Mark 12.1–12: A twist in the tale (Day 40)

Pray

Lord, prepare me to receive your word. Clear my mind and warm my heart. Assure me of your loving purposes for me, and speak into my life today.

Read

Genesis 42 Mark 12 Job 8 Romans 12

Daily reflection: Mark 12

The Parable of the Tenants is, on the face of it, quite straightforward if you know your Bible reasonably well. The man who plants the vineyard and rents it out is God; the messengers he sends to collect the rent are the Old Testament prophets; the son whom the tenants kill is Jesus himself.

It does reflect the social situation of the time, when large landowners preferred a life of leisure lived Roman-style to working their land themselves. But it isn't just a bleak prophecy of death and judgement. '“What, then, will the owner of the vineyard do?” asked Jesus. “He will come and kill those tenants and hand the vineyard over to others”' (verse 9). That's the logical conclusion of the story. But then he adds a twist: ‘The stone which the builders rejected as worthless turned out to be the most important of all' (verse 10). In other words, the conclusion of the story is not its end, because God will raise Jesus from the dead. Furthermore, the 'tenants' aren't destroyed. When Peter tells the crowd at Pentecost what they have done through their complicity in Christ's death, 'they were deeply troubled and said to Peter and the other apostles, “What shall we do, brothers?”' (2.27, GNB). According to the logic of the story, the answer should be, 'Nothing; it's too late.' But they are offered the chance of repentance and a new life.

So instead of this parable being about condemnation, it turns out to be about mercy. God is far more merciful than we imagine – and far more than we deserve.

Pray

God, help me to give you what's rightfully yours: to do justly, to love mercy and walk humbly with you. And thank you that when I fail that's not the end of the story, because you are merciful and forgiving.