Jesus the Cornerstone of a New Temple

Mark 11:27—12:12

Summary: In this passage, Jesus challenges the religious authorities who reject Him, illustrating how God’s expectations come with serious consequences. The parable of the tenants underscores the necessity of producing fruit for God's kingdom, emphasizing that those who do not recognize His authority will face judgment.

Application: This sermon could prompt Christians to evaluate their responsiveness to God's call and their responsibility to bear fruit. Reflecting on their lives may lead them to recognize areas where they need to realign with God's will and actively participate in His mission.

Teaching: This sermon teaches that rejection of Jesus’ authority leads to dire consequences for spiritual leaders and followers alike. It emphasizes the importance of being productive in our faith, highlighting that genuine discipleship is marked by actively living out one's faith in ways that honor God.

How this passage could point to Christ: In this passage, Jesus reveals Himself as both the rejected cornerstone and the hope for a newly established community founded on His leadership. He signifies a shift from the old covenant, focusing on how faith in Christ includes all people and requires a commitment to bearing fruit in community.

Big Idea: Rejecting Jesus as the cornerstone leads to spiritual barrenness, while embracing Him compels us to bear fruit in obedience to God's call.

Recommended Study: I encourage you to examine the historical context of Jewish leadership and their expectations regarding the Messiah using Logos. You may also find it insightful to explore the theological implications of fruit-bearing in scripture, comparing passages from Isaiah 5 and Matthew 21. Delving into commentaries on this passage could help you navigate the nuances of Jesus' parable and its application for today.

1. Confronting Christ's Authority

Mark 11:27-33

Perhaps you could start by examining the confrontation between Jesus and the religious leaders, focusing on the question of authority. Here, Jesus challenges the leaders' notions of divine authority, prompting personal reflection among believers on how they recognize and respond to Christ's authority in their own lives. This confrontation underscores the importance of acknowledging Jesus' rightful position as the cornerstone of faith. By submitting to His authority, believers can navigate challenges with purpose and align themselves with God's mission to bear fruitful outcomes.

2. Parable of Unfruitful Tenants

Mark 12:1-9

You might consider discussing the parable of the tenants as a vivid illustration of God's expectations of fruitfulness. Here, Jesus warns of the grim consequences for those who reject His authority and fail to produce fruit. Reflecting on this passage can encourage self-assessment within the congregation, urging them to consider ways they can be more fruitful in their spiritual walk. The parable serves as an enduring reminder that God seeks faithful stewards who embrace His mission and bear fruit for His kingdom.

3. Cornerstone of Faith and Hope

Mark 12:10-12

Maybe direct your attention to the conclusion of the parable, where the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone. This symbolizes both judgment against those who refuse Jesus and hope for those who accept Him. Encourage the congregation to recognize Jesus as the cornerstone of their faith journey, integral to the building of a new spiritual community. Emphasizing this shift highlights the necessity for believers to embrace their role in God's kingdom, cultivating a fruitful life that reflects Christ's love and leadership.

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Have you ever seen the show Undercover Boss?

It’s where the owner or CEO of a big company disguises himself and goes to work alongside his employees — mopping floors, stocking shelves, driving trucks — just to see what’s really going on inside the company.

As a viewer, you already know what’s going on, so it’s fascinating to watch how the unsuspecting employees treat the undercover boss. Usually, a few stand out for their kindness, hard work, and loyalty to the company’s mission. But others? They cut corners. They mistreat customers. They talk down to coworkers. And of course, they have no idea that the “new guy” they’re bossing around is actually the boss.

Now imagine this: the founder of a once-thriving company does the same thing. He started this business with care and purpose, built it from the ground up, and entrusted it to capable managers. But over time, those managers lost sight of his vision. They began to run things for their own gain. So the founder decides to go undercover — to see what’s become of the company he loves.

When he arrives, he’s treated terribly — even though he’s doing everything a model employee should do according to the company’s own mission and values. He’s simply following the handbook. But when he points out some of the problems he notices, they dismiss his ideas, mock his suggestions, and question his authority. He quickly becomes a target, and before long, he’s pushed out completely. The very people he trusted to care for his business have turned it into something unrecognizable — and in the end, the owner himself gets fired by his own bad employees.

It’s a painful story — because it’s a story about authority rejected and trust betrayed. And that’s exactly the kind of story Jesus tells in our passage today, as He confronts the religious leaders who refused to recognize His authority and care for what belongs to God.

Let’s grab our Bibles and turn to Mark, chapter 11.

We’re picking up right where we left off last week. Jesus has just flipped the tables in the temple and cursed the fig tree — two powerful moments showing God’s judgment on fruitlessness.

Now, as we follow Him in these final days before the cross, we find ourselves in the middle of another confrontation.

But before we read together, let’s take a moment to pray and ask the Lord to help us understand His Word and respond with humble hearts.

[Prayer}

Mark, chapter 11, beginning with verse 27:

27 Then they came again to Jerusalem. And as He was walking in the temple, the chief priests and the scribes and the elders came to Him,

28 and began saying to Him, “By what authority are You doing these things, or who gave You this authority to do these things?”

29 And Jesus said to them, “I will ask you one question, and you answer Me, and then I will tell you by what authority I do these things.

30 Was the baptism of John from heaven, or from men? Answer Me.”

31 And they began reasoning among themselves, saying, “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’

32 But if we say, ‘From men’?”—they were afraid of the crowd, for everyone was regarding John to have been a real prophet.

33 And answering Jesus, they said, “We do not know.” And Jesus said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things.”

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A common thread weaved throughout the entire Gospel of Mark is this concept of Jesus’ authority. With each miracle He performed, with each demonstration of His power, at the center of it was this question about His authority.

Was it from heaven?

Or in other words, was it the authority of God?

This is the central question that must be answered about Jesus.

And as we see this question presented to Jesus by the religious leaders, it was not in earnestness or with faith seeking understanding.

Rather, it was an accusation presented as a question.

“Who are you, to do and say these things?”

“Who do you think you are, coming into our temple like this?”

“We didn’t give you this authority!”

. . .

Jesus has no obligation to answer them. The religious leaders have already made up their minds about Him. But with wisdom and subtlety, Jesus turns the tables and asks a question of His own — a question that exposes the heart of the matter.

He asks about the baptism of John the Baptist. John was widely recognized as a prophet — loved by the people, respected as one sent by God — yet rejected by these leaders. If they acknowledged John’s ministry as from heaven, their rejection of him would reveal their rebellion against God. But if they said John’s ministry was “from men,” claiming it had no divine authority, they would risk angering the crowd, who honored John as a prophet.

And so they try to calculate a safe answer. They think if they simply say, “We don’t know,” they can avoid the trap. But Jesus sees through their scheme. Their refusal to answer doesn’t let them off the hook — it actually confirms their unwillingness to submit to God’s authority.

It’s like a chess match. Jesus is always five moves ahead, and the leaders are only now realizing that no matter what they do, they can’t win — it’s already checkmate. Every attempt to trap Him only reveals their hypocrisy.

This interaction shows us something important: true authority comes from God.

Those who recognize it will submit. Those who reject it — no matter how clever they think they are — only reveal their own rebellion. Jesus doesn’t need to defend Himself to the proud and self-righteous — His wisdom, His words, and His authority stand on their own.

The same is true for us as Christians. We are Christ’s ambassadors, acting in His authority to carry out His mission. When we face opposition, doubt, or spiritual attack, we can remember how Jesus handled Himself — firmly, humbly, and without feeling the need to justify Himself to the proud. Our task isn’t to defend God’s work, but to faithfully obey.

But there’s a warning here as well.

We must be careful not to think too highly of ourselves. Just like the religious leaders refused to recognize Jesus’ authority, we too face competing authorities every day — culture, government, or even our own desire to call the shots.

And even as Christians, we can fall into the same trap.

Think about it: how often do our words say one thing, but our lives tell a different story?

Imagine a non-Christian friend or neighbor noticing a part of your life that doesn’t line up with what you claim to believe.

It’s embarrassing, isn’t it?

For example, we may speak up about God’s design for marriage, criticizing the ways culture twists it. Yet at home, even in marriages between one man and one woman, we can fall short if we aren’t loving each other like Christ calls us to — patient, kind, forgiving, and sacrificial. In other words, we might get the form of obedience right, but miss the fruit.

God doesn’t just want outward conformity. He wants hearts transformed.

He calls us to bear fruit — in our marriages, our relationships, our work, and our witness — so that our lives truly reflect the authority of Christ we claim to follow.

Let’s continue with chapter 12, verse 1:

1 And He began to speak to them in parables: “A man planted a vineyard and put a wall around it, and dug a vat under the wine press and built a tower, and rented it out to vine-growers and went on a journey.

2 And at the harvest time he sent a slave to the vine-growers, in order to receive some of the fruit of the vineyard from the vine-growers.

3 And they took him, and beat him and sent him away empty-handed.

4 And again he sent them another slave, and they wounded him in the head, and treated him shamefully.

5 And he sent another, and that one they killed; and so with many others, beating some and killing others.

6 He had one more, a beloved son; he sent him last of all to them, saying, ‘They will respect my son.’

7 But those vine-growers said to one another, ‘This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours!’

8 And they took him, and killed him and threw him out of the vineyard.

9 What will the owner of the vineyard do? He will come and destroy the vine-growers, and will give the vineyard to others.

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Rather than answer the religious leaders’ question about His authority, Jesus tells them a parable.

This is interesting, because parables aren’t just simple stories — they’re carefully crafted lessons that reveal deep truth, but not to everyone. In a way, a parable is like a riddle — it conceals truth from some, while revealing it to others according to God’s purpose and will.

Most often, parables were intended for Jesus’ followers — those who were insiders. That’s why we often see the disciples asking Him afterward, “Lord, what did that mean?” — and Jesus would explain it privately to them.

But here, the audience is hostile, and yet Jesus intends for them to get the message.

Mark confirms this in verse 12: “they understood that He spoke the parable against them.”

Their understanding explains why they immediately sought to seize and kill Him.

. . .

The parable itself begins with a vineyard — a symbol deeply rooted in Israel’s prophetic tradition.

As we see in Isaiah 5:1-5:

1 Let me sing now for my well‑beloved A song of my beloved concerning His vineyard. My well‑beloved had a vineyard on a fertile hill.

2 He dug it all around, removed its stones, And planted it with the choicest vine. And He built a tower in the middle of it And also hewed out a wine vat in it; Then He hoped for it to produce good grapes, But it produced only worthless ones.

3 “So now, O inhabitants of Jerusalem and men of Judah, Please judge between Me and My vineyard.

4 What more was there to do for My vineyard that I have not done in it? Why, when I hoped for it to produce good grapes did it produce worthless ones?

5 So now let Me tell you what I am going to do to My vineyard: I will remove its hedge, and it will be consumed; I will break down its wall, and it will become trampled ground.

—

As we see in Isaiah’s “Song of the Vineyard,” Israel is portrayed as a carefully planted vineyard that, despite God’s tender care, produces only sour grapes. This imagery would have been immediately recognizable to Jesus’ audience.

In Isaiah, the vineyard itself fails and all hope seems lost.

In Mark 12, the tenants fail, the vineyard is transferred to others, and hope is renewed for a fresh start.

In both cases, judgment falls on those who fail to bear fruit and refuse to honor God. In Isaiah, it’s the unfruitful vineyard. In Mark, it’s rebellious humanity.

. . .

In Jesus’ parable, the vineyard represents God’s people, the owner represents God Himself, the tenants symbolize Israel’s leaders, and the servants represent the prophets sent to call them back to faithful stewardship.

As the story unfolds, a man plants a vineyard, leases it to tenants, and sends servants to collect the fruit at harvest. The tenants respond with violence, beating some servants and killing others. Finally, the man sends his beloved son, hoping the tenants will respect him — but they kill him too.

You may already recognize this story as it unfolds. Mark’s detail of seizing, killing, and casting out the son highlights the depth of their rebellion, and foreshadows Jesus’ own death and Resurrection. The parable is full of vivid, culturally relevant details. Vineyards were carefully maintained with hedges, watchtowers, and pruning. And the harvest was a festive and significant time. By setting the story against this familiar backdrop, Jesus made His parable immediately relatable — yet pointedly critical of the religious leaders He was addressing.

It’s clear that the son in this parable represents Jesus Himself — the “beloved” of the Father — as we saw at His baptism earlier in Mark 1:11 — and again, during the Transfiguration in Mark 9:7. The tenants’ violent actions reflect how Israel’s leaders rejected God’s prophets — including John the Baptist — and, ultimately, God’s own Son.

Yet the parable also points forward. The vineyard will be taken from the unfaithful tenants, and given to others — foreshadowing the Gospel mission extending to the Gentiles.

Ultimately, Jesus’ parable is both a warning and a revelation. It exposes the hearts of His opponents, predicts His death, and reminds us that God’s authority is absolute. Those who recognize it will submit. Those who reject it — no matter how clever — reveal their own rebellion.

. . .

This parable isn’t just a story about Israel’s leaders long ago — it’s a mirror for each of us today.

God has given each of us responsibilities, gifts, and opportunities to bear fruit for His kingdom. Just as the tenants were expected to care for the vineyard and produce a harvest, God expects His people to live faithfully, demonstrate His love, and participate in His mission.

So let’s take a moment to reflect:

Where might God be calling you to bear more fruit?

Is it in your marriage . . . your workplace . . . your friendships . . . or even this church?

Are there areas where you’ve ignored His authority or tried to take control for yourself?

Jesus’ parable is a vivid reminder to us all:

God desires faithful stewards — people who embrace His authority, follow His mission, and bear lasting fruit.

The call is clear:

Live in obedience — not out of fear, but as an expression of trust and love for the One who entrusted you with His vineyard — His church, His mission, His world.

While we should earnestly reflect and check for blind spots in our lives, I want to pause and celebrate the fruit I see in our church. I see members caring for one another. Visiting one another in sickness and on the brink of death. Thinking of one another, with kind gestures. Serving meals to those who need them. Checking in with one another, with encouragement, counsel, and prayer. I see a love for God’s word, and commitment to truth. I see endurance of faith, sharing one another’s joys, and helping to bear one another’s burdens.

We may not do these things perfectly, but the evidence of fruit is there. And that is something to celebrate.

I want to encourage you to keep doing what you’re already doing — loving one another, serving one another, and pointing each other to Christ. And at the same time, let’s look for ways to be faithful in every part of our lives — at home, at work, with friends, and right here in our church. God has entrusted each of us with His vineyard, and He calls us to tend it with care, with joy, and with a steadfast heart.

With that in mind, let’s close out our passage today by reading verses 10 through 12.

10 Have you not even read this Scripture: ‘The stone which the builders rejected, This has become the chief corner stone;

11 This came about from the Lord, And it is marvelous in our eyes’?”

12 And they were seeking to seize Him, and yet they feared the crowd, for they understood that He spoke the parable against them. And so they left Him and went away.

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After presenting this parable, Jesus concludes with a powerful reference to Psalm 118:22–23:

“The stone which the builders rejected, This has become the chief corner stone.”

This is what the parable is really about. This is the key that unlocks the whole passage.

In construction, a “cornerstone” is referred to the foundation stone, the capstone of a column, or the keystone in an arch — in every case, it’s the stone that holds the structure together.

Jesus uses this imagery to speak about Himself — right there in the temple, a magnificent structure built with stones, where the religious leaders are actively rejecting Him. What they fail to realize is that this temple, important though it seemed, was temporary. Elsewhere, Jesus warns that it would be utterly destroyed — not a single stone left upon another. In that context, His rejection seems final, even devastating — but it’s actually part of God’s providential plan.

As we see throughout Scripture, God’s purpose is at work even in opposition.

So what is Jesus the cornerstone of?

The parable gives us the answer. It speaks of judgment against the wicked tenants — those who rejected the owner’s authority — and the vineyard being given to others. In other words, the rejected stone becomes the cornerstone of something new: a new temple — a spiritual house that will last forever.

This temple isn’t built with human hands. It isn’t founded on human authority or effort. It is built on Christ Himself — the cornerstone — and through Him, God’s people are formed into a living, lasting community. The parable is both a warning and a promise: judgment for those who reject Him, and hope for those who embrace Him.

This imagery resonates throughout Scripture. In Acts 4, Peter describes Jesus as the stone rejected by the builders, yet exalted by God, showing that His death and Resurrection were all part of God’s plan. In 1 Peter 2, believers are called “living stones,” built into a spiritual house on this cornerstone. Here we see the Church revealed as the new temple — a community of both Jews and Gentiles, filled with the Holy Spirit, united together, and founded on Jesus Christ, the head and capstone of the Church.

Because of this, we should not be looking for a new physical temple to be rebuilt in Jerusalem. The promise of God’s presence and His dwelling among His people is no longer tied to a building of stone, but to the body of Christ — the true Temple, made up of living stones. The modern political “State of Israel,” as significant as it is in the world today, is not the fulfillment of God’s promises. Biblically, the true Israel is not defined by ethnicity or nationality, but by faith in Jesus Christ — the Messiah. Those who trust in Him, whether Jew or Gentile, are the children of Abraham and heirs of God’s promises.

The true Israel, the remnant of God’s people, consists of all who have been redeemed by Christ, Jews and Gentiles alike. Through faith in Him, we are united as one people, one spiritual house, with Jesus Christ as the cornerstone. This is the New Israel, the fulfillment of God’s promises, the community through which His kingdom grows and bears lasting fruit.

. . .

The New Testament use of “cornerstone” emphasizes both Jesus’ exalted position with the Father and the call for believers to live as faithful participants in His kingdom — each of us a living stone, contributing to the building of God’s eternal house.

For us today, this image is deeply practical. Jesus as the cornerstone isn’t just a Bible idea to think about — He is the foundation of our faith, the anchor of our lives, and the guiding principle for how we live in God’s vineyard. To embrace Him as cornerstone is to submit to His authority, participate in His mission, and cultivate lives that bear spiritual fruit — together as a church.

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[Conclusion — slow down]

Everything we’ve heard today comes down to this reality:

Our lives are meant to bear fruit for God’s kingdom.

Whether that’s in our homes, at work, with our friends, or right here in this church — every inch of our lives belongs to Christ. He calls us to account, not as a harsh vineyard owner, but as the Son who was sent, rejected, and killed — and Who now lives to bring new life and fruitfulness to His people.

Jesus is the cornerstone — the foundation of our faith, the anchor of our lives, and the One who holds His people together.

When we build our lives on Him, we become part of something far greater than ourselves. We are joined together into a living Temple — made up of people from every age, every background, and every nation.

The parable makes it clear: rejecting Jesus, the cornerstone, is like rejecting the owner of the vineyard. It leads to judgment, emptiness, and loss. But embracing Him means entering God’s vineyard, bearing fruit as faithful stewards, and becoming part of His living Temple — one that will never be destroyed.

So build your life on Christ, the solid Rock — your cornerstone and sure foundation.

[Let’s pray]

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