The Cornerstone Rejected

And he began to speak to them in parables. “A man planted a vineyard and put a fence around it and dug a pit for the winepress and built a tower, and leased it to tenants and went into another country. When the season came, he sent a servant to the tenants to get from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. And they took him and beat him and sent him away empty-handed. Again he sent to them another servant, and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. And he sent another, and him they killed. And so with many others: some they beat, and some they killed. He had still one other, a beloved son. Finally he sent him to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’ But those tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ And they took him and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard. What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others. Have you not read this Scripture: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” And they were seeking to arrest him but feared the people, for they perceived that he had told the parable against them. So they left him and went away.
Mark 12:1–12
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The Cornerstone Rejected
Jesus shares the parable of the tenants, revealing profound truths about God's kingdom. The vineyard represents Israel, and the tenants, its leaders, who fail in their duties, rejecting the servants sent by the owner. Ultimately, they kill the owner’s beloved son. This parable is a stark prophecy of Jesus’ own fate, rejected by the very people He came to save. As those called by Christ and washed clean in his blood, we understand the gravity of this message. It calls us to examine our own hearts and lives. Are we faithfully tending to the vineyard entrusted to us? Do we honor the Son, or do we reject His lordship in subtle, self-serving ways? Jesus, the cornerstone rejected by the builders, has become the foundation of our faith. This parable is not just a critique but a call to repentance and faithfulness. We must heed the warning and, in faith, cling to the Son, who offers grace and reconciliation. Let us strive to bear fruit worthy of His sacrifice, living in a way that reflects the love and obedience He deserves. In Christ, the rejected stone, we find our true foundation and eternal hope.