A Beautiful Thing

Timing is everything. For the fifth and final time in this gospel, Matthew writes, "When Jesus had finished saying all these things." The time of Jesus teaching his disciples has come to a close. Now, until the end of Chapter 27, we will read and learn of the passion story of Matthew's gospel. This is the time when God will hand over His own Son to be crucified as a sacrificial lamb so that we might be set free to be His people and enter the promised land. Jesus' love in laying down His life inspires two different reactions: hatred in the form of plotting, self-gain, and betrayal, and beauty in the form of freely given, costly love.