The parable of the Wicked Tenants (Mark 12:1-12) is a masterful weaving together of Old Testament passages. 

Jesus directs this message towards the religious leaders - the priests and the teachers of the law. 

With Psalm 2 as a backdrop, Jesus integrates Isaiah 5 and Psalm 118 in a way that conveys two things:

      1. Jesus' identity as the Messiah (the Christ).
      2. the actions of the religious leaders in opposing him. 

By the reaction of the religious leaders, they knew the parable concerned them. 

​The confrontation in Mark 12 takes place here at the temple mount in Jerusalem.

A Faith Lesson from this parable is that religious leaders everywhere should be wary of themselves turning into the "tenant farmers" and restricting the fruit of the kingdom through their own actions. 

Let us all - especially those in leadership - take this message to heart.

Reference Material:

The first book is by Kenneth E. Bailey. If you want to understand more about Jesus and the Eastern Culture as well as a number of his parables, this book is a must-read.
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels

The second book is by Brad Young and explores many of Jesus' parables through a Rabbinic perspective: The Parables: Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation

See also: Jesus the Jewish Theologian by Brad Young
​
The final book is best if you're further down the road in your studies. The book is a compilation of Rabbinic Parables, but the authors do not spend time going through Jesus' parables. 

They Also Taught in Parables: Rabbinic Parables from the First Centuries of the Christian Era by McArthur and Johnston. ​

The Parable of the Mustard Seed is one of the most well-known and widely discussed of Jesus’ parables.

Perhaps its simplicity is what has captured our imagination.

The parable itself is only two verses long, and yet, the brilliance of its allusions keeps the discussion alive after nearly two-thousand years.

In the final analysis, the parable of the mustard seed – along with the parable of yeast (covered in Introduction to Parables part I) – paint a dynamic picture of the kingdom of God.

The kingdom of God is a dynamic force. It requires only a small amount to get started. And yet, from that small amout, it permeates all areas of life. 

Once the kingdom of God begins to advance, no man can stop it.  

We are called to be "kingdom builders." Our job is to plant the seeds where we can. 

Like the mustard seed - our seeds can be small. Yet, through the power of the Holy Spirit, those small seeds grow into a magnificent tree that the kingdom to flourish. ​

​Listen on SoundCloud

Reference Material:

The first book is by Kenneth E. Bailey. If you want to understand more about Jesus and the Eastern Culture as well as a number of his parables, this book is a must-read.
Jesus Through Middle Eastern Eyes: Cultural Studies in the Gospels

The second book is by Brad Young and explores many of Jesus' parables through a Rabbinic perspective: The Parables: Jewish Tradition and Christian Interpretation

​
The final book is best if you're further down the road in your studies. The book is a compilation of Rabbinic Parables, but the authors do not spend time going through Jesus' parables. 

They Also Taught in Parables: Rabbinic Parables from the First Centuries of the Christian Era by McArthur and Johnston. ​