MARK LESSON 24
We will begin this lesson in Mark 12:1.
Mark 12:1 "And he began to speak unto them by parables. A
[certain] man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about [it], and
digged [a place for] the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to
husbandmen, and went into a far country."
This parable about the vineyard is really the history of the
Church. Jesus spoke this in front of the so-called religious people
of the day. It is important for us to see ourselves in this, as
well. These scribes, Pharisees, and priests, probably, would not even
understand that He was telling them of their failures, because their
hearts were hardened. They could not receive the truth. The man who
planted the garden was God. Just as God put Adam and Eve into the
garden of Eden to dress and keep it, God entrusted this symbolic
vineyard, here, to the physical house of Israel. God, Himself, protected
them from their enemies. God through Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, left
this group of Israel His law to go by. He promised if they would keep
His Commandments, He would bless them. God left it in the hands of His
people and went to heaven (far country). These husbandmen were His
people.
Mark 12:2 "And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant,
that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the
vineyard."
This servant, here, would be some of the Old Testament prophets.
God sent these prophets to warn His people of what would happen, if they
did not keep His Commandments. The husbandmen were to produce fruit.
Christians must produce other Christians. A person is judged by God
by the fruit he produces.
Mark 12:3 "And they caught [him], and beat him, and sent [him]
away empty."
The Jews would not accept these prophets, and they beat them and
killed many of them. These prophets' messages were rejected. The
Jews did not grow in the Lord from these prophets at all.
Mark 12:4 "And again he sent unto them another servant; and at
him they cast stones, and wounded [him] in the head, and sent [him]
away shamefully handled."
We know that was still continuous rejection of the judges and
prophets that God sent to warn the Jews. With every blessing for
obeying God's commands there was a curse, if they were not obeyed.
Mark 12:5 "And again he sent another; and him they killed, and
many others; beating some, and killing some."
God's patience with His rebellious people was one of the great
mysteries. God forgave them and started them out again, over and
over; but they continued to go away from God instead of toward Him.
Mark 12:6 "Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent
him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son."
God's love was so great for a world caught up in sin that he sent
His only begotten Son. He said to Himself, "They will not reject my
Son". He had tried everything else He knew to do to save these
ungrateful people. Now, He would send His Son. This was the very God,
God the Son, who took on the form of flesh and dwelt among us. Surely
God's beloved chosen family would believe Him.
Mark 12:7 "But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is
the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be our's."
Instead of those chosen of God accepting the Son of God and
reverencing Him, they rejected Him and plotted to kill Him. There was
overwhelming evidence who He was, but they did not accept it. The voice
from heaven calling Jesus God's Son should be enough. The feeding of
the 5000 should have told them who He was. The opening of blind eyes,
the draught of fishes, any of these things should have told them who
He was. There were thousands of miracles. Probably, they knew who He
was, and just did not want to turn over their power to Him.
Mark 12:8 "And they took him, and killed [him], and cast [him]
out of the vineyard." Mark 12:9 "What shall therefore the lord of the
vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give
the vineyard unto others."
We see from this that God the Father had had enough at this
point. He had done all He could to save His chosen people, but now they
had killed His beloved Son. The fig tree had truly died. The Jews
would be passed over now and the message would go to the Gentiles. In
Romans 11:25 we read, "For I would not, brethren, that ye should be
ignorant of this mystery, lest ye should be wise in your own conceits;
that blindness in part is happened to Israel, until the fulness of the
Gentiles be come in." God had made a way for the Gentile believers to
be saved. God took the vineyard from the Jew and turned it over to
the Gentile believers who accepted His Son as Saviour.
Mark 12:10 "And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which
the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:"
The scribes, priests, and Pharisees had rejected Jesus, and God
started a new Church with Jesus as the Cornerstone. I Peter 2:4, "To
whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but
chosen of God and precious," This describes Jesus the choice
Cornerstone on whom the church would be built upon. I Peter 2:5, tells
about how we, Christians, fit into this building, "Ye also, as lively
stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer
up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ." We,
Christians, are the temple of the Holy Spirit of God. We dwell in God,
and He dwells in us.
Mark 12:11 "This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in
our eyes?"
The building of this house with Jesus as the Cornerstone was God's
work. The ways of God are really so wonderful they are beyond our
understanding.
Mark 12:12 "And they sought to lay hold on him, but feared the
people: for they knew that he had spoken the parable against them: and
they left him, and went their way."
This is so strange that they were more afraid of the people than
they were of God. They even realized this parable was about them, and
they did not repent. They went away waiting until they had a better
chance to move against Him.
Mark 12:13 "And they send unto him certain of the Pharisees and
of the Herodians, to catch him in [his] words."
Herodians were Jews who were loyal to Herod. We see, here, that
they were plotting together to see if they could trap Jesus. Jesus
was too smart for them, and the tables had been turned on them every
time they tried to trap Jesus by asking questions that were
unanswerable. Jesus always replied with questions they couldn't
answer themselves. These Herodians loved causing others to pay Caesar
taxes.
Mark 12:14 "And when they were come, they say unto him, Master,
we know that thou art true, and carest for no man: for thou regardest
not the person of men, but teachest the way of God in truth: Is it
lawful to give tribute to Caesar, or not?"
First of all their calling Jesus Master was a lie, because they did
not consider Jesus as their master at all. They were trying to defame
Jesus, not to build Him up. They were really trying to trap Jesus. If
Jesus said to pay Caesar, the Jews would be offended; and if He said
not to pay, then Caesar and these Herodians would be mad. Actually,
these Herodians and the Pharisees were on opposite sides, but they
had joined together to do Jesus in. They were saying Jesus was truth.
If they really believed that, they would not be trying to trap Him.
If they didn't believe it, they were lying. Jesus had taught to not be
a respecter of person.
Mark 12:15 "Shall we give, or shall we not give? But he, knowing
their hypocrisy, said unto them, Why tempt ye me? bring me a penny,
that I may see [it]."
Jesus had them completely figured out. He knew they were
hypocrites, saying one thing and meaning something entirely different.
He knew that all of this was a plot to get Him in trouble. His
request for a penny was so that He could trap them.
Mark 12:16 "And they brought [it]. And he saith unto them, Whose
[is] this image and superscription? And they said unto him, Caesar's."
Mark 12:17 "And Jesus answering said unto them, Render to Caesar the
things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's. And
they marvelled at him."
Many people believe that this says to pay taxes, but it really
doesn't. What He really showed them was a penny. The penny had
Caesar's picture on it, so give him his penny. Jesus really didn't
answer this at all. His answer marvelled them, because He didn't
answer them at all. We know that everything belongs to God. There was
a question of what belonged to Caesar.
Notes
Mark 24 Questions
1. In verse 1, Jesus began to speak to them by ________.
2. Who was the man who planted the vineyard symbolic of?
3. Who was the vineyard symbolic of?
4. What did he "built a hedge about it" mean?
5. This parable about the vineyard was what?
6. Who was the husbandmen?
7. This servant that God sent was symbolic of whom?
8. When God sent people to help His chosen people, what did they do
to them?
9. Who was the last one God sent to them?
10. What did they do to Him?
11. Who did God send His beloved Son for?
12. Name three or four things that Jesus did that left no doubt at all
who He was.
13. What did God do to those who rejected His Son?
14. Who was the fig tree symbolic of?
15. Why did blindness come to Israel?
16. What happened to the stone that the builders rejected?
17. In I Peter 2:5, what were the Christians called?
18. Why did they not lay hold on Jesus then?
19. What natural enemies came together against Jesus?
20. What name did they call Jesus that they really didn't mean?
21. Who were the Jews loyal to Herod?
22. What did they ask Jesus about Caesar?
23. If Jesus said to pay taxes to Caesar, who would He have offended?
24. What did Jesus tell them to show Him?
25. What is a hypocrite?
26. Jesus said render unto ______________________________ the things
that are ____________________________ and unto _______________
the things that are ______________________________________.
Notes
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