St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 13c; You do not go in.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 3.   

Christ continues to scold the Scribes and the Pharisees on the error of their ways.  They shut the doors of heaven to those who want to enter, he tells them.  They put up barriers to prevent men from obtaining the kingdom of heaven.  In their minds they believe that it is their duty to enforce the law to keep the peace according to Roman rule.  But in actuality Roman rule has nothing to do with the kingdom of heaven.
Christ tells them that they shut the doors of heaven against men:  "For you yourselves do not go in."  You see, theirs is the role of leadership.  Theirs is the role of authority.  Theirs is the role of example for the people and they cannot lead a pious role, one that they do not believe in.  The people will know.  The people will see.  The people will not respect their authority if they were pious leaders.

So they have taken on a dual role in their society.  They have become pious on the outside and scandalous on the inside.  They tell the people one thing but they do another.  They enforce the law to the latter with the people but have special circumstances with themselves and their friends.  

God is not a cruel god.  God is not unmerciful.  God is not unforgiving.  God is not hateful.  Yet these are the qualities that were portrayed by the Scribes and the Pharisees to the people.  They enforced the laws of God upon the people with no mercy or forgiveness, with no love or compassion.  And Christ came and showed compassion, and love, and mercy, and forgiveness.  

He did things that were against the enforcement of the law according to the Scribes and the Pharisees.  He showed the people that they were loved by their God.  He performed miracles to make the blind see and the lame walk and raise the dead.  He walked on water, change water to wine, open the mouths of babes to praise God.  Yet they spat on him, beat him, and crucified him on a cross all for the sins of mankind that we might be free.  He did all this that we might have life again, for we were dead according to God's command from the garden of Eden.

We have a choice today.  We can choose to live or we can choose to die.  It is just that simple.  We either live in this physical life and die in the spiritual or we choose to die in this physical life and live in the spiritual.  The journey is ours to make, ours to walk, ours to believe, ours to see and know.  Knowing is the truth of the matter for once you know then your entire life changes.  You become a new person and you walk a new path in life.  There will be challenges to turn back, but you have a guide along the way and others to walk with you.  May God be with you and the Holy Spirit be your guide.

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.

St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 13b; Shutting the Kingdom of Heaven.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 2.  

In this paragraph Christ continues to scold the Scribes and the Pharisees on the wrongs they are committing against the people.  He scolds them not to berate them but to show them the error of their ways and hopefully to heal them.  He wants to give them every opportunity to change, every opportunity to turn from their evil ways, every opportunity to save their souls from the possession of evil within them.

They are the leaders and pillars of the religious community responsible for the souls of the people.  Yet they do not open the doors of heaven.  They do not show how to follow the commandments of God, they are not the examples of faith that the people need to return to God.  Christ calls them hypocrites:  "Because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men."

They knew the consequences of their actions.  But they did not care.  They only believed in their actions to maintain their own status in society.  They were privileged people.  They were honored in the public places.  They were recognized for their positions.  They were believed to be pious and holy followers of the Laws of God.  Yet the truth was exactly the opposite.  For behind closed doors the piety came off, the beliefs were different and they cared not for the people of God.

We see many examples of this same behavior today.  People profess to be one way in public but out of the public eye they are an entirely different person.  God sees what we do and how we think.  He knows our inner most thoughts.  We cannot hide from his gaze, he knows who we are.  Yet for those who are true to his sight, those who make an effort to follow his commandments, even though they may stumble and fall, he still loves and forgives.

Our belief in him opens the door to his heart.  Our faith in his promise transforms us into his children.  Our trust in his glory gives us the guidance needed to walk a path lit by the light of the spirit.  Our knowledge of the things that he has done for us, his protection, his provisions, strengthens us to know the truth of who we are in him.  Our love for him grows daily with each waking hour because we have the proof and the delight of being able to see his light of life within us as we know who we are.

God is our Father.  He is our creator.  Christ Jesus is our Lord and our Redeemer.  Through the love of God and the passion of Christ we have the choice today to choose.  We are not dead.  We can have life and have it more abundantly.  The choice is ours to make.  Open the door and he will come to you.  Seek his love and he will touch you.  Allow your heart to know that you are loved and you will see the truth of who you are in him.  God is love.  Christ is our redeemer.  The Holy Spirit is our guide.  Belief is your key to a new life, eternally. 

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.

St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 13a; The Hypocrites.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 1.   

Christ spoke to the Scribes and the Pharisees in an attempt to get them to understand their plight.  He wants to heal them.  He wants to open their eyes.  He wants to give them the opportunity to turn from their wicked ways.  But they are too far gone.  They are too blind to see.  Their sight, their hearing, and their understanding has been taken away.

So now he scolds them.  He calls them out to the public by a name that all would see.  No one has spoken to them this way.  No one has ridiculed them in the public eye the way that Christ spoke to them.  No one berated them, belittled them, undermined their authority.  Yet Christ did.  He told them:  "But woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"  

The Scribes and Pharisees were furious.  They wanted to retaliate.  They were enraged.  For if anyone else called them by this name they would have had them arrested and beaten.  But the people considered Christ a prophet.  They praised him for what he gave to the people.  He brought peace, and joy, and understanding of the true nature of the God who loved them.  They would riot before they allowed anyone to harm him.  But it was not his time to suffer.

What lesson can we learn from the plight of the Scribes and the Pharisees?  Are we hypocrites today, preaching to others the life of piety but living a life of sin?  What is our role today with regards to the responsibility to carry the message of peace and love to others.  

God is our Father.  He created us in his image and likeness, not as physical beings but as spiritual beings.  He is love and his love is for all things that he brought forth to life.  Yet there are other forces in the universe that would turn us away from his love, that would have us do evil.  Our Father gave us the commandments to live by.  He placed them in our hearts and minds to guide our lives.  For those who believe, he gives the spirit of his love to guide us in our daily lives.  He gave us his son to take away our sins that we might be justified.  And he gives us a high priest who sits at his right hand to plead for us in our transgressions.

We are loved.  We are protected.  We are provided for.  We are forgiven.  May our God and Father have mercy on the souls of those who seek his forgiveness.  Amen.  

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.