The Chief Cornerstone

March 13

Numbers 7

Psalm 33:18-22

Proverbs 8:4-5

Mark 12:1-27

The Chief Cornerstone

“Have you not even read this Scripture:  ‘The stone which the builders rejected, this has become the Chief Cornerstone; This came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes?’” Mark 12:10  LSB

The cornerstone is the most important stone laid in the construction of a building.  It is the first stone that is laid and it serves as the reference point for every other stone to make sure that the building is aligned properly.  It is placed with precise measurements so that the walls are straight and the building is oriented in the right direction.  If it is not properly placed the building will not be structurally sound.  After Jesus entered Jerusalem riding on a donkey fulfilling Zechariah’s prophecy about the Messiah, the scribes and chief priests were angry and looking for a reason to have Him killed.  They approached Him challenging His authority and Jesus responded with the parable of the Vine-Growers.  A landowner planted a vineyard and leased it to tenants.  The landowner is God and the tenants represented the religious leaders of Israel.  The landowner sent his servants to collect his share of the harvest but they were mistreated and rejected by the tenants.  The servants represented the prophets God sent to the children of Israel over and over to warn them and encourage them to turn back to God.  Throughout their history they had rejected and even killed many of the prophets God sent (Jeremiah, Isaiah, John the Baptist, etc.)  Finally, the landowner sent his son, believing that they would surely respect him, but the tenants beat and killed the son thinking that they would receive his inheritance.   

            Up until this point, Jesus had laid out their history and past disobedience, but now He gave the religious leaders the opportunity to realize that He was the Son of God and to choose to believe He was the Messiah and follow Him.  Unfortunately, they chose to reject Him and fulfill the rest of the parable.  Jesus asked them what the owner of the vineyard would do.  He answered His own question telling them that the owner would destroy the tenants and give the vineyard to others.  God would not give the Kingdom to those who reject Him but would instead give it to those who believe in Him and accept Him.   If the Jewish people refused to accept Jesus, He would give Gentiles the opportunity to believe.  Jesus then quoted Psalm 118:22, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.”  (LSB)  He wanted them to understand that He was the foundation of God’s redemptive plan.  The Jews were God’s chosen people.  He had entered into a covenant with them to be their God and they had repeatedly rejected Him.  He was now providing a New Covenant and Jesus was the cornerstone or foundation on which His church would be built.  From that point forward, Jesus would be the reference point of their faith.  They must now look to Him to make sure they were aligned properly and oriented in the right direction. Their faith, and ours, must be focused on Him in order to be grounded in truth and prove to be structurally sound.  He is the Chief Cornerstone.