Bible Story of the Day: Cornerstone

https://hubpages.com/religion-philosophy/Bible-Story-of-the-Day-Cornerstone

Bible Story of the Day

Scripture is the story of Jesus, from Genesis to Revelation. There are over 400 prophecies and representations of Jesus in the Old Testament alone.

The Old Testament pointed forward to the coming Christ, and the New Testament points back to Jesus.

The Bible is a record of redemption through Jesus Christ who conquered sin and death when He died on the cross and resurrected three days later.

The New Testament was written almost 2000 years ago. Some of the Old Testament was written over 4000 years ago. The Bible Story of the Day not only shows Jesus throughout scripture but shows how scripture is relevant to our lives today.

Seeing Jesus in scripture is a major step into understanding who our God is, and how He impacts and affects our lives in every moment. I pray that the Holy Spirit opens your mind to understanding the verses and how they affect your life and gives you a better understanding of our Lord Jesus Christ. I will post a link to the chapter that each passage is from, so that you can read further on your own.

The Cornerstone

Psalm 118:21-23

I shall give thanks to You, for You have answered me,

And You have become my salvation.

22 The stone which the builders rejected

Has become the chief corner stone.

23 This is the Lord’s doing;

It is marvelous in our eyes. (NASB).

Matthew 21:42-43

42 Jesus *said to them, “Did you never read in the Scriptures,

‘The stone which the builders rejected,

This became the chief corner stone;

This came about from the Lord,

And it is marvelous in our eyes’?

43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. (NASB).

Where is Jesus and What Does This Mean to Us?

Psalms 118 calls Jesus the stone that the builders rejected. Matthew in the New Testament references this passage from the Old Testament when Jesus proclaimed that He was the cornerstone that was rejected. Jesus was rejected by the chief priests and elders of the nation of Israel.

These men were the one’s that were tasked to be the religious leaders of the people. They were to teach and educate the Israelites about God and the coming Messiah. They read scripture, sang scripture, and memorized the words, but they did not understand what they were reading. The scripture spoke of Jesus, but they refused to believe that Jesus was the Messiah, and therefore rejected Him. In Matthew, Jesus mocks them by asking if they had read scripture. He knows they have, but they chose not to believe.

The cornerstone was the first stone, brick, or block placed in the construction of a building during that time, and in a sense still holds true today.

The building had to have a start point, and they often started with the corner stone to build from. Another reference to this is as a tent peg. When you put up a tent you place a rope from the tent on a peg before starting the rest of the tent. This becomes the anchor and beginning.

The same is said about Jesus. He is the anchor and the beginning to the building of our faith. A building must be placed on a firm foundation. One’s faith must be placed on a firm foundation. If someone is not firmly planted in their beliefs, whatever they may be, then they will blow back and forth believing the next best thing of the moment. There is no foundation.

Christianity is firmly founded in Jesus Christ. If the foundation of faith is in anything else, such as the Pope, angels, a denomination, or the pastor then the faith will fail; the building will fall. Only in Jesus can one have a firm beginning upon which something can be built.

What does this mean to us?

It means that if our faith is based on anything other than Jesus Christ, the Son of God, then everything built on whatever foundation we have is subject to fall.

Jesus was rejected by the men charged to usher in His coming. There were many priests and scholars that knew Jesus and believed. He is pointing out through this message is that it does not matter how much you know; if you do not believe what you know and have read then it is all for nothing.

There were religious leaders then that did not believe, and there are religious leaders today that do not believe. Jesus says to put your faith in Him and let Him be the beginning and foundation of your faith, and not anyone else.

This is the only way to protect ourselves from being misled. I post the link so that everyone can read the full chapter each passage is pulled from so that they can have understandings of their own, and not simply rely on me. These stories are to help open your mind and possibly answer a question or two or guide you to better understanding. We are tasked to believe and build on our own.

Jesus is the beginning. Let Jesus be the beginning of your faith and be the cornerstone in your life on which everything else in your life is built. Do not reject Him, rather accept Him and your house will be built on solid ground.

Resources

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=psalm+118&version=NASB

https://www.biblegateway.com/passage/?search=matt+21%3A42-43&version=NASB