BROKEN OR CRUSHED?

“The person that falls
on this stone will be broken.
And if the stone falls on a person,
then it will crush that person."
Matthew 21:44
Easy-to-Read Version

The chief priests and scribes rejected and refused to accept Jesus as their Messiah. To them, Jesus was a stone of stumbling and a rock of offense (Matthew 21:42). They rejected and killed the prophets and crucified the ‘Prince of Life’ (Acts 3:15). They refused to be broken, trust and believe on the Lord Jesus Christ. They did not want to lose their temporal authority and positions of honor among the people. They were religious. The priests and scribes knew the holy scriptures, however, they failed to recognize their savior. As a result, Jesus told them that the kingdom of God would be taken from them (Matthew 21:43). The religious elite would suffer his righteous indignation and God would pulverize them for their hardness of heart.
Today, we can be much like the religious leaders of Jesus’ day. It is possible to become so comfortable and secure with our temporal positions and accomplishments that we fail to humble and submit to the mighty hand of God. What a costly deception! Fear, unbelief, doubt, self-interest, self-love, self-centeredness, self-preservation, rebellion and disobedience will cause us to resist yielding to God’s will.
The enemy will try to make us fearful of what we will have to encounter, endure and suffer. But remember, if we try to save our self-life, we will lose eternal life. We can fall on the ROCK, Jesus Christ and find comfort in knowing that absolutely everything we encounter in life is filtered through the hands of our loving Father. He knows exactly what is needed to release the treasure that is hidden in the earthen vessels. We do not have to fear brokenness, neither should we resist it. Rather, brokenness should be embraced and pursued.
We are exhorted to holiness, humility and brokenness. It is not wise to resist God’s dealings. Psalm 51:17 says, “The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart.” Submit, yield and surrender to God’s authority. Ultimately, every ‘knee will bow and every tongue confess that he is Lord' (Romans 14:11). Fall on the solid rock, Jesus Christ, the Righteous. We determine how we come to our knees; either broken or crushed.