GREAT THINGS ENTERPRISE
CLAUDE BLACK
Mark 12:10
The Rejected Stone
In a building project, the owner went to the scrap yard and bought a truckload of scrap sheet metal—offal from a manufacturing process—pieces that were at the end of a run, dented, or otherwise misshapen. The workers took the metal, cut it to the required specifications, and installed it. The final step in the building process was cleaning and painting the product. When the workers had completed the project, the only visible part was the rejected pieces, now painted and shiny.
Jesus concluded his lesson to those in the temple court, including the officials, by quoting a sentence from the Old Testament (Psalm 118:22). “Have you not read this scripture: ‘A stone which the builders rejected, this one became the cornerstone.’” (Mark 12:10)
The exact meaning of the Hebrew architectural terminology is unclear; however, the meaning of Jesus’ lesson is that the one rejected has become the most important of all. Translators render Mark’s phrase as “capstone,” “chief cornerstone,” or “cornerstone.” It is most likely that the temple officials understood Jesus’ message—they were rejecting what God, Yahweh, had sent them.
The rejection of the “stone” is not always purposeful, but often the result of negligence. The stone brought from the quarry to the construction site in Jerusalem was apparently cast aside by the busy workers. So it often happens in the event-filled life. It is not only the busy, pressured wealthy who may push the “stone” aside — the worker occupied from dawn to dusk may just as easily do the same. Jesus’ message to the crowd in the temple in Jerusalem still rings true.
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