Right Now
Matt 23:34-36 “Therefore
I am sending you prophets and wise men and teachers. Some of them you will kill
and crucify; others you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to
town. 35 And so upon you will come all the righteous blood that has been shed
on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of
Berekiah, whom you murdered between the temple and the altar. 36 I tell you the
truth; all this will come upon this generation.”
HAVE you ever been angry to say to someone, “I do all I can
to help you; yet, you never do what’s right. You are headed for hard times.” This
is essentially what Jesus said to the Pharisees. Only His words are much more
severe.
As Jesus said, “I
am sending you prophets.” he is saying, “I have given you in the past, in every
generation such righteous men as Abel (Genesis
4) to Zechariah (2 Chronicles 24);
yet, you have killed, crucified and persecuted them!” (Note that 2 Chronicles was the last written book
of the Old Testament. Bible books are not necessarily in chronological order.)
Jesus’ words, “all this will come upon this generation” should
have caused his listeners to shudder in fear. He prophesies that God will
release the judgment He has withheld for centuries onto the generations standing
before Him.
Indeed, we can
become smug and self-righteous as a person, church and country when we sin and “get
away with it.” But we must trust that God’s justice is sure. He will release
His pent-up wrath on the unrighteous.
We throw out the
wrong and have a great appetite for God’s truths. He promises we will be filled
when we “hunger and thirst for
righteousness” (Matt 5:6). Crave
right living. Fill up on the truth.
LIFE Link: Live right, right now.
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