The Bible is replete with prophetic statements concerning the coming of Jesus, our Messiah. We can go as far back as Genesis 3:15 where God cursed the serpent who tempted Adam and Eve saying, “I will put enmity between you and the woman, and between your offspring and hers; he will crush your head, and you will strike his heel.” The offspring of the woman in this statement refers to the Lord Jesus Christ. In the Book of Isaiah, we are told, “The virgin will be with child and will give birth to a son, and will call him Immanuel” (Isa. 7:14). Interestingly, these two prophesies converged in the prophetic vision of Daniel as he interpreted the dream of King Nebuchadnezzar. He said, “While you were watching, a rock was cut out, but not by human hands. It struck the statue on its feet of iron and clay and smashed them . . . The rock that struck the statue became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth” (Daniel 2:34-35).
In the prophetic vision of Daniel, the Rock refers to the Lord Jesus Christ who will crush the head of the serpent, as mentioned in Genesis 3:15, and was born not by the will of a man or a husband but was born of a virgin, as prophesied by Isaiah. Just as the Rock became a huge mountain and filled the whole earth, the glory of the Lord Jesus now fills the whole earth (Habakkuk 2:14). And though he came as a lowly baby that was born in a manger, his birthday is being celebrated in every part and corner of the earth today. In fact, Jesus came to crush the work of the devil, and the angels rejoiced at his birth saying, “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace to men on whom his favour rests” (Luke 2:14).
But what does it mean for Jesus to be the Rock? It means that he is our Redeemer. When we sinned, we sold ourselves to the devil and there is no one who can redeem us from sin, because the redemption price for sin is death. Even the Psalmist said that redemption does not come so easily, for no one can ever pay enough. It is for this reason that Jesus had to come to pay the penalty of sin through his death on the cross. In his epistle, the apostle Peter said, “For you know that it was not with perishable things such as silver or gold that you were redeemed from the empty way of life handed down to you from your forefathers, but with the precious blood of Christ, a lamb without blemish or defect” (1 Peter 1:18-19).
As the Rock, Jesus is our Overseer. After having been redeemed from sin, we need someone to guide us onto the right path or else we will find ourselves going back to our old paths and in same condition as before, if not worse. The apostle Peter said, “For you were like sheep going astray, but now you have returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls” (1 Peter 2:25). The Lord Jesus’ role as Overseer is beautifully presented in Psalm 23. He not only makes us lie down in green pastures and leads us beside quiet waters, but he also leads us in path of righteousness. And because he is with us, we can walk confidently without fear, even as we walk through the valley of the shadow of death. In fact, we find comfort in his rod and staff for we know that he will not withhold discipline from those he loves.
Jesus being our Rock also means that he is the Cornerstone of our life. He is holding our life together. The reality is that we are fragile and our lives can break down at any moment without the Lord. It is he that gives us strength, and he gives us a sure foundation as well. He is the one that will unite us with one another so that we become stronger together. The apostle Peter once again said, “‘See, I lay a stone in Zion, a chosen and precious cornerstone, and the one who trusts in him will never be put to shame.’ Now to you who believe, this stone is precious. But to those who do not believe, ‘The stone the builders rejected has become the capstone’” (1 Peter 2:6-7).
Finally, Jesus is the Rock, our King. He is not just an ordinary king but he is the King of Kings. In the prophetic vision of Daniel, he described the kingdom of the Lord as “a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever” (Daniel 2:44). As subjects of his kingdom, we are safe and secure. He shields and protects us from the enemies and gives us eternal salvation. Even King David, in his Psalm, said, “The Lord is my rock, my fortress and my deliverer; my God is my rock, in whom I take refuge. He is my shield and the horn of my salvation, my stronghold” (Psalm 18:2). Therefore, let us come to him who is our Redeemer, Overseer, Cornerstone and King in full reverence and worship him in spirit and in truth. He alone is our Saviour and God. Hallelujah!
