The Rejected Stone Becomes the Foundation

Matthew 21:42 presents Christ as the stone the builders rejected, yet made the cornerstone. This passage illuminates redemption as God's exclusive work, accomplished contrary to human intention.

Redemption displays marvellous character through the extent of divine agency employed and attributes displayed. Consider the demerit of its objects—sinners unworthy of salvation—yet the magnitude of benefits bestowed: wrath removed, reconciliation established, access to Elohim granted, adoption into God's family, sanctified nature imparted, and eternal life secured.

The rejected stone becomes an instrument of judgment. As Dr. McLaren observed of a Highland shepherd crushed beneath a falling rock: "It will grind him to powder." Those who refuse the cornerstone shall be ground to powder like chaff at the threshing-floor, utterly swept away. Yet those who build upon the Rock of Ages remain safe when storms destroy every false refuge.

The greatest judgment upon Israel was not military defeat but removal of the kingdom itself. The kingdom of Yahweh—conferring temporal and spiritual blessings, deliverance from enemies, flourishing commonwealth, and solemn worship—was transferred from the Jewish people to the Gentiles through the gospel's power.

This demands unceasing praise from believers: that God alone accomplished what human builders could never perform, that the rejected stone became our foundation, and that faith in Christ guarantees eternal security when all earthly refuges fail.