We rightfully refer to the leaders of Israel as “the shepherds of Israel.” But in the “parable of the wicked vinedressers” they are “the vinedressers of Israel.” The vineyard belongs to someone else who has leased it to vinedressers (the farmer, one who works the land) who will make a living from the vineyard but who will also need to share some of the profit with the owner.
There are a couple of OT passages that provide background for this parable: Ps. 80:8-19 and Isa. 5:1-7. Jesus’ parable should have connected with the leaders who knew their Bibles, and in fact, it does connect, as Mark 12:12 says: they knew He had spoken the parable against them.
· The vineyard is the nation of Israel. Psalm 80 is one of the “Psalms of the sons of Asaph” (Ps. 73-89) that deal with the nation being subject to the wrath of God.
· The owner is, according to Isa. 5:1, “God’s Well-beloved”. According to Mark 12:5 it is the LORD who sends His Beloved Son to collect the portion of a harvest of righteousness. The Father established His Son on the throne of Zion (Ps. 2).
· The hedge, wine vat and tower are God’s blessing on the nation, providing an excellent vineyard with no excuses for not producing (cf. Isa. 5:2-4).
· The vinedressers are the shepherds, such as the priests, princes and prophets (Ezek. 34:2,10). In Mark 12 it is the chief priests, scribes and elders (11:27).
· The arrangement is, in essence, Deuteronomy, the law Moses had given when Israel was about to enter the land. As. Isa. 5:24 indicates, the leaders had rejected the las of the LORD of hosts, and despised the word of the Holy One of Israel.
· The servants (v2-5) were the prophets, sent by the LORD to call Israel to repent.
The Father eventually sends the Son. You might ask, “was He surprised at their rejection of the Son?” Just remember: this is a parable, a real-life story. And it is about the vinedressers. So the surprise of the owner is a typical story line. But Jesus is not conveying details about the Father. This is the nature of parables: they have a particular theme set in real-life settings.
What is germane is the owner’s response to the vinedressers (v9-11). Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22-23 so that the leaders to which He is talking understand that He did not just make this up. What Jesus says had been said in the OT. The stone (Messiah) which the builders (the vinedressers) rejected has become the chief cornerstone. In fact, the Owner was not surprised. This was His doing and it is a marvelous thing.
To which you ask, if this is God’s doing why criticize the vinedressers? And the answer is always the same. God is in full control of what is happening on this world. AND the people of this world are accountable to God for their decisions and actions. He did not force them to do this. They did as they pleased! Therefore, He will come and destroy the vinedressers and give the vineyard to others.
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