relationships (Matthew 21:42-46) Building Us Up

(Matthew 21:42-46)

42 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’?

43 Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit. 44 And the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and on whomever it falls, it will crush him.”

45 When the chief priests and the Pharisees heard His parables, they understood that He was speaking about them. 46 And although they sought to arrest Him, they feared the crowds, since they considered Him to be a prophet.

TODAY'S TAKEAWAY:

For pretty much this entire chapter, Jesus has addressed those spiritual leaders with hardened hearts.  Back then, it wasn't like everyone had a copy of the Bible.  And at this point, only the books of the Old Testament existed, on scrolls, and those were not in abundance.  BUT, the scribes and Pharisees, etc. would have had access to them for sure.  Most boys went to Hebrew school until the age of 12, and then, only the fortunate who were able to pursue further education in order to become a scribe, Pharisee, etc. would be mentored.  

Therefore, these leaders definitely should have known about this prophecy and warning.  But with stubborn, hardened hearts, their sin, pride and selfishness, would not have wanted to see or understand the message.  This message of love, peace and hope - only agitated them towards more indignation, anger and hate.

The message is both for the Jew and "the Gentile".  The Abrahamic covenant promised Israel that they would receive their land, seed and blessings, and through their seed, all nations would be blessed.  

- the promised land, not only refers to Israel's literal land, but to the Millennial kingdom, as well as to heaven

- seed, not only refers to having many descendants, but to the Lord Jesus, the Messiah (Christ), who came in flesh to be fully man while still being fully God.  Mary, as well as Joseph (even though he was only His stepfather), were both from the line of Abraham via king David.

- blessings, aka FRUIT, not only refers to physical profit (income) from one's work, but to the fruit of the Holy Spirit, and the fruit that God brings about when we serve, in His love, truth and strength, all to His glory.  

All of these promises within the covenant can only be fulfilled 100% when there is perfect obedience, which is only possible through salvation in Jesus!  For everyone, including the Jews, to be in perfect obedience requires each individual repenting of our sins and accepting Jesus' salvation (which includes His forgiveness of all sins, receiving His indwelling Holy Spirit, and being covered in His righteousness).

If at that point the Jews had accepted Jesus (the chief cornerstone), they would have gone straight into the Millennial kingdom, with all of their covenants fulfilled.  But Jesus always knew that they would reject Him, and crucify Him.  This rejection is the cut off point that is spoken about in the prophecy of Daniel 9, which leaves seven more years before the Jewish Age will be finished.  It will be during the Tribulation that the Jews will see the judgments (the signs of Jesus' return), and then as a nation they will all become believers.  THEN at the end of those 7 years, Jesus will take them into the thousand year reign to establish the Millennial kingdom and fulfill all covenants.

Jesus always knew what would happen and when, and even still, the Lord God has a plan, which will be carried out.  Part of the Lord's plan included using His rejection and crucifixion to bring about the only way to salvation and hope, because where there is sin there has to be death.  So in His great love, Jesus shed His blood and died in our place, to pay for all sin, for all people, of all time.  In His resurrection, there is victory and eternal life when we put our faith in Him.  This is the only way to avoid hell.  And this is the only way to heaven.  But more than that, it is the only way to have, and it is all about having, a personal relationship with Jesus Christ!

The Lord God is the chief cornerstone upon which everything is built upon!  Jesus is the architect and builder, the foundation of truth, the pillar of strength, the tower of refuge, the chief cornerstone...  Having Jesus as our Lord, Savior and King, means we will not fall.  In His victory, we are victorious, because He is the one who builds us up, from the inside out.