Rejecting the Cornerstone: Authority, Judgment, and Redemption

“One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up and said to him, tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority. He answered them, I will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man? And they discussed it with one another, saying, if we say from heaven, he will say, why did you not believe him? But if we say, from man, all the people will stone us to death, for they are convinced that John was a prophet. So they answered that they did not know where it came from. And Jesus said to them, neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” [00:19:30]

“A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while. When 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. And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully and sent him away empty-handed. And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out. Then the owner of the vineyard said, what shall I do? I will send my beloved son, perhaps they will respect him. But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, 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.” [00:82:55]

“Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” Again, sober and ominous words from the lips of our Savior, words given in superintended for our ratification by God, the Holy Spirit. I pray that we would receive them as such. Please be seated. Let us pray. Again, our Father and our God, we ask that you would condescend to our weakness, to our fragile understanding and give to us clear understanding of these words that were spoken by Jesus. Attend them by thy Spirit, for we ask it in the Name of Christ. Amen.” [00:176:10]

“Chapter 20 of Luke’s gospel begins with an account of Jesus teaching in the temple and preaching when He was visited by members of the Sanhedrin, the leaders of Israel that included the chief priest, the former high priests, the higher echelon of the Sadducees along with the scribes, that is the theologians numbered among the Pharisees, and as well of certain elders of the Sanhedrin. Together, they approached Jesus with this question. By what authority do you do these things? That is to say they came to Jesus, and they said, “Who do you think you are, coming into Jerusalem, riding on a donkey, allowing these people to scream Hosanna, blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord. Then, the next day, coming into this sacred place of the temple and calling it a den of robbers? By what authority do you do these things? Let me see your credentials.” [00:226:20]

“You want to know by what authority I say these things? Do you remember, about 33 years ago, when there was this astronomical phenomenon seen in the skies that drew wise men from 500 miles away to come and inquire of King Herod saying, who is this who was born King of the Jews? Do you remember that? Some of you were certainly alive when that appearance in the sky was made manifest,” or, “When I came riding on a donkey, fulfilling the prophecy of Zachariah and appeared to you as the King of Israel, then this is my authority. I am your King, and that’s my authority and I can say to you, so let it be said, let it be done,” or maybe, “Just three years ago, you may recall the phenomenon that took place then when this man appeared out of the wilderness, saying, repent for the kingdom of God is at hand and he called all of Israel to the Jordan River to be baptized in repentance from their sins.” [00:332:40]

“Maybe, on the time you were visiting, you maybe saw me, where John ushered me into the water, and he poured water on me, and maybe you were witnesses of that moment when you saw on the sky the Holy Spirit like a dove coming down and resting upon me. If that didn’t convince you, you heard the voice of God Himself audibly when He declared, this is my beloved Son and whom I am well-pleased. Maybe you were there. Just a few days ago, when I was starting my journey from the north of Galilee and coming down here to Jerusalem, I met with my disciples of Caesarea Philippi and I said to them, who do men say that I am? And they gave me the scuttlebutt then I said, and who do you say that I am? My disciple Simon looked at me and said, thou art the Christ, the Son of the living God.” [00:441:00]

“You want my credentials? My credentials are I am the Messiah and it’s by the authority of the Holy Spirit resting upon me in that messianic office that I do these things and speak these things. You remember when John the Baptist was thrown in prison, and he began to have second thoughts. He sent a message to me saying, are you the one who is to come, or should we look for another? I sent a message back to John and I said, John, read your Bible. What does it say in Isaiah? The Spirit of the Lord has come upon me. He’s anointed me to preach the gospel to the poor, to give sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf. That’s the authority by which I do these things, that my Father has given me all authority on heaven and on the earth. It’s by that authority that I speak and act.” [00:510:66]

“Instead of answering their question, He turned the tables on them. Then, proceeded to give a parable. Remember, the word parable comes from the prefix para which means alongside of. Then, the root of the verb bole which means to throw. If Jesus wanted to illustrate a point, He would throw a parable along the way, tell a story. He proceeds then to give this parable as part of the broader answer to the question. He said, “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long time.” Anybody that was a student of the Bible, of which these men obviously where, would be well-aware of one of the most vivid metaphors ever used in the Old Testament by the prophet Isaiah at the beginning of the fifth chapter of the book that bears his name, where God likened His people Israel to a vineyard.” [00:737:88]

“Now, Jesus freshens the Old Testament metaphor and speaks again of the man who plants a vineyard, who is the owner of the vineyard and goes into a far country while he hires tenants or share croppers to work the vineyard for him. In those days, these tenant farmers would have to pay anywhere between 25 and 50% of the profits back to the owner at the appointed time. When the harvest came, the owner of the vineyard sent a messenger and sought to collect what was owed by the tenants. What happens? The tenants beat him and sent him away empty-handed. The messenger comes from the owner of the vineyard. They fall upon him, and they punched him and choke him, kick him, bruise him, wound him, and sent him back with empty pockets, giving not one penny over the return that was owed to the owner.” [00:847:86]

“Then, the question is this. Jesus says, “What do you think the owner of the vineyard will do now? How about here? I told you the story. He sent three of his servants and they beat them up and left them empty-handed and he finally sent his beloved son and they killed him. Let me ask you a question. What do you think the owner of this vineyard will do now?” Do you think he’ll give up? Do you think he’ll let you rob him blind? Do you think he won’t make you pay what you owe him? Nope. He will come and destroy the share croppers. He will come and destroy the tenant farmers. He will come and then take that vineyard that he so lovingly planted and cared for and give it to somebody else.” [00:1118:04]

“Jesus looked directly at them. Can you imagine being in the audience that day listening to that parable? When Jesus finishes the story, He didn’t just say and so it goes and walk away. He looked them in the eye to describe to Pharisees, to priests, to the Sanhedrin, the ones who would ask Him the question, by what authority, that He do the things that He did. Again, He quote Scripture and said, “What then is this that is written? The stone that the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” There had been to Rome and see the ancient city or go to Florence and see the craftsmanship and the work of the artists of the Renaissance. Look at the monumental achievements of the Renaissance sculptors that marked the landscape in those days.” [00:1244:64]

“The Bible said that the stones which the builders rejected would become the chief cornerstone. To remember Isaiah’s prophecy in the 53rd chapter of the suffering servant when he described in terms like this, he was a man of sorrows, acquainted with grief. He had no form of comeliness. He was despised and rejected of men, and we turned our faces away from him like so much rubble, but the stone that the builders rejected, God shaped as the chief cornerstone for the church that He would build. Some of the images of the church in the New Testament, the church has a body, but also the church is not would just made up of individual stones. The foundation of which would be the prophets and the apostles, but the chief cornerstone would be Christ.” [00:1485:36]