Read 1 PETER 2:4–8

Cosmologist (and atheist) Lawrence Krauss wrote, “Every atom in your body came from a star that exploded. . . . So, forget Jesus. The stars died so that you could be here today.” We shouldn’t be surprised when the world rejects Jesus, for whatever reason. After all, He was “despised and rejected” (Isa. 53:3), or as our passage today puts it, “the stone the builders rejected” (v. 7).

The structure of these verses reveals some important truths about Jesus and our identity as those who trust in Him. Jesus is the living Stone, and we are “like living stones” (v. 5). Believers are a spiritual house, and Jesus is the cornerstone of the house. Those who trust Jesus will “never be put to shame,” and believers view Jesus with honor and not shame (vv. 6–7; see Isa. 28:16). And rejecting the message of Jesus is the same as rejecting Jesus Himself, and leads to the same destiny (v. 8;

Ps. 118:22).

Peter adapts quotations from the Old Testament and uses the metaphor of stones used to build a house in order to underscore that our identity is bound together with the person and work of Christ. We are able to experience new life because He is alive. We are able to please God because Jesus pleased God (v. 5). And we should not be surprised when our attempts to share the gospel are rebuffed or we encounter opposition as Christians, for Christ Himself was rejected.

Notice that Peter uses the word precious three times in these verses to describe Jesus. He is precious to God, the precious cornerstone, and precious to believers. We have the privilege of knowing and trusting in the Savior of great worth, and our salvation is a treasure—as Peter said earlier, “an inheritance that can never perish, spoil or fade” (1:4).

APPLY THE WORD

Is Jesus precious to you? Can you identify ways that your life reveals that He is your treasure? You Are What You Love: The Spiritual Power of Habit by James K. A. Smith provides insightful perspective for believers who want to grow in their desire for God. One important way is participating with other “living stones” in worship and service in your local church.

http://www.todayintheword.org