The Patience of the Master

 

And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower and leased it to tenants and went into another country. When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again, he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so, with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally, he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. (Mark 12:1-9 ESV).

 

This parable—usually called “The Parable of the Tenants”—is really misnamed. The story is not mainly about the tenants but about the incredible patience of a loving God.

 

The parable is an adaptation of God’s picture of his people in Isaiah 5:1-7. In Isaiah the vineyard is identified with Israel, whom God punished for a time by sending them off to exile. In Jesus’ parable the vineyard also represents God’s people, the Jews (now returned from exile). And their leaders know Jesus is talking about them (v. 12).

 

In Jewish storytelling, incidents were often repeated three times to indicate the completion of an episode. Three servants are sent to the tenants to collect fruit, but the first two are abused and the third is killed. The crowd likely expects the parable to end with that. So, the next words come as a surprise: “He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.” Jesus is talking about the many prophets God sent to his people in the past, who would not listen but would abuse his messengers. What incredible patience God had!

 

The story continues by saying the landlord sends his own beloved son to express his great care for his vineyard. But in rebellion the tenants reject and kill him too. In the end God’s grace triumphs as he gives the vineyard to others (who become the church of Christ). As God’s people today, my prayer is that we are faithful in serving our Lord.