November is the month of thanksgiving, gathering with friends and family over a great meal and Bible Bites.
Bible what?? Well, I am somewhat of a foodie (not a professional foodie by an means) and love to feast on hearty meals with meat, chicken, fish and roasted veggies. But what I really love are appetizers. You know, tasty tidbits of food that you can nibble on all afternoon and evening. Little bites of deliciousness.
I’ve found some awesome tidbits in scripture, too. Little bites, small but meaty and oh, so delicious. They’ll give you something to chew on. The Bible bite we will discuss this week is from First Peter:
“For it stands in Scripture: See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and honored cornerstone, and the one who believes in him will never be put to shame. So honor will come to you who believe; but for the unbelieving, the stone that the builders rejected— this one has become the cornerstone, and a stone to stumble over, and a rock to trip over. They stumble because they disobey the word; they were destined for this.” 1 Peter 2:6-8 (CSB, italics mine)
Do you notice how the word cornerstone is used twice here? Yes, I did too! And it made me wonder, “What is the difference?” Well, here ya go…
The original greek used for cornerstone in verse six is this:
204. akrogōniaíos; from ákron (206), extreme, and gōnía (1137), corner. The foundation cornerstone.1
The foundation cornerstone is traditionally the first stone laid in the foundation of a building. All the other stones (or whatever building material is used) are built around this first piece. For the Christian church, Jesus is our cornerstone. He is the foundation, the first stone laid, and sustains the whole structure. As members of the body of Christ, we are the building blocks.
However, the second use of the word cornerstone has a completely different meaning. This is the original greek for that word:
2776. kephalḗ. The head, top, that which is uppermost in relation to something. Metaphorically of things, the head, top, summit, e.g., the head of the corner, meaning the chief stone of the corner, the cornerstone.2
Generally, this top stone is referred to as the capstone. It is the final stone laid in the building project. This is also referring to Jesus. Those who don’t believe in Him will stumble because of their refusal to believe in and obey the Gospel.
And here’s the little nugget that I love: It’s all about Jesus. He is the foundation cornerstone and the capstone; the first and the last; The Alpha and the Omega. Amen and amen!!
Don’t you just love that?
1 Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).
2 Spiros Zodhiates, The Complete Word Study Dictionary: New Testament (Chattanooga, TN: AMG Publishers, 2000).