Written by: Sue Rinaldi
Mark 12 v 1-5
Jesus began to use stories to teach the people. He said, “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it and dug a hole for a winepress and built a tower.
Then he leased the land to some farmers and left for a trip. When it was time for the grapes to be picked, he sent a servant to the farmers to get his share of the grapes. But the farmers grabbed the servant and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Then the man sent another servant. They hit him on the head and showed no respect for him. So the man sent another servant, whom they killed. The man sent many other servants; the farmers beat some of them and killed others.
Notes
There’s a lesson that fiction-writers have to learn early in their careers - ‘Show, Don’t Tell’. In other words, the story must show things happening, express feelings and demonstrate personality. Stories are important.
In the past, people didn’t so much tell stories as ‘give’ them to each other. In Israel, the stories that the Patriarchs told, the stories that parents told their children, were the stories that belonged to the people. They told you who you were, where you belonged and why. They were powerful because they defined your identity.
In contemporary culture, movies or visual stories, and plays or verbal stories, continue to play an important role in communicating values and shaping the future. In the story of the vineyard the scene is set. The vineyard is Israel; the owner is God; the farmers are the Jewish leaders and the servants are the prophets. The plot? At harvest time, the landlord sent a succession of servants to collect the payment and each time the farmers beat and even killed the servants.
In order to communicate an important message, Jesus has a story. This leads me to thinking about my story. There are many routes through life, a multiplicity of philosophies, beliefs and ideals that bombard us daily. Does my life show the story of an awesome God, a God full of love, kindness, justice and forgiveness? A story that goes beyond words. I am also reminded that I too may be rejected and beaten because of my identification with God, similar to the servants in the story of the vineyard, yet I have chosen to obey and follow creator God. It is a daily choice, to willingly be devoted to God regardless of the cost and be a radical disciple of a true revolutionary!
Mark 12 v 6-12
“The man had one person left to send, his son whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
“But the farmers said to each other, ‘This son will inherit the vineyard. If we kill him, it will be ours.’ So they took the son, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
“So what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those farmers and will give the vineyard to other farmers. Surely you have read this Scripture:
‘The stone that the builders rejected
became the cornerstone.
The Lord did this,
and it is wonderful to us.’ ”
The Jewish leaders knew that the story was about them. So they wanted to find a way to arrest Jesus, but they were afraid of the people. So the leaders left him and went away.
Notes
The owner of the vineyard had one person left to send to the farmers - his beloved son. The story plainly implies that this person is Jesus. The rest, as they say, is history! The son was rejected, beaten and killed.
Although we are familiar with the incredible truth that God sent Jesus into our world to show us a higher way that leads to love, mercy and eternity, it is essential to be reminded. How easy it is for us to become anaesthetised to the glory of it all. Our hearts once hot can become slightly chilled and apathetic. It’s important to stay tender and sensitive to the sacrifice that God has made and allow the energy of that sacrifice to revive us.
Love, possibly the most absorbing of emotions, was recently put under the microscope and a report disclosed the chemical ingredients of this awesome force. It concluded that the passion, excitement and thrill of love lasts a mere 30 months and that men and women are biologically and mentally programmed to be ‘in love’ for between 18 to 30 months.
The mistake these researchers make is to define love as a ‘feeling’ but love is so much more. Love is about commitment not chemistry. The passage today speaks decibels about the love of God for us and even in the face of rejection, God is faithful time and again. How often have we experienced God’s faithfulness, loyalty and companionship even during times when we deliberately disobey!
The other gem in this passage shows how the rejected one, Jesus, became the cornerstone or the ‘key’ stone. Amazing how God can turn around disappointment and disaster. Remember, if we ever face rejection and ridicule because of our faith, God can turn it all around into something good.
Mark 12 v 13-17
Later, the Jewish leaders sent some Pharisees and Herodians to Jesus to trap him in saying something wrong. They came to him and said, “Teacher, we know that you are an honest man. You are not afraid of what other people think about you, because you pay no attention to who they are. And you teach the truth about God’s way. Tell us: Is it right to pay taxes to Caesar or not? Should we pay them, or not?”
But knowing what these men were really trying to do, Jesus said to them, “Why are you trying to trap me? Bring me a coin to look at.” They gave Jesus a coin, and he asked, “Whose image and name are on the coin?”
They answered, “Caesar’s.”
Then Jesus said to them, “Give to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and give to God the things that are God’s.” The men were amazed at what Jesus said.
Notes
Once more Jesus comes into conflict with religious leaders. Some Pharisees and followers of Herod were sent to try and catch Jesus out, tempting him to say something incriminating. After an initial piece of flattery, which was totally insincere, they asked Jesus a question about a contemporary issue.
How often do we find ourselves being asked questions! Surrounded by different opinions and beliefs, we live in a culture that is throwing up issues of morality and ethics at an incredibly fast pace. With a worldview that popularises that there are now no rights or wrongs, and with rules of conduct considered to be old-fashioned in these supposedly enlightened times, people are encouraged to do whatever pleases. Every boundary appears to have been crossed and almost every taboo has been de-stigmatised.
The questions come thick and fast. “What do you think about the morning-after pill”? “Should Cannabis be legalised”? “Is sex before marriage wrong?” “Is cloning against God’s method of creation?”
When faced with questions, Jesus gives a great example to follow. He didn’t hit out with careless thoughts but knowing what was behind the question, gave a simple yet profound answer and left the interrogators quite stunned. So what can we learn from this? Maybe we need to try and see the heart of the person behind the words they speak, which can often be a smoke-screen for deeper feelings. We should think before we answer, even in difficult and volatile circumstances. We should avoid being arrogant and definitely not give trite, jargon-filled, cliché answers!
In the midst of the ‘pleasure-dome’ of life, many are painfully empty and lost. As followers of Jesus, we will be ‘put-on-the-spot’, but at those times, let’s try and remember the example of Jesus.
Mark 12 v 18-23
Then some Sadducees came to Jesus and asked him a question. (Sadducees believed that people would not rise from the dead.) They said, “Teacher, Moses wrote that if a man’s brother dies, leaving a wife but no children, then that man must marry the widow and have children for his brother. Once there were seven brothers. The first brother married and died, leaving no children. So the second brother married the widow, but he also died and had no children. The same thing happened with the third brother. All seven brothers married her and died, and none of the brothers had any children. Finally the woman died too. Since all seven brothers had married her, when people rise from the dead, whose wife will she be?”
Notes
In the time of Jesus, the Sadducees were small numerically but exerted great influence politically and religiously. They were not, however, popular among the masses. They represented the urban, wealthy, sophisticated class and were centred in Jerusalem.
Mark identifies the Sadducees as those "who say there is no resurrection." They held this position because basically they accepted the first five books of the Bible and rejected all beliefs and practices not found there. Since they claimed to be unable to find clear teaching about the Resurrection in the books of Moses, they rejected the doctrine. In thinking about the Sadducees, they seem to represent a practice of this present age.
The quest for spiritual fulfilment is a hallmark of the age we live in and it is now quite acceptable to turn to inner resources or outside powers for enrichment and survival. Almost weekly we hear new revelations from post-millennial prophets unravelling the mysteries of the cosmos, disclosing the wisdom of gods and goddesses and bearing witness to the possibility of encountering personal guardian angels. It’s a bit like a supermarket, a ‘pick n mix’ bag of beliefs all heralding our unlimited potential to transform ourselves and the planet.
We need to be aware that some people have a belief system that is made up of a variety of ingredients. A fragment from Christianity, an influence from the east, a root from wicca and a spell or two from the occult. We need to be alert and knowledgeable. Firstly, so that we can understand other people and their search for eternity, and secondly so that we can be sure our beliefs are firmly seated within the Christian faith and not in some genetically modified faith that bears resemblance to Christianity but has been altered!
Mark 12 v 24-27
Jesus answered, “Why don’t you understand? Don’t you know what the Scriptures say, and don’t you know about the power of God? When people rise from the dead, they will not marry, nor will they be given to someone to marry. They will be like the angels in heaven. Surely you have read what God said about people rising from the dead. In the book in which Moses wrote about the burning bush, it says that God told Moses, ‘I am the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob.’ God is the God of the living, not the dead. You Sadducees are wrong!”
Notes
As we continue the story of the Sadducees confronting Jesus with a question about marriage and resurrection, we find Jesus accusing them of ignorance of the Scriptures and the power of God. Skilfully, Jesus ignores the scenario that is presented to him and gets to the heart of the question. He says that in the Resurrection there will be a new order of existence and marriage will not exist as it does now, but all life will be like that of the angels.
Robbie Williams and U2 have sung about them, Nicholas Cage was one in the film ‘City of Angels’ - there has always been a real fascination and pre-occupation with them. There are even courses and workshops to discover angels. A ‘New Age’ catalogue of seminars recently offered “the opportunity to explore the angelic realms and venture into our own inner kingdoms to meet the organising and creative powers who underpin our own existence and that of the cosmos. Time is given for inner adventuring and exploring the transformative and healing potential of the angelic powers.”
Although it is in vogue to search for angels, Christians have always had a solid belief in them and consider the Scriptures to have the real lowdown on them. Apparently the Scriptures mention their existence almost three hundred times. A major characteristic of angels in heaven is their devotion and worship of God. Since there will be no more death in heaven, and no more need for marriage and the propagation of the human race, our primary focus will also be one of devotion and worship of God. An eternal resounding symphony of praise! An extended mega-mix of ambient worship! Imagine!!
The exciting thing is that we can join in with the sound of the angels - today!
Mark 12 v 28-31
One of the teachers of the law came and heard Jesus arguing with the Sadducees. Seeing that Jesus gave good answers to their questions, he asked Jesus, “Which of the commands is most important?”
Jesus answered, “The most important command is this: ‘Listen, people of Israel! The Lord our God is the only Lord. Love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, all your mind, and all your strength.’ The second command is this: ‘Love your neighbor as you love yourself.’ There are no commands more important than these.”
Notes
A teacher of the law had been so impressed with Jesus' answer in the earlier verses of this chapter, that he ventured with a question of his own. The passage suggests that this was a sincere attempt at getting Jesus’ thoughts on which command was the greatest.
Jesus understood his listeners and therefore quoted two passages from the books of the Scriptures they rated. Again, Jesus went straight to the heart of human-kind and direct to the core of the message of God, rather than recite religious laws that focus on ‘doing’ rather than ‘being’. The essence of the greatest command is to love God totally - heart, soul, mind and strength.
So many world religions and philosophies concentrate on fulfilling certain laws and practices in order to ascend into the realms of spirituality. As you climb higher, your goal to live forever or be re-born, is increasingly assured. This all centres on what you do, rather than upon a two-way, interactive relationship. Jesus chooses to identify the relationship of love between us and God. How beautiful, intimate and wonderfully holistic.
What is my response? Am I loving God with everything - mind, body heart and soul? It’s good to examine our relationship with God within those four elements and do so with complete honesty.
The natural outworking of loving God is loving and respecting others. Not just those close to us, or those we like, but our ‘neighbour’ in the most modern sense of the word. No longer just the person next door but “rather the child who made my shoes, the company who makes my breakfast cereal, the multi-national that drills for petrol in Ogoni Land and the government that takes my taxes and spends them on weapons to kill.” Suddenly even the second command becomes incredibly challenging!
Mark 12 v 32-34
The man answered, “That was a good answer, Teacher. You were right when you said God is the only Lord and there is no other God besides him. One must love God with all his heart, all his mind, and all his strength. And one must love his neighbor as he loves himself. These commands are more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God.”
When Jesus saw that the man answered him wisely, Jesus said to him, “You are close to the kingdom of God.” And after that, no one was brave enough to ask Jesus any more questions.
Notes
It is interesting how Mark records the favourable response of the teacher of the law. Obviously the integrity and honesty of Jesus was getting through. The statement by the teacher of the law that the love of God and neighbour are "more important than all the animals and sacrifices we offer to God” is very challenging.
Now I know we don’t offer up sacrificial lambs today, but we do have our modern day equivalents. For example, our songs of worship. Sometimes they can easily become an end in themselves and we fall into the trap of going through the motions of singing without really encountering God. We can applaud ourselves on our ‘fine’ singing and playing or we can get caught up in improving the externals and forget that true worship is how we live our lives not how well or even how often we sing! Our songs, our music, our acts of ritual, are simply outward expressions and the most important factor is the inner reality of our intimacy with Jesus.
I am reminded of a passage that really challenges me. In the book of Micah, chapter 6 verse 6 it says, “With what shall I come before the Lord and bow down before the exalted God. Shall I come before Him with burnt offerings, with calves a year old.” So what does the Lord require? “To act justly, love mercy and to walk humbly with your God”.
We can run around, doing what we believe to be the ‘right and expected things’ for a Christian to do, but they are only truly valid if they come out of a real love relationship with God and an honest respect and value of other people.
word-on-the-web uses the Scripture text taken from the Youth Bible, New Century Version
(Anglicised Edition) copyright 1993 by Word Publishing Milton Keynes