St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 9; One Father.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 7.  
The Scribes and the Pharisees were worshipped in their day and time.  They were thought to be high priest by the people because of the way they carried themselves and the respect they demanded.  Yet Christ wanted the people to know that their worship of the Scribes and the Pharisees was wrong and out of place.  

There was only one person that they should worship and he is in heaven.  There is only one master whom they should show respect and that is the Christ.  One is the Father and there is not one else.  No one should not be placed above the One Father.  He told them:  "And call no one on earth your father; for one is your Father, who is in heaven."  

What is the difference?  Why the distinction?  Christ helped the people to understand the true meaning of Father in the highest and greatest expectation of the word.  For we have but one.  All others are less than and do not deserve the highest connection with the title of Father.
We call our male parents father.  We call our priest father out of respect for their spiritual position as shepherds of the people.  We give the title to those who have gone before us and have been a part of our heritage.  But not one deserves the highest meaning and understanding of the word than our Father the creator.  One should not confuse this distinction.  And this is the understanding that Christ wanted the people to know.

For they praised the Scribes and the Pharisees.  They worshipped them as though they were indeed the lords of all knowledge and understanding without having any knowledge of the true Father in heaven, a concept that we must not confuse today.  We call our leaders in different fields of study father i.e., father of physics, or father of modern medicine, or father of aviation, because they were the first to discover principles in certain fields of study.  And we revere them because of their knowledge and expertise in their field.

It is important that we realize that we are all brothers and sisters created in the image and likeness of the One.  He alone is the object of our praise.  For from him and through him and with him we have life.  Without him we are nothing.  He is our be all and end all and with him we have everlasting peace that surpasses all understanding. 

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: 8; One Master.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 6.  
These were the times in which the people lived.  The Scribes and the Pharisees were the caretakers of the people of Israel and the Jews.  It was their job to see that the law was taught and understood by the people.  They were the teachers.  They were the learned.  They were the authority for the people.  And the Romans were the authority over them.  

The Scribes and the Pharisees considered their job description to include binding heavy and oppressive burdens for the people.  They had to make sure that the people suffered so that they would follow the Law and not rise up against the ruling class.  They loved the front seats in the synagogues, the first places at suppers, and to be called Rabbi.  But Christ told the people:  "But do not you be called 'Rabbi'; for one is your Master, and all you are brothers."

It was important that the people understood the significance of Master.  God created all men equal in his image and likeness.  We are all children of light, one not more or less than another.  We live in a world that makes distinctions of who we are.  We are subconsciously given to categorize each other.  One has more money than another.  One is prettier than another, one is more athletic than another, more intelligent, more witty, more loving, more etc...  This is how and where we live.  But we all are the same, children of our Father in heaven, who sees us all as the same.

Christ came to teach us how to live, how to love, and how to see who we are.  He is our example in life.  He brings peace to those who understand who they are in him.  We have life.  We have love.  We have protection and guidance and provision for everything that we need in life.  And we have joy and fulfillment in the transformation of this life to that which we are in heaven.

Our life is simple.  Carry the message.  Live the life of peace.  Show the love that is freely given you to your brothers and sisters.  And for those who are of darkness, fear not what they may do.  For you are a child of the most high and life is yours.  They are lost souls who are blinded and deceived by evil.  However, they were once also created in his image and need love to awaken from the darkness.

Love is the key to open the doors of heaven.  Love is the life that is given us from our Father.  For his love fills completely and satisfies all desires.  He is our be all and end 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.