A man planted a vineyard ...

“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…”

And so begins this parable spoken by Jesus about unrighteous tenants who, abusing every servant the man sent to collect his rent, finally killed the man’s beloved son when he was also sent to them.

We know the rest of the story. But do we know the beginning?

The opening sentence paints a picture of the creation of the world. It is a picture given to us by God, as Jesus, about how he, as God, brought creation into being. A word-picture painted of the birth of the world by the very Painter of the World.

Do you follow what I mean? It is not as if I am saying, “Look, let me try to paint a picture of what God had in mind when he created the world.” No. It is God himself saying, “Look, I liken the creation of this world that I created …

… to a vineyard…”

A vineyard with a fence around it, a winepress, and a watchtower.

So the picture that God paints of what he had in mind for his creation is … not of a parking lot; not of a marketplace; not of a university; not of a political venue.

It is of a vineyard. With a fence around it, a winepress, and a watchtower.

It is of a place where they grow grapes, and where they make wine. And so jealous is he of it that, of the simple elements in his picture, two of them – the fence and the watchtower – are for defense. Defense against what, when that World was painted prior to any Fall? Ah, the deepest things are before words. I have my ideas, but let's just attribute it for now to love and care. We will find out more later.

Somewhere else, a passing comment was made by a host of a wedding when he tasted the wine that Jesus made from water. “You have saved the best wine for last …”

David Wang

Logos2Go

Mark 12.1-12 Then 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. 2When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. 3But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. 5Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. 6He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 7But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' 8So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. 9What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10Have you not read this scripture: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; 11this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'?"

John 2.10 “Everyone serves the good wine first, and when people have drunk freely, then the poor wine. But you have kept the good wine until now.”