rejected cornerstone

This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.

Acts 4:11

Peter reminds us that it never really did stop Jesus to reject Him. Think about it. He came to the Jews as their Messiah. Jesus preached good news. He fed the hungry. He healed the sick, gave sight to the blind and hearing to the deaf, made paralyzed invalids leap up and dance, and even raised the dead. All the while He offered them a new and better kingdom of God that emphasized God as a loving Father and brought hope and joy in its proclamation. 

This truth was a threat to religious leaders who by legalistic oppression controlled the hearts of the people that Jesus came to truly liberate — not just from Roman political oppression, but from spiritual control, lies, and abuse. Those people rejected Jesus, tried Him on fake charges, and killed Him on a cross.

That rejection became the strong centerpiece of all history. In Peter’s words here quoting the 118th psalm, Jesus became the cornerstone. God laid that foundation firmly to all who believe… the center now of all redemptive history and the guarantee of our future (Isaiah 28:16)! So no one hurts Jesus by rejecting Him. They cripple themselves, stumbling into the mouth of hell as they trip over the Cornerstone.