(a) Examine the theology and teaching found in the Parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard.

Jesus told the parable of the Tenants in the Vineyard to show that as the Jews have rebelled against God, the kingdom of God will now be open to others as a consequence.

The allegorical meaning of the parable is clear; God is represented by the landowner, Israel is represented by the vineyard (likening Israel to a vineyard was common) and the Jewish authorities are represented by the tenants. The servants, sent by the owner, represent the prophets that God had sent to his people, who were then rejected and killed, even by the people who were claiming to be of God and obedient to him. The parable then explains that the landowner sent his ‘beloved son’ (Mark), which is of course Jesus, but ‘they seized him, killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard’ (Mark 12:8.) The end of the parable states that the owner will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others; Jesus is telling his audience that because of their disobedience, the opportunity to reach the kingdom of God will be given to the Gentiles. Jesus is teaching the Jews about the Kingdom of God and the parable represents God as a calm and patient judge, however the Pharisees saw the parable as something against them and wanted to arrest Jesus.

The actual story is not very believable as the owner would certainly not have risked his own son, but instead he would have sent armed men to throw the tenants out. B.T.D Smith suggests that the original parable had three slaves, a common characteristic of old stories, and it was a simple story about the rebellion and the Jesus part was added later. However, Jesus could have been discussing a real event but the original story may have involved the son coming to collect his inheritance after the death of his father.

The parable shows that Jesus knew about