AVOIDING JUDGMENT
Mark 11:27-12:12
INTRO:
Once, while helping out at my son’s soccer practice, a kid responded to my instructions by saying, “you’re not the coach.”
Don’t you hate it when you get that response?
What do you do then?
PREV: Today we will see Jesus receive that kind of response. And we will see what he does with it. It all starts in Mark 11. Read Mark 11:27-28
A. Jewish Leaders question Jesus’ authority
Jesus is confronted by members of the three groups that represent the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court.
They question his authority to act as he has.
On what authority did he drive merchants out?
By his own authority (as a prophet)?
Commission by someone else?
Implication: He had no authority to act officially.
How will Jesus respond to this challenge? Let’s see as I read vv. 29-33.
B. Jesus asserts his authority
Jesus answers a question with a question – common rabbinical method, especially in debate.
Unique that he makes his answer entirely depend on theirs.
He links himself to John the Baptizer.
Whatever they decided about John, they will decide of him.
He limits their choices to 2: from God, or from men.
This puts them on the horns of a dilemma:
If they say “God,” then why didn’t they believe him?
If they say “men,” the people will turn on them.
So they plead ignorance. So he refuses to answer them.
Implied: his authority came from God, as did John’s.
Trans: Having asserted his authority, and turned the tables on these leaders, Jesus goes on to tell a parable – an earthly story with a heavenly meaning. This is his response to their question. The parable is found in Mark 12, but I’ll tell it for you.
Read Mark 12:1-9
A. Jesus tells a parable
Tell the parable of the tenants, with explanatory elaboration as needed.
That is quite a story, isn’t it? What does it mean?
B. The parable pronounces judgment on those who reject Christ
Well, the gist of it is fairly obvious.
The tenant farmers receive judgment.
This parable is about judgment.
The meaning is connected to the context.
Jesus is being questioned, judged, by the leaders.
They understood this parable to be about them. Cf. v. 12.
They weren’t very happy about it, because they are the bad guys in the story – the tenant farmers who got judged.
Let’s run down the rest of the cast of characters:
The vineyard refers to the nation of Israel, the people of God. This is common: Cf. Isa. 5:1-2; Ps. 80:12, 13.
The owner, the man, is God. The man built and provided for the vineyard everything necessary for it to thrive. Verse 1 says “he put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress, and built a watchtower.” These all indicate the care and effort the owner went to to insure the success of the vineyard. God is the one who provided blessing and privilege for his people. He gave them choice land, his favor and protection, as well as his prophets.
The tenants, the religious leaders, were given the responsibility of oversight, and were expected to cause growth. They were accountable to the man. Having entrusted them with the vineyard, he goes on a journey. This reflects a typical setting in those days – Absentee landlords, who received a portion of crop as rent.
Israel’s leaders were expected to cause growth and maturity in the people. And they were accountable to God.
At harvest time, the man sends a servant to the farmers to collect the rent. But he is beaten and sent away empty handed. A series of servants are sent, but they are all beaten or even killed by the farmers. The servants sent by the owner represent the prophets, the messengers of God sent to his people. Throughout its history, Israel mistreated and killed God’s prophets. Elijah driven into the wilderness, Isaiah sawn in two, Zechariah stoned in the Temple, John beheaded.
Finally, the man sends his own son. Guess who he represents? That’s right – Jesus. The son too is killed. Jesus goes from history to prophecy and exposes their plot to have him killed.
The owner, of course, responds with justice. The farmers are killed, and the vineyard is given to others. Its a graphic picture of judgment on these leaders.
Jesus says you are in line with the leaders throughout history, given a tremendous opportunity and responsibility by God. But you rejected him, rejected all his messengers, and now you will even kill his son. As a result, you will be severely judged.
Within 40 years, it happened. The nation of Israel was decimated by the Romans. Their temple was completely obliterated. Their religious system, their leaders, completely disenfranchised. And the vineyard was handed over, to the Gentiles.
They made a serious miscalculation. They didn’t realize that they couldn’t eliminate the son and be done with him. Jesus points this out, as he changes metaphors.
Look at Mark 12:10-11.
Jesus connects the rejected son with the rejected stone. The stone the builders threw out, became the keystone. The leaders who rejected Jesus didn’t realize how God would exalt him.
Make no mistake,
II. THOSE WHO REJECT CHRIST RECEIVE JUDGMENT
Those who turn their back on him, those who do not receive him as God’s son, face the severe and sure judgment of God. God is victorious, triumphant.
Transition: That’s pretty heavy. Its tempting to think this parable is all about them, that it doesn’t apply to us. After all, we would never reject Christ. But this parable is for us. Let’s examine what led to their judgment and evaluate whether we are headed down that path, and look to go in the opposite direction.
They were judged for
A. Squandering his provision
The farmers, and leaders they represent, had been given a tremendous provision by God. They very quickly lost sight of it as a provision of God, they viewed it as theirs, to do with whatever they wanted.
Judgment comes when we squander God’s provision.
Let’s go the opposite way. Ask yourself:
What opportunities, gifts, talents has God given you that you could squander?
What resources, position, ability has God given you?
This works on a church-wide scale as well.
What opportunities, provision has God given Harvest?
Let’s commit to not squandering God’s provision.
They were also judged for
B. Trying his patience
The owner sent them messenger after messenger, chance after chance to do right. But his patience ran out, didn’t it? God is incredibly patient, “longsuffering.” But there is an end. Don’t mistake his patience for license.
How might you be trying God’s patience?
They were also judged for
C. Rejecting his love
In the parable of the tenants, the idea of love is not prominent. But in the meaning it is. The tenant’s rejection of God culminated in their rejection of his son. This is parallel to the Jewish religious leader’s rejection of God’s son, Jesus. The fact that the Father sent the Son is an act of love: “And God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” Rom. 5:8
When you reject the Son, you reject God’s love, and that leads to judgment.
They were also judged for
D. Ignoring his justice
Another step that led to justice was their flaunting of justice. The tenants didn’t think there would be any recompense, any justice for their actions. The leaders who rejected Jesus never thought God would act against them, that they would be on the negative end of justice.
God is just. Those who flaunt his justice are judged. Because God is just, we too should seek justice. When we close our eyes to injustice, we can expect to reap judgment.
III. LET’S AVOID THE PATH TO JUDGMENT
