In the gospels Jesus narrates the parable of a man who planted a vineyard and leased it to tenants and went to a distant place for a long time. When the season came he sent his servants to collect his share of the produce from the tenants. But the tenants beat, mistreated, wounded, and sent them away empty- handed. Left with no other option the owner of the vineyard sent his beloved son hoping that the tenants would respect his son. But the tenants were so cruel and treated the son more cruelly with the hidden agenda of usurping his inheritance. ‘So they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him’ (Lk 20:15)
Eventually the stone that the builders once rejected became the cornerstone (Lk 20:17) so that everyone who falls on that stone would be broken into pieces, and everyone on whom it falls would be crushed (Lk 20:18). History testifies that the destiny of all those who fell on the stone called Christ, or upon whom this stone fell, changed forever.
It is on this cornerstone that the Church is being built (Eph 2:20-21). Jesus suffered outside the gates of Jerusalem, the vineyard of the Lord, to prepare a cornerstone soaked in his own blood so that his Church could be built upon a strong foundation. ‘ Therefore, Jesus also suffered outside the city gate in order to sanctify the people by his own blood’ (Heb. 13:12).
The Son whom we the tenants in the vineyard of the Lord rejected and the Son who was crucified outside the gates of Jerusalem are the same. It is our Jesus Christ.
But it is never too late for us. Let us go to the confessional to cleanse ourselves of the guilt of once rejecting Christ and leaving him to suffer. ‘Let us then go to him outside the camp and bear the abuse he endured’ (Heb. 13:13). Once we leave our camp of comfort and go out, then our world has on offer any number of chances for us to bear the abuse for the sake of Jesus Christ. This Easter season, let us pray for the strength and grace to leave our comforts and suffer for the Lord.
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