Shut the door

DEVOTION

THE GOSPEL OF MATTHEW

SHUT THE DOOR

Matt 23:13

13 "Woe to you, teachers of the law and Pharisees, you hypocrites! You shut the kingdom of heaven in men's faces. You yourselves do not enter, nor will you let those enter who are trying to.  

NIV

Surely we would think the teachers of the law and the Pharisees were trying their level best to lead the people under the law given to Moses. This would be, at least, on the outside with a pretense of being pious and holy. We cannot be certain of their real agenda, but it seems from all accounts they were more interested in receiving the praises from men rather than God.  We have already been told whatever they did was to be seen by men. The kingdom of heaven Jesus is accusing them of shutting in men’s faces is not the law, but the gospel, the fulfilment of the law. If they allowed people to see the truth of the message of Jesus, they would be out of business, so to speak. Yet would it not have been better for them to accept Christ and then continue as the Spiritual leaders of the people? They could expound their great knowledge of the prophets showing the people how Jesus is the Christ, having fulfilled the prophecies. But instead they shut off that truth from the people, continually trying to prove he is not the Christ. Is there any way in which this could be applied to our lives? Do we shut the kingdom of heaven in men’s faces? If we do that, what would it look like? It would seem it could take two forms. The first would be speaking to them about the love of God, the gospel message, but then not living that love in front of them or toward them. If we are engaged in a conversation about the gospel, about the scriptures with them because they are either asking questions or responding with misguided quotes from the text, and we expound with arguments we might be closing off the truth of the gospel to them. The message is free salvation through faith in Jesus Christ. This is the key which opens the door to the kingdom of God. The second way we might be guilty of shutting that door in our missing the opportunity of sharing the gospel. This might also be the case of simply not being willing to open that door to them. We might have a tendency to prejudge whether they would be receptive to the message. We might have a tendency to think them to extreme in their lifestyle to make a “good Christian”. Maybe they have too many tattoos, or purple hair, or face jewelry and we just cannot bear to have that type of person in our church. Then we would be like those who tell them with find clothes to sit up front while those others go sit on the floor in the back. But that may be more truth than we want to consider. Does God really care what lifestyle people are involved in before offering them salvation? Certainly not, it is a free gift for all who believe. How can they believe unless they hear? How can they hear unless someone tells them? How can someone tell them if they are not sent? We all have been given the great commission.

Mark 16:15-16

"Go into all the world and preach the good news to all creation. 16 Whoever believes and is baptized will be saved, but whoever does not believe will be condemned.

NIV

That means all creation, which includes all those who do not look like us, who do not dress like us, who do not live like us, tattoos, purple hair, face jewelry and all. If we are not sharing the message with all, then we might well be shutting the door to the kingdom of heaven in their face. Maybe, just maybe they might be looking for answers to life. Maybe they are seeking a way to the truth. Maybe they have fear of death. Maybe they are looking for some sense of true peace, or happiness. If we are not willing to open that door to eternal life to them, open that peace of God, that tranquility of knowing Jesus is the way, the truth and the light, then in essence we have shut the kingdom in their faces.