City Life Starter

Written by Aisha Darwesh

The Word

¹⁷ Jesus looked straight at the people and their leaders and said, “What do you think this verse means? ‘The worthless, rejected stone has become the cornerstone, the most important stone of all.’ ¹⁸ Everyone who falls in humility upon that stone will be broken. But if that stone falls on you, it will grind you to pieces!”

¹⁹ When the high priests and experts of the law realized that this story was about them, they wanted to have Jesus arrested that very moment, but they were afraid of all the people. 

Luke 20:17-19 (The Passion Translation)

Aisha’s Analysis

In this week’s parable, Jesus is addressing the religious leaders of the Jewish community, who were constantly trying to trap and discredit Jesus. Is it any wonder why they would be unwilling to receive Jesus’ message? By taking the pure simplicity of God’s law and distorting it into a complicated list of rules and regulations they somehow managed to keep (or appeared to keep), these religious leaders had climbed the ranks of their community and comfortably sat at the top of the totem pole, so to speak. 

Enter Jesus, and He flips everything upside down. By illustrating the truth through parables like the one in Luke 20:9-18, Jesus totally unnerved the religious leaders, which would hopefully cause them to rethink their system of so-called holiness. Some of them did, in fact, see the shortcomings of their failed model such as Nicodemus and others who secretly believed in Jesus. However, for other religious leaders, Jesus was a stumbling block who interfered with their agenda, such as the Pharisees and Saducees who heard the above parable. 

Instead of adopting an attitude of repentance, the high priests and experts of law wanted to arrest Jesus. This obstinate reaction reveals their hardened hearts. They were unwilling to admit their brokenness to the only One who could possibly fix it. It’s only when we see our utter brokenness and depravity, that we can turn to Jesus in humility to receive His life-transforming grace. The people who heard this parable couldn’t do that, and that’s truly a shame. 

Staying alive to God’s Word and having a willing heart to walk in His ways means that we have to embrace being crushed by Him. Even though it’s totally counterintuitive to our flesh, it will ultimately set us free. The picture Jesus painted for the people was that of a fruitful vineyard. You can’t enjoy a bottle of delicious vino without squishing a few grapes. Similarly, we must be willing to submit to God’s crushing to enjoy the celebration of life and anointing that flows out of a surrendered heart. 

Application

If we’re being honest, listening to God’s Word can sometimes elicit the same reaction as that of the Pharisees. We may want to “arrest” God’s Word or contain it, so we can maintain the status quo in our life. However, that is a grave mistake. 

Even if God’s Word makes you uncomfortable, even if it disrupts the status quo, or more drastically, even if it breaks you, you can still trust it. Wrestling with God’s Word is a sign of life and responsiveness to Him. It’s something we will continue to contend with as believers until we see Him in all His glory. 

Today’s application is a call to endure. Continue on the course God has set before you no matter how difficult it may seem. Life with God even in the soul-crushing moments is infinitely better than life without Him. The fact that Jesus was even willing to engage with the religious leaders, or rather, the fact that He even came down to earth at all gives us reason to hope. God has not given up on us. Let’s not give up on Him.

Prayer

Father God, thank You for making every provision for me to be redeemed and salvaged from hopeless disrepair. I see every moment of brokenness I go through in my walk with You as an opportunity to trust You and allow You to reshape me into what You always intended me to be. I place my life in Your skillful Hands. Have Your way with me. In Jesus’ name, amen.