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 vinedresers, 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 

 

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, referring to the cleansing of the temple, "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?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, I go, sir,' but he did not go.  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.  Now when vintage-time drew near, he sent his servants to the vinedresers, 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?"  My study Bible explains 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 (to whom Jesus tells the parable), who are entrusted to care for the people.  Each servant who is sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet coming to call the people back to God, while the beloved son is Christ Himself.  When the Son is cast out of the vineyard and killed, it's understood on two levels, according to my study Bible.  First, that Jesus was killed outside Jerusalem (Golgotha at that time was outside of the city walls); and second, that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers, not by those of His own "vineyard."  

 

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."   Note how these religious leaders once again convict themselves, as in yesterday's reading in their answer to the parable of the "two sons" (see above).  They are correct in naming the other vinedressers, who are the faithful among the Gentiles.

 

 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.  Jesus quotes from Psalm 118:22-23.  My study Bible comments that this stone is Christ.  According to St. John Chrysostom, it adds, this saying illustrates the two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the consequences of their sins while still in this life, but those upon whom the stone falls are the unrepentant who suffer utter destruction in the final judgment. 

 

 In the letters of both St. Paul and St. Peter there is reference to Christ as this stone mentioned in today's reading.  Perhaps of particular importance is the fact that in each case, the saints refer to Christ as both stumbling block and rock of offense.  Both saints quote from Old Testament Scripture to teach this lesson also noted in the commentary by St. John Chrysostom cited above.  St. Paul quotes, "Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense, and whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."  St. Peter writes, "Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, 'The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,' and 'A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.' They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed."  See Romans 9:32-33; 1 Peter 2:6-8; Isaiah 8:14-15, 28:16.  So the "two ways" cited by St. John Chrysostom are found in the earliest years of the Church, and directly from the apostles.  How are we to understand this in a modern context, in which the weight of the words of Christ fails to impact many people?  Let us understand the prophetic reality of what He is saying here.  These religious leaders (if we pay careful attention to the parable) are the inheritors of the spiritual history of Israel.  They are the last in a very long line of leaders of Israel who reject the word of the prophets that are sent to them.  We may read, for instance about the prophet Amos, who lived in the 8th century before Christ.  According to my study Bible, his were the first prophecies to be written down, and he was the first prophet to proclaim the end of God's covenant with Israel because of stubborn unrepentance, oppression of the poor, and other sins of passion.  Israel had grown wealthy at this time from control of trade routes.  He preached repentance in warning the king and the people.  But the priests, tired of his prophecies, clubbed him to death.  So the setting here is important, as is Christ's parable; it tells us of things these men know very well as the religious leaders and stewards of the people. In fact, in chapter 23, Jesus will speak to the hypocrisy of the scribes and Pharisees, saying, "Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and adorn the monuments of the righteous, and say, 'If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets.' Therefore you are witnesses against yourselves that you are sons of those who murdered the prophets. Fill up, then, the measure of your fathers'guilt" (Matthew 23:29-32).  Adding to this, He further prophesies their future persecution of the Christian "prophets, wise men, and scribes."  It tells us of a whole history, a pattern, a "filling up," in Jesus' language, of the fullness of intentions and behaviors borne out by a refusal to honor and fulfill covenant. So let us consider this in a current setting, in which there is no state religion within modern democracies.  It seems that, first of all, we who call ourselves Christians do indeed have a responsibility to uphold, nevertheless, not simply the tenets of our declared faith, but also the courage of what it means to bear covenant and particularly to pay attention to the promptings of God in our spiritual lives.  It means that when we preach Christ crucified we bear witness to something more powerful than mere words and theories, for we carry with us the Spirit promised by Christ, and we owe an allegiance to God's calling for us.  It means that those of us who live among any society in which we hold ourselves to a particular faith bear responsibility for living that faith, and being a light even to those who may reject it for themselves (Matthew 5:16).  But let us not doubt the power of that stone, for this is embedded in the words of Christ in today's reading, and there can be no doubt about His intent and the serious nature of His warnings.  He remains for all the world both a stumbling block and an offense, and a stone that some reject.  But He is for us the chief cornerstone, and His truth we cannot deny, for it is a wisdom to be cherished. 

     

 

 

 

The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, "See here!" or "See there!" For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you

 

Christ Pantocrator (Almighty) icon, 6th century.  St. Catherine's monastery, Sinai, Egypt

 

 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."  

 

Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation.

 

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  

 

"In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left.  And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."

 

- Luke 17:20–37 

 

Yesterday we read that it happened as He went to Jerusalem that He passed through the midst of Samaria and Galilee.  Then as He entered a certain village, there met Him ten men who were lepers, who stood afar off.  And they lifted up their voices and said, "Jesus, Master, have mercy on us!"  So when He saw them, He said to them, "Go, show yourselves to the priests."  And so it was that as they went, they were cleansed.  And one of them, when he saw that he was healed, returned, and with a loud voice glorified God, and fell down on his face at His feet, giving Him thanks.  And he was a Samaritan.  So Jesus answered and said, "Were there not ten cleansed?  But where are the nine?  Were there not any found who returned to give glory to God except this foreigner?"  And He said to him, "Arise, go your way.  Your faith has made you well."

 

 Now when He was asked by the Pharisees when the kingdom of God would come, He answered them and said, "The kingdom of God does not come with observation; nor will they say, 'See here!' or 'See there!'  For indeed, the kingdom of God is within you."    My study Bible explains that the kingdom of God is a spiritual reality present within the Christian believer and within the community of the Church.  Within you can also be translated "among you" or "in your midst."  The varied shades of meaning in the words of the Gospel are important; they are to be held and considered at the same time.  

Then He said to the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of Man, and you will not see it.  And they will say to you, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!'  Do not go after them or follow them.  For as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven, so also the Son of Man will be in His day.  But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation."    The coming of Christ will not be something that is hidden, or divulged only to a few.  It will be as the lightning that flashes out of one part under heaven shines to the other part under heaven; that is, it will be known to all immediately.  But first Christ's Passion must take place, His suffering and rejection on the Cross.

"And as it was in the days of Noah, so it will be also in the days of the Son of Man:  They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given in marriage, until the day that Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise as it was also in the days of Lot:  They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted, they built; but on the day that Lot went out of Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all.  Even so will it be in the day when the Son of Man is revealed."  My study Bible comments on this passage that the warning not to be preoccupied with worldly matters applies both to believers and to parishes. 

 

 "In that day, he who is on the housetop, and his goods are in the house, let him not come down to take them away.  And likewise the one who is in the field, let him not turn back.  Remember Lot's wife.  Whoever seeks to save his life will lose it, and whoever loses his life will preserve it.  I tell you, in that night there will be two men in one bed:  the one will be taken and the other will be left.  Two women will be grinding together:  the one will be taken and the other left.  Two men will be in the field:  the one will be taken and the other left."  My study Bible notes that Christ's second coming will entail a sudden revelation of judgment.  It says that one will be taken to heaven and the other left for eternal condemnation.  The separation of the saints from the wicked will happen on "the day when the Son of Man is revealed" and not, as some speculate today, at an event that occurs before His return. 

 

And they answered and said to Him, "Where, Lord?"  So He said to them, "Wherever the body is, there the eagles will be gathered together."  My study Bible says that the body refers to Christ, while the eagles refer to the angels and the saints.  

 

Today's reading begins with the theme of the kingdom of God, with the Pharisees asking when it would come.  Christ's gospel has been the gospel of the Kingdom, His preaching saying that the kingdom of God has come near.   But the nature of this Kingdom is significant, and Jesus teaches the Pharisees that it is within (or among) people.  Note that this works on both a communal and individual level.  But then Jesus takes that question to a new perspective when He addresses the disciples, and begins to speak about what we call "end times."  This is important, in that it is at that time that the fullness of the Kingdom, even the fullness of the present age, occurs.  That time, that fulfillment of the present age, comes when Christ returns, at His Second Coming, and in that time -- importantly -- will also occur a sudden revelation of judgment, in the words of my study Bible.  It is for that sudden revelation that He wants us, His disciples, to be prepared at all times.  From the picture Christ gives of the fullness of this time, it is understood that we are in "end times" now; this is the era initiated by the Incarnation.  As we await Christ's return -- even in that sudden sense which He describes as a flash of lightning which shines from one end of the sky to the other -- we await the fullness of this age of the "end times."   This happens at the return of the Son of Man, and that is truly when His authority will be clear to all.   It is most telling that He says then, "But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation."  For what this does is set the Cross at the very center of the history of the world, in between all that has come before, and all that will come until this fullness of the end, when judgment will be revealed and life in this world as we know it will shift absolutely to a different type of life altogether.  The way that Jesus adds this assertion is not only to warn the disciples about the shocking events to come, but to place the Cross fully at the center of everything.  It tells us how absolutely necessary Christ's Cross -- His Passion, death, and Resurrection -- is to all the fullness of time and of life in this world.  Also, it tells of the necessity of these events for judgment, for without them He will not be given the fullness of the throne which is His.  In Greek, this position on His throne in the Kingdom is that of the Pantocrator, the "Almighty."  (See the icon above, and the two sides of Christ's face, reflecting His human life and divine.)  And the Cross is also at the very center of that identity, the requirement that in His obedience to the Father, Jesus, our Lord and divine Son, will also experience everything there is of human life, and even human death.  He will be all in all.  In the Creed, we declare that we "look to the resurrection of the dead, and the life of the age to come."  Let us understand all that we have been given, the love that drives Christ to the fullness of His Incarnation for us, and the judgment that is to come as He brings to us the Holy Spirit at work in the world until His return.  For the kingdom of God is within us, among us, the Holy Spirit everywhere present and filling all things. 

 

 

 

 

 

 

This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours

 

 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 12:1-11 

 

Yesterday we read that Jesus and the disciples again came again to Jerusalem, the day after He had cleansed the temple.  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."  My study Bible comments that in this parable, the man who planted the vineyard 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 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 cast out of the vineyard to be killed, my study Bible says, this is understood on two different levels.  First, that Jesus was killed outside of Jerusalem (Golgotha, the place of crucifixion, was outside of the old city gates).  Second, that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers, and not by those of His own "vineyard."  The others to whom the vineyard will later be given are the Gentiles 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'?" 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.  It is the same Psalm from which the people shouted as Jesus entered into Jerusalem (Psalm 118:25-26), with the verses repeated on the eighth day of the Feast of Tabernacles, also known as the Feast of the Coming Kingdom.  My study Bible comments here that the stone is Christ.  

That Jesus quotes from Psalm 118, a Psalm significant for the Feast of Tabernacles, and from which the people shouted as they welcome Christ into Jerusalem as Messiah, is highly significant to the chief priests, the scribes, and elders to whom He speaks.  They know, the text tells us, that He has spoken this parable against them.  As they have just questioned His authority to cleanse the temple, Jesus is now clearly speaking of the power of His true authority, the heavenly authority to which He pointed in asking them about the authority of John to baptize (in yesterday's reading, see above).  Jesus' parable explains the stark and absolute power of God to work in the world, and puts it into the context of the entirety of the Old Testament and the work of the prophets who came before John the Baptist.  "The stone" who becomes the "chief cornerstone" has the power and authority to crush and to destroy.  Indeed, elsewhere Jesus adds, "Whoever falls on that stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder" (Luke 20:18).  Jesus is reminding these religious leaders that God the Father, the vineyard owner and planter of the vineyard, expects particularly of them a kind of return for their work as those who tend the vineyard, the people of God, or Israel.  But the parable illustrates something essential for us today, as faithful believers.  Not only do we have to keep in mind our own attitude of dependency and gratitude to God, of turning to God the Father so that we know how best to steward ourselves and our world and build our lives in the image He desires, but we have to understand that we are not the true "owners" or possessors of this vineyard.  When it comes to the Church, and the spiritual truths that came through Judaism and are given to us through the Incarnation of Christ and the Church in the world, these things are actually possessed by none of us.  Although our spiritual lives, and the truths and history of the saints and our faith are all passed down to us as treasure, as pearls of great price, or gems, these are things that none of us actually possess.  We are rather stewards of these things, bound like the vinedressers to cultivate the vineyard's beauty and productivity.  Nobody "owns" spiritual treasure, so that it can be used as a possession, altered in appearance to please a false owner, or used for purposes at odds with the true owner.  None of us "owns" the Church, and none is authorized to use the Church for our own selfishly-directed purposes.  But in this parable, Jesus says that the vinedressers plot to do just that, to kill the Son so that they might get their hands on the vineyard and take its profit and its goods solely for themselves.  We, today, are given a lesson in true ownership, the proper attitude toward our lives and all that we are given to make of ourselves, our lives, our Church in the world.  We are stewards of the things we only appear to possess, and as such we have a responsibility to the true owner and planter of this beautiful vineyard.  That translates into a duty of gratitude, of cherishing what we have for its true worth, so that we live and cultivate our lives and all of our resources in the ways in which God would teach us and guide us to do.  This gives us a true picture of the reality of our lives, and when we fail to understand our position in the cosmos as those who are given great gifts (even of our lives and resources) and who are at the same time responsible for their good stewardship, this sets us aright in terms of our disposition and outlook on life and what we do in our lives, and with our resources.  The treasures we're given, especially the spiritual blessings in the Church, are just that:  they are treasures.  But they are also extended in meaning and potency far beyond a self-centered attitude that would lock them up and exploit them for personal gain.  They are the treasures of a cosmos, meant for all posterity, for a creation far beyond what we know and understand -- and this should be our awareness in our lives.  We don't know who will benefit from our prayer, and lives lived in obedience to the goodness, truth, and beauty of God.  We don't know the reach of the blessings we are capable of building up through our own good stewardship of life we're given, and treasures we're meant to expand upon and build up, even as they bless our lives.  But we do know we have a loving Father who has sent His Son to be one of us, to help us and nurture us and set us in the right direction, to be there when we call, to hear our prayer.  It's up to us to make of our lives something beautiful and nurturing and good, something true and blessed with meaning -- or to squander what we're given with a selfish attitude that understands nothing of our capacity for building the vineyard and being stewards of its beauty and truth.

 

 

 

 

By what authority are You doing these things? And who gave You this authority to do these things?

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 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, 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, 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."  Here is the important question for the religious authorities, the one that they have asked Christ numerous times already -- but it is especially pertinent here in Jerusalem, the day after Jesus has cleansed the temple (see yesterday's reading, above):  "By what authority are You doing these things?  And who gave You this authority to do these things?"   Everything hinges, for them, on questions of this authority.  My study bible remarks that since Christ is not a Levitical priest, the chief priests, scribes, and elders challenge His authority to cleanse the temple.  It notes that as He is careful not to reveal Himself to scoffers, Jesus stumps them with a different question of His own, about the baptism of John the Baptist.  Both Jesus' question and the one posed by the religious leaders command the same answer -- therefore it would lead a person to confess that Christ has come from heaven, and His authority derives from there.  It's interesting for us to note how the religious leaders fear the people, as John was widely revered as a holy man.  Let us contrast John's fearless criticism of King Herod and his unlawful marriage to Herodias with the behavior here of the religious leaders, who are afraid of the people.  My study bible suggests that by not answering the chief priests, scribes, and elders 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 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, 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 explains that in this parable, the man represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are those leaders who are entrusted to care for the people.  Each servant who is sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God, and the son refers to Christ Himself.  When the Son is killed and cast out of the vineyard, interpretation understands this on at least two levels:  first, that Jesus was killed outside of Jerusalem (at Golgotha, which was at that time outside the city walls), and second, that He was crucified by foreign soldiers, and not by those of His own vineyard.  The others who later receive the vineyard are the Gentiles, brought from all over the world 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'? "  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.  The stone is Christ, and the text clearly tells us that the leaders have understood that He has spoken the parable of the vinedressers against them -- and so does the crowd, whom they fear.

Questions about authority have been all-important throughout Christ's ministry.  They have been most important to those "in authority."  How does Jesus have the right to speak with authority when He teaches (as in this reading)?  How does He have the authority to cleanse the temple (see yesterday's reading, above)?   Where does He get this authority that the people recognize when they received Him into Jerusalem waving branches, and chanting the verses fit for the coming of God's promised Kingdom (in this reading)?   Jesus answers this question in His own roundabout way, with a question about John the Baptist.  John, known to the multitude as holy man and prophet, and considered by the Church to be the last and greatest of the Old Testament-style prophets, clearly is considered authoritative not by declaration of religious authorities, but rather through the work of God in the world, through the Holy Spirit.  And this authority is recognized among the people.  How were the Old Testament prophets recognized?  Where did their authority come from?  Those false prophets who served the kings had a kind of formal "authority," but the prophets to whom Jesus refers as "servants" in the parable of the wicked vinedressers received no formal authority, but were later recognized as prophets.  They spoke the truth to kings, as did John, and for the most part received the kind of fate which John received as well.  Matthew and Luke report Jesus' lament over Jerusalem:  "O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the one who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but you were not willing" (Matthew 23:37, Luke 13:34).   In the eyes of the Gospels, it is of such relevance to us that "no prophet is accepted in his own country" that this saying by Jesus appears in all four (Matthew 13:57, Mark 6:4, Luke 4:24, John 4:44).  Indeed, in the Church, saints -- who often embody prophetic action, among other gifts -- are seldom, if ever, formally recognized in their own lifetimes.  So the question of authority becomes tinged with an even greater importance than we might consider even from reading this passage.  On His way to Crucifixion, when Jesus prophesies to the women of Jerusalem regarding the devastation to come, He asks, "For if they do these things in the green wood, what will be done in the dry?"  In other words, the cost of abandoning or spurning the authority that comes "from heaven" may be much higher than we can calculate, if we have given ourselves over to that which does not know God's love (in this case, the Roman army in the Siege of Jerusalem, carried away in the frenzy of war and the seeking of gold and other loot).  Ultimately, we are told, all authority comes from God (Romans 13:1).  As Christians, we are members of a Kingdom, given the gift of grace, the help of the Holy Spirit, and the indwelling of the Trinity.  And as those who declare ourselves a part of this faith, we cannot afford to misunderstand where authority comes from, to have an apprehension of the solemnity of our own consciousness of God's work in us and in the world, including the presence of that Kingdom.  We must be aware of questions of authority, and especially of that ultimate resolution.  It still holds for us to follow solemnly Christ's teaching of "greatest commandments" -- to love God with all our heart and soul and mind and strength, and to love neighbor as oneself (Matthew 22:35–40, Mark 12:28–34, Luke 10:27).   For this is what it means to truly understand "authority" and where it comes from, and we must, as faithful, retain our own healthy reverence for such authority and keep it uppermost in our hearts, minds, souls -- as Christ teaches us to do.  Without this awareness, how will we recognize God's work in the world, even when others don't?  Will we simply follow the rules, making outward appearance of piety -- or whatever code of conduct or social construct deemed for the moment, "correct"?  Our faith is supposed to mean something, lead somewhere, teach us discernment.  For we follow Christ who taught us that we are to remain alert to the end, and to endure in our awareness and consciousness of what we are to be about.  We are to be those "good servants" who are always prepared for our Master's return, for it is ultimately His authority which we serve.

Whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder

 "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 leave 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

Yesterday we read that when Jesus came into the temple, the chief priests and the elders of the people confronted Him as He was teaching, and said, "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?"  And they reasoned among themselves, saying, "If we say, 'From heaven,' He will say to us, 'Why then did you not believe him?'  But if we say, 'From men,' we fear the multitude, for all count John as a prophet."  So they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."  And He said to them, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.  But what do you think?  A man had two sons, and he came to the first and said, 'Son, go, work today in my vineyard.'  He answered and said, 'I will not,' but afterward he regretted it and went.  Then he came to the second and said likewise.  And he answered and said, 'I go, sir,' but he did not go.  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.  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."  My study bible explains that in this parable, the landowner represents God the Father, and the vineyard refers to God's people.  The vinedressers are the leadership who are entrusted to care for the people.  Every servant who is sent by the owner stands for an Old Testament prophet who comes to call people back to God, while the beloved son is a reference to Christ Himself.  That the Son is cast out of the vineyard to be killed is understood on two levels:  first, that Jesus was killed outside Jerusalem, and also that Jesus was crucified by foreign soldiers, not by those of His own vineyard.  

"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 leave his vineyard to other vinedressers who will render to him the fruits in their seasons."   As in yesterday's reading (see above), the leaders convict themselves using their own principles to answer Christ's parable.

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.  This stone is Christ.  St. Chrysostom comments that this saying illustrates the two ways of destruction.  Those who fall on the stone are people who suffer the consequences of their sins while still in this life.  Those on whom the stone falls are unrepentant people suffering utter destruction in the final judgment.  

The Gospels really illustrate for us the pitfalls of self-righteousness.  The leadership is so sure of their own authority that they can't see their own blindness to living holiness in their presence.  They can't understand the authority of Christ.  They illustrate the principle of hypocrisy that Jesus warns us all about in the Sermon on the Mount, when He teaches that we can't possibly correct others properly when we're blind to our own much greater faults, and fail to correct them first (Matthew 7:3-5).  We note once again their fear is of the crowds; their actions are not honest.  John's Gospel tells us that "even among the rulers many believed in Him, but because of the Pharisees they did not confess Him, lest they should be put out of the synagogue; for they loved the praise of men more than the praise of God" (John 12:42-43).   For Jesus, everything comes down to the love of God in the heart.   In the following chapter, Jesus will be challenged by the scribes and Pharisees with a question regarding the greatest commandments in the Law.  He will reply that the first and great commandment is "You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind."  (The second is like it, He will teach:  "You shall love your neighbor as yourself.")   But it is this love in the heart that puts God first that shields us from the hypocritical blindness to ourselves that comes from self-righteousness, a trusting only to ourselves and a failure to conceive of our own flaws or to presume we have a ways to go before we can properly judge anyone.  To be truly aware of the love of God asks of us the humility to receive it.  It is a strange thing indeed to understand real faith that communicates a kind of love that does not allow us to delude ourselves that there is no room for growth, that always has a powerfully loving way of showing us our flaws and leading us to greater understanding and learning.  Indeed, if we really literally translate the word for disciple from the biblical Greek, we come up with "learner."  The love of God -- a relationship of love with God in the heart -- guides us always into a better way, isn't afraid to show us our flaws (sometimes in painful ways in which we live out our mistakes so that we may see them), but is only possible with the humility and dependency this requires.  It is the failure to understand this guidance that we need in our lives that makes us self-righteous.  St. Chrysostom's distinction between the "two ways" of the stone that Christ speaks about is all-important to this understanding, and yet we hear so little of it.  Perhaps we're too focused on worldly notions of perfection and success as signs of our own goodness.  To fall and stumble in life gives us a chance for change, for repentance (literally "change of mind" in the Greek).  It gives us a chance to see the flaws we're blind to, and to come to a loving God who leads us to a better way.  But without that consciousness of our own fallibility, we are stuck in our sins.  Repentance is an ongoing process of living out our baptism, being open to the surprising "new life" God will lead us to, and letting go of the things we cling to falsely.  Self-righteousness is a way of trusting completely in oneself, holding oneself as judge while being blind to our own faults.  In an atmosphere of condemnation and judgment and finger-pointing, let us understand our first duty to ourselves is humility before God, a need to be shown the way  -- an awareness that, as "learners," we will always have this deeply personal need.