Mark 12:1

The King's Messengers

A man planted a vineyard, and set a hedge about it, and digged a pit for the winepress, and built a tower, and let it out to husbandmen, and went into another country. Mark 12:1.

Once upon a time there was a great and good King who loved his subjects with an abounding love. His one concern was that they should be happy and that they should make the very best of their lives. He built beautiful cities for them and laid out lovely gardens. In the gardens were fruit trees and many gorgeous flowers. The birds sang all day long amid the leafy branches, and the bees hummed among the flowers. Flocks and herds grazed in the green pastures, and deer roamed on the mountain-sides.

Now you will think that these people should have been very happy, but in their hearts was an evil thing which spoiled all. It was just like a little grub in the heart of a beautiful apple. On the outside all was fair, but within was something which was slowly and secretly destroying the beautiful fruit. The ugly grub was ingratitude. The people had come to regard as their right what had been given them as a great trust, and they forgot to give thanks to the noble King who had given them all things.

There came a day when the King had to go far away into a distant country, but he was such a wonderful Sovereign that although he was far away he could see and know all that was going on in his land. Before he left, he arranged that he would send his ambassadors at certain seasons to help the people, and to receive from them their allegiance, along with some of the fruits of the land. For the Sovereign knew that his subjects could never be truly happy if they lived entirely for themselves, and that it was only in giving back a little of the bounty they had received that they could find real and lasting joy.

So the King set out for the far country and after a time the people began to forget him. They lived more and more for themselves for the grub was eating away more and more of their good heart until at last there came a day when they no longer wished to remember their Sovereign. They wished to forget him, because they wanted to keep all the good things for themselves. Yet some of the better people felt that life wasn't so good as it had been in the old days.

Now, the King saw all that was happening in the hearts of his subjects, and he was very, very sad, because he knew that they were hurting themselves terribly. They were hurting his great heart of love too, but he thought not of himself but of them. So he sent one of his ambassadors to show them what they were doing, to receive back some of the fruit, and to help them to kill the wicked grub in their hearts.

But when the people saw the ambassador they became very angry. This was the man who stood in the place of the King and who would fain remind them of him and of all they owed him. Well, they did not want to remember the King. Thinking of him made them remember their own faithlessness and ingratitude. This was the man who came to claim the King's rightful portion. Well, they wanted to keep everything to themselves. So they beat the ambassador and sent him away empty.

When the messenger returned, the heart of the King was very sad. Yet he loved the people so tenderly that he would not give up hope, and he sent to them another of his good ambassadors. This man was dealt with even worse than the first. The people not only maltreated him, they wounded him sorely. And after many weary days and nights he dragged his way back to the King's palace to tell of his failure.

Still the good King did not despair. Another ambassador was found willing to risk his life. But when the people saw him coming they were beside themselves, and they did a very awful thing: they slew the King's ambassador.

Perhaps you will think that the King then gave up trying to help these ungrateful subjects. Ah, but you don't know how wonderful the King was! The great passion of his life was to save these people from themselves, so, never tiring in his efforts to rescue them, he sent messenger after messenger to them. But some of the ambassadors were beaten, others were killed, all were shamefully treated; not one of them received a hearing.

At last the great King had but one messenger left his only and beloved Son. But his heart yearned so over these poor, foolish, mistaken children that he would not spare even him. “Surely,” said he, “surely they will reverence my Son. He is all I have left. This is the last thing I can do for them.” And the Prince, who had the great loving heart of his Father, went willingly, knowing well what would be done to him, yet ready to make the sacrifice if by any means the people could be saved.

But when the people saw him they said, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance shall be ours. We shall not be troubled any more about our allegiance to the King, for we shall seize as our own what he has only lent us.” So they murdered the Prince the brave young Prince who had given up everything to save them.

Boys and girls, God is the great and good King who has “given us richly all things to enjoy.” Of old He spoke to the people of Israel by His prophets, but they refused to listen. Some they beat, some they cruelly stoned, some they killed. Last of all He sent His dearly beloved Son, but Him they mocked and scourged, Him they crucified.

God is still sending us His messengers. He speaks to us every day by our parents, by our teachers, by the lives of great and noble men and women, by the Bible, by good books, by the glory of the sunset, by the grandeur of the everlasting hills, by the beauty of the flowers, by the voice of conscience, but most of all by the life and death and unfailing love of His well- beloved Son.

Today He is waiting patiently outside each heart. Are we going to send Him empty away, or shall we open the door of our heart and let Him in?