1 And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4 And again he sent unto them another servant; and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled. 5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. 6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. 7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. 8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard.(Mark 12:1-8 KJV)
William Burkitt’s Commentary
In this parable, the Jewish church is compared to a vineyard;
Almighty God to a householder;
his planting, pruning, and fencing of his vineyard denotes his care to furnish his church with all needful helps and means to make it spiritually fruitful;
His letting it out to husbandmen, signifies his committing the care of his church to the priests and Levites; the public pastors and governors of the church:
His servants are the prophets and apostles, whom he sent time after time to admonish them to bring forth fruit answerable to the cost which God had expended on them;
His Son is Jesus Christ, whom the rulers of the Jewish Church slew and murdered.
The design and scope of the parable is to discover to the Jews, particularly to the Pharisees, their obstinate impenitency under all means of grace, their bloody cruelty towards the prophets of God, their tremendous guilt in crucifying the Son of God: for all which God would unchurch them finally, ruin their nation, and set up a church among the Gentiles, that should bring forth better fruit than the Jewish church ever did.
From the whole, note, 1. That the church is God’s vineyard. A vineyard is a place enclosed, a place well planted, well fruited, and exceeding dear and precious to the planter and the owner of it.
2. As dear as God’s vineyard is unto him, in case of barrenness, and unfruitfulness, it is in great danger of being destroyed and laid waste by him.
3. That the only way and course to engage God’s care over his vineyard and to prevent its being given to other husbandmen is to give him the fruit of it; that is but a vineyard that God lets out; it is no inheritance.
No people ever had so many promises of God’s favour as the Jews had, nor ever enjoyed so many privileges, whilst they continued in his favour, as they did; yet though they were the first and the natural branches, they are broken off, and we Gentiles stand by faith; let us not be high-minded, but fear, Ro 11:1
BURKITT : | Mark 12:1-8 | Mark 12:9-12 | Mr 12v13-17 | Mr 12v18-27 | Mr 12v28-34 | Mark 12:35-37 | Mark 12:38-40 | Mr 12v41-44 | KJV Comm