Texts in Conversation
In Mark, Jesus tells a parable of a man who plants a vineyard, goes on a journey, and sends his beloved son, whom the tenants kill. The Shepherd of Hermas reworks the parable with a happy ending, making a faithful servant joint-heir with the son.
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2500 BCE
1000+ CE
Mark 12:1
New Testament
1 Then he began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a fence around it, dug a pit for its winepress, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenant farmers and went on a journey. 2 At harvest time he sent a slave to the tenants to collect from them his portion of the crop. 3 But those tenants seized his slave, beat him, and sent him away empty-handed. 4 So he sent another slave to them again. This one they struck on the head and treated outrageously. 5 He sent another, and that one they killed. This happened to many others, some of whom were beaten, others killed. 6 He had one left, his one dear son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ 7 But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him and the inheritance will be ours!’ 8 So they seized him, killed him, and threw his body out of the vineyard. 9 What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others.
Shepherd of Hermas 55:2
Early Christian
1 “Listen to the parable I will tell you about fasting. 2 A man had an estate, and many servants, and on part of his estate he planted a vineyard. Choosing a trustworthy servant who pleased him and was held in honor, he called him and said to him, ‘Take this vineyard that I planted, and fence it until I come, but do nothing else to the vineyard. Keep this command of mine, and you will be set free in my house.’ Then the servant’s master went away on a journey. 3 After he left, the servant fenced the vineyard; and when he finished fencing the vineyard, he noticed it was full of weeds. 4 So he thought to himself, ‘I have carried out my master’s command. I will next dig this vineyard, and it will look better when it is dug; and with no weeds it will yield more fruit, as it will not be choked by weeds.’ So he dug the vineyard, and pulled up all the weeds that were in it. And that vineyard became very neat and flourishing, once it had no weeds to choke it. 5 After some time the master of the servant and of the estate came back, and went into the vineyard. Seeing it fenced neatly, and dug as well, and all the weeds pulled up, and the vines flourishing, he was delighted with what his servant had done. 6 So he called his beloved son, who was his heir, and the friends who were his advisers, and told them what he had commanded his servant, and everything he had found done. And they were happy for the servant because of the testimony his master gave him. 7 And he said to them, ‘I promised this servant his freedom, if he kept my command that I gave him; but he not only kept my command but also did a good work for my vineyard, and pleased me greatly. Because of this work he has done, I want to make him joint-heir with my son, because when the good thought occurred to him, he did not neglect it, but carried it out.’ 8 The master’s son agreed to this plan, that the servant should be made joint-heir with the son.
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Notes and References
... The central piece in Similitude 5 is the parable that now ensues, and it is clear from the introduction in verse 1 that its primary and original meaning is intended to be a lesson about true fasting as generosity and willingness to serve. Later, other interpretations will be added. The vineyard (verse 2) is a familiar setting, and this parable is reminiscent of several biblical stories, yet it has its own unique development. A key difference is that most of the familiar vineyard stories are parables of destruction with unhappy outcomes, whereas this one has a happy ending. ...
* The use of references are not endorsements of their contents. Please read the entirety of the provided reference(s) to understand the author's full intentions regarding the use of these texts.
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