GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 12:6
Denouement
In cinema, there is the moment when the answer dawns on the protagonist. There will be the flash of the eyes, a shaking of the head, a tensing of the muscles—some sign that the answer to the puzzle has flashed in the mind. The rest of the story will reveal the truth. In literature, it is known as the denouement, the final resolution of the mystery or the clarification of a plot. In music, that moment is often described as the crescendo, a gradual increase in the volume or intensity of sound until every instrument is playing at full volume.
In Jesus’ parable of the vineyard, he was building toward a denouement, which came in verse 6: “He still had one, a beloved son. Last, he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’” (Mark 12:6) Jesus was describing for his audience—including the delegation of high priests, scribes, and elders—Yahweh’s dealings with Israel. It was not a pretty picture. There were prophets and messengers who were mistreated, abused, and some killed, but God still had one, his beloved son, to send.
There is little doubt that the officials knew Jesus was painting a graphic picture for them and that he was talking about the Messiah as the “beloved son.” They must have gnashed their teeth when they realized he was referring to himself—the denouement, the crescendo.
That moment occurs in the heart when the realization dawns on one that the Father has offered a way for the wayward traveler to come into His family—the denouement, the crescendo.
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