Verses 8-12: “Then Peter, filled with the Holy Spirit, said to them, “Rulers of the people and elders of Israel: If we this day are judged for a good deed done to a helpless man, by what means he has been made well, let it be known to you all, and to all the people of Israel, that by the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified, whom God raised from the dead, by Him this man stands here before you whole. This is the stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone. Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.”
A fellow Carpenter for Christ told our group this story once, about how he was building a small rustic building on his property in his spare time. One day he went to put the door frame on the building and went to choose the sturdy beam that would be the main door post. He had several milled posts to choose from; among them was a sturdy post, but it had some knots in it, so he rejected it. He later found what he thought would be the perfect selection— straight, clean, and aesthetically pleasing. He ran out of time for that day, so he placed that post to the side to work on it later. He was delayed returning to the building work by some rain that came into the area. By the time he could get back to the construction, he discovered that this “perfect” post had warped in the rain and the sunshine which followed the storm. No longer good and straight, he couldn’t use it. He searched through the other planks of wood, but they, too, had warped and twisted in the elements. Finally, he came back to the rejected, knotty post. To his amazement, he discovered it was still just as firm and straight—it had not warped under the pressure of the elements. Turned out it made the perfect corner post for his door after all.
Isn’t that just what Peter was telling the elders and rulers who had brought John and him before them? The source of the miracle of the healing of the lame man was none other than Jesus Christ, who those leaders had rejected. What’s more, Peter went on to inform them that this Savior who the leaders had rejected was not just the Source of the healing, but the very foundation, the very anchor, the very cornerstone of the church…and that there was no other Source of salvation but Him! Oh, they could pick someone else, but they’d be wrong. What better message to share during these days leading up to the celebration of His resurrection.
Happy Easter! He is risen!
Combing The Word 