The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone

‘Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Finally he sent his son to them, saying, “They will respect my son.” But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, “This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.” So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?’ They said to him, ‘He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time.’

Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the scriptures:

“The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord’s doing,

and it is amazing in our eyes”?

Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls.’

When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.

- Matthew 21:33-46

In his confrontation with the chief priests and elders of the temple, Jesus continues his response to their questions about his authority from yesterday's reading. He has already told one parable, or riddle, in his response to them, and in today's reading, Jesus begins with another parable by way of response.

"Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watch-tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country." My study bible has rather comprehensive notes on this parable. God the Father is the landowner who planted the vineyard. The tenant vine-dressers are the religious leaders entrusted with the care of this spiritual vineyard, or God's people. We recall the incident of the withering of the fig tree, that happened as Jesus was walking back toward Jerusalem just prior to this subsequent confrontation with the temple leadership. Fruitfulness is an important component of our understanding of what it is to be a part of this kingdom; so, the vineyard is another metaphor for the people of God, and the fruits they produce under good pastoral care.

"When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way." The landowner's servants are the prophets, whom God sends to proclaim the word - an effort at the renewal of fruitfulness of the vines. My study bible notes: "For instead of tending the vineyard, the vinedressers had devoured it." We recall the image of wolves in sheeps' clothing, who inwardly are predators who devour the children rather than caring for them - whom Jesus also compared to bad trees that give bad fruit.

"Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance.' So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" Despite the bad treatment of the slaves, God's prophets, the vineyard owner believes that perhaps sending his son will make a difference, that the son will be treated with respect and honor. But greed doesn't respond with proper feeling of respect. A decision made in selfishness and in greed is one that plots to devour more completely, to take and to steal -- and murder, in this story, is the result. Clearly these tenants are not men of peace and fair dealing, but only know aggression, predatory behavior. The chief priests and elders answer Jesus' question, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time."

Then, Jesus quotes to them from scripture (from Psalm 118 and also reflecting a passage from Isaiah):

"Have you never read in the scriptures:

'The stone that the builders rejected

has become the cornerstone;

this was the Lord’s doing,

and it is amazing in our eyes'?"

And he adds, "Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls." Jesus, of course, is referring to himself as Son, who is also the Suffering Servant of Isaiah, who will be rejected and murdered. He will become the cornerstone of a new Church, made up of those who believe and follow him. As we can see from the parable of the vineyard, there is this repeated pattern of teaching and exile, rejection and corruption that, as analogy, we can understand from scripture as the story of our human spiritual history. Jesus' parable is meant to give us the understanding that the sending of the Son is the highest authority that can be sent, short of the landowner himself. The statement about the cornerstone indicates the powerful meaning of choice once confronted with the Son. The prophets before Jesus, up to and including John the Baptist, have been killed, but "the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."

Once the chief priests and rabbis realize that they are the object of his parables and teachings, they are outraged and are ready to arrest Jesus. But, again, because of the belief of the crowds that Jesus is a prophet, they cannot afford to do so. So, their instincts conform to those of the tenants of the vineyards; they feel threatened by what he is saying and want to stop him at any cost.

But today, 2,000 years later, what are we to make of this story? Presumably, the believers who read this blog must ask themselves how we are to relate to it today. We have a varied history of scandals across the wide expanse and throughout the time of the existence of His Church; we know of wolves in sheep's clothing who will prey on the children who need leadership and guidance and tending to fruitfulness. It's always going to be up to us to keep awake and watch, to be vigilant and to tend to the words and teachings in these parables. We know the warnings about fruitfulness, and about the good trees and good fruit, and bad trees that bear bad fruit. In this season of Advent, we are to renew and re-prepare for this coming into the world of the Son of the vineyard owner. How will we think about that this season as we prepare to celebrate Christmas? In what ways do these words throw light on your life, and how we live in faith? What do we do to tend that vineyard?