The Chief Cornerstone

October 22

Jeremiah 39-41

Psalm 118:22-29

Proverbs 25:18-19

Hebrews 5:1-10

The Chief Cornerstone

“The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone.” 

Psalm 118:22 LSB

Since ancient times, builders have used cornerstones in construction projects.  It is the first stone laid, the most solid and often even the largest stone.  It is typically placed at the corner of the building and used as a guide as the workers placed all the other stones.  Once the cornerstone is set, every other stone is placed based on it.  If the alignment of this stone is not perfect the entire building can be skewed and will not be straight which can lead to instability in the structure.  The cornerstone is the standard of measurement.  There are numerous references in the Bible to the cornerstone.  In the Old Testament there are several prophecies about the Messiah that refer to Him as a cornerstone (Isaiah 28:16, Zechariah 10:4).  In Acts 4:11, Peter, quoting the passage in Psalm, specifically said, “Jesus is the stone which was rejected by you, the builders, but which became the chief cornerstone.” LSB   He reiterated this in I Peter 2:4-7 referring to Jesus as the cornerstone that was rejected by the builders.  Paul used the metaphor in Ephesians 2:19-20, “So then you are no longer strangers and sojourners, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the cornerstone, in whom the whole building, being joined together, is growing into a holy sanctuary in the Lord, in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.” LSB

Jesus is the cornerstone that His church is built upon.  He is the foundation.  Jesus is the measuring guide or the standard believers use to align their lives.  He is the ultimate source of truth, guidance, and strength for the church and individual believers.  His teachings are the foundation on which faith is built.  Belief in who He is and His death, burial and resurrection are fundamental to Christianity.  When the Cornerstone, Jesus, was laid everything from that moment forward must align with Him.  Up until that point, the builders were the Jewish leaders, but they rejected Jesus and chose to turn away from God’s plan of redemption.  The Jews who chose to believe in Him became the builders of the early church who joined together to form a solid foundation built on the cornerstone of Jesus Christ.  Jesus is the cornerstone for the church and for individual believers to provide strength and stability, to provide a measuring standard so that we can follow a straight path and to bring us together as a holy sanctuary in the Lord.