John Gill Commentary Mark 12

And he began to speak unto them by parables
As of the two sons the father bade go to work in the vineyard; and of the planting of a vineyard, and letting it out to husbandmen, as here; though the latter is only related by this evangelist, yet both are by Matthew. This was not the first time of his speaking by parables to the people, though it might be the first time he spoke in this way to the chief priests and elders, and who are particularly designed in them.

A certain man planted a vineyard .
The Persic version adds, "with many trees": that is, with vines, though sometimes other trees, as fig trees, were planted in vineyards; see (Luke 13:6) . This man is, by the Evangelist Matthew, called an "householder": by whom is meant God the Father, as distinguished from his Son, he is afterward said to send: and by the "vineyard", planted by him, is meant the vineyard of the Lord of hosts, the men of Israel, (Isaiah 5:1Isaiah 5:7) ;

and set an hedge about it ,
or "wall", as the Persic version renders it; meaning either the law, not the Jews oral law, or the traditions of the elders, which were not of God's setting, but the ceremonial and moral law; or the wall of protection by divine power, which was set around the Jewish nation especially when they went up to their solemn feasts.

And digged a place for the winefat .
The Syriac and Arabic versions add, "in it"; and the Persic version, "in the vineyard"; for this was made in the vineyard, where they trod and squeezed the grapes when gathered; and may design the altar in the house of the Lord, where the libations, or drink offerings, were poured out;

and built a tower .
The Syriac, Arabic, and Ethiopic versions add, "in it"; for this also was built in the vineyard, and may intend either the city of Jerusalem; or the temple in it, the watch house where the priests watched, and did their service, day and night.

And let it out to husbandmen ;
or "workmen", as the Arabic version renders it, who wrought in it, and took care of the vines. The Ethiopic version renders it, "and set over it a worker and keeper of the vineyard"; by whom are meant the priests and Levites, to whom were committed the care of the people, with respect to religious things:

and went into a far country ;
left the people of the Jews to these husbandmen, or rulers, whether civil or ecclesiastical, but chiefly the latter, to be instructed and directed by them, according to the laws and rules given them by the Lord; (See Gill on Matthew 21:33).

And at the season he sent to the husbandman a servant ,
&c.] The Evangelist Matthew says, "when the time of the fruit drew near", (Matthew 21:34) ; and so the Persic version here reads. The Syriac and Ethiopic versions read, "in its own time", or "season", which was the fourth year from the planting of it; and then it was holy to the Lord; and might not be eaten until the fifth year, (Leviticus 19:23–25) . According to the Jewish canons ^F12 , a vineyard of the fourth year was marked with clods of earth, to show it was not to be eaten of; and the fruit of it was brought up to Jerusalem, from every place that was but a day's journey from thence, there to be eaten, or redeemed. Nor by the "servant" are intended the prophets of the Old Testament, who were sent to the Jews to call upon them to bring forth fruits of righteousness; for not a single person, but a set of men, are here designed; and the Evangelist Matthew expresses it in the plural number, "servants":

that he might receive from the husbandmen the fruit of the vineyard :
by the hands of his servants; for in Matthew it is, "that they might receive" such as righteousness and judgment, truth and holiness, so as to give an account of them, which might have been expected from a people under such advantages, (Isaiah 5:7) ; (See Gill on Matthew 21:34).

FOOTNOTES:

• F12: Misn. Maaser Sheni, c. 5. sect. 1, 2.

And they caught him
This clause is left out in the Syriac and Persic versions, though it seems proper to be retained; and denotes the rudeness and violence with which the prophets of the Lord were used by the Jewish nation:

and beat him :
either with their fists, or with rods, and scourges, till the skin was flayed off:

and sent him away empty ;
without any fruit to carry with him, or give an account of, to the owner of the vineyard.

And again he sent unto them another servant

Another set of good men, to instruct, advise, and counsel them, and exhort them to their duty; such as were Isaiah, Zechariah, and others:

and at him they cast stones, and wounded [him] in the head

For of these were stoned, as well as sawn asunder, and slain with the sword; though it seems, that this servant, or this set of men, were not stoned to death, because he was afterwards said to be sent away: nor could the stoning be what was done by the order of the sanhedrim, which was done by letting an heavy stone fall upon the heart ^F11 ; but this was done by all the people, by the outrageous zealots, in the manner Stephen was stoned.

Dr. Lightfoot thinks, the usual sense of the Greek word may be retained; which signifies "to reduce", or "gather into a certain sum": and so as this servant was sent to reckon with these husbandmen, and take an account from them of the fruit of the vineyard, one cast a stone at him, saying, there is fruit for you; and a second cast another stone, saying the same thing; and so they went on one after another, till at last they said, in a deriding way, now the sum is made up with you:

and sent [him] away shamefully handled

With great ignominy and reproach.

FOOTNOTES:

• F11: Misn. Sanhedrin, c. 6. sect. 4.

And again he sent another
That is, another servant, or set of men, it may be in the times of the Maccabees, who were used in a very inhuman manner; see (Hebrews 11:37Hebrews 11:38) ;

and him they killed ;
either with the sword, or by inflicting some capital punishment, as stoning, strangling

and many others ;
that is, either the owner of the vineyard sent many other servants, or the husbandmen ill used many others that were sent to them:

beating some ;
with their hands, or with scourges;

and killing some ;
in one or other of the above ways.