The Living Stone

Pondering today’s reading, musician Michael Card wrote the song “Living Stones”: “See, in Zion He is known / As a chosen precious cornerstone / And the ones who come to trust in Him / Will never know the shame / That He bore on that cross when it seems / That all was lost. / He is the Stone that makes men stumble / The Rock that makes them fall. / Living stones, living stones / We are holy, living stones / Built upon the firm foundation that is Jesus.”

What does it mean for Christ to be a Living Stone (v. 4) or a “chosen and precious cornerstone” (v. 6)? In today’s reading, Peter quoted several Old Testament references to show that Jesus was chosen by God but rejected by humans. Christ was the key to God’s plan of redemption. Those who do not believe in Him will trip over Him—their lack of faith will be their stumbling block (vv. 7–8). Those who do believe in Him, on the other hand, will receive God’s mercy (vv. 5, 9–10).

Peter quoted from a Messianic psalm: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone” (v. 7; Ps. 118:22). He had previously quoted this same verse before the Sanhedrin (Acts 4:11). Jesus Himself had also quoted this verse as part of the parable of the tenants, indicating that the Jewish leaders had rejected God’s Chosen One. He further said people who failed to accept Him would be “broken to pieces” and “crushed” (Luke 20:17–19). As God’s “precious cornerstone for a sure foundation” (Isa. 28:16), Jesus succeeded despite opposition in His mission of salvation. We, too, are “living stones” who “are being built into a spiritual house” or God’s family (v. 5; Eph. 2:19–22).

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