Luke 20:9–20

⁹And he began to tell the people this parable: "A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. ¹⁰When the time came, he sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard. But the tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. ¹¹And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. ¹²And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. ¹³Then the owner of the vineyard said, 'What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.' ¹⁴But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.' ¹⁵And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? ¹⁶He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others." When they heard this, they said, "Surely not!" ¹⁷But he looked directly at them and said, "What then is this that is written: "'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone'? ¹⁸Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him." ¹⁹The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. ²⁰So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

Behold, the Lord is doing a new thing! We stand in awe. We are amazed. We can't believe our eyes. It is new. It is shocking. It has never been done before.

From of old He sent his servants, his messengers, his prophets. But we have been stubborn. We have not wanted to hear his words. We have not received his messengers. When God spoke to us about our sin, we closed our ears, we denied it, we could not stand to hear what he said. We refuse to hear or believe what he tells us, especially when it comes to the Law. While we are quick to point out the faults of others, we deny our own faults and sins that God points out. We can easily spot the speck in the eye of others, but we can't see the log in our own eye.

As churches take their crosses out of the sanctuary or put them off to the side, you won't hear about sin, hell, punishment, judgment in most churches today. "We should dump the image that the church is a hospital for the sick, and begin to see the church as a health club for the healthy," states one pastor I know personally. "The day is coming when people will not endure sound doctrine; but having itching ears, will go after teachers who suit their own pleasure." (II Timothy 4:3). That day is today! Those who proclaim God's word are despised, but those who tell us what we like to hear we flock after in groves.

The owner of a vineyard rented out his vineyard to tenant farmers. When the time of harvest came, the owner sent his servant to collect the portion of the harvest that belonged to the owner; to collect the portion of crops that was due to him as his payment. But the farmers refused to give it to him. They refused to pay the rent they had agreed upon. Who ever heard of such a thing. That sort of thing didn't happen. But they beat the servant and sent him away empty-handed. They rejected the messenger of the owner; they refused to hear him. They closed their ears. Out of greed and selfishness they kept for themselves what they owed for the rent. This was an appalling thing. No one had ever heard of this before.

This is the story of salvation history: God sending his messengers, the prophets, the apostles, the pastors, the teachers, the evangelists, to proclaim his word, to call his people to repentance, but the people hardened their hearts and closed their ears. (Jer 26:8-9 they don't listen. Jer 26:4-6)

So the owner sent another servant. They also beat him and treated him shamefully and sent him away. Then came a third servant whom they wounded and cast out. They ignored the messengers of the owner. They ignored their payments. They refused to give him the fruit of his own vineyard.

When we ignore God's word; when we ignore what he tells us about our sin; when we do not produce the fruits of repentance, then we are those farmers. In our greed and selfishness we want everything for ourselves. We treat the messengers of God with deference, we close our ears to God's word and say it doesn't apply to us. We serve our own bellies and want to reap the harvest for ourselves, even to the point of treating others shamefully. We are unjust. We commit injustice against others all because we want to get what we want. We ignore God's word when we want to live lives of luxury but look away from those in need. We ignore God in business, in our relationships with others, in our attitudes, in the hardness of heart that doesn't want to help those in need, the poor, the suffering, the elderly, the handicapped, we commit grave injustice, all because we are selfish and don't want to share what we have with others.

The Lord has sent his messengers who call us to repent: "Thus says the Lord, Behold, I am shaping disaster against you and devising a plan against you. Return, everyone from his evil way, and amend your ways and your deeds." But we say, "that is vain! We will follow our own plans, and will every one act according to the stubbornness of his evil heart." (Jeremiah 11:8). Therefore thus says the Lord: "They have turned back to the iniquities of their forefathers, who refused to hear my words." (Jeremiah 11:10). "Like Adam they have transgressed the covenant, they have dealt treacherously against me." (Hosea 6:7).

This is us Lord. We confess that we have acted according to the stubbornness of our own heart. We have refused to hear your words. We have dealt treacherously against you. Turn your eyes away from our sin and remember your loving-kindness toward us, your servants.

Then the owner did a new thing: he sent his Son to the tenant farmers. "My Son they will surely respect," he said. But they said; "This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours." And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. Never before has such a travesty been heard. Never has anyone been so cruel. The tenants in their greed refused to fulfill their obligation so they kill the very Son of the owner. This is a most loathsome thing. But this was God's plan of salvation. After sending his servants to proclaim his Word, he then sent his Son. But we who didn't listen to the servants and were greedy, dragged the Son outside the walls of Jerusalem and killed him by our greed, our apathy toward those who suffer, by our lack of love, by our refusal to love our neighbor as he has commanded.

Yes, we are the tenants. We are the ones who killed the Son. Each and every wound he suffered was for one of our sins. Each stripe he endured we one of your sins. Each thorn that pierced his flesh was one of your sins. Every nail pounded into his hands and feet was a sin of yours. Into his flesh he absorbed your sins; your injustice, your hardness of heart, your lack of love, your rejection of God's word.

Lord, we are sorry for what we have done. Sorry for our sins that caused you to suffer and die. Have mercy on us!

But then God does something new; something never heard of before. The Son, by his very death, becomes the cornerstone. This stone that the builders rejected and cast out of the vineyard and killed has become the cornerstone; the chief stone which holds the entire structure together. The Son of God, Jesus Christ, was made the cornerstone of our faith. The rock of our salvation. The millstone that grinds our sins into powder and annihilates them. His death on the cross is the wisdom and power of God to save us sinners. ( I Cor 1: ). By his death he became our life, our wisdom, our righteousness before God. In the Gospel of Matthew, just as the curtain closed on the dead Son, it then opens for the next act, the next parable, and there in the middle of the stage is the Son, alive and well, at his wedding. The Father is making a wedding feast for his Son. He is no longer dead, but is alive! He has become the cornerstone of your salvation. To all those who repent of their sins; who turn from their ways and listen to the word of God; to those who turn from the hardness of their hearts and from their greed and selfishness, who repent and who trust in the Son for the forgiveness of sins, he is the cornerstone of their lives and salvation.

By the death of the Son on a cross, the Father has forgiven your sins. The Son has become the rock of your salvation and has wiped away your sin, all you who repent and believe in him.

But the cornerstone is also a stumbling stone to those who close their ears, harden their hearts and refuse to repent of their sin. They fall on that stone and are broken to pieces. And when that stone falls on anyone, they are crushed by him. For the cross of Christ is foolishness to those who don't believe. It is their condemnation.

But in that cross we who believe in him have our boasting. In that cross we have our salvation. By that death on a cross we have everlasting life. To all who repent of their sin and believe in the Son, grace, peace and mercy be yours forever and ever. Amen.