Saturday 30 August 2008
- Bible Book:
- Romans
"They have stumbled over the stumbling-stone, as it is written, 'See, I am laying in Zion a stone that will make people stumble, a rock that will make them fall, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame'." (v.32-33)
Background
Paul is writing to the Christians in Rome in preparation for avisit he plans to make to them. The congregation there was made upof both Jews and Gentiles (a Jewish term for those outside theirown faith community).
Paul is himself a Jew. He is deeply disappointed that more Jewshave not accepted Jesus as God's Messiah. But Paul is alsodisappointed that there are Jewish believers who think that themessage of Jesus is only for Jews. Paul is convinced that Gentileswho put their trust in Jesus are welcomed by God just as much asJews.
The quotation in verse 22 is from
Jesus had also spoken of himself as "the stone which the templebuilders rejected" (Luke 20:17-18). Paul extends that picture bydescribing Jesus as a stone on which people stumble. We can picturethe Temple builders with dressed stones all around them. They failto identify this stone, which is designed to key into hold theother stones together. Instead of recognising its value they tripover it, looking for something else.
To Ponder
Do you see Jesus as the rock on which you buildor as the rock which gets in your way?
Has there been a moment when you have thought ofsomebody as being in your way when later they proved to be the veryperson who could help you? What happened the moment yourealised?