Reflection

Jesus tells a story that illustrates the true nature of the relationship between God and the Jewish leadership. God is like the owner of a vineyard, and the leaders are like those who have been called to care for the vineyard (Mark 12:1). The vineyard itself symbolizes Israel (cf. Isa. 5:1–7), and the servants are the prophets who have been sent by God to Israel throughout the centuries (Mark 12:2).

The story describes the tendency of Israel’s leaders to mistreat and even kill the prophets that God has sent to his people (vv. 2–5; cf. Jer. 26:20–23; 2 Chron. 24:20–21). Eventually God sends his own “beloved son” (Mark 12:6), but Israel’s leaders are so jealous for ownership that they will murder him as well (vv. 7–8).

Like the leaders of Israel, all of us are guilty of rejecting God’s Son and thus we deserve his destructive punishment (v. 9). The one we have rejected, however, is the very “cornerstone” of God’s kingdom work (v. 10), and through his death he has made a way to reconcile God and sinners. Because of the sacrifice of Christ, God will never reject those who humbly admit their guilt and come to him for grace. Truly, the work of the Lord should be marvelous in our eyes (v. 11)!

Reflection

Paul is trying to explain that he did not learn the gospel from the apostles in Jerusalem (cf. Gal. 1:1, 17). He didn’t even meet Cephas (Peter) until three years after his encounter with Jesus on the Damascus Road, and then he only saw him for two weeks. When he finally did meet Peter, they did not come up with a new “gospel.” Paul’s point is that the message he preaches is the true gospel, and even though he didn’t learn it from the Jerusalem apostles, it is the same message that the other apostles had embraced.

God does not speak conflicting messages. The gospel of Jesus Christ has always been, and will always be, the unchanging news about the gracious gift of salvation that was purchased for sinners by the life, death, and resurrection of our perfectly righteous Savior and King, Jesus Christ.