Holy Tuesday

I remember when I was younger, I loved to ask my mom questions. Some were easy questions like: “can I have a cookie?” Some were hard, such as “why do I have to clean my room or take out the trash?” or, “why do I have to be nice to this person I don’t like?” My goal, though I didn't really understand, was to try to get out of the “unfun” parts of my life. My mom, however, would ask me reciprocal questions like “Why didn't I like that person?” She turned the question back around on me in order to uncover my selfish thinking.

Jesus in the same way turns the question back on the chief priests. The Chief Priest wanted to maintain their power and remove Christ as a barrier to their power. As Jesus tells this story, he shows that the man who planted the vineyard allowed the tenants to maintain and care for the vineyard, just as the Israelites had been given the law and ability to interact with and worship God. But the chief priests had added rules upon rules that were to be followed strictly by each person who wanted to interact with God. They were placing barriers between God and his people. At the end of the parable, Christ alludes to the fact that he is the cornerstone of their faith and that they would reject him.

Now as we live our lives, the question is: how will we respond to Jesus, the Son of God, who was sent? We, by the grace of God, have been told the gospel and this gospel transforms our lives completely. Jesus is the true cornerstone of our faith and everything is structured upon our belief in him. As you think about your faith, how will you allow Christ to continue transforming the different areas of your life? Think of three areas (your work, classroom, apartment, neighborhood, organization) where you can invite and share with others the gospel and how it changed your life.