Jesus Christ is a stone according to the Bible.
Jesus is a living stone – 1 Pet 2:4. Stones are inorganic; they are mineral; they are inanimate, meaning they are not endowed with life or spirit. Yet Jesus Christ is a living stone. The earth was without form and void. Then God put life in this stone and dirt [Jn 1:1-5; Gen 1:1-3]. Adam was formed from the dust of the ground but did not become a living soul until God breathed into him the breath of life [Gen 2:7]. Some so called scientists say that there must be life on other earths in the universe, because there must be similar conditions as our earth in our solar system. No. The only way possible is that God would have to put life into the stone. When Jesus showed up in the flesh, God’s life was in that dust. He is life and he is alive.
Jesus is a precious stone – 1 Pet 2:4. When you think of precious stones, you think of the finished cut and polished stone. You don’t think of the rough stone that is mined from the ground. Rough stones are not pretty, though they are precious. When Jesus came to the earth, he had “no form nor comeliness,” [Is 53:2]. Isaiah said, “and when we shall see him, there is no beauty that we should desire him.” They saw the carpenter’s son; they saw God manifest in the flesh. They didn’t see Jesus in his radiant glory. Yet, some saw the qualities of this precious stone in the rough and recognized his great value.
Jesus is a chosen stone – 1 Pet 2:4. Like the finest gemologist, God selected Jesus as the most precious stone of all. He is God’s choice. According to Ezek 28:12-13, the devil is described as “perfect in beauty… every precious stone was thy covering, the sardius, topaz, and the diamond, the beryl, the onyx, and the jasper, the sapphire, the emerald, and the carbuncle, and gold.” Yet, he was not chosen of God.
- He was chosen as the chief cornerstone – 1 Pet 2:6. In his rough, uncut state, he is perfect for the foundation of God’s building. Paul said, “other foundation can no man lay than is laid, which is Jesus Christ [1 Cor 3:11]. If your relationship with God is not founded on Jesus Christ, you have no relationship with God.
- He was chosen as the elect stone – 1 Pet 2:6. That is, Jesus is God’s choice to rule the universe [Is 9:6-7].
- He was chosen as the head of the corner – 1 Pet 2:7. That is, he will sit atop the finished building of God [Eph 1:19-23]. According to Daniel 2:31-35, the stone cut without hands that destroys the image becomes a great mountain that fills the whole earth. A cut stone is valued for its clarity, its color, its proportion and its size. There is no stone to compare to Jesus Christ. He is without spot and blemish. His color is perfect, as transparent glass. He is perfectly proportioned in his breadth, length, depth and height [Eph 3:18]. And he is huge.
Conclusion: what will you do with Jesus? Will you disallow him like the kingdom builders of the earth? Will he be your “stone of stumbling,” [1 Pet 2:8]? Or will you believe on him [1 Pet 2:6] so that you will not be confounded? When you believe on him, you realize that he is precious [1 Pet 2:7].