The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone

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 this 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'?"

- Mark 12:1-11

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was in the temple on His second day in Jerusalem. It is Passion Week. The day before, we read of His cleansing of the temple and the withering of the fig tree. When He returned to the temple the next day, the chief priests, scribes and elders asked Him, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?" Jesus posed them a question by way of answering: "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." They said to themselves, "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." Once again, Jesus returns to His preaching style of parables. We know that, generally speaking, this is a style of preaching reserved for the large crowds, not simply His immediate disciples. That is because He wants those "with ears to hear" -- out of the multitudes, those who will desire more, and hear in the parable what He seeks to teach, will come to follow His Way, or to find more. He seeks discernment, spiritual hearing. Here, He tells this parable before the chief priests, scribes and elders -- and also the people in the temple who are there for the Passover. A vineyard is another analogy to Israel. The vinedressers are those who prepare the crops for fruitfulness -- the leadership of Israel. This is a theme with which, through Scripture, they should all be exhaustively familiar.

"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." In the history of Israel, time and again, prophets have been sent by God. All have preached repentance, a call back to God's ways: He who owns the vineyard. In all of Israel's history, as we read through Old Testament Scripture, this is the power of God's word: sent through prophets, time and again, to call the people back to God's ways, to remember that they are the people of God, of YHWH. And that on God rests the fortunes of Israel. The Scriptures (in which the leadership has expertise) tell us of prophets who prophesy for money, who tell kings what they want to hear -- and of the bold and heroic prophets of God who tell the truth, and give repeated warnings that none in power necessarily wish to hear. The question here is, what are the fruits the vineyard owner truly desires? The key to its answers is in the attitude of the vinedressers. Do they remember who owns the vineyard, whose fruits it is to produce?

"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." In Monday's commentary, we spoke of material-mindedness. Jesus has cleansed the temple, the day before, in protest at the money changers, those who sold animals, the activity that turns the temple into a place of merchandise, rather than a "house of prayer for all the nations." Here, in the parable, we are given an example of material-minded thinking. The vinedressers don't own the vineyard, but they plot that if they kill the son (the heir), they can take the inheritance for themselves.

"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 this 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 preaches to all, here, of the power of God. It has, of course, a direct bearing on what He is doing there -- His cleansing of the temple, His claim of authority which they question, His leadership and preaching. This is Passion Week, and His betrayal will come soon. They are plotting again Him. The quotation here is from Psalm 118. Again, we reflect on the prophetic example of the fig tree, which had no fruit to bear.

It's clear from this parable that Jesus is well aware of this time in Israel's history -- what is to come. It is not the first time in the salvation history of Israel that it has been close to warnings of disaster, times of exile and conquest. And of course, He is aware of His own role here, displayed in the parable as Son and heir -- the Messianic role He plays. What will they do? They are already plotting against Him, to get rid of Him. But the real issues here focus in on us as examples for our present day. We have a tremendous spiritual heritage, taken to all the world, with Christ as chief cornerstone, or "head of the corner" in the Greek. But the foundations of Israel are the foundations of our faith, and the messages and lessons of Israel are still the messages and lessons for us today. Whose history is this? Whose vineyard? What fruits does the vineyard owner desire? How do we show our love for the Son and heir? Or -- do we forget who the owner is and seek to take it and use it for ourselves? It's a tremendous mistake whenever our faith is taken and used by any leadership as if it is a property of their own, used for themselves. This is material-mindedness. God's vineyard belongs to God and is extended to all those who are children by adoption, and God's way is love -- not "a den of thieves." "Ownership" is God's alone. The rest are servants, particularly those who would be leader of all. We remember that we are here by grace, and His by grace. The fruits of our labor is God's love: between ourselves and God and through this to one another. It is not a possession to be used for our own gain, whatever that might be. Let us remember that Christ, the Son and heir, will go to the Cross for us. How will we bear the fruits worthy of His love? His scathing warning to the leadership, in the presence of all the people, is always true for the whole of His faithful. How do we remember what is the Lord's, and the fruits He desires of us?