Mark 12:9Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Consequently, the Lord of the vineyard, who is the Father of the slain Son, or more accurately, the slain Son Himself, would bring destruction upon the workers, surrendering them to the Romans, and entrust His vineyard to new laborers, specifically the apostles. Would you like to understand how the apostles tended to this vineyard? Explore the book of Acts, and you will witness how three thousand (Acts 2:41) and then five thousand souls swiftly (Acts 4:4) came to faith and began to produce fruit for the Lord.

A single contentious point can be addressed here. In Matthew's account, when the Lord inquires of the Jewish leaders, “When the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do with these vinedressers? He will put these evildoers to an evil death, but he will give the vineyard to other vinedressers, who will give him the fruit in their season.” Conversely, in Mark’s narrative, it is not the Jews who respond but rather the Lord Himself who provides the answer to His question: “But what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and put the vineyard to death, and give the vineyard to others.” We can draw one of two conclusions. It is possible that one of the phrases “they said” or “they answered” has simply been omitted, though such meaning is suggested. Alternatively, the response may not be coincidentally attributed to the Lord, as He responds on behalf of those proclaiming the truth, representing Him who is the embodiment of truth.

Through similar prophetic words, the Lord continued to disclose that due to their obstinacy and wicked resistance, not only were they affected, but the entire nation was deprived of the privilege of entering the Messiah's kingdom first. The new parable shared not only with the Pharisees but also with the crowd (Luke 20:9-19) drew from the imagery of a vineyard. The Lord had leased it not for His own labor but entrusted it to certain workers, who were commissioned solely for the purpose of gathering the harvest. He sent messengers to them multiple times; yet, the unfaithful workers mistreated some, murdered others, and stoned still more. Finally, He sent His Son; however, they resolved to kill Him as well, seeking to seize the inheritance of their Master by force.

The message of the parable was as evident to them as it is to us today. However, had they given the slightest indication that they saw themselves as the unjust caretakers, it is likely that the crowd would have reacted violently against them. Their anxiety regarding the people’s reaction only intensified their boldness and arrogance.

He then urged them to "listen to another parable," the tale of the disobedient vineyard workers who refused to yield the fruits of the vineyard. This vineyard, belonging to the Lord of Hosts, represented the house of Israel, with the Jewish nation being His cherished planting. The leaders and teachers, entrusted with the care of the people, were rightfully expected to offer the lord the harvest from the vineyard. Yet, despite all He had done for this vineyard, there was no produce, or perhaps only wild, untamed fruit. Unable to bear fruit and unwilling to admit their unfruitfulness for which they were accountable, the workers insulted, beat, wounded, and even killed one messenger after another sent by the lord of the vineyard.

He will come and bring death to the farmers, etc. In the account found in Hebrews, as well as in Matthew, this reflects the reaction of those who listened to the Lord's parable when asked how the vineyard owner would respond to the deceitful farmers. In Mark’s narrative, it is the Lord Himself who articulates this. It can be surmised that either the audience initially replied in this manner, and the Lord affirmed their response using their own words, or that Mark, while summarizing this section of the parable, attributed the rightful reply of the listeners to the Lord, so as to maintain the flow of His speech.

What actions will the master of the vineyard take? He will arrive to execute the vinedressers. What must the master of the vineyard inevitably do? He will be required to come and bring about the death of the vinedressers.