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 may 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

Yesterday we read that 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 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 may 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.  My study bible says that in this parable, the man who plants the vineyard represents God the Father.  The vineyard is God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders, especially the religious leaders, who are entrusted to care for the people, and especially their right-relationship to God.  Each servant who is sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back into proper relationship to God, while the son, his beloved, is a reference to Christ Himself.  When the son is killed, and cast . . . out of the vineyard, my study bible says this is understood on two levels:  Jesus was killed outside Jerusalem, and He was crucified by foreign soldiers, not those of His own vineyard.  The others to whom the vineyard will be given are the Gentiles who are brought into the Church.  

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 quotes from Psalm 118:22-23.  This is the same psalm from which the people shouted as they welcomed Christ into Jerusalem at the Triumphal Entry, just days before this encounter (see Psalm 118:26, Mark 11:9).

In the Gospels of Matthew and Luke, Jesus adds something to this quotation from Psalm 118:  "And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder" (Matthew 21:44, Luke 20:18).  My study bible adds an important comment on this passage, that when we are broken through stumbling, we still have a chance to repent through suffering the consequences of sin.  But those on whom the stone falls are those without repentance in life.  With or without this additional passage, we should understand that Jesus is not condemning, but still seeking to warn the religious leaders of Israel.  That is, there is time to repent and to change, time to at least hear what Christ has to say before they plot to have Him crucified.  We need to hear this parable and this warning, I believe, on such terms, as Christ asserts the truth through a parable.  They will either hear it and understand and accept, or they will not.  As we have observed in yesterday's reading and commentary, faith is an affair of the heart, and even God does not force the heart to return love or to practice faith.  In our own free will, we, too, may stumble over that stone, or lead the kind of life which tempts its fall upon us, never reconsidering, never looking back, never accepting that we could possibly be mistaken in our outlook or perspective on our lives.  Let us consider for today the need to turn back to God in our hearts.  This is not simply about a nominal change in public policy such as of the leaders of the country.  This is not about public pronouncements.  But it is an affair of the heart, the center of a person, where our souls and spirits connect deeply to who we are in every respect.  It is there that we either reject or accept God, or hear the voice that calls us back to a kind of change that will set us in good stead in relationship to God.  These religious leaders Jesus has widely called hypocrites.  In chapter 7, He told them, "Well did Isaiah prophesy of you hypocrites, as it is written:  'This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far from Me.  And in vain they worship Me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men'" (Mark 7:6-7).   This is not about a nominal obedience to God, seen on the outside or for show to others.  We, like these particular religious leaders Jesus addresses, can honor God with our lips, while our heart is far from God.  At this time while we are all under some sort of stay-at-home policy during the coronavirus pandemic, and for so many of us we are unable to attend the services of Holy Week (this week in the West, and next week for the Eastern Orthodox), let us consider where God is found and where our right-relatedness to God really rests.  Our churches are all cooperating with civic authorities for a true Christian reason:  we sacrifice at this time so that we protect all, thus acting on behalf of all and "for the life of the world," just as the Son was sent and gave His life for the same reason.  But while we are at home, it is the perfect time to renew our commitment in the heart, where Christ and the Father and the Holy Spirit dwell with us (John 14:15-31).  It is the perfect circumstance under which to seek to take on a renewed depth of communion with God, as we may put into practice prayer services at home each day of Holy Week.  We may also participate on line, and we may make this strongest and greatest of commitments to which Christ calls us with all His words and teachings.  Let us remember that Jesus was asked (later on in Holy Week) what the greatest commandment was, and He responded with the following:  "The first of all the commandments is: 'Hear, O Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. And you shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, with all your mind, and with all your strength. This is the first commandment.  And the second, like it, is this: 'You shall love your neighbor as yourself.' There is no other commandment greater than these" (Mark 12:29-31).  There may perhaps be no greater opportunity than this Holy Week to put Jesus' words into practice, to seek to cultivate the love of God with all our heart, all our soul, all our mind, and all our strength.  And to love neighbor as oneself is to continue cooperatively at this time to protect the life of an entire community through our willing sacrifice.  At this time, we can learn to practice our own prayers at home more frequently, giving it more time.  We may diversify and learn new ways to pray, including contemplative prayer, or varied small services we may do at home.  And, of course, all of our churches are offering the greatest possible expansion of participation on-line, to an extent unknown before now.  Let us remember where Christ calls us:  to a depth of the heart, the capacity of always turning back to God, moving forward in discipleship, open to correction and the deepening of our faith.  There may never be a better opportunity in our lifetimes than now to do just that which He asks.  There may never be a better illustration of the truth that all things work together for good to those who love God, to those who are called according to God's purpose (Romans 8:28) -- for this is indeed the light of our faith revealed to us now.  Now more than ever, our "Chief Cornerstone" calls us to practice what He teaches us.