Cornerstone

Jesus said to the chief priests and the elders of the people: ""Hear another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a hedge around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a tower. Then he leased it to tenants and went on a journey. When vintage time drew near, he sent his servants to the tenants to obtain his produce. But the tenants seized the servants and one they beat, another they killed, and a third they stoned. Again he sent other servants, more numerous than the first ones, but they treated them in the same way. 

Finally, he sent his son to them, thinking, 'They will respect my son.' But when the tenants saw the son, they said to one another, 'This is the heir. Come, let us kill him and acquire his inheritance.' They seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. What will the owner of the vineyard do to those tenants when he comes?""

They answered him, ""He will put those wretched men to a wretched death and lease his vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the proper times."" Jesus said to them, ""Did you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?

Therefore, I say to you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that will produce its fruit."" When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they knew that he was speaking about them. And although they were attempting to arrest him, they feared the crowds, for they regarded him as a prophet. (Matthew 21:33-43, 45-46)

Jesus was speaking to the chief priests and the Pharisees.  We know this because Matthew said when they heard his parables [note the plural], “they knew that he was speaking about them.”  Do we also reject the cornerstone?  Some of us have seized Jesus; have thrown him out of the vineyard; and have killed him, figuratively.  We give him lip service and place him under the cornerstone when his demands are too great or our behavior is anti-Christ. 

It's Lent and time for serious soul-searching.  If we only go through the motion we shortchange ourselves and seemingly have a dim view of Jesus.  Surprising?  No, not really because we are often led into temptation, and we fall into that pit.  When we act sheepishly, we risk the Kingdom of God being taken away from us to be given to those who will produce fruit.

Jesus speaks to us this Lent.  We are his servants who sometimes feel beaten and stoned.  That’s to be expected when we champion the Kingdom of God against those who champion that other place – Hell.  Too many of us enter its gates.  Instead, we must lock them from the outside in the service of Christ.

Deacon David Pierce