Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22 at the end of the parable of the vineyard owner: "The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." In a few days, the religious leaders arrest Jesus and murder him. They look victorious, and he looks defeated, but this verse lets everyone know he will be victorious, and they will be defeated. Even though they rejected Jesus, God the Father chose to exalt him.

Table of contentsGod Stopped Focusing on Israel and Focused on GentilesGod Gave His Vineyard to Tenants Who Produce FruitActs Shows the Transition from Jews to GentilesJews Were Losing an Inheritance Versus Gaining OneThe Stone Represents the Son, and the Builders Represent the TenantsNot Just Any Stone or Rock, but the CornerstonePsalm 118:22 Is About Jesus' Victory and the Religious Leaders' DefeatFall on Christ’s Mercy, or He Falls on You in JudgmentJesus' Warning Is Loving

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"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone" (Psalm 118:22) This is about Jesus' victory even though he was crucified.

Not long after Katie and I moved to Washington, my parents followed us. They found what seemed like the perfect house. It was beautiful, and the price was low. I wondered how this house could have stayed on the market for so long. I came to find out there was a crack in the foundation. The house was so unstable no bank would back a loan. On one hand, I thought It was sad that such a beautiful house seemed to lose everything because of a poor foundation! On the other hand, I thought, How valuable is a house with a poor foundation?

Buildings are not the only things that need strong foundations: marriages, families, and nations do, too. When the nation of Israel rejected Jesus as their foundation or cornerstone, they also lost their value. Let’s briefly review what we have covered so far:

Luke 20:9 And he began to tell the people this parable: “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while.

From Isaiah 5, we know the vineyard owner represents God, and the vineyard represents Israel.

Luke 20:10 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. 11 And he sent another servant. But they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away empty-handed. 12 And he sent yet a third. This one also they wounded and cast out.

The servants the vineyard owner sent represent the Old Testament prophets, whom Israel repeatedly rejected and mistreated. Much of the parable would seem absurd to Jesus’ listeners.

It was hard to believe the tenants would respond this way. The worst tenants would do is refuse to provide the expected fruit, not beat the servants, and send them back empty-handed.

It was hard to believe the owner would respond this way. No owner would keep sending mistreated servants without getting upset at the tenants. It reveals God’s long-suffering nature.

Luke 20:13 Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.’

With this verse, the owner reaches the height of absurdity. No reasonable father would send his son to check on tenants who severely beat the servants sent to them. Sending a son would be the LAST thing a father would do.

How do the tenants respond to this incredible demonstration of love, patience, and compassion? Would they go so far as to beat the vineyard owner’s son, too? They do even worse than that:

Luke 20:14 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.’ 15 And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them?

The tenants’ wickedness reached an all-time high with this decision. They didn’t even talk about murdering the servants,