1 Peter 2:6
[6] For it stands in Scripture:“Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone,
a cornerstone chosen and precious,
and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (ESV)
Have you built any gingerbread houses yet this season?
My family likes the fun task of putting gingerbread houses together. Getting the walls just right. Making the cement out of powdered sugar. Laying on the roof. Then decking out the house with all manor of candy, especially the various bits of colorful leftover Halloween candy. It’s all fun, except for those times when we argue over who gets to put up the walls and where the candies should go!
The thing about gingerbread houses is getting things started just right so the rest of the house can stand up straight and remain secure. That’s the point of a cornerstone. We don’t typically use cornerstones to build gingerbread houses, but they are essential when building real buildings, and the cornerstone appears in our Advent Bible reading today. Peter wrote in chapter 2 about the cornerstone and tells us that in God’s plan Jesus is the Cornerstone. What does that mean?
A cornerstone is crucial for laying a stable and secure foundation of a building. It’s likely in Israel’s past, according to Psalm 118:22, that some architects made a poor judgment, thinking a stone was not the right size or shape for the building they were making and threw it away. However, upon a second and closer look, they discovered they’d made a mistake. The stone was actually perfect and just right for the building foundation. That would be a tragic mistake to make!
Jesus refers to that Psalm and that situation and says that the Jewish religious leaders of His day looked at Him and judged Jesus to be a worthless troublemaker. They rejected Jesus just like their ancestors rejected the cornerstone. However, just as the cornerstone was later determined to be perfect, so Jesus would be proven to be the Son of God and the Messiah.
I am so encouraged by the promise of 1 Peter 2:6. God Himself has laid the Cornerstone of Jesus Christ. He is the Foundation, and if anyone (truly anyone) trusts in Him, they will never be ashamed! This is the way of the Lord. By faith, we believe that Jesus Christ is all we need to have security and safety. All who build on Jesus Christ as their Cornerstone are being built up into a people pleasing to God.
I’ve built a few gingerbread houses in my day, but nothing I’ve made even compares to the beauty of God’s design. He’s putting together a living building, with people saved and secure in His Son, and living to experience His goodness and provision.
Tomorrow we will read more about what happened to Jesus so we can experience secure salvation. Before the Cornerstone was placed in God’s building, He was rejected.
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