Cornerstone or Millstone?
Matthew 21:28-46
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Everywhere you go in the Mediterranean world you see vineyards: wine production was and is central to the economy of these countries. Today it is a high-tech business but if you want to see how it was done in the ancient world all you have to do is read this:
Isaiah 5:1-7
It must have been hard work to get a vineyard into production, with a lead time of at least five years before you got the first crop of usable grapes, so you can imagine the disappointment of the farmer in Isaiah’s picture (2c); a massive investment had produced an undrinkable product.
Isaiah told this story for a reason (3-6) as the song unfolds you get a chilly feeling running down your spine; what is he driving at? In case the penny had not dropped, Isaiah then spells it out (7). God’s vision for his people, a nation expressing his justice and righteousness, has come to nothing.
The saddest thing about this song is the bitter disappointment that God expresses in his people – Israel was to be an expression of what life would be under his rule: they had gladly accepted their privileged position but they had not shouldered the responsibility of living righteous lives.
What was God to do?
The story of two sons (Matthew 21:28-32)
You need to notice that this story is set in a vineyard (28) so you know straight away that this is not a story about obeying your parents first time and not waiting ‘till later. It is a parable; and it is aimed directly at the leaders of Jesus’ Jewish community (31-32).
The Pharisees and teachers of the law had been given a job to do, to lead the people of God into righteousness and justice. Instead they had enjoyed their privileged position and created a holy little club for themselves with restricted membership so that the plebs couldn’t get in. They had agreed to do the job but had lost the plot altogether.
God is patient – so he sent John the Baptist who confronted them and called them to repent. John’s message was simple and demanding – “Don’t rely on your ancestry; let people see that you are the people of God, live like it!” [1]
The Pharisees dismissed John and wished he would go away, but the dregs of society loved him and flocked to hear him. The leaders of Israel had started well but were finishing badly, now the very people they despised we turning their lives around and getting ready to lead the work of the kingdom of God (31b). The Kingdom was in transition – an unlikely bunch of people were taking over.
What has this got to do with us?
Here’s a vital lesson: inside every Christian there is a Pharisee trying to get out! The natural tendency of the church is to become a nice little club run for its members. The more that process continues the harder it is to break into it until eventually no-one can get in. The result is a self-satisfied Christian community with no impact for the kingdom in society. You will accuse me of exaggerating, but I am not, the majority of UK churches are like this.
We need to listen carefully to God’s vision for the church. We are the salt of the earth, intended to get up close and personal with those outside the people of God so that we can share God’s wisdom with others. We are the light of the world, and we are not permitted to hide the light under a bowl, sheltering it from the storm in case it gets blown out – we must take the risk of exposure to the world – we mist be visible.
Otherwise we die and we deserve to die!
Of course, if we don’t do the job, God will get someone else to do it! If you drive over the Pennines on the M62 you will have seen Stott Hall Farm right up there in the hills. It is an obvious sight because the two carriageways of the motorway fork to go ‘round either side of the old farmhouse leaving it stranded in the middle of one of the busiest roads in Europe. Legend has it that the owner of the farm would not sell his land to the road builders and held out so long that the engineers re-designed the road and left him stranded in the middle, sole occupant of the noisiest farmhouse in Britain.
Stott Hall Farm is a visual parable – this is what God does when his people won’t do what he asks: he gets others to do it and leaves them stranded!
This is exactly what Jesus is saying here (32) – it is vital that we hear him.
The story of the evil farmers (Matthew 21:33-46)
Jesus second story picks up the Isaiah picture in all its details [2] . The religious leaders must have known this and gulped before they answered Jesus question (40-41) – they knew Jesus’ was pointing at them – they had failed to nurture the fruit of righteousness and justice that God wanted to see as his reward for the huge investment he had put into Israel.
It is good to see the finger pointed at others, isn’t it? That’s why tabloid newspapers are so popular, we love to see others mercilessly exposed for what they are. But let’s broaden this story from its sharp focus on Israel to a wide angle view which takes in the whole planet. Keep the lens on its wide angle setting and read the story again.
First, it is picture of God’s gift to us – this gorgeous world we live in (33). We keep hearing that this earth and its biosphere is an accident but we know deep inside that it is more of a gift – the creator gave it to us to look after. All he wants is for us to live for his glory – a righteous life and a just society.
This world is not our own – it belongs to another.
Second, it is a picture of God’s astonishing patience (34-36). We have rejected him, his justice and his righteousness. We make our own rules as we go along and we have poisoned this lovely world. We have poisoned our own hearts even more. So God set out to speak to us and persuade us to live his way – so we abused and killed the prophets that he sent to reason with us. Yet God, in his patience, kept sending them.
Imagine a king with that kind of patience!
Third it is a picture of God’s commitment (37). Faced with a poisoned world run by people with darkened hearts he sent his own Son to speak to us. In this story Jesus is predicting the outcome (38-39).
Imagine a king who would give his life for his rebellious subjects.
Fourth, it is a picture of God’s judgement (40) – the result is so obvious, even the religious teachers get it (41). One day God will hold us to account for our refusal to live for him and the damage we have done to his world and to one another. This is only just and no-one could possible object to it.
Don’t imagine for a moment that this king will be patient forever. We love it when the finger is pointed at others, don’t we? Well this story – if you look at it through a wide-angle lens – points the finger right at you.
Now, the truly astonishing thing is that, after all this, God holds out the prospect of mercy…
The Cornerstone and the Millstone
Jesus here takes a familiar Old Testament series of pictures and uses them to speak about himself. However much you have rejected him or dismissed him in the past, you can still let him become the cornerstone of your life – the block of rock that holds the whole thing together.
- Obey him by trusting him and turning from your sin
- Follow him – go where he leads you
Keep passing him over and he will not be your cornerstone, he will be the millstone that will grind you to dust.
Cornerstone or millstone: now there is a choice!
[1] It is worth a look at Luke 3:7-14 for an example of John’s preaching.
[2] In fact, this is an unusual parable. The cardinal rule in interpreting parables is to look for one simple point behind the story and don’t turn them into detailed allegories: this seems to be an exception.