🍇 When We Forget Who the Owner Is
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The Parable of the Wicked Tenants (Mark 12:1–12)
By Pastor Gary Boyd
Have you ever loaned something valuable to someone who started acting like it was theirs? 🤔
Maybe you lent a friend your truck, and a week later you see them hauling furniture in it, bragging about “their ride.” 🚚
Or maybe you’ve watched a child in the store holding their parent’s credit card, confidently swiping it like they own the account. 💳
It’s funny when it’s harmless, but it’s frustrating when someone forgets who the owner really is.
Jesus once told a story about that very thing.
But He wasn’t talking about trucks or credit cards. He was talking about spiritual privilege, about people God trusted who started living as if they owned what belonged to Him.
📖 A Story About Ownership and Accountability
In Mark 12:1–12, Jesus tells a story called The Parable of the Wicked Tenants.
A landowner plants a beautiful vineyard 🍇. He fences it, builds a tower, and digs a winepress. He prepares everything for a fruitful harvest and then leases it to tenant farmers while he’s away.
When harvest season comes, he sends a servant to collect his share. But instead of paying, the tenants beat the servant and send him away empty-handed. More servants come, some are beaten, some are wounded, and some are even killed.
Finally, the owner sends his beloved son, thinking, “Surely they’ll respect him.”
But the tenants whisper, “This is the heir. Let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.”
They seize him, kill him, and throw his body out of the vineyard.
Then Jesus asks the haunting question:
“What will the owner of the vineyard do?”
He answers it Himself:
“He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.”
It’s a story about ownership, rebellion, and accountability, and it’s as relevant today as ever.
🌿 God Graciously Entrusts His Work
The people listening to Jesus would have recognized the imagery. The vineyard was a symbol for Israel (see Isaiah 5:1–7). The owner is God, the One who planted, protected, and provided. The tenants were Israel’s leaders, entrusted to care for His people.
But they forgot who the vineyard belonged to.
They confused stewardship with ownership, and that’s where everything went wrong.
💭 Think about it: how often do we do the same?
Everything we have, our time ⏰, resources 💰, relationships ❤️, and influence 🙌, is on loan from God. We’re not the owners, we’re the stewards.
Faithfulness starts when we remember who the true Owner is.
💌 God Patiently Sends His Messengers
Throughout history, God sent prophets like Isaiah, Jeremiah, Amos, and John to call His people back to Himself. Again and again, they were rejected.
It’s almost unbelievable how patient God is! 😮
He didn’t give up after the first “no.” He kept reaching out.
Then, in the ultimate act of mercy, He sent His Son, Jesus.
“Having yet therefore one son, his well-beloved, he sent him also last unto them…” (Mark 12:6)
But the tenants didn’t just reject the message, they rejected the Messenger.
They didn’t want the vineyard under anyone’s authority but their own.
And that’s where the parable hits close to home.
Because every time we say “no” to God’s direction, every time we push back against His lordship, we’re echoing that same spirit.
🚨 God’s patience isn’t permission, it’s an opportunity to repent.
⚖️ God Justly Judges and Mercifully Restores
When patience is rejected, justice must speak.
The owner returns to deal with the rebellious tenants, and the vineyard is given to others who will bear fruit. Jesus is saying that God’s kingdom won’t stop; His plan will move forward through those who are faithful.
Then Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22–23:
“The stone which the builders rejected is become the head of the corner.
This is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”
The very One they rejected, Jesus, became the foundation of salvation. 🙌
The cross looked like defeat, but it was actually God’s greatest victory.
The rejected Son became the Cornerstone of a new creation.
❤️ What Will You Do With the Son?
This parable isn’t just about ancient Israel, it’s about us.
God has entrusted you with life, gifts, and opportunities. He’s sent you His Word 📖, His Spirit 🕊️, and His Son 👑.
The question is:
What will you do with the Son?
Will you resist His authority and lose your place in His work?
Or will you receive Him as Lord and become part of His fruitful vineyard?
God is still looking for faithful stewards, people who will serve with gratitude, obedience, and humility.
He’s not asking you to own the vineyard.
He’s asking you to serve the Owner well. 🌾
Because one day, the Owner will return, and when He does, He’ll be looking for fruit, not resistance. 🍇
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Reflection Questions
- What areas of my life am I tempted to “own” instead of steward for God?
- How has God shown patience toward me?
- What fruit does God want to grow in me right now?
