Stress Test Devotional May 4
May 04, 2024
MATTHEW 22:6-7
...while the rest seized his slaves, mistreated them, and killed them. The king was enraged. He sent his troops, destroyed those murderers, and burned their city.
Some reacted with disinterest, others with vehement opposition, ill treating, and killing the king’s servants. The invitation of Jesus to repent and enter the Kingdom, to join the Messianic Party, was met with fierce anger by many in the Israelite leadership. In fact, they wanted to destroy the invitation and convict the inviter. This attitude is present in multiple encounters with the Pharisees and Sadducees in the gospels, and it is evident in the plot to end Jesus’ life and ministry, and it continued in opposition to the church in the story of Acts. What points of difference were there? The identity of Jesus as Messiah, the character of his work, and the inclusion of tax collectors, sinners, and even Gentiles in God’s purpose were all divisive. Furthermore, Jesus’ authority over the law, divine claims, and practice of forgiving sins seemed blasphemous to Jewish monotheism. Wanting and feeling a Messiah who’d revive Jewish naturalism, even the crowds requested a suffering sovereign. Jesus predicted the “burning of the city,” which took place during the fall of Jerusalem in 70 AD.
PRAYER
Gracious God, break down our resistance to your invitations. Help us hear your call to bless and heal. Do not let our orthodoxy harden into self-righteousness. Help us follow, as you did, the path of redeeming love—even when it means suffering. We ask in Jesus’ name. Amen.
