Mark 12:1-12 – The Goodness, Patience, and Judgement of God
Jesus now tells a parable that points straight at the Jewish nation. In this parable, the owner is God, and the tenants are the Jews. God has shown them goodness, made them His special people, given them numerous blessings. In return, they are to show faith and obedience. But when He sends them prophets and leaders to tell them what is expected of them, they refuse to hear and kill these men. Yet, God is still patient and long-suffering with them. He sends His only Son, Jesus, to them; He can do no more. But the Jews reject and kill Jesus. So, God judges them by taking away the Gospel and His kingdom from them and giving it to the Gentiles. Jesus, the stone rejected by the Jews, will be the cornerstone of God’s Church which includes both Jews and Gentiles.
It’s easy to blame the Jews for rejecting Jesus and killing Him. But this parable also speaks to those who have heard the good news of salvation, who have heard the truth of God’s Word but refuse to believe, hating God and His Son. God will destroy these people and give opportunities to believe to others.
The religious leaders are enraged at this parable, especially the idea that God will reject the Jews and turn to the Gentiles. They would like nothing better than to kill Jesus right then, but fear of the crowd keeps them away.
Questions
- Who is the landowner and who are the tenants?
- What did the Jews do to the prophets?
- Why did this parable make the Pharisees so angry?
Prayer Points
- Pray that God would change the hearts of those around us, so that instead of rejecting Jesus, they would love Him.
- Use prayer points from your congregation.
- Pray for family matters.