The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone

 Then He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"  Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:

'The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone'?

Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.

- Luke 20:9-19

On Saturday, we read that as Jesus taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel in Jerusalem, the chief priests and the scribes, together with the elders, confronted Him and spoke to Him, saying, "Tell us, by what authority are You doing these things?  Or who is he who gave You this authority?"  But He answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, and answer Me:  The baptism of John -- was it from heaven or from men?"  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,' all the people will stone us, for they are persuaded that John was a prophet."  So they answered that they did not know where it was from.  And Jesus said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things."

 Then He began to tell the people this parable:  "A certain man planted a vineyard, leased it to vinedressers, and went into a far country for a long time.  Now at vintage-time he sent a servant to the vinedressers, that they might give him some of the fruit of the vineyard.  But the vinedressers beat him and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  Again he sent another servant; and they beat him also, treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed.  And again he sent a third; and they wounded him also and cast him out.  Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do?  I will send my beloved son.  Probably they will respect him when they see him.'  But when the vinedressers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, 'This is the heir.  Come, let us kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.'  So they cast him out of the vineyard and killed him.  Therefore what will the owner of the vineyard do to them?  He will come and destroy those vinedressers and give the vineyard to others."  And when they heard it they said, "Certainly not!"   About this parable -- told in the temple by Jesus after He has been confronted regarding His "authority" to cleanse the temple and to teach and preach -- my study bible says that the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the Jews who are entrusted to care for the people (and we also recall this parable is told before the people as well).  Each servant who has been sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet, who comes to call the people back to God, and the beloved son of course is Christ Himself.    My study bible tells us that when the Son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, this is understood on two levels:  (1) that Jesus was killed outside of Jerusalem (Golgotha was outside of the city gates), and that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers (Romans), not by those of His own vineyard.  The others who later receive the Gentiles brought into the Church.  Whatever way we see this parable, the answer of the leadership (chief priests, scribes, and elders), "Certainly not!" confirms that they understood it this way.

Then He looked at them and said, "What then is this that is written:  'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone'?  Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  And the chief priests and the scribes that very hour sought to lay hands on Him, but they feared the people -- for they knew He had spoken this parable against them.  Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22.   My study bible says that that stone is Christ.   It adds that St. John Chrysostom teaches that this saying illustrates two ways of destruction.  The people falling on the stone are those who suffer the effects of their own sins while yet in the life of this world; and those on whom the stone falls are unrepentant people who become powder in the final judgment. 

Whatever way we choose to look at this scene in today’s reading, there is one thing that is glaringly clear:  there will be ways in which we will be called to expand our outlook, on our lives and on ourselves.  Should we fail to do that, we risk losing even what we have (insert quote about those losing even what they have).  In this case, these leaders simply cannot accept Jesus.   They are enraged at Him.  They can’t get behind His message.  It’s too much outside of their own system – in which they’re highly rewarded – to embrace this Man as Messiah, to recognize His authority to do what He is doing in Jerusalem at the temple.  They lose too much, in their own eyes, to do that.  And yet, He’s got the people with Him.  They can’t do anything to Him in front of the people who love to hear Him preach and teach.  So, in a sense, they seethe with envy.  And this is what they feel.  He’s got something they don’t want to understand, that they deliberately turn a blind eye to – although they really should know better, after all, they are the experts in the Scriptures and the prophecies about Messiah – but they don’t go any further into this question of what exactly it is that Jesus possesses.  What is this authority? Is a question they don’t really want to answer for themselves.  But He’s got something they don’t have, He does things they can’t do, and for that they envy Him, even though He’s willing to share this Kingdom with anyone who really and truly wants in it.  And that’s the heart of the gospel.  What, after all, is Jesus doing here in this world, incarnate as human being, Son of God and Son of Man?  He’s here to show us the way out of the darkness of the world:  all of our own envy and that of others, the things that afflict us and the things that we do to ourselves.  He’s the Man who’s come here to show us how to negotiate through a world that is filled with darkness, and malice, and envy, and hardship, and hard-heartedness, and all of the things that He will suffer and endure – so that we grasp that this gospel is for all of us, everywhere, no matter what the situation we find ourselves in.  In this sense,  Jesus’ message is truly for everyone.  It doesn’t matter whether someone is a Pharisee or a poor fisherman.  It doesn’t matter if He’s there with the leaders, or with the people.  And none of the rest of the things that we think make a difference in life don’t make a single bit of difference when it comes to this gospel, because Jesus’ gospel message is for everyone, everywhere.  Everything we go through – even all of our suffering from the evil things in this world and its darkness – can be met with the gospel message.  Everything that life throws at us, all its curve balls and unpleasant surprises, becomes “places” in which He’s gone in order to make the gospel present to us, and to teach us how to walk through the good and the bad with the gospel, in the Kingdom.  That’s why Jesus can preach to these men giving them warnings about what is to come; He’s giving them the gospel message in order to save them, to give them their own chance for repentance.  It’s a stark message, but it’s the truth they need.  Unfortunately, it doesn’t seem that they hear Him at all, certainly not with truly spiritually aware ears.  Whether He’s preaching to the people, or letting them overhear this very direct message of tremendous loss He’s giving to the leadership, it’s all there for each of us.  The gospel doesn’t stop no matter where we are or who we are, and that’s that great stone that is the chief cornerstone.  It’s what we remember all the time, in all times and all places, no matter what we are going through.  It always applies, and frankly, it’s our job to remember that, no matter where we are.    The stone is the one we stand on, the one we keep our faith in, through thick and thin, good times and bad, confrontation or times of mutual sharing.  It’s always there for all of us, and it always calls us to its profound message of truth.  In that stone is all of our reconciliation and our true peace.