The Shocking Love of God – Mark
The Shocking Love of God
Pastor Brandon Werner | Together Church OKC |
March 10, 2024 | Series: Mark
Mark 12:1-12
INTRODUCTION
If I were to choose one word to describe this parable, the word would be “shocking.” It would have been shocking in every way to those who heard Jesus share it.
Let’s seek to understand it.
First, it is shocking that this parable makes it into Mark’s gospel account at all.
Jesus is well known for His stories and parables, but not in Mark’s gospel. The majority of Jesus’ parables are found in Matthew and Luke’s gospel accounts.
To give us an idea of the rarity of parables in Mark’s record, we would have to turn backwards in our Bibles from Mark 12 all the way back to Mark 4 to find the last parable in this book.
To put it into terms of this sermon series on Mark, we’d have to go back to this time last year on March 12, 2023 to find the last sermon that dealt with a parable from Jesus.
So encountering another parable in Mark’s gospel after so many stories is the first thing that should surprise us. But that’s not all.
The type of parable is also shocking.
In almost every case, Jesus told parables to reveal the truths of His Kingdom to a select few and to hide the truths of His Kingdom from the masses; and especially from His enemies.
If we turn back to chapter 4 where Mark last records Jesus telling a parable, we find this passage:
Mark 4:10-12
10 And when he was alone, those around him with the twelve asked him about the parables. 11 And he said to them, “To you has been given the secret of the kingdom of God, but for those outside everything is in parables, 12 so that
“‘they may indeed see but not perceive,
and may indeed hear but not understand,
lest they should turn and be forgiven.’”
Can you see how Jesus typically used parables? Concealing truths for a time to accomplish God’s purpose but revealing them to hearts who were genuinely seeking Him.
Today, God has revealed the secrets of these parables to all through the Bible. But, at the time Jesus was telling these parables, He almost always used parables to conceal secrets about God’s Kingdom from people who it was not yet time for them to know.
Why did He do that?
We saw a primary reason for that a couple weeks ago when we heard the story of Jesus’s triumphant entry into Jerusalem. The more the crowds saw and understood, the more Jesus became a threat to His enemies. Jesus was sovereignly governing a divine timeline so that God’s perfect plan would be executed with exact precision. Parables were one of the tools Jesus used to proclaim the truths about the Kingdom but to keep those truths hidden until the right time.
Parables also typically served to keep His truths concealed from His enemies. So often, Jesus would help His disciples understand the parables, but His stories would leave His enemies in the dark.
This was the norm for Jesus’ parables.
But this parable in Mark 12 is a shocking parable because it doesn’t fit that mold at all. Instead of concealing the truth, Jesus used this parable to reveal the truth to His enemies! Mark explicitly states this in verse 12; His enemies perceived that He was talking about them.
Again, shocking.
But we haven’t even touched the greatest shock factor in this parable yet. What makes this parable most shocking of all is who this parable was targeting and what it meant. Let’s press into the text some more.
BODY
First, who was this parable targeting?
We need to see this parable as an extension of last week’s story…
Remember, we are in Passion Week. For those who are new, Passion Week is a traditional name we use to describe Jesus’ last week of ministry. Passion Week transpires on the same week as the Passover feast in Israel. It includes Jesus’ triumphant entry into Jerusalem; His last super with His disciples; His betrayal at the hands of His close friend and disciple, Judas Iscariot; His suffering under Pontius Pilot; His crucifixion on Good Friday; and His resurrection on Easter Sunday.
We turned the page and entered the episode of Passion Week in Mark’s gospel a couple of weeks ago with the story of Jesus’ triumphant entry.
Last week, Pastor Jerry brilliantly took us through the story of Jesus cursing the fig tree: a sign that God’s judgement was coming on Israel because Israel had failed to produce people who bore the kind of fruit He desired.
That sign of the fig tree was emphasized in the story of Jesus turning over the tables of the money changers and those who sold sacrifices in the temple. What we saw is that Israel had taken God’s good gift of the Passover feast and turned it into an opportunity to line their pockets and make themselves rich off the backs of the poorest people in Israel who were making great sacrifices to come and worship God as the law of Moses prescribed.
One of the greatest inditements in that story is that Jesus specifically turned over the seats of those who sold doves. If we hadn’t been reading Old Testament law in our church Bible reading plan recently, I would have completely missed this detail. By turning over their seats, Jesus levied a special judgement on those who were exploiting the poorest of worshippers in Israel. According to the law of Moses, doves were the acceptable substitute sacrifices for those who could not afford to bring lambs and bulls as a sacrifice into God’s temple. But those at the temple were exploiting the poor by charging exorbitant amounts for them to exchange their money to a currency accepted at the temple… and then inflated prices on the doves themselves.
What God had intended for His temple and what it had become sickened Him. When Jesus turned their tables, He quoted the scripture and justly condemned those responsible for turning God’s house into a den of thieves.
Passover week was the biggest sales week of the year. A lot of folks were expecting to get rich. When Jesus turned over the tables in the temple and drove people out, He cost them at least an entire day of business on one of their biggest paydays of the year.
As you can imagine, He made some folks pretty angry.
Jesus left the temple that evening and returned the next day. When He returned, He was immediately confronted by the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders who were responsible for operations at the temple. They challenged the authority of Jesus to do what He had done. They didn’t realize that they were challenging God. They didn’t care who Jesus was, they had their own interests to protect.
And it was these exact religious leaders who are the primary audience and recipients of this parable in Mark 12. When Jesus told it, He told it to them and about them. They didn’t understand it was about them at first, but they knew He was talking about them by the end. The fact that Jesus targeted the most powerful Jewish leaders of His day with a parable that condemned them for what they had done was shocking.
And Jesus’ condemnation towards them in the parable is perhaps the most shocking element of it all. Dive right into this text with me to grasp it…
Mark 12:1
12 And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.
The story captures His audience’s attention from the start. It reveals Jesus’ commendable knowledge on a well-respected field in His day. Just as it is today, the process of winemaking is involved and intricate. Producing a valuable vintage of wine requires great knowledge and care. The man who planted this vineyard knew what He was doing and put incredible effort into its success. Not only did he plant the grapes, but he built the hedge around it to protect it from wildlife and intruders. He dug a pit where the complex process of operating the winepress could occur. He built a tower that provided storage for utilities and doubled as a watchtower for security. This man is clearly wealthy and knowledgeable; he went to great lengths to invest properly into the success and vintage of his wine.
We can sense Jesus’ story and knowledge of this lucrative process capturing the attention of these high priests, elders, and scribes.
Then, the man goes away and leases the vineyard to tenants. This was not shocking, but rather a common practice among wealthy landowners in Jesus’ day. However, it was risky. Everyone knows that it is rare to find stewards who will care for a vineyard with the same level of concern as its owner. Nevertheless, the owner hires tenants and heads out on a long journey.
Mark 12:2
2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.
This might be the only part of this parable that was completely predictable. After such a large investment, of course the owner would want to sample his product and evaluate the vintage for himself. So, he sends a servant in the right season to collect some of the fruit and check in on the tenants.
But Jesus twists the plot suddenly, shocking everyone with what happens next…
Mark 12:3-5
3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.
Outlandish! Shocking! Absurd!
We can almost hear the mumbling of the high priests, the elders, and the scribes as they pass judgement on these wicked tenants.
This was criminal! Who do they think they are to treat the owner and his servants with such contempt? Where are the authorities in all this? Such behavior was unheard of in the land of Israel. Someone must bring swift justice to such wickedness.
What the tenants did was nothing short of violent, cruel, and evil.
The story has now gripped the emotions of Jesus’ listeners. But His next statement is the most shocking of all…
Mark 12:6a
6 He [the owner] had still one other, a beloved son.
Can you hear the outcry of the priests, scribes, and elders?!
No! Not his son! Surely an owner as prudent and wise as this would recognize the kind of scum he is dealing with. Surely he knows their character by now. The owner sent his servants and they beat and killed them! Don’t send your son!
And this is a beloved son! Not the kind of son one wishes to rid himself of, although those kinds of sons exist. But this son was beloved by the man! Surely this owner would never send his beloved son to them.
Mark 12:6
6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
Oh no. He’s going to send him. Shocking.
At this point, these enemies of Jesus don’t know what to find more shocking: the behavior of these wicked tenants or the absurdity of the owner who would send his beloved son to such people. But the owner sent him. And what did those tenants do?
Mark 12:7-8
7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.
Shocking.
Luke gives us more insight into the response of these religious leaders at this point in Jesus’ story. It’s like they gasp in awe; and then right around here, according to Luke, they cry out, “Surely not!”
And, I think, it is right around here that these leaders realize that this story is about them. It is almost as if while the words are leaving their lips, they realize that they are condemning themselves.
With unmatched skill, Jesus brings them face to face with who they are and what they are about to do. He foretells His own death by their hands, and He leads them to condemn themselves for it.
This parable of Jesus is not like the others. Its meaning isn’t hidden. It’s Passion Week, and it is time for everyone to know…
- God is the owner who so carefully planted the vineyard.
- Israel is the vineyard; common imagery in scripture.
- The long journey is the Old Testament story and timeline.
- The servants are the prophets God sent to Israel over and over again. Prophets whom the fathers of these religious leaders persecuted and killed.
- And Jesus Christ is the beloved son, sent by God.
With unequalled mastery, Jesus tells them a story that both uncovers who He is and reveals prophetically what these men are about to do to Him. In this story, Jesus proclaims the inevitability of His death. Then, He continues…
Mark 12:10-12
10 Have you not read this Scripture:
“‘The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 this was the Lord’s doing,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”
12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.
Now, they knew it. They knew what the parable meant, and they knew it was spoken against them. And still, shortly after, what Jesus said came to pass. These are the wicked tenants, and they killed God’s Son.
CONCLUSION
What are we to do with such a shocking story?
- Realize that we have all acted like these wicked tenants.
Perhaps the most revealing line of the entire parable is this one:
Mark 12:7
7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
The owner had entrusted to these tenants so many good things. Rather than respecting and honoring the owner, they turned against Him. Why? They said it themselves. They wanted to use the good gifts of the owner to gratify their own evil desires. They did not want to honor the owner, they wanted control over the vineyard.
This was true of these religious leaders. They had been given God’s good gifts through Israel, His vineyard. But instead of stewarding these gifts well, they turned against God. They did not want to honor God, they wanted control. They wanted power. They wanted money. They were willing to abuse God’s good gifts to get what they wanted… even His beloved Son.
The same is true of every person in this room. God has given us all good gifts. Everything we have and everything in this world belongs to Him and is created for Him. But we have all taken the good gifts God has given and abused them. We have all perverted what He has created and used it to practice evil.
This is at the very root of all sin. Every sin has this in common: it is an abuse of the good things God has given.
- Adultery is the abuse of God’s good gift of marriage and family.
- Sexual sin is abusing God’s gift of our bodies.
- Lying, stealing, and cheating is abusing others and claiming rights that are not ours to claim.
- Unrighteous anger is abusing others because they failed to meet our expectations and desires.
- Vulgarity is abusing the mouth God gave us – instead of using our words to honor Him we speak words that are shameful to say.
- Laziness is the abuse of the ability God has given us to work and to be productive for His Kingdom.
And the list goes on and on.
The first thing we must realize is that we all have acted just like these wicked tenants, just like these evil leaders in Israel. We have all taken God’s good gifts and abused them to gratify our own desires.
- The Father sent His Beloved Son anyways!
What Jesus could have done is destroyed those leaders right on the spot! He would have been justified. God’s law prescribed death to those in leadership who abused God’s good gifts. Instead, Jesus told them this story to point them to the truth. That’s love. That’s mercy.
Because we have all sinned, it would be just for God to condemn us all. No matter how absurd and shocking it might sound to us, whether it makes any sense to us or not, God LOVES us even though we have all been like those wicked tenants! He loves us so much that He sent to us His only Beloved Son.
John 3:16
For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
God sent His Son to us because He knew it was the only way for us to be saved from our wickedness. He knew that we all had strayed into sin and there was nothing we could do through our own efforts and strength to make ourselves right with Him.
SHARE THE GOSPEL
Shocking. Let yourself be shocked by the goodness of our God. Be appalled that God would love you so much that, instead of condemning you to death, He would send Jesus into this world to die for your sins and give you a new life in Him.
INVITATION
What must we do in response to the shocking love of God? (SLOW MUSIC)
There is nothing more important that you could do right now than turn from your sin and come to Jesus. That’s why He came, knowing He would die.
Do NOT be like those religious leaders! They recognized their condemnation, and they continued in their sin! Shortly after, they crucified the Son of God.
Don’t be like them. Repent and believe in the gospel! Call on the name of Jesus. Ask Him to forgive your sins and give you new life.
- If you’ve never done that before, this invitation is for you.
- If you’ve made some decision in the past, but you’ve lost your way, this invitation is for you.
Come to Jesus and be saved from sin. Start living the new life promised in Him.
PAUSE FOR INVITATION, MUSIC PLAYS QUIETLY.
What about the rest of us? What must we do in response to such a wonderful Father and His incredible Beloved Son?
We must become like Him.
Specifically, we must follow His example. He came to save us knowing the cost. We must be willing to take His love and salvation to others no matter the cost.
Romans 10:14-15
14 How then will they call on him in whom they have not believed? And how are they to believe in him of whom they have never heard? And how are they to hear without someone preaching? 15 And how are they to preach unless they are sent? As it is written, “How beautiful are the feet of those who preach the good news!”
The owner sent those servants. They represented the prophets God sent to Israel. Those prophets were almost always persecuted and killed for their witness for God.
Jesus was persecuted and killed for His witness to God.
And this is a beautiful thing in the eyes of God; when one lays down his life for the sake of another.
Today marks the beginning of our preparation for IMPACT Month (or Mission Month). The goal is simple: let’s all pray for and love someone who is not a Christian or not in church. Let’s go to them like Jesus came to us. Let’s lay down our lives to do our part to lead them to Jesus.
DISTRIBUTE IMPACT CARDS
EXPLAIN CARDS (a strategy to follow)
In the weeks to come, we will be sharing with you exciting opportunities for you to invite others to come and hear the gospel (guest speakers and special events). We also want your small group to work together to host an event that those you are praying for might be more likely to attend (cookout, game night, etc.).
If you are not currently getting communications from us, would you complete a Connect Card and drop it in the offering boxes on your way out? This will ensure that you receive the emails and texts (and be sure to check your spam folders).
To close, let’s pray right now collectively for these people, and let’s sing a song original to Together Church that reminds us of powerful truths that enable us to be effective messengers for Christ.