Christians must be about demonstrating the love of God that is in our hearts. God is love and He won’t stay inside!

30 Light in a messenger’s eyes brings joy to the heart, and good news gives health to the bones.

Yesterday, we talked about the generation of Jesus missing Him as Messiah. Today, we will discuss the consequences of hanging onto the temple sacrificial system.

Up until the crucifixion, resurrection, ascension, and Pentecost, the people of Israel made annual sacrifices to cover their sins. Jesus came to wash their sins away. He was the Final Sacrifice, but not in the same way that the people offered sacrifices to God. Jesus said, “Go and learn what this means, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice'” (Matthew 9:13). They did it to appease God; Jesus offered Himself because of God’s love for us. The people were afraid of God; Jesus showed us the heavenly Father.

I have heard it said that God turned His back on Jesus that day when Jesus was on the cross. How can God turn His back on Himself? Jesus said in John 10:30 that “I and the Father are one.” The argument is that Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have You forsaken me?” But, many psalms were written in question/answer form, and this one is one of them. In verses 23-24, we find the answer,

²³ You who fear the Lord, praise him!
    All you descendants of Jacob, honor him!
    Revere him, all you descendants of Israel!
²⁴ For he has not despised or scorned
    the suffering of the afflicted one;
he has not hidden his face from him
    but has listened to his cry for help.

The psalmist is declaring that God was with Him all along!

Now, back to our “wicked generation”: They missed the significance of the torn veil in the Holy of Holies; they missed the coming of the Holy Spirit on the day of Pentecost, and they began to persecute the followers of Jesus beginning with the Disciples and Steven (see Acts 6:11 through chapter 7). They became worse than the Romans in how they treated their fellow countrymen! They missed the entire point of the cross, which is how much God loves us. Consequently, according to Matthew 13:12, those who had His love would be given more, but those who missed His love turned away from whatever love for God they may have had. They basically killed the love in their hearts, and it was displayed to the world over the next 40 years (see yesterday’s post).

Tomorrow, we will look at the perils of believing in the Temple Sacrificial System of today.

Abba, may Your love reign in our hearts. More than anything–even being right–we want You to love through us. We must begin with our own brothers and sisters in Christ before this world will ever believe us, though. Help us to look past our differences of opinion, beliefs, and arrogance to love as You loved: Unconditionally, fully, and completely. Amen.