Leased to Tenants

Leased to Tenants

Mark 12:1 – Then he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey.

The tenant farmers were handed something precious to take are of: a vineyard already planted and fully equipped with fence, winepress pit, and watchtower.  The man didn’t even require the entire harvest, just a portion of it.  Was there anything bad about this arrangement? What would make the tenant farmers dissatisfied?  The only possible answer to these questions is hinted in verse 7: But those tenants said to one another, “This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!”

When the time came to collect the harvest, the man sent slaves to receive his portion.  The slaves that were sent were either beaten or killed.  Things escalated until the man decided to send his ‘one dear son’ thinking they would respect him but instead they killed him and threw his body out.  What were they hoping to gain by killing the son?  The son’s inheritance.  The tenant farmers were not satisfied with being tenants. They wanted ownership of the vineyard and thought the inheritance would rightfully fall to them if the son was dead.  

Makes me wonder about this earth that was created for us – fully equipped.  What court in all the universe would allow ownership of the earth to fall to us if the Son was killed and thrown out? And yet, that’s what we’ve done.  We’ve killed the Son and set up fraudulent laws and theories of origin taking God out of the picture expecting the earth and all that is in it to become ours.  But watch out!  The owner is coming and we will get to see something incredible. Jesus recited these words from Psalm 118:22 and 23 – The stone which the builders discarded has become the cornerstone. This is the LORD’s work. We consider it amazing!

There’s still time to repent, change, and make Jesus the cornerstone of our lives.  Don’t be swayed by the other tenants who continue to abuse the servants and claim the earth as their own.  Jesus is coming and it will be the most amazing thing we’ve ever seen. Let’s make Jesus our cornerstone today!