…you also, like living stones, are being built into a spiritual house…
What kind of house do you suppose that Peter is visualizing? What kind of house would Jesus want to be a part of? I realize that Peter is using a metaphor of sorts here and he doesn’t mean a house like anything we have ever seen.
But Peter is not talking about a physical building. Instead, he is thinking about how the parts that a building is made from fit together. The most critical part, the cornerstone, we have already discussed. But a cornerstone by itself is not a building. Peter is describing how we who believe, together with our Lord, form a whole.
In John 14: 1-4 Jesus says;
“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. You know the way to the place where I am going.”
In both cases, Jesus and Peter use the metaphor of a house. In both cases, Jesus and Peter are using a metaphor because what they describe does not exist in the physical realm. Both men are reaching for words that transcend life as we know it, and extend into the spiritual realm.
What does he want to convey? That a house is a habitat for someone, for God? That the parts of the house all need each other to form the whole? That among those who are saved there is a unity of purpose? Is it that there is a master design behind all this? Perhaps there is a bit of all these behind Peter’s words.
Application: As we come to Jesus, let us submit to him and conform to him so that his will is done.
Food for Thought: What kind of mortar would Peter’s spiritual house use to hold the stones together?
I believe the answer to be the Scriptures. See Isaiah 28:9,10.
“Whom shall he teach knowledge? and whom shall he make to understand doctrine? them that are weaned from the milk, and drawn from the breasts.
For precept must be upon precept, precept upon precept; line upon line, line upon line; here a little, and there a little:” (KJV)
JEC-
That is an interesting reference in light of the passage we are studying. Peter points us to “pure spiritual milk” and then adds, “so that you may grow up in your salvation.”
The passage you have pointed us to suggests that understanding comes after we are weened. That would be an interesting topic for further discussion…
As to today’s question, I confess that it is a bit unfair. Not all buildings built with stone use mortar. The larger ones didn’t. But there is still something that acts like mortar that holds the buildings together. In the physical realm this might be as simple as gravity and friction. In the spiritual realm there is something equally as fundamental that holds the House of God together. Certainly Scripture is the place to start.
From the context of this passage, Jesus is clearly the chosen One of God whom the world rejected who s the Cornerstone and the Capstone. We are clearly the living stones that together make up His Temple in which the Spirit dwells individually and corporately. Since there is no clear reference to to the mortar that I can see anyway – that may be up for debate. I like JECs answer referring to Gods word (Colossians 3: 16; 2 Timothy 3: 16 – 17). Faith is another item of interest (Colossians 2: 6 – 7). The Holy Spirit could be seen in that role (Galatians 5: 22 – 23). Spiritual gifts certainly make the building stronger (1 Corinthians chapters 12 and 14. Love would be an especially important fruit of the Spirit (1 Corinthians 13; Matthew 22: 37 – 40). I think we could see mortar as any provision from God that unites us more closely to Him and to each other.
Rich,
My “confessional” response to JEC was posted a few minutes after your post so you could not have seen what I wrote. You are quite correct that there is no reference to mortar. Yet what you and JEC and Ron have pulled out of Scripture is everything I could have hoped for in an answer. In a sense, the question was really, “What binds us together as Christians?” Your response is comprehensive and encouraging. Thank you!
Found an interesting article regarding the function of mortar.
The function of mortar is actually more complex than meets the eye. When stones vary widely in shape and size, properly constituted mortar becomes vitally important. It allows irregular stones to be laid next to and on top of each other, fills in the spaces and, when dry, forms each wall into a unified, stable structure. Mortar, when dry, also permits walls to flex in response to shifting and settling after the building is completed. In fact, if the mortar is too rigid or hard, walls will crack and crumble. Mortar must strike a balance between not being too rigid or hard on the one hand, and not being too soft and flexible on the other.
Love of Christ seems well suited for this task.
Colossians 3:14 And over all these virtues put on love, which is the bond of perfect unity.
1 Peter 4:8, Above all, keep loving one another earnestly, since love covers a multitude of sins.
1 John 4:19, We love because He first loved us.
1 John 3:16, By this we know love, that He laid down his life for us, and we ought to lay down our lives for the brothers.
Ron,
Thank you for your thoughtful response! I appreciate you taking the time to research mortar and its function. The love of Christ does indeed seem will suited for the task!
👍🏻