For John came to show you the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him, but the tax collectors and the prostitutes did. And even after you saw this, you did not repent and believe him (Matthew 21:32).

Imagine a moment where every minute matters. Maybe there’s some report due or a presentation to give in two hours and you have more to write or more figures to produce and throw into your slideshow. Or maybe success hangs in the balance with mere seconds left. Your team is down by four and you have the ball!

How do you respond to these situations? Do you step up, becoming hyper focused on the task at hand to produce your best work? Do you leave everything you have out on the field? In these last few chapters of Matthew, Jesus is confronted by that ticking clock. He is fully aware of what awaits him at the end of the week. And these are the final moments where it all seems to matter just that much more.

In Matthew 21 and 22, Jesus quickly tells the Pharisees three parables. It’s very easy to read through these as just three more of Jesus’s many teachings; however, keep them in context. The clock is ticking, and Jesus is speaking to his most adamant opposition.

Jesus’s voice is firm in response to the Pharisees’ obstinate hardness of heart. Each parable is an example of disqualification from citizenship in the Kingdom of Heaven. At the end of the first, Jesus makes explicit reference to their shortcoming (Matt. 21:32). In the second, he lets them participate by describing the judgement on the unfaithful tenants (Matt. 21:41). And in the third, Jesus speaks more generally on how to respond to an invitation into the Kingdom and what happens to those who respond poorly (Matt. 22-14).

There is a sense of urgency around these parables. Why spend so much time with those who hate him and not those who love and believe him in his last days? Now is the time for Jesus to give some of his most poignant teachings about his purpose and what it all means for us. To emphasize their significance, he delivers them very publicly: in debate with religious leadership.

Jesus knows that entrance into the Kingdom is through him and him alone. I can’t help but think that he must feel some compassion and concern in his heart for the Pharisees who don’t quite see the big picture. Speaking not only to the Pharisees, but to all who are willing to listen, maybe he’s thinking, “what if I could save just one more?” With the clock winding down, and the proverbial ball in his hands, Jesus steps up to deliver a lasting message to the disciples, the crowd, and all of us.

Jesus never gives up. With limited time, he continues to pursue those who aren’t getting it. Can this encourage you to utilize the finite time you are given to boldly live out your faith?