MATT. 21:42 46.
WHEN Jesus spoke the parable of the vineyard, showing how He would be rejected by the Jews, cast out of the vineyard and slain, He quoted to the rulers a verse from Ps. 118, to show how their rejection of Him would be the fulfillment of the Scripture, and how God would exalt the very One they were despising. He said to them:
“Did ye never read in the Scriptures: The stone which the builders rejected, the same is become the bead of the corner; this is the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes!”
Jesus was this stone which was to become the head-stone, or chief stone, of the corner, and which at that very moment the builders were rejecting. And because they were thus rejecting Him, Jesus told them that the kingdom of God would be taken from them and given to a nation that would bring forth the fruits thereof. Not only so, but He told them of the judgment that would come upon them because they rejected Him. They were stumbling over Him because He seemed insignificant to them, and He declared to them that because of this they would be “broken” in judgment. “Whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken,” He seemed to the builders only a worthless stone. They stumbled ever Him, only to perish. By and by He will be as a mighty stone falling from heaven upon that guilty nation. That will be when He comes again. He will come in judgment against His rejectors Souls stumble over Him now, and perish because they do not own Him as the Christ of God. When He comes again, it will be in glory, and in the crushing power of judgment on all His enemies; and so He says: “But on whomsoever it [that is this rejected stone] shall fall, it will grind him to powder.”
When the chief priests and Pharisees heard these parables, they were angry, because they saw that Jesus was speaking of them; and they would have laid hands on Him, had they not been afraid of the people, for the people took Jesus to be a prophet. These wicked rulers cared only for their own interests, their own glory, and their own reputation, and when exposed by Jesus, they wanted to kill Him. This showed out their real character.
Now, may I ask, are you better than they? Have you received and confessed Jesus, whom God has exalted to be the chief corner-stone? God has sent Him into this world to be a Saviour. Is He your Saviour; or are you like the rulers, rejecting Him? If you are still rejecting Him, what better are you then they? Oh! beware! If you stumble over Him, you will perish. If you despise Him, He is coming from heaven in judgment, and as a mighty stone, He will crush you to powder. If you believe on Him, you shall be saved.
ML 05/24/1903