St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 29a; Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their persecution of religion) Part 1. 

Christ cries out for the Scribes and the Phatisees for they still did not understand the serious nature of their crimes.  Evil had taken hold of them and possessed their inner souls so deeply they were unable to comprehend the cry of the Lord for them.  He calls them hypocrites in the public eye.  He cries out for them as one would cry out for a lost child, a lost soul who does not know the way.

His cries only fall on deaf ears for they cannot hear.  They cannot understand.  They can only feel the anger from inside that comes from the hatred of evil against him.  The people look on in amazement.  They do not understand the nature of what is happening between Christ and the Scribes and the Pharisees.  If it were anyone else they would be immediately arrested, jailed, and beaten for the things they said.  But this was the Christ, the miracle worker, loved by the people, the prophet, the Messiah.  He was the one to come and no one should touch him.  So he cried out and called to them: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"  

Strong words indead for someone to use even today, to be called a hypocrite.  Imagine going to church and having a preacher give his sermon on hypocrisy.  It might be quite a shock to the parishioners to listen to such a speech.  Some may even take it to heart, get up and walk out in the middle of the sermon.  But this was the strength of the sermon Christ gave to the Scribes and the Pharisees on that day they came to question him.  

They came in the guise of curious, inquisitive learners with the hidden agenda of a viper to bite in the end.  But Christ knew their intentions.  He knew the intent of the evil within them.  He knew their desires, their wants, their anger, and their hatred.  Yet he allowed them to question him that he might have them open themselves up to him.  He wanted the opportunity to heal them.  He wanted the opportunity to open their eyes.  He wanted the chance to maybe pierce the shield of evil that they might be wounded and stop to think of the consequences of their actions.

Yes, sometimes it takes a hard knock, a wound to be opened up, to stop and think, to reconsider the consequences of our actions.  What if my life was ended?  What if I had lost a leg or an arm or some other part.  I was luckie this time.  There may not be a next time.  I need to stop and think how fortunate I am to be alive now.  I need to stop doing those crazy things and get my life together before I loose it.  

These thoughts and others are the kind of thoughts that we have after we have a tragic event happen to us or to someone near to us.  And it is these events that open us up to hear the voice of God in our lives to put us on a different path to turn our lives around.  We can repent.  We can change.  We can do better.  We can be a better person, a loving person, a believing person, a God fearing person.  Christ died for all who would believe in him.  His love transcends all.  His heart is open to all.   

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: 28; Outwardly appear.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their hypocritical purity) Part 8.  

Christ came down from heaven to walk among mankind that he might experience the depth of life we live as humans.  He came with a purpose to do his father's will and save mankind from the sin committed by Adam and Eve from the beginning.  No one else was able to do so.  Yet his choice was made at a cost of his life on the cross, a horrible cost of pain and suffering for our sins.  He did not have to pay such a cost but because of his love, his passion for mankind, he wanted to give us a second chance to have life eternal.  

He came and he saw the horror and the iniquity that existed from the evil that had come forth upon the people.  They cried out for his help, begged for his assistance, had assurance in his power to heal, believed in his words of faith.  Yet there was still darkness in the shadows that hid from his brightness.  He saw what men could not see.  He looked beyond the outwardly appearance into the inner heart and soul of those who were full of evil and sin.  He heard the inner thoughts of the influence that evil worked upon those of power and prestige and knew their deepest thoughts and feelings.  He told the Scribes and the Pharisees:  "So you also outwardly appear just to men, but within you are full of hypocrisy and iniquity."

You could say he had x-ray vision because he saw what men could not see.  He saw the true filth of who they really were on the inside.  Outwardly they appeared like great men, but inwardly they were filled with dead men's bones and all sorts of ugliness.  Yet these were the men that the people honored and praised.  These were the Scribes and the Pharisees they saw everyday in the market place and the synagogue and places of worship.  These were the men that they idolized and wanted to imitate.  Yet Christ saw the other side, the inside and he called them out.  He told the people who they were.  He let the people know that they were not all they were held up to be.

Faith goes deep within the soul.  It is either there or not there.  It is either believed or not believed.  It is either a part of you or not a part of you.  Sure it can be faked.  It can be put upon like a mask and taken off like makeup.  But real faith, real belief is in the skin, in the bones, in the marrow, in the heart and soul of a person.  They know who they are because they are real.  It does not need to be preached on the corners to have substance.  It does not demand that it is shared with others from a door to door campaign to be real.  It just needs to be lived that others may see the light from which it shines within.  

Let your light shine.  Open your heart to the love that Christ has for you and you will know the truth of the living faith within.

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: 27c; Dead men's bones.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their hypocritical purity) Part 7.  

Christ gave them an example they could understand.  He spoke of the grave.  He spoke of what happens to man's body after death when it is buried and laid to rest in the grave which most could understand and visualize.  In those times one could smell the stench of death before seeing it.  The wind carried it for many miles to let people know they were approaching death.  People often died in the open wilderness without being buried.  And in those times the Romans crucified people on the cross and left their bodies to rot and decay on the cross as a warning to the people of what could happen to them if they did not obey the Roman laws.

So the people had ample opportunity to see and smell what happened to the body after death.  One could imagine the same thing happened inside the grave as took place outside of the grave.  Christ calling the Scribes and Pharisees hypocrites, calling them whited sepulchres was very graphic for them to imagine.  He wanted them to understand the true nature of their sins.  He told them:  "But within are full of dead men's bones and of all uncleanness."  

They looked good on the outside but on the inside they were full of rotted flesh and dead men's bones.  They were nasty, filthy, unclean.  They were not worthy to be near.  One should be able to smell them from afar as with rotted flesh and dead flesh.  Christ wanted to be graphic.  He wanted to shock.  He wanted to open peoples minds and souls so they would see and believe his message.  He even wanted the Scribes and the Pharisees to have the opportunity to change, to hear the new message of forgiveness and repentance.  But they were unforgiving.  They were lost.  They were blind and deaf and could not nor would not hear or see the change that was happening before their eyes.

Where are we today?  Are we the same?  Are we blind and deaf to the change that is taking place before us.  Are things happening that we should be aware of that is going to affect our souls, our beliefs, our faith, our hope in the promise given us by Christ.  We have the words of the one true God who does not lie.  We have the words of the Son of Man who came down from heaven to walk with us that he might show us how to live, how to love, and how to be free.  We have the guidance of the Holy Spirit that lives with us every minute of the day to help us walk the narrow path to the kingdom of heaven.  What more could we ask for?

Some believe.  Some do not believe.  Some will question.  Some will ask.  Most will continue to walk the path of the world not knowing or believing that there is a God who loves them and wants to provide for all their needs.  Yet here we are walking through the phases of life seeking to grasp the riches of the world which are already given to us.  We are wealthy beyond all imagination.  We are rich beyond all worldly means.  We are loved beyond all the love that can be given us from all the people in the world.  Yet we believe that we are not.  God forgive us.  God touch us.  God awaken us to know that you are ours and we are yours.  

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: 27b; Whited Sepulchres.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their hypocritical purity) Part 6.  

They had come together to trick him, to trap him in lies and deceit so that they could bring him before the chief priest and accuse him.  The Scribes and the Pharisees had a plan.  They wanted to stop the spread of his popularity with the people.  Christ performed miracles, healed the blind, the lame, cured the lepers, raised the dead and taught the people a new way to live, a new way to love.  He taught them of the Father, God in heaven, different from the structured manner taught by the leaders of the synagogue.

And the leaders hated him for what he was doing.  They did not like that crowds were following him, turning away from them.  Everywhere he went the crowds came to listen to his words.  The sick and the lame came to be cured.  The possessed of demons were released and a new day was coming about that swept through the land wherever he went.  But the Scribes and the Pharisees did not like what was happening and wanted to put a stop to this new feeling of joy and happiness.  Christ called them hypocrites: "Because you are like whited sepulchres, which outwardly appear to men beautiful."  

They were beautiful.  They were shinny.  They were attractive.  They were desirable to the naked eye.  This was the appearance of the Scribes and the Pharisees.  Their dress, their clothes, their manner, their demeanor,  all very attractive.  And all the people believed that they were the best of the best to be desired by all.  They were to be admired, listened to, followed, and respected in all things.  But Christ saw through all of this to what was really on the inside.

Who are we?  Do we wear masks in public and the real self in private?  We are not perfect beings so everyone has something that they keep from the public eye.  But ask yourself if our hearts are open to the public?  Do we truly love out neighbor?  Do we have love for the beggar sitting on the corner asking for a handout or do we see a drunkard asking for another dime to by his next drink?  Where is our heart?  Where is our love for one another?  Where is our love for God?

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.