The Parable of the Tenants. New Testament Mark 12
12 Jesus then began to speak
to them in parables:
“A man (God) planted a vineyard (created our world). He put a wall
around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented
the vineyard to some farmers (Jews) and moved to another place.
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. (the prophets - John the Baptist, etc)
6 “He had one left to send, a son (Jesus), 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. (God turned from the Jews)
9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill
those tenants and give the vineyard to others. (Christians - the new Chosen Ones)
10 Haven’t
you read this passage of Scripture:
'‘The
stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone;
11 the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?”
11 the Lord has done this, and it is marvellous in our eyes’?”
12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and
the elders 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.