The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone

Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?" But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question, then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things! The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From men'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

Then He began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not even read the Scripture:

'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the LORD's doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes'?"

And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away.

- Mark 11:27-12:12

Yesterday we read about Jesus cleansing the temple, in which He overturned the tables of the moneychangers, the chairs of the sellers of animals for sacrifice, and drove out those trading in the temple. On His way to the temple, He passed a fig tree which sprouted early leaves, but no fruit, and on return He spoke of the power of prayer to move mountains. In the temple, He quoted, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?"

Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests, the scribes, and the elders came to Him. And they said to Him, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?" The chief priests and temple leadership ask a serious and reasonable question. Jesus has acted (in yesterday's reading) as a king; His action of cleansing the temple is that of the authority of the Messiah. So serious is the question that we have representation of the fullness of the religious leadership.

But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one question, then answer Me, and I will tell you by what authority I do these things! The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men? Answer Me." And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say, 'Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, 'From men'" -- they feared the people, for all counted John to have been a prophet indeed. So they answered and said to Jesus, "We do not know." And Jesus answered and said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." My study bible has an interesting note on this passage: "Answering the angry opposition's questions is often not wise. Their question By what authority are You doing these things? is logical, for Jesus acts are messianic. And there is an answer: the authority is that of Himself and His Father. But, knowing they seek to entrap Him, He will not say so. He leaves them with their question unanswered, and in confusion over His question. Those who claim to have the answers are left admitting their ignorance." I like the way that Jesus uses language to rather neatly turn the tables on them, using their own hypocrisy against them and their fear of the people. Our King remains a non-violent one, with language as His weapon, avoiding the conflict of a direct answer! Once He engaged in the cleansing of the temple, however, the stage was set for conflict - He has discredited the leadership on their own territory. In some way He also teaches us that they frankly don't deserve an honest answer; it is they who hide behind their fear of the crowds, and the treatment of John.

Then He began to speak to them in parables. "A man planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that he might receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vinedressers. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent them another servant, and at him they threw stones, wounded him in the head, and sent him away shamefully treated. And again he sent another, and him they killed; and many others, beating some and killing some. Therefore still having one son, his beloved, he also sent him to them last, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But those vinedressers said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.' So they took him and killed him and cast him out of the vineyard. Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do?" At issue is the "ownership" of what is God's. How do we truly bear spiritual fruit? Who are those in charge of this place of fruitfulness, where a harvest is expected at vintage-time? The servants sent by the owner are the prophets, like John the Baptist, who have been "sent" through the ages. (In Isaiah 6:8, we read: "Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, 'Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?' And I said, 'Here am I. Send me!'") The son in the parable is clearly meant to be Jesus, and this way Jesus exposes their thinking about Him. My study bible notes, "The bearing of fruit is the mark of vital spiritual life." What we must truly take a look at here is the motivation of the leadership - to hold onto power at any cost, and to seek to do so through coercion rather than righteousness, or spiritual fruitfulness.

He will come and destroy the vinedressers, and give the vineyard to others. Have you not even read the Scripture: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'?" Jesus tells the parable fully against the temple leadership, and it reflects the symbolism of the colt ridden into Jerusalem in the Triumphal Entry. The vineyard is to be given to others. The "faith that moves mountains" from yesterday's reading and Jesus' discourse on faith, is the faith that makes the rejected stone the chief cornerstone.

And they sought to lay hands on Him, but feared the multitude, for they knew He had spoken the parable against them. So they left Him and went away. My study bible says, "With this parable, Jesus totally discredits the religious leaders of Israel and establishes Himself as Messiah. The religious leaders plainly understand Jesus' criticism and would have Him arrested, but they feared the multitude and a possible insurrection. The leaders in Jerusalem were often viewed by the people as collaborators with the Romans, seeking to maintain their positions. Therefore the people tended to favor popular charismatic figures such as Jesus." The leadership, of course, will not stop working against Jesus - and what Jesus has prepared His apostles for will come about. The real question is how is this done? With righteousness and justice? Or using other means? It is always our choice. It depends on what we value most -- "for where your treasure is, there your heart will be also," Matthew 6:21.

So let us take this question for today -- what is the faith that moves the mountains? What is the force that builds a movement that can take the rejected stone and it becomes the chief cornerstone? To understand this kind of faith and power, it is necessary to understand the parable Jesus teaches about the vineyard-owner (God) and the vinedressers and servants. How do we see ourselves in service to God's righteousness? Do we align ourselves with God's will, or do we seek to own what is not really ours to own, to control it through our own selfish whims and what we think we gain through this behavior? It all comes down to what we put first. Jesus has taught repeatedly (as reported in the Gospels) the first great commandment, and will go on to so so very shortly in Mark's: "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength." This is what is put first, and love of neighbor follows. To understand this commandment properly, we see life as sacramental: what we have as a gift is given back to God, so that we understand our relationship to our world and our neighbor. It is this mistake the leadership is failing to make, and so their world will be turned upside down. But let us consider this story, with its conflict over a kind of ownership, a parable for ourselves and our lives. What do we claim to own and use without following that first great commandment? How do we live a really sacramental life, which sets us down in right-relatedness to others? How might our world be turned upside down by our failure to understand this message, and to see ourselves and our choices in the proper light? And where is our faith that can turn a world upside down, and move mountains?