The Vineyard and the Son: Mark 12:1-12

Jesus began to speak in parables, but this parable was a mirror—and the religious leaders saw themselves in it.

"A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower."

Isaiah had sung of God's vineyard. Everyone knew the song. The vineyard was Israel.

"Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place."

At harvest time, he sent a servant to collect his share. The tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. He sent another servant; they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent another; they killed him. He sent many others; some they beat, others they killed.

The servants were the prophets. The tenants were the leaders. The pattern was Israel's history written in blood.

"He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, 'They will respect my son.'"

The son—the beloved son. The same words spoken at Jesus' baptism and transfiguration.

"But the tenants said to each other, 'This is the heir. Come, let's kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard."

Jesus was telling them what they were about to do. Killing the son. Thinking they could seize the inheritance.

"What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others."

Then Jesus quoted Scripture: "'The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.'"

The religious leaders looked for a way to arrest him—they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they feared the crowd, so they left him and went away.

The cornerstone rejected. The heir killed. The vineyard given to others. The parable was prophecy, and they walked straight into its fulfillment.