Mark 12:1-12 (NRSV)
Read Mark 12:1-12 on biblegateway.com
Chapter 12Then he began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a pit for the wine press, and built a watchtower; then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. Verse 2When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. Verse 3But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. Verse 4And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. Verse 5Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. Verse 6He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' Verse 7But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' Verse 8So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. Verse 9What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Verse 10Have you not read this scripture:
Devotion
I shuddered while reading today’s text. I wanted to yell, “No! Don’t kill the servant, don’t kill the child…don’t kill Jesus.” The parallel with Jesus’ life is startling and sobering. The message that replays itself on my heart is, “Am I not the tenant?” I know that each day there are countless times that I discard the messenger, the cornerstone. Forgive me God.
Prayer
Servant God, you meet us every day, every moment exactly as we need you and yet we often don’t notice. Open our hearts, open our eyes, open our ears that we may grow in awareness of your presence in each moment of our lives. Amen.