The Cornerstone
Pause:
Before you start reading this devotional, take a moment to stop what you’re doing, slow down and focus on Jesus.
Pray and ask him to open your eyes to see as you read the scriptures, and to open your ears to hear as you wait on the leading of the Spirit.
Read:
John 18:36: “My kingdom is not of this world,” said Jesus. “If my kingdom were of this world, my servants would fight, so that I wouldn’t be handed over to the Jews. But as it is, my kingdom is not from here.”
1 Peter 2:7: “So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving,
The stone that the builders rejected—
this one has become the cornerstone”
Going Deeper:
In 2020 we may have heard it said more than ever, “Jesus, please come back! And quickly!”. I’ve been one of those people, and in those moments I can’t help but play out in my head the most efficient and effective ways that God could display His power, love and justice in response to everything that has happened in the last six months. Not only globally, but also in the loss and suffering that has taken place in my own community and even, as of recently, in my own family. As you can imagine, that version of God that I create in my head can often look different than the God who is currently alive and working. This leads to disappointment, confusion and a passive belief that God must not be doing much. That He isn’t listening, isn’t able, and even at my worst, that He doesn’t care. In these recent doubts, I was reminded of the Pharisees, Jewish leaders and even followers of Jesus who rejected Him as the Messiah because He didn’t look and act as they had hoped or believed that He should. And that began to sound a little too familiar.
Growing up in the church and attending Sunday School every week, I think it was engrained in me to despise the Pharisees and everyone who rejected Jesus. I assumed they must be inherently evil, faithless and close minded. I think back to times when reading the New Testament or seeing this play out in a movie, I wanted to yell out: “Isn’t it obvious? It’s JESUS! Ya know, the Son of God?! You’ve been waiting for him for generations and generations! He’s wonderful and perfect! Anyone can see that! No? Okay… well, it’s your funeral I guess.” It wasn’t until recently that I stopped to ask “why?”. Why did they reject him? Why did they have such a hard time believing He was the Messiah they had been waiting for? Because I, having all of scripture at my fingertips, knowing how it all ends, cannot comprehend how my Jesus could have been treated that way.
Once I started asking those questions, paired with consistently seeing new depths and roots of my own sin, I actually started to have compassion for these people who’s eternity separated from Jesus had previously made me feel nothing (except my own pride of getting it right, and them getting it wrong). They stopped being just characters playing a part in the story of the New Testament and plot to kill Jesus and became people who, although desperately needed and waited for the Messiah, missed him. And now, this makes me deeply sad. I began to see that, even though I don’t worship the law as they had, I am guilty of creating my own Messiah in my head. An ideal version of who I think He should be in my life and in others’ lives, and I wonder… Would I recognize Him? Would I reject Him? And then, in all of His kindness, I hear, “Mal, my Beloved, you have rejected me. You do reject me.”
And (big sigh), He’s right. When God doesn’t show up the way I want Him to, I give into the temptation to take control. I try to save people and situations in my own strength. And it’s right there that I miss Him. I miss out on what He is doing. I miss out on bringing all of the frustration or disappointment straight to Him. I miss working it out WITH Him. And the gap between the faithless, sinful, proud Pharisees and myself becomes much, much smaller.
As quickly as the shame and guilt come with that realization, comes grace and truth and the reminder of the price that was paid on my behalf for my rejection of Him and for my pride of still believing that I might know better. The reminder of the scandalous good news that, even so, I am loved. How crazy is it that our biggest struggle as Jesus followers is believing the Gospel? It was when Jesus was proclaiming it in person, and it is now.
Truthfully, it is so much better for us all that He is who He is and not who I wish He would be. And that leads me back to my original question, “why?”. Why trust that He knows better? That He is a better savior, friend, and King than I am? Because He has proven it by giving His life on the cross that was meant for me, taking on the unbearable weight of all my sin, proving for eternity that He is both fully merciful and fully just. I can have hope that this is not the end because He did not stay dead, but rose and is alive, daily calling me to repent of my rejection of Him and turn back, speaking loving affirmations over me about who I am and who He is. He is the only one strong enough to carry the weight of the world’s suffering, and the only one able and willing to redeem it. And even one day, a day that I so long for, to make it all new. I couldn’t make up a better God.
If Jesus came right now, eating and drinking, would we recognize Him? Would we think that He was traveling to the right town, visiting the right homes, healing the right people, moving at the right pace? It is my prayer for us as people who love and worship the living God, that the Spirit would refine our belief of who He is. And that that would produce an overflowing abundance of joy, praise and a faith to believe that He is good, sovereign and in control.
Father, I repent that your Kingdom often looks different than mine. Thank you that there is no condemnation for those in Christ Jesus. That while we were still sinners, unable to comprehend all that you are, and at times unwilling to submit our desires and control to you, you died for us. I proclaim you as the rightful King over my life, and am so humbled by the reality that it is because of your Spirit alone that I am able to know your Gospel as the truth. I love you, I love you, I love you.
Pray:
Respond to God in prayer by speaking to Him about what stood out to your from this passage this morning.
Listen:
What is the Holy Spirit saying to you right now?
Apply:
What are you going to do in response to what God is saying to you from the text and by the Spirit?