Mark 12:1-12 Gospel in minature

The Parable of the Vineyard (Mk 12:1-12)

Hi, William,
Thank you for focusing on the Gospel this morning, and the remarkable Sacra Pagina Interpretation..
At the Mass.  Fr. Raymond actually Introduced the Martyrs Perpetual and Felicity as their Memorial.


Your own insightful reading compelled me to follow the inspiring Markan Interpretation, page 341. It makes a very helpful scanned page below..
Many thanks. 
Yours ...
Donald                                    + + + 

Subject: Mark 12:1-12 Sacra Pagina 

----- Forwarded Message ----
From: William J ...
To: Donald ...
Sent: Sun, 6 March, 2011 23:02:25

Dear Father Donald,

I am loving your Blog as you walk us along the path of the Liturgy towards Jerusalem...

[... unsleeping of night having just read Sacra Pagina's commentary on tomorrow morning's Gospel ...and then look on your Blog for further inspiration during the day!).

Sacra Pagina has placed a gem before me... page 341, last paragraph begins:

"However complex the origin of its components may be, Mark 12:1-12 in its present form is a rich theological text. It has been described as Mark's Gospel in miniature or even the whole Bible in miniature.... [I have no scanner and the special illumination for me runs on over the page; and most significant also is an 'echo' there of Pope Benedict XVI's passage that "the circle of accusers who instigate Jesus’ death is precisely indicated in the Fourth Gospel and clearly limited: it is the Temple aristocracy"]

Two tremendous reflections which I could never have even approached on my own. What a delight is this Sacra Pagina series that you recommended on your Blog! 

Yours in Our Lord,

William

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The Gospel of Mark
Sacra Pagina pp.341-2
The Parable of the Vineyard (12:1-12)

• … The quotation of Ps 118:22-23 in 12:10-11 is related thematicully to the parable since in both cases the "experts" (tenant farmers, builders) fail to recognize the ultimate importance of the one(s) they reject and mistreat. The Markan editorial framework (12:1a, 12) serves to emphasize that the parable and the biblical text both criticize the leaders in Jerusalem, not Israel collectively as a people.
• While the nucleus of the parable might go back to Jesus there are some factors that suggest composition or extensive editing in early Christian circles or at least an elaborate process of transmission from Jesus to Mark's Gospel. First, the biblical quotations and allusions-Is a 5:1-2 in Mark 12:1, Gen 37:20 in 12:7, and Ps 118:22-23-all reflect the wording of the Greek Septuagint. Second, while Mark 12:1-9 is not technically an allegory (since not every element is given an interpretation), it is more allegorical-the owner = God, the vineyard = Israel, the tenant farmers = Israel's leaders, the servants = the prophets, the beloved son = Jesus-than most of the parables in the Synoptic Gospels. Third, the high claim made by Jesus about himself in 12:6 ("one son, the beloved") in a public setting stands in tension with the reserve that generally surrounds Jesus' identity. Some interpreters suggest that Jesus may have originally told the parable about John the Baptist as the "one son, the beloved," but there can be little doubt that Mark interpreted it as a story told by Jesus about himself (see the Note on 12:6 and its links to Mark 1:11 and 9:7). Finally, if one reads 12:9 as referring to the destruction of Jerusalem in 70 C.E. and to the church's Gentile mission (we do not), then even a post-70 date would be likely.
• It is possible that the "stone" quotation of Ps 118:22-23 was taken from a collection of OT quotations developed to support specific beliefs. Among the Dead Sea scrolls there are examples of anthologies of OT texts on the messiah (4Q175), the future consolations of Israel (4Q176), and the last days (4Q177). For a full presentation of the evidence see Martin C. Albl, "And Scripture Cannot Be Broken." The Form and Function of the Early Christian Testimonia Collections (Leiden: Brill, 1999). Albl points to five prominent testimonia traditions that can be glimpsed in the NT: messianic proof texts, Ps 110:1, Isa 6:9~1O and the "hardening" tradition, Zech 12:10 and the "two advents," and the "stone" testimonia (as in Mark 12:10-11).
• However complex the origin of its components may be, Mark 12:1-12 in its present form is a rich theological text. It has been described as Mark's Gospel in miniature or even the whole Bible in miniature. It roots Jesus in the context of Israel's history by its use of OT texts: the song of the vineyard (Isa 5:1-7), the history of the prophets and their rejection, the jealousy and envy shown by Joseph's brothers (Gen 37:20 = Mark 12:7), and the "stone" text (Ps 118:22-23). It places Jesus at the decisive moment in God's dealing with his people and identifies Jesus as the fully accred­ited and beloved agent (son) of God (12:6-8). And it raises the theme of God's judgment against those leaders in Israel who reject the Son of God (12:9), and holds out the promise of a marvelous vindication (resurrection) on behalf of Jesus as God's "stone" that the builders rejected.
• The surprising feature about this parable/allegory is the action of (Ill' owner who continues to send emissaries in the face of brutal rejection The question .of 12:9 ("What will the owner do?") thus engages the renders in the larger question about how they think about God. Rather than simply attacking unbelieving Israel for rejecting him, Jesus presents a Cod who is longing for a response. The prophetic books often refer to the long suffering God who reaches out for a human response (see Hos 2:2, 14-20; Jer 3:11-14; Ezek 16:59-63). In this parable Jesus brings to the fore such ,I searching God. In contrast, the dialogue of the tenants shows that they tin' a people who have eyes but do not see and who are hard of heart (Isa 6:9; Mark 4:11-12; 8:18).
• This text is sometimes read as if it teaches the replacement of Israel as God's people by the church, but as has been mentioned already, the target of the passage's criticism is not Israel as God's people but rather its politi­cal and religious leaders in the time of Jesus. These leaders are portrayed as the tenant farmers who mistreat God's emissaries (the prophets and God's Son Jesus) and as the "builders" who reject the "stone" that be­comes the most important part (whether as the cornerstone or the cap­stone) in the whole building (Jesus' place in the history of salvation). The "others" to whom the vineyard (Israel) is given are better understood as Jesus and his (Jewish) disciples than as the Romans or as Gentile Chris­tians. A careful reading of this parable can be a safeguard against its mis­use as teaching Christian theological supersessionism whereby the church replaces Israel as the people of God.