The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone.
– Psalm 118:22
Many years ago my home church was preparing to build an enclosure around some air conditioning units located by the main building. The enclosure would be two walls of concrete block in an “L” shape, each end connecting to an existing wall of the facility. I showed up on the project day to do what I do best: grunt labor. The man taking the lead was a construction contractor, so obviously he knew what he was doing. When we began work, he did something that caught me by surprise. Rather than laying the first block beside one of the existing walls (which is exactly what I would have done), he carefully measured to a point not yet connected to anything, marked it on the ground, and proceeded to place the first block there. As you can expect, all the other blocks were placed, each building upon the other in both directions until the walls of block were complete, perfectly connecting to the building as planned. At the end of the day, the church had helped to secure our AC units, and I had my most memorable illustration of a cornerstone.
Cornerstones can be found in many places, particularly in older buildings. Some of them are more prominent than others, but consistently the cornerstone will stand out compared to all other building blocks around it. The stone may be engraved with information, perhaps the name of the founding organization and the year of construction. In some cases, such as old churches, it is interesting to see if there has been a transition among denominations or a change of names from the original congregation. There is one thing, though, about many cornerstones that I see, and in pointing it out I admit that I am no builder. It is the obvious reality that many cornerstones are not true cornerstones.
Many of the cornerstones you see are not at the base of the structure, but instead are several layers of block off the ground. This indeed makes them more noticeable and appealing, a more attractive piece of the architecture. When this is the case, though, you know that this stone wasn’t the first one laid. It can’t be. And this is the point. A true cornerstone is the primary reference point. The place of every other piece in the structure is defined by the cornerstone. This is why it must be the first stone laid. Not only this, it must be laid with the utmost care and thought because the entire structure is affected by it.
It is no wonder, then, that the image of the cornerstone is applied to the person of Jesus Christ. All things regarding the Church are built upon him. Consider the words of Ephesians 2:19-21.
“So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, in whom the whole building, being fitted together,
is growing into a holy temple in the Lord.”
Sometimes in church life today we may hold a fondness for the person of Jesus, but the thought of him being the cornerstone is not very attractive. We would rather create our “buildings”—our programs, our theology, our values, our doctrines—from many different stones that are cut from the quarry of modernism. This has the capacity to make us much more appealing. The problem is that when we don’t have Jesus as the cornerstone, we are no longer the Church.
Psalm 118:22 is prophetic, and Jesus was the fulfillment of the prophesy. In addition to the passage in Ephesians, this scripture is referenced in Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10; Luke 20:17 (all from the lips of Jesus); Acts 4:11; and 1 Peter 2:7. You can’t miss what the Bible is telling us: It is ALL about Jesus. His death and resurrection is the unique act that accomplishes our redemption. His life was the pure revelation of God for humankind. His teaching, both from his lips and through his apostles, is the truth that points us to eternal life. He is the precious stone that defines all things regarding God’s work of salvation. Only connected to him can we be the Church.
My hope is built on nothing less
than Jesus’ blood and righteousness;
I dare not trust the sweetest frame,
but wholly lean on Jesus’ name.
– Edward Mote
The Winding Path 