The Last Hymn at the Last Supper
The Passover meal had ended. Judas was well on his way to betray the Son of God. Bellies full, the remaining eleven prepared to sing the psalms they always sung before heading out for the evening. Matthew 26:30 reports that “when they had sung a hymn, they went out to the Mount of Olives.” What hymn did they sing before heading to Gethsemane? We don’t know the melody, but the Jews traditionally would sing Psalms 115–118 after eating the Passover.1 The last hymn at the Last Supper would have had significant meaning for Jesus because that psalm prophesied of Him.
Psalm 118:22 The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone.
Jesus Is the Stone
Earlier that Passover week, Jesus had quoted this verse in a confrontation with the Jewish leaders. After telling the parable of the vineyard workers who killed the landowner’s son, Jesus quoted Psalm 118:22:
“Have you never read in the Scriptures: ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone. This was the Lord’s doing, And it is marvelous in our eyes’? “Therefore I say to you, the kingdom of God will be taken from you and given to a nation bearing the fruits of it. And whoever falls on this stone will be broken; but on whomever it falls, it will grind him to powder.” Now when the chief priests and Pharisees heard His parables, they perceived that He was speaking of them. But when they sought to lay hands on Him, they feared the multitudes, because they took Him for a prophet” (Matthew 21:42–46).
Jesus is that stone. In Acts 4:11–12, Peter make this clear in his quote of Psalm 118:22: “This [Jesus Christ of Nazareth, whom you crucified] is the ‘stone which was rejected by you builders, which has become the chief cornerstone.’ Nor is there salvation in any other, for there is no other name under heaven given among men by which we must be saved.” That Passover night, Jesus headed for betrayal and death to secure our salvation.
Jesus Was Rejected
The Jewish leaders heard Jesus’ parable and quote of Psalm 118:22. They knew that Jesus had identified them as the wicked vineyard workers and the builders soon to be replaced. They understood Jesus’ warning but continued toward destruction anyway.
What Jesus foretold quickly occurred. The Jewish leaders rejected their Messiah, and God set them aside to build the church comprised of those who believe on His Son. The apostle Peter later explained, once again quoting Psalm 118:22.
“Coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected indeed by men, but chosen by God and precious, you also, as living stones, are being built up a spiritual house, a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. Therefore it is also contained in the Scripture, ‘Behold, I lay in Zion A chief cornerstone, elect, precious, And he who believes on Him will by no means be put to shame.’ Therefore, to you who believe, He is precious; but to those who are disobedient, ‘The stone which the builders rejected Has become the chief cornerstone,’ and ‘A stone of stumbling And a rock of offense.’ They stumble, being disobedient to the word, to which they also were appointed. But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light” (1 Peter 2:4–9).
Maybe Peter remembered singing Psalm 118 at the Last Supper. This is the second time he quotes this passage. In both instances, Peter shows that the rejection of God’s Son did nothing to hinder God’s plan.
Jesus Became the Chief Cornerstone
The Stone that God’s people rejected did indeed become the chief cornerstone, the first block in the foundation of the church. The apostle Paul also alludes to Psalm 118:22 as he describes the growth of the church. Once again, we see the imagery of a building. The church was “built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Jesus Christ Himself being the chief cornerstone“ (Ephesians 2:20).
Conclusion: Christ in the Last Hymn at the Last Supper
As the words of Psalm 118 echoed in that upper room, Jesus knew their significance. The leaders of God’s chosen people had rejected Him. They planned to kill Him just as Jesus’ parable in Matthew 21:33–40 prophesied. Yet, Jesus, the rejected stone, would become the chief cornerstone. The plan of God rolled forward through the agony of the crucifixion, the triumph of the resurrection, and the turbulence of the founding of the church. The last hymn at the Last Supper highlighted the sovereignty of God over the affairs of this world.
The Jewish people’s rejection of the Messiah was no surprise to God, nor was His exaltation afterward. God foretold of these events one thousand years before they occurred. As Psalm 118:23 declares, “This was the Lord’s doing; It is marvelous in our eyes.”
Dr. Conrad serves in urban Asia. He is the author of missionary devotionals Daring Devotion and Daring Dependence. He blogs at Rooted Thinking, we republish his material by permission.
Photo Credit: AI created picture of the singing of the last hymn of the Last Supper using Microsoft’s free tool.
- “It was the custom at Passover to use Psalms 113–118, which were called the “Hallel,” and it is not improbable that Jesus and his little band sang one or more of those Psalms on this occasion. Psalms 115–118 seem to have been sung at the end of the meal.” Leon Morris, The Gospel according to Matthew, The Pillar New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids, MI: W.B. Eerdmans; Inter-Varsity Press, 1992), 662. [↩]