David,
Though I disagree with you, you state your case quite well.
"Then Jesus asked them, "Didn't you ever read this in the Scriptures? 'The stone rejected by the builders has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord's doing, and it is marvelous to see.'" (Mat 21:42 NLT)"
To me, the cornerstone that was rejected is the spirit. What was built was the temple of the body. This struggle is by no means confined to the Jews, or the time period of the Bible. This is an ongoing struggle that happens within each of us at one time or another. Anyone wishing to be in harmony with God must tear down the temple and rebuild the house upon the spirit. And anyone who does so shall have earned the title of Lord and Master of his manor.
"What I mean is that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit." (Mat 21:43 NLT)
"Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone on whom it falls."" (Mat 21:44 NLT)
Anyone of any time who worships the false God of the body, which is only temple of the Spirit, will indeed crush himself. This is not a condemnation of a particular people, but a timeless warning.
"When the leading priests and Pharisees heard Jesus, they realized he was pointing at them--that they were the farmers in his story." (Mat 21:45 NLT)
"They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid to try because the crowds considered Jesus to be a prophet." (Mat 21:46 NLT)
Did you never have a period of doubt? If you did, you found yourself in an internal conflict of ideas. Those in you who doubted were the farmers of which this quote speaks. I would guess that your crowd who believed won. The purpose of this story is to provide guidance to the individual in unifying himself in the face of personal doubt, not to indicate that literally Jews and farmers are exempt from salvation.
"And I will give unto thee the keys of the kingdom of heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt bind on earth shall be bound in heaven: and whatsoever thou shalt loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Mat 16:19 KJV)
"Very simply stated, the kingdom was taken from the Jews and given to the Christians, a spiritual kingdom."
If it is on Earth as it is in Heaven, or "As above, so below", I find it interesting that you would create separation and condemnation upon the Earth so that you might find the same in Heaven. I find it to be just the opposite. If you see Heaven as all inclusive, and full of love, acceptance, and joy, try extending it to the Earth, and then you will find that what you thought was a waiting room for Heaven is Heaven on Earth.
The big secret is that you can live in Heaven now, simply by making it so. But this requires a spirit capable of inclusion, acceptance, and love. I would think you would believe that this is what you will find when you get to a Heaven in the sky. Jesus was not telling Peter to kick people out of the waiting line, he was showing us that if we believe and act as if we already are in Heaven, we are.
The difference is whether the Earth is an evil place to be abhorred and full of people to be avoided or a place where we walk among brothers in acceptance and love.
It seems to me that only people who are afraid that their own salvation may be taken away seek to take it from others. Why there are so many people who try to deny others the Kingdom is beyond me. If you seek to do this, YOU are the farmer in the story. Since all men are brothers of Christ, and Christ is waiting within everyone, if you work to deny the Kingdom to anyone, you would deny it to Him.
Be careful that you do not seek the keys to lock a door behind you that you feel Jesus died to leave open to all.
Peace,
Darrin
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