<p>20:12 <i>And he sent yet a third, and him also they wounded and threw him out</i>- Mk. 12:4 adds that the last servant was &ldquo;wounded in the head&rdquo;, surely a reference to the beheading of John the Baptist and shameful treatment of his severed head. He was the last of the prophets; their ministry was until John the Baptist. Although we have just read that the crowds recognized John as a prophet (:6), in reality they didn't. They rejected his message of the true nature of Messiah. Mass enthusiasm for a Christian teacher is not the same as real belief and spirituality, and acceptance of the real spirit of Christ.</p>