These writings are my own daily thoughts of short passages from the Bible. Follow along and keep me active in writing everyday. Maybe we will make it through the whole Bible.
Mark 11:27~12:12
Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture: "’The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; (12:10)
The Pharisees talked about authority. They thought they had authority and Jesus had no authority to turn over the tables of the money changers. Jesus answered their question with another question: "John’s baptism - was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!"
They couldn't answer. If John's baptism was from heaven then they should have come to John and believed his message and received baptism. If they said John's authority was from people then they would be criticized by the people who believed John's message. The Pharisees were afraid of the people who held that John was a prophet. They answered saying, "We don’t know." Jesus said, "Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things."
Instead of answering their question, Jesus told them a parable of a man who planted a vineyard. He prepared everything, built a wall and dug a winepress and watchtower and then he rented the vineyard to some farmers. These farmers were the tenants. They were not the owner. They only had the privilege of working in the vineyard for a time until the owner returns.
At harvest time the owner sent a servant to collect some of the fruit. He could demand all the fruit, but he only asked for some of the fruit. He wanted to see if the vineyard was doing well. He also wanted them to know that the owner was still there and cared about the fruit of the vineyard. The tenants didn't want the owner's servant asking for fruit. They seized the servant and beat him up and sent him away empty handed. This was a sad story that so quickly the tenants were under an illusion that the vineyard was their own.
Again the owner sent another servant and they struck him on the head and treated him shamefully. He sent another servant and they killed that servant. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed. We wonder why the owner kept sending his servants instead of sending some tanks and collecting the fruit by force. The owner did not want the fruit. The owner wanted a relationship with the tenants. He thought they would finally get it if he sent his son. Verse 6 say, "He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ’They will respect my son.’" They should have respected his son, but instead in illusion they said, "This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’" They thought if they killed him then no one would stop them from having the vineyard all to themselves. They felt that they could live freely in the vineyard without interference. They killed the son and threw him out of the vineyard. They didn't want anyone interfering with their life.
The tenants thought they were free, but they did not acknowledge the owner of the vineyard. Jesus asked, "What then will the owner of the vineyard do?" Yes, he will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. This is the reality of the temple, the nation and each person's life. It is like a vineyard given by God to bear fruit. God doesn't want to take all the fruit, but God wants a relationship. He wants his people to accept his love and he wants to see good fruit.
Verse 10-11 says: "Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture: "’The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?" The work of God is this that God gave his only son Jesus whom he loved. They rejected Jesus, but the one rejected became the capstone, the most important stone in the building. Jesus is the resurrection and the life. The most important. I pray to receive Jesus' word in my heart deeply this weekend. Jesus has become the cornerstone.
Passage Mark 11:27~12:12
27 They arrived again in Jerusalem, and while Jesus was walking in the temple courts, the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders came to him.
28 “By what authority are you doing these things?” they asked. “And who gave you authority to do this?”
29 Jesus replied, “I will ask you one question. Answer me, and I will tell you by what authority I am doing these things.
30 John’s baptism—was it from heaven, or of human origin? Tell me!”
31 They discussed it among themselves and said, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ he will ask, ‘Then why didn’t you believe him?’
32 But if we say, ‘Of human origin’ …” (They feared the people, for everyone held that John really was a prophet.)
33 So they answered Jesus, “We don’t know.”
Jesus said, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I am doing these things.”
12 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place.
2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard.
3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed.
4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully.
5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.
6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’
7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’
8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.
9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others.
10 Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:
“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’[a]?”
12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.
Cornerstone Image and cover image.