Our paragraph topic is: (Christ refutes the Scribes and Pharisees) Part1.
Christ was in the land of Genesar and the word spread of his presence. People came from far and near to hear him, to be near him, to see him and to just touch the tassel of his cloak that they may be saved. And the Pharisees of Jerusalem heard of the whereabouts of Christ and they came also to see him, to hear him and to know of his teachings. But the Pharisees were the rulers of the people. They were the keepers of the law. They told the people what to do, what to think, what to wear, how to speak, how to pray, how to give thanks to God and all things religious. For they knew the law. They knew the teachings of the Old Testament handed down through the ages from Moses. And they came to hear what Christ was doing since his popularity was widespread.
The Pharisees came. They wanted to know what or who the people were talking about. Christwas the talk of the villages, of the towns, of the beggars, paupers, farmers, the lame. Everyone was talking about Christ. And the Pharisees wanted to know, needed to know, who was this Christ themselves. So they came to Genesar to see Christ. And when they saw, they were amazed. They were amazed at the disciples of Christ. They were amazed at those he had chosen to be close to him. They were amazed that he had simple commoners as his close followers, as his disciples.
They were amazed that he had chosen the uneducated, the lowly, the unprincipled, the men of no influence, the nobodies. For these disciples of Christ were not educated in the traditions set down by the law. They did not follow the principles and precepts that the Pharisees instructed the people that they should follow. And this was an affront to their authority. So they questioned Christ. THEN scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem came to him, saying, "Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the ancients? For they do not wash their hands when they take food."
Christ broke away from tradition. Christ called those who did not follow the ways of the world, the traditions of men. He called those that were lowly. He called those that were uneducated. He called those who were without hope. He called those who wanted to believe in something greater than what they were experiencing in the world that they lived in. But the world objected. The world did not want them to change. The world wanted to keep them without hope. The world wanted them to continue to follow the traditions set down by men. Do not pray. Do not believe. Do not know the presence of the Lord. These are the things the the world wanted men to do. The world wants men to continue to live in the traditions of the time. The world wants to capture the hearts of men and to keep them.
Christ calls men to step outside of the world. Christ calls men to give up the traditions of the world and to accept the traditions of the kingdom of heaven. Christ calls men to open their hearts to the presence of the Holy Spirit that he may come and reside with them. For the Holy Spirit is the counselor. The Holy Spirit is the provider. The Holy Spirit is the protector. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God and Christ here on earth.
Step out of the world. Give up the ways of the world, for the world wants to have and keep your heart. What are the desires of the heart? What are the things that hold and keep the heart in the world? There are many lusts and desires and spirits that hold the heart. But the heart can not hold both the ways of the world and the the ways of the kingdom of heaven. One must awaken and stand at the crossroads to choose. Open the heart to the ways of Christ and welcome the spirit within! Christ will send the advocate to come and reside with you and you will know the truth of abundant life.
Christ was in the land of Genesar and the word spread of his presence. People came from far and near to hear him, to be near him, to see him and to just touch the tassel of his cloak that they may be saved. And the Pharisees of Jerusalem heard of the whereabouts of Christ and they came also to see him, to hear him and to know of his teachings. But the Pharisees were the rulers of the people. They were the keepers of the law. They told the people what to do, what to think, what to wear, how to speak, how to pray, how to give thanks to God and all things religious. For they knew the law. They knew the teachings of the Old Testament handed down through the ages from Moses. And they came to hear what Christ was doing since his popularity was widespread.
The Pharisees came. They wanted to know what or who the people were talking about. Christwas the talk of the villages, of the towns, of the beggars, paupers, farmers, the lame. Everyone was talking about Christ. And the Pharisees wanted to know, needed to know, who was this Christ themselves. So they came to Genesar to see Christ. And when they saw, they were amazed. They were amazed at the disciples of Christ. They were amazed at those he had chosen to be close to him. They were amazed that he had simple commoners as his close followers, as his disciples.
They were amazed that he had chosen the uneducated, the lowly, the unprincipled, the men of no influence, the nobodies. For these disciples of Christ were not educated in the traditions set down by the law. They did not follow the principles and precepts that the Pharisees instructed the people that they should follow. And this was an affront to their authority. So they questioned Christ. THEN scribes and Pharisees from Jerusalem came to him, saying, "Why do thy disciples transgress the tradition of the ancients? For they do not wash their hands when they take food."
Christ broke away from tradition. Christ called those who did not follow the ways of the world, the traditions of men. He called those that were lowly. He called those that were uneducated. He called those who were without hope. He called those who wanted to believe in something greater than what they were experiencing in the world that they lived in. But the world objected. The world did not want them to change. The world wanted to keep them without hope. The world wanted them to continue to follow the traditions set down by men. Do not pray. Do not believe. Do not know the presence of the Lord. These are the things the the world wanted men to do. The world wants men to continue to live in the traditions of the time. The world wants to capture the hearts of men and to keep them.
Christ calls men to step outside of the world. Christ calls men to give up the traditions of the world and to accept the traditions of the kingdom of heaven. Christ calls men to open their hearts to the presence of the Holy Spirit that he may come and reside with them. For the Holy Spirit is the counselor. The Holy Spirit is the provider. The Holy Spirit is the protector. The Holy Spirit is the presence of God and Christ here on earth.
Step out of the world. Give up the ways of the world, for the world wants to have and keep your heart. What are the desires of the heart? What are the things that hold and keep the heart in the world? There are many lusts and desires and spirits that hold the heart. But the heart can not hold both the ways of the world and the the ways of the kingdom of heaven. One must awaken and stand at the crossroads to choose. Open the heart to the ways of Christ and welcome the spirit within! Christ will send the advocate to come and reside with you and you will know the truth of abundant life.
