Therefore I send you prophets, sages, and scribes, some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town, so that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed on earth, from the blood of righteous Abel to the blood of Zechariah son of Barachiah, whom you murdered between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I tell you, all this will come upon this generation. ‘Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those who are sent to it! How often have I desired to gather your children together as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you were not willing! See, your house is left to you, desolate. For I tell you, you will not see me again until you say, “Blessed is the one who comes in the name of the Lord.” ’ (Matthew 23:34-39, NRSV)
The Lord wishes to gather us under His wing as a mother hen gathers her chicks to protect them. But when He does this, we say, “Why is she here?” And someone else says, “Why is he here?” “They don’t belong here, do you know what they have done?”
We get so hung up on pointing out the sins of the other, we over look the things that they would see in us that would keep us from being included. We kill the prophets and stone the ones who will help us see God. We can not see things different from what we know to be the truth, yet God is the only one who knows the truth and who is welcome. We need to not look at others sins, but look at the one that makes us worthy to be under His protection and allow Him to protect who is there with us.
The prophets and the ones sent are there to help us know God better. Let’s listen to them, and learn with them who we are all in God!
aSacredRebel 