March 1 : matthew 21 again

My Qt was on the latter part of this chapter. We see here Jesus rebuking the Pharisees. I think this rebuking is one of the toughest towards them. Jesus clearly points out how bad they really are. He basically tells them that others, second class citizens, will enter the kingdom of Heaven before them. He gives them two parables in particular that point out the direction the Pharisees are headed. In this passage Jesus says to them, "I tell you the truth, the tax collectors and the prostitutes are entering the kingdom of God ahead of you. For John came to you to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him." Thats tough. I am afraid that Jesus will hold us to these same standards as well. We are given so many opportunities, so many chances, so many in-your-face experiences. Yet we fail so many times to see the clear picture - the beauty of Jesus. First as Christians, then as leaders, we need to be able to read this passage and understand the importance of what is taught here. We need to be able to see past the lines and understand the Scriptures for what they were meant to be.