Jesus as a Stumbling Block?

"And he who falls on this stone will be broken to pieces; but on whomever it falls, it will scatter him like dust." - Matt 21:44 (NASB)

Difficult verse.  This statement from Jesus is found just after speaking two parables - one about two sons and another about a landowner.  Each of the parables had a central message because they were spoken to the Pharisees and Scribes who had come to test Him.  Namely, the Kingdom of God is being taken away from you and given to another people who will produce its fruit.

I personally believe that this refers to the Church, God's holy people, the ones who will produce His fruit.  However, this morning I want to focus in on this verse.

Typically, most have seen this verse to refer to the fact that Jesus is the stone and that those who fall upon Him will accept Him but those whom the stone falls upon will be destroyed by Him.  This is certainly a possible interpretation but not the best one.

Let's start with what we know.  We know that this stone refers to Jesus.  He is the chief corner stone mentioned in the preceding parable (Mt 21:42) and it certainly applied to Jesus.  He is the one the builders have rejected.  The Jewish religious leaders have now rejected Him.  He is the chief corner stone from which the Church will be built upon.  But what is happening in this verse?

This verse refers to 2 OT passages.  The first is found in Isaiah 8:14-15 which states "Then He shall become a sanctuary; But to both the houses of Israel, a stone to strike and a rock to stumble over, And a snare and a trap for the inhabitants of Jerusalem."  Here, "He" referred to the forthcoming Messiah.  Jesus is simply laying claim to the truthfulness of this prophecy.  Thus, those who fall because of Him will be broken and destroyed.  The second piece of this verse though seems to reference Daniel 2 and Daniel's interpretation of King Nebuchadnezzar's dream.  In Daniel 2, the king has an unsettling dream about various nations who will be in power.  Daniel explains that the first image represented Babylon, the next was Medo-Persia and Greece and Rome followed its rule.  The final kingdom to rule would be a Divine Kingdom, the Kingdom of God and taken in its context to Matthew 21:44 should also represent the Church.

What we need to understand is that Jesus is teaching that like the chief cornerstone, He is the One from which we must build our life upon.  Also, He is the One who will cause those who are opposed to God to stumble upon.   We see this true today.  Any person or religion which does not recognize Jesus as God, His Only Son, and the Messiah stumbles upon this truth.  Such stumbling is fatal and will destroy them spiritually.  Jesus is also a stone in the sense that He will crush and destroy opposing nations and people as seen in Daniel 2:44-45.

Therefore, we must learn to see Jesus properly.  To those who are His followers, He is a firm foundation and the One to whom they have submitted their lives.  However, to the unbeliever, Jesus is a stumbling block and a stone from which will destroy.  As a stumbling block, Jesus prevents those opposed to Him to come to God.

The Good News is though that He also permits those who love Him to have a true relationship to God.  So, the question this morning is…

Is Jesus a stumbling block for you?