Luk 20:17 | KingComments | STEP | On their reaction “ may it never be!” the Lord responds by telling them a word from the Scripture that they know well. Here He changes the metaphor. What at first was a vineyard now becomes a building (cf. ). This change of metaphor is no problem for the leaders. They know that it’s about the same things. The Lord Jesus, like the stone, was rejected by the leaders, but God made Him the chief corner stone of His building. He will realize that building in the church. The stone is a touchstone. For God and those who belong to Him, Christ is the corner stone on which God’s building is unshakably fixed. He who falls upon Him, he who stumbles over and rejects Him ( ) as the leaders do now, of that person nothing will remain. He will also fall on those who rejected Him and chose the antichrist. This will happen at His second coming when He falls as judgment from heaven ( ). On whomever He falls will be scattered like dust by Him. After the Lord has said this, Luke describes the feelings of the scribes and chief priests. How much would these leaders have liked to have seized Him now. They understand that the parable was about them. Instead of repenting now, their hatred and murderousness only increases. They are only withheld because they are afraid of the people. That they cannot lay hands on Him yet is also because God’s time has not yet come.

‏ Luke 20:17

The Rejected Stone Becomes the Chief Corner Stone

On their reaction “may it never be!” the Lord responds by telling them a word from the Scripture that they know well. Here He changes the metaphor. What at first was a vineyard now becomes a building (cf. 1Cor 3:9). This change of metaphor is no problem for the leaders. They know that it’s about the same things.

The Lord Jesus, like the stone, was rejected by the leaders, but God made Him the chief corner stone of His building. He will realize that building in the church. The stone is a touchstone. For God and those who belong to Him, Christ is the corner stone on which God’s building is unshakably fixed. He who falls upon Him, he who stumbles over and rejects Him (Rom 9:32) as the leaders do now, of that person nothing will remain. He will also fall on those who rejected Him and chose the antichrist. This will happen at His second coming when He falls as judgment from heaven (Dan 2:34). On whomever He falls will be scattered like dust by Him.

After the Lord has said this, Luke describes the feelings of the scribes and chief priests. How much would these leaders have liked to have seized Him now. They understand that the parable was about them. Instead of repenting now, their hatred and murderousness only increases. They are only withheld because they are afraid of the people. That they cannot lay hands on Him yet is also because God’s time has not yet come.