July 8: The Chief Cornerstone

Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers and elders of the people, if we are on trial today for a benefit done to a sick man, as to how this man has been made well, let it be known to all of you and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ the Nazarene, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead — by this name this man stands here before you in good health. He is the STONE WHICH WAS REJECTED by you, THE BUILDERS, but WHICH BECAME THE CHIEF CORNER stone. And there is salvation in no one else; for there is no other name under heaven that has been given among men by which we must be saved.”   (Acts 4:8-12 — New American Standard Bible)

This passage continues the story of the beggar who was healed at the Beautiful gate. This wonderful miracle, that gave a hopeless man back his life, attracted a crowd that listened to Peter and John’s message about Jesus. This infuriated the hypocritical religious leaders, who had them arrested, thrown in jail, and brought before the Sanhedrin the next morning… for healing a man! (The Sanhedrin was the highest Jewish court of the time and consisted of seventy men plus the high priest. It was made up of the richest, most educated, and most powerful men in Israel — the same people that not long before had convicted Jesus and convinced Pilate to crucify Him.)

It’s important to note that before Peter opens his mouth to speak he is “filled with the Holy Spirit”. He had already been baptized in the Spirit; this filling was something else. He was in a very dangerous, hostile situation and needed to say the right thing. These men were some of the most educated, intelligent people of Jerusalem, and Peter and John were simple fishermen from the countryside — under normal circumstances a Galilean fisherman would be totally out matched by Jerusalem scholars. And so here the Holy Spirit fills Peter and John with the power to say all the right things, and with the boldness to stand up for the Lord Jesus in dangerous and hostile circumstances.

What is a cornerstone? It is the first stone to be set in place in the construction of a building, important because all other stones are set in place with reference to this one stone. It determines the position of the entire structure. — There in that courtroom, surrounded by enemies, Peter declared that Jesus is the Chief Cornerstone of all of our lives, and that anyone who rejects Him will lose their salvation, and create havoc in their lives.

You should actively seek this “filling” of the Spirit, especially in hard times. You should also make sure your life and faith are based on the Lord Jesus, the Chief Cornerstone — the stone most people in this world reject.