The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornernstone. This was the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes

 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 himn 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 cornernstone.
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 12:1-11

Yesterday we read that the day after the cleansing of the temple, Jesus and the disciples 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 himn 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."  This is a parable about the Incarnation, the mission of the Son to the world.  The man represents God the Father, and the vineyard is God's people.  The vinedressers are the religious leaders to whom the care of the people is entrusted.  Each servant sent by the owner is an Old Testament prophet.  They repeatedly call the people back to God, but each is abused, even killed.  Finally the beloved son sent by the owner is Christ Himself.  When the Son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, there are two levels of traditional interpretation here.  First, Christ was killed outside Jerusalem (Golgotha was outside of the ancient city gates), and also that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers, not those of His own vineyard.  The others who later receive the vineyard are the Gentiles brought into the Church.

"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 cornernstone.  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.  Jesus is quoting from Psalm 118:22-23.  The stone is Christ.  They know what it means to reject the stone that becomes the chief cornerstone.  In Matthew's Gospel, Jesus tells them, "Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."  My study bible cites John Chrysostom, who tells us that this saying illustrates two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the tone are the people who suffer from the effects of their own sins while yet in this life.  Those on whom the stone falls are the unrepentant, who become powder (abolished) in the final judgment.  This was a theme understood already in the religious culture; these men know very well the parable is told against them.  All it will do is alarm them further that Christ will take away their places of authority.  Their earlier question (in yesterday's reading) as to His authority is answered here:  it is "the Lord's doing" and "is marvelous in our eyes."  They risk the loss of what they have; the parable illustrates what happens when we mistake God's work for a materially-minded kind of job. No one "owns" the Church, but we are all to be good stewards.

The theme of Judgment runs powerfully in the Old Testament Scripture of the period just prior to Christ's Incarnation.  There is a particularly strong expression of this in 2 Maccabees (the story of a mother and her seven sons), in which it is understood that God gives correction to His servants only to raise them up, but those who harm them without remorse or repentance will face judgment.  But Jesus fulfills this in yet a more remarkable and full way, for He is the stone Himself of whom the Psalmist sings.  It's important that we know that the people in the temple understand this, and so do the leadership against whom Jesus has told this parable.  They will not make their choices without His teaching, and their understanding of Him.  Neither, apparently, will the people.  It is the function of a prophet to warn, to teach people of their error.  In this way, choices that are made afterward carry a greater burden of responsibility, because understanding has been given to them.  The word of God -- especially as conveyed in prophetic speaking -- carries with it the means of Judgment.  One either accepts or rejects that word, that teaching.  In so doing, judgment takes place, is made possible.  Of course, life is a series of moments, and there is opportunity for repentance and forgiveness.  But the coming of the Son, and then after Pentecost, the Holy Spirit, will be God's way to prepare the world more fully for Judgment, as each one of us becomes yet more responsible for acceptance or rejection of the word of God, of the Spirit's work in us and in the world.  With great grace and opportunity comes fuller capability and also responsibility.  In Mark chapter 4, Jesus has taught, “Take heed what you hear. With the same measure you use, it will be measured to you; and to you who hear, more will be given.  For whoever has, to him more will be given; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him.”   His warning takes on great urgency as we understand He is the stone that will be the chief cornerstone, the one that brings everything together.  This stone is often called the "foundation stone."  It's the one set first in a masonry foundation; all the rest of the stones are set in relation to it.  In quoting from the Psalm,  Jesus is telling the religious leadership to align themselves with Him.   What is the prophetic function in our world today?  This is an important question to ask ourselves.  The world seems to be filled with people who somehow proclaim they are servants of God, that their message and work comes from God.  We can see it all around us, and even in some of the more horrific forms of violence we see in the headlines.  So what is a true servant of God?  How do we know that we serve the "chief cornerstone"?  In a time when there is so much confusion and conflict, it is essential that we find ourselves in prayer.  Repentance and self-examination are important themes of Lent.  It is right to place ourselves before God in prayer, and seek to discern God's will for us, to dedicate our hearts to what is truly good.  It is a time to recollect ourselves as we prepare for Easter and consider His Passion.  In this light, we understand that the events of this world don't necessarily convey to us the full picture.  We need God's help and grace to see through the confusion and misleading narratives we may be given by the events of the world and by those who would use faith for their own purposes.   Let us align ourselves with the chief cornerstone; let us find His love in our hearts and give ourselves to prayer for discernment and for the work of the Holy Spirit.  Let us pray for the spiritual ears to hear, and the humility to accept the message.