St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 5a; To be seen.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 4.  
We are talking about the Scribes and the Pharisees.  They are the leadership class in the time of Christ.  They are the educated and learned.  The ordinary people do not have books to read.  They do not got to schools to learn how to write.  The ordinary people labor in the fields and build for the kings and the ruling class to earn a living for themselves.  But for those who are fortunate enough, they go to schools and to the synagogue to learn to read and write and become educated.

The Scribes and the Pharisees are educated and learned; they are seen as different from ordinary people.  They dress differently, they talk differently, they consider themselves above the common man because of their training.  Christ tells the crowd:  "In fact, all their works they do in order to be seen by men."

Christ wants the disciples and the common people to see the Scribes and the Pharisees as they are.  He wants to pull the blinders from the peoples' eyes so they can see the true nature of the Scribes and the Pharisees.  Most people would look up to them because of their position.  But Christ wants them to see what lies underneath the clothing, underneath the masks of the Scribes and the Pharisees.  He wants them to understand who and what they revere as their leaders.

Is this an example for us today to look at our leaders, those that we look up to as examples of who we want to become?  Is this what Christ wants us to see?  Do we want our actions to be guided by what we do to be seen?  Are we hypocrites?  We are given examples daily of those persons that we wish we could become, the rich and the famous.  We see constantly on TV hear on the radio, in publications all those celebrities that we would like to know and meet.  Are they similar to the Scribes and the Pharisees that Christ talks about?

The Bible is a book of life.  It has many lessons that we can learn from.  There are real life examples that we can apply today to our lives as to how to live.  Who are we?  What are we?  Seven billion people on this planet, living in this time and space.  What do we have that can bring us joy and peace?  What do we have that can give us pause to the fast pace of life today?  

Two thousand years into the future Christ stands as the rock of all times.  He teaches, he speaks to us, he comes to us in our time of need.  If you do not know him, seek him out.  If you do not know him call his name.  If you do not know him, he knows you.  He sees you everyday that you live.  He knows your needs and your wants.  He hears your sighs and your cries.  He feels your pain and understands your sufferings.  He calls to you but you do not listen.  

Come!  He waits for you.  Come!  He wants you.  Come!  He will protect you and provide for you all the days of your life.  He is the Son of the living God.  He sits at his side.  He will speak to his father about you and ask him to help you in your time of need.  You are precious in his eyes.  His love for you is more than any love you have known.  Open your heart.  Let him in and he will come and be with you.

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 and 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: 4; Heavy Burdens.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 3.  
Christ now teaches the disciples and the people about the Scribes and the Pharisees.  He tells them to follow the rules and the regulations that proclaimed by the Scribes and the Pharisees because they have taken the Seat of Moses.  He wants them to obey the laws.  He wants them to understand the difference in what it means to be a Scribe or a Pharisee and the actions of leadership they take.

We follow our leaders and look up to them as examples.  We practice their ways and model their speech and actions.  But Christ tells the people:  "And they bind together heavy and oppressive burdens, and lay them on men's shoulders; but not with one finger of their own do they choose to move them."  

We follow those who lead us.  They are the ones we look to, to give us direction and understanding of purpose.  We listen to their speeches.  We believe in their actions.  We obey the rules and laws that they pass down to us because they are our leaders.  We are solders who do without question the commands that are given us.  We do not question their actions even though we may think that the commands we are given are wrong.

Christ wants us to see, to understand that the actions of those who lead us determine who they are.  Their actions speak to the person that we follow.  Their actions show us the contradictions of those that we follow.  Our eyes must see and know the difference in what we hear and what we see.  We should not be blind following those who would lead us to destruction.  

Observe and do but do not act according to their works, he tells the crowd and the disciples.  He came that we would have life and not death.  He lived that we would know of a Father who loves us.  He died that we could be justified as a people from the sins of the world.  He ascended that we would know that he is in heaven waiting for us to come home.  He is the example to follow.  He is the guide.  He is the Lord of all who seek to know his passion for us.  

The Lord is with us in every situation that we encounter.  He is our support and our shoulder in our time of need.  Seek him and you will find your answer to the why of life.  Follow him and he will lead the way.  Trust him and he will give you peace.   

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.