"Wicked Tenants"

The parable, I think, illustrates that the system is corrupt. As a metaphor it might represent the state of affairs of 1st century Palestine. In metaphor, the Israelites are represented by the tenants to whom Yahweh has given the land. Because the landowner is distinguished as a Jew, he represents the Jewish leaders of the time who, though they are their kin, oppress the poor, in direct violation of God’s laws.Verses 10-12 talk about how some builders had chosen not to use a section of stone (probably because they deemed it of low quality or not good or whatever stone guys do). This rejected stone however turns out to become the tablets of which The Law is written upon. What was rejected and viewed as garbage has all of a sudden become the most important thing on earth. Like the stone guys, the tenants and Pharisees (Scribes, Sadducees, e.t.c…) are given the power to create a super awesome structure, or society. The choice made is poor, and so there are consequences they must face. Had the builders picked up the crappy stone, one might assume that, based it’s destiny as something so great, whatever was being built would be incredible. If this is the case, then if the tenants/leaders were to pick up the crappy pieces (the poor), then some great institution might become of the whole. Therefore, the parable shows that “the system” must be run in such a way that one group does not oppress the other.