Matthew 21:43 KJV
Rejection. We have all faced it at one time or another. And Jesus was certainly no exception. And that is the substance of the passage found in this verse and the previous verse.
In these verses Jesus warns the listener of the dangers and consequences of rejecting Him.
So what are the warnings and what are the consequences?
The warning is this. Do not reject what others have rejected. The builders in this passage are not meant to be real stone masons and craftsman. Instead, they are a thinly veiled description of the religious leaders of the day. They had rejected Jesus. They refused to see Him for who he was. He was the Son of God. Not the son of a simple carpenter.
The consequence is this. Those who reject Jesus will be broken if not completely crushed. Again the imagery is vivid. Just like those around could envision a capstone or cornerstone. So too, they could also envision a millstone. As stone so big that if you fell on it, you would likely brake a limb. And also so large and heavy, that if it fell on you, you would be crushed beneath the weight of it.
So, what is it there for?
Jesus reminds them that their rejection of Him says a whole lot more about their choices, their guilt and their coming judgment than it says about Jesus Himself. Though they reject Him, He is still the chief cornerstone, fulfilling the great Messianic Psalm 118.
It has been said and I believe it is true. We do not break God's laws. God's laws cannot be broken. Instead, we brake ourselves upon God's laws.
The same is true in this passage. What we think about who Jesus is does not change anything at all. He is still God. And we must come to grips with that fact and realize that we will come face to face with Him some day.
Photo licensed under the following terms: http://morguefile.com/license/morguefile/
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment