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Jesus began to speak to the chief priests, the scribes, and the
elders in parables. “A man planted a vineyard, put a hedge around
it, dug a wine press, and built a tower. Then he leased it to
tenant farmers and left on a journey. At the proper time he sent a
servant to the tenants to obtain from them some of the produce of
the vineyard.” Mark 12:10–12
Today’s Gospel takes place during the Passover at the Temple in
Jerusalem, just days before Jesus’ Passion and Death. The chief
priests, scribes, and elders of the people were outraged and wanted
to put Jesus to death, but they feared the people who were hanging
on His every word.
In today’s parable, the “vineyard” is a biblical metaphor for
Israel. The Prophet Isaiah chastised the people of Israel for being
like a fruitless vineyard, and Jesus’ parable would have been
immediately understood by His audience as a reference to that
prophecy (cf. Isaiah 5:1–7). Fearlessly yet mercifully, Jesus
brings this metaphor to life, applying it directly to Israel and
the religious leaders who were present and plotting His
death.
Jesus’ parable teaches that God is the owner of the vineyard and
has provided everything necessary for it to flourish: the hedge for
protection, the wine press for fruitfulness, and the tower for
vigilance. These symbolize God’s providence, blessings, and the
spiritual resources given to His chosen people to bear fruit. The
tenant farmers, to whom the vineyard is leased, represent Israel’s
leaders, who were entrusted with shepherding God’s people.
The servants sent by the owner symbolize the Old Testament
prophets, whom God sent to call the people of Israel to repentance
and fidelity. These prophets were often rejected, mistreated, or
killed by Israel’s leaders—a sobering reminder of humanity’s
resistance to God’s call throughout history, and our resistance to
His grace today.
The beloved son represents Jesus Himself, sent by the Father in a
final appeal for repentance. However, the tenants of Israel—now
referring to the chief priests, scribes, and elders before Him—plot
to kill the son, mistakenly believing they can maintain their
control over the Jewish people. Their envy and pride blind them to
their God-given responsibilities within the community and their
duty to accept Jesus as the Messiah.
Though tensions were high and anger filled the hearts of the
religious leaders, Jesus spoke boldly. While the people were amazed
at His authority and teaching, they were likely uncertain and
fearful of what might happen next.
Most people in Jesus’ position, risking their lives as our Lord
was, would quickly become worried for their own safety. Jesus was
not. He knew the Father’s will and the eternal value that would
come from His Passion and Death. For that reason, He quotes Psalm
118:22–23: “The stone the builders rejected has become the
cornerstone. By the LORD has this been done; it is wonderful in our
eyes.”
Jesus knew that He was about to be rejected: betrayed, falsely
accused, arrested, tortured, and killed. Yet He also knew that He
was the fulfillment of Psalm 118. He was the “stone” that, once
rejected, would become the “cornerstone” of the Church and the New
Covenant of grace. With this divine hope and mission in mind, Jesus
didn’t run and hide; He confronted rejection directly. He knew that
His rejection would transform the worst—the murder of the Son of
God—into the best—salvation for all who believe in Him and
repent.
Reflect today on Jesus’ courage during that sermon as He foresaw
all that would unfold that week. While we might expect such courage
from the Son of God, He invites us to imitate Him. Every evil that
befalls us has the potential, through grace, to become part of that
cornerstone. As members of Christ’s Body, the Church, we are called
to courageously allow grace to transform our own rejections and
sufferings in Christ. In doing so, the foundation of Christ’s
Church continues to be made manifest in our world today through
us.
My Lord, the Cornerstone of the Church, You willingly accepted
and endured rejection, transforming it into the means of our
eternal salvation. Grant me the courage to not only imitate You but
to embrace and share in Your rejection. May my own experiences of
rejection be transformed by grace into a foundation for faith in
our world today. Jesus, I trust in You.
Image: Jan Rombouts I, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons
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