A Stone of Stumbling

Prophecy fulfilled in Christ’s death and resurrection.

Psalm 118:22 The stone which the builders refused is become the head stone of the corner.

The head stone here is also called the corner stone, from which a building is measured and laid out to be in perfect alignment and order, as a building that will stand long and strong.

Shortly after the crucifixion of Jesus Peter spoke these words to the people of Israel concerning Jesus whom they had crucified.

Acts 4:11 This is the stone which was set at nought (rejected) of you builders, which is become the head of the corner.

Then again, some thirty years after the death and resurrection of Christ, Peter wrote this to the believing remnant of the Jewish dispersion.

Unto you therefore which believe He is precious; but unto them which be disobedient, the Stone which the builders (of Israel) disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient…” (I Pet. 2:7-8).

It is true that Israel’s ‘builders,’ 2000 years ago, “disallowed” Christ as the cornerstone for their building, and that even when He became the “Head of the corner,” (the keystone). According to Psalm 118:22 (above), it was for them an occasion for stumbling and embarrassment. Israel has stumbled and fallen over that Stone (Christ) of eternal salvation and blessing.

Today Christ is a “stone of stumbling” to all who reject Him. In Rom. 9:33 Paul quotes from several Old Testament passages:

“As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence; and whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.”

In Peter’s day and in Paul’s, those who looked upon Christ as their Cornerstone were never given cause to be ashamed. It was those who disallowed and refused Him who kept stumbling over Him and were constantly embarrassed by Him.

Jesus Christ as that Stone; a stumbling stone to the religious self-righteous of Israel. In their blindness they “stumbled” over Him. Even today all such pitiful self-righteous people are blinded, so they stumble over Him in their arrogance.

Yet today, those who put their trust in the crucified and risen Lord are eternally secure and will never be put to shame for having trusted Him. But those who reject Christ keep forever stumbling over Him. They hear and see Him offered as the One who died for their sins, they are constantly confronted with His claims and they are embarrassed by their sin and yet… they keep forever stumbling over Him.

The only answer to life is to put aside our haughtiness against God and trust Him now as our personal Savior, for “whosoever believeth on Him shall not be ashamed.”