Luke 20:14-18: a reflection

14“But when the farmers saw him, they reasoned among themselves, saying, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, that the inheritance may be ours.’ 15Then they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What therefore will the lord of the vineyard do to them? 16He will come and destroy these farmers, and will give the vineyard to others.” When they heard that, they said, “May that never be!” 17But he looked at them and said, “Then what is this that is written, ‘The stone which the builders rejected was made the chief cornerstone’? 18Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but it will crush whomever it falls on to dust.”

In the parable of the vineyard, when the owner sends his son to the tenants, they say among themselves, This is the heir; come, let's kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. And they throw him out and kill him. Jesus is speaking of himself, the Son, rejected and killed by those who should have received him. And then he quotes the Scripture: The stone which the builders rejected was made the chief cornerstone. The very one rejected by the builders becomes, in God's hand, the cornerstone, the foundation of the whole.

Notice the reversal: the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone. The builders, those who should have known, rejected the stone as worthless, casting it aside. But God took that rejected stone and made it the cornerstone, the very foundation on which everything rests. What man rejected, God made the foundation. Christ, rejected and killed by those who should have received him, is made by God the cornerstone, the foundation of his whole saving work. The rejection of men did not thwart God's purpose; God made the rejected one his cornerstone.

That reversal is worth taking to heart, for it shows both the danger of rejecting Christ and the glory of God's purpose. The builders rejected the stone, to their own ruin; for the stone they rejected became the cornerstone, and to reject it is to stumble and fall. But God's purpose was not thwarted by their rejection; he made the rejected stone the foundation of all. Do not be among the builders who reject the stone; build your life on Christ, the rejected stone that God has made the cornerstone, rather than casting him aside as they did. He whom the builders rejected is the foundation on which everything truly rests; build on him, the cornerstone God has laid, rather than stumbling over the very stone that is meant to be your foundation, as the builders rejected the stone that God made the head of the corner.

Lord Jesus, in the parable of the vineyard, when the owner sends his son to the tenants, they say among themselves, this is the heir; come, let's kill him, that the inheritance may be ours. And they throw him out and kill him. You are speaking of yourself, the Son, rejected and killed by those who should have received you. And then you quote the Scripture: the stone which the builders rejected was made the chief cornerstone. The very one rejected by the builders becomes, in God's hand, the cornerstone. Show me the reversal: the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone. The builders rejected the stone as worthless, casting it aside. But God took that rejected stone and made it the cornerstone, the very foundation on which everything rests. What man rejected, God made the foundation. You, rejected and killed by those who should have received you, are made by God the cornerstone of his whole saving work. The rejection of men did not thwart God's purpose. Take that reversal to my heart, for it shows both the danger of rejecting you and the glory of God's purpose. The builders rejected the stone, to their own ruin; for the stone they rejected became the cornerstone. Keep me from being among the builders who reject the stone; help me build my life on you, the rejected stone that God has made the cornerstone, rather than casting you aside. You whom the builders rejected are the foundation on which everything truly rests; help me build on you, Lord, rather than stumbling over the very stone meant to be my foundation.