The Standard October 3, 2026
In the third chapter of the Book of Acts, Luke records Peter and John encountering a lame beggar near the Jerusalem temple. Through faith in Christ, Peter cures a man who never had walked in all of his forty plus years. Later, the Jewish leaders confront Peter about this healing.
“Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them: ‘Rulers and elders of the people! If we are being called to account today for an act of kindness shown to a man who was lame and are being asked how he was healed, then know this, you and all the people of Israel: It is by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified but whom God raised from the dead, that this man stands before you healed. Jesus is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’ Salvation is found in no one else, for there is no other name under heaven given to mankind by which we must be saved.’” Acts 4:8-12
By calling Jesus the chief cornerstone, Peter is saying that Jesus is the ultimate spiritual foundation and the most crucial element for the support structure of our lives. These Jewish temple-goers were quite familiar with the idea that God would provide a cornerstone.
“So, this is what the Sovereign Lord says: ‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation; for the one who relies on it will never be stricken with panic.’” Isaiah 28:16
Matthew records a parable where Jesus tells of a landowner who goes away and leaves his vineyard in the care of tenants to farm. When the owner sends servants and then his own son to go collect the fruit from the harvest, the tenants beat and kill them. In conclusion, “Jesus said to them, ‘Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; the Lord has done this, and it is marvelous in our eyes’? Therefore, I tell you that the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people who will produce its fruit.’” Matthew 21:42-43
We do not want to be like those the prophets said would reject the Messiah. Without Christ as the cornerstone, we are building on sinking sand, without any lasting meaning even from our best attempts at doing good.
“Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord.” Ephesians 2:19-21
