He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.

Mark 12:1-12

He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Mark 12:9b

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 12:1-12.  Excerpts from the commentary's third (of three) division (vv9-12):

• The title of the third division per the commentary is "God’s Judgment Will Certainly Come."
• "Jesus provides the answer to His parable, one the religious leaders would be forced to concede. In the process they condemned themselves, and they condemn us as well. The owner will destroy those who refuse his son! Historically, God judged Israel for their rejection of His Son. In AD 70 Jerusalem was destroyed, and the nation was brought to ruins." 
• "Today that same judgment falls on all who have “trampled on the Son of God, regarded as profane the blood of the covenant by which he was sanctified, and insulted the Spirit of grace” (Hebrews 10:29). It is indeed “a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God” (Hebrews 10:31)." 
• In vv10-11, "Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22-23, changing the metaphor to a building. It is the same psalm shouted by the people at His triumphal entry. It is clearly messianic. He knows who He is and why He has come!" 
• "The stone rejected would become a symbol for the Messiah and an explanation for how the Jewish people rejected Jesus (Luke 20:17; Acts 4:11; Romans 9:33; 1 Peter 2:6-8). 
• "Mark 12:12 is a disappointing summation of their response: “Because they knew He had said this parable against them, they were looking for a way to arrest Him, but they were afraid of the crowd. So they left Him and went away.” As Paul would later explain, all of this is foolishness and a stumbling block to them; for us, however, it is the power of God unto salvation (1 Corinthians 1:18-25)."

Many non-believers can't see how a loving God can judge and condemn people to Hell.  Yet within this judgement lies amazing grace of which not a single person in all of redemptive history is deserving.  We all sin and the wages of sin is death (Romans 3:23, 6:23; 1 John 1:8).  All of humanity is deserving of death on the cross yet Jesus took our place and He will return a 2nd time to judge.  He offers a free gift to all - believe and be saved!  Indeed the greatest gift of all time!  

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My Prayer: Father God You are an awesome God who loves and who is full of amazing grace for those who believe - thank You Jesus for the greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin is great and it continue...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

Mark 12:1-12

He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. Mark 12:6-8

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 12:1-12.  Excerpts from the commentary's second (of three) division (vv6-8):

• The title of the second division per the commentary is "The Father Sent the One He Loves and We Should Honor."
• "The parable takes a remarkable turn. It continues the theme of the amazing patience of God with humanity. It also testifies to the amazing grace of a God who would send His only Son to reconcile rebellious sinners who commit horrible crimes, do not seek God, and have no fear of God."
• While the commentary emphasizes how the text is focused on Israel's religious leaders, we are encouraged to see ourselves in the text.
• The text, referring to a beloved son - of course we know this son as Jesus - is similar to text from Genesis 22:2 when God calls Abraham to sacrifice his son, "whom you love."  It is also similar to text from Isaiah 9:6-7 where we see a prophecy of Jesus - a son "given to us". 
• RE: the parable, the commentary compares the first servants of the vineyard master to the beloved son.  The first servants were many yet the beloved son was unique.  The servants were hired but the beloved son was the heir.  The servants were forerunners of the son, and the son was to be the last sent by the vineyard master.  
• "If verses 1-5 convey the hope of God for His people, verse 6 conveys the faithful love of God for His people. The Father sent His Son as an act of grace."  
• The following quote from David Garland's commentary on Mark highlights the fool hearty nature covetousness: "Covetousness makes humans want what they should not have. It makes them think that this desire should be fulfilled at all cost. Other persons become things to exploit, and our desires become our gods. . . . Do humans think that by erasing God from their lives they can take control of their earthly and eternal destinies? Apparently so . . . [Here] is the utter foolishness of sinful rebellion against God."  
• The sending of the son should remind us of Christmas which is upon us with the start of Advent tomorrow.

I share the sentiment of my commentary's author - that we should see ourselves in today's text.  Yes, Israel's religious leaders were the object of Jesus' words from the parable, yet all of us act in ways similar to these religious leaders.    

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My Prayer: Father God, thank You for sending Your Son Jesus that I can have life to the full now and for eternity.  Of course, I am not deserving of what Jesus did on the cross.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please help me turn from and overcome such sin and turn towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others. Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.   

When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.

Mark 12:1-12

When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. Mark 12:2-5

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 12:1-12.  Excerpts from the commentary's introduction and the first (of three) division (vv1-5):

• The title of this chapter for the commentary is "God Sent His Son and We Killed Him" and the main idea is: "To reject the Son is to reject the Father who sent Him."
• "In “the parable of the wicked tenants,” Jesus tells a story of judgment and mercy, grace and wrath, Christmas and Easter. The meaning can scarcely be doubted: God sent His Son, and we killed Him."  
• "Jesus has recently entered Jerusalem to the shouts and applause of the people (11:1-11). A couple of days later He enraged the religious leaders by cleansing the temple (11:15-19). The tension grew worse as He embarrassed them in a public showdown over the source of John the Baptist’s ministry and His own (11:27-33). Now He will inflame their hatred even more with a parable that will expose their evil hearts and their long-intended goal: to “destroy Him” (3:6; cf. 11:18; 14:1-2)."  
• "The story Jesus tells is really an allegorical parable drawn from Isaiah 5:1-7." In the text from Isaiah, God is the One who plants and the master of the vineyard, and Israel is the vineyard.  The tenants are the religious leaders of Israel.    
• The title of the first division per the commentary is "God Is Patient When Sinners Resist His Wooing."
• The parable is directed towards the religious leaders of Israel much like the "clever trap" set by Nathan for David in 2 Samuel 12:1-5.  "It is a story of Israel’s relationship to the Son of God. It is a reminder of the extraordinary restraint of a God who, as 2 Peter 3:9 teaches, 'Is patient with [us], not wanting any to perish but all to come to repentance.'  Like David [the religious leaders] knew their guilt. Unlike David they did not repent." 
• "[God] went to great expense on behalf of the vineyard and had every right to expect a bountiful harvest. However, the vineyard failed in its assignment."
• The faithful servants the vineyard master sends in the parable represent the many prophets God sent to Israel such as Jeremiah, etc. and Hebrews 11:35-38 records these faithful servants and how they served yet were treated harshly like the parable in Mark 12:1-12.
• We are referred to Matthew 23:34-35 for Jesus' description of the messengers he sends and how they also will be harshly treated - in His name. 
• "God’s gracious patience was extended repeatedly, but rebellious sinners like you and me resisted His wooing. We took His good things and turned them into god things thereby making them bad things. We took what was His and in rebellion said it was ours!"

We should all recognize that we are the ones that should have been nailed to the cross - we deserved the death Jesus died.  Instead we received mercy and salvation - something we don't deserve.  Once we recognize this our response is one of humility and gratitude.  It is also one whereby we embrace Jesus and seek to please Him, knowing that we exist to bring Him glory in all that we do.

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and who is full of incredible grace and mercy - seeking to save as many as You can - all of whom, including myself, are deserving of death due to our sin.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving of the grace You pour out for me and for my salvation.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

Have you not read this Scripture:‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

Mark 12:1-12 

Have you not read this Scripture:‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Mark 12:10-11

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, I focus on an unassisted review of Mark 12:1-12, which is the text for the next chapter of the commentary. Observations of the text based on the Sword Bible Study Method: 

• What do we learn from the passage about God?: Picking up from where the text left off in chapter 11, Jesus continues speaking to the crowd, including the chief priests, scribes and Jewish elders (11:27).  According to this post from DesiringGod.com, Jesus speaks in parables to "to expose a person’s spiritual condition....Jesus teaches in parables to demonstrate the need for divine revelation to understand the mysteries of the kingdom and to reveal the spiritual condition of his listeners."  Jesus quotes from Old Testament - here Psalm 118:22 - fulfilling prophecy of how Israel would reject Jesus (The Cornerstone).  It is God alone who hardens and softens hearts.  
• What do we learn from the passage about people?: Without God's help, people will not hear and understand God's Word, nor His will.  Instead those who don't accept Jesus as Lord and Savior will continue in their spiritual deadness.  They will also continue to be slaves to sin - including greed, selfishness, envy - all sin demonstrated in the text.  Ultimately these people will be subject to God's wrath as described in v9.      
• Is there anything from the passage God wants us to obey (SPEC: Sins to avoid,Promises to claim, Examples to follow, Commands to obey?): God promises those who follow His will blessings - see v9.  This includes salvation.  We also see Christ's death on the cross as "marvelous."  From an earthly perspective, Christs murder on the cross is not seen as good nor marvelous.  However, believers know that Jesus had to die on the cross as He died and nailed not only Himself, but all of humanity's sin on the cross, paving a way for us to have redemption and salvation.  We can certainly claim this! 

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My Prayer: Thank You Father God Jesus!  I am not deserving of the work done on the cross - Your death - while of course undeserved and gruesome, is marvelous and it gives me life to the full now and for eternity.  Thank You Jesus!  I am not deserving...my sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You. Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

Mark 11:27-33

But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. So they answered Jesus, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” Mark 11:32-33

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 11:27-33.  Excerpts from the commentary's third (of three) division (vv32-33):

• The title of the third division per the commentary is "They Fear Men More than They Fear God."
• We are referred to Proverbs 29:25 where fear of man is highlighted as a "snare," while God is our refuge from such snares. See also 1 Sam 15:24 and Luke 12:4-5.
• The scribes and Jewish elders' response to Jesus is telling. "It’s sad, isn’t it? What was expedient and safe was more important to them than what was true and right. “We don’t know” was a lie motivated by fear. They would rather keep their position and live a lie than submit to Christ and walk in the truth. They had neither sincere motives nor an open mind." 
• "Twice in this section of Mark, it says the religious leaders were afraid of the people. The fear of man hindered their movement toward Jesus. Their fear of what others would think paralyzed them. Their fear of losing face, of losing power and position and prestige, condemned them."

Fear of man, or conversely, a desire to be accepted by man, is what motivates many these days - particularly those posting avidly on social media. As I posted a couple of days ago, we should not seek our identity, significance, or value, in the world.  Believers know that they experience the "chain of salvation" starting with justification.  Many feel shame or weakness because they feel defined (and trapped) by their sins or imperfections.  Yet believers are "justified," which is that "God declares sinners righteous in His sight."  Additionally, many seek perfection from a worldly standard, yet this will not spare anyone from the "wages of sin" which is death (Romans 6:23).  Only God saves, and through justification, He imputes His perfect righteousness onto the faithful who believe.  We no longer need to strive in our own efforts for salvation - we simply must believe in Him.  God made each one of us in His image for His purpose.  Believe in Him and allow Him to continue and finish a work in You.

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God that saves, justifies, sanctifies, and glorifies.  Thank You for loving me and adopting me into Your family and for saving me.  I am not deserving of such blessings.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.  

Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.

Mark 11:27-33

Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me.” And they discussed it with one another, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will say, ‘Why then did you not believe him?’ But shall we say, ‘From man’?”—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet. Mark 11:29-32

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 11:27-33.  Excerpts from the commentary's second (of three) division (vv29-32):

• The title of the first division per the commentary is "They Refuse to Examine Honestly the Evidence."
• "Those who come to Jesus with hostile intentions never receive a direct answer. The response forces them to think. Jesus twice commands them, “Answer Me.” The implication is they lack the courage to give an honest answer."
• "They do not deny the evidence as they huddle up to draft their response. They struggle with how to set it aside. John was popular with the people, and his ministry was universally believed to have been given to him by God. So what if he had no human credentials, he had God’s! Yet in spite of the evidence, the religious leaders rejected him and did not lift a finger when he was unjustly murdered by Herod (6:14-29)." 
• "When Mark began his Gospel, he cited Malachi 3:1 and Isaiah 40:3, linking the ministries of John and Jesus to prophetic promise. The evidence is there, but the hearts of these men will not embrace it. They may attempt to put forth a rational argument against Jesus, but in the end it is an emotional reaction rooted in a fear of losing control, losing their position, and losing their way of life. For so many people the real problem is not the evidence. The problem is internal: it is us and our sin. The idols of the heart are the real issue. If I accept that Jesus is the Son of God who died for my sins and was raised from the dead, then my life will never be the same. But I like my life. With eyes shut and ears plugged, I do not want to talk about this anymore."

The core question all of us must answer: is Jesus who He says He is?  The scribes and Jewish elders did not believe Jesus.  Their reason is the same or very similar to anyone who rejects Jesus - they don't have enough evidence.  Yet that is the point of faith - see Hebrews 11, in particular v1: "faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen."  We should also understand that faith itself is a gift from God - that He alone hardens and softens hearts to hear and respond to the Good News by accepting Jesus as Lord and Savior - see Ephesians 2:8.  For believers we must extend grace to non-believers in the same way Jesus did for us - we were all saved while still an enemy and hostile (see Colossians 1:21) to Jesus - that is grace! Extend grace as Jude 22-23 describes. 

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My Prayers: Father God, thank You for the mercy and grace You poured out for me by saving me while still an enemy and hostile to You.  Thank You for my salvation - the greatest gift of all time.  I am not deserving of such a gift.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sin towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day. 

And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?”

Mark 11:27-33

And they came again to Jerusalem. And as he was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to him, and they said to him, “By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?” Mark 11:27-28

I continue my study of Mark, leaning on the Christ-Centered Exposition commentary series volume for Mark.  Today, my focus is a commentary-assisted review of Mark 11:27-33.  Excerpts from the commentary's introduction and the first (of three) division (vv27-28):

• The title of this chapter for the commentary is "Three Reasons People Are Not Willing 
   to Follow Jesus" and the main idea is: "People refuse to trust Jesus not because He is not worthy but because of the hardness of their own hearts."
• "Jesus has just cleansed and cursed the temple for its corruptions and abuse (Mark 11:12-25). In response, the religious leaders were “looking for a way to destroy Him” (11:18). You would think Jesus would avoid the public eye, but He does nothing of the sort! He returns to Jerusalem and the temple with courage, looking for a fight—not a physical confrontation, but a spiritual one that will place His claims and identity front and center."  
• Mark 11:27–12:44 records five temple controversies in Jerusalem that parallel five earlier controversies in Galilee (cf. 2:1–3:6). In both cases His opponents are the religious leaders. Now that He is in Jerusalem, the stakes are much higher and the intensity of the conflict much stronger. Things are moving to an inevitable climax: the cross."  
• "In this first of five temple controversies, we will see some common reasons people are not willing to come and follow Jesus."  
• The title of the first division per the commentary is "They Do Not Want to Submit to His Authority."
• "Jesus “came again to Jerusalem.” At some point the religious authorities show up—the Sanhedrin, the Jewish high court, who exercised both political and religious authority in Israel. It consisted of 71 men led by the acting high priest. Their power was enormous. They were super sensitive to anything that could threaten their authority, and Jesus was clearly a threat." 
• The Sanhedrin questioned Jesus' authority and sought to undermine Him with His followers. "The question of authority is important. We all have a source of authority in our lives, someone or something that guides us and drives us, something that rules. For most of us, like the Sanhedrin, it is ourselves. We are not really interested in surrendering that rule to anyone else."

All of humanity seeks value, worth and significance.  Yet the world offers significance that is not lasting.  Jesus offers significance and worth that is eternal.  Philippians 3:8.  He must increase but I must decrease - John 3:30.

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My Prayer: Father God, You are an awesome God who loves and who is full of grace and mercy - thank You Jesus for loving me while I was still an enemy and hostile to You.  I am not deserving of how You save and pour out mercies daily that never cease.  My sin is great and it continues...daily.  Please forgive me Jesus and help me overcome and turn from my sins towards You.  Help me love You with all of my heart, soul, and mind and love others as You love me.  Help me grow in my faith.  Give Lisa and myself wisdom and strength.  Please continue to heal Lisa of her cancer and from the side effects of chemo.  Help us lead Zach and Dustin to You Jesus and for them to choose You as their Lord and Savior.  Please provide Godly friends and spouses to Zach and Dustin.  Help me serve You, my family, my church, and others.  Help me understand, be obedient to, and apply Your message for me today and every day.