Mark 12:9-12

Passage

Jesus asks what the crowd thinks that the owner of the vineyard will do to the tenants.  Jesus answers His own question.  The owner will come, destroy the tenants, and give the vineyard to a new set of tenants.  Jesus then quotes Psalm 118:22-23, where it says that the stone that was rejected has become the cornerstone.  It also says that this is the Lord’s doing and it is indeed marvelous in His eyes.  The chief priests are smart enough to realize that Jesus spoke this parable against them, so they sought to arrest Him.  However, they ultimately did not arrest Him out of fear of the crowd.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Jesus finishes the parable.  Jesus tells the crowd that the owner of the vineyard will destroy the tenants and hand over the task of producing a harvest to someone else.  We see that happen through Christ.  In Christ, Jesus has developed new leadership.  At Pentecost, the Holy Spirit will dwell in that leadership and set a new church on fire.  The task of making followers of God will fall onto a whole new group of people – even Gentiles!

How does it feel to realize that you are a part of that new group of tenants?  Since we are a part of that new group of tenants, why is it important for us to realize the significance of partaking in the harvest, producing fruit, and giving glory back to God?

Second Thought:

Jesus is the stone that is rejected.  Jesus is the cornerstone.  The one that the chief priests reject and crucify becomes the foundation for the new thing God is doing.  How sad it must be for those chief priests who literally crucify the one person God sent into the world to start something new!  What’s more, this is the Lord’s doing and it is pleasing in His eyes.  It was good for Christ to die – as painful as it was.  It is good that the Gentiles be included into the relationship mankind has with God.  The work of God is good and pleasing to Him!

How are you participating in the work of the Lord?  How are you becoming a part of the “temple” that God build with Christ as the cornerstone?

Third Thought:

The chief priests do not arrest Jesus because they are afraid of the crowd.  The crowd is an interesting player in the week of Jesus’ death.  In the beginning, the crowd is what protects Jesus.  However, the more Jesus teaches the more the crowd begins to side with the chief priests.  Eventually, they are swayed to call for Jesus’ crucifixion.  Of course, I am getting ahead of myself.  The point to realize is that the crowd is a dangerous ally.  The crowd only goes along with what is popular and what doesn’t require much change.

Have you ever experienced a crowd turning on someone?  What is it about a crowd that makes them so difficult to control or even count on reliably?

Passage for Tomorrow: Mark 12:13-17