Sin’s Foolishness, Love’s Redemption

Luke 20:1-47
Key Verse: 20:17

“But he looked directly at them and said, ‘What then is this that is written: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?”

When we look at the world we live in today, sometimes we can’t help but feel saddened by the terrible things that are happening on the news. Some may even ask, “If God is so good, why is there so much evil and tragedy in the world?” This tragedy exists because of the absence of God in one’s life. When we live without God as the focal point of our lives, we are setting ourselves up for destruction. The ironic thing is, though God constantly extends his hand to us, as if we were hanging off the side of a cliff, we refuse to take God’s hand and would rather fall to our death.
This reminds me of a story about a man hanging on the side of a cliff. A man, earlier in the day, decided to climb up the side of a cliff, hoping to make it to the top. However, right before he got to the top, he got stuck. He prayed, “God, if you are there, please help me.” Just then a little boy yells, “Hey mister, do you need help? I will throw you a rope.” But the man said, “No little boy, I am busy twittering right now. Maybe later.” An hour later, an old man comes by and sees him hanging on the side of a cliff. He says, “Hey son, grab my cane and I will pull you up.” The man said, “Not right now, I am watching the movie Cliffhanger on my IPOD.” One more hour later, a helicopter comes and a man screams out, “Do you need help?” The man said, “Not right now. Can’t you see that I am talking on the phone with my accountant?” Right when he got off the phone with his accountant, he lost his grip and plunged to the ground. In heaven, he saw God. So he asked him, “God, didn’t I pray for you to help me?” God said, “I sent someone to help you three times, but you were too busy.” This is why verse 17 is our focus verse. Because of sin, we become foolish and reject Jesus, who is the cornerstone, in our lives. In Luke 20, there are several accounts of how man foolishly rejected God’s hand to save him. But despite our sins, out of his love, God redeems us through his Son Jesus who bled and died on the cross for our foolish sins. Jesus, the cornerstone, became the source of our salvation. Let’s come to God to repent of sin’s foolishness, accept Jesus our cornerstone, and be saved.

First, God’s authority, man’s sin
In verses 1 and 2, we find the Pharisees pestering Jesus again. Let’s read verses 1 and 2 together, “1One day, as Jesus was teaching the people in the temple and preaching the gospel, the chief priests and the scribes with the elders came up 2and said to him, "Tell us by what authority you do these things, or who it is that gave you this authority." They questioned where Jesus’ authority came from because they were upset at Jesus for ruining their temple business. If you remember last week’s message, Jesus cleared the temple because the Pharisees turned it into a Wal-Mart. Jesus put them out of business, and the Pharisees went bankrupt. So they were quite upset. Moreover, they asked Jesus this question because they were appalled that He did not receive the formal priestly training conducted by the Pharisees themselves. They felt offended that Jesus did not get permission to speak in such ways. But Jesus does not need any permission. Jesus is the Son of God, who created the Heavens and the Earth. John 1:3-4 says, “3All things were made through him, and without him was not any thing made that was made. 4In him was life, and the life was the light of men.” The Pharisees were very political, but Jesus answered them by asking them a question in return let’s read verses 3 and 4, “He answered them, ‘I also will ask you a question. Now tell me, was the baptism of John from heaven or from man?” Jesus had no problem with their question, but the Pharisees had a problem with Jesus’ question. Take a look at verses 5-6, “5They discussed it among themselves and said, "If we say, 'From heaven,' he will ask, 'Why didn't you believe him?' 6But if we say, 'From men,' all the people will stone us, because they are persuaded that John was a prophet." So they gave a lame answer and said, “We don’t know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.” The Pharisees did not like anyone who was not under their authority. But because of their sin, they became foolish by rejecting God’s authority over their lives. What is worse, they became blind to see Jesus doing God’s work right in front of them.

If we are not paying attention, sin will cause us to reject God’s authority over our lives as well. Because of sin, we want to either be the boss of our life or the boss of someone else’s life, or both at the same time. We like to tell others what to do, but are deaf when someone tells us what to do in return, especially if someone is younger than us. One mother told her son to “take out the garbage.” He didn’t like it, so he forced his younger brother to “take out the garbage or else.” Not only this, but he added, “Also, wash the dishes. I am too busy at the moment.” If we reject God’s authority, how could we possibly listen to him and know how to live in this world, and thus be saved by Jesus? In our sins, we only want to do what we want to do, and not listen to God.  But sooner or later, our world crumbles without Jesus, the cornerstone in it. Despite our constant rejection, God, in his love, sent Jesus into to the world to be our redeemer. Verse 17 says, “But he looked directly at them and said, ‘What then is this that is written: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone?”
According to Wikepedia, a cornerstone (or foundation stone) is important since all other stones will be set in reference to this stone, thus determining the position of the entire structure. Without a cornerstone, the entire structure will fall. In the same way, without Jesus, our lives will crumble as well. God sent Jesus to us so that through his death he may become the foundation to our salvation. Let’s not be fools, but accept God’s authority and the cornerstone Jesus the foundation to our salvation.

Second, God is the owner, not us
To further emphasize their blind rejection of God, Jesus told them a simple parable, it was one of a vineyard, an owner, and tenants. The main theme of this parable is simple. God is the Owner of the vineyard. Therefore God is the owner not only of the world, but our very lives as well as we will touch upon in a moment. Let’s read what Jesus said in verse 9, “A man planted a vineyard and let it out to tenants and went into another country for a long while.” To clarify, “a man” is God, who is the Owner of the “vineyard,” which is “Israel” specifically, or the “world” generally. The “tenants” are God’s chose people, the “Jews,” or “all” people of the world. This vineyard was no ordinary vineyard. It was decorated and designed with the best materials. It had all the bells and whistles that anyone one could ever desire. It was the number one rated place to live in the entire world. This story reflects God’s goodness and blessings given to us. God made a beautiful world so that we human beings might be thankful for his love given as well as all the provisions for our daily needs. We literally lack nothing at all. However, over time, something strange begins to happen to the tenants and us. At first, the tenants were so happy and so thankful to even live in the master’s vineyard. They enjoyed the fruits, landscape, and the scenery with their families. They loved planting and growing many different kinds of berries in their gardens. They enjoyed taking the kids out to the beach. They were excited to paint many pictures of the variety of flowers blooming behind their houses. In general, they were happy with the things that they had, given to them by God. But when they enjoyed these things more than God, they soon forgot who they were, and why they were there in the first place. Moreover, because of their sins, they began to have some strange ideas, the worst one thinking, “I own this vineyard and I can do whatever I want with it,” instead of thinking, “I am a tenant, and I must do what my master wants.” This is the danger that we are all susceptible to when we forget who the owner is (God), and who we are (tenants), in this world.

There is one simple truth that I have learned from my Bible teachers and tell my Bible students, “Our lives are not our own. We were born in this world, but in the end we will give this life back to God who will judge us according to what we have done with it.” If our lives were our own, we would have complete ownership over it from the very beginning, middle, and end. But the truth is, we don’t. We never choose when to be born or if we should be a boy or a girl, tall or short, pretty or plain, athletic or stoic. We never even choose our own name! We never choose in the middle of our lives if we want to have a disability or disease like cancer, and we never choose when, where, and what time our lives will end. Therefore, we can clearly say that our lives are not our own and that it belongs to God. To know this fact is God’s very blessing itself. When we clearly know and remember that God is the owner of my life and the lives of my loved ones. We can have the assurance that God is good no matter what happens or does not happen in our lives, whether tragedy or blessing comes, or when life throws us a curve ball. We can have the assurance that God will work out his plan in our lives and will give us what is necessary to live. However, when we become foolish because of sin, we think that our lives are ours. We think, “My families is mine, my kids are mine, the house is mine, my car is mine.” When we think like this, the fear of death, disease, and bankruptcy haunts us throughout this life. What is worse, when we don’t honor God as God, there will be no chance to honor him in heaven, but regret in hell for eternity.

When don’t honor God as God, we become like the foolish tenants and capable of everything that they do as well. Let’s go back to the story and see how it turns out. So, when the owner “sent a servant to the tenants, so that they would give him some of the fruit of the vineyard…the tenants beat him and sent him away empty handed.” When the owner “sent another servant” they also beat and treated him shamefully, and sent him away “empty-handed.” The same thing happened when “he sent yet a third.” Only this time, he received greater abuse when “they wounded” him. These servants represent the prophets of the Old Testament, whom God repeatedly sent to his rebellious people Israel, yet they repeatedly rejected the prophets. Let’s read verse 13 to see what happens next, “Then the owner of the vineyard said, ‘What shall I do? I will send my beloved son; perhaps they will respect him.” This verse reveals the heart of God for his people. Even though his people have not shown any indication that they would repent and honor him as God, He still trusts and hopes that by sending his most precious and beloved Son Jesus they may change. Romans 5:8 says, “…but God shows his love for us in that while we were still sinners, Christ died for us.” 1 Corinthians 13:7 says, “Love bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things, endures all things.” Thank God that his love through his Son Jesus “bears, believes, hopes, and endures all the things” that we do.
We would never think that we are capable of beating, treating shamefully, wounding anyone. But because of sin, we don’t honor God in our lives. If we cannot honor God in our lives, how can we possibly honor others? Let’s read verses 14-16 together, “But when the tenants saw him, they said to themselves, ‘This is the heir. Let us kill him, so that the inheritance may be ours.’ And they threw him out of the vineyard and killed him. What then will the owner of the vineyard do to them? He will come and destroy those tenants and give the vineyard to others. When they heard this, they said, ‘Surely not!’” This is every foolish man’s tragic and fatal mistake. Some think that because God doesn’t punish us right away for our sins, we can get away with it. Just as God’s love is great, his justice is great as well. God guarantees us that there will come a day when “you can be sure your sin will find you out (Nu 32:23).” When the Jews rejected Jesus, they rejected God and lost their great blessing. God would give his blessing to others who would honor him as God. So when they heard this they strongly protested saying, “surely not!” But Jesus “looked directly at them and said, ‘What then is this that is written: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”?” (17) Here Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22, which is widely understood as the Messianic psalm. “The stone” is the Messiah Jesus, “the builders” are the chosen people, the Jews. This verse is our focus verse because it shows the foolishness of all those who think their lives or other people’s lives belong to them. The tragic final outcome of their lives is described in verse 18, where one day they will be “broken to pieces” and crushed. There is nothing more foolish in life than to refuse to honor God as God.

Third, Be responsible in God and with others
When the religious leaders heard all that Jesus had to say, they were quite steamed. So in retaliation, they wanted to ask him a question which they could find a reason to charge him. Let’s read verses 19-22 together, “The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor. So they asked him, ‘Teacher, we know that you speak and teach rightly, and show no partiality, but truly teach the way of God. Is it lawful for us to give tribute to Caesar, or not?” If Jesus said, “Don’t pay taxes,” he could be arrested by the Romans for insubordination. But if Jesus said, “Yes, pay taxes” he would lose favor with the people because the people really hated Caesar and his taxes, just as some Illinoisan hate Governor Quinn’s taxes. They thought they came up with a cleaver question, but let’s read what Jesus said in verses 23-25, “But he perceived their craftiness, and said to them, ‘Show me a denarius. Whose likeness and inscription does it have?’ They said, ‘Caesar’.’ He said to them, ‘Then render to Caesar the things that are Caesar’s, and to God the things that are God’s.”” His answer left everyone speechless according to verse 26. Jesus’ answer meant that we must be responsible to human authorities that are established by God, and to our ultimate authority, God himself. Our foolish sin leads us to be irresponsible in our daily life, and makes it difficult to be a good student, a good employee, or family member. Whatever we do, we must show the example of godliness and holiness while living in this world. We do so when we do what is asked of by our teachers, our boss, and most of all, by God himself. We must remember that we are accountable to God in everything that we do on earth. From last week’s passage we learn that God has given us each a talent. If we are not using them to do God’s work, then we are not giving God what is God’s. May God help us to avoid sin’s foolishness by giving to Caesar what is Caesar’s and giving God what is his, our admiration and worship.

Fourth, God directs us to Heaven, sin says there is no heaven
I hate to say it, but many people will face a sad tragedy in this world because they are determined to live in it forever. This was the idea of a group called the Sadducees. They were people who “denied that there was no resurrection.” Like the Pharisees, they also hated Jesus. So they created sad story with a very sad ending trying to disprove Jesus, and the resurrection. For reference, let’s read verses 27-32 and try not to be depressed, “27There came to him some Sadducees, those who deny that there is a resurrection, 28and they asked him a question, saying, "Teacher, Moses wrote for us that if a man’s brother dies, having a wife but no children, the man must take the widow and raise up offspring for his brother. 29Now there were seven brothers. The first took a wife, and died without children. 30And the second 31and the third took her, and likewise all seven left no children and died. 32Afterward the woman also died. 33In the resurrection, therefore, whose wife will the woman be? For the seven had her as wife." Poor woman! Treated as something to be owned by man. What is even more absurd is the idea that the same way of life will continue when we get into heaven! As if we can literally pack a suitcase on earth with the things we like, like our baseball cards, and take it to God’s kingdom. Job 1:21 says, “And said: "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked I will depart.”  Let’s read what Jesus said in verses 34-36, “And Jesus said to them, ‘The sons of this age marry and are given in marriage, but those who are considered worthier to attain to that age and to the resurrection from the dead neither marry or are given in marriage, for they cannot die anymore, because they are equal to angels and are sons of God, being sons of the resurrection.” The Sadducees had no idea what the resurrection was. Jesus talks about “the sons of this age.” “The sons of this age,” including the Sadducees, are those who live for this world and for this life only. They have no use for the resurrection, and only live for pleasure in money, material objects, and people. But one day, they will be bored with what they have collected, and will find their lives meaningless. Solomon, arguably the wealthiest man in the Bible expressed his meaningless life without God in Ecclesiastes 2:10-11, “I denied myself nothing my eyes desired; I refused my heart no pleasure. My heart took delight in all my work, and this was the reward for all my labor. 11 Yet when I surveyed all that my hands had done and what I had toiled to achieve, everything was meaningless, a chasing after the wind; nothing was gained under the sun.” Life is meaningless, we feel meaningless, without hope in the resurrection.

But there is the resurrection! Let’s read verse 38 again, “Now he is not God of the dead, but of the living, for all live to him.” Since only living people can have a God, therefore, there must be a resurrection! 1 Corinthians 2:9 says, “What no eye has seen, nor ear heard, nor the heart of man imagined, what God has prepared for those who love him.” John 14:2 says, “In my Father's house are many rooms; if it were not so, I would have told you. I am going there to prepare a place for you.” When we have hope in the resurrection, we literally resurrect from the current state we live in, to live in a world where God and his angels exist. When we hold on to the hope of resurrecting into heaven with God, our entire being will be inclined to think of, and be excited about eternity until we one day arrive there! But with no hope of the resurrection, we become like the Sadducees, and think of dead, dying, or depressing things. This is the result that comes from the sin of only focusing on money, materialism, and people, instead of the resurrection. May God help all of us to hope in the resurrection and focus on him.

Fifth, and Sixth God the Trinity and a Warning
In verses 41-44, Jesus taught his bewildered audience about 2 of the 3 persons in the Holy Trinity, the Father and the Son. It is obvious that the people needed to clearly know who God is: The Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, and know the relationships of each one. King David was one of the most well known kings of Israel. It is said in the Bible that David was a man after God’s own heart. He was born long before Jesus, and Jesus would be born in his family line long after him. This would make David Jesus’ great, great, great, great, great, grandfather. But David calls Jesus his “Lord.” It is as if little Luke Fitch’s grandfather would come to him, bow down to him, and call him “Lord.” But David, even though he is Jesus’ great, great, great, great, great grandfather, he calls Jesus “Lord” because Jesus is his Lord and Savior who would die for his sins and ours. If any of us is confused by verses 41-44, ask Dr. Ben after worship service and he will give you another message about the Trinity, God three in one.

Lastly in verses 45-47, Jesus warns his disciples to watch out for the scribes who are hypocrites that take advantage of helpless people, who look good outwardly, but who are rotten inwardly. They must not be naive, but have spiritual discernment when dealing with people.
Our focus verse, 20:17, says, “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.” Jesus is the seemingly useless “stone,” whom we foolishly reject. But God made Jesus the “cornerstone” of our salvation. The tragedy & foolishness of man through out history is to reject God because of our sins. John 1:10,11 says, “He was in the world, and the world was made through him, yet the world did not know him. 11 He came to his own, and his own people did not receive him.” But despite man’s rebellion by living as our own little god, God still loves us and wants to save us by giving us eternal life through the rejected cornerstone Jesus. May God have mercy on us for rejecting Jesus and help us see him as God’s great redemptive love for our life.