The cornerstone
Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel.(Luke 2: 34)
And when the time came for their purification according to the Law of Moses, they brought him up to Jerusalem to present him to the Lord (as it is written in the Law of the Lord, “Every male who first opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord”) and to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “a pair of turtledoves, or two young pigeons.” Now there was a man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon, and this man was righteous and devout, waiting for the consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord's Christ. And he came in the Spirit into the temple, and when the parents brought in the child Jesus, to do for him according to the custom of the Law, he took him up in his arms and blessed God and said, “Lord, now you are letting your servant depart in peace, according to your word; for my eyes have seen your salvation that you have prepared in the presence of all peoples, a light for revelation to the Gentiles, and for glory to your people Israel.” And his father and his mother marvelled at what was said about him. And Simeon blessed them and said to Mary his mother, “Behold, this child is appointed for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign that is opposed (and a sword will pierce through your own soul also), so that thoughts from many hearts may be revealed.” (Luke 2: 22-35)
Jesus not only divides human history chronologically between those who came before and those who came after Him but also between those who accept the Salvation he preached, taught and witnessed and those who reject it. In other words, Jesus is the cornerstone that divides men among believers and unbelievers. The cornerstone's joining of two walls forces the choice of direction they take. The cornerstone formed by Jesus, therefore, can be our Salvation if we decide to trust Him completely, or it can be our ruin if we decide to have idols in our heart in place of the one true God.
