[4] As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, [5] you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. [6] For it stands in Scripture: “Behold, I am laying in Zion a stone, a cornerstone chosen and precious, and whoever believes in him will not be put to shame.” (1 Peter 2:4-6 ESV)Here Peter transitions into a picture that dominates a good half of this chapter. He begins with a description of Christ as "a living stone that the builders rejected." This is a description of Christ first used in Isaiah, which Peter quotes in verse 6 (Is. 28:16). There is a lot here, so let's break it down.
There is significance in the use of the specific word "Cornerstone" in reference to Christ, rather than just stone. In the building of a building, a cornerstone was a pivotal part of it's construction. It was load-bearing for at least two sides of the whole, and if it were weakened, the entire structure could be in danger of collapse. It is not hard to see the metaphor here; that Christ is our foundation and our strength and that we are not to stand alone but to be built on top of him and each other into a strong building.
It is also significant to note that God prophesied Christ's rejection by man. Since long before He set foot on the earth, Israel had been on lookout for Messiah. What they expected however, was an earthly savior. Someone who would swoop in and save them from Roman oppression and re-establish the kingdom of Israel. When Christ did arrive on the scene, he was met with hard hearts. He was not met by a crowd ready and willing to accept this humble man and the lifestyle he embraced and heralded. He was met by a crowd shouting, "crucify him!"
And now to what Peter is saying in these few verses. So now that we understand Christ as cornerstone, rejected by men but holy and pleasing in the sight of God, we can understand verse 5. In verse 5 now we too, as followers of Christ, are living stones. We are being built together with Christ as cornerstone into a spiritual house. Ever since the time of Moses and the Tabernacle, and later with Solomon and the Temple, God had maintained a physical dwelling place, a building, where his very essence dwelt on earth. It was a place of great power and there were protections in place to spare people the awesome power of God's direct presence, as their sin-filled lives and his unfiltered presence could not coexist in close proximity without bloodshed. But then came the sacrifice of Jesus Christ, the ultimate shedding of blood. With this act the great curtain separating man from the holy of holies within the temple was torn in two, from top to bottom by God, symbolizing that there was no longer a need for this separation. What Peter is describing here is that as a result of Christ's sacrifice, God will no longer dwell in an earthly building. God will no longer only be accessible by the priesthood, once a year, after so many animal sacrifices to temporarily cleanse their sin. No, from now on God will physically dwell in the hearts of His people. We, with Christ as cornerstone, are now the great Temple! The Church is God's dwelling place on earth. Our good works have been made into acceptable sacrifices to God through the power of Jesus' blood. We as followers of Christ have all been made practicing priests. And this priesthood is part of the inheritance we spoke of in Chapter 1. Praise God for what He has done to bring us back to Himself!
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