Mark 12:1–12 (ESV)
The Parable of the Tenants
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. 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.
Today’s reading is talking about
God’s relationship between his children, the Children of Israel. Throughout history, God has sent prophets. The prophets have been beaten and killed. Then God sends his own Son, Jesus. Well... they beat him and killed him too!
God has a plan of Salvation for you. His prophets were always trying to get his children to turn back to God. His message is so important that he sent his son to get the message out and to fulfill the plan of Salvation for you. John 3:16 states:
For God So Loved the World
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.
I pray: O Lord, help me and use me to get your message out to others. Help me to plant the seeds of faith and to wait patiently as you work
faith in others. When you are ready for the harvest, use me Lord to bring in the harvest. You are the one who creates faith and causes it to grow. Help me to stay in your Word. Amen.