Can you find the sheep that is saying ‘No’?
What do you think the picture is trying to teach you about The Kingdom of God?
Click Here to read Matthew 21:28-32.
The ‘John’ that is mentioned in verse 32 is not Jesus’ very good friend John that we learned about on Day 3. It is a guy named John the Baptist. He preached before Jesus started preaching and teaching. John was the first hint that this new Kingdom might be upside down. “John’s clothes were made of camel’s hair, and he had a leather belt around his waist. His food was locusts and wild honey.” (Matthew 3:4) He was the opposite of the religious leaders of the day. John was the first hint that this new Kingdom that was coming was not going to be what people were expecting.
John the Baptist prepared the way for Jesus (Isaiah 40:3, Matthew 3:3, Mark 1:2-3, Luke 3:3-6). You can imagine clearing a dense jungle before they come to build the actual road. John cleared the way by telling people ‘Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.” Sound familiar? On Day 1 of this series we pointed out that Jesus began his ministry with the same message. Repent means to change your actions. Saying ‘yes’ with both your words AND your actions.
People came from all over to hear John the Baptist preach this message of repentance (Mark 1:5; Matt 3:5). But that is only half of the story. People came not just to hear John’s message to repent, they actually repented. They didn’t just say ‘yes’ with their words, they also said ‘yes’ with their actions. Actions are louder than words with God. What are your actions saying?
Read Matthew 21:28-32 again:
Dear Father in Heaven, please help me to say ‘yes’ to you with my heart and with my actions all the days of my life. Help me to say ‘yes’ to you quickly and with a happy heart no matter what you are asking me to do. Father in Heaven, you love me very much and I want to help you advance your Kingdom in my heart and on the earth. Amen.
