“If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have…” (Matthew 23:30a)
We all make great armchair quarterbacks. It is far easier to sit in the stands and assume that we could make a better call than the players and coaches on the field, but the reality is typically the exact opposite.
The people of Jesus’ day assumed they were better people than those who had gone before. They wouldn’t have grumbled in the wilderness, persecuted the prophets, or turned to idols… or would they? The sins of the fathers were just as alluring to them and they fell into the same traps. They complained about the timing of Jesus’ miracles, plotted against the greatest Prophet ever, and turned to the idols of covetousness and pride.
We cannot learn from the Bible until we recognize our similarities to the sinners of the past. We are no better than our fathers. Our only hope is to have the humility to see our similarities and turn to Christ for healing from them. It is only the broken and contrite heart that changes the family tree.
Matthew 4:4 #Biblebites