Mark 12:4Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Sent another, whose head was struck with stones and who was completely scorned, this can be associated with the period of Hosea and Isaiah.

In similar earnest discourse, the Lord continued to unveil that due to their obstinacy and wicked resistance, not only were they deprived, but the entire nation was stripped of the privilege of first entering the kingdom of the Messiah. The new parable, addressed both to the Pharisees and to the people (Luke 20:9-19), was drawn from the imagery of a vineyard. The Lord entrusted it not for labor but to certain workers, heeding their role solely for the gathering of the harvest, sending messengers not just once, but multiple times. However, the unscrupulous laborers mistreated some, killed others, and stoned still more. He then sent His Son, but they conspired to kill Him as well in their quest to seize control of the Master's possessions.

Once more, he dispatched another servant to them, yet they stoned him and sent him away in disgrace, while the vinedressers mistreated him and offered him nothing. The vineyard owner then sent a third servant, but tragically, the vinedressers also took his life. He continued to send numerous servants, but each time, there was no fruit to be gathered; the vinedressers responded with violence, either beating them or even ending their lives. It is imperative for them to recall how these prophets faced persecution and ultimately death, including the final Prophet and forerunner, John, who was cast aside by them.

He then urged them to listen to yet another parable, the story of the unfaithful vineyard keepers who refused to yield the produce of the vineyard. This vineyard, belonging to the Lord of Hosts, represented the house of Israel, His cherished people. The leaders and teachers entrusted with the care of the people were expected to provide the Lord with the fruits of the vineyard. However, despite all His efforts for His vineyard, it bore no fruit or perhaps only wild grapes. Unable to produce the desired yield and unwilling to acknowledge their own failures, the vinedressers insulted, beat, wounded, and murdered messenger after messenger sent from the owner of the vineyard.