The Greatest Crime – Mark 12
“Having yet therefore one son, his wellbeloved, he sent him also last unto them, saying, They will reverence my son.” — Mark 12:6
There have been some horrific crimes over the centuries, but no more brazen and base than the execution of Jesus Christ, the Son of God.
Jesus’s parable of the vineyard in Mark 12 illustrates it well. After planing a vineyard and taking good care of it, the owner left and sent back servants to receive fruit from his precious vineyard. The farmers who were looking after the vineyard not only did not give him the fruit, but they continued to beat, kill, and reject all of the owner’s messengers.
Finally, the owner of the vineyard thought, “I will send my precious and only son; surely they will respect him.” But they also plotted to kill him, hoping to steal the vineyard for themselves. This of course illustrates what Israel (and the world) did when they rejected God and put God’s Son to death.
And we were complicit in this crime. Our sin is a rebellion against God. Our hatred and rejection of God is the same attitude that fueled the murder of Jesus. He died for our sin as well.
Only when we understand the gravity of our sin will we appreciate the glory of God’s grace. He gave Himself, He gave His Son, to die in our place, for all of our crimes, all of our rebellion, all of our rejection, and all of our hatred.
“…But where sin abounded, grace did much more abound:” — Romans 5:20