Sometimes the disciples and followers of Jesus had to ask what his parable implied or what it meant for them. But the story He tells in this passage of Matthew is pretty clear to all who are listening.  Jesus knows His time is coming to be crucified.  Jesus also knows who is instigating the process to have him killed.  He also knows who will betray him with a kiss at the time of His arrest.  He knows every detail that will happen in the days to come because He knows the prophecies of God written long before this week of rejection.  Jesus wants the religious leaders to know He knows.  So, He tells this story…

Matthew—God’s Word Fulfilled

Matthew 21:33-46, NLT

Parable of the Evil Farmers

³³ “Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. ³⁴ At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. ³⁵ But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. ³⁶ So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same.

³⁷ “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’

³⁸ “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ ³⁹ So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.

⁴⁰ “When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?”

⁴¹ The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.”

⁴² Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?

‘The stone that the builders rejected
    has now become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing,
    and it is wonderful to see.’

⁴³ I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. ⁴⁴ Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”

⁴⁵ When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. ⁴⁶ They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet.

THINK ABOUT IT…

In this world today, some people still reject Jesus, use His Name while swearing obscenities, while ignoring His free salvation with help to live life well.  To those who believe, repent, love God and others, hang tough to His teaching, and cling to Jesus, He is the cornerstone of the life we are building in Him and He in us.  We are the fruits of His labor of love in us.  “This is the secret”, writes Paul, “Christ in us!”  That’s how life works best!

Does this story hit close to your home?

Don’t reject Jesus. Come to Him with an honest, repentant heart and accept what He has to offer—freedom.  Be finally free from all regrets, past sins, current sins and wonderings about life.  Say yes to Jesus and allow Him to be the cornerstone of a new life with Him.  Your life will be not be without problems but you will have His power and perspective to solve problems.  His love grows exponentially as we love others with His love in us.  The world will no longer have a hold on us because we will have perfect help in our response to the world.  Jesus was, is and always will be our cornerstone to a life well lived, full of love, mercy and grace.  Let Jesus change the way we think.  Live life with no regrets.

There’s no other way…

“I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.” –Jesus (John 14:6)

Father, Lord of our lives,

We come to you with gratefulness for all you have done to get us to where we are now!  You died to save us and then defeated death and rose to life to give us hope of resurrection with you!  You are the way to Truth which gives life eternal!  Thank you, Lord.  To you be all glory!  You are my cornerstone.  Continue the construction of my heart, mind and soul.  I know you are not finished with me, yet!  But I know the Foundation upon which I’m built!

In Jesus Name, Amen

And I’m singing…

My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness.
I dare not trust the sweetest frame
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.

On Christ, the solid rock, I stand;
all other ground is sinking sand,
all other ground is sinking sand.

In ev’ry rough and stormy gale,
my anchor holds within the vale.
When all around my soul gives way,
he then is all my hope and stay. [Refrain]

Christ alone
Cornerstone
Weak made strong
In the Saviour’s love
Through the storm
He is Lord
Lord of all

Not earth, nor hell, my soul can move;
I rest upon unchanging love.
I trust his righteous character,
his counsel, promise, and his pow’r. [Refrain]

When he shall come with trumpet sound,
oh, may I then in him be found,
dressed in his righteousness alone,
faultless to stand before the throne. [Refrain]