When laying a stone foundation for a building, the first piece that was placed would set the course for the entire structure. This stone would be laid at one corner, and everything laid afterward would depend on the quality of this “cornerstone.” If the cornerstone was crooked or otherwise imperfect, the building would suffer. Thus, it was crucial for builders to be very selective of this first, most important stone that would make or break everything that came after it.
Christ in the Old Testament
A stone which the builders rejected
Has become the chief cornerstone. (Psalm 118:22)
A good builder will reject bad materials. In this Psalm, we see this being used to describe how God has taken something undesirable to the world and has placed it in a position of the highest importance. Whether this Psalm is talking about King David’s unlikelihood to be king, or Israel’s weakness compared to the nations around it, one thing is certain: God doesn’t always work in the way we assume.
Fulfilled in the New Testament
In Matthew 22:33-46, Jesus Christ shares a parable about a man who sent representatives to collect the harvest of his vineyard, only to have the vineyard workers beat and kill every single person the owner sends. Finally, the vineyard owner sends his own son, carrying the owner’s authority and calling the workers to fulfill their obligation. In response, the workers kill the son in hopes of stealing his inheritance. Look at how Christ talks to the crowd about this parable:
Therefore, when the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-growers?” They *said to Him, “He will bring those wretches to a wretched end and lease the vineyard to other vine-growers, who will pay him the fruit in the proper seasons.”
Jesus said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,
‘A stone which the builders rejected,
This has become the chief cornerstone;
This came about from the Lord,
And it is marvelous in our eyes’?
Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit. And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and on whomever it falls, it will crush him.” When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them.(Matthew 21:42-45)
We see that Christ isn’t just telling a story, but giving a warning. By the words of the crowd, the religious leaders of Israel knew Christ was saying that they had failed in their responsibilities to God. They had rejected God’s messengers throughout the Old Testament, and were even now rejecting the authority of God’s own Son. Just as the vineyard owner would be right to throw out the unfaithful workers and replace them with new ones, Christ was warning them about what God was about to do through the upcoming death and resurrection of Christ.
Christ points out His fulfillment in Psalm 118:22 because God was going to do much more than just extend the Jewish Law to the world. He was building a new structure, a new covenant, and His rejected Son would be the all-important cornerstone. Christ isn’t just a major part of our salvation and the global church He’s built – everything about our current lives and future hope rests completely on Him. If Christ isn’t perfect, then everything else will fail.
As Christians, we may not realize how comforting that is. A cornerstone doesn’t need the assistance of other stones. Instead, it must be perfect on its own. The strength and stability of a structure depend on the individual quality of that very first stone.
This is what it means to rest fully in the work and power of Jesus Christ. He doesn’t need our help in salvation, nor in our righteousness. The church doesn’t succeed or fail based on our efforts. Everything we have is purely from this cornerstone, but He lets us join Him in His work.
Understanding the ultimate importance of Christ, we must decide if we’ll be just like Israel in their pride. We can reject the importance of our cornerstone. We can be bad workers who bring no value to God by caring more about the things of the world than submission to Christ.
Or we can be worthy of the life and salvation He has called us to by walking in obedience. We can love the things of God and joyfully receive whatever role He calls for us to play in this life. We can find great joy in being part of the perfect structure that is built upon the perfect cornerstone, Jesus Christ.
