In today’s Gospel Jesus retells the parable of the vineyard from Isaiah 5 and then quotes Psalm 118 to interpret his rejection by some of the Jewish leaders. Jesus teaches that he is the rejected stone that has become the cornerstone:
“The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes?” (Mark 12:10-11; Psalm 118:22-23).
The Parable of the Vineyard and the Tenants in today’s Gospel is addressed to the Jewish “chief priests, the scribes, and the elders.” These are the “builders” who have rejected the “stone,” that is Jesus, his preaching and his message.
The Parable itself is a retelling of the “Song of the Vineyard” in Isaiah 5. The vineyard is a metaphor for the people of God. The owner “waited for the crop of grapes, but it yielded rotten grapes” just as God “waited for judgment, but see, bloodshed! For justice, but hark, the outcry!” (Isaiah 5:2, 7). Jesus retells this parable applying it to the prophets before him and to himself who are rejected. Some of these servants are beaten and sent away “empty-handed.” Finally when the owner sends his son “they seized him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard” just as Jesus was seized and crucified outside the city of Jerusalem.
Christians throughout the centuries have been scandalized and challenged by the message of the cross, the preaching of a crucified messiah. Paul put this scandal or stumbling block front and center:
“For Jews demand signs and Greeks look for wisdom, but we proclaim Christ crucified, a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, but to those who are called, Jews and Greeks alike, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. For the foolishness of God is wiser than human wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than human strength.” (1 Corinthians 1:22-25).
God’s ways are not our ways and we also are challenged to see Jesus the “stone rejected by the builders” as the “cornerstone” or foundation of our faith and life.
Image: “Jesus Christ – The Chief Cornerstone” by TheGoodReverend is licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 2.0.