The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes. Following the confrontation by the religious elders who were questioning his authority (cf. Mark 11:27-33), Jesus proceeded to tell the parable of the wicked tenants. The choice of the parable was intentional, for Jesus wanted to invite the religious leaders to open the eyes of their minds in order to understand what God was doing through him. Jesus concluded the parable with a verse from Psalm 118, a quotation that we encountered not so long ago on Easter Friday (First Reading from Acts). The verse from Psalm 118 has always been understood as referring to Jesus, and rightly so, for indeed Jesus has become the cornerstone of a new world order. However, a closer look at both passages reveals something quite interesting, something worth reflecting about.
The context in which the passage is used in today's Gospel reading is the mistreatment of the servants by the tenants, an act which results in the landlord handing over of the vineyard to others. In Acts, Peter quotes the passage after the healing of the crippled man on whose account many people come to believe in Jesus. What stands out for me in both instances are the subjects who become beneficiaries in both accounts: the crippled man healed in the name of Jesus, and the "outsiders" who were handed the vineyard. For in both cases, there is an outsider who becomes an important part in the play, so to speak. It is interesting because it is not what they have become that stands out for me, but what they were! They were outcasts, people who were considered outsiders to what was going on. They were outsiders because they had nothing to contribute. It is apparently this "uselessness" of theirs that lands them a role in the play. They become a hinge upon which something beautiful hangs: God's work! While it can be seen that it is the misfortune of the tenants that lands the "outsiders" the job, it might actually be who they were that makes them open to the promptings of God. It is their rejection by the mainstream society that turns them into cornerstones.