“Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, “The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,” and “A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.” They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. 1 Peter 2:7-8
Tomorrow is Christmas, a day when more than one billion people will recognize the birth of Jesus of Nazareth. Though know not when He was born, it is always good to be mindful and thankful that He was born. After all, without His birth, His death and resurrection could not have occurred, and without His death and resurrection, we all would be helplessly lost in our sins and thereby severed from the Father eternally. Therefore, we Christians ought to celebrate His birth every day as we enjoy the blessings the Father lavished on us in Christ (Ephesians 1:3-14).
Though the entire world is aware of Jesus of Nazareth, not everyone believes He is who the Bible describes Him to be. Some treat the gospel story as a silly myth conjured up by ancient, superstitious, uneducated Jews. These mostly take a posture of indifference to the Christ. Others loath the very name of Jesus and all who identify themselves as His disciples. This has always been the case since early in His earthly ministry. The divergent reactions to Jesus in the gospels, and to His followers throughout the history of the church beginning in the book of Acts show what a polarizing figure He is in this world.
It should come as no surprise as God forewarned that He would be rejected by many (Psalms 2; 22; Isaiah 52:13-53:12; Daniel 9:24-27; Luke 2:33-35; 24:18-27, 44-49; etc.). Simeon plainly told Mary that her child was “…destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against (yes a sword will pierce through your own soul also) that the thoughts of many hearts may be revealed” (Luke 2:34-35). In John 1:11-12, we learn that “He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name.” Later in His ministry, Jesus told His disciples that His ministry would drive a wedge between even the closest of relations (Matthew 10:34-39).
In John 3:19-21, we learn the reason He and His are hated by so many. He cast heaven’s light on humanity’s evil deeds, and the majority preferred to cling to those evils in the darkness rather than come to His light. Jesus warned His disciples that the world would hate them just as it had hated Him (John 15:18-21; cf. 2 Timothy 3:12), and the record has borne this prediction out. Peter describes this phenomenon in 1 Peter 2:4-8 as He describes Jesus as a “…living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious…therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘the stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone,’ and ‘A stone of stumbling and a rock of offense.’ They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed.”
Notice that the same “stone” can be perceived and valuated in polar opposite ways. The chief cornerstone was the most important stone in ancient buildings. It was of the highest quality, perfectly shaped, and thereby singularly suited to establish the foundation of a building. Sadly, because of hardened hearts, the builders (scribes, chief priests, Pharisees, etc.) who should have perceived this cornerstone for His true nature rejected Him and built their “house” around a twisted and completely unfit cornerstone. In the end, their house came toppling down upon them (cf. Matthew 23:37-24:35). To this day, every one of us must look at the Christ and determine if we will view Him as the precious cornerstone of the spiritual house of which we are a part, or if we will reject Him in our disobedience to His will. He will be the same no matter (Hebrews 13:8), so this decision is all about our rise or fall. What do we see in Jesus?