Monday:9^th Week of the year - A

I Reading: Tobit 1:1. 2:1-8: Tobit feared God more than he feared the king.

Gospel: Mark 12:1-12: They seized the beloved son and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

The Parable of the Wicked Tenants: God and Israel, Mk 12:1-12

God has entrusted the vineyard of the Church and of the world to us (Mt 28:19-20), the new nation, the new creation of God (Eph 2:11-18; Pet 4-Eph 2:14-15; 4:17-19). Every point covered in Israel’s history should, therefore, be a dynamic message speaking to our hearts.

1. God is generous: He gives everything needed (v.1)

2. God is trusting: He gives responsibility and freedom to govern life (v.1)

3. God is exacting: He expects payment (v.2)

4. God is patient: He sends messenger to receive payment (v.2-5)

a. One suffers mild abuse

b. Still another suffers sever abuse

c. Still another suffers capital abuse

5. God is love: He sends His very own Son to the world (v.6-8)

a. Man’s plot: to kill the Son

b. Man’s reason: to secure inheritance

c. Man’s crime: They killed the Son

6. God is just: He will come to destroy evil keepers (v.9)

7. God is trustworthy: He fulfils His promises (v.10-11)

a. The promise of the Messiah-the stone

b. The exaltation of the Messiah

8. Conclusion: The great tragedy (v.12)

Thought: God is generous to every person. Two of the greatest gifts God has given people are trust and freedom (Gen 1:27-28, Ps 8:6; Mt 25:14, 1Cor 4:2; 1Tim 6:20; Lk 19:13).

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