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.  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 vine-dressers 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 it happened on one of those days, as He taught the people in the temple and preached the gospel, that 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.  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 vine-dressers and give the vineyard to others."    My study bible says that in this parable, 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.  Each servant sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God.  The beloved son is, of course, Christ Himself.  When the Son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed, the parable is understood on two levels.  First, that Jesus was killed outside of Jerusalem (the site of Golgotha was outside of the city walls of the time); and second, that Christ was crucified by foreign soldiers, and not by those of His own vineyard.  The others who later receive the vineyard are people from every nation brought into the Church.

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.  The stone is Christ.  We are reminded of Christ's saying, "He who is not with Me is against Me, and he who does not gather with Me scatters" (11:23).    According to St. John Chrysostom, the stone in this saying is Christ, and it illustrates two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the effects of their own sins while yet in this life.  Those upon whom the stone falls are unrepentant people who become powder in the final judgment.

If we start to think about this scene in the temple, we find ourselves in the middle of a swirl of mixed motivations and all kinds of interpretations of what is being said.  The leadership, we are told, clearly want to lay hands on Him.  But they fear the people, as in Saturday's reading, when they refused to give Christ an answer regarding the authority of the baptism of John the Baptist.  Their real motivation is a protection of their authority in the temple, and here is Christ, who comes with His truth -- not only the truth of what it is He teaches, but also the truth of His Person, His identity as Christ.  There is nothing that the leadership can do about that.  Jesus cannot pretend that He is not here to be who He is, that He is not in the world for a purpose and a reason.  This is the time for the inevitable conflict that exists simply because He is who He is, and they are not.  This is what the parable illustrates.  There is a rightful and authoritative owner of the vineyard, and there is the son and heir.  The servants have been done away with, and the son is plotted against to kill.  Those who want ownership will do whatever they can to retain what they think they have.  This is not a story -- when viewed in this historical context -- about a conflict between those who would vie for a piece of property, like kings or empires struggling over colonies and ownership of goods.  This is a story about hearts and minds and souls, for the vineyard is the vineyard of Israel, God's people.  Jesus will teach, "My sheep hear My voice, and I know them, and they follow Me" (John 10:27).  The Son is the Son; the Shepherd is the Shepherd.  We are either going to accept this truth, or we will rail and fight against it.  This is not really a story of power or ownership.  Those who can see only material power do not understand the love and care of God, nor recognize the voice of Christ the Shepherd.  Because that true authority is not a matter of decree or even of enforcement.  It is really a matter of love.  The one reason the sheep hear the voice of Christ is because they recognize it through love; that voice is the one that loves and cares for the sheep beyond all others who would call.  Jesus says, "The thief does not come except to steal, and to kill, and to destroy. I have come that they may have life, and that they may have it more abundantly" (John 10:10).  This is the clue to the recognition of our Shepherd.   There is also another traditional way to view Jesus' saying about the stone, and that is to understand that we are fortunate when we stumble over it.  For we might have all kinds of notions about the "right" way to live our lives.  If we are caught up in the material perspective that says we need excessive control, manipulation, selfishness, and ruthlessness to get what we want and decide what we deserve in life, then we are fortunate if somehow those plans fall through and fail -- and we can realize that we have stumbled.  But to live an entire life without looking twice at, say, excessively cruel or selfish behavior, is to go to one's death without reconciliation in love and the fullness of the soul that Christ offers.  And there we touch upon another question of identity.  The metaphor of being ground to powder is one that illustrates what it is not simply to lose life, but to lose identity -- to become as if one never existed.  This is the illustration of the true nature of the loss of eternal life; it is a picture of oblivion, of being lost forever, of a place in which there is no trace of the self, no memory.  So in the fullness of the aspects of the teachings in today's reading lie many questions about identity.  What is the proper role of the leadership in the temple?  How should they care for the sheep, the vineyard, all the metaphors of God's people?  How must they defer to God in their capacity to accept Christ?  What is the identity of the Son?  For that matter, what was the identity of John the Baptist (the question in yesterday's reading) -- in what role did he serve God?  Who was he, really?  Finally, in relation to that stone that becomes the chief cornerstone, who are we?  What's our role, our identity?  Everything comes down to this, and it begins with the first and greatest commandment, the love of God with all one's heart and soul and mind and strength -- and depending upon how we fulfill this commandment we are capable of loving neighbor as ourselves.  Illustrated in the saying about the stone, Jesus teaches that our orientation to God determines identity, and also the loss of true identity.  These leaders will lose what they have for they fail to honor the One who sends Christ, who comes in humility and love.  And this is the place where we have to start, each day, within ourselves.  Could we recognize this love?  Would we be capable of knowing His authority in this humble person with no position, and yet with the words of life and a kind of internal authority we can't quite put our finger upon?  This is the reality of Christ.  He is here and now for us.  Great monuments, institutions, nations, and even the world's religions all recognize or honor Him on one level or another, with one identity or another.  But can we hear His voice, really?  Are we the sheep who know Him by His love and care?  This is the true root of the trust we place in Him and the authority that is in Him, for He loves us first.

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 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

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 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'?"   My study bible explains the parable in the following way:  The man represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leaders of the Jews, to whom Christ is speaking, who are entrusted to care for the people.   Each servant in the parable who is sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God.  The beloved son refers to Christ Himself.   When the Son is killed and cast out of the vineyard, it is understood on two levels:  first, that Jesus was killed outside of Jerusalem (Golgotha was outside of the city gates in Christ's time), and secondly that Christ was crucified by foreign soldiers, not by those of His own vineyard.  The others to whom the vineyard will be given are the Gentiles brought into the Church.  Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22-23.

Perhaps the most striking thing about this parable as told by Jesus is what we would call today the "entitlement" of the vinedressers.  Their own outlook is through such a materially-oriented lens that they can't see anything but this property -- and it is most decidedly simply looked upon as property.  That is, not something to care for, not something to steward well, but something to own, to possess, and to selfishly exploit singularly for personal gain.  All in all, a pretty unimaginative sort of outlook that only understands the material and nothing more.  There is not even a sense here of cultivating the property for the future, merely a sense of possession.  But the parable goes beyond  mere possession and into entitlement:  they forget altogether that it is not theirs to claim ownership of.  It belongs to the landowner who leased it to them.  So limited is the vision of those who lease this vineyard that they can only focus on what is in their hands.  They decide to ignore the fact that it is the owner of the land who actually planted the vineyard, set a hedge around it, dug a place for the wine vat and built a tower -- thus making the property worth something in the first place.   All they can think about is the value that they have in their own hands.   They have no respect for the person who is the owner of the property, who did the work and investment, who leased it to them.  And there is really the sense of entitlement, and where such a commonly found modern problem lies:  the pure focus on the material, and the selfishness engendered by such a perspective.  There is no room for relationship to anything:  not to the land itself, to the crop and its growth, to the investment in the land, and to the one who did all the work and leased the property to them.  There is no regard for the servants of the owner, nor for the son.  A purely material outlook does not respect the values that exist beyond this perspective.  There is no sense of the good except how one is materially and immediately profited.  All of this is entirely in contrast to the goodness of the vineyard, the goodness of faith, the goodness that God wants us to understand about our lives.  When we forget where we come from, we lose sight of the great gifts we have -- the fact that they are gifts at all, and that there is a Giver.  What are the fruits the vineyard owner wants?  God asks us for fruits of the spirit.  That is, things which are intangible, beyond material, which infuse all of life on every level and give us meanings and motivations in the world.  We could consider the material something that exists to give these realities manifestation and expression.  St. Paul names such fruits as "love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control" (Galatians 5:22-23).  These are the things which Christ has asked us to cultivate throughout His ministry.  They are the true aims of faithfulness.  All the "activism" in the world is not going to replace the internal work necessary for such fruits, the action of the Holy Spirit, the love of Christ, and regard for the Father that brings these fruits into being through experience and transcendence.  They are the things that must come first, because without them any form of fixing up the world, so to speak, falls flat and fails because vision is so limited and motivation is false.  The best plans fail to produce the goodness of the true fruits.  Let us bear in mind Jesus' condemnation of the religious hypocrisy that also falls into this category (Matthew 23:13-39); His warnings apply to all of us today.  The prophets come to call people back to God, over and over again.  And we note that the parable gives us the Son as the final One who is sent in that holy lineage of servants.  What do you have to give Him?

The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone

"Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country. Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them. Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him. Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?" They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures:

'The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief cornerstone.

This was the LORD's doing,

And it is marvelous in our eyes'?

"Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder."

Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet.

- Matthew 21:33-46

In yesterday's reading, Jesus was confronted in the temple by the chief priests and elders, after He had cleansed the temple the day before - driving out those who bought and sold and overturning the tables of the money changers and the seats of those who sold doves. They asked Him, "By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority?" But Jesus answered and said to them, "I also will ask you one thing, which if you tell Me, I likewise will tell you by what authority I do these things: The baptism of John -- where was it from? From heaven or from men?" The leadership worried that if they said it was from men, then the crowd would be angry as the people thought John to be a prophet, but if they admitted it was from heaven then Jesus would ask why they didn't believe John. So they told Jesus, "We do not know." So Jesus replied, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things." Jesus then told a parable: A man had two sons. He told them both to go work in his vineyard. One said he wouldn't go, but then changed his mind and went anyway. The other said he would go, but then did not do so. Jesus asked, "Which of the two did the will of his father?" They said to Him, "The first." Jesus said to them, "Assuredly, I say to you that tax collectors and harlots enter the kingdom of God before you. For John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but tax collectors and harlots believed him; and when you saw it, you did not afterward relent and believe him."

"Hear another parable: There was a certain landowner who planted a vineyard and set a hedge around it, dug a winepress in it and built a tower. And he leased it to vinedressers and went into a far country." My study bible says that God the Father is the landowner who planted a vineyard, and the tenant vinedressers are the religious leaders entrusted with the care of God's people. If we think of this parable in this way, it seems that God is far from us: but we have those among us in whom is our religious care, the care of the word of God. To produce fruits and to make good wine is therefore the sign of Covenant, as indeed wine is used symbolically both since ancient times at wedding feasts, and in our Eucharist.

"Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedressers, that they might receive its fruit. And the vinedressers took his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. Again he sent other servants, more than the first, and they did likewise to them." What is the fruit of this vine, this tender planting and care? My study bible says, "The landowner's servants are the prophets, sent by God to proclaim His word. For instead of tending the vineyard, the vinedressers had devoured it." Later, in chapter 23, Jesus will name the prophets He will send in His name and also the ancient prophets and innocent killed by the leadership of their own time, beginning from Abel to Zechariah "whom you murdered between the temple and the altar." In this parable of the vineyard, it is the Garden God planted in the world for mankind, and yet those who are to have tended it have wanted it all for themselves, so that they don't truly serve the word of God for all people.

"Then last of all he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' But when the vinedressers saw the son, they said among themselves, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and seize his inheritance.' So they took him and cast him out of the vineyard and killed him." Here, Jesus refers to His own death and what is to come. Jesus comes bearing a New Covenant, calling His people. The sending of the Son is an act of mercy, another "wake up call" (as we have discussed in the previous two readings). But can those who have been used to violence and manipulation, all throughout history as the way of the greedy, really listen to the One who calls them to order - although they have abused the prophets who come in His name?

"Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vinedressers?" They said to Him, "He will destroy those wicked men miserably, and lease his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons." The leadership answers the question reasonably -- not understanding that Jesus had told the parable against them.

Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the Scriptures: 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This was the LORD's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes'? Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder." The quotation is from Psalm 118, and my study bible also refers us to Isaiah 28. Again, as in the earlier reading in which Jesus was welcomed to Jerusalem as Messiah, we note the quotation is from Psalm 118, which was recited at the Feast of Tabernacles, which celebrated the coming Kingdom. With the coming of this Kingdom also comes Judgment, the new reality in which "justice is the measuring line, and righteousness the plummet." Isaiah's words echo the condemnation of violence and lies, a covenant with death, to which Jesus' parable alludes -- and also to the formation of a New Covenant established with God's people.

Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet. Once again, fear and death are at work in the ways in which they hear, and the ways in which they turn to be at work to rid themselves of Jesus. The "wake up call" isn't heeded, change of mind is not possible where the willingness to reconsider doesn't happen. It's not the fear of God, nor the opinion of God that counts, it's their fear for their places of authority, and the crowds that might react.

With Jesus' parable I think we are to understand something about this Kingdom He is bringing into the world. We have said (agreeing with the interpretation of my study bible) that Jesus' Triumphal Entry into Jerusalem isn't just about Him being welcomed as Messiah 2,000 years ago, but the inauguration of a Kingdom that is also heavenly, an entry (as my study bible put it) into the "celestial Jerusalem." As such, time and space have different properties in this Kingdom in addition to our worldly ones. The inauguration of this Kingdom, in today's parable by Jesus, is also an inauguration of an age which will culminate in Judgment, in which the measuring line and plummet of justice and righteousness are that of the Holy Spirit, sent to all the world to prove out all things. As such, this parable and its warning is for all of us. As is the case so often, Scripture speaks both to the specific and even the historical -- in this case, to the leadership standing before Jesus in the temple in Jerusalem at that time, and yet also in a timeless sense to all of us. I think especially it speaks to those of us who believe we are a part of this New Covenant. We must be ever-aware that our concern is with the opinion of God, with that measuring line of justice and the plummet of righteousness -- and most especially to the work of the Spirit among us and with us. Reconsideration and "wake up calls" certainly applied to the visitation of the Son to this world, the Garden given us by God. But they also apply in each of our lives, and they are at work among us even so as we remain within this age which He inaugurated of the coming of the Kingdom. The work of the vinedressers, and the fruit of the vine, remain the things we mustn't forget. This is the covenant of life in abundance, which defeats death.