Jesus concluded, “’The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore, I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.” Matthew 21:33-43
Friends in Christ,
Errol Green, an entrepreneur, writer, and speaker, has shared that he met a beautiful woman at a party and was smitten by her beauty and mind. She seemed to share his interest in learning more about each other. At the end of the evening, she gave him her work telephone number and asked if he would call her. She asked him more than once. When he called her a few days later, she was too busy to talk. He accepted her answer without question because she was a store manager. In the coming days, he called and called and called again – she had asked him to call. But, as he remembers, she never took any of his calls. When she finally did answer one of his many calls, he said enthusiastically, “Hi, it’s Errol - do you remember me? When are you coming back to town?” to which she replied, “Um, tell you what… I’ll call you.” He replied, “But you don’t have my phone number.” She said, “I know.” Click.
(1) Rejection is painful, especially when you had hoped to be warmly received. It is the issue that Jesus addressed while in the Temple days before His arrest, persecution, and crucifixion. Despite His fevered efforts to bring the Chief Priests and Elders – to bring the world - into God’s gracious kingdom, they rejected Jesus.
Who of us does not understand the pain of being rejected? Of being declined for a job, of being turned away from an organization, of losing a marriage, of having a child stay away from home, of having a best friend replace us with a new friend. It stings. Deeply.
I can’t verify that it is true, but supposedly a man applied for a job at a company and received a rejection letter. The rejection letter, however, was addressed to someone else, not to him. Confused, he called the company to inquire about the mix-up. The company apologized and said that they had accidentally sent him a rejection meant for another applicant. With a measure of hesitancy, the man then asked if he, too, had also been rejected or if there was still a chance for him to get the job. The human resource officer replied that he had, in fact, also been rejected … but because he had taken time to call, they were impressed by his persistence and offered him the job anyway … if only circumstances always worked out that well. If only …
(2) As the narrative tells us, rejection by the Chief Priests and Elders did not turn to reception of Jesus. Quite the opposite? Why do some today reject Him? In the story that Jesus told about the unfaithful tenants, the reason was plain: they put themselves into God’s place.
While we may not be as blatant in our disregard for God, the temptation – if not actual act – is strong within us to put ourselves into His place, to make our own decisions, to trust ourselves. But, when we do that, we put ourselves into grave spiritual danger because we have turned away from the grace of God and the merits Christ earned by His sacrificial death and triumphant resurrection. We have removed ourselves from the one way that has been given to us to be saved. The prophetic words of the prophet Isaiah have come true: “He, Jesus, was despised and rejected by men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and as one from whom men hide their faces he was despised, and we esteemed him not.”
The result of going our own way? There is an often-repeated case from the United States Supreme Court that makes the point. In the United States v. Wilson, 1833, George Wilson, the defendant, was convicted of robbing the US Mail in Pennsylvania and sentenced to death. With work and influence from his friends, Wilson was pardoned by President Andrew Jackson. Wilson, however, refused the pardon. He said that he was guilty and deserved his punishment. The Supreme Court was asked to rule on the case. The court ruled that if a prisoner does not accept a pardon, the pardon has no effect. They explained that a pardon means nothing if it is rejected by the guilty party. The pardon, then, cannot be forced upon the individual. George Wilson insisted that his punishment go forward, and it did.
It is the same for us, for all, who reject Jesus and His gift of grace. Even though Jesus earned our salvation, if we refuse to believe, His grace means nothing to us. St. Paul said it plainly and invitingly, “Believe in the Lord Jesus and you will be saved.”
(4) The better response – the best response - is what Jesus said in conclusion: “The kingdom of God will be … given to a people who will produce its fruit.” In short, the countless gifts and graces of God will be poured into the lives of those who believe in Him, who seek His will, who trust Him, who call upon Him in prayer, who quietly listen for His voice, who seek to know His will, who read His Word and follow it.
Writer Scott Bowerman shared two years ago that Jim Haynes died at 87 years of age. Jim Haynes was known as the “man who invited the world over for dinner.” Why? Because for more than 40 years, on Sunday nights he held informal dinners at his home where anyone was invited. People would squeeze into his apartment, shoulder to shoulder, strangers striking up conversations, balancing their dinners on paper plates and reaching over each other to share a glass of wine. Absolutely anyone was invited. No questions asked. At these humble gatherings, some said, “there would be a buzz in the air, as people of various nationalities – locals, immigrants, travelers – milled around the small, open-plan (home). Tasty food was always waiting in abundance. At one gathering, it is estimated that 120 guests filled his home and spilled into the back yard. Friends at his funeral said that as many as 150,000 people came to his dinners over the years. One said, “‘His door was always open. He never said ‘no’ to anyone.”
Nor does our Father in heaven. He loves the world. He loved you and me and wants to be with us now so that we can be with Him in heaven forever. How important that we receive with humble faith and joy. Amen.
