Skip to main content

236. Woe To The Exclusive

Isaiah 5:21, Matthew 23:13-14, Luke 11:52
Key Verse:  "Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering."
Luke 11:52

The first thought that comes to mind for me here is the game of keep away, or the common taunt of children, "Nyah, Nyah, You can't catch me!" There is a whole sense of exclusivity here that Jesus finds distasteful, especially as it relates to welcoming those who desire to enter His Kingdom.

The religious leadership displays a sense of arrogance. "We are God's chosen people! Yes, our God is the only way to heaven, but you are not chosen, sorry!" They thought that they had the corner on the market of God's favor through Jewish heritage and through the knowledge of His law, which, of course, they worked at keeping better than anyone else could; especially a pagan!

Jesus is saying here, "Woe to you for teasing others in this way. Worst of all, how you are representing God isn't even true! You let people know that there is a way, but then, you don't let them join you on the journey."

Matthew has it, "You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to." (Matt. 23:14) This is a serious danger of getting caught up in religion. It's easy to become entangled in the rules and outward appearances and miss the relationship with God altogether.

This meant that they would reject completely what Jesus really came to do, which was to die for the sins of the world so that Man's barriers would no longer exist. Because of Jesus there would no longer be "Jew nor Greek, slave nor free, male nor female, for you are all one in Christ Jesus.” (Gal. 3:28) He came to abolish their exclusive claim to Heaven and their exclusive claim to knowledge of God.

Praise the Lord that He did. Woe to anyone who makes heaven harder than faith in Jesus Christ, His death on the cross for our sins and His resurrection to new life for all who believe. "In Him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a Holy temple in the Lord. And in Him, you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by His Spirit." (Ephesians 2:21-22) In Christ, we are the new temple. We are the new thing. The boundaries are gone. We are alive as one in Him.

Hymn: "Where Charity and Love Prevail" 

Comments

Post a Comment

Popular posts from this blog

211. The Sons of Thunder's Request

Matthew 20:20-28 , Mark 10:35-45 , Key verse: "Whoever wants to become great among you must be your servant, and whoever wants to be first must be slave of all." Mark 10:43B-44 In our readings for yesterday, in which Jesus outlined what was about to happen to Him, for His disciples, the passage in Luke ends: "The disciples did not understand any of this. It's meaning was hidden from them, and they did not know what He was talking about." ( Luke 18:34 ) Now, we see just how truly clueless they were. Jesus had laid out a plan before them of pain and suffering and death and now James and John are focused on a promotion. The disconnect is so obvious. It's really not important to know whether James and john came up with this request on their own or if their mother put them up to it. The request was made and James and John thought that they could handle the responsibility that would come with it. What is that saying, "Fools rush in where angels fe...
Post a Comment
Read more

174. Pleading for the Fig Tree

Proverbs 27:18 , Luke 13:6-9 Key Verse: He who tends a fig tree will eat its fruit, and he who looks after his master will be honored. Proverbs 27:18 We have here three main characters: a master, who acquired the tree in hopes of eventually enjoying its fruit, a servant, who looks to the tree to reflect his care and attention, and lastly, the tree itself. The master has the right to expect his investment to pay off. The servant, who has obviously put much effort into the tree, would also like to see fruit. The servant's interest is not only to show his own talent in gardening, but because he wants to please his master. Both the servant and the master are dependent upon the tree to do what it was designed to do. Their little parable is an interesting way for Jesus to finish off His exhortation to, "repent or perish."  God is the Master. He had a purpose for you before you were even born. ( Jeremiah 1:5 & Psalm 139:16 ) He planted you on this earth to ful...
Post a Comment
Read more

204. Come Like a Child

Psalm 127 , Matthew 19:13-15 , Luke 18:15-17 , Mark 10:13-16 Key Verse: Jesus said, "Let the little children come to me, and do not hinder them, for the kingdom of heaven belongs to such as these." Matthew 19:14 The attitude of the disciples isn't much different than the attitude of many people, even Christians, today. Instead of seeing children as a blessing from the Lord, too many regard them as a burden to bear that gets in the way of our own selfish happiness. Family size is determined by what we think we can afford rather than openness to God's blessing, trusting God to provide. Satan hates children. Children represent innocence. The sooner he can corrupt and or damage a child, the happier he is. This is why Jesus warned in Matthew 18:6: "If anyone causes one of these little ones who believe in Me to sin, it would be better for him to have a large millstone hung around his neck and to be drown in the depths of the sea." To corrupt or damage ...
Post a Comment
Read more