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"?

 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 to 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'?"

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 that the day after Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem, when they had come out from Bethany where they had stayed night, He was hungry.  And seeing from afar a fig tree having leaves, He went to see if perhaps He would find something on it.  When He came to it, He found nothing but leaves, for it was not the season for figs.  In response Jesus said to it, "Let no one eat fruit from you ever again."  And His disciples heard it.  So they came to Jerusalem.  Then Jesus went into the temple and began to drive out those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  And He would not allow anyone to carry wares through the temple.  Then He taught, saying to them, "Is it not written, 'My house shall be called a house of prayer for all nations'?  But you have made it a 'den of thieves.'"  And the scribes and chief priests heard it and sought how they might destroy Him; for they feared Him, because all the people were astonished at His teaching.  When evening had come, He went out of the city.  Now in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up from the roots.  And Peter, remembering, said to Him, "Rabbi, look!  The fig tree which You cursed has withered away."  So Jesus answered and said to them, "Have faith in God.  For assuredly, I say to you, whoever says to this mountain, 'Be removed and be cast into the sea,' and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that those things he says will be done, he will have whatever he says.  Therefore I say to you, whatever things you ask when you pray, believe that you receive them, and you will have them.  And whenever you stand praying, if you have anything against anyone, forgive him, that your Father in heaven may also forgive you your trespasses.  But if you do not forgive, neither will your Father in heaven forgive your trespasses."

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." As we read yesterday, Jesus has just cleansed the temple -- He drove out  those who bought and sold in the temple, and overturned the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves.  The chief priests, the scribes, and the elders come to Him as He walks in the temple the following day.  We remember this is Passover Week, and it is the practice for pilgrims who've come for the feast to be at the temple.  These men are religious authorities, responsible for regulating and performing the practices of the temple.  Since Jesus is not a Levitical priest, they challenge His authority to cleanse the temple.  My study bible notes that Jesus is always careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers.  As such, He confounds them with a different question about John.  The question posed by the elders' and the question posed by Christ require the same answer, that both are from heaven.   It would amount to a confession of faith in Christ.  My study bible says that by not answering these men directly, Christ teaches us not to answer people who come asking about holy things with a malicious intent.

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 to 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."   Earlier in Mark's Gospel, Jesus has told the disciples, "To you it has been given to know the mystery of the kingdom of God; but to those who are outside, all things come in parables" (see Mark 4:11-12).  Here Jesus gives the unbelieving chief priests, scribes, and elders a parable.  In it, the man who owns the vineyard represents God the Father.  The vineyard represents God's people, Israel.  The vinedressers are the religious leaders who are entrusted to care for the people.  Each servant sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God.  The beloved son is Christ Himself.  The others to whom the vineyard will be given are the Gentiles who will be brought into the Church.  As they seek to cast out Christ the beloved Son, so will they be cast out.

"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'?"  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 quotes from Psalm 118:22-23.   This is the Psalm that tells of the coming Kingdom, ironically the one from which the people shouted verses welcoming Jesus to Jerusalem as King (118:25-26, see Monday's reading).  He affirms through the words of the Psalm that the One who is rejected ("cast out," above) will become the chief cornerstone.

We must admire Jesus' toughness.  This is the kind of toughness that doesn't come from physical power and might, but rather from faith.  It is the courage of One who stands in the truth, who loves the truth.  Jesus tells us, in fact, that He is the truth:  "I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me" (John 14:6).  He will not reveal Himself openly to those who scoff.  But nevertheless the parable tells the story, and these men recognize that He speaks of them as the wicked vinedressers.  Earlier in the reading, He refuses to directly answer their question, but asks instead a question of His own, which they can't answer.  Jesus' "toughness" is that of an expert witness, One who testifies for a cause.  He knows what He is about.  He does not bend the truth and does not stretch His words into territory extraneous to His message and His focus.  He gives us an example of what good testimony really is and means.  He stays focused on the message, and He does not expose Himself to those whose only concern is to ridicule, condemn, and tear down.  He shows us also that He knows full well what is in the hearts of these leaders who find Him inconvenient, questioning their authority, not a part of their own circle.  He doesn't suffer fools and He doesn't waste words.  We recall that in front of Pilate He will say nothing.  Neither will He testify before the Sanhedrin.  Where there is no one to hear who may truly "hear," He does not bother to speak.  This is also witnessing, a testimony to the falseness of those who demand His answers.  Can we understand Him?  Can we be like Him?  Let us remember there are those who hear Him speak in the temple who are also witnesses, who have given us His testimony written for us to read in the Gospels.  So it is with our faith and our own witness.  We never know who may be listening, we are always in community.  Let us remember His brilliant example for us.