MARVELOUS in OUR EYES

 

February  28, 2024

Psalm 118:22-24

The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.
This is the day that the Lord has made;
let us rejoice and be glad in it.



Mark 12:1-12

12 Jesus then began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard. He put a wall around it, dug a pit for the winepress and built a watchtower. Then he rented the vineyard to some farmers and moved to another place. 2 At harvest time he sent a servant to the tenants to collect from them some of the fruit of the vineyard. 3 But they seized him, beat him and sent him away empty-handed. 4 Then he sent another servant to them; they struck this man on the head and treated him shamefully. 5 He sent still another, and that one they killed. He sent many others; some of them they beat, others they killed.

6 “He had one left to send, a son, whom he loved. He sent him last of all, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

7 “But the tenants said to one another, ‘This is the heir. Come, let’s kill him, and the inheritance will be ours.’ 8 So they took him and killed him, and threw him out of the vineyard.

9 “What then will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and kill those tenants and give the vineyard to others. 10 Haven’t you read this passage of Scripture:

“‘The stone the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone;
11 the Lord has done this,
and it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

12 Then the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders looked for a way to arrest him because they knew he had spoken the parable against them. But they were afraid of the crowd; so they left him and went away.

MARVELOUS in OUR EYES

In the parable of the tenants above, the owner of a vineyard leases his property to others and travels abroad. While away, he sends his servants to collect his share of the fruit from the land, but the tenants beat his servants and then kill them. Finally, he sends his son to collect the fruit, reasoning, “They will respect my son” (Mark 12:6). But he is wrong. They kill his son too.

Jesus explained what the parable meant by quoting Psalm 118: “Have you not read this Scripture: "This stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?" (Mark 12:10-11, cf. Matthew 21:42). In other words, God is the owner of the vineyard. The tenants are his people. They were supposed to give him the fruit of their lives through worship and obedience. But they rejected his prophets and messengers. Finally, he sent his Son. But they rejected him too. John 1, puts it this way “he came to his own but his own received him not.” In rebellion, they would not respect or honor him as the Son of God. Instead, they killed him.

Now on the surface of the story its appears that Jesus’ death was defeat. Yet when paying close attention to the story we discover that His rejection and its consequences was according to “the Lord’s doing.” This is “marvelous in our eyes” because the death of Christ defeated death itself. We rejoice because God picked up Jesus from the grave and made him the cornerstone of salvation for everyone who believes. In John 11:25-27 we read of a conversation Jesus has with Mary of Bethany, “Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

Paul’s thoughts on  all this are recorded for us in Ephesians 2:19-22, here is the outcome and promise to those who believe, who trust God’s word and commitment.

"Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit."

So, knowing that we can surely lean into Psalm 118’s invitation to celebrate, we declare: “This is the day that the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Why? Because:

“The stone that the builders rejected
has become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing;
it is marvelous in our eyes.

Now there is a snapshot of Grace that gives life!!



Let Us Pray

Lord, you work everything according to your good will. Even though Christ’s death seemed like defeat, you vindicated him by raising him from the dead. In him, therefore, we sing, “We shall not die, but we shall live” (Psalm 118:17). He is our salvation. It is marvelous in our eyes. In Christ’s Name, Amen.