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Christ the Stone

David Livingstone was one of the greatest missionaries in the Christian church. During his missionary ministry, he walked over 29,000 to spread the Gospel. Much of his adult life was spent in semi-blindness. An entry in his diary goes like this: Lord, Send me anywhere, only go with me. Lay any burden on me, only sustain me. Sever me from any tie but the tie that binds me to Your service and to Your heart. When he died, in the Africa he loved so much, the natives cut his heart out of his body so that it could be buried in that land, and his body was shipped back to England to be buried in Westminster Abby. In commenting on his funeral, a British journalist wrote, “Let marble crumble-- this is Living-stone.”

It is difficult to conceive of a stone that is living. In all of God’s creation, nothing is more lifeless, more inanimate than a stone. And yet, the Word of God repeatedly describes the Lord Jesus Christ as a Stone. He is depicted as a Stone in no less than 6 ways.

• As far as God is concerned, Jesus Christ is the Smitten Stone

As Israel stood on the verge of departing from Egypt after being in bondage over 400 years, Moses confronted Pharoah with a message from the Lord. cf. Ex. 8:1.

A short time and 10 plagues later, Pharoah reluctantly released the people into Moses’ custody. They hadn’t gone very far before the Egyptian army set out in hot pursuit of them. With the army bearing down on them, and no escape route in sight, all appeared hopeless. It would be a slaughter, unless the Lord directly intervened.

Suddenly, at God’s command, Moses thrust his rod forward, the Red Sea parted, and God’s people crossed over on dry ground. The rest is history.

After a few days’ journey, with the hot sun beating down on them, they began to murmur, complain. There was no water, and the people began to assume that they would have been better off as slaves back in Egypt than to die of thirst and the stiffling heat as free men in the desert.

Days before, they had seen God do the miraculous on their behalf, but now, at the first sign of trouble, they complained to Moses instead of having confidence in Moses’ God.

For the second time, Moses took rod in hand and struck a rock, and an abundant overflow of water gushed forth, enough to meet the needs of the entire murmuring nation of about 2 million people.

The NT commentary on this incident gives us an interesting revelation. The apostle Paul actually identifies the rock for us. cf. I Cor. 10:1-4. Isaiah, who lived between Moses, Paul, also spoke to this matter. cf. Isa. 53:4.

The Lord Jesus Christ was smitten by His Father so that you, I, through faith in His shed blood, need never experience the smiting of a holy God!

• As far as Israel is concerned, Jesus Christ is the Stumbling Stone

Hear God's Word: cf. I Cor. 1:23.

Please understand that Israel has always had a Messianic hope. For thousands of years, they had lived with the expectation of the coming of the Messiah--the Anointed One. Messianic anticipation was the very focal point of Jewish theology. What they failed to realize is that this much-anticipated One must first suffer before He could be crowned in His glory. The Christ must die before He could reign.

The Jews’ chief concern was that whoever this Messiah be, He would be a Deliverer too; One Who would be powerful enough to throw off the yoke of the oppressive Romans. A crucified Messiah was an enigma to them, therefore.

Peter summed up this seeming conundrum with words we find in I Peter 2:8. To the Jewish way of thinking, a Christ, a Messiah, an Anointed One, Yes. But not a crucified One. On this, they stumbled.

• As far as the Church is concerned, Jesus Christ is the Starting Stone

Matt. 16:13-18 has puzzled commentators, Bible students for centuries. Briefly expound.

Much controversy has surrounded the interpretation of this text, especially the meaning of the rock upon which Christ said He would build His Church. The Lord used two different words for rock here. Referring to Peter, He spoke of him as the “petros” (from which we get our English word “petroleum”). It refers to a loose stone or pebble. The other word, translated “rock” in v. 18, is “petra,” speaking of a huge, immovable cliff. The rocky Edomite stronghold SW of Israel, which will play a prominent role in end-time events, is called Petra.

The rock upon which the Church is built is Jesus Christ. Speaking to His disciples, who were familiar with the OT, they would have understood that “rock” is never used figuratively of man, but only of God. It certainly didn’t refer to Peter (hence, he is not the first Pope). cf. I Peter 2:4-8 makes clear.

Jesus Christ didn’t build His Church on that little puny pebble Peter, but upon Himself...God in the flesh.

• As far as the Church is concerned, Jesus Christ is the Supporting Stone

The epistle, perhaps more than any other writing in the NT, presents the greatest doctrinal instruction regarding the Church. Among other things, Paul presents, in chapter 2, three great principles concerning the Church of God:

• The architecture of the Church-2:1-10
• The apointments of the Church-2:11-18
• The appearance of the Church-2:19-22

Note the highlight, the summary, in 2:20.

As the Lord Jesus and His disciples were about to leave the Upper Room the night of His arrest, they sang a hymn. What they sang, of course, was the Hallel Psalms...113-118. Note especially 118:22. See also I Cor. 3:10ff.

• As far as the Nations are concerned, Jesus Christ is the Smiting Stone

God's Word uses an interesting phrase: The Times of the Gentiles. This term denotes the period of history when Jerusalem would be under Gentile domination. cf. Luke 1:24. This period began in 606 BC and will conclude when the Lord Jesus returns in His Second Coming at the end of the 70th Week of Daniel to establish His 1,000 year kingdom reign over the earth.

In Daniel 2, we have the record of Nebuchadnezzar’s dream of the gigantic image, depicting the four world empires that would dominate Israel down through the centuries (Babylon, Medo-Persia, Greece, Rome). Daniel was called on to interpret the King’s dream. When he came to the fourth, final kingdom, Daniel spoke startling words. cf. Dan. 2:34-35. That Stone is none other than Jesus Christ! Glory to God!!

• As far as the Christian is concerned, Jesus Christ is the Sustaining Stone

Note I Peter 2:1-10

• As far as God is concerned, Jesus Christ is the Smitten Stone
• As far as Israel is concerned, Jesus Christ is the Stumbling Stone
• As far as the Church is concerned, Jesus Christ is the Starting Stone
• As far as the Church is concerned, Jesus Christ is the Supporting Stone
• As far as the Nations are concerned, Jesus Christ is the Smitting Stone
• As far as the Christian is concerned, Jesus Christ is the Sustaining Stone

Close with Ps. 71:1-3; 91:1ff; Ps. 18:46.