The Piece Almost Discarded

"The stone the builders rejected has become the cornerstone." — Mark 12:10 (NIV)

You finish assembling a new piece of furniture, relieved that every shelf, panel, and leg is in place. Yet, when you look around, you find a couple of extra screws and dowels. You double-check the instructions—everything is accounted for. Assuming they were just extras, you toss them into your toolbox, where odd bits and pieces from past projects accumulate.

Months later, as you’re working on another home project, you realize you need a specific-sized dowel to complete the repair. You rummage through the toolbox, and there it is—the piece you had dismissed as unnecessary. The thing you almost threw away becomes the exact part needed to strengthen what was broken.

Like the overlooked dowel, Jesus, too, was dismissed—seen as unnecessary, even a threat to those in power. Yet, what seemed insignificant became essential. In The Parable of the Tenants (Mark 12:1-12), Jesus tells a story about vineyard tenants who reject the landowner’s messengers and kill his son, believing they can seize the vineyard for themselves. Through this parable, He highlights the rejection He Himself is facing. The religious leaders dismissed Him, not just as unnecessary, but as a threat to their plans. His teachings challenged their authority and exposed their hypocrisy. 

But God had a greater purpose—the stone rejected by the builders would become the cornerstone of salvation. What was overlooked became essential.

The world often devalues what is truly important. But how often do we, as followers of Christ, dismiss small acts of faith—like offering kindness, choosing prayer, or standing firm in truth—overlook God's plans, or fail to recognize His presence in our daily lives? Like the forgotten screw, the things we think are insignificant may turn out to be the very pieces that hold everything together.

Are there moments when God's purpose has been overlooked—times when His work didn’t seem to fit our expectations and was dismissed too quickly? It’s easy to miss the significance of something until later, when its value becomes clear. Like those extra parts in the toolbox, God sometimes places things in our path that seem unnecessary at first but later reveal themselves to be essential.

We, too, may sometimes feel like discarded pieces—overlooked, diminished, or uncertain of our purpose. But in God's hands, nothing is wasted. What the world dismisses, He redeems. And at the heart of this truth is Jesus, the cornerstone—the one who was rejected yet became the foundation of salvation.

Just as those small, forgotten pieces in the toolbox prove their worth, Jesus, once rejected, became the most essential part of God’s plan and the foundation of our salvation. He is the cornerstone—our source of strength, security, and faith. No matter how life discards, diminishes, or rejects Him, He remains the most vital piece, not just in God’s design for redemption, but in our lives as well.

Whenever something once deemed unnecessary turns out to be essential, let it serve as a reminder of how God works. What is rejected is never truly discarded in His plan—it is restored, redeemed, and becomes the foundation upon which everything stands. And through Jesus, the cornerstone, we find the salvation that holds our lives together.

Even when we don't recognize it, God is working—placing things in our path, shaping our story, and preparing us for what’s ahead.

Lord, help us to recognize the ways You are working in our lives, even when we don’t understand or see their value. Thank You for being our cornerstone, the firm foundation that holds everything together. May we trust in Your wisdom and embrace Your presence, even in the moments when the world tries to reject You. Amen.

Blessings,

Pastor Tim