The Homeric epics were written 800 years before Mark wrote his gospel, and were read by virtually everyone in Mark's day who could read Greek. MacDonald argues that Mark had Jesus emulate Odysseus and based many of his gospel stories on fictional ones in the epics. The evidence that Mark borrowed from Homer to create his parable of the wicked tenants is presented below in the table. Odysseus left his estate and went off to fight in Troy. Wicked men occupy his land, steal his food, mistreat his servants.
Beloved son is sent to confront villains.
Author speaks of owner returning and killing villains. Odysseus returns and kills the usurpers. While MacDonald doesn't say so, he implies that Mark put these words in Jesus' mouth. According to MacDonald, Mark expected his readers would understand that he was telling them that Jesus was as least as great a heroic figure as was the fictional Oydyssey, and to make sure they didn't miss the connection to the Homeric tale, Mark had Jesus say that the tenants imagined that they would have the right to take the owner's property after killing him, just as the usurpers in The Odyssey thought that killing the owner would give them the right to take his property . If ever Ulysses while he was here burned you fat thigh bones of sheep or heifer, bear it in mind now as in my favour, and save my darling son from the villainy of the suitors.