Wicked Share Croppers ~ Day 33

November 19, 2006 - Day 33

Mark 12:1-12

Passage: Jesus tells a stunning parable to this group of leaders who have come to question His authority. He says that a man planted a vineyard and built everything that was needed for making wine. He leased it to tenant farmers to take over the operation while he was gone in a far country. During the growing season, the owner sent several servants back to the vineyard to see what progress was being made. Each time a servant arrived, the tenants beat and killed him. After all his servants were killed, he decides, “Surely if I send my son they will respect him.” No, rather they kill him and throw his body out of the vineyard. Their thinking was, “This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” Jesus then poses the question, “What will the owner do?” His answer, “he will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.” The leaders that had approached Jesus realize that Jesus is telling this parable against them. Out of fear of the people who supported Jesus, they leave and abandon their effort to arrest Jesus.

Application: God set up the nation of Israel to be His special people. They received great promises and blessing from God. He made a covenant with them through Moses. This covenant was conditional. They were given laws that they were supposed to keep. If they were not careful to obey them and to only worship God, then they would lose their priveledge. This is the story that Jesus is telling and He is specifically pointing His finger at these men. They were in positions of authority over the Jewish people. They had a responsibility to uphold the law for their nation, but they had horribly distorted it to their own advantage. Jesus pronounces future judgment upon them for what they had done. The application to me is that God has given me a great responsibility now as a Christian and one day as a pastor. Now it is my duty to uphold the name and honor of Jesus Christ and to proclaim the gospel for the good of the church and for the nations. It will be even more my responsibility once I have the position of pastor. I pray that God will give me a clearer perception of the incredible responsibility I have. I do not want to turn this responsibility into selfish gain as the Jews did. Oh God be gracious to me. I often neglect this.