Word to the Wise
Monday, June 3, 2013 - Monday in the 9th Week in Ordinary Time
[Tob 1:3; 2:1a-8 and Mark 12:1-12]The stone which the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; by the Lord has this been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes. [Psalm 118:22-23]
MONDAY, JUNE 3, 2013 ST. CHARLES LWANGA AND COMPANIONS, martyrs
It is important to keep in mind that the gospel scripture from the Gospel of Mark at this point are situated in Jesus' final days in Jerusalem, and tensions between himself and the Jewish leadership are growing! The parable that forms the gospel today is a blunt challenge to them! However, the story goes beyond the events in Jerusalem because each gospel shows the effects of preaching in the time in which it was written. So, the evangelist Mark is really summing up the history of God's relationship with the Chosen People from the perspective of the church at the time. The parable contains the quotation from Psalm 118;22-23, given above, which was used as a "proof text" in regard to Jesus' death and resurrection!
The story itself seems illogical. Why would the tenants deny the owner the produce and become violent? Why would the owner send his son into a violent situation? Yet, that seems to not only describe the history of the relationship between God and Israel, but some of Christian history as well. God keeps trying to call us back and our reaction can be violent. The Gospel of Mark has a consistent acceptance/rejection quality to it. Before we point the finger at the temple leadership, or any of the opponents of early Christianity, we had better take a long look at the history of our own relationship with God! AMEN