For John came to you on the righteous road, and you didn’t believe him.
But tax collectors and prostitutes believed him.
Matthew 21:32
The religious leaders in Jesus’ time felt that they deserved to be first in the Kingdom of God because they were the bosses of God’s people. They were proud, with heads tilted back and eyes cast down as they sneered at Jesus and the people he hung around with. One group were the tax collectors. They were hated because they went about demanding the taxes that Jewish people had to pay to the Roman Emperor. Then there were some women rejected from the company of the “nice” people. However, Jesus loved these two groups so much, that they began to love themselves and each other. They came first for God.
Loving from the heart and helping one another: this is what it means to live in the Kingdom of God. Here’s a quote to think about “I have learned that a person is entitled to look down on another only when he is helping the other up.” (Gabriel Garcia Marquez)
Examples of Bible Breaths Learn More…
Not by words, but by my deeds v. 29
Give me purity of heart v. 32
Longing for Your kingdom, Lord
Your life for me, mine for You
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in Matthew Henry’s Commentary.‘s Commentary.
The Sunday Gospels follow the Revised Common Lectionary.
This is Year A, the Gospel of Matthew
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The Bible Through the Seasons 