Matthew 21:33-46 (NRSV)
Read Matthew 21:33-46 on biblegateway.com
Verse 33"Listen to another parable. There was a landowner who planted a vineyard, put a fence around it, dug a wine press in it, and built a watchtower. Then he leased it to tenants and went to another country. Verse 34When the harvest time had come, he sent his slaves to the tenants to collect his produce. Verse 35But the tenants seized his slaves and beat one, killed another, and stoned another. Verse 36Again he sent other slaves, more than the first; and they treated them in the same way. Verse 37Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' Verse 38But when the tenants saw the son, they said to themselves, 'This is the heir; come, let us kill him and get his inheritance." Verse 39So they seized him, threw him out of the vineyard, and killed him. Verse 40Now when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those tenants?" Verse 41They said to him, "He will put those wretches to a miserable death, and lease the vineyard to other tenants who will give him the produce at the harvest time." Verse 42Jesus said to them, "Have you never read in the scriptures: 'The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is amazing in our eyes'? Verse 43Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people that produces the fruits of the kingdom. Verse 44The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and it will crush anyone on whom it falls." Verse 45When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they realized that he was speaking about them. Verse 46They wanted to arrest him, but they feared the crowds, because they regarded him as a prophet.
Devotion
Have you ever watched Antiques Roadshow on PBS? There’s something delightful about seeing the experts examine someone’s, old ‘junk’ and declare it immensely valuable.
Jesus is under examination by the Pharisees. He responds by quoting Psalm 118, the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. The builders think they are the experts. They know what qualities make for a valuable stone. But this isn’t just a case of ‘one person’s trash is another person’s treasure.’ Clearly, a different type of stone is needed to bear the weight of the whole world. The master architect must be up to something new.
So what does this mean for us as believers? Can we put on ‘Jesus-colored’ glasses to find value in things the world overlooks … little children and gawky teenagers, the addicted or mentally ill, a recent immigrant, the working poor. Where does God find value in the world today? How about you?
Prayer
Open my eyes to see the world as you do, O Lord, so that I can treat all people with the value you place upon them. Amen.