One of the fun things about the four-column through-the-Bible-in-a-year program is reading passages from different places on the same day. Recently I read Matthew 23 and Number 13 – both depressing. What’s the common theme?

In Matthew 23, Jesus is criticizing the Pharisees for a variety of things, including not entering the Kingdom themselves and preventing others from doing so:

But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you shut the kingdom of heaven in people’s faces. For you neither enter yourselves nor allow those who would enter to go in. (Matthew 23.13, ESV)

Numbers 13 and 14 is the sad account of 10 of the 12 spies bringing a negative report on the land, causing the people not to want to go into it. Notice in this paragraph that verses 5 – 9 express the hope of Moses, Aaron, Joshua, and Caleb contrasted with the beginning and the end where the people want to choose a leader, go back to Egypt, and stone Joshua and Caleb!

4 And they said to one another, “Let us choose a leader and go back to Egypt.” 5 Then Moses and Aaron fell on their faces before all the assembly of the congregation of the people of Israel. 6 And Joshua the son of Nun and Caleb the son of Jephunneh, who were among those who had spied out the land, tore their clothes 7 and said to all the congregation of the people of Israel, “The land, which we passed through to spy it out, is an exceedingly good land. 8 If the LORD delights in us, he will bring us into this land and give it to us, a land that flows with milk and honey. 9 Only do not rebel against the LORD. And do not fear the people of the land, for they are bread for us. Their protection is removed from them, and the LORD is with us; do not fear them.” 10 Then all the congregation said to stone them with stones. (Numbers 14.4 – 10, ESV)

So there’s one connection: the Pharisees didn’t want to enter the Kingdom, and 10 of the 12 spies did not want to enter the promised land.

The other connection is that Jesus, as well as Joshua and Caleb, were in the minority. Sometimes the majority is wrong.  

Now the chief priests and the elders persuaded the crowd to ask for Barabbas and destroy Jesus. The governor again said to them, “Which of the two do you want me to release for you?” And they said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “Then what shall I do with Jesus who is called Christ?” They all said, “Let him be crucified!” And he said, “Why, what evil has he done?” But they shouted all the more, “Let him be crucified!” (Matthew 27.20 – 23, ESV, emphasis mine)

You shall not follow a crowd to do evil. (Exodus 23.2, NKJV)