Spiritual Strength For Each Day
“Unto you therefore which believe he is precious: but unto them which be disobedient, the stone which the builders disallowed, the same is made the head of the corner” (1 Peter 2:7).
Jesus is the rejected stone. He was rejected by the builders, that is, the religious leaders. This was the case then, and it is the case today. God chooses and uses, however, the rejected and despised ones. For instance, in the case of Bethlehem, “But thou, Bethlehem Ephratah, though thou be little among the thousands of Judah…” (Micah 5:2), or Nazareth, “Can there any good thing come out of Nazareth?” (John 1:46). And of Jesus Himself it says, “He is despised and rejected of men” (Isaiah 53:3).
Jesus is not only the rejected stone, but also the tried stone, “Therefore thus saith the Lord God, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone” (Isaiah 28:16). He was tried and tempted, and proved steadfast. Adam lived in a sinless world with only one tree which he had to avoid, but he failed. The last Adam, Jesus, came into a dark world that was contaminated by sin. He was tried, just as we are, but He triumphed. Who can fathom the depths of these words? Jesus overcame with two weapons: 1. the Word of God—“It is written,” and 2. His continual fellowship with His Father.
