The Cornerstone Series

The year was 1793 and there was a huge ceremony held in Washington D.C.. President George Washington laid the Cornerstone for the new Capitol building. Before the cornerstone was laid down, Washington placed a silver plaque beneath it, and I’ve read that this event was highly important to him because this building would be where the Senate and the Congress would meet. America would NOT be a monarchy, but instead – a republic where the course of the nation could be decided by representatives of the people. Washington’s desire was that this building would be a powerful declaration that America intended to be different from other nations. It would be a nation OF the people, FOR the people and BY the people.

The rest of the FOUNDATION of the Capitol bldg. was composed of mortar and rubble, but the cornerstone itself was about 5 feet long and weighed several tons. When it was laid down… it was a time of great celebration and excitement.

But a few years later – they had a problem. It seems that they’d LOST the cornerstone. They couldn’t find it. They knew it was underneath the Capitol bldg. someplace… they just didn’t know where! (https://www.senate.gov/about/historic-buildings-spaces/capitol/washington-lays-capitol-cornerstone.htm)

Somehow they’d MISPLACED the cornerstone and - even to this day – they don’t know where it is.

Cornerstones USED TO BE a significant part of any building. They were the first stones to be laid in a building's foundation, usually in a corner (which is why it’s called the cornerstone). The total weight of the building rested on that stone, and if it was REmoved, the entire structure could collapse. because that stone literally held the building together. (https://www.backtothebible.org/post/building-on-the-cornerstone)

Now, that brings us to our text this morning. “The stone that the builders rejected has become THE CORNERSTONE. This is the LORD’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day that the LORD has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it.” Psalm 118:22-24

What’s this all about? What is this CORNERSTONE they’re talking about? Well… they were talking about Jesus. In the book of Acts, the Apostle Peter stood before the Sanhedrin, and he said: “This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone. And there is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved." Acts 4:11-12

Jesus was the Cornerstone that the Old Testament told us about.

But the builders rejected Him! They refused to have anything to do with Him. And who were these builders? Well, they were the Jewish leaders. They were the scribes, the pharisees and the chief priests.

In Luke 6:6-11 we read “On another Sabbath, he entered the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was withered. And the scribes and the Pharisees watched him, to see whether he would heal on the Sabbath, so that they might find a reason to accuse him. But he knew their thoughts, and he said to the man with the withered hand, "Come and stand here." And he rose and stood there. And Jesus said to them, "I ask you, is it lawful on the Sabbath to do good or to do harm, to save life or to destroy it?" And after looking around at them all he said to him, "Stretch out your hand." And he did so, and his hand was restored. But (the Scribes and the Pharisees) were filled with fury and discussed with one another what they might do to Jesus.”

And in Luke 20:17-20 we’re told that Jesus looked directly at (the scribes and chief priests) and said, "What then is this that is written: "’The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone’? Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him." The scribes and the chief priests sought to lay hands on him at that very hour, for they perceived that he had told this parable against them, but they feared the people. So they watched him and sent spies, who pretended to be sincere, that they might catch him in something he said, so as to deliver him up to the authority and jurisdiction of the governor.

Now, notice - these builders didn’t “MISPLACE” the cornerstone - they just out-right rejected Him. They despised Him. They set out to destroy Him and His influence. They didn’t want Jesus to be the FOUNDATION of their lives. They wanted to build their OWN foundation. And things haven’t changed in nearly 2000 years. There are still people who realize that Jesus is an obstacle to their agendas.

ILLUS: There was a university professor that once boasted, “One of my callings in life is to shatter the faith of naïve fundamentalists as they come to my class. Just give me a room of young, naïve evangelicals and let me at ‘em. You can just watch them drop like flies hit with Raid when I challenge their faith in a deliberate, consistent manner.” (from Charles Swindoll)