What Jesus Did! 'Harsh Justice' — Matthew 21:40-41

Tuesday, October 10, 2017

"So what will the owner of the vineyard do to these farmers when he comes?" The Jewish priests and leaders said, "He will surely kill those evil men. Then he will lease the land to some other farmers. He will lease it to farmers that will give him his share of the crop at harvest time."
— Matthew 21:40-41 NLT
Illustration of Matthew 21:40-41 NLT — "So what will the owner of the vineyard do to these farmers when he comes?"

Key Thought

We sometimes naively suppose that we can accept or reject truth, especially truth about Jesus, with impunity. God emptied heaven of its greatest treasure to redeem us; our rejection of this gift will not go unnoticed! Those who rejected Jesus then, rejected him because of the hardness of their hearts, their desire to preserve the status quo, and their own petty jealousies. For many of the same reasons, we can "domesticate" or even reject Jesus in our lives today. We must know that the decision we make about Jesus matters immensely! Now the real challenge for us is to examine our own hearts and see what is blinding us from recognizing what leads us to reject Jesus as he challenges us to radical transformation.

Today's Prayer

O precious Father, help me never to take your gift of Jesus lightly. I know it cost you much to send him and I want to thank you by offering you my life and my future. Thank you for your wonderful grace. In Jesus' name I pray. Amen.

Related Scripture Readings

  • Psalm 2:7-12
  • Acts 3:13-15
  • Matt. 8:8-12

Comments

About This Devotional

What Jesus Did! is a series of one-year devotional guides through each gospel, using one short scripture passage each day and following the Gospel in sequential order. Each devotional consists of a scripture passage and a reflection and a prayer which open up the day's scripture and show how it challenges you to live for Jesus.

What Jesus Did! is written by Phil Ware.

Scripture quotations are taken from the Holy Bible, New Living Translation, copyright ©1996, 2004, 2007, 2013, 2015 by Tyndale House Foundation. Used by permission of Tyndale House Publishers, Inc., Carol Stream, Illinois 60188. All rights reserved.

More What Jesus Did!