Theology Thursday 06/10/21 (paper excerpt) Jesus concludes the parable of the wicked vineyard tenants by quoting Psalm 118:22-23 (RSV), “The stone which the builders rejected has become the head of the corner. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes.” Both Matthew 21:42 and Mark 12:10-11 present this long quote word for word as it appears in the Septuagint (LXX 117:22-23). Luke 20:17 includes only verse 22, but also verbatim from the LXX. Nowhere else does Jesus “quote an OT passage to conclude a parable.”37 Therefore this quote becomes significant to anyone seeking to discern Jesus’ hermeneutic, especially timed as it is after the triumphal entry and the cleansing of the temple, giving it a distinctly Messianic flavor. The LXX Greek word used for “stone” is λίθος rather than the better known words in its semantic field such as πετρος or κηφᾶς (from Aramaic), possibly because it better reflects the building material flavor from the Hebrew ןבא. In Matthew and Luke Jesus explains the quote by implying that he himself is this stone which can be deadly to those who dash themselves against it or upon whom it falls. The stone metaphor would have been familiar to first-century Jews as “an open-ended challenge: it is the cornerstone for those who believe, but the stumbling stone for those who do not, whether Jew or Gentile.”38 In all three synoptic gospels, the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees correctly perceive that the parable with its concluding Psalm quote applies to them and they are infuriated.
