52 “What sorrow awaits you experts in religious law! For you remove the key to knowledge from the people. You don’t enter the Kingdom yourselves, and you prevent others from entering.”
53 As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions. 54 They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him. (Luke 11:52-54 NLT)
Keys are important for locking and unlocking doors. I was given a wad of keys when I came to St. Michael's for the school, church and parsonage. Some of them I don't use very often, so I have to look through the keys to find the correct one I need.
Jesus gave the Keys to the Kingdom of God to His Disciples. Forgiveness unlocks the door. Those who refuse to repent and believe in Jesus lock themselves out.
The Pharisees could have had the same keys. They could have proclaimed God's love and forgiveness to the people. But they blocked the way with their insistence that people follow their traditions, keep their rituals and obey their rules. They even wanted to trap Jesus into saying something they could use against Him.
God gives us the key, the Gospel of Forgiveness, to unlock His kingdom. Are we locking or unlocking the door?
53 As Jesus was leaving, the teachers of religious law and the Pharisees became hostile and tried to provoke him with many questions. 54 They wanted to trap him into saying something they could use against him. (Luke 11:52-54 NLT)
Keys are important for locking and unlocking doors. I was given a wad of keys when I came to St. Michael's for the school, church and parsonage. Some of them I don't use very often, so I have to look through the keys to find the correct one I need.
Jesus gave the Keys to the Kingdom of God to His Disciples. Forgiveness unlocks the door. Those who refuse to repent and believe in Jesus lock themselves out.
The Pharisees could have had the same keys. They could have proclaimed God's love and forgiveness to the people. But they blocked the way with their insistence that people follow their traditions, keep their rituals and obey their rules. They even wanted to trap Jesus into saying something they could use against Him.
God gives us the key, the Gospel of Forgiveness, to unlock His kingdom. Are we locking or unlocking the door?