As you come to him, the living Stone--rejected by men but chosen by God and precious to him—you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house to be a holy priesthood, offering spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ (1 Pet 2:4-5).

Christ, as a stone rejected by men, became a cornerstone for God’s kingdom—the church. Then, we also, by following his example, are to be rejected by men and this world, and give ourselves to God as living stones. The above words are found in Peter’s letter, and in fact, Peter himself, whose name Jesus gave (petros means “rock”), learned this truth through some bitter experiences. One time Jesus went to the region of Caesarea Philippi, which was outside of the Jewish territory. John the Baptist was already dead, and being aware that the time for him to go up to Jerusalem to die was approaching near (less than a year), he wanted to spend some time quietly with his disciples discussing some important matters. It was at this time that he acknowledged himself as the Messiah before them. Peter said, “Your are the Christ, the Son of the living God,” and Jesus said:

And I tell you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of Hades will not overcome it (Mat 16:18).

Feeling good at these words, he had boldness to say to Jesus who had just prophesied how he was going to die in Jerusalem, “Never, Lord! This shall never happen to you!” Then, to his surprise, Jesus turned and said:

Get behind me, Satan! You are a stumbling block to me; you do not have in mind the things of God, but the things of men (v. 23).

The rock upon which Jesus said he would build his church became a stumbling block to him!

If anyone would come after me, he must deny himself and take up his cross and follow me. For whoever wants to save his life will lose it, but whoever loses his life for me will find it (vv. 24-25).

“To deny himself” means to “to be rejected by men,” and “to take up his cross” means to give yourself to God by following his example. This is the rock upon which the church is built. Peter completely misunderstood Jesus’ words, and was ignorant about this truth. It is interesting to know that about a week later, Jesus and three of his disciples including Peter went up to a high mountain. As Jesus was praying, his face began to shine and his clothes became so white, and Moses and Elijah appeared before them, and talked to him concerning “his departure” that he was going to accomplish in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). “His departure” refers to his death, resurrection, and ascension. Interestingly, it was not an angel, but Moses and Elijah who appeared to speak about it. This was because these two had a similar experience at the same mountain, Horeb (also called Mount Sinai), and departed from this world in a strange way in the same Transjordan region (east of River Jordan). Compare the following passage in the story of Elijah with the one in Exod 34:

The Lord said, "Go out and stand on the mountain in the presence of the Lord, for the Lord is about to pass by." Then a great and powerful wind tore the mountains apart and shattered the rocks before the Lord, but the Lord was not in the wind. After the wind there was an earthquake, … After the earthquake came a fire, … And after the fire came a gentle whisper. When Elijah heard it, he pulled his cloak over his face and went out and stood at the mouth of the cave. Then a voice said to him, "What are you doing here, Elijah (1 Kgs 19:11-13)?"