Mark 12:11Meaning & Commentary from the Church Fathers

Archbishop Innocent interprets these words in this manner: "Psalm 117 is the solemn hymn through which David expresses his gratitude to God in the temple after defeating his adversaries. The Jewish nation is likened to a structure, whose builders were Saul and the leaders of Israel’s twelve tribes. The stone they rejected is David, whom God positioned as the cornerstone—making him king and granting him victory. Since David was established as a prototype from above for his illustrious descendant—the Messiah—many aspects of his reign and personal journey, in a mystical way, pertain to Jesus Christ. It is reasonable to think that Jesus was reflecting on Isaiah’s prophecy (Isaiah 8:14-15): And He (the Lord of hosts) will be a sanctuary, a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offense to both houses of Israel... and many will stumble and fall, and be broken. In this context, Jesus identified Himself as the rock. Those who fall upon this rock are the Jews who, swayed by His humiliated state, failed to embrace His teachings. For them, repentance was accessible, and their only consequence was the loss of divine favor. However, there were those among the nonbelievers in Christ upon whom this stone had to descend to crush them, for their sins were committed not out of weakness or ignorance, but from malice and defiance; they remained unrepentant and, thus, undeserving of mercy. A dreadful consequence befell them, particularly evident in the destruction of Jerusalem."

Finally, he sent his son, a figure they recognized and could not deny, yet they also abused, cast out, and killed him. "Now therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to these vinedressers?" The audience, whether the sincere followers or the Pharisees who sought to diminish the meaning of the parable, answered that "these wicked men he will bring to a wretched end, and he will give the vineyard to other vinedressers who will render him the fruits in their season." Once again, they were led to declare a response that sealed their own condemnation: they acknowledged with their own words that the justice of God demanded the removal of their exclusive privileges and their bestowal upon the Gentiles.

Hence, the Lord declared, "the Kingdom of God shall be taken away from you, and shall be given to a people producing its fruits," referring to the spiritual Israel composed of Abraham's descendants through faith (Rom. 4:16), and not merely limited to Jews. The Jews, through their unwavering disbelief, dismissed the cornerstone, ultimately to their own ruin, for anyone who falls upon that stone will be shattered, and whoever it falls upon will be obliterated. Some stumbled at the stone, led astray by the humble appearance of the God-Man, suffering significant loss by their exclusion from the grace of Christ’s Kingdom; others, whose refusal to believe stemmed not from ignorance but from malicious hardness of heart, paved the way for their own destruction. The disbelief among the Jews culminated in their downfall when the Romans subjugated them, a fate that awaits all who mimic their skepticism at the final judgment. The chief priests, scribes, and Pharisees recognized that these parables were directed at them. The disgrace plaguing their nation intensified their animosity toward the Lord Jesus Christ, compelling them to seize Him, though they feared the populace, who regarded Him as a prophet. From the Lord's teachings, they gleaned essential truths: the Messiah they repudiated identified Himself as the cornerstone on which the joy of the new Israel rests; He was aware of their hostile intentions; and the suffering and death that lay ahead did not intimidate Him, for He was committed to fulfilling all ordained for humanity's salvation through God's providential care. Rather than re-examining their consciences and impartially considering the matters that stirred their disputes (Lk. 2:34), the adversaries of Christ nourished their animosity in their hearts.