Esther Rabbah 7:10 reads; The stone fell on the pitcher. Woe to the pitcher. The pitcher fell on the stone? Woe to the pitcher.
This reminds me of the statement of Jesus in Matt.21:44; And whosoever shall fall on this stone shall be broken, but on whomsoever it shall fall, it will grind him to powder (also Lk. 20:18).
The stone in question was the rejected stone which would become the head of the corner (vs. 42 cf Ps. 118:22). This is Jesus Christ. If the pictures portrayed in v.44 seem rather harsh and severe the figure of the stone is not unusual: Isa. 8:14,15 speaks of the stone of stumbling, whilst 28:16 of the same book mentions the precious corner stone, a sure foundation, who was made perfect through sufferings (Heb. 2:10). The Architect overrode the site-builders who were prepared to leave this stone in the quarry (like the selection of David from among Jesse’s sons). He whom the Jews rejected God highly exalted (Phil. 2:8,9). And who can forget the stone uncut by man who broke in pieces the enemies of God (Dan. 2:33,34; 45).
So Jesus is the foundation stone on which everything is built; the corner stone which establishes the levels and hold everything together and to refuse His way is to batter one’s head against the walls of the law of God.
Jesus; the stone of stumbling (1 Cor. 1:23; 1 Pet. 2:8; Rom.9:32,33). What is a stumbling block -cf. Rev. 2:14? It’s the sort of thing that workplace health and safety today would make us put up a sign and a barrier with respect to it. Why was Jesus a stumbling stone? Perhaps this can be answered by asking who do we stumble over anything. We stumble over things because we don’t see them. There was no excuse for this. The people of the Dispersion would have been confronted by Jesus at the great feasts – this thing was not done in a corner (Acts 26:6).(Did God have the end in mind when He designed these feasts?)
We stumble over things when we are blind. We can lose sight by having our perception filled with prejudices, preconceived notions and sin. We can look straight at it but can’t see it. 1 Cor. 1:27-29 – pride blinds us.
We also stumble over things when we are looking elsewhere and are distracted (maybe our heads are stuck in the air) – if any man will do His will (John 7:16,17) said Jesus. Humility to submit to the will of Christ is essential. Every man who falls on Him will be broken – no man can boast.
Perhaps we see the stone of stumbling but don’t lift our foot high enough – don’t respect it – misjudge it. Many people have “respect” for Christ but do not follow Him. Respect for Christ, by itself, does not save.
But, then again, having discarded it we forget where we left it and later trip over it. It doesn’t go away (Who left the tricycle on the driveway behind the car?)
As mentioned, Jesus is not only a stone of stumbling but also a falling stone. Many have died under the crushing force of falling stones – in accidents in mines, avalanches, judicial stonings etc. The fact it, stones are harder then bodies. No one can take on Christ in battle and win. This is a seeming conundrum. The book of Revelation deals with this apparent problem (Rev. 14:1; cf. 5:6). Compare a Lamb with the great red Dragon (12:3,4) and the Beast (13:1-8). But this is not the end of the story: go on and you will see the destruction of the dragon and the beast. Who is this innocuous lamb? (cf. Rev. 5:5). The Lamb is also a Lion! The rejected stone is really the chief cornerstone. In Rev. 19 John sees the slain Lamb in a new light (Vs. 11-16).
Those who rejected Jesus at the end of His ministry saw in Him nothing more than a deceiver. Picture that pathetic sight of a man dragged from a trial, bloodied, bedraggled, and bowed under a cross, staggering toward a place of execution. So weak was He that He didn’t make it and someone else had to carry His cross. So un-regal was this they were prepared to cry out, His blood be upon us and our children! They all came to regret that, either before death or immediately after.
We cannot come into conflict with Christ without being injured in the act, Jesus, meek and mild as seen in the gospels, is also the Creator of the Universe and Judge of the world. We don’t break the laws of God, they break us. This is true physically and spiritually. We cannot resist Christ without wronging our own souls (cf. Acts 7:51). To watch an avalanche is an awe-inspiring sight. I have seen them in the Alps on TV, but it would be another thing entirely to be there in person in its way. Yet so Majestic is the appearance and judgement of God that those who have rejected Christ would rather face an avalanche than Him (Rev. 6:16). To defy Him is to be crushed. The Emperor Julian, known as Julian the Apostate, tried to banish Christianity and turn back the clock to the old pagan gods. He failed, and at the end as he dies of battle wounds the dramatist has him saying, To shoulder Christ from the topmost niche was not for me. O Galilean, thou hast conquered.
If Christ be so, what should we do? We should build on Christ the rock. He desires to be the cornerstone and foundation upon which the whole structure of our character and our destiny is resting. If we exercise living faith in Him we will find Him to be able to do all this for us:
Building on Him, our confidence in the forgiving love of God will be well-grounded and our peace of mind will be secure. In Judaism there was continual sacrifice, which implied that such sacrifices were not sufficient. In Hinduism there is no certainty in the cycle of re-incarnation. In all systems incorporating penance, purgatory and such like there is no certainty.
Building on Him, our character will be strong and improving, and our life will be useful and noble. Was anybody ever turned into a scoundrel by Christ? You cannot learn of Christ without getting better, and He invites learning of Him (Matt. 11:28-30).
Resting on Him, our soul will be sustained in hours of trial. He was tried and tested in all points and we understand that trials are natural and have a purpose.
Relying on Him we can face the judgement with confidence. We have an Advocate with the Father (1 John 2:1), and He is faithful and just (1 John 1:9).