Psalm 118:22–23: “The stone which the builders rejected / Has become the chief cornerstone. / This was the Lord’s doing; / It is marvelous in our eyes.”

May 3rd, 2024 by Pastor Ed in devotional

This chief-cornerstone verse is the second most frequently quoted Old Testament verse in the New Testament, describing the rejection of Jesus as the Messiah by the Jewish leaders. There is a very old Jewish tradition that says the rejection of the cornerstone took place while King Solomon was building the temple in Jerusalem, where the Dome of the Rock now stands. During construction, there was no sound of hammers or saws or pounding of any kind, so that the temple could be erected in silence. The rocks that formed the temple were taken from a quarry underneath the temple mount, still today called Solomon’s quarries. The temple was built to such exacting blueprint dimensions that each rock was shaped perfectly before it ever left the quarry. When it arrived at the temple, it would fit perfectly in its proper place.

According to this tradition, a huge rock was quarried and shaped and then sent to the temple. When the large rock arrived at the temple site, the builders could find no place to use it. It didn’t seem to match any of their blueprints, so they placed it to one side. Some time passed and it was always getting in the way, so the workers pushed it over the edge of the bank, and it rolled down into the Kidron Valley and was lost.

The builders sent word to the quarry that they were ready for the cornerstone or keystone, the great rock that held everything in place. The masons sent word back that the cornerstone had already been delivered. Then someone remembered the huge “extra” rock that had been pushed over the cliff. When the workers retrieved the stone and hoisted it into place, it fit perfectly as the keystone of the temple. Jesus was rejected by some of the most religious people in the 1st century, all of whom were expecting the Messiah. How careful we must be in this day to read the signs of the times well and live our lives in anticipation of Him, as we await His second coming.

“LORD, we look for You and long for ‘That Day’. Help us to serve You well this day we pray.”