The Passionنموونە

I came across some old Pokémon cards when I was clearing out my house a few years ago. To me, they were just tattered pieces of cardboard taking up space. But luckily, I realised that these "worthless" cards were worth hundreds of dollars to collectors. What I saw as junk, others recognised as treasure.

In today's passage, Jesus confronts the religious leaders with their ultimate act of rejection. Jesus quotes Psalm 118: “‘The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord's doing, and it is marvellous in our eyes.” (Matthew 21:42, ESV)

When Jesus—God in flesh—arrived, the religious leaders took one look at Him and declared Him unsuitable. He didn’t fit their blueprint. He associated with tax collectors and sinners, challenged their authority, and refused to conform to their religious expectations. In their eyes, the religious leaders were the master builders, constructing elaborate systems of law-keeping, temple worship, and moral superiority. They rejected Jesus, believing they could build a kingdom without Him.

What the religious leaders saw as unsuitable rubble was actually the cornerstone of God’s Kingdom. Their attempt to build their own religious empire by rejecting Jesus resulted in its complete collapse, while God built something eternal on the very cornerstone they had cast aside. Yet as Jesus declares, “the one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” (Matthew 21:44, ESV)

The truth of Psalm 127:1 (ESV) echoes this: "Unless the Lord builds the house, the builders labor in vain." We naturally prefer building projects where we control the blueprints, choose the materials, and take credit for the results. But God's kingdom operates differently.

This is why Jesus said the kingdom would be taken from the religious leaders and “given to a people who will produce its fruits.” (Matthew 21:43, ESV) Not because others were naturally better builders, but because they were willing to build their lives on God's chosen cornerstone rather than constructing monuments to their own righteousness.

Today, ponder this: What foundations are you building your life on that might crumble when tested, and what would it look like to rebuild everything on the cornerstone that God has chosen?