St. Matthew, Chapter 20, verse: 18b, Betrayal: The Prediction of Death.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The third prediction of the passion) Part 2. 

Christ has taken his disciples aside and told them of his future.  He is going up to Jerusalem where he will face death.  He is going on a suicide mission because he knows that he is going to die as a result of his trip to Jerusalem.  He clearly understands his mission.  He knows what is at stake.  He has given himself up to the outcome of his journey.  He follows the will of his Father.  And it is that will which he has accepted that will lead to his death.

Christ tells his disciples the details of how his death will happen.  He knows and his disciples know that the powers that be are out to end his teachings and his popularity with the people.  The rulers do not like what he is doing, they do not like his teachings, they do not like his criticism of how they control the people of Israel.  And yet he proceeds to Jerusalem knowing that his life is in danger.  He tells his disciples:  "And the Son of Man will be betrayed to the chief priests and the Scribes; and they will condemn him to death." 

And they will condemn him to death.  How many of us today would do the same?  How many of us today would do something that we knew would lead to our death?  Quite the contrary most of us would run from death.  Most of us would do anything that would take us out of harms way and preserve the life that we have.  This is only human nature.  This is our natural instinct to protect ourselves, to keep us from harm, to preserve the life that we have.  We are not the Messiah.  We are not the chosen one.  We are not the Christ.  But we are Christ like.

Our father created us in his image and likeness.  He gave us the same life spirit that he himself has.  He took of himself and gave to us.  We are spiritual and physical.  We are flesh, body and spirit.  Yet we do not recognize that part of ourselves that is spiritual, that part of us that is eternal, that part of ourselves that is real and everlasting.  The spirit does not die.  The body is dying everyday, decaying before our eyes.  We all must face death.  It is inevitable.  It is necessary.  It is a part of who we are, part physical, part spiritual.  Why is it then that we treasure the physical more than we do the spiritual?  Why is it that we do not embrace the spirit within us, acknowledging that there is more than just the physical?

Christ came that we would know the truth of who we are.  He came that we would have an example.  He came to teach us the truth of our Father, our creator.  And he gave us a path to follow, a knowledge to believe, a light to help us in our walk in darkness.  We should have no fear of death.  We should embrace the transition of death for it is but a gateway that leads to our true home in heaven with our Father.  Many await our coming.  Those who have gone before us will rejoice at our coming.  Happy is that day that we go home to the Father.  Happy is that day that we meet our maker.  Happy is that day that we see ourselves as we are seen in heaven.  Happy is the day that we are embraced by the all fulfilling love of our Father.  Christ went up to Jerusalem to face his death but he went up to Jerusalem to go beyond death and to go home to his Father.  Come!  Let us understand that Christ awaits our coming home that he may rejoice with us in heaven.

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 17, verse: 21-22a, The Passion Prediction: The death of Christ.

Our paragraph topic is: (The second prediction of the passion) Part 1. 


And it came to pass, as they moved on, from the villages and towns around the mountain where the transfiguration took place they arrived in Galilee.  They were happy with Christ.  They were at peace with him.  They had no worries, no cares, no fears.  For he provided all.  He gave all.  He was all to his disciples and to the people that followed him.  The word spread of his miracles.  The word spread of his teachings.  The word spread of his presences.  And many came that they may witness the truth for themselves in those times of the good news.

But there was evil afoot.  There was evil brewing in the heartland.  The leaders were threatened.  The rulers were worried.  The powers that be were being influenced by evil that they may commit to do evil.  For the slaughter was being conceived.  The sacrifice was being planned and the preparations were being made to silence the word.  For the word must not 
spread.  The people must be controlled.  The people must be ruled.  And the people must be contained by the rules of the law less those in power would loose their place to rule.

So as they made their way to Jerusalem, Christ knew what was taking place.  He knew that he had a mission.  Christ accepted his part in the final ruling that was taking place in heaven and on earth.  Justice must be served if there is a God, a supreme ruler.  For in truth one does not give justice and then change it.  So to satisfy the transgression a sacrifice had to be made.  A willing sacrifice, a proper sacrifice, a pure sacrifice, a lamb.  So Christ had to tell his disciples of the outcome of their journey.  He had to make them aware of what would happen in Jerusalem.  Now while they were together in Galilee, Jesus said to them: "The Son of Man is to be betrayed into the hands of men,
and they will kill him."

Christ knew his fate.  He know that he was born into this realm to be a sacrifice.  He came to give mankind life.  He came to be with us.  He came that we would know.  He came to give us the truth of who we are.  And he came to face death and to conquer it.  Why are we here?  Why are we born into this world to suffer and die?  Why do we toil and face the trials and tribulations of life, if not to have what life has to offer?  Why do we have to die?  What is the meaning of this life cycle that we go through if there is no goal, no purpose, no reason to living?

Death and taxes are the constants in our lives.  We live.  We work.  We are happy.  We are sad.  We love.  We hate.  We cry.  We pain.  Our hearts desire without true satisfaction.  We struggle to make sense of ourselves only to find ourselves with temporary solutions without some permanency.  Christ came.  He lived with us.  He walked the same earth.  He breathe the same air.  He drank the same water, eat the same food, slept under the same sky that we have, and then he died.  On the third day, the Bible tells us, he rose from the grave and ascended into heaven to sit at the right hand of his father.  These are the written words of those who were there as witnesses.

What do we have to look forward to?  What do we have to rely upon as truth?  We have our science.  We have our technology.  We have our knowledge.  Is this enough to give us the strength to live our lives from day to day?  What will give us meaning?  We have the truth.  We have the living word.  We have Christ who lived among us, to teach us, to be an example to us, to provide for us, to love us, and to protect us.  Evil would have us believe that we are alone. Evil would have us believe that we must live by the laws and precepts of the world.   Evil would have us think that there is nothing else except what we have here, so we must live without any concerns of what comes after we die.  Yet God our Father gave us simple rules to keep evil from us.  Christ came to demonstrate to us the love that the Father has for us, if we only believe and trust in him.

I have walked the way of the world.  I have lived by the way of the world and I know now that Christ loves me, that the Father loves me, and that the Holy Spirit lives with me.  Come!  Walk the path before you.  See the truth of who you are in Christ.  Know the light that is within you and you too will see yourself as others will see you in heaven.  Christ loves you and so do I. 

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 10, verse: 17, The Enemy

Our paragraph topic is:  (Opposition foretold) Part 3.  

Christ continues to give instructions to his disciples about the enemy.  He has given them instructions on who they will face, ravenous wolves.  He has told them how they should conduct themselves, with the wisdom of serpents and guileless as doves.  Now he gives them a forwarning.  He tells them to, "Beware of men."   Men are not who they appear to be.  He tells them, "They will deliver you up to councils, and scourge you in their synagogues."  Christ is telling his disciples that men will betray you.  The disciples are going to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.  They are going amongst their own people.  They are proclaiming the good news to the lost sheep.  And yet they are to beware of the men they meet.

Christ gives these instructions because he wants his disciples to be prepared for what they are going to meet.  They do not know the hearts and minds of men.  They do not know what is said behind closed doors.  They do not see the evil that men do.  So he is providing them with instructions that are vital to their survival on their solo journey.  For we are spiritual creatures in a physical body and are influenced by the evil one who wants to maintain power over the lost sheep.  So he inhabits the minds and bodies of men influencing them to do evil.  Through his control, men will betray their mothers.  Through his control, men will kill their brothers.  Through his control, men will lust after their sisters.  And they will do anything to maintain the power that they have acquired.

So Christ wants his disciples to beware.  He wants them to be wise as serpents and guileless as doves.  He wants them to know that they are going into the midst of wolves.  He wants them to be prepared.  The battle is a spiritual battle fought in the physical realm.  The spoils are the souls of men.  And the disciples will have a taste of their future calling.  They will become generals fighting the battle after Christ has returned to the kingdom with his father.  They will train the future solders, and captains, and lieutenants of tomorrow.  So they must lead the way.  They must learn from the master all that is necessary to be successful in this war.  It is through their learnings and teachings from the master, written in this training manual that we survive today.

The war continues.  The enemy has taken over the world and exerted his influence over the lives of men of power, the captains of industry, the rulers of advertisement.  Their payment to participate in the battle with the evil one is paper money whose value provides them with the passions of their heart.  And the children of God live in a sea of passion, a sea selfishness, a sea of lust, and all manner of evil.  We must not take in the fumes of darkness.  The temptations are present all around in our everyday lives. 

Put on your gas masks that you may not die.  Put on your protective suits that you may not be contaminated with the toxins of evil.  Guard your eyes and put on your eye gargles that they may not be filled with the lusts of this world.  Cover your ears with the muffles of spiritual soundness that you may not hear the blasphemy of the dead.  But above all remember Christ's words and carry them with you daily.  For they are your protection.  They are your shield.  They are your weapons of war to do battle with the enemy.   Beware of the council of men for they will deliver you up to be scourged.  Are you ready for battle?  Are you ready for the war?  Prepare yourself!!!