Give It Up! Say No to Pharisaical Following

But the Pharisees went out and conspired against him, how to destroy him. (Matthew 12:14) 

This verse is considered to be the watershed in the book of Matthew for the relationship between Jesus and the Pharisees.  Up to this point in the story we might have thought that the Pharisees would come to understand Jesus and believe in him. We are told elsewhere that a few Pharisees did come to faith in Jesus, but most, like the ones in this part of the story, did not.  They thought that the way to please God was through rigid rule keeping. Jesus came with a different message, one based on grace. Will you take God’s offer of grace through Jesus, or will you choose to be his enemy?

Prayer – Jesus, knowing how much I need grace, I accept your offer of coming to God through you.