1. Jesus Came With Heaven's Authority (11:27-33)
27 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, 28 and they said to him, "By what authority are you doing these things, or who gave you this authority to do them?"
The Sanhedrin's Challenge
For the third day in a row, Jesus came to the temple in Jerusalem (27). A group of religious leaders came to him. Chief priests, scribes, and the elders were there (27). These were likely members of the Sanhedrin, seventy-one men who'd been granted religious control and authority by the Roman government. They acted as a go-between for the people and Rome. And they were most certainly in charge of the temple and all the activity there. They were the authority. So they wanted to know why Jesus thought he could do all he'd done.
And they asked two questions of Jesus. First, "By what authority are you doing these things?" (28). Second, "Who gave you this authority to do them? (28).
The Earthly Powers Thought They Were Authoritative Over Him
The authority of Christ had struck these men. The court of the Gentiles was the portion of the temple Jesus had cleared out the day before. It was nearly 35-acres large. That's authority.
And Jesus' whole ministry was authoritative. This episode and the ones that follow it are not the only time the religious leaders tangle with Jesus in the book of Mark. They also witnessed his power in Mark's first few chapters.
- He taught with authority -- In the Capernaum's synagogue, after some of his earliest teachings, they said, "What is this? A new teaching with authority!" (Mark 1:27).
- He forgave the paralyzed man let down through the roof with authority -- He said, "That you may know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins, I say, rise, pick up your bed, and go home" (Mark 2:1-12).
- When the religious leaders challenged him about eating with tax collectors and sinners, Jesus authoritatively told them he had come not to call the righteous, but sinners (Mark 2:17).
- When they bothered Jesus' disciples about fasting, he authoritatively told them that God was looking for fresh wineskins like the disciples, not old wineskins like the religious leaders (Mark 2:18-22).
- When they cornered him on breaking their Sabbath regulations, he called himself the authoritative Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). Authority exuded from Christ.
But, with their question, these men thought they were in authority over Jesus. This is often the way of man. Earthly powers think they are the judge and jury over Christ. People think their opinion of Jesus is the authoritative one. But Jesus is the authority over us. His rightful place is the first place, supremacy, over everything (Colossians 1:18).
29 Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. 30 Was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? Answer me."
Jesus Is Above All Earthly Powers
When Jesus asked these questions, he was, rightfully, placing himself above the Sanhedrin, above these religious leaders. They thought they could come and interrogate him, but he is their superior in every way, and now he questions them.
Not An Irrelevant Response
Jesus was not dodging their question. He wasn't changing the subject. This is not a disjointed reply. It had everything to do with their question and issue.
They wanted to know where Jesus got his authority -- same place as John did. And how had they treated John? What did they think of John? Was his authority from heaven or from man? Was John fashioned and sent by God, or made by man's hype and enthusiasm? And, if John was from God, why hadn't they believed John's message? He had continually pointed to Jesus. The Spirit and the Father and shown up himself at John's baptism of Jesus. If John was from God, then certainly Jesus also had the authority of heaven.
31 And they discussed it with one another, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' 32 But shall we say, 'From man'?"—they were afraid of the people, for they all held that John really was a prophet.
33 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."
We see now precisely what Jesus was up to. These men were not honest. They wondered where Jesus got his authority, but they weren't even willing to honestly consider John. So why would they honestly consider Jesus?
Jesus had put them on the horns of a dilemma. They didn't want to confess John had come from God -- because John had been critical of their leadership. And they didn't want to say John had come from man -- because the people all thought John had come from God, and they feared the people.
In their answer, we see two major reasons people are hindered from Christ.
The Fear Of Man Keeps People From Confessing Christ
First, there is the fear of man. What will others think? How will they see me? This is certainly an issue in our modern time. I think belief in Jesus is the sanest, wisest, and most intellectually responsible thing a person could do, but, often, that is not the way society presents it. If you are a Jesus follower, there might be times you are ridiculed for your faith.
For example, I think believers will experience increased economic persecution for their views. And, if you are overlooked for a promotion because of your faith or not hired in the first place because your Instagram feed shows you are a churchgoer, know you aren't the first to have endured economic hardship for Christ.
"...You joyfully accepted the plundering of your property, since you knew that you yourselves had a better possession and an abiding one." (Hebrews 10:34, ESV)
But fear of this sort of thing has roots turns into a fear of man -- and the fear of man is a snare. It keeps us from honest interaction with Christ.
The Loss Of Power Keeps People From Confessing Christ
A second reason people are hindered from Christ is the unwillingness to lose power. The religious leaders had authority. John had rebuked them. So had Jesus. But they weren't willing to cede their authority to Christ. Instead, they clung onto the small semblance of power they thought they had.
Today, the thought of letting Jesus become the authority and Lord of your life might scare you. But it should not. It's living without Jesus' good and gracious and merciful and powerful leadership that should scare you. It's self-leadership and self-expression that should scare you. It's personal empowerment that should scare you. Instead, you should hand the reins over to Jesus.
So don't fear others. And don't fear the loss of power. Others cannot affect your soul (Matthew 10:28). And personal power cannot get you joy and peace. Instead, be honest, declare the Lordship and authority of Christ, and submit to him.
2. Jesus Is The Pinnacle Of Revelation (12:1-9)
1 And he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country.
How They Understood The Vineyard
Jesus continued the conversation with these religious leaders by speaking to them in parables (1). Mark includes one of them, and it was centered around a man who planted a vineyard (1). This man must have expected great grapes and wine because he put a fence around the property, dug out a pit for a winepress, and built a tower in the midst of it (1). This vineyard was meant to succeed.
It might not immediately strike us as significant, but these religious leaders would have recognized this vineyard right away because the prophet Isaiah had written about such a place. In Isaiah 5, God spoke of Israel as a vineyard. God had planted them and then produced ideal conditions for his vine. And he looked for them to "yield grapes," but they instead "yielded wild grapes" (Isaiah 5:2). And, in the prophecy of Isaiah, God destroyed his vineyard. But hang on to that thought because that's where Jesus' parable turns in a different direction.
God Is Generous And Good
Before moving on in the parable, we must learn a bit about God. He is presented in Isaiah -- and here in this parable -- as the one who plants a choice vineyard. It is a place of opportunity. Under the conditions he established, fruit can certainly grow.
God provided Israel everything they needed to become a house of prayer for all nations (Mark 11:17). They were set up for fruit.
But, in a sense, this parable is the story of human history. God built a garden. We were meant to flourish. But, because we ignored his word -- and continue to ignore his word -- destruction came. As his church, we should allow him to reverse this outcome in us. Instead of fruitlessness, we should realize his Spirit now lives in us, learn his word, live by his statutes, and watch him produce fruit from our lives.
He has, after all, provided everything needed for fruit-bearing. As Peter said,
"His divine power has given us everything required for life and godliness through the knowledge of Him who called us by His own glory and goodness." (2 Peter 1:3, HCSB)
But let's see what happened in Jesus' parable.
2 When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed.
The Servants
The servants in the parable are representative of God's prophets and messengers. Figures like Moses, Aaron, David, Isaiah, Jeremiah, and Ezekiel were God's servants. But, at the time of their life and work, they were initially rejected. Only later were they recognized as God's messengers and servants. The religious elite in Israel often rebuffed and persecuted God's true messengers and servants.
God, through Jeremiah, said:
"You have neither listened nor inclined your ears to hear, although the Lord persistently sent to you all his servants the prophets," (Jeremiah 25:4, ESV)
And the new Jeremiah, Jesus, backed him up:
"So all the righteous blood shed on the earth will be charged to you, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah..." (Matthew 23:35, HCSB)
From Abel to Zechariah -- every messenger from A to Z -- was on them. They'd rejected them all.
All Messengers Rejected
But it wasn't only Israel who rejected God's messengers. All of mankind rejects the revelation of God. Romans tells us humanity works hard to suppress the truth about God, but that God has plainly revealed himself in creation (Romans 1:18-20).
This means God has written the Bible but also written in creation. Humanity should look at creation and make specific conclusions.
In the precision of the universe, we should conclude there is a designer.
In the expanding nature of the universe, we should conclude there is a first cause who is uncaused.
In the habitability of our planet, we should conclude he loves us. And in our inner turmoil and search for God, we should conclude he can be found.
We should look for ways he has broken in to declare himself to us. He has revealed himself! But, just as Israel rejected her messengers -- the prophets -- so often we reject the messenger of creation.
Israel is part of that revelation, by the way. The fact of their existence, after so many years of persecution, stands out as a testament to God's election of the offspring of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. While other kingdoms and people groups are lost to history, Israel has been preserved and even miraculously re-established in our last century. Even today, when so much attention is given to such a small nation, it stands out as worldwide notice that God exists.
In our parable, the keepers of the vineyard are portrayed as trying to throw off, evade, and silence every servant sent their way. And, without Christ, this is the way of man. We are under sin (Romans 3:9). It is over us. We are swimming in it. And it then becomes natural for us to reject God in this way.
But perhaps you know God is breaking through. Maybe he's using this season in your life to thaw the ice and draw you to himself. He loves you. He sent his Son to die for you. He wants to bring you home.
God Is Patient
This parable shows us what mankind is like, but also what God is like. He sent waves of messengers. Patiently, he communicates. He calls himself longsuffering (Exodus 34:6). And this is part of his longsuffering nature -- waiting for people to hear his voice. Waiting for you.
Speaking of the Son, let's see how the parable concludes.
6 He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally, he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 7 But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8 And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.
The Son
In this part of the parable, Jesus speaks of himself. He is beloved son who the Father sent (6). Jesus again shows he knows about his future death because he portrays the tenants as killing the son who was sent (7). Jesus knew he was going to die.
But, even as he approached his death, he knew of the love of the Father. He referred to his character in the story as the "beloved son." Because they are One -- Father, Son, and Spirit, three in one -- it is not divine child abuse that the Father and Son colluded for the Son to die for the sin of the world. It was all love -- that's why Jesus described himself as the "beloved son" in this parable.
The Last Messenger
And just as the son was the final messenger in the parable, so is he the final messenger and message today. God has revealed himself in creation. God has revealed himself in Israel's story. He has revealed himself in fulfilled prophecy. But now he has revealed himself in his Son.
"Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power. After making purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high..." (Hebrews 1:1–3, ESV)
The last messenger has come. And we still preach him today.
3. Jesus Is The Cornerstone (12:10-12)
9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Have you not read this Scripture: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11 this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" 12 And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.
This is where the vineyard story takes a turn. Remember Isaiah 5? In that passage, the vineyard was destroyed in God's judgment. In this parable, it is not the vineyard that is destroyed, but the tenants of the vineyard. They were held responsible for the lack of fruit for the master.
The religious leaders realized that Jesus was talking about them -- they perceived that he had told the parable against them (12). They were not super stoked to have been called out in this way, and they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the people (12). They'd have to wait for a more private time to apprehend Jesus for their vile purposes.
But the parable showed that God would judge them.
God Is Just
But the parable showed that God would judge them. This is another thing we learn about God in this short story. He is good and gracious in that he provides all of us an opportunity for fruit. He is longsuffering and will send waves of messengers to draw us to himself. But we should not misinterpret his longsuffering nature as his permission to live however we want. Eventually, justice must be served. Judgment must arrive. God will deal with all sin. Because of his holiness, he must. He cannot overlook it.
(But Also Merciful And Gracious)
But, be not alarmed. Though he must judge, it was the last messenger, the sent and beloved Son, that makes a way for mercy and grace. He will judge, but he first released his judgment into his Son. Don't reject him. He is your gift. Believing in him can garner you the righteousness of God.
Jesus Became The Cornerstone For A New Humanity
In closing, notice with me the Scripture Jesus quoted for them. It came from Psalm 118, the same passage the crowds sang to Jesus during the triumphal entry a couple of days earlier (Mark 11:9-10). Jesus asked them if they'd ever read it -- "Have you not read this Scripture?" (10). The Sanhedrin. The teachers of Israel. Had they ever read Psalm 118? Yeah, but they'd never understood.
In the Psalm, there is a line about a stone that arrived at the construction site. The builders looked at it and didn't want it. They sent it away. Then the time came for the setting of the all-important cornerstone. They looked around the quarry for it and realized they had accidentally rejected it. It was the cornerstone!
Jesus quotes this little lyric to help them understand what was happening. The Son had come. They didn't know he was the all-important Son of God, the Christ-Messiah, so they rejected him. But he was actually the most important part of the new structure he was building. He is the chief cornerstone.
One day, everyone will recognize Jesus for who he is (Philippians 2:8-11). Every knee will bow. For many, this recognition will be too late. But the chief cornerstone will be revealed.
If Jesus is the cornerstone, with the Scriptures being the foundation, we must build our lives off of him and his word (Ephesians 2:20).
Jesus is the most important part of the new people of God.
"As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ." (1 Peter 2:4–5, ESV)
He invented a new humanity called the church. If we set any other person, philosophy, ambition, or goal in the cornerstone position, the church will die a slow death. We must allow Christ to be the central piece, the one who keeps us in line and true. His gospel is good, and we must never waver from its glory. Let's continue to pursue him, to allow him the authority and preeminence he rightfully deserves.
So, on whom should I build my life? Only on Jesus.