The Pharisees in Heaven: One Year Bible Reading for February 1

 Today we read from the One Year Bible in the following passages:

Exodus 13:17-15:18
Matthew 21:23-46
Psalm 26:1-12
Proverbs 6:16-19

And Jesus tells the Pharisees in the passage from Matthew that they will enter the kingdom of heaven. Surprise you? Read His words carefully, "The tax collectors and prostitutes are entering the kingdom of heaven AHEAD OF YOU." He doesn't say "You Pharisees will go to hell forever because you questioned Me." He says "Listen, guys. You need to see what the people you're calling 'sinners' are doing, because they've got it together and they're following Me, while you're still thinking you're holier than I am."

Much of what Jesus tells us in the gospels, when you read it carefully, says that many of us will go to heaven sooner and many of us will go later. All of us Christians believe in purgatory, in case you haven't noticed that. We all believe that we're not perfect now, but we WILL be perfect in heaven. The process of us becoming perfect is called purgatory. And it looks like the Pharisees will probably spend (or HAVE probably spent) more time there than most of those that they called 'sinners'.

Let's make sure we don't look down our Pharisaical noses at 'sinners' who are often more ready to accept and follow Jesus than we are.

God, thanks for teaching us to be humble like the tax collectors and prostitutes who believed and followed You.