The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost - The Rev Colette Hammesfahr

The Nineteenth Sunday after Pentecost 

Matthew 21:33-46 

In architecture and building, there are three important stones that can be used. A Capstone is the protective stone that goes along the top of a masonry wall. It keeps the water off the wall, to prevent damage to the masonry. A Keystone is a wedge-shaped stone. It’s found at the center of an arch to evenly distribute the weight down the sides of the arch.  

The third is the Cornerstone. The cornerstone is the first stone set in a building. The alignment of the entire building is based off the placement of this first stone. In ancient times, when the cornerstone was placed, religious leaders would bring a sacrifice of wine, grain, water, or blood, to dedicate it to their gods, before the building was constructed.  

In most recent times, cornerstones are placed in a prominent location on the front of the building. They often have an inscription of the year the cornerstone was laid and sometimes they have the name of the builder or owner of the building. Often, the stone is hollowed out and important pictures or documents are placed inside the cornerstone, as a remembrance of the history of that present time.  

In our Gospel today, Jesus says to the people, “The stone that the builders rejected   has become the cornerstone.” Now, this comes on the heals of an interesting parable. It’s our second parable in two weeks about a vineyard. And when we hear this story, don’t we want to say to the landowner, “Man, this is NOT the way to run a business!”  

It was normal practice for a landowner to lease his property to tenants. In return, they would pay the landowner in money, or in the commodity of what they were growing. In this case, the land was a vineyard. From our reading, we see that the landowner put a lot of time and energy into developing this vineyard. He put a fence around it, built a watchtower, and dug a wine press. I imagine there was a house as well. He put a lot of thought and sweat and toil into the building of the vineyard. I’m sure the vineyard meant a lot to him.  

When it came for his tenants to pay him, instead of the vineyard owner going to collect his payment himself, he sends his slaves. But instead of receiving the agreed upon payment, his slaves are beaten, stoned, and one is even killed. So, what does the vineyard owner do? He sends more slaves. He gives the tenants another chance to do what was right. Yet, those slaves are beaten and stoned, just as the first. Then, still giving the tenants a chance to do what is right, he sends his son! And, his fate is no better than the slaves’! They kill him in hopes that they will get his inheritance. Hopes that they will get the vineyard.  

And, so, at the end of the parable, Jesus’ question to the people is this: “What will the landowner do to the tenants?” What would you do? 

Then, Jesus quotes Psalm 118 and says, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” In the Old Testament, the word “cornerstone” is used metaphorically to assure Israel of their secured future with God. For the Israelites, no matter what they did, no matter how much they complained, no matter…God promises them a future. But the future does not come without a cost. The people are to care for God’s creation. To care for God’s land and for God’s people. To care for God’s vineyard.  

The vineyard owner gave the tenants more than once chance to do what was right, to pay the landowner. To pay what they rightly owed. Yet, they didn’t care. They even killed his son. Their greed and single-mindedness took over. This is how it was with the chief priests and the Pharisees. Amidst all of his teaching and healing, they rejected who Jesus said he was. Jesus, who they rejected became the most important man in the world. The stone that they rejected became the cornerstone.  

Jesus, God’s son, sent to us, is our cornerstone. Jesus sets our direction, just as the cornerstone sets the direction for the building it supports. Jesus bears our weight, just as the cornerstone bears the weight of the building. And we have heavy weights to bear. We have emotional weights. We have weights of responsibilities in our lives. We have spiritual weights. We have weights of caring for others. Life is full of heavy weights. But when we rely on Jesus, we don’t have to bear that weight alone. Bricks, without a sturdy cornerstone can collapse into the dirt. If we don’t keep Jesus, our cornerstone, as our firm foundation, we can collapse from the weight.  

At our baptism, we are welcomed into God’s family. And it’s at our baptism that we are given a promise. We were given the promise of a life everlasting. The promise of life in God’s vineyard here, now, and after death. But, just as the landowner, God expects a return on God’s investment. God wants us to produce more Christians. God wants us to spread the Good News. God wants us to share all God has given us with others. God wants us to take care of the vineyard.  

Just like the tenants, God has entrusted us with the vineyard. Have you ever thought of it that way? God believes in us. God trusts us. God wants us to produce the fruits of the kingdom.  And, just as the landowner, God is patient with us. When we stumble, God gives us grace, forgiveness, never-ending love, and God continues to wait. God continues to give us chances.  

God sent us Jesus. “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.”  

Here are some questions for you to think about this week: Jesus is the cornerstone of our faith. How can you ensure that you are building your life on this cornerstone. Are there areas where you might be rejecting Jesus in your life? How can we, as a church, support one another in committing to building our life and faith upon Jesus?   

Theologian William Barclay says this about the parable:  

It tells us of God’s trust in men, God’s patience, and God’s judgement.  

Of man, it tells us about privilege, human freedom, the deliberateness of human sin, and the coming of a day of reckoning.  

Of Jesus, it is one of clearest claims of Jesus’ uniqueness and difference from even the greatest of those who came before him. And it is the story of the sacrifice of Jesus, who did not die because he was compelled to die; he went willingly and open-eyed to death, for us.   Amen