A cornerstone, also called a foundation stone, was once the
first stone placed in the construction of a building. It was important because it determined the
placement of all the other stones that would follow. It had to be strong, securely placed, and
aligned properly in order for the rest of the building to be constructed
correctly. A cornerstone was mentioned
in the Old Testament book of Job, which may have been written as early as 1440
B.C.
“Where were you when I laid the earth’s
foundation? Tell me, if you understand.
Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know! Who stretched a measuring
line across it? On
what were its footings set, or who laid its
cornerstone—while the morning stars sang together and all the angels shouted for joy? (Job 38:4-7)
Nowadays it is a very common practice, when a large or
important building is constructed, that a large stone will be placed near the
foundation but in clear view of anyone who takes the time to look. This stone is inscribed with the name of the
building, the date of the construction, and usually the name of the builder or
architect or perhaps the political body that ordered the construction of the
building. Sometimes it will contain a
time capsule, intended to be opened at a much later date.
So when Dr. Luke wrote the book of Acts about the early growth
of the church, it was significant that he included Peter’s reference to Jesus
as the Cornerstone.
Jesus is ‘the stone you builders
rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation
is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to
mankind by which we must be saved.”
(Acts 4:11-12)
When Peter said this to the rulers, the
elders, and the teachers (including the High Priest), he was quoting from a
passage in the Old Testament that would have been very familiar to them:
The Lord is my strength and my defense;
He has become my salvation . . . Open for me the gates of the righteous;
I will enter and give thanks to the Lord.
This is the gate of the Lord through which the righteous may enter. I will give you thanks, for you answered me; you
have become my salvation. The stone the builders rejected has become the
cornerstone; (Psalm 118:14, 19-22)
I am sure that when Peter spoke these
words, he remembered the time that Jesus asked His disciples about what people
were saying about Him, about who He was.
Peter boldly declared that He was the Messiah:
“But what about you?” he asked. “Who do you
say I am?” Simon Peter answered, “You
are the Messiah, the Son of the living God.” Jesus replied, “Blessed are you, Simon son of
Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in
heaven. And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my
church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it. (Matthew 16:15-18)
Some people believe that when Jesus said, “on
this rock I will build my church,” He was referring to Peter, since the name Jesus
gave him, Peter, means “rock” in Greek, one of the languages spoken at that
time and in that part of the world. But
I do not believe that was what Jesus meant, and furthermore, I don’t believe
that Peter thought that, either. Peter
was a mere, mortal man, and he knew it. He
died a martyr’s death at the hands of those who were persecuting the early
church. Although he lives in eternity in
Heaven with Jesus and all believers, his life on this earth was not strong
enough to withstand the powers of Hades.
Jesus would never have built His church on a mere mortal human
being. Others might say that, no, it was
not on Peter himself, but it was on his faith that Christ would establish His
church. Yes, Peter exemplified great
faith when he declared that Jesus was the Messiah, but his faith (at least at
this point in his life) was very weak.
If you continue reading the passage in Matthew, you will see just four
verses later, after Jesus told his disciples about His coming death and
resurrection, Peter rebukes Jesus. By
what he says we can see that his faith, although very real, was also very
shallow. It was soon after Peter’s bold declaration
of faith that his faith failed him, and he denied Jesus three times before the
crucifixion. Jesus would never have
built His church on a faith that might be shaken at the first sign of
adversity. Therefore, I believe the “rock”
that Jesus was referring to was Himself; the solid, strong fact that Peter had
declared when he said that Jesus was the Messiah. That declaration by Peter was, in fact, what
the psalmist had declared so many years before – the fact that was taught to
all young Jewish men when they studied the psalms. Jesus is the only Rock that can withstand all
the powers and assaults of Hades. And it
is on this Rock that Jesus built His church.
The book of Acts, or The Acts of The Apostles,
was written in the early 60’s A.D., around 30 years after the crucifixion and
resurrection of Christ, but before the execution of Paul in 63 A.D. It was the second book written by Luke and
reads almost like a second installment in a book series. The Gospel of Luke ends with the ascension of
Christ to Heaven, and the first ten verses of Acts recap the 40 days
between His resurrection and His ascension, as if to create a bridge between
the two books. There are several threads
that run throughout the book of Acts:
The history of the early church; a handbook for salvation as well as
church structure and governance; the unity within the church between Jew and
Gentile believers as well as the equality between men and women; the miraculous
work of the Holy Spirit; and the devotion of Christians to Jesus. But I think the overriding theme of this book
is summed up by the statement Jesus made just before His ascension and His command that we are to be witnesses, beginning at home and also throughout all the world:
He said to them: “It
is not for you to know the times or dates the Father has set by his own
authority. But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit comes on you; and you
will be my witnesses in Jerusalem, and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the
ends of the earth.”
As the book of Acts traces the growth of the
early church from its beginnings in Jerusalem (Acts 1:1-8:3), to Judea and
Samaria (Acts 8:4-11:18), and to the ends of the earth (11:19-28:31), we read
about persecution beyond imagination that is matched by faith and devotion
beyond imagination. As I read this week
about the new-found boldness of Peter before the court of the Sanhedrin (Acts
4:1-21), the persecution of the apostles (Acts 5:17-42), the stoning of Stephen
(Acts 6:8-7:60), and all the hardships of this new Way (as the church was
called), I was even more strongly convinced that the church (the universal
fellowship of believers in Jesus Christ) must be firmly established on Him who
is our Cornerstone, our Rock. Because, here
we are today, almost 2,000 years later, and not much has changed. Oh, of course, our traditions have changed,
our names have become many, and for some of us we are able to worship Jesus
freely and openly without persecution.
But in many parts of the world we are seeing persecution much like that
of the early church. Almost every day we
hear about faithful believers who are killed because they will not forsake the
name of Jesus. In much of the world, the
church meets in secret, fearing imprisonment if they are discovered. In some countries, Bibles are smuggled to
believers who are thankful if they can own just one page of the Holy
Scripture. And even where we are free to
worship as we please, we are warned that we must be “politically correct,” or we
are ridiculed and marginalized – a minor inconvenience in light of what others
must bear. But we have the promise that
Jesus gave us, “The gates of Hades shall not prevail against it (the church).”
My prayer for the church, including you (if
you are a believer) and for myself, is based upon the prayer recorded in Acts 4:24-30. It is the prayer of Peter, John, and
all the believers, members of the early church in Jerusalem. I hope this will be your prayer also, and that we will be bold and faithful servants, witnesses of all that Jesus Christ has done for us:
Sovereign Lord . . . you made the heavens and the earth and the sea, and everything in them. You spoke by the Holy Spirit through the mouth of your servant, our father David: ‘Why do the nations rage and the peoples plot in vain? The kings of the earth rise up and the rulers band together against the Lord and against his anointed one.’ . . . Now, Lord, consider their threats and enable your servants to speak your word with great boldness.
All scripture references are from the New
International Version.
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