FIRST READING Acts 4:1–12
1 While Peter and John were speaking to the people, the priests, the captain of the temple, and the Sadducees came to them, 2 much annoyed because they were teaching the people and proclaiming that in Jesus there is the resurrection of the dead. 3 So they arrested them and put them in custody until the next day, for it was already evening. 4 But many of those who heard the word believed; and they numbered about five thousand. 5 The next day their rulers, elders, and scribes assembled in Jerusalem, 6 with Annas the high priest, Caiaphas, John, and Alexander, and all who were of the high-priestly family. 7 When they had made the prisoners stand in their midst, they inquired, “By what power or by what name did you do this?” 8 Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders, 9 if we are questioned today because of a good deed done to someone who was sick and are asked how this man has been healed, 10 let it be known to all of you, and to all the people of Israel, that this man is standing before you in good health by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead. 11 This Jesus is
‘the stone that was rejected by you, the builders; it has become the cornerstone.’
12 There is salvation in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given among mortals by which we must be saved.”
PSALM Psalm 23
1 The LORD is my shepherd; I shall not be in want. 2 The LORD makes me lie down in green pastures and leads me beside still waters. 3 You restore my soul, O LORD, and guide me along right pathways for your name’s sake. 4 Though I walk through the valley of the shadow of death, I shall fear no evil; for you are with me; your rod and your staff, they comfort me. 5 You prepare a table before me in the presence of my enemies; you anoint my head with oil, and my cup is running over. 6 Surely goodness and mercy shall follow me all the days of my life, and I will dwell in the house of the LORD forever.
SECOND READING 1 John 3:16–24
16 We know love by this, that he laid down his life for us — and we ought to lay down our lives for one another. 17 How does God’s love abide in anyone who has the world’s goods and sees a brother or sister in need and yet refuses help? 18 Little children, let us love, not in word or speech, but in truth and action. 19And by this we will know that we are from the truth and will reassure our hearts before him 20 whenever our hearts condemn us; for God is greater than our hearts, and he knows everything. 21 Beloved, if our hearts do not condemn us, we have boldness before God; 22 and we receive from him whatever we ask, because we obey his commandments and do what pleases him. 23 And this is his commandment, that we should believe in the name of his Son Jesus Christ and love one another, just as he has commanded us. 24 All who obey his commandments abide in him, and he abides in them. And by this we know that he abides in us, by the Spirit that he has given us.
GOSPEL John 10:11–18
11 I am the good shepherd. The good shepherd lays down his life for the sheep. 12 The hired hand, who is not the shepherd and does not own the sheep, sees the wolf coming and leaves the sheep and runs away — and the wolf snatches them and scatters them. 13 The hired hand runs away because a hired hand does not care for the sheep. 14 I am the good shepherd. I know my own and my own know me, 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father. And I lay down my life for the sheep. 16I have other sheep that do not belong to this fold. I must bring them also, and they will listen to my voice. So there will be one flock, one shepherd. 17For this reason the Father loves me, because I lay down my life in order to take it up again. 18No one takes it from me, but I lay it down of my own accord. I have power to lay it down, and I have power to take it up again. I have received this command from my Father.”
CORNERSTONE vs CAPSTONE
One of the modules from psych 101 is the lesson on the id, the ego and the super ego. For those who haven’t looked at the subject in a while, the id is the part of the psyche, residing in the unconscious, that is the source of instinctive impulses that seek satisfaction in accordance with the pleasure principle and are modified by the ego and the superego before they’re given overt expression. The super ego is the part of the personality representing the conscience, formed in early life by internalization of the standards of parents and other models of behavior. The ego then is the part of our psyche that experiences the outside world and reacts to it, coming between the primitive drives of the id and the demands of the social environment, represented by the superego. Now that we have all the psychobabble straight, it’s fair to say that we are creatures that, in many ways, are controlled by our ego.
When we get our feeling hurt, in many cases it’s our ego that’s bruised. We want, as a social animal, to be accepted. We want to be affirmed as a person in whatever capacity we are working to fulfill. At work we want our ideas and accomplishments to be considered ahead of others; in school we want good grades, to be known as a person with the correct answers. At home we want to be known as a good spouse and provider and in our social lives we want to be an important person in the group. We place a lot of importance on how others see us and accept us and anytime we’re rejected the ego reacts. Therefore, it makes sense that one of the hardest things in this life to cope with, is rejection.
This may be one reason why so many married persons are happy they’re no longer playing the dating game. It hurts too much when someone rejects you. “What’s wrong with me?” is the question we inevitably ask. Charles R. Boatman tells about a strange, new twist on this ancient ritual. He notes that traditionally, the male of our species makes the first approach in the dating game, but that is quickly changing. Men, and now I’m told women are doing this, have developed all sorts of pick-up lines to interest a potential suitor that they’re attracted to. If this pick-up line works, then an important next step is to request the person’s phone number. However, this can present a problem. What if the potential suitor is being polite and doesn’t want to hurt the other person’s feelings by an outright public rejection?
There’s been, for a while, the option of giving a false phone number, says Boatman, but now a new twist has been added: the suitor can now can now give the requestor the phone number of the local “rejection hotline” then smile, and walk away. The would-be suitor thinks they’ve hit the jackpot, but it’s a cruel illusion. When the requestor calls the next day, they hear this recording: “Hello, this isn’t the person you were trying to call. You’ve reached the rejection hotline . . . Unfortunately the person who gave you this rejection hotline number didn’t want you to have their real number.” Even worse, the rude voice goes on to list numerous negative characteristics that the individual may have noticed. I, for one, am glad I don’t have to deal with trying to date in this new digital age! You’d have to have some pretty thick skin even to risk such a response. Rejection. It’s a cruel thing to happen to anyone, and yet it happens to all of us sooner or later.
You apply for a job. You believe it’s the perfect fit for you. But your prospective employer has other ideas. Rejection. You work hard on a proposal at work. You’re convinced that your boss will be delighted. Instead, they’re more impressed by a co-worker’s idea. Rejection. It happens to everybody, even to those folks we least think would be rejected. Best-selling authors for example.
Ken Taylor’s paraphrased version of the Bible which he called The Living
Bible was rejected by 63 publishers. Frustrated, he finally self-published it. Quite unexpectedly, The Living Bible became one of the biggest bestsellers of all time. The Diary of Anne Frank, a book that has inspired millions, was rejected 15 times and called “very dull” by one publisher. Chicken Soup for the Soul by Jack Canfield and Mark Victor Hansen was rejected 140 times. Yet they turned it into a series of books that have made them both very, very rich.
The lesser known Stephen King, you know the one I’m referring to, wrote a disturbing book called Carrie, which was rejected 30 times. Supposedly, after the final rejection, King threw the manuscript in the trash and his wife fished it out. You of course know what happened. Not only was it a bestseller, but was made into a movie as well. And authors aren’t the only ones that experience rejection, it happens to celebrities of every kind.
When Steven Spielberg applied to the film schools of both UCLA and USC he was rejected. I bet both these schools feel foolish since he’s done all right for himself as a director of blockbuster films. When Fred Astaire had his first screen test at MGM, the casting director wrote this memo: “Can’t act! Slightly bald! Can dance a little.” Cartoonist Charles Schulz of “Peanuts” fame had every cartoon that he drew rejected by his school’s yearbook staff. And Henry Kissinger is best remembered by his classmates as the kid nobody wanted to eat lunch with at school. The reality is that rejection happens to everyone sooner or later. We need to learn how to deal with this fact of life because sooner or later we’re all going to be rejected. It’s not something we like or like to think about, but it will happen, and not just once. The good news is, we’re not alone, even our Lord and Savior was rejected.
In today’s lesson from Acts 4 we read, “The stone that [the] builders rejected has become the head cornerstone.” Luke, the writer of Acts, was quoting Psalm 118:22. But what’s interesting is that what Luke was pointing out was that while rejected, Jesus was the fulfillment of that prophecy. “The stone . . . that was rejected has become the head cornerstone.” I’m sure each of us have heard this passage multiple times and it’s been explained in a couple of different ways, but it’s a passage that has also been used to justify some pretty damaging theology. Therefore we need to be careful when dealing with this passage and the best way to gain understanding is to look at the passage in the broader context.
In chapter 3 there’s a much beloved story about a lame man who was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful. Friends or family brought him to that gate every day to beg. When this poor man saw Peter and John about to enter the gate, he asked them for money. But, instead of a coin in his cup, he got the surprise of his life. Peter turned to the man and said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” Then, taking the lame man by the right hand, Peter helped him up. Instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong and he began walking and jumping, and praising God. Needless to say this made for one happy man.
The people who recognized this man were filled with wonder and amazement when they saw him carrying on like this. A huge crowd gathered and Peter began preaching to the crowd about the resurrected Jesus and His power to heal. This disturbed the priests and the captain of the temple guard, for many who heard the message believed what the two Apostles said. In fact, scripture tells us that about 5000 people became believers that day because of Peter’s testimony. But not everyone there that day was convinced.
The Sadducees were particularly disturbed by the Apostles’ claim that Jesus was resurrected from of the dead. The Sadducees didn’t believe in resurrection from the dead. Christ’s resurrection then, if true, presented them with a real dilemma. It struck down one of their core beliefs thus threatening their entire theological foundation. And so they seized Peter and John and had them put in jail. The following morning Peter and John were interrogated. “By what power or what name did you do this?” It was Peter who spoke, but instead of answering their question, Peter took the opportunity to do a little teaching.
Peter explained that whatever they saw the disciples doing was not being accomplished by their own power or strength, but by the power of the risen Christ. Peter also reminded them that this act of healing the lame man was an act of kindness. Surely that should take precedence over rules and regulations. This lame man was rejoicing and praising God because God had healed him. Finally, Peter confirmed that this lame man was healed through the name of Jesus. This was the same Jesus, he said, whom the religious leaders had crucified but, in fulfillment of scriptures, God had raised from the dead.
Peter further elaborates by repeating the beautiful verse already expressed in Psalm 118: “The stone you builders rejected . . . has become the cornerstone.” He wanted everyone who would listen to know that Jesus, although temporarily humiliated, was subsequently glorified. He is now the Redeemer and no one can go to the Father unless they come through Him. This is an important passage, one that we need to carefully examine because it teaches us several things. But the primary thing it teaches is that Jesus is the chief cornerstone of our faith.
There’s a contemporary worship song that was popular a few years ago: “Jesus is the Cornerstone, came for sinners to atone; Though rejected by His own, He became the Cornerstone . . . Jesus is the Cornerstone.” It’s on that cornerstone that our faith is built. As I mentioned a moment ago, over the years this particular passage has been analyzed and commented on, some with good result and some with not so good results.
One of the not so good elucidations of this passage compares the Greek phrase kaphale gonia to the keystone of a building. As you know the capstone isn’t simply a decorative stone used to finish off the door and window frames with a bit of architectural flair. Rather it’s the fundamental stone that structurally holds a building together.
Visualize for a moment an old Roman archway, built from two columns of carefully carved stones. Where the two sides arch in toward each other at the top and meet in the center, there’s a triangular shaped stone that sits in the middle and balances the two sides of the arch against each other. That is the cap or keystone. If you removed that stone, the whole arch and subsequent structure above would fall to pieces.
German theologian, Johann David Michaelis taught that this passage from the Psalms concerning the cornerstone refers to a specific event that reportedly took place during the building of Solomon’s temple. It’s said that this massive temple was built in relative silence. There was no pounding of hammers. The reason there was no pounding of hammers is because the plans were so exact that each stone was perfectly shaped at the quarry. When the stones arrived at the building site, each one fit perfectly into place. So far this story from antiquity is, as best we can tell, fairly accurate. Here’s where it gets sketchy: supposedly there was one huge stone that didn’t seem to fit anywhere, and the builders placed it to the side.
Eventually it got in the way, and workmen pushed it over the bank and it rolled into down into the Kidron Valley below. After the foundation had been laid, the time came to hoist the cornerstone into place. But the cornerstone couldn’t be found. Word was sent back to the quarry, but the masons there replied it had already been delivered. Finally it was deduced that it was the stone that had been rejected and had rolled into the valley! When it was retrieved, it slid perfectly into place, serving as the stone that held all the others in position. It’s a wonderful story that could possibly help explain this passage, but it’s theologically incorrect. The keystone, while structurally important, isn’t a foundational stone.
Again picturing the Roman arch, the structure including the arch is set on a foundation. That foundation must be structurally sound in and of itself. Looking at Jesus as the keystone and us as the underlying structure, says that first and foremost we are the starting point. We are the primary source and norm for how theology is formed, how morals and values are developed and then Jesus holds it all together. This is the interpretative method that has got so many mainline churches in so much doctrinal hot water.
Far too many churches now see God’s word primarily filtered through our lens and the lens of society. Therefore, it’s through the lens of society’s ever changing norms and values that people interpret scripture. In other words, by placing us and our views first in the interpretive chain, we can twist the Bible to say whatever we and society decides it says and then we simply infer that Jesus holds it all together. This is definitely putting the cart before the horse. As I said, this is the incorrect interpretation of the Greek phrase Kaphale gonia. The correct interpretation of this phrase is chief cornerstone.
The chief cornerstone of a building is part of the foundation and everything in the building is taken and laid out from that stone. The cornerstone determines where the building sits on the property, how the walls will be built in reference to the cornerstone and provides structural integrity for the entire building. In other words, everything depends and is built off the chief cornerstone. When we base our beliefs and teachings off the Bible and the words and teachings of Jesus alone, allowing the Bible to interpret itself, then our doctrine will remain pure, untainted by the changing winds of society.
When we allow society and our own values to become the primary filter of interpretation, than we do the same as the early religious leaders, we reject Jesus. We violate the First Commandment of placing ourselves ahead of God. We become the builders who reject the Stone and we try to be the foundation on which we are built. However, we need to hear what Luke is telling us here. If we want our foundation to be solid, Jesus is the chief cornerstone, the only foundation upon which we can reliably build our lives. It may not be the way society tells us to do things, it might not even be the way some churches tell you to do things, but it’s how the Bible is telling us build our lives and we need to listen, even if it doesn’t seem like the right way of doing things. Jesus, the stone the builders rejected is the cornerstone of our faith. Jesus is the only reliable foundation on which we can build our lives.
Back in the days when the Old West was being settled, there were many pioneers who made their way over the Oregon Trail. When they got to the eastern slope of the Rocky Mountains, they found a stream a little too wide to cross in one step, so they “two-stepped” across by using an ugly lump sticking up out of the water in the middle of the stream. As the years passed, other pioneers settled in that area, built their cabins, strung fences and plowed the fields. The path across the stream was improved and that lump was tossed to the side. One man decided to build his cabin near that same stream. But he had a problem; he needed a good stone for the foundation.
To solve his problem, he found that heavy lump that had previously been in the middle of the stream but tossed aside. So he carried it up to the corner and began to build his cabin. More years passed. Railroads were built across the nation, more people pushed west and modern cities sprang up. A nephew of that same pioneer went east to study geology at a large university. He returned home during vacation.
Lo and behold, at the corner of his uncle’s cabin by the stream, he found not just an ugly lump, and not just a heavy lump, but a lump of pure gold, the largest gold nugget ever discovered on the eastern slopes of the Rockies! It had been there for three generations, but everybody saw it in a different light. Some saw it as a stepping stone in the creek, just an ugly lump, some saw it as an obstacle that needed to be moved to improve the way across the creek, but only the nephew saw it for what it really was a lump of gold. The same thing is true of Jesus.
The same Jesus whom some have seen as a stumbling rock, is to those who know Him as He really is, a precious stone, the chief cornerstone. He is the chief cornerstone of our faith. He is the only reliable foundation on which we can build our lives. It’s hard at times to let go of how we want to see and interpret the Bible. And anytime we do this Jesus becomes one of those decorative keystones we see in modern architecture. It looks nice, but has no real structural value. However, when we place God first in our lives and build our foundation, our whole belief and value system on Jesus, we have a foundation that can weather not only the storms of life but will stand for all eternity.
Amen