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.
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.
3  And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty.
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.
5  And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some.
6  Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.
7  But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours.
8  And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.
9  What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.
10  And have ye not read this scripture; The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner:
11  This was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes?
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.

The truth is a powerful tool. Jesus taught that the truth shall make you free. He declared Himself to be the Truth. He also declared the Word of God as Truth. Jesus was given to mankind as the Saviour. He came as a man through the womb of a virtuous woman named Mary. She needed a Saviour and was pleased to be called upon to give birth to the Messiah/Saviour of mankind. Joseph was espoused to Mary and he would marry her. They had children together but Mary was a true virgin when the angel promised her a son that she would call Jesus. The Holy Ghost came upon her and gave her conception of that child.
Jesus spoke in parables to keep important facts away from hardened hearts. In our text we read that the hardened Jews understood this parable and they sought to kill Him. It is interesting to note how hardened people can be. In the parable, Jesus described the efforts of the Jews to silence the truth.
Throughout the Old Testament, God sent true prophets to the nation of Israel. The northern tribes were hardened from the start. Jeroboam was promised the ten northern tribes. He was promised that God would give his descendants four generations of kings if he would honour God. Jeroboam chose to reject God and he did not live to be an old man. He did not have a lineage of kings coming from him.
There were prophets like Jeremiah, Isaiah, Elijah, Elisha, and others who were abused and some were murdered because they served the true God. Jesus Christ was sent as the final prophet and the Jews assumed that if they killed Him, then they would have peace.
You cannot have peace by killing the Prince of peace.
The way of peace is through a changed heart. Jesus Christ alone can provide the only means for that changed heart that we need.
In our text Jesus used a parable to once again warn of the darkened hearts of the majority of the nation of Israel. In Isaiah 5 God had directed Isaiah to use the picture of a vineyard to address the situation in Israel. Grapes were a common fruit in Israel. Grapes are a healthy food and the juice is also healthy for man. In Genesis 9 we read that man had the ability to corrupt the grape juice and turn it into alcoholic wine. Noah got drunk and his grandson took advantage of his drunk grandfather. Drunkenness is never condoned or accepted by God.
Keeping a vineyard in good shape takes work. Jesus described this particular vineyard and the efforts that were made to keep it productive. The landowner entrusted the management of this vineyard to certain people. This was a picture of the kings and the prophets that God had given to Israel as a nation for her benefit. Yet the Jews had despised God’s men and chose to follow men who told lies and corrupted the truth.
At the last God sent His Son. Jesus just recently rode into Jerusalem in a manner that clearly presented Him as their expected king. The people were excited about what they had witnessed. The religious elite wanted Jesus to silence the people. They sought for a way to get rid of Jesus. Jesus was again predicting His imminent arrest and murder.
In verse 10 Jesus referred back to Psalm 118:22-23.

Psalm 118:22  The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.
23  This is the LORD’S doing; it is marvellous in our eyes.

In our text, the religious leaders understood that Jesus was exposing them. They could not deny what He was saying. They just did not like it that He was exposing them. They should have been shuddering in their boots. He knew exactly what they were thinking and planning. They were being condemned already, and yet they were not going to change. They were intent on killing Him. They failed to realize that even though they would kill Him, He would rise again.
The false teachers feared the people more than they feared God. They needed to find a way to get the people on their side. This attempt is recorded in the Gospels as well. They worked hard to twist what Jesus had taught openly. They were able to convince the people to cry out “crucify Him”. For the moment the religious leaders went their way. They had to figure things out more.
God gave us this record to help us to check our own hearts. Lost people can be quite hardened in their sin. We see that in our world as well. There is a growing determination to silence Christianity. There is also a growing public display of hatred against Israel. Canada has joined the UK and France in choosing to take the side of Hamas against Israel. Anti-semitism is growing in our country. God cannot bless this wickedness.
It is important to listen to the truth and trust in the true God. There is a need for those who are saved to be faithful to the God Who saved them. The true local church is an essential part of a true Christian’s life. It cannot be a substitute or a matter of convenience. Christian adults need to listen to the Spirit of God and become a part of a true local church. True Christians need to be actively involved in a true local church. They need to pray for the pastor and get to know him. Churches do not go bad overnight. It is a slippery slope that starts through carelessness. Church members should not assume the pastor will look after the spiritual needs and they just need to attend when it suits. Christianity is a lifestyle. It starts with God changing the heart of the individual. When true life is there, it needs to be nurtured. Salvation cannot be lost and God will see to it that the saved person sees the need for food and growth.
Jesus pointed that out in this parable. He sent the prophets to teach the people. He gave them opportunity to know the truth. Yet the nation continued to harden itself against the truth. There were a few God-fearing people in Israel when Jesus was there. The majority were lost and hardened in their unbelief.
There is a need to teach the truth today as well. The saved need to be encouraged to grow in the Lord. The lost need to see the blessing of God’s salvation. The time is short. Be sure you are receiving the truth today.
Pastor Bartel