GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 12:3
The Messenger’s Cost
Martin Luther was summoned to meet with Church officials in Worms, Germany, during the early months of 1521 to answer for his teaching, which contradicted the formal church theology. Refusing to renounce his teaching, Luther was condemned. His friends later intervened, kidnapping him and hiding him at Wartburg Castle in Thuringia for a year.
J
ohn Calvin fled his hometown of Noyon, France in 1534 because of threats of persecution for his Protestant beliefs. He eventually reached Geneva, Switzerland, where he led the Swiss Reformation.
The Apostle Paul described some of his experiences to the Corinthians: “Are they servants of Christ? (I am out of my mind to talk like this.) I am more. I have worked much harder, been in prison more frequently, been flogged more severely, and been exposed to death again and again. Five times I received from the Jews the forty lashes minus one. Three times I was beaten with rods, once I was pelted with stones, three times I was shipwrecked, I spent a night and a day in the open sea, I have been constantly on the move. I have been in danger from rivers, in danger from bandits, in danger from my fellow Jews, in danger from Gentiles; in danger in the city, in danger in the country, in danger at sea; and in danger from false believers. I have labored and toiled and have often gone without sleep; I have known hunger and thirst and have often gone without food; I have been cold and naked. Besides everything else, I face daily the pressure of my concern for all the churches.” (2 Corinthians 11:23-28)
As Jesus taught about the landowner and tenants, one theme was the cost of carrying the message. “And seizing him, they beat him and sent him away empty.” (Mark 12:3) The servant sent to collect the rent had the correct message, the proper authority, and the right approach, but he was beaten, disgraced, and sent away empty. The writer to the Hebrews described how many of the prophets were mistreated or killed for carrying Yahweh’s message (Hebrews 11:32-38).
The prophets’ faithfulness did not guarantee acceptance, and their obedience often led to rejection. The well-robed, perfumed, and dignified officials in Jesus’ audience represented those who rejected the prophets’ message and, by extension, his own. The measure of the prophets was their faithfulness in delivering what God had given them, not how people responded. This principle still holds today.
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