Humility

But Jesus looked at them and said, "What then is the meaning of this that is written, 'The very Stone which the builders rejected has become the chief Cornerstone'?

Everyone who falls on the Stone will be broken in pieces, but upon whomever it falls, it will crush him (winnow him and scatter him as dust.' Luke 20:17,18

Here Jesus was referring to the scripture in Psalms 118:22. This Psalm is a beautiful psalm written in an attitude of worship and praise for God's protection and place in David's life. The attitude was sorely missing in the listeners of Jesus' teaching, especially in the scribes and Pharisees. Had David been alive at this time, what a joyous time he would have had with Jesus.

Jesus was teaching on humility and knowing your place before God. The scribes and Pharisees had a highly exalted position from which they would not move, they possessed a piece of territory wrongly and they refused to yield. 

In this passage Jesus was saying you will be broken one way or another: either you humble yourself or God will do it for you. Humbling yourself and being willing to be broken allows the breaking off of he flesh, the cleansing from sin and the freedom of the Spirit to rule. The second is an act of judgement, in which the breaking is permanent, scattering to the wind is not a place from which you can return.

Humility works! At times it hurts our pride, but at other times it is beautiful, welcome and refreshing. Amen!