Matthew 21:42……Working

Matthew 21:42……Working

21:42 Jesus said to them, “Have you never read  in the Scriptures: (Expresses a snub. Being religious leaders they should have known from the scriptures what was coming.) “‘The stone (Jesus) the builders (Religious leaders) rejected (The practice of Stonemasons throwing aside stones that were rough, cracked, uneven. Expresses Israel’s rejection of Jesus who didn’t fit the Messiah they expected.) has become the capstone (Expresses a architectural term denoting the principle Cornerstone that forms the foundation of a building in which everything aligns with it. Or a Keystone used in an arch. Metaphorically the culmination and crowning achievement of Christ’s work through His death and resurrection.) the Lord (God) has done this, and it is marvellous (Expresses what is wonderfully unexpected, amazing, remarkable, glorious, dumbfounding) in our eyes’ (The Psalm is David praising the LORD for saving Israel from all their enemies. Now more fully fulfilled in Jesus’ work of Salvation. {Ps.118:22-23)

Continued From Book

“Teaches how God can take what the world deems worthless and useless and do amazing and wonderful things with it.” ⇒ God often overlooks the strong and selects the weak to accomplish His purposes. We see this work of God in countless ways: God chose the aged Abraham and Sarah to give birth to His people (Gen, 12:1-6; Heb, 11:8-12); His promise flowed through Jacob instead of his older brother (Mal. 1:2-3; Rom. 9:13) God used stammering Moses to speak on His behalf before Pharaoh (Ex. 4:10); God summoned the enslaved children of Israel to be His special people above all the other Nations.-(Deut. 4:20, 5:6); He called skittish Gideon to lead His people against the Midianites (Jud. 6:11-16); God chose the young, inexperienced, and perhaps illegitimate David to be the King of Israel (1 Sam. 16:7). Overarching all these illustrations is God choosing humans over the angels to rule over His creation (Ps. 8 Heb. 2)

Additional Notes and Applications

Displays how people often reject what is extremely valuable because they don’t understand God’s ways or plan.

Gives encouragement and comfort, that with Jesus as our rock and foundation He does not move or change while everything else around us does.

Teaches as we make Jesus the cornerstone of our lives will we remain strong and unshakable in the face of every trouble we encounter! (Know that Christ and His truth is always stronger than our hardships!)

Teaches how we can to lean on Jesus, giving Him all our pressures and stress we’re going through.

Teaches if we want a successful marriage, career, children, etc. it all starts with Jesus!

The quote is an architectural practice that Masons would use in selecting the right stones to be used in constructing a building. In the days before steel beams, stones were the construction material of choice to strengthen structures. Builders inspected stones to determine their best use. Some stones were rejected and deemed unusable for construction while other stones were highly prized for their capability. The biggest and strongest stones were selected to be used in the foundation of the building. The chief corner stone was the strongest and best stone of all because it would be used to support the weight of the entire building. The cornerstone had to be larger than the other stones because it was the starting point and from this stone every other stone was perfectly aligned and built up. And the capstone was often the very last stone installed on a building. If all the stones didn’t align from the cornerstone to the capstone as expected, the structure would be ruined. A good builder never let this happen!

In context the quoted passage is in reference to a song (hymn) of praise that though Israel would be rejected and defeated by the nations around them, God will miraculously intervene and deliver Israel over their enemies. (Some understand it as David referring to himself though rejected by Israel’s leaders will be vindicated by God) (See Ps. 118:1-24)