The Rejected Stone (Matthew 21:42)
42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures:
‘The stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone.
This was the LORD’s doing,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
My grandparents built a humble home on the east side of San Antonio. Although it was very unremarkable I thought it was a grand place. One day as I was standing on the porch looking at the brick columns I remarked to my grandfather that “Most of the bricks have some sort of rough place and extra concrete on them.” It was then that he told me that the house was made of used or leftover bricks. They were not good enough for the former building. But they had made a great home for us.
As Jesus nears the end of His earthly ministry it becomes painfully obvious that the rulers do not regard Him as someone with whom ministry can be built. There is terrible irony in the fact that Jesus was rejected by His own people. However, He was and is in fact the foundation of living. Apart from Him we can do nothing!
Jesus said to them, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? (Matthew 21:42)
What are you building your life on? A great job? A good marriage? Promoting the success of children? Civic responsibility or the promotion of your nation? None of these things are bad investments of time. But they cannot be the basis for life. If the answer is not Jesus, the answer is wrong. You are in fact building on sand and the results will be tragic.
24 “Therefore whoever hears these sayings of Mine, and does them, I will liken him to a wise man who built his house on the rock: 25 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it did not fall, for it was founded on the rock. 26 “But everyone who hears these sayings of Mine, and does not do them, will be like a foolish man who built his house on the sand: 27 and the rain descended, the floods came, and the winds blew and beat on that house; and it fell. And great was its fall.” (Matthew 7:24-27)
Stop building on a bad foundation today. Start building on a good foundation — Jesus Christ. It will mean the transfer of trust and hope from something that looks promising to Someone that is proven.
In His grip by His grace,
Roderick L. Barnes, Sr.