When we reject Jesus, then we are no better than those who crucified Him and threw Him out of the vineyard. Therefore, the one sin that will send you to hell is rejecting the call to receive Jesus Christ as your Lord and Savior. Do not reject the Son, but come receive Him and live.
NOTES
(1) John Tullock, The Old Testament Story (Upper Saddle River, NJ: Prentice Hall, 2000), 229.
(2) The New Bible Dictionary, (Wheaton, Illinois: Tyndale House Publishers, Inc.) 1962.
(3) David Garland, “Mark,” The NIV Application Commentary (Grand Rapids: Zondervan, 1996), 452.
(4) Ibid., 453.
(5) Ibid., 454.
