The Son Rules

Mark 12:1-12 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. 6 He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this Scripture: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; 11 the LORD has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” 12 Then they looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.
 
JESUS is at the temple the day after he had cleared the corrupt temple marketplace. He has refused to answer the ruling Jews’ question, Mark 11:28 “By what authority are you doing these things?” because he know they will reject his direct answer, “I am the Son of God.” Then Jesus answers their question with a parable that emphasizes the Jews’ depravity.
    The Sadducees, Pharisees and elders were enraged because Jesus accused them of murder. Their penalty would be God’s justice to destroy them. What were they to do?
    They could have fallen to their knees and repented. Encountering the murder that ruled their very dark, deadly hearts, they should have, could have responded as David had to his murderous sins: Psalms 51:1 “Have mercy on me, O God, according to your unfailing love; according to your great compassion blot out my transgressions. 2 Wash away all my iniquity and cleanse me from my sin.”
    Jesus longed to hear such confession. His first words declaring war against sin in Israel are written in Matthew 4:17 “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven is near.” He had come to free his people of the vineyard, Israel, from their sin. He loved them and wanted them to joyfully receive the Son of God. With his patient, kind, love, Jesus longed for the Jews to dwell in the house of the LORD forever. (Psalm 23:6c) After all, the LORD had given them the land to enjoy a prosperous life. They are his chosen people. Instead, the ruling Jews wanted to possess, to rule God’s vineyard. So they plotted to kill the Son. They were enslaved to evil as God’s opponents were in the days of the kings: Psalms 52:3 You love evil rather than good, falsehood rather than speaking the truth. 4 You love every harmful word, O you deceitful tongue!
    Yes, the Jews in the temple that day would succeed in their plot to kill Jesus. But God’s story line planned for Jesus to be the stone the builders rejected who has become the capstone. Evil will reject truth for a time, but it will not overcome the truth. No murderous plot can keep the LORD God from his vineyard. The Father has sent his Son to form the church. He will send his Son again to form the New Heaven and Earth. Revelation 11:15b “The kingdom of the world has become the kingdom of our Lord and of his Christ, and he will reign for ever and ever.”