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Mark 12:1
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The Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers

1 Then aHe began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to1 vinedressers and went into a far country.  
2 Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers.
3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
4 Again he sent them another servant,1 and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated.  
5 And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, abeating some and killing some.  
6 Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 But those vinedressers said among themselves, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’  
8 So they took him and akilled him and cast him out of the vineyard.  
9 “Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others.
10 Have you not even read this Scripture:
a‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone. 
11 This was the Lord’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
Commentaries:
Forerunner Commentary
What is the Forerunner Commentary?
<< Mark 11:33   Mark 12:2 >>

What Does Mark 12:1 Mean?



Mark 12:1-12

Matthew, Mark, and Luke all record Jesus' Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers (Matthew 21:33-46; Mark 12:1-12; Luke 20:9-19). Not long before, the scribes, chief priests, and elders had accused Him of taking too much authority upon Himself, but in this parable, they find themselves indicted for high crimes. Having discounted Jesus Christ as the Son of God with all authority, in this story they—and the people (see Luke 20:9)—learn His identity, who sent Him, and the death He would die at their hands. In earlier parables, He had exposed the religious leaders of His day as spiritually empty impostors, and now, in this more condemnatory parable, He reveals them to be persecutors and murderers as well.

Martin G. Collins
Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers



Mark 12:1

The Bible often compares Israel to a vine or a collection of vines in a vineyard (Psalm 80:8-15; Isaiah 5:1-7). The vinedressers represent the civil and religious leaders of Israel and Judah whose duty was to guide the nation righteously but who were corrupt in their dealings. The vineyard being leased to them symbolizes their temporary possession and responsibility to care for it. The landowner (God) planted a hedge (the law with all its ordinances) around the vineyard to protect the vineyard from outside attack, keeping Israel separate from other nations for His special purpose. The tower symbolizes God's watchful oversight of the nation.

Martin G. Collins
Parable of the Wicked Vinedressers




Other Forerunner Commentary entries containing Mark 12:1:

Matthew 21:33-46
Mark 12:1-12
Luke 20:9-19


 
<< Mark 11:33   Mark 12:2 >>

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