It is surprising and astonishing that such words could come from the mouth of Him, who was meek and lowly in heart. Couldn’t the Lord Jesus have spoken more gently to these people? Couldn’t he win the Pharisees by meekness? He couldn’t if he wanted to move these cocky and self-righteous people. Unpleasant things should be discussed without embellishments and called by name. Lord Jesus strongly reproaches the scribes and Pharisees for closing the kingdom of heaven from people. How do they approach it? Because they represent this kingdom in a false light, as a kingdom of strict formalists, hypocritical sacrileges, or some consecrated elect who think that only they are given to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven.
They close their hearts to them; when they consider less pious people as stupid, evil, unworthy, and incapable of God’s kingdom – they complete the kingdom to others. Just as the door to the domain can be closed to someone when we close our heart to him – so we open this door when we show love to the sad, tired, longing, and thirsty for justice and also to lost and fallen people – opening to them a compassionate, understanding, forgiving heart. In this way, through his heart, opened by a spear, Jesus Christ introduces us to God and the Kingdom of Heaven.
