Matthew 21:42-46

Matthew 21:42-46

Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the scriptures, ‘A stone that the ones who build rejected – this became into the head of the corner.  From the Lord this became, and it is marvelous in our eyes!’?  Because of this I say to you all that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you all and it will be given to the Gentiles while producing its fruit.  And the one who falls upon this stone will be shattered.  And upon whomever it should fall it will crush him.”  And after the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parable they knew that He speaks regarding them.  And while seeking to seize Him they feared the crowds because they were having Him as a prophet.

Thoughts for Today

First Thought:

Today we get to speak about the meaning of the parable.  Jesus speaks about the child who initially rejects the command of the father but then comes around with reference to the Gentiles.  They initially reject God and His covenant, but eventually the Gentiles embrace what God is doing.  Jesus speaks about the child who seems compliant but who never gets around to actually obeying with reference to the Jews – and especially the religious elite.  They appear to have relationship with God, but they aren’t telling the world about God and proclaiming His greatness!  They aren’t living up to the mandate that God set before them.  They aren’t fulfilling the purpose for which God originally chose them!  Of course, I am speaking in broad generalities here.  Not all Jews fit into one category and certainly not all Gentiles embrace God and His plan.  But we can learn an important lesson from this parable.  God desires that we listen to Him, submit to Him, and if not at first then eventually come around to living in obedience to His directing of our life.  He desires that we proclaim His goodness to the world around us.

What do you think life looks like as the child in the parable who seems compliant but never gets around to being obedient to God?  What does life look like for the one who struggles with obedience initially but does come around to obedience to God?  Which one are you most often?

Second Thought:

I’ve always loved this quote that Jesus brings out of the Old Testament.  It is originally from Psalm 118:22-23.  What I love about this is that it is such a great example illustrating how God’s logic is completely different than the logic of mankind.  God takes that which mankind thoroughly rejects and turns it into the “head of the corner.”  In other words, the most important stone in the corner, which is the stone upon which everything is built.  God takes that which we as human beings in our infinite glory reject and makes it into His most important piece.  That’s what God does in Christ.  Yet at the same time, it gives us hope as well.  If the world rejects Christ, He tells us that the world will reject us as well.  But just because the world rejects us does not make us worthless.  God can take us when we are rejected and use us in His plan as well.

Have you ever felt rejected?  How does seeing the rejection that Jesus endured help us understand and endure our own rejection?  Do you believe that God can use you even if you’ve been rejected by the world around you?

Third Thought:

Once more we have Matthew making sure that we understand that the religious leaders both desired to seize Jesus but they were afraid of the crowds.  They wanted to be done with Jesus, but they wanted to do it in a way that kept their public standing intact.  As we spoke of several days ago, they wanted to maintain their position.  They were concerned with their station in life.  They were making decisions not based on what God was calling them to do but based on what would allow them to remain in the position that they currently found themselves.

Why do human beings care so much about maintaining the status quo?  Are you ever willing to risk what you have in order to truly follow God’s lead?

Passage for Tomorrow: Matthew 22:1-10