Saturday, October 8, 2022

October 8, 2022

Matthew 8: 12 (NIV)
“But the subjects of the kingdom will be thrown outside, into the darkness, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Of all bad men religious bad men are the worst.*
To set the stage for this verse: A centurion came to Jesus, asking him to heal his servant. A centurion was a professional officer of the Roman army* and, thus, a Gentile. This man respected Jesus’ authority and did not question Jesus’ ability to heal his servant from a distance. Jesus marveled at the man’s faith, going on to contrast it with that of “the subjects of the kingdom.”

Jesus was, of course, referring to the Jews. They had been entrusted with the Law and with the prophecies concerning the Messiah so who better to recognize that the fulfillment of both was right there in front of them. Except that they didn’t. They thought their position in the kingdom was secure because of their relationship to Abraham. By bragging on the centurion’s faith, Jesus introduced a startling truth to his Jewish listeners: their racial identity didn’t guarantee them a place at the table and the Gentiles’ racial identity was not an automatic barrier to their entrance to the kingdom.*

Jesus’ condemnation of the Jews was chilling, their fate terrifying. But the same punishment awaits anyone who rejects Jesus as the Messiah – including many who call themselves Christians. As Christians, we can become complacent and arrogant in our role as keepers of the truth. It is possible to do everything a Christian should do and still not be a Christian.

Jesus said that if we love him, we will obey him (John 14: 23). If our obedient actions aren’t accompanied by love for him, we reject him as surely as the Jews did. If we love him, our obedience will reflect Christlike characteristics – humility; compassion; gentleness; joy. Each of us should enlist the Spirit’s help in guarding against hollow obedience, shallow faith, and self-righteous legalism. Love Jesus and have no fear of that outer darkness.
According to Jesus, how much of you should be engaged in loving God? ALL.*

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