Our paragraph topic is (Parable of the two sons) Part 2.
Some people have regrets. Some don't. What makes the difference? Is it conscience? Is it guilt? Is it awareness? What exactly is it that makes one regret? We talked about the one son who told his father that he would not go into the vineyard and work but later regretted his disobedience. This story comes after Christ spoke to the chief priest and the elders about his authority to preach and teach the people about the kingdom of heaven.
He wanted them to know from which he obtained his authority but they were not open to him. They had no regrets. They were blinded by their need to control, by their need to be in charge, by their arrogance with their own authority. So to give them another chance to understand, another chance to be open, he told them this parable of the two sons. And he came to the other and spoke in the same manner. And this one answered, 'I go, sir'; but he did not go."
The first son regretted his actions and went into the vineyard. The second son lied and did not regret his disobedience. The second son had no regrets. Why did he not have guilt? Why did he not have a conscience? Why was he not aware of the wrong that he did against his father when he disobeyed and then lied about his disobedience?
We all have fathers. Most of us will become fathers at some point in our lives. So we understand the authority of the father. We understand the consequences of disobedience to the will of our father. In most cases there is punishment. In most cases there is judgment as to disobedience. In most cases we may regret our actions and vow to not repeat our actions. But for some there is no regret. For some there is a turning point where the conscience is turned against the authority of the father and becomes a stubborn will to disregard that authority.
We do not talk about those situations where the father is abusive, where the father completely dominates and exacts outrageous punishment that does not fit. The father of these two sons loves them. He raises his sons with the teachings and understandings that he has of the world that they too may become knowledgeable of the ways of the world. Yet some stray. Some become strong willed and believe that they know more than the father. Some are influenced by others who tempt them to turn from the authority of the father. This is the way of the world. And the world does not care for the consequences of the actions of those sons that turn away.
Christ came into the world that the world may know of the Father. He came to renew, to save, to give life, and to be a sacrifice for all. Yet all do not accept. All do not know. All do not believe that he is the savior of the world. We have life eternal if only we accept. We have love from the Father if only we open ourselves to it. We have protection from the pitfalls of life if
only we walk in the way of the spirit. We have already won. We have already our reward. We have already new life if we only see it within us. Be open to that which is already yours and receive!
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ . The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
Our paragraph topic is: (Parable of the two sons) Part 1.
Since they did not want to incriminate themselves, Christ told them that he could not answer their question as to his authority. He gave them the opportunity to become open to the truth. He gave them the chance to receive that which he was about to give, but they were blind. They could not see or hear the opportunity that was available to them. So he gave them another opportunity to understand.
He told them a parable that maybe would help them to see and be open to the truth. He told them the parable of the two sons. He asked: “But what do you think? A man had two sons; and he came to the first and said, ‘Son go and work today in my vineyard.' But he answered and said, 'I will not'; but afterwards he regretted it and went.
Christ told the chief priest and the elders this parable so that they would understand authority. You see, they understood the parable of the father and the sons because they could understand the authority of the father and the need for obedience of the sons. So what did they think of the son who was disobedient to the wishes of the father but later thought about his disobedience and repented?
Was that the right thing to do? Did the son regret his mistake in telling the father that he would not do his will but later repented? Would they, could they understand the meaning of this parable and come to repent to the will of God their father? Or were they so far gone that nothing could open their minds and their hearts to repent?
We live in a world that hides the truth of the father. It may be that only through adversity that we come to realize the truth of who we are and to understand the majesty and glory of God our Father. There are many things that we do not understand or try to reason to our own understanding as to the why and wherefore. Why are there accidents that take the lives of innocent children? Why do some die so young? Why do the children suffer with crippling diseases? Why must we live with debilitating pain in our lives that make us despair and want to end it? Why is there war and not peace in the world? Why are there natural disasters that take the lives of so many people?
All these whys and yet no answers. Who knows the mind of God and who are we to question it? I thank him, myself, that I was not so far gone that I did not open myself and my heart to his calling to repent. I thank him that I am able to repent and to know that he is a merciful God. I was lost and headed down the road to destruction. Even considered the whisperings of depression and despair. My life was lost and I had no where to turn. I asked for forgiveness. I asked for direction. I asked to know the truth. I asked to know him, to know his love for me. And he touched me and filled me with a knowledge and understanding that lets me know that he is with me all my days. He is inside of me, he is the life within.
If you are tired and do not know where to turn, turn to him. Ask for his forgiveness. Ask to know him. Ask to feel him in your life. Ask him to walk with you everyday that you may not know the despair and depression that you have lived with for so long. Believe that he will be with you and seek to see the little miracles that happen in your life each and every day that are signs of his presence. He is love. He is faithful. He is with you, always.
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ . The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
Our paragraph topic is: (The Authority of Jesus) Part 8.
They refused to answer the question. They knew the answer. They knew the outcome if they were to speak the answer. Having weighed all the possibilities among themselves they decided that it was best to not answer. But that was the dilemma of their initial issue. They came to Christ seeking an answer to a question. They wanted to know the origin of his authority. They wanted to know who gave him the power to preach, the authority to teach, the wisdom to know, and the knowledge to perform miracles. So they came to him with the question.
He saw them coming. He knew of their question. And he wanted to answer their burning desire that they too would know from whence he came. But first they had to open their hearts to receive the truth. Did they believe? Did they seek the truth? Could they open themselves so that they could hear the word and be converted? Jesus asked them a question to open the door that they may walk through. But they could not. They did not. They decided to close the door and answered that they did not know the answer to his question. Then he in turn said to them, "Neither do I tell you by what authority I do these things."
They wanted to know, but they could not understand. They wanted to see but were blinded. They wanted to understand but had not understanding except their own. So in their wisdom they decided to be deceitful. In their knowledge they could not respond. In how they saw the outcome there's was no answer. And that is what they received, missing out on the opportunity to become open to the joy of the word, the peace of the truth, and the love of the Father.
How often are we the same? How often do we deny that which is within us only to appear real to ourselves and to others? We can not see. We can not believe. We do not allow the opportunity for something far greater than ourselves to become a part of our lives simply because our own thoughts and beliefs have determined that it is not the truth. Our thoughts are not our own, but those of the world. Our beliefs are not our beliefs but those given to us buy the influence of that which surrounds us.
It is only by examination of that which surrounds us and that which is within us that we may come to understand who we are, why we are here, and what is our purpose. Death is not the answer, life is. Life is what we have here and now and for eternity, if we choose to accept it. When the world has beaten you down and you know not what to do, the world may suggest giving up. The world may suggest despair and depression. The world may even suggest destruction in one form or another.
Yet there is life. There is hope. There is peace and joy that awaits us in the here and now. There is an unbelievable guide that will walk with us each and everyday to help us along the way. And then there is our savior who brought us back from death that we may live eternally with him in his kingdom. We are blessed. We are loved and cared for. We are the children of the creator of the universe and he loves each and every one of us dearly. Our Father who art in heaven, provide for us. Our Father who art in heaven, protect us. Our Father who art in heaven show us your love.
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ . The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
Our paragraph topic is: (The authority of Jesus) Part 7.
Deceit had taken over. Cunning was waiting in the wings. And evil was ready to pounce. They were back and forth among themselves and with Christ. Yet he knew the outcome. He saw their deceit. He knew of their cunning. And he was very much aware that the influence of evil had taken control of the chief priest and the elders.
They wanted an excuse. They sought a way in. They continued to set the tricks and traps for Christ hoping that he would fall into one of them so that they could have their way with him. They had their way with the people. They influenced and controlled them. They taught them their ways and not the ways of God. They transformed the Law and made it into their law and their rules, and their practices so that the people would not see what they were doing.
Could they answer the question? Yes! Would they answer the question? No! The simple answer would lead to their incrimination and their conviction. So they chose not. And they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know."
So they chose not to answer the question. They chose not to respond. They chose to deny what they knew was the truth even though they knew the answer that John was from heaven. They were the learned people. They were the scholars of the Law the keepers of the history of Israel. It was written in the books they studied all their lives, the books that they read and memorized from childhood. Yet they chose not to answer it.
Most children grow up in some form of spiritual background. They receive their beliefs and spiritual leaning from their parents, and relatives, and spiritual leaders that they encounter in their environment, be it Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhism, or what ever form of spiritual system in their environment. We all believe in something. And then there are those who profess to believe in nothing but themselves, the here and the now. They believe that we are here today and gone tomorrow and after this there is nothing else.
So we are swayed by our spiritual background and influenced by our social living. If we believe that there is no tomorrow then we live only for today, only for the moment, and anything goes. If we have some spiritual background then we have some rules or some code to live by. We have the law that guides us through life. What guides you? What set of morals do you live by? Do you believe in tomorrow, an afterlife? Where do you stand on the spiritual scale of life?
The chief priest and the elders attempted to be neutral, zero on the spiritual scale. They did not want to answer the spiritual question concerning John the Baptist, "Is he from heaven or from the people?" Was he spiritual or was he just physical? Was he a man of God or just a man from the people? And this is the question that we are faced with today. Are we from heaven or just physical? Are we of a spiritual being or just flesh and bones? Did we originate through evolution or were we created from the breath of God? Simple question, simple answer. There is no neutral, no zero position. We are or we are not. Where do you stand?
Read the sign of the times! Read the Highlighted New Testament Bible and lift the scales from your eyes that you may see, that you may know, that you may find the truth of who you are in Christ. Read it as though you would read a good book, from cover to cover, and see for yourself. Do not study it in parts reading one passage nd then skipping to another, but read it for understanding. Read it for knowledge. Read it for faith. Read it that your eyes may be opened, that your ears may hear, that your heart may be filled with the light of Christ . The Holy Spirit awaits you. Christ seeks to know you. Open the door and let him in.
