Meteorites and the Barn Door
When David Mazurek bought the Michigan farm in 1988, he noticed a large rock was used to prop open the barn door. The previous owner said that he had found it in a back pasture sometime in the 1930’s. He did not know where it came from, but had joked that it must have fallen out of the sky.
After hearing news reports that meteorites had been discovered in the area, David decided to take his rock to Central Michigan University to be tested. Sure, enough, it was a meteorite fragment that weighed almost 23 pounds. Eventually, the findings were confirmed by the Department of Earth and Atmospheric Sciences, with an estimated value of $100,000! And he had been using it to hold open a barn door!
Have you ever found a rock that had a high value? On a trip to the Holy Land in the early 80’s, I collected stones from each place I visited. After returning home, I glued them to note cards and wrote on them where they were found. No, none were gold or silver, but they have sentimental value to me.
When our children were young, we panned for gold in the mountains of Colorado. No, we did not strike it rich, but we had a great experience.
In the Bible, there are many stories about rocks. In the King James Version of the Bible, the word rock is used 142 times. In Exodus 17, Moses stood on a rock and water came forth to quench the thirst of the people. Joshua had the priests obtain twelve rocks from the Jordan River bottom to set on shore as a memorial of the faithfulness of God (Joshua 4). In Matthew 4, Satan tried to tempt Jesus into turning rocks
into loaves of bread.
Usually in the Bible, the term rock represents God or Jesus Christ. Most of us think of Psalm 18:2, “The Lord is my rock and my fortress.” Or as Psalm 18:31 says, “Who is a rock except our God.” Psalm 62:2 says, “He alone is my rock and my salvation.”
1 Corinthians 10:1-4, refers to an Old Testament event where Jesus was the Rock that followed the Children of Israel. In Numbers 20, Moses struck the rock as prophecy that Christ would be struck and waters of life would flow from Him. In Romans 9:33, Jesus is seen as the Rock of offense or the stumbling stone. Paul quoted Isaiah 28:16 when he spoke of Christ as the tested and precious cornerstone, a sure foundation.
But the most sobering words of Jesus that brings us to a point of decision is in Luke 20:18, “Everyone who falls on that stone will be broken to pieces, and when it falls on anyone, it will crush him.” I choose to fall on Christ and ask forgiveness and grace. I challenge you to do the same.
Question: Are you misusing or ignoring the Stone of eternal value?