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Gospel of Mark
Part 67: Parable of the Wicked Vine Growers
By Rev. Bruce A. Shields
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SERMON TIMELINE
- Introduction
- John the Baptist
- The Baptism of Jesus
- Temptation of Jesus
- The Preaching Ministry of Jesus I
- The Preaching Ministry of Jesus II
- The First Disciples
- A Teacher with Authority
- At the Home of Simon and Andrew
12. Jesus and the Tax Collector
13. Jesus Questioned About Fasting
15. Jesus, Lord of the Sabbath & Resurrection Sunday 2025
16. Hard Hearts and Hard Thoughts
18. Jesus Appoints the Apostles
24. Parable of the Growing Seed
25. Parable of the Mustard Seed
26. Benefits of Private Teaching
30. When Familiarity Breeds Contempt
32. Weakness in the Seat of Power
34. Feeding 5000
38. The Source of True Defilement
39. Gentile Blessed for Her Faith
40. He Has Done All Things Well
41. Jesus Feeds 4000
42. Jesus Sighs
43. Beware of Leaven
44. The Blind Man at Bethsaida
45. Who Do You Say That Jesus Is?
46. Mindful of the Things of God
49. Ashamed of Jesus and His Word
51. The Disciples ask Questions
54. Principles of Discipleship
58. The Cost and Reward of Discipleship
59. A Couple Days Before Palm Sunday
61. Greatness in the Kingdom Comes from Serving
62. Blind Bartimaeus
63. Triumphal Entry
66. Is it from Heaven or from Men?
67. Parable of the Wicked Vine Grower
INTRODUCTION – The Parable of the Wicked Vine Growers
Jesus is spending the last week, Passover, at the house of Mary, Martha, and Lazarus. So far, we have read in the last few services about three days of Passover.
Sunday, which was Jesus’ triumphal entry and brief visit to the temple.
Monday, He cursed the fig tree for not being fruitful and cleansed the temple.
Tuesday, He gave the lesson of the fig tree to the disciples, and the scribes and teachers of the Law questioned the authority of Jesus.
As we continue to chapter twelve today, it is still Tuesday of Passover week. Only a few days from the cross. While in the temple, just after having His authority questioned, Jesus begins to teach in parables.
Mark records one of the parables, while Matthew records all three.
Today, we will examine the parable of the wicked vine grower, where we will find a parable whose meaning is quite clear.
SCRIPTURE REFERENCE
Mark 12:1-12
“And He began to speak to them in parables:
“A man planted a vineyard and put a wall around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey.
2 And at the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vine-growers.
3 And they took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
4 And again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully.
5 And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others.
6 He had one more, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’
8 And they took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not even read this Scripture:
‘The stone which the builders rejected,
This has become the chief corner stone;
11 This came about from Yahweh,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’” (Psalm 118:22-23)
12 And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the crowd, for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so they left Him and went away.”
I. THE MEANING OF THE PARABLE
a. The details of the parable
i. This picture of the vineyard brings to mind Israel, though the principle can be applied to us today!
ii. The vineyard, symbolically representing Israel, was quite familiar to the Hebrews, even back to the days of Isaiah
1. Isaiah 5:1-7
Isaiah 5:7 “For the vineyard of Yahweh of hosts is the house of Israel And the men of Judah His delightful plant. Thus He hoped for justice, but behold, bloodshed; For righteousness, but behold, a cry of distress.”
iii. But as we read, we see Jesus is not speaking of Israel as a nation, rather, “the special advantages and opportunities that are given to the people as the chosen seed” (W.M. Taylor, The Parables of Our Savior)
iv. We know this because later, Jesus explains the vineyard (the Kingdom of God) will be given to others. “A nation producing its fruit”
1. Mark 12:9
2. Matthew 21:43
v. The man who planted the vineyard is obviously God.
vi. The wicked vine growers represent Israel’s leaders
1. Their chief priests, scribes, elders, and their followers
2. Matthew 21:45
vii. The servants who were sent on behalf of the landowner represent the prophets
1. As a nation, Israel rejected many prophets.
2 Chronicles 36:15-16 “And Yahweh, the God of their fathers, sent word to them again and again by the hand of His messengers, because He had compassion on His people and on His habitation; 16 but they continually mocked the messengers of God, despised His words and scoffed at His prophets, until the wrath of Yahweh arose against His people, until there was no remedy.”
2. Remember the cry of Jesus over Jerusalem?
Matthew 23:37 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, the way a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you did not want it.”
viii. We know the landowner’s son is Jesus Christ Himself.
b. Questions and answers reveal the intent of Jesus.
i. Why the parable? To help them see and understand “why” God would be just in bringing condemnation upon Israel
1. Also, to explain why God was giving the blessings of Israel to those more deserving.
Matthew 21:43 “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation, producing the fruit of it.”
ii. Their rejection of Jesus had been foretold in Psalm 118:22-23
1. The “builders” were the religious leaders of the nation
2. The “stone” they rejected was Christ
3. Yet, this stone would be made the “chief cornerstone” by God Himself
a. In which God would build something new…the church!
1 Peter 2:4-10 “And coming to Him as to a living stone which has been rejected by men, but is chosen and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, allow yourselves to be built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 6 For this is contained in Scripture:
“Behold, I lay in Zion a choice stone, a precious corner stone,
And he who believes upon Him will not be put to shame.”
7 This precious value, then, is for you who believe; but for those who disbelieve,
“The stone which the builders rejected, This has become the chief corner stone,” 8 and, “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.”
They stumble because they are disobedient to the word, and to this stumbling they were also appointed.
9 But you are a chosen family, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for God’s own possession, so that you may proclaim the excellencies of Him who has called you out of darkness into His marvelous light; 10 for you once were not a people, but now you are the people of God; you had not received mercy, but now you have received mercy.”
4. What is the church built upon? The chief cornerstone! Jesus!
Matthew 16:15-18 “ He *said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 And Simon Peter answered and said, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered and said to him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, because flesh and blood did not reveal this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. 18 And I also say to you that you are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My church; and the gates of Hades will not overpower it.”
a. Peter (Petros) means stone…Peter, as all believers, who say “You are Christ, the Son of the living God” becomes a stone.
b. But what stone is the church built upon? The chief cornerstone…Christ, Son of the living God!
c. Believers are stones placed upon Him!! That is the church. Build your house upon the rock! The rock is Jesus…NOT PETER
i. Sorry, Catholics, you have it all wrong. Peter is NOT what the faith is built upon, and he was no pope, and there is no such biblical teaching as pope or apostolic succession.
iii. Ephesians 2:19-20 tells us that both Jew and Gentile are members of God’s household
The lesson of this entire parable can be summarized in Psalm 2:12
“Kiss the Son (pay respect, honor), lest He become angry, and
you perish in the way,
For His wrath may easily be kindled.
How blessed are all who take refuge in Him!”
Jesus was so obvious with His parable and its intent that the religious leaders would have had Him arrested, but they feared the crowds.
II. AN APPLICATION OF THE PARABLE
a. God often bestows wonderful privileges
i. We read of this with the nation of Israel
1. He blessed the nation with laws, priests, prophets, and privileges
2. And He eventually sent His only begotten Son as their Messiah.
ii. What about us?
1. Have we not received wonderful privileges from God?
2. We have the word of God and freedom to worship without fear of persecution, but many in the world do not.
3. We can see things through the light of the New Testament and have understanding in things saints of old could not.
b. People often make bad use of their privileges.
i. Just as the history of Israel shows, we too can make bad choices if not careful.
1. They consistently murmured against God in the wilderness
2. They turned away from God time and time again during the period of the judges
3. They persecuted His prophets, and eventually rejected His own Son
ii. What about us?
1. We have blessings given to us through Christ
a. Forgiveness of sins through His blood
b. The Holy Spirit, who will put to death deeds of the flesh if we submit
c. Joy of fellowship in the family of God
d. Privilege of sharing the gospel with a dying world in hopes of freeing those enslaved to their sin
2. And yet, Christians often turn their back on such blessings
a. They sin and don’t seek forgiveness
b. They don’t seek the help of God to deal with the temptation of sin.
c. They neglect their brothers and sisters in Christ by forsaking the assembling in church and by not developing close relationships with them.
d. They make little to no effort to spread the precious gospel of Christ
c. Judgment comes on those who make bad use of their privileges
i. Look at Israel, for example!
1. Perhaps you may be suffering in some of the same ways, for the same reasons they did?
2. 40 years wandering in the wilderness
3. God allows neighboring nations to be a thorn in their side
4. Having to endure Assyrian and Babylonian captivity
5. God destroyed their temple and their religion through the Syrians in 167 B.C. and the Romans in 70 A.D.
6. He has indeed taken the kingdom of God from them, and given it to a nation bearing the fruits of it (Matthew 21:43)
ii. What about us?
1. Consider the words of Jesus!
John 15:1-2,6 “I am the true vine, and My Father is the vine-grower. 2 Every branch in Me that does not bear fruit, He takes away; and every branch that bears fruit, He prunes it so that it may bear more fruit.; 6 If anyone does not abide in Me, he is thrown away as a branch and dries up; and they gather them, and cast them into the fire and they are burned.”
Revelation 2:4-5,16 “ But I have this against you, that you have left your first love. 5 Therefore remember from where you have fallen, and repent and do the deeds you did at first. But if not, I am coming to you and will remove your lampstand out of its place, unless you repent.”; 16 Therefore repent. But if not, I am coming to you quickly, and I will make war against them with the sword of My mouth.”
Revelation 3:1-3 “And to the angel of the church in Sardis write: This is what He who has the seven Spirits of God and the seven stars, says: ‘I know your deeds, that you have a name that you are alive, but you are dead. 2 Wake up, and strengthen the things that remain, which were about to die, for I have not found your deeds complete in the sight of My God. 3 So remember what you have received and heard; and keep it, and repent. Therefore if you do not wake up, I will come like a thief, and you will not know at what hour I will come to you.”
Consider what was written to the Hebrew Christians in Hebrews 10:26-31 “For if we go on sinning willfully after receiving the knowledge of the truth, there no longer remains a sacrifice for sins, 27 but a terrifying expectation of judgment and the fury of a fire which will consume the adversaries. 28 Anyone who has set aside the Law of Moses dies without mercy by the mouth of two or three witnesses. 29 How much worse punishment do you think he will deserve who has trampled underfoot the Son of God, and has regarded as defiled the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and has insulted the Spirit of grace? 30 For we know Him who said, “Vengeance is Mine, I will repay.” And again, “Yahweh will judge His people.” 31 It is a terrifying thing to fall into the hands of the living God.”
Clearly, if we do not utilize our special privileges, God will take away the blessings we have…the Kingdom of God!
And He will give it to someone who appreciates it…the one who bears fruit!
CONCLUSION
Truly, God gives us wonderful blessings.
Colossians 1:12 says He made us worthy to “share in the inheritance of the saints.”
Colossians 1:13 goes on to say He “rescued us from the authority of the darkness, and transferred us to the kingdom of the Son”
Colossians 1:14 says that we have redemption in Jesus and the forgiveness of sins.
God sent prophets of His Son, whose words are recorded in the Old Testament.
God sent Apostles of His Son, whose records are found in the New Testament.
God sent His Son.
John 13:20 “Truly, truly, I say to you, he who receives anyone I send receives Me; and he who receives Me receives Him who sent Me.”
FINAL THOUGHT
Be very careful how you receive them.
2 Thessalonians 1:6-10 “Since it is right in the sight of God to repay with affliction those who afflict you, 7 and to give rest to you who are afflicted along with us as well at the revelation of the Lord Jesus from heaven with His mighty angels in flaming fire, 8 executing vengeance on those who do not know God and to those who do not obey the gospel of our Lord Jesus. 9 These will pay the penalty of eternal destruction, away from the presence of Yahweh and from the glory of His might, 10 when He comes to be glorified in His saints on that day, and to be marveled at among all who have believed—for our witness to you was believed.”
YES! Be careful how you receive them, because the next time the Son is sent, He is coming in terrifying judgment!
Just as Jesus said in Luke 12:48 “…From everyone who has been given much, much will be required, and to whom they entrusted much, of him they will ask all the more.”
Many ask to be given much from the Lord in their lives. Many have been entrusted with much from the Lord. Few are willing to give what is required back to the Lord.
Do not take the word of God for granted. Do not become like the wicked vine growers who were entrusted with much, but refused to give what was required of them.
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