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Mark 12 "The Parable of the Vineyard"

"Then He began to speak to them in parables:"

Jesus loved to teach with parables, do you know why? I think it was because the parables made the Scribes and the Pharisees confused, and made the common people understand. The Scribes and Pharisees had studied all the arguments for this theological riddle and that theological puzzle, and when they asked a question to Jesus they already knew what the "correct" answer should be. So when Jesus told a simple little story about God or the kingdom, the Pharisees would get all upset. But the common people understood right away.

"A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. and he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now at vintage time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. and they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. and again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying 'They will respect my son.' But those vindressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not even read this Scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord's doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes'?" And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away."

All of the people listening to Jesus knew what it was like to work hard on the land. And they must have become angry when they heard about the vinedressers who stole the land that the owner had worked so hard to prepare. They could understand the heart of God. Because just like the vinedressers, God had set up Israel in the land that He had made to do His work. And as Israel strayed farther and farther from God, He sent the prophets one by one to bring them back to Him. But Israel's response to the prophets was just like the vinedressers. Jesus said to his disciples on the way to Jerusalem, "For it cannot be that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under [her] wings, but you were not willing! (Luke 13:33-34)
The people must have been amazed at the patience of the vineyard owner. Surely after the first servant was mistreated he would punish the vinedressers. But, instead of sending in the police, he sends another servant and another, giving them chance after chance. God was doing the same thing with Jerusalem. Pleading with them through the prophets to change, holding off judgement, until finally God sent not just a servant, but His Son. Listen to what Paul preached to the people in Antioch,
"For those who dwell in Jerusalem, and their rulers, because they did not know Him, nor even the voices of the Prophets which are read every Sabbath, have fulfilled [them] in condemning [Him]. (Acts 13:27 ) But God did not leave His Son in the grave. He raised Him from the dead that all who believe in Him should have eternal life. Now when the Jews in Antioch heard this they were angry, but Paul and Barnabas said, "It was necessary that the word of God should be spoken to you first; but since you reject it, and judge yourselves unworthy of everlasting life, behold, we turn to the Gentiles. "For so the Lord has commanded us: `I have set you as a light to the Gentiles, That you should be for salvation to the ends of the earth.'" (Acts 13:46-47)

Render to Caesar

"Then they sent to Him some of the Pharisees and the Herodians, to catch Him in His words. When they had come, they said to Him, "Teacher, we know tht You are true and care about no one; for You do not regard the person of men, but teach the way of God in truth. Is it lawful to pay taxes to Caesar, or not? Shall we pay, or shall we not pay?" But He, knowing their hypocrisy, said to them, "Why do you test Me? Bring Me a denarius that I may see it." So they brought it. And He said to them, "Whose image and inscription is this?" They said to Him, "Caesar's." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's." And they marveled at Him."

These guys were tricky. They come with words like honey. "Oh we know you are true." "You don't regard the person of men." They are setting Jesus up for the trap. "Since you don't regard men, but only God, should we pay taxes to Caesar?" They knew that they couldn't catch Jesus in error so they tried to catch Him up on His idealism. If Jesus taught not to pay taxes, the Romans would put Him in jail on the spot. But Jesus was trickier. Looking at the coin He asked them who'se picture was on it. "Caesar's", they replied. "So, render to Caesar the things that are Caesar's and to God the things that are God's."
This verse has become more and more important in our times, because the government has become more and more powerful. Practically every part of our lives is controlled or governed in some way by the nation that we live in. As a Christian it can be very difficult to support some things that our countries do. In my country, the U.S.A. the government uses tax money to pay for abortion clinics. In Japan, the government uses tax money to pay for the royal family, including money that is used for religious services. In Cambodia, the tax money goes into some rich politician's pocket and little goes back to help the poor. In Nigeria, the taxes are used to fund the military rule of the country. And often you will hear someone teach, as Christians we can no longer support these things with our tax money. In protest we should stop paying taxes. But what about the Romans of Jesus' day. They were using the tax money to fund their conquest and oppression of the then known world. They used it to build Roman temples and later to pay the soldiers that would persecute and kill Christians. No matter how terrible we think our governments are, we still cannot disobey Christ. The key to this is to make sure that we also render to God the things that are God's. What is God's? Everything is God's! He made it all! But God does not require everything from us. What does God ask? Look at verse 29, when a scribe asked Jesus what the first of all the commandments was, Jesus answered "The first of all the commandments is; 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. and you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength.' This is the first commandment. And the second, like it, is this; 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these." (Mark 12:29-31) What God requires from us is our hearts, our souls, our minds and our strength. In the United States we have often made the mistake of trying to solve problems by throwing money at it. I think Japan does the same thing. But no matter how much money you spend, without a change of heart, the problem will not go away. God does not mind if the world has your money, as long as He has your heart. God knows which is more important.
Take a look at the end of the chapter, "Then Jesus sat opposite the treasury and saw how the people put money into the treasury. And many who were rich put in much. then one poor widow came and threw in two mites, which make a quadrans. So He called His disciples to Himself and said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that this poor widow has put in more than all those who have given to the treasury; for they all put in out of their aboundance, but she out of her poverty put in all that she had, her whole livelihood." (Mark 12:41-44) You see, the widow put in from her heart, while the rich only put in from their wallets.

Greatly Mistaken

"Then some Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to Him; and they asked Him, saying "Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man's brother dies, and leaves his wife behind, and leaves no children, his brother should take his wife and raise up offspring for his brother. Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife; and dying, he left no offspring. and the second took her, and he died; nor did he leave any offspring. And the third likewise. So the seven had her and left no offspring. Last of all the woman died also. Therefore, in the resurrection, when they rise, whose wife will she be? For all seven had her as wife." Jesus answered and said to them, "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God? For when they rise from the dead they neither marry nor are given in marriage, but are like angels in heaven. but concerning the dead that they rise, have you not read in the book of Moses, in the burning bush passage, how God spoke to him, saying, 'I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob'? He is not the God of the dead, but the God of the living. You are therefore greatly mistaken."

The Sadducees thought they had Him. They could prove that the logic of the resurrection was wrong. That it was impossible. But Jesus couldn't be convinced otherwise. It would be like trying to prove to you or me that fire isn't hot. No matter how convincing the argument you won't get me to put my hand in the fire. I know it is hot. This is what Jesus was saying to the Sadducees. "Are you not therefore mistaken, because you do not know the Scriptures nor the power of God?" The reason why they were so wrong, was not because their thinking was wrong, but because their experience was wrong.
How do you come to the Bible? Do you come to the Bible to learn about God and be transformed by it? Or do you come with your own ideas about who God should be, what God should do, and how we should relate to God? If so, you will be as wrong as the Sadducees. Your ideas might sound so right, but yet they will be wrong. You see, we serve the God whose ways are higher than ours. His thoughts are higher than ours. His way of doing things will not match up perfectly with ours. If they did, then He wouldn't be God. Come to the Bible, not to reassure yourself of what you already know, but to be transformed. Believe in the power of God. Give Him the o.k. to use that power in your life in His way.