Today’s passage has two parts. One is the religious leaders’ question about Jesus’ authority. The other is the parable of the tenants. This parable teaches us the basic relationship between God and his people and all mankind. God’s world salvation plan is revealed in this passage. Let me ask you a question, “Are you a tenant or an owner?” We are the tenants of this world and our life. When we recognize this truth, we find happiness and a true meaning of our existence. When we reject God’s ownership of our life, tragedy begins. Let’s find our place in God’s world through this passage. I pray that God may bless us to acknowledge his sovereignty over our life and give thanks, honor, and glory to him forever. Amen.

PART I. THE AUTHORIY OF JESUS QUESTIONED(11:27-33)

Look at verses 27 and 28. “They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him. ‘By what authority are you doing these things?’ they asked. ‘And who gave authority to do this?’” They were saying, “Where is your license?”  It means two things. First, to their eyes, Jesus’ clearing the temple was illegal. We did not give you any authority to ruin our temple revenue. Second, his teaching the Bible to the people was illegal because he did not have a license to teach the Bible. The authority is a strange thing. If it is used properly, it brings salvation and glory to God. If it is abused, it brings pain and sorrow to many people. The more people have authority, the more they abuse it. But Jesus was different. Jesus used his authority to serve people and save their lives and lead them to the kingdom of God by teaching them the word of God. How did the religious leaders use their authority? Three religious groups were united to murder Jesus, the Son of God, our Savior and Lord. Jesus’ crucifixion on the cross was drawing nearer and nearer. In spite of his impending death, Jesus was teaching the Bible to the crowds. He put his sheep’s need above his own need. He didn’t think much about himself. He was ready to give his life for God’s flocks. He served them to the end with the word of life. Jesus did not fall into their political trap. Jesus did not answer to their question and instead gave them a counter question. Look at verses 29-30. “Jesus replied, ‘I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things. John’s baptism–was it from heaven, or from men? Tell me!’” (29-30) The chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders turned around and discussed what to answer. They were in trouble. They said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’ But if we say, ‘From men’.... (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)” (31-32) So the religious leaders answered, “We don’t know.” They were liars. They knew what was the answer. But they did not answer intentionally. They were nothing but a den of robbers. Their consciences were dead. Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things” (33). The religious leaders did not repent though Jesus challenged them to repent by clearing the temple. They chose to remain in their own darkness and do the evil. But Jesus did not abandon them and gave them another chance to repent by giving them the parable of the tenants. 
PART II. THE OWNER AND THE TENANTS(12:1-9)

Jesus exposed the evil intentions of the religious leaders in the previous passage. Here Jesus revealed who he is, who sent him, and the death he is to die at the hands of his foes. This parable is found in the first three gospels and it is addressed to the religious leaders. It is also addressed to all people of the world. Jesus appealed to the chosen people of God one more time so that they could become faithful tenants in God’s mission field.

First, the privilege of the tenants (1).  Look at 12:1. “He then began to speak to them in parables: ‘A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey.’” Here a man refers to God and some farmers his chosen people of Israel and the vineyard the world. As we know, God planted the garden of Eden, the paradise for man’s happiness in Genesis 2. God gave this garden of Eden to Adam and Eve. In the same way God planted the Jewish nation as his own holy nation among all nations. He provided the complete and perfect environment for the people of God. God put a wall around it. This means that God separated Israel people from other nations and treated them differently. God chose them to become his treasured possession. He dug a pit for the winepress. God gave them the best equipment to make tasty grape wines. He expected that they would harvest juicy grapes. Yummy! Yummy! More than anything else, he built a watchtower. From the watchtower, the whole vineyard could be observed, symbolic of the way in which the owner of the vineyard, God, guarded, preserved and watched over his chosen tenants. Historically, this has been proven true. God assured Abraham of his protection in Genesis 15:1 when he was fearful of his enemies, “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield, your very great reward.” If God is our shield, nothing can harm us in this world. If God is watching over us from his heavenly watchtower, who can harm us? Osama bin Laden cannot terrorize us because God is watching over us from his watchtower. Exodus 13:21-22 says, “By day the LORD went ahead of them in a pillar of cloud to guide them on their way and by night in a pillar of fire to give them light, so that they could travel by day or night. Neither the pillar of cloud by day nor the pillar of fire by night left its place in front of the people.”  God led Israel people in the desert with the pillar of clouds in the day and with the pillar of fire in the night. God was with them all the time. Ezra 9:9 says, “Though we are slaves, our God has not deserted us in our bondage. He has shown us kindness in the sight of the kings of Persia: He has granted us new life to rebuild the house of our God and repair its ruins, and he has given us a wall of protection in Judah and Jerusalem.” God protected his chosen people even in the middle of their exiles. God made a perfect environment for his chosen people to bear fruit in his vineyard. Israel people enjoyed spiritual privileges from God. Romans 9:4 says, “Theirs is the adoption as sons; theirs the divine glory, the covenants, the receiving of the law, the temple worship and the promises.” The people of Israel were privileged because God chose them to become his nation. God protected S. Anthony O. from car accidents. Though he was unfaithful, God was faithful to him because God chose him to become his servant. God saved M. Daniel and Anna Suh’s children from fatal car accidents several months ago. God protected them with a wall of protection. God saved our center from the deadly tornadoes because he put the wall of protection around our center. 

The last part of verse 1 says, “Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and went away on a journey.” God made this beautiful vineyard and gave it to his people. This part of the parable tells us God made the world and made his people the stewards of God’s world. And God gave them freedom to take care of the vineyard. In other words, God honored their human rights and their doing the mission that God gave them. Jesus revealed God’s overall plan for mankind in this parable. If we don’t pay the rent fee, the apartment owner will kick us out right away. But God gave us the privilege free of charge. The privilege of using what God has made is indeed a wonderful grace. By the grace of God we received the privilege to serve campus mission. Not all people have this kinds of calling. This is our special privilege. It is not a burden. Therefore we should not treat this privilege as a light matter or take it for granted. First and last of all, we must thank God that he has given us the privilege of enjoying his life in us. After 9-11 terrorist attacks, all Americans were thankful saying, “Thank God, I am a proud American.” All of us took everything for granted. Now we realized we received many privileges from God. These days “God bless America” is a popular song. We cannot think about America without God. Think about the blessings we Americans enjoy in this country. We enjoy privilege to worship God freely and have freedom of speech. Let’s me ask you, “Do you wish to be somewhere else?” If you do so, raise your hands. This is the most blessed place to live in the whole world because this nation was established by the pilgrims and Puritans who came here to worship God freely. The Puritan spirit is still alive in our heart. All over the country the gospel is being preached; churches are to be found in every town. The name of Christ is known and the promise of the gospel is known. Do we really thank God for our privileges? Many of us forgot God’s love. Many of us do not accept God’s ownership of this land and our life. We also must thank God for the privilege of living in God’s world. Life seems to be constant sufferings and hardships. But we must thank God that we live God’s life endowed to us. We must thank God that we live to take care of God’s vineyard entrusted to us. If we do not have this basic attitude, we cannot have a right relationship with God. If we do not have a right relationship with God, we become useless before God.
Second, the responsibility of the tenants (2-9). What happened? Look at verses 2,3. “At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed.” When the time of fruit drew near, the owner sent his servants to collect some of the fruit of the vineyard. Such a return was equitable and reasonable. Some of the fruit of the vineyard may refer to the tithe we offer to God. Prophet Malachi rebuked Israel people in Mal. 3:8, “Will a man rob God? Yet you rob me. ‘But you ask, how do we rob you?’ ‘In tithes and offerings.’” At that time people refused to offer the whole tithe to God. Malchi charged them that they robbed God. They thought that everything belonged to them. They thought they earned everything. So they did not give anything to God. The tithe is our expression of thanks that God is the giver of all things. Here the servants refer to the prophets who came to Israel people to remind the nation to serve the will of God. They called the people and kings to worship God, not the idols. How did they react to the servant sent by God? They abused their privileges and they sent him empty-handed. The response to the owner is astounding. The owner did not come for a long time. Then the tenants thought that they owned the vineyard. They forgot the grace of the owner. When the vineyard was prosperous, the tenants were in illusion. Greedy spirit came into them and made them think, “This vineyard is not God’s! This vineyard is our own! It is precisely my own, registered at the County property division!” Any person or any nation can fall into the tenants’ illusion. No person made himself. No person created the world. God is the Creator and men are his precious children. This is the Biblical truth. But the tenants were in illusion beyond measure. Each one said, “Well, the vineyard is mine. The abundant fruits are mine. I am going to be wealthy! Everything is mine.” God sent another servant to them. They struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. This is treachery to God who made the world. He sent still another, and that one they killed. Their illusion led them to murder. The owner sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed (5). Isaiah was sawed asunder; Jeremiah was stoned; Amos was murdered with a club; John the Baptist was beheaded; Stephen was stoned to death. The tenants became violent criminals. God’s chosen people became criminals and murderers. They became a den of robbers as Jesus said in 11:17b. How could they reject God repeatedly? They lost their consciences because they remained in their rebellion continuously. They misused God’s loving patient. When they were not punished for their first crime immediately, they thought it was okay to mistreat God’s servants. They kept on mistreating God’s servants and finally they murdered them. Do you know how shoplifters become bank robbers? They become bold when they are not caught. In the same way we can repeat the same mistake and become bold sinners declaring “God is dead” when we do not repent our sin before God. It is important to repent right away when we sin before God.  
God had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. Only son is special to his father. S. David Brogi is the only son to his father. He is special to his family. David Brogi Sr. will not send S. David to the hostile people with violent criminal record. But God sent his one and only Son to this hostile world. He sent him last of all, saying, “They will respect my son” (6). God risked his Son to restore his relationship with his chosen people. God did not give up his hope for his people. God was patient with his people. Verse 6 reminds us of John 3:16. It says, “For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.” Here we see God’s loving patience. We see God’s heart desire for his people to come home. Why was God so patient with them in spite of their repeated acts of violence? Romans 2:4 says, “Or do you show contempt for the riches of his kindness, tolerance and patience, not realizing that God’s kindness leads you toward repentance?” God was waiting for them to repent before too late. Luke 3:8a says, “Produce fruit in keeping with repentance.” John the Baptist regarded repentance the same as fruit. God does not want us to collect tomatoes or oranges but he wants us to repent and believe in his Son’s forgiveness. How did the tenant respond to the coming of the son? Look at verses 7-8. “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.” So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard ‘” The tenants made a terrible mistake. They became so greedy that they wanted to take over the entire vineyard. They wanted to have the inheritance. They forgot who they were. They became too proud to acknowledge God’s sovereign ownership of the vineyard. They were like Adam and Eve who wanted to become like by eating the forbidden fruit. Adam and Eve did not become God but were expelled from the Garden of Eden. Romans 1:21 says, “For although they knew God, they neither glorified him as God nor gave thanks to him, but their thinking became futile and their foolish hearts were darkened.” They were foolish to challenge God. God gave them life and all the privileges and mission to take care of God’s vineyard. But God’s chosen people, who were blessed, were blind before God. They crucified God’s one and only Son Jesus Christ on the cross. The tenants disappointed God by killing his one and only Son. When God sent his Son, he hoped that they would honor his Son. They had already gone too far. They had no way to come back to themselves. They were in deep illusion. What a tragedy it was! Jesus rebuked the religious leaders directly by revealing their wicked plan. Jesus challenged them to repent of their plot to kill him. But they did not repent and nailed Jesus on the cross and threw him out of Jerusalem in order to protect their own authority and established interest. 
Third, the cause of God’s judgments. Look at verse 9. “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.” The rebellion of the tenants invited God’s judgments. God’s judgment was executed when the Romans destroyed Jerusalem and the people were cut off from the privileges. Now the owner transferred the vineyard to others. When the Jews rejected Jesus and nailed him on the cross, God gave his vineyard to the Gentiles. We learn that it is not God who judges but it is our sin that invites God’s judgment. When the Gentiles received God’s mission, they were very thankful because they knew that they were unworthy.  An unthankful mind was the cause of his people’s misery. This parable teaches us that we must thank God, believing that God has given each of us the best vineyard. But it is not easy for us to thank God. There’s a story about a happy farmer. He worked hard every day, singing joyfully, though he was as poor as a squirrel. It was because he knew God gave him the privilege of living as a farmer. On the other hand, a chief of the town was very wealthy. He took everything for granted and was so unhappy about everything that he could not eat or sleep well. It was because he did not know that he had received the privilege of being a chief of his town. In his illusion, the chief complained that his territory was too small. His misery was that he did not know that he was a steward of God. His misery was his illusion.
Another misery of his people was that they did not realize God’s mission for them. God chose Israel as his firstborn son so that he might fulfill his purpose through them. God wanted to raise them as a Bible teachers’ nation so that all peoples of all nations might stream to Zion to study his word. God has vision to make them a shepherd nation. Their mission from God was truly glorious (Ro 3:2; Isa 2:2; Mic 4:1,2). Their mission from God was the best privilege for them. When they abandoned God’s mission, they became servants of the devil. When Jesus healed the sick and preached the good news of the kingdom of God, they despised and rejected him and treated him at random. In a broad sense, this parable applies to all sinful human beings. The great tragedy of man lies not in his human conditions but in his ignorance of God’s mission as his best love. Here we can learn that vineyard refers to our mission or talents we received from God. Mission from God makes man happy and glorious. We have to use God-given talents and give fruits to God. I believe that God gave us the best vineyard, Maryland, to us. God provided the best environment for us to give fruit to God. We have many excellent Bible teachers and prayer servants. We have the best center where we can pray and study and sing. We have a 7-12 web (www.washingtonubf.org) access to find messages and questions. But to be honest with you, I was not faithful to God’s mission. I did not give fruits to God and I did not raise up many shepherds. I was lazy and unthankful and proud. I was just enjoying God’s blessings and I was eating up God’s fruits. I was corrupt in the sight of God. I repented my sins and began to depend on God instead of my own human ability. I began to see the sign of God’s fruit once again. I realize that I must be thankful to God in all circumstances. I should not be greedy before God and remember how I began God’s work. I was empty-handed when I came here. See how much God blessed us so far. Greedy heart steals God’s glory and makes man proud. When King Nebuchadnezzar boasted his power in Daniel 4:30 by saying, “Is not this the great Babylon I have built as the royal residence, by my mighty power and for the glory of my majesty?”, God drove him away from people and made him eat grass like cattle. I was thankful when I bought a new car, Nova with a stick shift. Then I complained when I saw Honda with little repair cost. So I bought Honda. But Honda was not perfect. I complained again. Now I want to buy SUV. It is a human nature to be unthankful and become greedy. But when we accept God’s ownership and remember who we were before, we can be thankful always and become faithful to his mission. We can maintain happy relationship with God.   
PART III. THE REJECTED STONE (10-12)

This part teaches how Jesus is the sovereign Ruler of history. Look at verses 10,11. “Haven’t you read this scripture: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” These verses are a quotation from Psalm 118:22,23. They have been widely applied by Christians whenever they felt the work of God was too small and the evils of the world too great. Once, in the early days, the religious leaders came to threaten God’s servants. Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the capstone’” (Ac 4:11). It meant, “You crucified Jesus, but God raised him from the dead and made him the capstone, the sovereign Ruler of history.”
Second, the children of God are small rejected stones. The life of faith of the early Christians was holy before God. Then they became a stumbling stone to the hypocritical Jewish religion, and a direct challenge to the immoral Roman people. Finally, Christians were branded as traitors by their own people, and as an anti-Roman force by the Roman authorities. The early Christians became like criminals simply because they lived a holy life. In this world, when we live as sincere Christians, the enemies of God reject us and treat us like bums. We become like rejected stones.  We despair even more when the work of God seems to be too weak. But we must look at Jesus. He was made a rejected stone by the Jews, but God made him the capstone. When Jesus was crucified, his ministry with the twelve disciples seemed to have been terminated, and the salvation work of God was no more. But this was not the case. God raised Jesus from the dead. God made Jesus the capstone, the sovereign Ruler over all human beings.
There is a strong impression that the world is full of ungodly people. But it is not true. Look at verse 11. “...the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” To God’s people, the fact that Jesus became the rejected stone but that God made him the capstone and the sovereign Ruler of history is truly marvelous. It is also marvelous to see that there are so many young American students who study the Bible regularly. God added twenty new students to our Sunday worship service. Georgetown ministry tripled this year. Twelve students would like to share the nine steps symposium. It is marvelous to see that the number of Bible-believing young American students is increasing.  The torch of the gospel seemed to have been snuffed out. But it was not. God is working mightily in the hearts of young Americans.
In conclusion, let’s give thanks to God and give our fruits of repentance and offer our 1:1 Bible study as a sign of our repentance. Let’s thank God for giving us this great country and pray that this nation may fulfill God’s mission as a kingdom of priest and a holy nation. May God bless your mission life abundantly. Let’s read the key verse 1.