Rejected

Mark 12:10-11 - "Haven't you read this scripture: The stone that the builders rejected has become the keystone; this is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes."

This passage caps off Jesus' parable of the tenants of a vineyard continually abusing the slaves that come for the owner's share of the fruit. In the parable, the slaves represent the prophets God has sent to God's people, the tenants are those people, and the vineyard is Israel. Jesus uses this parable to speak against the Pharisees for not believing in him. It's also a commentary on how God works, on how God lifts up for service those whom we would reject: Moses with his lisp, Jacob - the younger son, David - the youngest son, Matthew - the tax collector, and all the unnamed and unnoticed women who were also disciples of Jesus. We cannot always understand the ways of God.

God works from a completely different playbook than ours. We admire beauty, success, perfection, ambition, wealth, law-abiding citizens and those who follow social mores. God, on the other hand, admires those whom our society has labeled 'lazy,' 'criminal,' 'unproductive,' 'fraud,' 'liar,' 'bad eggs,' 'unclean,' where these are defined according to human ideas rather than God's. God judges the heart rather than the outward appearance.

The Bible has always spoken forcefully for the rights of those oppressed by more powerful people. Jesus tells the Pharisees that the tax collectors and sex workers will get into the kingdom of God before they do. God continues to call us through the Bible to speak for and with the oppressed around us: Black people, who are still subject to injustice in many areas of life; disabled people; immigrants, who are being unjustly maligned and deported to dangerous places; people experiencing poverty or homelessness as a result of policies of our leaders; people who are chronically ill; LGBTQ people, especially trans women; those in prison due to unjust application of our laws in addition to unjust laws. There is so much injustice, it's overwhelming; it's hard to take it all in.

These are the keystones of God's Church. Pastors, elders, worship leaders are all important, but it's their job to support the keystones. If the Church or our community church are not supporting and advocating for those "the builders rejected," we have lost the road on which to follow Christ, because he's walking with them.

In this season of Lent, let us reconsider who we see as important in the life of our local church. Can we ask ourselves as a church whether we are an asset to our communities or a drain? What would need to happen for us to open our hearts, our minds and maybe even our doors to those who are struggling under systemic injustice?

Lord, have mercy on us.