Rejected

 January 26, 2023

You know you need to pay attention when Jesus himself quotes Scripture. In his debates with the religious leaders of his day, Jesus chided their hardness of heart and their opposition to his ministry with words from Psalm 118. “Haven’t you read this,” he said.

“The stone which the builders rejected 

Has become the chief cornerstone. 

This was the Lord’s doing; 

It is marvelous in our eyes.”

—Psalm 118:22-23 

We read this psalm in our men’s Thursday prayer time this morning, and it got me to thinking about rejection. If you’ve ever been turned down on a date or for a job, you know the feeling of rejection. If you’re an aspiring writer, you probably know a lot about rejection. A kid in school feels the sting of rejection trying out for the school play or team. Too many people know the jagged edge of rejection in divorce. Rejection cuts deep and bleeds for a long time. It carries a particular stigma—you are a reject, just like a part on the assembly line that is flawed, inferior, and unfit for use.

All this makes these verses in the psalm to be truly Good News. In ancient Israel, the chief cornerstone was the first stone to be laid. It had to be “just right,” because the rest of the building was measured by that cornerstone. If it was out of place or flawed, the entire building would be flawed, out of plumb, not squared up. Nothing else would fit right. Such a cornerstone would understandably be rejected.

So when Jesus, referring to himself said that “the stone the builders rejected has become head of the corner,” he was also saying something about the rejects of this world. If the Cornerstone is a reject, in fact, the Head Reject, all the other rejects will fit seamlessly into his plans. That is Good News indeed!

It’s like Jesus is the Chief Misfit in the Island of Misfit Toys. “If they rejected me, they’ll reject you,” he told his followers. But rather than hide in shame from that rejection, Jesus owned it and wears it as a badge of honor, inviting us to pin that same badge on our chests, too. The Main Reject calls to all the other rejects of this world and says, “You have a home with me. Let me be the Cornerstone of your life, the foundation by which everything else is measured, and the world will see what I can do with a reject.”