Nepaug Bible Church - http://www.nepaugchurch.org - Pastor's Prayer Meeting Lesson Notes - http://www.nepaugchurch.org/pm/pm19970205.htm

MARK: GOSPEL OF THE SERVICE OF CHRIST, GOD'S SERVANT
Part XLV: God's Exposing And Warning About Continual Spiritual Insubordination
(Mark 12:1-12)
  1. Introduction
    1. Though Christians may occasionally sin, one can set his heart repeatedly to oppose God's will. Jesus noted that this is a dangerous position in a parable spoken to warn Israel's rebellious leaders, Mk. 12:1-12.
    2. We can study this text to see how to discern if we or another party has reached this level of incessant rebellion, and what should be done about it.
  2. God's Exposing And Warning About Continual Spiritual Insubordination, Mark 12:1-12.
    1. Jesus gave the parable of Mark 12:1-11 following the question the religious leaders of Jerusalem had about His authority to cleanse the temple, Mark 11:27-28 with 11:15.
      1. Jesus had cleansed the temple with a whip, upsetting the worship functions there, Mark 11:15
      2. The scribes, chief priests and elders came to Him the next day (Mk. 11:20,27a), asking Him by what authority He had done so, Mk. 11:28.
    2. Jesus had offset their challenge to His authority by asking them about John the Baptizer's authority as John had certified Jesus to be the Messiah and Son of God, Mark 11:29-32 with John 1:29-34. He hoped that they would face the cred ibility of John who had certified Him, and thereby discover their need to respect Christ's authority and ministry.
    3. However, these leaders refused to accept John's ministry as well, and refused to comment on the credibility of John's ministry out of fear of the Passover crowds who revered John, Mk. 11:31-32.
    4. Accordingly, Jesus transferred His observations about a spirit of continual insubordination in these religious leaders to a parable warning them to repent or suffer judgment, Mk. 12:1-12.
      1. Like the parable where the landowner sent servant after servant to the vineyard only to have them repeatedly mistreated by the vineyard laborers, the Old Testament history is full of Israel's rejection and mistreatment of God's many prophets to the nation, Mark 12:1-5a, cf. Acts 7:51-53.
      2. Eventually, God had sent John the Baptizer, a credible prophet whom all the lowly people revered as a true prophet, Mark 1:4-5. He had even testified of the Messiah, and as Messiah's Forerunner had identified Him as Jesus of Nazareth, Mark 1:7-11; John 1:29-34. However, the religious leaders resisted accepting even John's credentials and ministry, Mark 11:31-33a.
      3. Finally, God had sent these leaders Jesus, His own son, cf. Mark 12:6.
      4. However, like the parable's vineyard laborers, Israel's religious leaders were about to mistreat and put Christ to death in order to keep their temporal cont rol of Israel, Mark 12:7-8.
      5. Accordingly, God was intent on punishing these men by removing them from power, executing them and giving their rule to others, Mark 12:9.
      6. This rejection of the owner's son would be overturned according to Scriptural precedent as Jesus pointed out in the closing remarks of this parable, Mark 12:10-11.
Lesson: (1) We can discern mistaken zeal with rebellion by the following characteristics: (a) If a party REPEATEDLY resists rightful authority figures, they expose a spirit of rebellion, Mk. 12:4-5. (b) The exertion of SELFISH interests in the process of calamatous actions against authorities also reveals the spirit not to be merely misguided zeal, but REBELLION, Mk. 12:7. (c) If the LEVEL of CALAMITY expressing this attitude INTENSIFIES via REPEATED acts, you are viewing a sinful heart en rout e to judgment (cf. Mk. 12:7-8 where the wicked vineyard workers add to their sin of murder their casting the landowner's son's body outside of the vineyard). (2) If such a spirit of rebellion reveals itself, know that divine judgment at the severe level is ahead. (3) To handle such rebellion, (a) warn the guilty party to repent as judgment will otherwise certainly and severely come. (b) Use Scripture's precedents in communicating the warning to prove to the guilty party that he has sinned so as to elicit h is repentance, Mk. 12:10-11. (4) Recall that not all such rebellious parties will repent, Mark 12:12. Such is the nature of many in sin, cf. Rev. 9:20-21.