Like A Stumbling Stone
Romans 9:30-33 NKJ
30 What shall we say then? That Gentiles, who did not pursue righteousness, have attained to righteousness, even the righteousness of faith; 31 but Israel, pursuing the law of righteousness, has not attained to the law of righteousness. 32 Why? Because they did not seek it by faith, but as it were, by the works of the law. For they stumbled at that stumbling stone. 33 As it is written:
"Behold, I lay in Zion a stumbling stone and rock of offense,
And whoever believes on Him will not be put to shame."
Different from a rolling stone, a stumbling stone was a physical object, a stone or a piece of wood that was placed in the path to cause someone to trip. A stumbling stone was often used as a deterrent for an enemy to cause them to trip and put them at a disadvantage. In our verses for today, Paul talks about the stumbling stone of the Jews.
Paul was the key apostle who promoted the Gentiles' coming to faith without having to keep the Jewish law of Moses. This is what made Paul such an enemy of the Jewish people who still clung to the law. o Paul talks about the Gentiles, those without any Jewish heritage, attaining righteousness, right standing with God. These Gentiles were completely ignorant of Jewish law but still were righteous. Because they did not try to gain right standing with God by keeping the Jewish law, but by receiving Jesus as their Lord and Savior. The Gentiles received the Lord by faith and obtained the righteousness of faith.
Paul contrasts the Gentiles with the Jewish people, who were trying to obtain righteousness by keeping the law. This law was a list of dos and don'ts. But the law did not make a person righteous. If the law had done the job, there would have been no reason to send Jesus to die for the sins of the world. The Jewish people were not pursuing the righteousness of faith, of believing in Jesus but by keeping the law. And Paul said they were stumbling at that stumbling stone.
The stumbling stone, what caused the Jewish people to trip, was that faith in Jesus was the only thing required to be made righteous before God, not in keeping festivals and washings and the intricacies of the law. The law required no faith, just man's effort. The Jews stumbled over the fact that all people could be made right with God simply by believing in Jesus. No keeping the law. No circumcision. To the Jews, it just didn't seem right. They stumbled at righteous by faith in Jesus. But for the Jews who chose to believe in Jesus, righteousness was given to them also. This is why Paul was quoting the prophet Isaiah when he said Jesus would be a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense. Jesus would be offensive to some. But all those who believed in Him would not be put to shame.
Jesus was called a stumbling stone to the Jews. But He was also called another kind of stone, a cornerstone. The online definition of a cornerstone is: "in ancient masonry, a cornerstone (or foundation stone) was the most critical element of a building structure. It was the very first stone laid at the corner of a new construction, serving as the primary reference point for every other stone that followed. Because ancient builders didn't have modern lasers or GPS, the integrity of the entire building depended on the precision of this single block." Jesus was two kinds of stones at the same time. To those pursuing Jewish law for their righteousness, He was a stone of stumbling. But to those who put their faith in Jesus, He is the very foundation of our salvation and the foundation of God’s Kingdom.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, I am grateful that I have found Jesus to be the cornerstone of my salvation and the cornerstone of my walk with God.