Another Servant Sent and Wounded - Mark 12:4

Mark wrote how Jesus, “began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and dug a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty”, and in chapter twelve and verse four of his book, Mark shared how how Jesus said the owner of the vineyard, “sent unto them another servant, and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head” where we read:

And again he sent unto them another servant;

and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.

The verse reads, “And again he sent unto them another servant;” Mark began with the words, “and again” which means “and at another and later time” “he sent unto them” or “the lord of the vineyard dismissed, allowed to depart and appointed” “another servant” which means “yet one other slave, bondman or man of servile condition”. Mark shared how the lord of the vineyard “sent” another one of his “servants” to the field to receive “fruit” from those who kept it.

The verse continues, “ and at him they cast stones, and wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully handled.” Mark added the words, “and at him” which means “and at the second servant” “they cast stones” or “the husbandmen threw and pelted with rocks”, “and wounded him” which means “and smote and struck the servant” “in the head” or “in the head of his body”, “and sent him away” which means “and dismissed, allowed to depart and appointed the second servant” “shamefully handled” or “dishonored, marked with disgrace and maltreated”. Mark shared how the “husbandmen” of the “field” “stoned” the second “servant” as they pelted him “in the head” with rocks and dismissed him with “dishonor and disgrace”.

When we think through Mark's words in this verse, we see how horrible these “husbandmen” were. Though they had been given the “vineyard” to oversee and protect, they were unwilling to give the “fruit” of the field back to it's rightful owner. Jesus' parable relates to this world. Everything anyone owns has been provided by God Almighty who only desires to have a personal relationship with them through His Son Jesus. When a person begins to understand that God owns everything, anyone who attempts to keep “fruit” which belongs to Him will be judged harshly for it. Rather than disregarding God's servants who seek to receive “fruit” on His behalf, a person is most blessed when they yield their life and “fruit” to Him.

Next time Mark shares how Jesus said the husbandmen, “sent another; and him they killed” so read ahead, and we shall join together then.

Until tomorrow…there is more…

Look for the daily devotional book “Equipped for Battle – From Generation to Generation”, the marriage book “So, You Want to Be Married”, “One Year in the Sermon on the Mount” and the new poetry book "Random Mushrooms Volumes I and II" and the new novel "Elizabeth County" in all major bookstore sites, http://www.amazon.com ; http://www.barnesandnobles.com ; download to e-books, and find it locally at www.mrzlc.com/bookstore. All references are from "Strongs Concordance".