Jesus said, “Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes’?

 A few years ago, we had the privilege of visiting the Holy Land. Along with all the amazing things we saw and heard were two unique places in Old Jerusalem that made a lasting impression on me. One was the Garden Tomb and the other was the Stone the builders rejected which lies under the temple mount. It has a unique history. When Solomon was building the first temple to God, there was to be no noise. The stones were to be hewn in the quarry and brought to the place of construction. One of the stones was the largest stone ever taken out of a quarry. It weighed about 500 tons! It’s a miracle of engineering that without the use of earth moving machinery, the Israelites were able to haul this “rock” to the temple site and set it in place. Once there, the builders weren’t sure what to do with it. It didn’t seem to fit anywhere in the blueprints for the temple. So, the builders pushed it over the temple mount into the Kidron Valley and there it lay. Later, they realized their mistake and hauled it back up again. They placed it in the foundation of the temple and it remains on the western wall of the temple mount to this day. It lies close to the location of the Holy of Holies. In Jesus’ time, everyone in Israel knew about this stone. It was a well-known story to anyone familiar with the history of Israel. Later, in Ezra’s day when the temple was rebuilt, and subsequently when Herod improved the structure, the stone remained in place.

If you ever get a chance to go to Israel, I recommend you go beneath the Temple mount and see this 500 ton “stone.” Prepare to be amazed!

When Jesus talked about the “Stone” the builders rejected, the people knew exactly what He was referring to. When Christ, the Stone, presented Himself to the builders – the political and religious leaders of Israel — they had no place for Him in their building plans. They threw Him aside as useless. But following His death, He was raised from the dead and given the place of honor by the Father. He was made the chief cornerstone in God’s building.   God is constructing his church, made of all peoples, nations, and languages who believe in Jesus Christ as their Savior and Lord. It is a holy nation, a people separated to God for His own. How exciting that we can be a part of it, looking and waiting for His return!!

It’s interesting this verse is used six times in scripture. The Lord must want us to listen! It’s first mentioned in the Old Testament in Psalms 118:22. In the New Testament, it’s mentioned five times: Mark 12:10, Luke 20:17, Matthew 21:42, Acts 4:11 and 1 Peter 2:7. It’s interesting that Peter who denied the Lord three times should repeat this verse twice in his defense of Christ. Once in Acts 4:11 speaking before the rulers and elders when defending the crippled man who was healed, and again in 1 Peter 2:7. In 1 Peter, he wrote to God’s elect scattered throughout Asia to remind them they were Living Stones, a chosen people building a spiritual house. Hallelujah!

Your friend, Jean