10 March 2023
Friday of the Second Week of Lent
The Bible is full of people plotting to kill their fellow man because of jealousy, resentment, or greed. We see it in the story of Cain and Abel, and we see it in today’s first reading that tells of Joseph and his jealous brothers. The underlying assumption behind these deadly attitudes is that our relationships with one another and with God operate under the principle of injustice and scarcity. Killing the other seems to be the only way that one can have a life that is fair and abundant.
This faulty logic is exposed and dismantled by Jesus in today’s gospel. The parable he shares tells of greedy tenants who refuse to give the landowner the produce that is rightfully his. When he sends his son, they plot to kill him. The hopes of somehow getting his inheritance shows how illogical their reasoning is. While those listening to Jesus say the “wretched men” deserve a “wretched death,” the Lord does not affirm their conclusion. Instead, quoting Psalm 118, he says that “the stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone,” and that the Kingdom of God will be given to those that will produce its fruit.
Through his ultimate sacrifice, Christ puts an end to the vicious cycle of death, scarcity and injustice. His sonship, his inheritance, and his Kingdom are open to each and every one who takes him as the cornerstone of their life.