Insightful, Biblical Devotions
Jesus’ mission in Galilee, despite moments of popularity and interest, encountered great opposition. Jesus Himself said, A prophet will always be held in honour except in his hometown and among his people and family. Jesus said to them, “A prophet is not without honor except in his own town, among his relatives and in his own home.” 5 He could not do any miracles there, except lay his hands on a few sick people and heal them. 6 He was amazed at their lack of faith” (Mark 6:4-6). These setbacks were reflected in His parables. The parable of the Sower who sowed so much seed on useless soil, speaks of those who hear the word of the Kingdom but fail to understand it. Such people were most of Christ’s hearers, who did not respond to His central message. Rejection, once again, is the parable of the Vineyard, where the tenants behaved terribly towards their landlord.
The Parable of the Tenants is an example of a parable that wasn’t appreciated by the people Jesus addressed. It appears in Mark 12, Matthew 21, and Luke 20. Jesus then quoted Psalm 118:22 about the stone which the builders rejected. Surely it would become the main conner stone in the end. Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?” (Mat. 21:42). That’s the message we need to tell the world. After Peter healed the lame beggar at the temple gate called Beautiful, the rulers had Peter and John brought before them and began to question them: “By what power or what name did you do this?” Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed.11 Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’12 Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved” (see Acts 4:5-12). So, don’t be despaired by any setbacks you face in life.
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