Please turn to Romans 9 where Paul expresses the burden that he has for his beloved Israel. Remember – these were the same people with whom Christ is quarreling here in Matthew. Paul says, “I say the truth in Christ, I lie not, my conscience also bearing me witness in the Holy Ghost, That I have great heaviness and continual sorrow in my heart. For I could wish that myself were accursed from Christ for my brethren, my kinsmen according to the flesh.” The next chapter begins with the broken-hearted cry – ”Brethren, my heart’s desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they might be saved.” Now go back to Romans 9:30 – “What shall we say then? That the Gentiles, which followed not after righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness which is of faith. But Israel, which followed after the law of righteousness, hath not attained to the law of righteousness. Wherefore? Because they sought it not by faith, but as it were by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumblingstone; As it is written, Behold, I lay in Sion a stumblingstone and rock of offence: and whosoever believeth on him shall not be ashamed.” Quoting the Psalmist, both Christ and Paul are saying that the Jews stumble over and will be crushed by the chief-cornerstone of God’s Kingdom. But there will be non-Jews who will build their lives on that sure foundation.
Perhaps about two months after Jesus spoke to the chief priests, scribes and Pharisees, Peter and John will be standing at almost the same spot in the Temple – at the Beautiful Gate. There will be another lame man on that occasion, begging for alms from the generous worshipers. In Acts 3, after the man addresses Peter, the Apostle will say, “Silver and gold have I none; but such as I have give I thee: In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth rise up and walk.” You might be able to imagine what an effect that will have on the man and the crowd, coming on the heels of what Jesus did and how he was executed. That opportunity developed into a sermon in the course of which we read – “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Ghost, said unto them, Ye rulers of the people, and elders of Israel, If we this day be examined of the good deed done to the impotent man, by what means he is made whole; Be it known unto you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom ye crucified, whom God raised from the dead, even by him doth this man stand here before you whole. This is the stone which was set at nought of you builders, which is become the head of the corner. Neither is there salvation in any other: for there is none other name under heaven given among men, whereby we must be saved.” The thing to notice is that under the direction of the Holy Spirit Peter ties together the chief cornerstone from Psalm 118 and salvation.
There is one more reference to that earlier Psalm and it is found in I Peter 2:5-10. This time Peter is writing to Christian people – encouraging them. The nation of Israel has rejected their Messiah, but a few elect souls, some from Israel and some from among the Gentiles have been granted grace to repent and believe on the Messiah. With Christ they have a sure foundation upon which to build their lives and their hope in eternity. “To whom coming, as unto a living stone, disallowed indeed of men, but chosen of God, and precious, Ye also, as lively stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices, acceptable to God by Jesus Christ. Wherefore also it is contained in the scripture, Behold, I lay in Sion a chief corner stone, elect, precious: and he that believeth on him shall not be confounded. 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, And a stone of stumbling, and a rock of offence, even to them which stumble at the word, being disobedient: whereunto also they were appointed. But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people; that ye should shew forth the praises of him who hath called you out of darkness into his marvellous light: Which in time past were not a people, but are now the people of God: which had not obtained mercy, but now have obtained mercy.” Not only does this passage refer to the same stumbling stone, but also to people who were not a people. He also refers back to three scriptures in Isaiah – all familiar to the educated Israelite.
But here is the main point – the point of Peter, Paul’s point in Romans 9 and Jesus’ point in our text – It was God – and particularly Christ Jesus, the Saviour – that these Jews were rejecting. Multitudes of Gentiles were not the least bit ashamed of this Jewish Redeemer. But Israel, who should have known better was embarrassed by the One who fulfilled all their scriptures. How can a woman forget her baby, or a son not recognize his father? How could Israel possibly cast aside their Saviour?
The chief priests were offended, confounded and ready to murder their Messiah.
Because, we are told elsewhere, they were offended by the birth of Christ. They were looking for a Messiah coming from Heaven in power and great glory, but that was not the way the incarnation transpired. Do you remember Matthew 13:53-58 – “And it came to pass, that when Jesus had finished these (Kingdom of Heaven) parables, he departed thence. And when he was come into his own country, he taught them in their synagogue, insomuch that they were astonished, and said, Whence hath this man this wisdom, and these mighty works? Is not this the carpenter’s son? is not his mother called Mary? and his brethren, James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And his sisters, are they not all with us? Whence then hath this man all these things? And they were offended in him. But Jesus said unto them, A prophet is not without honour, save in his own country, and in his own house. And he did not many mighty works there because of their unbelief.”
How many times have you been angry or offended by someone, only to find out that the problem was that you didn’t understand him in some way? Some of Israel, especially those who knew Jesus from his childhood, were offended when it was being said that HE was their Messiah. But in reality the problem was merely a matter of their own limited knowledge and their misconceptions.
Some people were undoubtedly upset by the life and the lifestyle that Jesus lived. For example, He was a poor man in the estimation of the world. He was born in a stable rather than a palace. Unless He was being entertained by someone who wanted something from Him, He probably didn’t eat much better than John. But then when He was invited to dinner, eating some of the fancy foods that others fixed, He was accused of gluttony and wine-bibbing. Christ couldn’t win in that department. When He was selectively healing people, He was accused of being demonically empowered. But then at other times people were demanding that He perform miracles like some sort of trained dog, and when He refused, they said that He was a fraud. Some had the idea that the Messiah was supposed to be a political leader sent by the Father to deliver them from the Romans in the same sort of miraculous way that Moses delivered them from the Egyptians. But in all of these things and many more, people’s misconceptions were getting in the way of their judgment. If someone had a predilection toward rejecting Christ, they could easily find a good reason to be offended. And that was just in His personality and his manner of life.
When it came to the teaching of the Lord, the excuses mounted exponentially. In Luke 16 Jesus said, “No servant can serve two masters: for either he will hate the one, and love the other; or else he will hold to the one, and despise the other. Ye cannot serve God and mammon. And the Pharisees also, who were covetous, heard all these things: and they derided him. And he said unto them, Ye are they which justify yourselves before men; but God knoweth your hearts: for that which is highly esteemed among men is abomination in the sight of God.” Who did He say was the Jew’s true father, and what did He say about father Abraham? Did they like it? What did He do in the Temple, and what did He say about the Temple? Did they like it? Did He show the expected respect toward the wicked priests who were the leaders of the nation? How did He treat the hated Gentiles whom He happened to meet? Did the Jews like that? And what did He teach about the salvation of those Gentiles? Did they like that? Undoubtedly we could look at nearly everything that Jesus ever taught, and we could point out how this person or that group hated it.
But eventually it was at the cross where the Jews were most particularly offended at our Lord. It wasn’t that they were offended that He die – in that particular thing they rejoiced. But in their estimation, the true Messiah could never die. And yet this crucified one did make the claim to be their Messiah – that really made their blood boil. They laughed, they mocked, they spit, they encouraged the Roman soldiers, they reviled, they cursed. They were ashamed and confounded that He claimed to be the Anointed of God. “Thou that destroyest the temple, and buildest it in three days, save thyself. If thou be the Son of God, come down from the cross.” They had no concept of the necessity of the death of the Messiah. Ironically, the Old Testament book which prophesied their offense, was also the book which so clearly spoke of the need of a more perfect sacrifice for their sins.
The Jewish leaders were offended at Christ, but actually they were tripping over their own hearts.
First, the Lord Jesus offended their pride. The chief priests were ensconced in their positions of leadership – in the Sanhedrin and the priesthood. But then along came the Saviour, pointing out by His life and His words that the root of their privileges was corrupt. What was the command of God in Exodus 18:21 in regard to positions of national leadership? “Moreover thou shalt provide out of all the people able men, such as fear God, men of truth, hating covetousness; and place such over them, to be rulers of thousands, and rulers of hundreds, rulers of fifties, and rulers of tens.” For the most part, these men didn’t have the humility necessary to recognize and to listen to the Lord Who stood in front of them.
And how many other sins did they harbor, which the Lord exposed? What did Christ teach about their love for money? What did He reveal about their hatred of their neighbors? What did Christ tell the Jews about their attitudes toward divorce? What did He teach about the unbelief of the Sadducees – about angels; about Heaven. What did He teach about the hypocrisy of the Pharisees?
A primary cause of Israel’s rejection of Christ, was the multitude of their sins.
But the grace of the Lord creates a channel through those sins, like Moses through the Red Sea.
There were some Jews and thousands of non-Jews who were not ashamed of Christ, despite of their wickedness. Perhaps in some cases it was because they were ashamed of those sins that they weren’t ashamed of the Saviour. The Holy Spirit was convincing people from nations and tribes throughout the Mediterranean that their offenses against God needed at Saviour – not just a salve or a poultice. They were putting their faith in the Lord Jesus and His promises, experiencing relief and deliverance. Jesus said, “The kingdom of God shall be taken from you, and given to a nation bringing forth the fruits thereof.”
If God’s promises were nothing but air and paper, then they, too, would have been offended in Christ. If the Saviour redeemed those Gentiles, and then left them to complete their salvation by their own strength, they should have been confounded. If they discovered that the death of the Lord was essentially worthless, they should have forsaken Him. But these things were not true.
The Stone mason who was laying this Corner stone, obviously, was God the Father.
Isaiah 28:16 – “Therefore thus saith the Lord GOD, Behold, I lay in Zion for a foundation a stone, a tried stone, a precious corner stone, a sure foundation: he that believeth shall not make haste.” The engineering design for this great construction job was started before the foundation of the earth. It was in preparation with the financing and supplies being laid up in store since the days of Abraham. This was Jehovah’s building project from beginning to end.
And the great Cornerstone, which became a Stone of Stumbling and Offence, was the Messiah. The Apostle makes that perfectly clear in I Peter 2. I wonder if we should make much of the fact that this sure foundation is laid by the Lord “in Zion?” The Jews considered the temple grounds in Jerusalem as Zion. Many Christian commentators suggest that the church is that Zion, and there is good reason to make that kind of application. But I prefer to think of Zion as the abode of the Lord, correctly or incorrectly making it a synonym of Heaven. When the Lord Jesus came along, He said things like – “Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal: But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal: For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.”
This a rich and blessed theme in the Bible. Luke 6:47 – “Whosoever cometh to me, and heareth my sayings, and doeth them, I will shew you to whom he is like: He is like a man which built an house, and digged deep, and laid the foundation on a rock: and when the flood arose, the stream beat vehemently upon that house, and could not shake it: for it was founded upon a rock. But he that heareth, and doeth not, is like a man that without a foundation built an house upon the earth; against which the stream did beat vehemently, and immediately it fell; and the ruin of that house was great.” Whosoever cometh to me, who believes me, who builds upon me, the foundation stone, he shall not be moved. I Corinthians 3:9 – “We are labourers together with God: ye are God’s husbandry, ye are God’s building. According to the grace of God which is given unto me, as a wise masterbuilder, I have laid the foundation, and another buildeth thereon. But let every man take heed how he buildeth thereupon. For other foundation can no man lay than that is laid, which is Jesus Christ.” Ephesians 2:13 – “But now in Christ Jesus ye who sometimes were far off are made nigh by the blood of Christ. For he is our peace, who hath made both one, and hath broken down the middle wall of partition between us; Having abolished in his flesh the enmity, even the law of commandments contained in ordinances; for to make in himself of twain one new man, so making peace; And that he might reconcile both unto God in one body by the cross, having slain the enmity thereby: Now therefore ye are no more strangers and foreigners, but fellow-citizens with the saints, and of the household of God; And are built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ himself being the chief corner stone.”
So here is Israel with all the privileges of God’s particular people – rejected and spoiled. The Lord “came unto His own and His own received Him not.” And the Chief Cornerstone which was laid up in Heaven from before creation – eventually descended. “In the fulness of time, God sent forth His Son.” But the Chief Cornerstone was crushing the Jewish unbelievers. On the other hand, those Gentiles, standing off to the distance, watching this unfold before their eyes, clearly saw the Saviour for Who He was and is. By faith they attached their souls to Christ and started to build. Not one of those builders shall ever be ashamed, because this foundation stone is absolutely sure.
Christ’s parable was well-understood by the priests and Pharisees that day. And yet the point was not well-taken. That point is still applicable today. If we as sinners will kneel before, or fall upon the Rock – the Saviour – the Chief cornerstone, we shall be blessed – we shall be saved. But if we refuse to come to Him; He will come to us, crushing us to dust and casting us into the Lake which burneth with fire and brimstone.