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.  

St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 1-2; The Chair of Moses.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 1.  
Christ spoke to them, No One and Any One, while the Pharisees were gathered together.  Individually and in a small group, he could not speak to them, No One and Any One.  But now that they were all gathered together he could speak to all of them in a language that they could understand.  They were the ones that influenced the Pharisees to continue to harass and taunt Christ.  They were the ones who spoke through the Pharisees and the Sadducees.  They were the ones who wanted to trick him and trap him.   Christ spoke the truth and they did not want the truth to be spoken.  

After speaking to the Pharisees, Christ spoke to the disciples and the people.  He needed to open their eyes as to why he spoke such to the Pharisees.  Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to his disciples,  saying, "The Scribes and the Pharisees have sat on the chair of Moses."   

Moses was their leader, who led the people out of the land of Egypt.  He was a spokesman for God.  For God commanded that he should go to Egypt, confront the Pharaoh, and lead the Jews out of Egypt.  He led them from Egypt into the dessert and after forty years into the promise land.  He brought food and water for his people and brought them the commandments of God from Mt. Sinai.  And Moses passed judgement from his chair.  So Christ wanted the disciples and the people to know that the Pharisees and the scribes have sat in the same chair as Moses, the sacred chair from which God spoke to Moses where he passed judgement to the people.

We are his sheep and Christ is our shepherd.  He leads us, guides us, loves us, and protects us from all harm.  He has given his life for us which no other man would knowingly and willingly do.  He was the lamb that was led to slaughter for our sins.  He paid the price for us that we may live again in the eyes of our Father.  He came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.  He rose from the dead and ascended into heaven and sits at the right hand of the Father.  He created his church here on earth that his work will continue so that all can have the chance to know the truth of the Father and his love for mankind.

Judgement day will come.  Will you be ready?  

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 22, verses: 46b; Any One?

Our paragraph topic is:  (The son of David) Part 7.   

No one could speak to the answer.  No one could utter a word.  No one could respond to the question of whose son he was.  No one knew the answer but he would not reveal it to the Pharisees.  It was not to be known or spoken of.  It was the revelation that would open the minds and hearts of those who wanted to know.  No one knew but did not want the others to know.

And so the question of the Christ went unanswered in the minds of the Pharisees.  They would not see.  They would not understand.  They could not be healed because No one would not have it.  Neither did anyone dare from that day forth to ask him any more questions. 

No One and Any One were together in their quest to trick the Christ.  They came together with the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and all those who were against him.  Each time they would attempt to trick him.  Each time they would seek to try him in the public eye.  Each time they would scheme in their hearts to do him harm to no avail.  It was not his time, until the time of his arrival in Jerusalem.

When is our time?  When will we go?  Will we know?  Some will and some will not.  For some the thief will come in an instant.  Others will know that the time has come for them to leave this plane and go to another existence.  Others will ask for his hand and call upon him to bring them home.  We all must go at some point in this journey.  We all must face the transition of life, death, and spirit.  It is our nature, given us from birth, from conception, from existence.  I am, we are, we shall be according to the will of God our Father.  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. 

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verses: 46a; No One?

Our paragraph topic is: (The son of David) Part 6. 

They heard the question put to them by Christ.  The Pharisees came together to ask Christ a question but instead since they were all gathered together he had the perfect opportunity to test them.  So he asked them a question.  Whose son was the Christ?  To whom did he belong?  Was he the son of David?

That is what they thought and believed.  That is what they knew from their studies.  But they did not go further in their studies to understand the knowledge that David knew, in the spirit, when he was present with his Lord speaking to the Lord of Lords.  David knew the outcome.  He knew that the Christ would come from his lineage.  He also knew that the Christ came before him and was his Lord and savior, even though he sprang from the flesh of his flesh.  And no one could answer him a word.   

No one wanted to have the last word.  No one wanted to be in the right.  No one wanted to show his knowledge of the word but failed when he came against the Lord of Lords.  The battle had gone on long enough.  No one had come many times to question Christ.  He had conspired with the Pharisees to trick him on many occasions.  But now Christ had them all together that he could speak to No One and end the constant attempts at questioning him.  He spoke to the Pharisees in a language that they could understand and he spoke to No One in a language that it could understand so that the battle would end.  And No One could answer him not a word.

We speak in words that have meaning beyond meaning.  They go deeper than just the surface of our speech.  And with the deeper meaning comes understanding of a different nature.  Some understanding is good some not so good.  We are mindful that the spoken word comes not, most times, without harmful intent.  Yet in other occasions the deeper meaning is quite obvious as being harmful and malicious.  How we respond determines our inner being?  Are we a loving person?  Are we an understanding person?  Are we a vengeful person who wants to retaliate in kind?  

Christ came that we might have life and have it more abundantly.  His passion transcends the trivial darts and arrows that we might suffer from each other.  It allows us to become transparent; it allows such harm to pass through us as we focus on the love of the one who gave us life and the forgiveness of the one whom we shot our arrow of sin against.  Our God is full of mercy.  He is a God of love for all his creations.  I am.  I did not exist but now I am.   I will be thanks to the love of Jesus Christ.  Will you be?  

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.