I mentioned last week that there were times when Peter’s words and Paul’s ran parallel to one another. They may not have been talking about precisely the same subject, but their points were the same. For example there is I Peter 2:5-10 – “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. And both of the apostles change the original quote from Isaiah in exactly the same way. Either Peter is thinking of Romans 9 as he wrote his letter to some of the same readers, or both men read the writings of someone else, as some other scholars suggest. Perhaps Paul had read what Peter wrote. But this really isn’t important, because the Holy Spirit was giving inspiration to Paul and Peter in just the same way as he had to Isaiah so many years earlier.
Perhaps we need to note what was it that the prophet said which those apostles repeated. John Gill says that according to the acceptable Jewish laws of Bible interpretation, they took part of one scripture and combined it with another. Isaiah 28:15 – “Because ye have said, We have made a covenant with death, and with hell are we at agreement; when the overflowing scourge shall pass through, it shall not come unto us: for we have made lies our refuge, and under falsehood have we hid ourselves: 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. Judgment also will I lay to the line, and righteousness to the plummet: and the hail shall sweep away the refuge of lies, and the waters shall overflow the hiding place.” And there is Isaiah 8:13 – “Sanctify the LORD of hosts himself; and let him be your fear, and let him be your dread. And he shall be for a sanctuary; but for a stone of stumbling and for a rock of offence to both the houses of Israel, for a gin and for a snare to the inhabitants of Jerusalem. And many among them shall stumble, and fall, and be broken, and be snared, and be taken. Wherefore hear the word of the LORD, ye scornful men, that rule this people which is in Jerusalem.” The change that both apostles make in the instruction of Isaiah is in 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 New Testament versions say, “He that believeth shall not be ashamed” and “he shall not be confounded.” The idea is that believers will not hurry away from the Lord embarrassed at what they had trusted.
But here is the main point: It was the Lord – and particularly their Saviour – that these Jews were rejecting. Multitudes of Gentiles were not the least ashamed of this Jewish Redeemer. But Israel, who should have known better was embarrassed by the One who fulfilled all their scriptures. Amazingly, the whole idea is unbelievable. How can a woman forget her son, or a son not recognize his father? How could Israel possibly cast aside their Saviour?
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. Like His cousin John, unless He was being entertained by someone who wanted something from Him, He probably didn’t eat much better than John. 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. The Jews 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 & 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 doctrine 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 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 it was at the cross where the Jews were most particularly offended at our Lord. But, 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 – now 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 at Christ, was also the book which so clearly spoke of the need of a more perfect sacrifice for their sins.
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.
If those promises were nothing but air and paper, then they too would have been offended in Christ. If the Saviour redeemed them and then left them to complete their salvation by their own strength, they should have been confounded by the Lord. If they discovered that the death of the Lord was worthless, they should have forsaken Him. But these things were not true.
And the great Cornerstone, which became a Stone of Stumbling and Offence to some, 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? Of course 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. 10 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. In fact, the Chief Cornerstone fell all the way from Heaven crushing the Jewish unbelievers. But 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.
This is the message that Paul was sharing with both bodies of people. There is salvation available to any and all, no matter what our earthly heritage or blood might be. But the Saviour is ours by faith and repentance. He was preaching repentance before God and faith in the Lord Jesus Christ.