Mar 12:1-10 | TNotes | STEP | Summary for Mark 12:1-12: 12:1-12 The events of 11:27–12:44 all take place in the Temple (see 11:27 ; 13:1 ). This story (literally parable ) is intimately tied to the previous question about Jesus’ authority (11:27-33 ) by the introductory words, Then Jesus began teaching them . This parable is an extended reply by Jesus to the religious leaders. • Jesus intended his audience to interpret this parable in light of Isa 5:1-7 , a similar story of someone planting a vineyard, building a lookout tower, putting a fence around the vineyard, and digging a pit for a wine vat. A similar question is asked: What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do? (Mark 12:9 ; cp. Isa 5:4 ). Isaiah specifically identifies the vineyard as the people of Israel (Isa 5:7 ); Jesus’ hearers and Mark’s readers would similarly have understood the present story as an allegory about the Israelites. Other details in the story are also clearly meant to be interpreted allegorically: The tenants represent the leaders of Israel; the owner represents God; the servants represent the Old Testament prophets; the beloved son represents Jesus, the Son of God; the murder of the son represents Jesus’ crucifixion; and the giving of the vineyard to others represents the judgment coming upon Israel (Mark 11:15-17 ; 13:1-37 ). The interpretation would have been more clear to Mark’s readers than to Jesus’ original audience, but the religious leaders who were Jesus’ contemporaries understood it clearly enough that they sought to kill him (12:12 ). 12:1 The antecedent to them is the religious leaders of 11:27 (also in 12:12 ). • The beginning description of the story comes from Isa 5:1-7 . Jesus’ audience knew the book of Isaiah well and would have immediately recalled this allegory of the vineyard.

Summary for Mark 12:1-12: 12:1-12 ^a The events of 11:27–12:44 ^b all take place in the Temple (see 11:27 ^c; 13:1 ^d). This story (literally parable) is intimately tied to the previous question about Jesus’ authority (11:27-33 ^e) by the introductory words, Then Jesus began teaching them. This parable is an extended reply by Jesus to the religious leaders.

• Jesus intended his audience to interpret this parable in light of Isa 5:1-7 ^f, a similar story of someone planting a vineyard, building a lookout tower, putting a fence around the vineyard, and digging a pit for a wine vat. A similar question is asked: What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do? (Mark 12:9 ^g; cp. Isa 5:4 ^h). Isaiah specifically identifies the vineyard as the people of Israel (Isa 5:7 ⁱ); Jesus’ hearers and Mark’s readers would similarly have understood the present story as an allegory about the Israelites. Other details in the story are also clearly meant to be interpreted allegorically: The tenants represent the leaders of Israel; the owner represents God; the servants represent the Old Testament prophets; the beloved son represents Jesus, the Son of God; the murder of the son represents Jesus’ crucifixion; and the giving of the vineyard to others represents the judgment coming upon Israel (Mark 11:15-17 ^j; 13:1-37 ^k). The interpretation would have been more clear to Mark’s readers than to Jesus’ original audience, but the religious leaders who were Jesus’ contemporaries understood it clearly enough that they sought to kill him (12:12 ^l). 12:1 ^m The antecedent to them is the religious leaders of 11:27 ⁿ (also in 12:12 ^o).

• The beginning description of the story comes from Isa 5:1-7 ^p. Jesus’ audience knew the book of Isaiah well and would have immediately recalled this allegory of the vineyard.
Summary for Mark 12:2-5: 12:2-5 ^q The time of the grape harvest probably refers to the time, some four years after planting, when a new vineyard would produce its first harvest. The owner’s share of the crop would have been a quantity of grapes or wine, given in payment for the lease of the vineyard.

• In the Old Testament, prophets are often referred to as servants (Jer 7:25-26 ^r; Amos 3:7 ^s; Zech 1:6 ^t); they were repeatedly mistreated and killed by Israelite leaders (1 Kgs 18:13 ^u; 19:10 ^v, 14 ^w; 2 Chr 24:20-27 ^x; 36:15-16 ^y; Jer 26:20-23 ^z; Neh 9:26 ^aa; see Matt 23:34 ^ab, 37 ^ac; 1 Thes 2:15 ^ad).
12:6 ^ae Mark’s early readers would have immediately associated his son whom he loved dearly with Jesus (cp. 1:11 ^af; 9:7 ^ag; see also 1:1 ^ah; 3:11 ^ai; 5:7 ^aj).
12:7 ^ak The reasoning of the tenants is unclear to us, although it was apparently clear to the original hearers, requiring no further explanation (cp. Matt 21:38 ^al; Luke 20:14 ^am). Perhaps with the son’s coming, they assumed that the father had died and that the murder of the son would leave the vineyard without a living claimant. Then ownership would fall to those who had been working the vineyard for years.
12:8 ^an threw his body out of the vineyard: The tenants’ disgraceful treatment of the son is heightened by their not even burying his body. Cp. Heb 13:12-13 ^ao.
12:9 ^ap The parable concludes with two rhetorical questions (cp. 3:23 ^aq, 33 ^ar; 4:13 ^as; 7:18 ^at; 8:12 ^au). The first corresponds to what the “Lord of Heaven’s Armies” says in the parable of the vineyard (Isa 5:5-7 ^av). Although some interpret Jesus’ answer as meaning that God would replace the evil Jewish leaders (Mark 11:27 ^aw; 12:12 ^ax) with more faithful ones, Mark’s readers likely would have understood the others to whom the vineyard would be given as the Gentile church (cp. Matt 21:43 ^ay; Rom 9:25-33 ^az; 11:13-24 ^ba). Thus, Jesus’ parable connects with the coming destruction of Jerusalem (Mark 11:15-19 ^bb; 13:1-37 ^bc; 14:58 ^bd; 15:29 ^be).
Summary for Mark 12:10-11: 12:10-11 ^bf In his second rhetorical question, Jesus used a quotation from Ps 118:22-23 ^bg. The rejected stone (the Son) had become the cornerstone of God’s Kingdom (cp. Acts 4:11 ^bh; 1 Pet 2:4 ^bi, 6-7 ^bj). The phrase is traditionally understood as the buried cornerstone that is part of the foundation, but it could be the capstone at the top of a building that marks its completion. Whichever stone is meant, it was the most important one. Despite the evil intention of the builders—the religious leaders—all they did was in accordance with God’s will (Acts 4:28 ^bk), which was wonderful to see. Those who put Jesus to death were God’s instruments in his plan for the Son of Man to give his life as a ransom for many (Mark 10:45 ^bl).