The Parable of the Tenants
12 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.
6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all,saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’[a]?”
12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.
I don’t know much about building.
I do, however, know something about building a life of faith. It takes a cornerstone. Now, that cornerstone – at least these days – can be a lot of things- depending on the type of faith you are talking about.
Faith in money. Faith in success. Faith in a particular political party or leader. Faith in health. Faith in beauty. It can even be faith in whatever latest fad is out there on social media.
That’s not the cornerstone I am talking about. I am talking about Jesus Christ.
We live in a time when much is said about him and those who claim to be his followers. Sometimes the things said are complimentary. Other times the things said are openly hostile.
But not much has changed in 2,000 years. That has always been the case. Some find his teachings life-giving. Others find them too challenging.
The Cornerstone remains- strong, secure, loving, patient, but also willing to challenge us.
I believe that Cornerstone is the answer to much of what is wrong in our world.
I believe his teachings, though astonishing, are full of life and hope.
How about you?
IGW3 - In God's Word, In God's Will, In God's Work 