Jesus Christ’s death, burial, and resurrection ushered in a new covenant—a covenant of grace between God and His creation. Before doing so, Jesus fulfilled various Old Testament prophecies regarding the promised Messiah and that covenant. However, not every prophecy pointed to Jesus being loved, embraced, and accepted by the world. Jesus frequently taught that He would be scorned, despised, forsaken, and rejected by the people He came to save. To convey this, in the last week before His crucifixion, He referenced a known Old Testament prophecy: “The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief cornerstone” (Matthew 21:42).
Israel’s religious leaders understood this reference and were outraged by what Jesus had implied. Years later, Christ’s apostles cited these same words when proclaiming that Jesus was, in fact, the Son of God and head of the church.
But what is the significance of Jesus being “the stone the builders rejected,” and what does it mean that Christ became “the chief cornerstone”?
Three of the four gospels quote Jesus saying he was “the stone the builders rejected” in response to Pharisees challenging His authority (Matthew 21:42; Mark 12:10-11; Luke 20:17). This exchange came shortly after Jesus had entered Jerusalem (Matthew 21:1-17; Mark 11:1-14; Luke 19:28-44) and cleansed the temple of the money changers (Matthew 21:12-17; Mark 11:15-18; Luke 19:45-48).
For years, Jesus had drawn these leaders’ ire. Their growing hatred gave birth to outright hostility and plots to have Jesus killed. At every turn, the Pharisees presented themselves as morally superior, meticulous keepers of the religious law. Jesus, however, had exposed just how sinful, corrupt, and spiritually dead they were inside. They were “blind guides leading the blind” (Matthew 15:14) and “white-washed tombs” (Matthew 23:27).
Like the multitudes, the Pharisees had witnessed Jesus’ miracles and heard His teachings. However, they ultimately chose to reject Jesus as their Messiah, hardening their hearts to preserve their influence, power, and a false sense of security and religious superiority. But as Jesus entered the temple in Jerusalem, the chief priests and elders came to Him and asked, “By what authority are You doing these things, and who gave You this authority?” (Matthew 21:23)
Jesus knew this was not a genuine question but intended to trap Him in His words. He responded with another question: “The baptism of John was from what source, from heaven or from men?” (Matthew 21:25). Jesus was referring to John the Baptist—His cousin, who had heralded Him as “the Lamb of God who takes away the sins of the world.” (John 1:29)
Knowing John remained popular even after his death, the Pharisees debated how to answer this question. “If we say, ‘From heaven,’ He will say to us, ‘Then why did you not believe him?’ but if we say, ‘From men,’ we fear the people; for they all regard John as a prophet.” (Matthew 21:25-26).
They argued, and eventually responded, “We do not know.” (Matthew 21:27)
“Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things,” Jesus replied (Matthew 21:27).
Then, Jesus shared two parables with His listeners to convey the extent of the Pharisees’ rejection of the Son of God (Matthew 21:33-40; see also Mark 12:1-9; Luke 20:9-16).
To conclude His point, Jesus referenced a well-known Old Testament psalm, one the religious leaders would have been familiar with:
“The stone which the builders rejected, this became the chief cornerstone; this came about from the Lord, and it is marvelous in our eyes” (Matthew 21:42; emphasis added)
He continued, “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to a people, producing the fruit of it. And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust.” (Matthew 21:43-44)
The Pharisees clearly understood that Jesus was speaking about them (Matthew 21:45; Mark 12:12; Luke 20:19), and from then on, they looked for any excuse to seize Jesus and hand Him over to the Romans to be killed (Luke 20:20).
But what had Jesus said that made the religious leaders so angry? What was “the stone the builders rejected”?
We must look at the original Old Testament passage Jesus quoted to answer that.
Throughout His ministry, Jesus often incorporated key lessons from the Old Testament into His teachings. However, a first-century Jewish rabbit referencing the prophets, psalmists, or the Law of Moses would not have been enough to irritate the religious leaders.
Jesus put Himself in the Pharisees’ crosshairs when He repeatedly affirmed that He was the fulfillment of Old Testament prophecy, specifically the Messianic prophecies.
Mentioning “the stone the builders rejected” drew unambiguous parallels to Psalms 118:22-23, in which David wrote, “The stone which the builders rejected has become the chief cornerstone. This is the Lord’s doing; it is marvelous in our eyes. This is the day which the Lord has made; let us rejoice and be glad in it. O Lord, do save, we beseech You; O Lord, we beseech You, do send prosperity.” (Psalms 118:24-25)
The psalm is a biblical song of praise and thanksgiving. It would have become part of Israel’s national songbook. For centuries before Jesus’ birth, Jews recited stanzas like “give thanks to the Lord, for He is good; For His lovingkindness is everlasting” (Psalms 118:1; 29), “The Lord is for me; I will not fear,” (Psalms 118:6), and “It is better to take refuge in the Lord than to trust in man,” (Psalms 118:8-9).
However, Psalm 118 is more than just a praise psalm. It has enormous significance for Jesus’ character. Let’s look specifically at what David wrote in verse 26: “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord” (Psalms 118:26).
Sound familiar?
This was the same phrase shouted by the crowds as Jesus entered Jerusalem. “Hosanna to the Son of David; blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord; Hosanna in the highest!” they proclaimed (Matthew 21:9; emphasis added).
Even the word Hosanna, which translates to “save now,” harkens back to Psalms 118:25, in which the psalmist also sings, “The Lord is my strength and song, and He has become my salvation” (Psalms 118:14; emphasis added).
At the Triumphal Entry, many who welcomed Jesus into the city believed and heralded Him as the promised Messiah and hope of salvation.
Did they fully understand the nature of salvation that Jesus Christ would offer through His death and resurrection? Probably not.
However, shortly after, in His discourse with the Pharisees, Jesus again referenced Psalms 118 when He referred to “the stone the builders rejected.” In doing so, He affirmed what many were already saying about Him. Essentially, “I am the one the prophets and psalmists wrote about. I AM He.”
This truly outraged the religious leaders. After all, how could anyone claim to be the Messiah, or worse, the Son of God or God Himself? That would be blasphemy in the highest sense of the word, unless . . . what Jesus claimed about Himself was actually true (see Matthew 11:25-27; 26:64, 27:43; Mark 14:62; Luke 4:14-30; John 5:18, 8:58; 10:29-33).
Jesus’s reference to Psalm 118 not only claimed that he was the Messiah, but it also indicated that he was a rejected Messiah—they would reject a savior rather than abandon their pride.
As the Israelites rejected Moses even after he had delivered them from Egypt (Exodus 2:11-15; 14:10-14; 16:1-3, 11,20; Acts 7:35), as they rejected God as their king in favor of an earthly ruler (1 Samuel 8:7-9), so the Pharisees rejected the Son of God when He chose to dwell among them.
“He came to His own, and those who were His own did not receive Him” (John 1:11). Similarly, Isaiah also prophesied that “He (the Messiah) was despised and forsaken of men, a man of sorrows and acquainted with grief; and like one from whom men hide their face, He was despised, and we did not esteem Him.” (Isaiah 53:3).
But what does this have to do with the “stone the builders rejected”?
In architectural terms, a cornerstone was the central stone upon which the foundation and strength of the entire house was built. Experienced builders and professional stone masons would be incredibly selective in choosing the right stone as their cornerstone. It had to be strong, secure, and pure. Dr. Ray Pritchard states, “No stone was more important than the cornerstone because the integrity of the whole structure depended on the cornerstone containing exactly the right lines.”
Accordingly, many stones would be sorted and rejected when finding the perfect cornerstone. In the biblical metaphor, Christ is that perfect cornerstone. And yet, to some, He is treated as just another stone rejected and cast aside by those who’ve chosen to build their lives on another foundation.
Whether it was the pagan gods, human kings, misguided teachers, self-worship, false religions, and idols of modern society, many reject Jesus as the cornerstone of their lives. However, unless God is the builder and Christ the cornerstone of one’s life, we ultimately labor in vain (Psalms 127:1), for “salvation is found in no one else” (Acts 4:12).
In contrast, Jesus taught that those who embrace Him as the cornerstone of their lives are like those who build their house on a solid foundation. When life’s winds, rains, and storms come, their house stands because it was founded on the rock of Jesus Christ (Matthew 7:24-27).
Even after Christ ascended into heaven, the apostle Peter affirmed that Jesus was the stone the builders rejected and the Messiah the Pharisees had crucified (Acts 4:8-12). The apostles and saints may have continued building the church’s foundation as “living stones.” However, in their own words, Christ alone was the first stone, the cornerstone, and the capstone upon which the church was built (1 Peter 2:4-5; see also Matthew 16:13-20; 1 Corinthians 10:4).
To those who reject Christ and reject the truth of His words, He will always be a “stone of stumbling and rock of offense.” (Mark 6:3; Matthew 21:43-44; 1 Peter 2:8). Nevertheless, “he who believes in Him will not be disappointed” (1 Peter 2:6).
Joel Ryan is an author, writing professor, and contributing writer for Salem Web Network and Lifeway. When he’s not writing stories and defending biblical truth, Joel is committed to helping young men find purpose in Christ and become fearless disciples and bold leaders in their homes, in the church, and in the world.
This article is part of our larger resource library of popular Bible verse phrases and quotes. We want to provide easy-to-read articles that answer your questions about the meaning, origin, and history of specific verses within Scripture's context. We hope that these will help you better understand the meaning and purpose of God's Word in your life today.
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