Monday,
April 5, 2021
The stone that the builders rejected has now become the cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing, and it is wonderful to see. This is the day the Lord has made. We will rejoice and be glad in it. Psalm 118:22-24
“Cornerstone” is used often in Scripture. A cornerstone is the first building block for
a foundation, that from which every other part of a building takes its
reference.
The cornerstone[1] of which Jesus spoke in the Gospel accounts (and later the
apostles) is a reference to the Psalmist’s Messianic prophecy, a sign of how
wrong humankind can get God’s plans.
Jesus, being born in a manger, living a perfect, sinless life, offering
healing and help for all, was rejected by the powerful
leaders of Israel, as well as the crowds.
He was nailed to a cross on Good Friday, tossed away like a misfit for
the building. On Sunday morning the
entire meaning of life, death, and resurrection, along with every reason to
rejoice, took on new significance when the women discovered the stone had been
rolled away. The builders of Israel’s
earthly kingdom had failed miserably in recognizing the chief
cornerstone, Christ, upon whom all of God’s eternal Kingdom, would
depend.
Movements throughout the history of humankind always begin
with an idea, often righteous and lofty.
Just as often they come unglued because selfish people snatch the
momentum of a movement to turn a profit.
The old saying about the corrupting influence of power culminating in
absolute corruption is never truer than in religion. Steeped in mystery and fear, religious
movements hold common sense prisoner.
But, just as the grave could not hold Jesus captive, neither can any
human-constructed systems stand in the wake of God’s choosing. Death had to flee for its existance in Jesus’
tomb; so the corruption of men’s plans.
There are many movements afoot today, along with knee-jerk
counter movements. (Black and Blue Lives
Mattering, Gender line-crossing, Racial, ethnic, and women’s issues, just to
skim the highlights.). Among all of
these are a germ of resusscitation for those on the margin who have been
beaten-down, tossed-out, and forgotten. There
are also (as in every other human-driven movement) those willing to push an
agenda that has nothing to do with righteousness. If you look below the surface, past the
silliness of self-aggrandizement, you will find the gold and control such
hucksters really seek. Every time there
is a moment to be seized to further a “cause” the sharp-tongued manipulators
can be found in front of a microphone.
That being a commentary on our time, or any other time in
human history, consider the resurrection of Jesus. His followers began announcing it to anyone
who would listen. Over the past two
thousand years God’s fulfillment of his promise of restoration have caused
untold millions to rejoice and turn to Christ for forgiveness and healing. But the announcement has also been co-opted
to fuel humankind lust for power in pseudo-righteous movements, crusades, and
political manipulation. This is the
darkest of tragic evil which Jesus spoke concerning what man does with God’s
light, tossing the cornerstone out with the bath water. He also named the source of such evil:
For we are not fighting against flesh-and-blood enemies, but against evil rulers and authorities of the unseen world, against mighty powers in this dark world, and against evil spirits in the heavenly places. Ephesians 6:12
So…why rejoicing in the face of such
evil times? The short-answer is that it
is a stark reminder of how our God is in control. There is nothing happening, or that can
happen, of which Jesus is not aware.
Neither is God worried; when the time is fully-ripened, this field of
harvest will be reaped.
For You Today
There are many things going on in
movements, disease, weather and climate worries, church numbers dwindling,
culture wars, and the continuing madness of evil in our day. But the resurrection promise still stands, no
matter who or what attempts to manipulate its power.
The one word about resurrection
which can never be disingenuous is rejoice!
[1] Title Image: Pixabay.com Unless noted, Scripture quoted from The New Living Translation©
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