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- What attributes of God’s character does this passage reveal?
- How does the passage point to Jesus?
- How should the truth of this passage change me?
- How do the events of today’s reading help you better understand the grand narrative of Scripture?
Matt. 23
“Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to her.” (Matt. 23:37a). Jerusalem was a city of death, destruction, and opposition to God. That is a picture of the human condition. That’s why Jesus laid down His life at Jerusalem. He died, wholly righteous, in His humanity in order to overcome the human condition. And now God is building a New Jerusalem. It is a city of hope and healing and the place where God’s presence dwells.
Luke 20
Here’s how you know that you aren’t giving an honest response to a question – when you choose your answer based on the potential consequences. That’s what the religious leaders did. Jesus asked them a simple question but they couldn’t answer it because they couldn’t be honest with themselves. Jesus answered their questions with discretion, yes, but He still answered honestly. The problem for the religious leaders was that both the honest and dishonest answers condemned them. Thus, they were too afraid to tell the lie and too proud to tell the truth. I point this out because I want to be careful that neither fear nor pride ever stand in the way of truth in me.