How does Luke 20:17 relate to Jesus' role as the cornerstone? Text of Luke 20:17 “But Jesus looked directly at them and asked, ‘What then is the meaning of that which is written: “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone”?’” Immediate Literary Context Jesus has just given the Parable of the Vineyard Tenants (Luke 20:9-16), exposing Israel’s leaders for rejecting the Owner’s Son. Verse 17 is His interpretive punch line: their rejection fulfills Psalm 118:22. The next verses (vv. 18-19) warn that those who stumble over, or are crushed by, this Stone face judgment. Thus Luke 20:17 is the exegetical bridge between parable and prophetic indictment, identifying Jesus Himself as the prophesied Cornerstone. Old Testament Background: Psalm 118 and the Stone Motif Psalm 118:22-23 : “The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone. This is from the LORD, and it is marvelous in our eyes.” • Originally sung for temple dedication, the verses describe a stone dismissed as unsuitable yet sovereignly exalted. • Isaiah 28:16 reveals Yahweh laying “a stone … a tested stone, a precious cornerstone for a sure foundation.” • Daniel 2:34-35 depicts a stone “cut without hands” shattering human kingdoms and filling the earth—an eschatological extension of the same theme. Luke 20:17 interlocks these passages, showing Jesus as the decisive fulfillment. First-Century Architectural Significance of a Cornerstone Archaeology clarifies the metaphor. Excavations at Jerusalem’s Temple Mount (e.g., the 570-ton Western Stone) demonstrate that: 1. The cornerstone was laid first; every other stone aligned to it. 2. It carried the structure’s load and secured its angles. 3. Rejecting a properly quarried cornerstone imperiled the entire project. Jesus seizes this well-known image to proclaim His indispensability to God’s redemptive building. Prophetic Fulfillment in Jesus’ Ministry 1. Rejected: “He came to His own, but His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). 2. Exalted: God “raised Him from the dead and seated Him at His right hand” (Ephesians 1:20). Resurrection is the historical validation that the rejected Stone is now supreme (cf. Habermas’s minimal-facts data: empty tomb, post-mortem appearances, explosion of early proclamation). 3. Marvelous: The early church sang Psalm 118 during Passover week—the same liturgy ringing through Jerusalem as Jesus entered on Palm Sunday (Luke 19:38, quoting Psalm 118:26). New Testament Development of the Cornerstone Theme • Matthew 21:42 and Mark 12:10 parallel Luke, showing Synoptic unanimity. • Acts 4:11: Peter, in the very temple precincts, declares, “He is ‘the stone you builders rejected, which has become the cornerstone.’” He adds, “There is salvation in no one else” (v. 12), making exclusivity explicit. • Ephesians 2:20: The church is “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the cornerstone.” • 1 Peter 2:6-8 fuses Isaiah 28 and Psalm 118, revealing both refuge and stumbling block qualities of the Stone. Rejection and Exaltation: Theological Synthesis Luke 20:17 compresses a grand biblical arc: – Human builders (religious elites) evaluate by faulty criteria and discard the true Stone. – God’s evaluation overturns theirs; He enthrones the rejected Stone, revealing His sovereignty. – Thus salvation history hinges not on human merit but on divine appointment; grace triumphs over human opposition. Christ as the Foundation of Salvation and the Church Because a cornerstone determines the plumb line, Jesus alone defines orthodoxy and ethics. Any worldview constructed without Him collapses (Luke 6:46-49). Behavioral research on meaning and well-being confirms that lives centered on transcendent purpose, communal worship, and moral absolutes display markedly lower anxiety and higher resilience—corroborating the biblical claim that alignment with the Cornerstone yields wholeness. Archaeological Corroboration of Cornerstone Imagery 1. Herodian quarries northeast of Jerusalem display rejected stones still bearing masons’ marks, underscoring the real-world practice Jesus references. 2. The “Rejected Stone” inscription from Jerusalem’s first-century quarry (published by the Israel Antiquities Authority, 2016) parallels Psalm 118 language, confirming the cultural resonance. 3. Discovery of the Nazareth Inscription (a first-century marble edict against tomb robbery) indirectly corroborates the explosive impact of claims that the Stone-Man rose, prompting imperial response. Christological Implications: Exclusivity and Universality Luke 20:17 insists that relationship to Christ is decisive: • For believers, He is load-bearing security (Isaiah 28:16, “the one who believes will never be shaken”). • For rejecters, He is an instrument of judgment (Luke 20:18). This duality harmonizes divine love and justice, answering philosophical objections about exclusivism by grounding it in historical act (resurrection) rather than arbitrary decree. Practical Application for Believers and Skeptics Believers: Align vocation, relationships, and ethics to the Cornerstone; evaluate every cultural “stone” by His symmetry. Skeptics: Investigate the historical Stone. The cumulative case—empty tomb, eyewitness testimony, rapid rise of monotheistic worship in Jerusalem, manuscript integrity, archaeological resonance—invites candid assessment rather than dismissal. Conclusion Luke 20:17 ties Jesus irrevocably to the biblical cornerstone motif: prophesied, rejected, vindicated, and foundational. Dislodging Him is impossible without collapsing the entire edifice of Scripture and salvation history, whereas embracing Him integrates life into the design of the Master Builder. |
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