Lent, Day 17

"The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." Matthew 21:42b

I heard this verse many, many times as I was growing up. I knew it referred to Jesus somehow, and that He was the cornerstone. (I mean, come on! I sang the song as a solo many times: Jesus is the Cornerstone, came for sinners to atone. Though rejected by His own, He became the Cornerstone. Jesus is the Cornerstone... Remember that song?)

But I have to be honest. I didn't really understand what it meant.

Here's the picture: Whenever a building is built, there is a cornerstone, or capstone, on which the remainder of the building rests. If the cornerstone is set correctly, the rest of the building sits as it should. Often, there is a date placed on it as a historical reminder of when the building was built.

Jesus told them a parable once about the man who built his house on the sand and the wise man who built his house on a rock. That rock is Jesus. Okay? So we're getting a bit more of the picture.

Jesus is the "cornerstone" upon which our lives are to be built. He is also the cornerstone of the Church. His life and teachings are what everything is to rest upon. Getting clearer?

The religious leaders of His day rejected Him as their cornerstone. They did not want to build their lives or their religion on this Man. But He is the cornerstone. (Another place in the Bible calls Him the "chief" cornerstone.

Built on anything else, our lives are shaky at best.

My offering to God: I will make Christ the foundation of my life.