Attributed commentary excerpt
Tyndale Open Study Notes on Mark 12:1
A historical reference excerpt for this verse. Read it alongside the biblical text and other available sources.
Tyndale Open Study Notes
Tyndale House Publishers · Modern study notes
Source: BibleWord.ai's local reference edition of this named work.
12:1-12 The events of 11:27–12:44 all take place in the Temple (see 11:27; 13:1). This story (literally parable) is intimately tied to the previous question about Jesus’ authority (11:27-33) by the introductory words, Then Jesus began teaching them. This parable is an extended reply by Jesus to the religious leaders. • Jesus intended his audience to interpret this parable in light of Isa 5:1-7, a similar story of someone planting a vineyard, building a lookout tower, putting a fence around the vineyard, and digging a pit for a wine vat. A similar question is asked: What do you suppose the owner of the vineyard will do? (Mark 12:9; cp. Isa 5:4). Isaiah specifically identifies the vineyard as the people of Israel (Isa 5:7); Jesus’ hearers and Mark’s readers would similarly have understood the present story as an allegory about the Israelites. Other details in the story are also clearly meant to be interpreted allegorically: The tenants represent the leaders of Israel; the owner represents God; the servants represent the Old Testament prophets; the beloved son represents Jesus, the Son of God; the murder of the son represents Jesus’ crucifixion; and the giving of the vineyard to others represents the judgment coming upon Israel (Mark 11:15-17; 13:1-37). The interpretation would have been more clear to Mark’s readers than to Jesus’ original audience, but the religious leaders who were Jesus’ contemporaries understood it clearly enough that they sought to kill him (12:12). 12:1 The antecedent to them is the religious leaders of 11:27 (also in 12:12). • The beginning description of the story comes from Isa 5:1-7. Jesus’ audience knew the book of Isaiah well and would have immediately recalled this allegory of the vineyard.
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