1. Acts 4:11 (ESV)
  2. Exposition

What does Peter mean with his quotation from Psalm 118:22?

Acts 4:11 (ESV)

11 This Jesus is the stone that was rejected by you, the builders, which has become the cornerstone.

Psalm 118:1–29 is a song which celebrates God’s deliverance of his anointed King from those who seek to do him wrong. In the song, there is a time where it seems as if God’s King will be overwhelmed by enemies but he is rescued and vindicated. Peter draws attention to this same idea. The Jewish council rejected Jesus, thinking he was of no importance, but with his resurrection he has been shown to be the Christ of God, the most important man who ever lived.1 Of interest is the fact that Jesus quoted the same psalm when he was questioned by the Jewish leadership (see Luke 20:17).