Broken or Crushed?

Genesis 49-50; Psalms 8; Luke 20 

“Jesus looked directly at them and asked, ‘Then what is the meaning of that which is written: “The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone”. Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, but he on whom it falls will be crushed.’”

Luke 20:17, 18

The capstone is the final stone at the top of an archway and absorbs the pressure of the two sides of stones. Jesus is the pinnacle of God’s plan of salvation and the only one we trust for our righteousness. He was rejected by his own people who were looking for a Messiah. Jesus was the stone the builders rejected and the one who became the capstone. Christ’s call to deny ourselves, take up our cross, and follow him, is a call to brokenness and full surrender. We, too, like living stones, are being fitted together to become a temple in which God dwells by his Spirit. The fitting of stones requires chiseling and breaking. The alternative to putting our lives in the hands of God is to be crushed by the weight of God’s holiness and our sinfulness without a Redeemer. This Gospel is offensive for many, as Jesus knew, but it is our only salvation.

“Lord Jesus, have mercy on me a sinner. I place my life in your hands, for your glory.”