God sent His Son to be the cornerstone of a building composed of ‘living stones’

The Great Wall of China is arguably the greatest man-made building in the world. However, it doesn’t compare with the one which God has made through the death and resurrection of Jesus and composed of ‘living stones’ … all those who have come to trust in Him. In this passage the apostle Peter wants to talk about God’s building which is all thanks to Jesus.

To affirm the significance of this building Peter turns to the Old Testament book of Isaiah. Jesus is the stone that God laid for it and which set the direction of the whole building. He is the cornerstone of the church and therefore precious to His people. Jesus is also a stone that causes those who reject Him to stumble.

Around the time that Peter wrote this letter there was either the prospect of, or actual, severe persecution for Christians. The emperor Nero had set the city alight and publicly blamed the Christians for doing it. The subsequent persecution went on for a long time and we can imagine Vs9 would have meant much to them by the remembrance of how precious they were to God. Vs10 is also a greatly encouraging reminder of the mercy from God they have received in Jesus.