Contemplating Passion Week

Day 2 of our Week of Prayer & Fasting

READING

Luke 19:45 to Luke 20:40

Psalm 118:19-29

THOUGHTS

The beginning of Luke 20:1 gives us a glimpse into the priority Jesus had during Passion week.  A large portion of His time was actually spent teaching people and preaching the gospel.  While many were interested in what He had to say, we see the religious leaders were not, and were in fact seeking His destruction:

Luk 19:47  And He was teaching daily in the temple. But the chief priests, the scribes, and the leaders of the people sought to destroy Him, 

Luk 19:48  and were unable to do anything; for all the people were very attentive to hear Him. 

As they tried to silence Jesus and catch Him in His words, Jesus responds by issuing some parables to show them how they had rejected the very heart and nature of God and misrepresented God to the masses.

It during this discussion that Jesus pulls out a famous story from Jewish history, that of the rejected cornerstone.  The story of the rejected cornerstone is found way back in Psalm 118, and what is interesting is that it is tied in with the story of the Triumphal entry.

Psalms 118:22-26 NKJV

(22)  The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.

(23)  This was the LORD's doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.

(24)  This is the day the LORD has made; We will rejoice and be glad in it.

(25)  Save now, I pray, O LORD; O LORD, I pray, send now prosperity.

(26)  Blessed is he who comes in the name of the LORD! We have blessed you from the house of the LORD.

The story of the rejected cornerstone was a famous Rabbinic parable regarding the building of Solomon’s temple around 1,000 BC. It was forbidden for the sound of hammers to be heard on the job site at the temple and so all the stones were prepared off-site. The first stone that was delivered from the quarry to the temple was the capstone which was to be put in place last. The builders were confused and didn’t recognize it and so they discarded it. Years went by, grass grew over it, and it was forgotten, or perhaps dragged off site to be hauled away. Upon completion of the temple, the builders sent to the quarry saying, “Send us the capstone, we’re ready for it”. The quarry responded, “We already did!” That discarded stone that was rejected and forgotten turned out to be essential to the construction of God’s holy temple.

Jesus is suggesting that He is the rejected cornerstone.   We read this last Sunday in Isaiah 53:3 that, “He is despised and rejected by men, a Man of sorrows and acquainted with grief.”

Jesus was very familiar with rejection.  All throughout His life and ministry He was publicly criticised, rejected as just the carpenter’s son from Nazareth. Even his own family members rejected Him.

The ultimate rejection though was from the majority of the Jewish people, represented by their religious leaders, who didn’t want Him as their Messiah King. He was not the Messiah they wanted or looked for and so, like that cornerstone in the temple, they didn’t recognise Him and discarded Him, sentencing Him to death.

Jesus knew all these things beforehand. He could connect the dots from Psalm 118. We read as He came to Jerusalem at the beginning of Passion week:

Luke 19:41-42 NKJV

(41)  Now as He drew near, He saw the city and wept over it,

(42)  saying, "If you had known, even you, especially in this your day, the things that make for your peace!

Ultimately for the Jews and all mankind, it’s only the message of the cross that brings true peace, that’s why Jesus focused on teaching the people these things during Passion week.

This is what it means for us:

Ephesians 2:17-22 NKJV

(17)  And He came and preached peace to you who were afar off and to those who were near.

(18)  For through Him we both have access by one Spirit to the Father.

(19)  Now, therefore, you are no longer strangers and foreigners, but fellow citizens with the saints and members of the household of God,

(20)  having been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone,

(21)  in whom the whole building, being fitted together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord,

(22)  in whom you also are being built together for a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.

PRAYER

Pray for people you know who may not know or who have rejected God’s message of salvation.  This could be family, friends, workmates etc.

Jesus even told us to pray for our enemies.

We can also pray for the nation of Israel.  Paul said:

Rom 10:1  Brethren, my heart's desire and prayer to God for Israel is that they may be saved.