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Matthew 8:11
Jesus continues in Matthew 8:11 with His address of the faith of the Gentile centurion as He is speaking to the crowd and not just the centurion. Jesus states in Matthew 8:11, “And I say to you that many will come from east and west, and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” (NKJV). In saying “from the east and west” is, to the Jews, those who are outsiders/Gentiles, not descended from the Israelites/God’s chosen people. And for Jesus to actually say, “and sit down with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven” would have been considered blasphemy by the Pharisees and scribes.
This is a promise from Jesus that there will be people in heaven that are from “outside” the Promised Land of Israel.
Jesus proclaims in John 8:12, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life” (NIV), and in John 14:6 Jesus proclaims, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me” (HCSB).
God desires us to worship Him; He is our Creator and Sustainer of life and is worthy for us to worship as He is God Almighty. He sent His One and only Son Jesus to make a way for us to be set free from the sin that has separated us from Him so we may spend eternity with Him in His glory in heaven. As He chose the Israelites to be His example to the world, He came first to them but they refused to believe. John 1:10-13 declares, “He was in the world, and the world was made through Him, and the world did not know Him. He came to His own, and His own did not receive Him. But as many as received Him, to them He gave the right to become children of God, to those who believe in His name: who were born, not of blood, nor of the will of the flesh, nor of the will of man, but of God” (NKJV).
Jesus died for our sins; on the cross with His arms open wide as to receive all who will come to Him and embrace His love for us. To embrace this love, the love that God has for you in Christ Jesus is the greatest love you will ever experience, and to embrace His love for you will change your life forever…if you will open your heart to Jesus and embrace Him!
Dear LORD,
We are grateful for the love that You have given to us all in Christ Jesus. Please help us to understand that You are receiving of all who will put their faith in You through Christ Jesus. In Jesus name I pray, amen.