There's something weird about the confrontation between Jesus and the chief priests in the Temple.
The stories he tells are an indictment of the way they have been leading, but when you read them all as one piece, rather than picking them apart and teaching them one at a time, it doesn't sound so much like condemnation as it does like a plea for repentance. He's giving them a warning, not a reprimand. He's reaching out to them, not turning his back on them.
He's not telling them they've missed their opportunity to enter the Kingdom of God. He's warning them that they could.
Or at least, that's how I read it. I think it's how Matthew intended us to read it. What do you think? Join our conversation today!
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Grace and peace to you this week.