Tuesday in the Twenty-Fourth Week of Ordinary Time

Matthew 21:42-46; Mark 12:10-12; Luke 20:17-18

Jesus Christ Is the Truth

I didn’t quite finish our passage yesterday and wanted to take up the very last part.  We learned yesterday that the Father’s plan ever was to redeem a people through His Son who would crush the serpent’s head, as foretold in the first prophecy in Scripture (Genesis 3:15).  That plan included the creation of His very own people through the loins of Abraham, a people who centuries later were called “the Jews.”  To them, God made a covenant and gave His law.  As their history bears out in the Scriptures (written by those same people), they failed to keep it.  (How many ancient nations do we know that were as honest about themselves as were the Jews?  Zero.  For that alone, they should be commended.)  But all of this was God’s plan, for the law was our guardian until Christ came, showing us that we can only be saved by grace, and not by works.  The history of the Jews in the Bible proves nothing peculiar about themselves that could not be said about all of us; indeed, when we consider how wicked our pagan ancestors were during those same centuries, ugh!  (See Romans 1:18-32, and the Histories of the ancient Greek historian, Herodotus).

But to focus on the last part of the passage, Jesus quotes Psalm 118:22-23: “The stone that the builders rejected has become the cornerstone; this was the Lord’s doing, and it is marvelous in our eyes.”  And then he adds, “The one who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.”  Jesus is, of course, speaking of himself: the Cornerstone of the new temple that God builds, His Church.  Jesus Christ is that foundation upon which we must build our lives, our marriages, our careers, our everything (1 Corinthians 3:11).  And why is this?  Because Jesus Christ is the truth in his very being, and in his every word (John 14:6).  And his truth is recorded in the sacred Scriptures, for they witness to him (2 Timothy 3:16-17).  Truth is a wonderful thing.  Unfortunately for many, truth is a terrible thing, because they prefer to live a lie.  They prefer falsehood over truth, the counterfeit over the real, sin over repentance.  But truth stands there like a mountain.  You can take a pickax to it, if you like, but you won’t get very far.  The mountain just stubbornly sits there; it won’t move for you.  That’s the way truth is.  You can try to hide it, cover it up, pretend it isn’t there.  But the wages of sin is still death (Romans 6:23), and the truth of Christ still discloses the thoughts of all (Luke 2:34-35), as will Judgment on the last day when the books are opened and all is revealed (Revelation 20:12).  And so the message remains as it ever was: “Repent, for the Kingdom of heaven is at stake.”  And that’s the truth.

Author: The Reformed Baptist

My name is Stephen Taylor, ordained Baptist minister of eighteen years pastoral experience with a Ph.D. in Historical Theology from Southwestern Baptist Theological Seminary in Fort Worth, Texas. Better than that, I am married to a godly woman, Karla, who has been very patient with me since 1989. I have two daughters, both of whom I homeschooled for extended periods of time, who became godly young women, and who ran off and married godly young men, all of which is very proper. The oldest daughter has even seen fit to bless me with a grandson and a granddaughter, and my youngest daughter with a grandson, all three of whom are bundles of exceeding joy. As you can see, I am quite blessed. This website is dedicated to helping people grow in the wisdom and knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ through the gift of writing that the Lord has given to me. It is specifically about helping His people grow in godliness, the theme you see repeated above. I write devotions with this aim and hope that they might be of some help to God’s people. Full disclosure: I am of a Reformed bent, meaning that my understanding of Scripture is primarily informed by the Reformers and their successors of the sixteenth and seventeenth centuries. However, as a student of church history and theology, I strive to remain true to that teaching handed down once for all unto the saints through every age of the Church. I like to think of myself as a “catholic” Christian, as the Reformers thought of themselves. At any rate, feel free to read, pray, and contact me if you wish, or correct me if need be. As you can see, I tend to follow the church year. Of course, I make no special claims about these devotions. I know very well that others have written better and plumbed the depths of God’s word with greater insight. But if my musings help someone draw closer to the Lord, well then, I have my reward. Blessings to you and may the God and Father of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ speak to you that word which He knows you especially need to hear. Grace & peace, Stephen Taylor View all posts by The Reformed Baptist