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The Jesus No One Can Ignore
Matthew referred to it as “this parable.”
As you are about to hear in this PODCAST, as Jesus taught “this parable,” He effectively signed His own death warrant.
After “this parable,” nothing would ever be the same again.
It certainly left a lasting and indelible impression on the mind and heart of Peter.
May it leave a lasting and indelible impression on our minds and hearts as well.
Firstly, let’s look at 1 Peter 2:6-8,
As the Scriptures say,
“I am placing a cornerstone in Jerusalem,
chosen for great honor,
and anyone who trusts in him
will never be disgraced.”
7 Yes, you who trust him recognize the honor God has given him. But for those who reject him,
“The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.”
8 And,
“He is the stone that makes people stumble,
the rock that makes them fall.”
They stumble because they do not obey God’s word, and so they meet the fate that was planned for them.
Now, remember, this passage follows where Peter described us as “living stones”. Then, in verses 6-7, he describes Jesus as “the cornerstone”, in other words, the one and only stone that the entire structure of the family of God is built upon. Therefore, we are living stones of the building, but the entire building rests upon Jesus. Peter derives these words directly from Psalm 118 and Isaiah 28:
The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone. (Psalm 118:22)
Therefore, this is what the Sovereign Lord says:
“Look! I am placing a foundation stone in Jerusalem,
a firm and tested stone.
It is a precious cornerstone that is safe to build on.
Whoever believes need never be shaken. (Isaiah 28:16)
But, whether you read out of the Old Testament or Peter’s epistle in the New Testament, one message is succinctly obvious: Jesus cannot be ignored by anyone.
Remember, Peter – despite all of his faults – was a good disciple. He was taught by history’s greatest rabbi, Jesus Christ, Himself. Let me draw your attention to one particular parable that Peter is obviously referring to in regards to Jesus, our cornerstone:
23 When Jesus returned to the Temple and began teaching, the leading priests and elders came up to him. They demanded, “By what authority are you doing all these things? Who gave you the right?”…
…[Jesus said] “Now listen to another story. A certain landowner planted a vineyard, built a wall around it, dug a pit for pressing out the grape juice, and built a lookout tower. Then he leased the vineyard to tenant farmers and moved to another country. 34 At the time of the grape harvest, he sent his servants to collect his share of the crop. 35 But the farmers grabbed his servants, beat one, killed one, and stoned another. 36 So the landowner sent a larger group of his servants to collect for him, but the results were the same.
37 “Finally, the owner sent his son, thinking, ‘Surely they will respect my son.’
38 “But when the tenant farmers saw his son coming, they said to one another, ‘Here comes the heir to this estate. Come on, let’s kill him and get the estate for ourselves!’ 39 So they grabbed him, dragged him out of the vineyard, and murdered him.
40 “When the owner of the vineyard returns,” Jesus asked, “what do you think he will do to those farmers?”
41 The religious leaders replied, “He will put the wicked men to a horrible death and lease the vineyard to others who will give him his share of the crop after each harvest.”
42 Then Jesus asked them, “Didn’t you ever read this in the Scriptures?
‘The stone that the builders rejected
has now become the cornerstone.
This is the Lord’s doing,
and it is wonderful to see.’
43 I tell you, the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a nation that will produce the proper fruit. 44 Anyone who stumbles over that stone will be broken to pieces, and it will crush anyone it falls on.”
45 When the leading priests and Pharisees heard this parable, they realized he was telling the story against them—they were the wicked farmers. 46 They wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the crowds, who considered Jesus to be a prophet. (Matthew 21:23, 33-46)
(This podcast is by Dewey Bertolini. discovered by Christian Podcast Central and our community — copyright is owned by the publisher, not Christian Podcast Central, and audio is streamed directly from their servers.)