“You are to regard only the LORD of Armies as holy. Only He should be feared; only He should be held in awe. He will be a sanctuary; but for the two houses of Israel, He will be a stone to stumble over and a rock to trip over, and a trap and a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. Many will stumble over these; they will fall and be broken; they will be snared and captured.” – Isaiah 8:13-15
“Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is what the Lord has done and it is wonderful in our eyes? Therefore I tell you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people producing its fruit. Whoever falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will shatter him.’” – Matthew 21:44 (emphasis mine)
The two sets of verses above were both leveled at the nation of Israel. The first, by the prophet Isaiah. Immediately preceding these verses, he prophesied that the Assyrian army would invade Jerusalem and carry the people off into exile because of their unfaithfulness to God and His covenant with them. Then God addressed the fear Isaiah was no doubt feeling, as the Assyrians were a BRUTAL people. For an overview of their various cruelties in battle, click here. Nonetheless, God instructed Isaiah to remain faithful and fear only Him. God then told Isaiah that He would be a “stone to stumble over and a rock to trip over” to the unfaithful in the land.
The second grouping of verses, spoken by Jesus, was also directed at Israel’s spiritual leaders. Matthew tells us in verses 23 and 45 of chapter 21 that these were the chief priests, elders, and Pharisees—Israel’s spiritual elite. And yet Jesus told them that the kingdom of God, for which they had been waiting and hoping their whole lives, would be taken from them (just like God took it from king Saul). Why would the kingdom be taken away from them, its heirs, and given to others (Jews and Gentiles who believed in Jesus)? Because of their rejection of Jesus. Just as the nation of Israel manifested unfaithfulness to God by not walking in obedience to His covenant with them in ancient times, so they manifested unfaithfulness to God by not believing in and following His Son when He came.
Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22-23 in His denunciation of the Jewish leaders, identifying Himself as the chief cornerstone. You may be wondering just what that means…
In God’s grand redemptive plan of the ages, Jesus is the chief (primary, most important) cornerstone/foundation-stone in that plan. In other words, everything God has done, is doing, and will do ultimately is based on, points to, and revolves around His Son. Israel’s spiritual leaders had rejected Jesus, not wanting to see that He was the very God they claimed to know and worship! And that was the crux of the matter. Rather than have soft hearts ready to receive God’s grace, they hardened their hearts against Him (as did the Pharoah during the Exodus so many years earlier) and went to war against His plan. Never a good idea…
The Scriptures talk in various places about the ungodly who desire to rebel against God, walk in their own ways, and live as His enemies (see Psalm1 and Psalm 2 for starters). The contrast between “the way of the righteous and the way of the wicked” is brought out in many places in God’s word. But this concept of the “two ways” of life was also taken up by the early church. This is from the Didache (which means ‘the teaching’), an ancient Christian writing on discipleship and how to live the Christian life faithfully: “There are two ways, one of life and one of death, and there is a great difference between these two ways.” [1] Indeed.
The call of God in these passages is clear: do you trust in Jesus? Have you come to Him in faith, trusting Him for your salvation and submitting to Him as your Lord and God? If so, you will face times when you are broken to pieces, but you will never be ultimately shattered. Do not be like the unbelieving religious leaders of Israel. Repent and seek Him today, rather than rebel against Him and ultimately be crushed by His holy justice.
Charles Spurgeon, the Prince of Preachers, had this to say: “Now He is the bond of the building, holding Jew and Gentile in firm unity. This precious cornerstone binds God and man together in wondrous [unity], for He is both in one. He joins earth and heaven together, for He participates in each. He joins time and eternity together, for He was a man of few years, and yet He is the Ancient of Days. Wondrous cornerstone!” [2] (emphasis mine)
[1] Veery Huleatt and Michael W. Holmes, The Two Ways: The Early Christian Vision of Discipleship from the Didache and the Shepherd of Hermas (Plough Publishing House, 2018), xi.
[2] “Psalm 118 – The Chief Cornerstone,” David Guzik, Enduring Word, accessed September 9, 2023, https://enduringword.com/bible-commentary/psalm-118/