Bad Guys
Mark 11:27-12:12
We love stories about good guys and bad guys.
Photo by Tim Mossholder on Unsplash
Again they came to Jerusalem. As he was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to him and said, "By what authority are you doing these things? Who gave you this authority to do them?" Jesus said to them, "I will ask you one question; answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things. Did the baptism of John come from heaven, or was it of human origin? Answer me." They argued with one another, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But shall we say, 'Of human origin'?"-- they were afraid of the crowd, for all regarded John as truly a prophet. So they answered Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things." 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. When the season came, he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his share of the produce of the vineyard. But they seized him, and beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. And again he sent another slave to them; this one they beat over the head and insulted. Then he sent another, and that one they killed. And so it was with many others; some they beat, and others they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But those tenants said to one another, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard. What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this scripture: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'?" When they realized that he had told this parable against them, they wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowd. So they left him and went away. - Mark 11:27-12:12
Who is the bad guy in the parable Jesus told?
I am thinking many people today would say the landlord, the one who had the money and built the vineyard and the press, and leased it out to tenant farmers.
When Jesus told the story, he probably thought people would see the resistance of the tenants as bad, and the attempts by the owner to get paid as just.
Not today.
If you have the means to create the jobs, should you not expect anything in return?
Landowners in Jesus' day were the wealthy elite. This owner had the resources to travel to a far-off land and conduct other business. Surely, he could survive without the small amount of the first fruits these tenants could produce.
These tenants worked hard on the land without payment. This was their sole means of survival, and after sweating and straining, they forgot that they were only able to do that work for themselves because the landlord leased them the property.
We have entered a time in our country where capitalism is bad. Those who create the jobs and pay the workers are the bad guys, because they make money off others.
So, look back at the parable.
What should the landlord have done?
Should he have given the people the land and all the tools and materials they needed to build their own vineyard? If he did, would they do the work necessary to build it and run it?
The landlord put in the effort to create a means of support that could last a long time. These tenants could work the vineyard for years and earn enough to support their families. All they needed to do was give a percentage to the landlord.
Instead, they resisted and were greedy. They became murderers.
This is where our country is headed. People will rise up and eliminate the conditions that benefit the owners so they can't make money. Then, they will expect the government to become the owner of everything.
Then, who will be the bad guys?
More to come...
Note: I try not to be overtly political in my reflections, but they are reflections, my thoughts as I read the day’s Scripture readings. Feel free to comment. I respect all opinions and positions.