ESSENTIAL KING JESUS: YIELD HIM FRUIT
MARK 12:1-12
#kingjesus
USE AUDIO BIBLE: Mark Chapter 12:1-44 [6:16]
https://www.biblegateway.com/audio/mclean/esv/Mark.12
PARABLE 1 (p)
Once upon a time there was a flamingo herder who lived in a land where flamingos were the most prized animal one could own. The flamingo herder did her absolute best to provide for the flamingos. She built the flamingos a coop in the middle of a pond. The coop was painted with trees and wonderful scenes which made the flamingos feel right at home. The pond was filled with shrimp which she cultivated so no bird went hungry. What did go hungry were the local foxes and coyotes who never got any of the flamingos because the flamingo herder built a strong electric fence around the pond.
It came time… that one time a year… for the flamingos to earn their keep. The flamingo herder put on her rubber boots and marched out to the coop in the middle of the pond. She brought along a big bucket to collect the flamingo eggs which all of the local restaurants used in their cuisine. Once a year the herder would collect some eggs and sell them. The rest she would leave to grow the colony. The herder got to the coop, opened it up, and there was not one egg in the coop. She quickly looked around for a video camera to see if she was being punked on a TV show. The herder marched around to the other side of the coop where the flamingos were standing on one leg looking disinterested in the world. She asked where the eggs were. All the flamingos just shook their bent beaks no and squawked there would be no eggs. Flamingos could be temperamental and very self-centered.
Sometime later, after the no-egg incident, the flamingo herder came upon a business opportunity for local homeowners. A plastics maker wanted to make plastic flamingos for people’s yard and wanted a model. The flamingo herder put on her rubber boots and marched out to the middle of the pond. She brought along the artist and the CEO of the plastics company. Not one flamingo was in sight. The entire colony of flamingos had either flown away or were nestled in the coop and would not come out. She banged and banged on the flamingo coop door, but all she got for her trouble was a squawk and the artist got pooped on as a flamingo flew over. Flamingos could be very uncooperative when they felt their rights were being violated or they felt they were being forced to do something they didn’t want to do.
After the no-show-modeling incident, the flamingo herder in patience went out to the flamingo colony and decided that she could take pictures and videos and sell those on the internet to make money. The flamingo herder put on her rubber boots and marched out to the coop in the middle of the pond. She brought along her fancy-dancy camera she borrowed from a neighbor and was excited to take pictures and video. The herder got out to the coop in the middle of the pond and every single flamingo was there, but each flamingo was on one leg and had tucked its head into its body. It was like she was looking at a pond full of pink lollipops. None of them moved. None of them flew. None of them ate or did anything flamingo-ish so she could take a picture.
She had been patient when there were no eggs. She had been kind when they refused to model. Now they were being obstinate and would not let her take pictures. The flamingo herder marched out of the pond splashing all the way. The flamingos kept themselves tucked in, but they did hear an engine starting. The flamingo herder hopped into her Komatsu P&H L-2350 Loader and began driving towards the pond. The flamingos heard the roar of the engine and the sound of the large earthmoving machine coming closer. They all flew away as the flamingo herder bulldozed over the strong electric fence and the pond with shrimp and the nicely painted flamingo coop. She then called in the paving company and made it all a parking lot. She rented out spaces for people to park and lived happily ever after.
ESSENTIAL KING JESUS
We are making our way through the Gospel of Mark that I’ve themed ‘Essential King Jesus.’ Each week we are taking a look at one passage in a chapter. Each week I want to share with one essential truth that is important for us to believe and then also communicate to others about Jesus. We are focusing on the Essential King Jesus. I don’t want us to lose what we are doing so this is a summary of the truth we have covered thus far in each chapter in Mark…
Mark 1: You cannot be part of the Kingdom of God without Jesus.
Mark 2: Jesus has all authority and all power to forgive sins.
Mark 3: Jesus came to do the will of God.
Mark 4: Jesus casts out fear.
Mark 5: Jesus breaks our chains.
Mark 6: Jesus can be rejected.
Mark 7: Jesus distastes hypocrisy.
Mark 8: Jesus is the Christ.
Mark 9: Jesus only.
Mark 10: Jesus wants child-like faith in the Kingdom of God.
Mark 11: Jesus overturns sin to holiness.
Mark chapter 12 is no different. Mark chapter 12 shares with us an important Essential King Jesus Truth. In Mark 12, the Essential King Jesus is: Jesus expects yielded fruit.
PARABLE 2 (p)
Once upon a time there was a Christian who sat down to read the Bible. His normal way of doing that was to read and pray and think in the morning when he woke up. That’s now his week started on Monday morning.
The thing was on this particular Monday… it was a holiday so he slept in and then woke up quite rested and feeling good. Then he decided to go for a run and get some exercise in. The routine was disrupted, but the extra sleep and the exercise was very good for him. He got back from his run and noticed the Bible next to his bed. He sat down in his chair to read and sweat drops got on the page. He needed to cool off first.
A few hours later after TV and lunch, he again saw the Bible and wanted to get his reading in for the day. He sat down in his chair to read and he smelled himself from his ruin. One of God’s greatest gifts to mankind is the ability not to smell oneself, but that was not true on this particular day. He needed a shower. He put down his Bible and went to shower and change clothes.
He sat down after the shower and tried to begin to pray and think and read, but the phone rang. It was a telemarketer asking if the roof of his house was in good condition because they were running a new program in his area to replace it for a reduced cost. He pressed 2 to have his number removed from the robo-call for the second time in two months from the same folks. Then he had to go to the bathroom. Then he remembered he wanted to mix his peach tea so he would have something to drink whilst reading the Bible. After he made his drink, he realized that he hadn’t been on Facebook yet that day to be offended or to cause an argument and so he logged in on his phone. He fired off a few comments to some obviously stupid people and set them straight using wit and truth.
He saw the Bible next to him and put the phone down. He was about to begin… then realized he needed to be in the right frame of mind. He paused grabbed his phone and took a picture of his Bible with the tea and the peaceful setting. If it isn’t instagrammed it didn’t happen right? He posted it. Then he checked Twitter and then realized he had been reading the Bible and got back to it.
After about a minute or so and a few verses, his phone pinged and a game he played on his phone was notifying him his village was under attack. Such an attack had to be defended. Then he was back on Facebook. Then he decided that Bible reading could happen before he went to bed.
He picked up a book he had been reading through and dove into those pages. It was a great book about dealing with hurt from church and what to do about it. He was reading it so he could have beneficial conversations with people about being hurt by Christians and churches to try and bring healing.
The end of the day came after a dinner with family, a conversation with his aunt on the phone, and planning out the rest of his work week. Eventually he went to bed and he had not read much from the Bible.
TRANSITION
We are focusing The parable that Jesus tells in Mark 12 is actually not an original story by Jesus, but rather a retelling of a song written in Isaiah 5. In Isaiah 5, Isaiah is inspired by the Holy Spirit to write a song about the children of Israel and how they treat God their Father. It is not a complementary song about Israel, but shows God’s disappointment in His children whom He loves greatly and has provided for generously. Isaiah writes…
READ ISAIAH 5:1-7 (ESV)
“Let me sing for my Beloved, my love song concerning His vineyard: My Beloved had a vineyard on a very fertile hill. 2 He dug it and cleared it of stones, and planted it with choice vines; He built a watchtower in the midst of it, and hewed out a wine vat in it; and He looked for it to yield grapes but it yielded wild grapes. 3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, judge between Me and My vineyard. 4 What more was there to do for My vineyard, that I have not done in it? When I looked for it to yield grapes, why did it yield wild grapes? 5 And now I will tell you what I will do to My vineyard. I will remove its hedge, and it shall be devoured; I will break down its wall, and it shall be trampled down. 6 I will make it a waste; it shall not be pruned or hoed, and briers and thorns shall grow up; I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7 For the vineyard of the Lord of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah are His pleasant planting; and He looked for justice, but behold, bloodshed; for righteousness, but behold, an outcry!”
Jesus tells a very very similar story in His parable. The parable is about the Jews who are the Children of God. The parable is about how they have treated God’s servants over the centuries and how they have ultimately treated Him as their Father. Jesus also injects a prophecy about how they will ultimately treat the Son of God. We should note He says they will kill Him. Let’s read what Jesus tells them:
READ MARK 12:1-12 (ESV)
“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. 2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 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. 6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 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. 9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 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.”
TRANSITION
As we look at Jesus’ parable and even keep in mind the passage in Isaiah 5, I believe we uncover some important encouragement for us, but also some truths that we should take to heart. We find in this passage the character of God; we also find abuse and rejection and distraction that leads to loss; and we find the commands to yield Him fruit.
THE CHARACTER OF GOD
How is God presented in Jesus’ parable?
I can’t help but see that Jesus communicates to us that God is a caring and loving Creator. The vineyard is not just planted, but there is a fence and a pit and a tower. The same is true with our God. He is a loving Creator. Not only does the vineyard owner build the vineyard in a loving manner, he also eventually sends his son to make things right. That is a complete act of love… not for the son mind you… but for the tenants. The love of the Lord for His children is one of the main points of the song written by Isaiah in Isaiah chapter 5 as well.
The Apostle Paul describes the very same thing about God to folks who did not know God in Athens in Acts 17.
READ ACTS 17:24-27 (ESV)
“The God who made the world and everything that is in it, since He is Lord of heaven and earth, does not dwell in temples made by hands; 25 nor is He served by human hands, as though He needed anything, since He Himself gives to all people life and breath and all things; 26 and He made from one man every nation of mankind to live on all the face of the earth, having determined their appointed times and the boundaries of their habitation, 27 that they would seek God, if perhaps they might feel around for Him and find Him, though He is not far from each one of us…”
I can’t help but see that Jesus also communicates to us that God is persistent in pursuing us. The owner of the vineyard sends servant after servant and even sent His Son knowing that all the other people he sent were mistreated and killed. The persistence is key because each of the servants come away empty handed and yet the owner persists. The same is true for God. God sent prophet after prophet and servant after servant to the people of Israel to guide and serve and preach and teach and yet many if not all were rejected. The rejection is one of the points of Isaiah’s song in Isaiah 5.
King David reflects on this persistence and watch-care of the Lord in Psalm 139…
READ PSALM 139:1-8 (ESV)
“O Lord, You have searched me and known me! 2 You know when I sit down and when I rise up; You discern my thoughts from afar. 3 You search out my path and my lying down and are acquainted with all my ways. 4 Even before a word is on my tongue, behold, O Lord, You know it altogether. 5 You hem me in, behind and before, and lay Your hand upon me. 6 Such knowledge is too wonderful for me; it is high; I cannot attain it. 7 Where shall I go from Your Spirit? Or where shall I flee from Your presence? 8 If I ascend to heaven, You are there! If I make my bed in Sheol, You are there!”
May you be encouraged today that God the Father loves you deeply. He loves you so deeply that He sent His one and only Son to fix what was broken. To be honest with you, if you prayerfully examine your life, you will find God’s love in your own life and not just 2,000 years ago when He sent Jesus. God’s love is lavished on us. May you also be encouraged that God pursues you with persistence and patience for your good. It is God’s desire that all come to salvation and all know Jesus and all have peace and security in Him. He never gives up drawing us by His Spirit.
How is God presented in Jesus’ parable?
He is presented as a loving Heavenly Father who created us in love and pursues us with patience and persistence.
ABUSE AND REJECTION AND DISTRACTION MEANS LOSS
How do the tenants of the vineyard act in Jesus’ parable?
As we look over the response of the tenants, we do not see anything redeemable really. Even in Isaiah’s song in Isaiah 5 we see nothing good coming from the People of Israel. We see that the tenants beat the servants. There is abuse. Other servants are struck and mistreated and some are ignored. There is rejection. I could not help but see the abuse and rejection were also present with the son that was sent. As I look over this parable, I personally see in addition to the abuse and rejection, that the tenants were probably also distracted in many ways from their purpose. There is abuse and rejection and distraction from their purpose of working the vineyard for the loving persistent owner and producing a harvest of fruit.
The Book of Hebrews at the end of chapter 11 speaks about the mistreatment of those who over the centuries were faithful to God.
READ HEBREWS 11:36-38 (ESV)
“Others suffered mocking and flogging, and even chains and imprisonment. 37 They were stoned, they were sawn in two, they were killed with the sword. They went about in skins of sheep and goats, destitute, afflicted, mistreated— 38 of whom the world was not worthy—wandering about in deserts and mountains, and in dens and caves of the earth.”
TRANSITION
So what is the point of this passage? I cannot help but think that we are to be astounded by the character of God, warned by the failure of the people of God, and encouraged to yield God fruit.
ESSENTIAL KING JESUS: Jesus expects yielded fruit.
YIELD HIM FRUIT
What is the meaning of Jesus’ parable?
To answer that question, I want to first be more honest with you than I should be and then I want to read a series of passages that shed light on this passage for us.
First, some honesty. Jesus’ parable in Mark 12 is all about being astounded by the character of God, warned by the failure of the people of God, and encouraged to yield God fruit. I am personally struggling in my spirit right now with producing fruit and what that means. It would be wrong of me to share with you what I think because I am struggling in this area. It happens. We all struggle in faith at different times in different ways. Your pastor is no different. In fact, I was going to pick another part of Mark 12 to preach on today, but the Spirit settled on these verses… so here we are.
So, because I know I am struggling in this area with this topic at the moment, let us look to the Scriptures. We should do that anyway!
READ 2 KINGS 19:30-31 (ESV)
And the surviving remnant of the house of Judah shall again take root downward and bear fruit upward. 31 For out of Jerusalem shall go a remnant, and out of Mount Zion a band of survivors. The zeal of the Lord will do this.
Bearing yielded fruit to the Lord starts with growing roots downward in the Lord and results in bearing fruit upward. Are you growing roots deep in faith in your life?
READ PSALM 92:12-15 (ESV)
The righteous flourish like the palm tree and grow like a cedar in Lebanon. 13 They are planted in the house of the Lord; they flourish in the courts of our God. 14 They still bear fruit in old age; they are ever full of sap and green, 15 to declare that the Lord is upright; He is my rock, and there is no unrighteousness in Him.
Bearing yielded fruit to the Lord means we are planted in the House of God and serve Him in His courts. It looks to me like continual growth in Him and we never stop bearing fruit for Him our whole lives.
READ JEREMIAH 17:7-9 (ESV)
“Blessed is the man who trusts in the Lord, whose trust is the Lord. 8 He is like a tree planted by water, that sends out its roots by the stream, and does not fear when heat comes, for its leaves remain green, and is not anxious in the year of drought, for it does not cease to bear fruit.”
Bearing yielded fruit to the Lord means trusting in Him and persevering even in the midst of trials. We are not believers in God only when life is good, but when the heat and problems come, we lean into Him and continue to be faithful.
READ MATTHEW 7:18-20 (ESV)
A healthy tree cannot bear bad fruit, nor can a diseased tree bear good fruit. 19 Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. 20 Thus you will recognize them by their fruits.
Bearing yielded fruit to the Lord means we should be mindful of our spirits and commit to the fruit of the Spirit in our lives: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control and keep the disease of sin out of our hearts as much as possible.
READ JOHN 15:1-5 (ESV)
I am the true vine, and my Father is the vinedresser. 2 Every branch in me that does not bear fruit he takes away, and every branch that does bear fruit he prunes, that it may bear more fruit. 3 Already you are clean because of the word that I have spoken to you. 4 Abide in me, and I in you. As the branch cannot bear fruit by itself, unless it abides in the vine, neither can you, unless you abide in me. 5 I am the vine; you are the branches. Whoever abides in me and I in him, he it is that bears much fruit, for apart from me you can do nothing.
Bearing yielded fruit to the Lord means abiding in Christ and relying on Him because He is the vine on which our lives grow and move and have meaning.
APPLICATION
In listening to the parable of Jesus, we know He was speaking to the Jewish people sitting around Him, but He was also talking to us and we must take an account of our place in God’s vineyard. Just as these tenant farmers in the parable rented land from the owner of the vineyard to do some work, God entrusts to us His Kingdom to work it and produce for Him fruit in His kingdom. God gives each of us time, talents and treasures and He will hold us accountable to how we use them. The vineyard belongs to Him.
What are we doing in God’s vineyard?
Are we producing fruit for the owner of the vineyard?
Are we abusive to God’s offers in our lives?
Do we reject what God wants to do in us and for us?
Are we distracted by good things or bad things that shift us from our focus on God?
SUMMARY
Today may you be astounded by the character of God, warned by the failure of the people of God, and encouraged to yield God fruit. Because
ESSENTIAL KING JESUS: Jesus expects yielded fruit.
PRAYER
INVITATION
