1. An investigative study into the allegoric characters of the vineyard.

2. Ps 78:2 I will open my mouth in a parable: I will utter dark sayings of old: Matt 13:34-35 34 All these things spake Jesus unto the multitude in parables; and without a parable spake he not unto them: 35 That it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophet, saying, I will open my mouth in parables; I will utter things which have been kept secret from the foundation of the world.

3. Mark 12:1-9 1 And he began to speak unto them by parables. A certain man planted a vineyard, and set an hedge about it, and digged a place for the winefat, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into a far country. 2 And at the season he sent to the husbandmen a servant, that he might receive from the husbandmen of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 And they caught him, and beat him, and sent him away empty. 4 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. 5 And again he sent another; and him they killed, and many others; beating some, and killing some. 6 Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son. 7 But those husbandmen said among themselves, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. 8 And they took him, and killed him, and cast him out of the vineyard. 9 What shall therefore the lord of the vineyard do? he will come and destroy the husbandmen, and will give the vineyard unto others.

4. It is decisively important and necessary to decipher the characters in this parable. Though no names are used, it is once again clear who this parable is directed to, and why. This will answer Who and Why, yet we must decipher Where, When, How, and What to be able to fully understand the complete meaning of this parable, and its impact upon those it is directed to. You see, God is not unreasonable! He gives ample time and space for changes, yet has little tolerance to those with the wrong motives. The end result is devastating. We will see what the end results of this parable is, and to those involved in it.

5. Amos 5:4 For thus saith the LORD unto the house of Israel, Seek ye me, and ye shall live : Amos 5:16-18 16Therefore the LORD, the God of hosts, the Lord, saith thus; Wailing shall be in all streets; and they shall say in all the highways, Alas! alas! and they shall call the husbandman to mourning, and such as are skilful of lamentation to wailing 17 And in all vineyards shall be wailing: for I will pass through thee, saith the LORD. 18 Woe unto you that desire the day of the LORD! to what end is it for you? the day of the LORD is darkness, and not light. OT:406 'ikkar (ik-kawr'); from an unused root meaning to dig; a farmer: KJV - husbandman, ploughman.

6. Isa 3:14 The LORD will enter into judgment with the ancients of his people, and the princes thereof: for ye have eaten up the vineyard; the spoil of the poor is in your houses. Isa 5:1-7 1 Now will I sing to my wellbeloved a song of my beloved touching his vineyard. My wellbeloved hath a vineyard in a very fruitful hill: 2 And he fenced it, and gathered out the stones thereof, and planted it with the choicest vine, and built a tower in the midst of it, and also made a winepress therein: and he looked that it should bring forth grapes, and it brought forth wild grapes. 3 And now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem, and men of Judah, judge, I pray you, betwixt me and my vineyard. 4 What could have been done more to my vineyard, that I have not done in it? wherefore, when I looked that it should bring forth grapes, brought it forth wild grapes? 5 And now go to; I will tell you what I will do to my vineyard: I will take away the hedge thereof, and it shall be eaten up; and break down the wall thereof, and it shall be trodden down: 6 And I will lay it waste: it shall not be pruned, nor digged; but there shall come up briers and thorns: I will also command the clouds that they rain no rain upon it. 7 For the vineyard of the LORD of hosts is the house of Israel, and the men of Judah his pleasant plant: and he looked for judgment, but behold oppression; for righteousness, but behold a cry.

7. Mark 12 1.) Planted a vineyard 2.) It had a Winefat or Winepress 3.) It had a tower 4.) Expected good fruit, got bad. 5.) Vineyard cleared out, Husbandman removed. Isaiah 5 1.) Planted with choicest vine 2.) Made a winepress therein 3.) Built a tower in the midst 4.) Expected good fruit, got bad 5.) Hedge taken away, wall broken down, and trodden down.

8. All the Synoptic versions of the parable state that the priests of the Sanhedrin understood that Jesus' parable was directed against them, and thus that they are the husbandmen. The term husbandman is translated as tenant or farmer in the New International Version and as vine-grower in the New American Standard Bible. Workers often tended absentee estates and if the owner had no heirs the workers would have the first right to the land. [6]Sanhedrin New International VersionNew American Standard Bible [6] The description of the vineyard is from Isaiah 5. Using a vineyard as a metaphor to describe Israel was a common practice for religious discourse at the time. [7] It could also be God's covenant, or perhaps the world itself. [8]. The produce made at the vineyard might be a metaphor for all the good produced by the people, which the authorities are not sharing with God, and trying to keep for themselves. [9] The produce of the vineyard might also be the people themselves, as people are what the government tends.Isaiah5metaphorIsrael [7]Godcovenant [8] [9] The owner of the vineyard is God and the son is Jesus. A common interpretation of the servants is that of the Jewish prophets, although they could be all of God's preceding messengers. [10] The meaning of the "others" who will be given the vineyard is debated. Some proposed interpretations have seen them as other Jews, or Christians, or maybe even the Jewish Christians. [11] They are usually seen as the new Christian community. [12]Jewishprophets [10]Jewish Christians [11] [12]

9. As a consequence of these interpretations, the parable is usually interpreted as saying that God (the owner), keeps sending prophets (servants) to collect what is due, the grapes, a symbol of good. The priests (leaseholders) however refuse to comply with the prophets and instead hurt each one worse than they did the previous, wanting ever more control of Israel (the vineyard) for themselves; but when they finally kill the son, God (the owner) will revoke their right to Israel (the vineyard), and give it the followers of Jesus (the others) instead. God had granted his vineyard, his covenant, his land that produces grapes, symbolizing good, to his workers, the Jewish priests or all the world's authorities, to be worked for his benefit. Yet when he sends someone to collect what is due, the prophets of the past, his tenants refuse to pay up and hurt each succeeding servant worse than the last, meaning the increasing disregard of the will of God. God has given the vineyard to be worked for God's benefit but the husbandmen seem to want to keep the produce, indeed control of the vineyard, for themselves. When they finally kill his son who came to collect what was due, God decides that he has made a mistake by granting the vineyard to them and takes it back and gives it to those he thinks will be more trustworthy.grapesgood Jesus is thus criticizing the Jewish authorities directly for rejecting God's will, and for their treatment of Jesus himself, Jesus being the son of the parable.

11. Ps 80:8-13 8 Thou hast brought a vine out of Egypt: thou hast cast out the heathen, and planted it. 9 Thou preparedst room before it, and didst cause it to take deep root, and it filled the land. 10 The hills were covered with the shadow of it, and the boughs thereof were like the goodly cedars. 11 She sent out her boughs unto the sea, and her branches unto the river. 12 Why hast thou then broken down her hedges, so that all they which pass by the way do pluck her? 13 The boar out of the wood doth waste it, and the wild beast of the field doth devour it.

12. Hos 10:1 Israel is an empty vine, he bringeth forth fruit unto himself: according to the multitude of his fruit he hath increased the altars; according to the goodness of his land they have made goodly images. Nah 2:2 For the LORD hath turned away the excellency of Jacob, as the excellency of Israel: for the emptiers have emptied them out, and marred their vine branches.

13. A man planted a vineyard,which he did rent To some tenants to care for, then he went When harvest came, he sent someone To get some fruit, but they gave none. Another he sent, they beat and mistreated, And sent him away, but again he repeated To send yet another, but they hurt and threw out This made the owner, quite angry no doubt But wait I'll send, my son to collect The son whom I love, they'll surely respect But then the tenants, took the son And put him to death, thinking they've won But the owner came, and killed those men And gave the vineyard, to others again. The former treated, the vineyard as if their own But then they rejected, the chief cornerstone If you're in charge, of part of God's churches, Don't be like a bird, which on a branch pirches Thinking that he, owns the whole tree And eating its fruit, as if it were free For God owns the tree, you only rent. And if you think different, you must repent.