52 "Woe to you experts in the law, because you have taken away the key to knowledge. You yourselves have not entered, and you have hindered those who were entering."
Matthew gives us his version of this “Woe”!
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. Matt 23:13 (NIV)
The “key to knowledge” had been taken away from the countrymen by their teachers creating a stumbling block for them and Jesus was not pleased! What is the key to knowledge? What opens the door to the kingdom? Is the answer not essentially love? Paul tells us in I Corinthians:
We know that we all possess knowledge. Knowledge puffs up, but love builds up. 2 The man who thinks he knows something does not yet know as he ought to know. 3 But the man who loves God is known by God. 1 Cor 8:1-3 (NIV) True knowledge will lead to God and a love for Him which in turn issues into a love for others. Paul also tells us in I Corinthians 13 that love is the greatest: 13 And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love. 1 Cor 13:13 (NIV)
The Message by Eugene H. Peterson puts it this way:
“Trust steadily in God, hope unswervingly, love extravagantly. And the best of the three is love.”
“You can give without loving, but you cannot love without giving.” Amy CarmichaelAlso found in The Message are these bullet points on the definition of biblical love presented in modern day vernacular from I Corinthians:
• Love never gives up.• Love cares more for others than for self.• Love doesn’t want what it doesn’t have.• Love doesn’t strut,• Doesn’t have a swelled head,• Doesn’t force itself on others,• Isn’t always “me first,”• Doesn’t fly off the handle,• Doesn’t keep score of the sins of others,• Doesn’t revel when others grovel,• Takes pleasure in the flowering of truth,• Puts up with anything,• Trusts God always,• Always looks for the best,• Never looks back,• But keeps going to the end.These are characteristics of Jesus. These should be the characteristics of His followers too. By fleshing out love to others we are showing them the key to knowledge, entering His kingdom even as our feet of clay trod this earth in all our imperfections and not hindering others from entering. God offers not only eternal life for the followers of Christ but also abundant life for the here and now. How many of us are living in the abundance He has promised? Remember Jesus’ words to us:
10 The thief comes only to steal and kill and destroy; I have come that they may have life, and have it to the full. John 10:10 (NIV) Our lives would become a walking sermon pointing others to the Lord if we love as Jesus loves. These traits are not found in the arm of flesh but through the power of the Spirit. A life which exhibits these in ever increasing measure will always point to our Savior.
"In the gospel we discover that we are far more wicked than we ever dared believe, yet more loved than we ever dared hope." Tim Keller