St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verses: 36; The Great Commandment.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The great commandment) Part 3.

Time and time again they came to question his knowledge of the Law.  They could not believe that he had a complete grasp of the Law.  They did not know him.  Their colleagues did not know him.  No one had studied with him.  So how was it that he knew the Law?  How is it that he knew the Torah, the ins and outs, the intricacies of what had taken others years of study to comprehend.  They had to test him.  They had to prove him a fake, a charlatan.

Yet he came to teach the people in simple ways the love of God.  He came to walk and talk to them.  He came to show compassion and mercy to those who were in pain and sorrow.  He came to give relief to the lost and to open the minds and hearts of all who would hear him and believe in his message that the kingdom of heaven was at hand.   But they questioned him saying: "Master, which is the great commandment in the Law? "

What is the great commandment in the Law?  Is it thou shalt not steal?  Is it thou shalt not kill?  Is it thou shalt not covet thy neighbors wife?  Or is it thou shalt love the Lord with all thy heart and all thy mind and all thy soul?  There shall be no other greater love before you.  Is this true today?  Do we love the Lord more than we love anything else?

To love something we have to know something about that which we love.  Do we know the Lord enough that we can love him?  Or do we love something else more because we know more about that thing which we love?  We love money.  We love what money can buy.  We love what money can bring.  We love what money can do for us.  We love all the things that having lots of money will bring us.  We lust for money.  We dream for money.  Our eyes glaze over when we think of winning millions of money in a lottery.  Yet do we think of winning love of God the same way?

We see with our eyes not.  We hear with our ears not.  We know with our mind not.  We are our hearts.  The heart knows the emptiness.  The heart knows true love.  The heart knows what it needs to fulfill its desires.  Do not be fooled by what you see and hear in the world.  The world is dying.  God is life and through his love we are renewed.  Christ Jesus came to renew life to those who would receive his message.  Now is the time.  Now is the place.  Now is the reason to open your heart and know the truth of who you are in his love.  The heart knows.

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 21, verse:2, The Instructions.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus sends two disciples into Jerusalem)
Part 2. 

So the two disciples were sent into Jerusalem with specific instructions.  They were given instructions before and knew how to follow them.  He had given them powers before to do his bidding.  He had instructed them before on what to expect and what they would find in their journeys.  So they knew that his instructions were good and that they would find exactly what he had told them.

So they went into the village and followed his instructions.  He:  saying to them, "Go into the village opposite you and immediately you will find an ass tied and a colt with her; loose them and bring them to me." 

So they did as they were told, following his instructions.  Jesus knew the purpose of his instructions to the disciples.  He knew how he would use the ass and the colt, but the disciples did not.  They could only wait patiently until understanding came to reveal itself of the purpose.  They had patience.  They did not have understanding.  They did not have the knowledge of his actions.  They only had his words to them to follow.  And lo more was revealed.

Christ gives us instructions today.  He wants us to follow what he has given us to live by.  Why should we follow these instructions?  Is there some reason that they apply to us today as we live our lives in this world.  Most would say that they do not apply because we live in a different time and place than some two thousands years ago.  Do we even believe in those instructions or even the consequences of them? 

Christ came that we would know.  He came that we would have a reference, an example.  He came that we would not have any excuses of not knowing.  For at the end of our time here on this earth, here in this realm, we will be transformed and will face the consequences of our actions.  He came out of love for us.  He came out of compassion.  He came out of mercy that we might have the opportunity to a new life.  He came that we might not die.  For the jury is instructed by the judge and they will return a verdict.  There is no deadlock.  There is no mistrial.  There is only the verdict that awaits us.  Follow the instructions and get your reward, eternal life.

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 21, verse:1, Being Sent.

Our paragraph topic is:(Jesus sends two disciples into Jerusalem)
Part 1.

We begin this new paragraph as Jesus is drawing near to Jerusalem.  He knows that his journey is coming to an end.  He knows what his task is as given him by the Father.  He knows that he will complete the Father's will despite all the obstacles, pain, and suffering he will face.  Fear is not with him.  Courage and the love of his Father is his mainstay.  He knows that he is going home, the place from which he came.

His disciples do not know what will happen.  They have followed Christ from the beginning.  They have heard his words, witnessed his deeds.  They have wondered at his origin, the nature of his power, the goal of his journey.  He has told them on several occasions what will happen to him.  But they are in disbelief.  They do not know.  They do not see.  They do not completely understand, but they continue to follow him because they know that he is the Messiah.  AND when they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, on the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples. 

They loved him, the disciples.  They believed in him, the disciples.  They walked with him, eat with him, listened to his words, spoke with him, touched him, saw him, and knew his gentle presence.  They experienced in themselves what no one has experienced since the beginning of time.  They knew Christ.  They had a physical experience of him that no disbelief could erase.  He gave them his heart.  He gave them his soul.  He gave them his love.  And he gave them the life that was in him that they too would know spiritual life.

They were sent.  They did not know the why and the wherefore.  But they went in accordance with his will.  They followed his instructions.  They believed in him.  They loved him.  We today do not have the physical experience of knowing Christ Jesus.  We can not walk with him in his presence.  We can not talk with him in his presence.  We can not know him with all certainty the way that the disciples knew him.  Yet his words live on through their experience.  His presence lives on through their words.  His love comes through because of the love that he gave to them.  And his spirit lives on through the words.

Christ gives purpose and meaning to our lives.  Because he came and walked among us, he has understanding of who we are, understanding of how we feel, understanding of our lives and our struggles.  He knows our wants and our desires.  And he loves us despite of the sinners that we are.  I sinned in my life, grossly.  I turned away in disbelief.  I was bitter, isolated, struggled, and died to his love.  But then I was touched by his love.  I was moved by his compassion.  I was given new life and I was sent forth to share with others what has been given me. 

I write that others may know.  I write that others may see.  I write that others may receive what has been given me.  I have purpose.  I have direction.  I have love.  I have his protection, and his provision, and the knowledge of who I am in him.  I am sent.  Come!  When will you receive your blessings?  When will you know who you are?  When will your eyes be opened, your heart released, your life given to you?  Come!  When will you be sent? 

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 20, verse:34b, Touched by Compassion.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The Blind men of Jericho) Part 10. 

Christ asked them what would they have him do for them.  They wanted more than anything else to have their sight.  They wanted to experience all that they had heard, all that they had smelt, all that they had tasted without their eyes.  And they wanted more than anything else to be able to not be beggars.  They wanted independence where they could provide for themselves.  They wanted to see.

All their lives they lived in darkness.  They sat by the roadside and begged for their living not being able to provide for themselves.  All their lives they were dependent upon what ever the passersby gave them, be it a penny or not, a crust of bread or not, a rebuff, a curse, a kick or not.  They were dependent upon the mood of the passerby.  They had no choice.  They were like children who were not loved, children without parents, children lost.  But Christ was there.  He came by their road.  He heard their cries.  He was moved with compassion for his lost children.  And he:  "Touched their eyes." 

Many times we are like the two blind men, lost in the world, trying to find our way.  We get caught up in the whirlwinds of life not knowing where we are going, being blown by the whims of the wind that comes our way.  Our friends, our relatives, the media, where we live all provide the environment that move us one way or the other.  We are led and influenced by what comes our way and like the two blind men, we follow where we are led.

Some may say that they are in control of their lives.  Some may believe that they are independent of the winds that surround them.  They believe that their lives are together and do not worry like those less fortunate then themselves.  How blind are they?  Do they have direction?  Do they have purpose?  Do they have the knowledge that comes from within?  Christ touched the eyes of the two blind men, but even more he touched their souls.  He opened their hearts that they might know that they were not lost even though they were blind.  He let them know that they were loved and cherished by their Father in heaven.

Have you been touched by his compassion?  Do you know his love?  Have you felt the truth of who you are in him?  His love will change you.  His touch will give you life.  His compassion will change your life forever and you will know who you are in him.  The world we live in, is death.  The world he lives in, is life.  Come!  Know the life that is within you and you too will be free.

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 20, verse:34a, Compassion.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The blind men at Jericho) Part 9. 

How do you see someone without seeing them?  How do you hear someone without hearing them?  How do we know someone without knowing them?  Christ was surrounded by people on all sides.  He did not see the two blind men.  He could not hear them over the din of the crowd.  But in his spirit he knew that their hearts were calling him.  They could not make their way to him because of the crowds.  They could not move closer to him because they could not see.  They could only stand by the wayside, out of the crowd and call to him with their belief, call to him with their hope, call to him with their faith in the words they had heard of him.

And he heard the sorrow in their hearts.  He heard the belief in their minds that he was the one who could transform their lives.  He heard the pain in their lives that they had endured in the darkness all of their life.  And he was moved.  And Jesus, moved with compassion for them.

He is the Son of God, our Father.  He lives in heaven.  He is Lord of all.  And yet he gave up all, that he might become like man and walk among us.  He became flesh and blood like us.  He laughed and ate with us.  He walked and talked with us.  He taught us how to live and he gave us an example of how he died for us.  He loved us then and he loves us now. 

I think of all the homeless and lost souls who wonder the streets, hopeless, living day to day, by any means they can.  I think of those who are trapped in the vicious cycle of addiction, not only to drugs but to any addiction that compels them to do the same things over and over again expecting the different results.  Even those who are stuck in the financial rut striving to find a way out of that cycle, wishing and hoping for something better.  They search for that one big opportunity to hit it big that will change their lives forever. 

I was there.  I ran the cycle.  I was lost.  I cried out to the Lord and he had compassion for me.  He heard my cry.  He heard my sorrow.  He felt my pain.  He rescued me from the depths of my hopelessness and brought me back from the abyss. I am a witness of his love, of his compassion, of his mercy.  I am no longer on the path to destruction.  Today I have a new path to follow, a path given me by my Father.  Today, I am saved and have the knowledge of who I am in him.  My spirit rejoices in who I am.  My heart is filled with the happiness of the life that is within me, the life given me by Christ.  His love overwhelms.  His love fulfills.  There is nothing that I want or need that he has not provided.  My life is full, my purpose is clear, my task is at hand and I rejoice in its completion. 

Christ loves each and everyone of us the same.  He is the reason that we have life today if we choose.  Without him we are dead, without a soul.  But with him we have the light of life within us and the Holy Spirit to guide us along the way.  And with him there is no sorrow, no pain, no regrets.  There is only the last day to go home to be with him for all eternity.  Come, join the party and be with those who love you.  Christ Jesus loves 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 20, verse: 12b, On the same level.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard)
Part 17.  

They grumbled.  They complained.  They murmured amongst themselves.  They were not satisfied.  They were not happy that they received the same as the others who had only worked an hour.  They thought that they would receive more because they had worked longer than the other laborers.  This is the parable that Christ told his disciples.  He compared this parable to the kingdom of heaven.

There was a message.  There is a lesion to learn.  There is information in the parable that will enlighten those who understand.  Laborers are needed to bring in the harvest.  The harvest is plentiful and the laborers are few.  There is a reward for those who work in the vineyard.  There is pay for those who work.  What will the agreement be for those who do the labor?  Christ wants his disciples to understand that the householder is just and fair in his rewards.  He wants them to know that as laborers in the vineyard that they will be compensated for their work.  But he also wants them to know that just as the laborers in the parable, they should not be like them, they should not compare.  For they told the house-holder:   "Thou hast put them on a level with us, who have borne the burden of the day's heat." 

And then comes the central point of the parable, on the same level.  I am better than they.  I worked harder and longer and better than they.  I deserve more than they.  It is this feeling that comes from within that makes us compare ourselves and determine that we are different, we are better, we are more than they.  Where does it come from?  Where does it originate?  Adam and Eve had everything their hearts desired.  They lived in the garden.  They did not have to toil.  They had all provisions given to them, yet they were tempted.  The snake told them that if they ate the forbidden fruit that they would be like God.  And with that information came the thought that they were not like God. but wanted to be him.  The comparison overwhelmed them so much that they were compelled to transgress.

Are we not the same?  Are we not created in the same image and likeness as our Father?  Are we not made of the same spirit and life given us by our heavenly Father?  Yet we consider ourselves more, we consider ourselves better than, smarter than, prettier than, faster than anyone else.  We consider.  We allow ourselves to be influenced by the thoughts of the day and the influences of what we perceive from the world.  We do not consider that which is within us, that which is our spirit, that which is the light of life restored to us by Christ Jesus. 

We walk in the darkness of the physical world not knowing the life that is within us.  We see not the beauty of the light of life within each of us.  We see only the physical, only the appearance, only the focused view that is given us by the world we live in.  What is beauty?  What is intelligence?  What is wealth?  What is life?  And what is death? 

To see beyond the physical and see within the physical is the opportunity to truly know who we are.  To see the light within our own selves opens our eyes to the life that is in others.  We are the same.  We have the same spirit, if we have life.  We all are children of our Father.  And it is that one fact that makes us equal, the same, not different.  Our Father opens the door to all who would ask of his forgiveness and of his love, whether we do this everyday for the rest of our lives or whether we ask in the last minute of our life here on earth.  He is fair.  He is merciful.  He is loving.  He is forgiving.  He is our Father and we are his children.  Let no evil separate us from his compassion and his love.  We are all on the same level.

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 20, verse: 6b, Standing Idle.

Our paragraph topic is: (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard) Part 7.

In the parable that Christ told his disciples, the house-holder has gone out early in the morning, mid morning, and several other times before noon to hire workers for his vineyard.  Five times he went out to the market place and found workers.  He was puzzled as to why they were standing about idle.  He hired all that were present when he went out to the market place only to come back later to find more workers standing about without something to do. 

Christ tells this story to his disciples because he wants them to understand that they are the same as the workers in the market place and the house-holder is the same as God seeking workers to tend his vineyard of souls.  He wanted them to understand that they should not stand about idle waiting for work to come when there is work to be had in the vineyard.  He tells them what the house-holder told the workers:   "And he said to them, 'Why do you stand here all day idle?' " 

This was the message that Christ wanted his disciples to understand.  He wanted them to know that they did not have to be idle.  They did not have to stand about everyday with nothing to do.  There was plenty of work to do for God.  The kingdom of heaven is in need of laborers to bring in the harvest.  The kingdom of heaven has fruit that is in need of harvest.  The kingdom of heaven is open that those who seek it can find it. 

Are you a laborer?  Do you work for the kingdom?  Some would say that this message is a battle cry for those who would carry the message to the ends of the earth and convert all to become Christians.  But this is not the will of the creator.  This is not the demand of our God.  It is not the desire of God our Father and that of Christ our savior that his message is forced upon all.  It is not the desire of God that all are forced to become believers.  Christ's passion is that of love.  Our Father is a God of love and compassion.  His will is not to force but to love.  His will is not to command but to show.  His will is not to demand but to be an example to those who do not know, to those who do not understand, to those in the dark.

Our labor is to live our life, according to the will of the Father, that Christ has given us.  Those who believe and know the truth of who they are in Christ are examples for the world to see.  Those who walk with the spirit have their work assigned to them.  Those who are filled with the light of life are the laborers in the vineyard and know what needs to be done.  They are the ones who have the skills.  They are the ones who have the knowledge.  They are the ones who are filled with the light of life that shines from within.  They are the ones who are not idle workers, standing around waiting for work.  

The house-holder needs laborers.  The vineyards needs workers.  The light of Christ and the love of the Holy Spirit seeks you.  Do not stand idle when there is work to be completed.  Do not wait for the harvest to spoil when it needs to be picked.  Christ calls.  The Holy Spirit seeks.  The love of God our Father fills those who want to know.  Your assignment awaits.  I have mine.  Come!  Receive your work assignment and end your idle stand. 

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 18, verses: 28 - 30: Have patience with me!

Our paragraph topic is:  (The servant demands payment)  

The kingdom of heaven is likened to a king who desires to settle accounts with his servants.  This is the parable that Christ told to his disciples as he was teaching them about forgiveness.  He wanted them to have a clear understanding.  He wanted them to know.  He wanted them to feel within their hearts the meaning of forgiveness.  Peter had asked how often they should forgive.  And Christ wanted them to understand that there is no limit on forgiveness.

He told them, when the accounts came to be settled, would it show that they had compassion upon their fellow man as the king had upon his servant.  Or would they be like the servant who had no compassion upon those that owed him?  These are the servants actions.  "But as that servant went out, he met one of his fellow-servants who owed him a hundred denarii, and he laid hold of him and throttled him, saying, 'Pay what thou owest.'  His fellow-servant therefore fell down and began to entreat him, saying, 'Have patience with me and I will pay thee all.'  But he would not; but went away and cast him into prison until he should pay what was due."

What will you do?  Will you be like the servant or will you take the position of the king?  God has patience.  God  has compassion.  God  is forgiving.  God  is all knowing.  Will you be like God  our Father?  Will you forgive?  Will you have compassion?  Will you have patience with your brothers and sisters as they continue in their ways?  Will you have love for them as they struggle through the trials and tribulations of life?  Will you be an example for them, demonstrating the love the God  has for you and the love that your heavenly father has for them?

Our Father waits for us to have knowledge.  Our Father waits for us to understand.  Our Father waits for us to turn to him and believe.  We are drawn by the world and all its glitz and glamour.  For we are given to believe that we are successful it.  We are given to believe that we can have what it has to offer.  We are given to believe that if we only believe hard enough and work long enough that we can have the promises of this life.  And when we try and fail who do we turn to?  Do we change our game plan?  Do we try a different strategy?  Do we push the boundaries in our efforts to succeed?  And yet we are already successful.

For within us lies the truth of who we are in Christ.  And within us lies the truth of our success.  Within us is the light of life given us by our father through Christ Jesus.  And yet we are not aware of who we are in him simply because we are blinded by the physical.  We are blinded by the world.  We are raised in an environment that teaches us the rules of this world and not the rules of the spiritual world.  The two contradict and conflict.  Father have patience with me that I may learn your ways.  Father have patience with me that I may understand the truth of who I am.  Father forgive me my trespasses and help me to forgive others as you forgive me.  Help me to have patience and love that I may see others as you see me. 

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 15,verse: 35-37a, Jesus feeds four thousand: All were satisfied.

Our paragraph topic is:  ( Jesus feeds four thousand) Part 1.

They were all in a desert place where there was not much to eat.  And the people came to him in the desert.  They came from the villages, from the towns, from districts far away.  They came into this desert place because the word came to them and told them about the one they heard people talking about.  The word told them that they would be healed.  The word told them that they would see.  The word told them that they would walk.  The word was God and God was with the people.

And they came to him that they would be filled, that they would be healed, that they would know the truth of who he was.  And Christ had compassion on the crowd.  He felt their pain.  He felt their sorrow.  He felt their love.  He knew their confusion, their loss, their fears, their hopes, and their dreams.  And he wanted to feed them.  He wanted to fill them.  He wanted to love them.  He wanted to guide them through the tricks and traps that they would face in the world.  For they had been transformed by Christ and now they would face a new world with all of its temptations.  And Christ had compassion on the crowd.  But time had not been fulfilled and the sacrifice had not been given and the absolution was not complete.

So he fed the crowds.  He gave them physical food for their bodies.  He gave them fish and bread that they would not faint on their return to their villages and towns.   And he bade the crowd recline on the ground.   Then taking the seven loaves and the fishes, he gave thanks, broke them and gave them to his disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowd.  And they all ate and were satisfied.     

How do you see a miracle?  If you watch closely will you see it happening?  If it happens before your eyes will you know that it is?  How did the lame walk?  How did the blind see?  How did the deaf hear?  How did the loaves multiply?  Christ blessed the fish and the loaves and gave them to the disciples to give to the people.  And they eat and were satisfied.  But how did it happen?  We are spiritual beings living in a physical world.  Do we recognize who we are?  Do we know that we are spiritual beings in a physical shell?  Are we aware of our spiritual nature?

Christ told us in the New Testament how to see ourselves.  He told us how we should look.  He gave us the words that indicate how we are to know who we are.  Yet, we live in a physical world not knowing that we are spiritual beings.  We strive for physical things not knowing that they are not eternal.  And we are unaware of the spiritual things that are eternal, everlasting, God given.  And we ask God  to help us in this physical world not knowing who we are.  Christ wanted to feed the crowd because he had compassion.  He wanted to give to them eternal food that would sustain them in this world, but the time was not fulfilled, the sacrifice was not given, and the absolution not complete.

Today, the sacrifice has been given, the time has been fulfilled, and the absolution is complete.  We are reborn in his image that we may share in eternal life with Christ.  But how can we share in something that we do not know?  How can we share in something that is hidden from us unless we seek it, find it, and know it to be true.  The miracle awaits those who seek it.  The knowledge awaits those who search for it.  The treasure is buried for those who want to find it.  And when it is found one will sell all to own it.  For Christ has completed the miracle.  The food awaits us.  Come!  Recline and partake of the the spiritual food that will awaken the spiritual life in you. 

Come! Know the truth of who you are. 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 15, verse: 33, The Compasion of Christ: The Disciples are willing.

Our paragraph topic is:  ( Jesus has compassion on the crowd) Part 2.   

All were cured.  All were made whole.  All were given sight.  All were made to walk.  Christ cured them all that were brought to him.  They came from the villages, the towns, the districts, from everywhere to see, to hear, and to be cured.  For the word spoke to them.  The word was alive.  The word spread to all that heard, to all who belonged, to all who wanted to believe that their lives could change.  And Christ changed all their lives.

And they did not want to leave.  They did not want to go.  They did not want to return to the life they knew, even though their lives had changed.  Christ had compassion on them.  All evil had been cast out.  And the crowd was like lost sheep, not knowing what to do or where to go.  And Christ had compassion upon them.  He wanted to feed them.  He wanted to guide them.  He wanted to show them a way so that they would not be lost.  But the time was not right.  The time was not fulfilled.  The sacrifice was not made and the absolution was not given.  So Christ could not give them the eternal food that they needed for their journey.  He could only give them the physical food they needed to feed their physical bodies.

Jesus called his disciples together to express his compassion on the crowd.  He wanted his disciples to know his feelings and he wanted to demonstrate to them how they should feel for the crowd.  But the disciples were unwilling.  They wanted to disperse the crowd and did not have compassion for them.  For it was a desert place and there was nowhere to obtain food to feed the people.  The disciples had nothing to give nor anything to offer.  But Christ was unwilling to send them away fasting and hungry for more of what he had to offer.  So he called his disciples together.   And the disciples said to him, "But in a desert, where are we to get enough loaves to satisfy so great a crowd?"  Jesus said to them, ''How many loaves have you?" And they said, "Seven, and a few little fishes."   

They only had seven loaves and a few fishes to feed a multitude of people.  They did not realize that Christ was the food.  Christ was the bread and Christ was the wine that would feed the multitudes of people.  But the sacrifice had not been offered and the absolution was not complete.  So the physical body was what was fed.  Christ wanted to feed the spiritual.  Christ wanted to feed the soul.  Christ wanted to fulfill the eternal for he had compassion upon the crowd but the disciples were willing to turn them away.  The disciples did not understand that Christ through them would feed the sheep of the world.  They would provide the people with the spiritual food needed to feed the lambs of the body of Christ.

We call upon our Lord today to heal our wounds.  We call upon him to cure our sickness.  We call upon him to provide for us and to protect us from harm.  And Christ wants to feed us.  Christ wants to provide for us, to protect us, to heal us, to cure us from sickness.  But we are not willing.  We are not ready.  We do not know the truth of who we are in Christ.  We cling to physical life as though it was meant to be eternal.  We ask for protection and turn from our protector.  We ask that we are provided for and turn away from the provisions that are given us because they do not come according to our timetable when our God who created the universe provides for us for all eternity and not just for the moment. 

Come!  Know the truth of who you are.  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 15, verse: 32, The Compassion of Christ: I am Unwilling.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus has compassion on the crowd) Part 1.   

The word spread and all came to see.  The lame came to see.  The crippled hobbled to see.  The blind tapped their way to know.  The diseased were brought that they may feel whole again.  The deaf came to hear that they may know the truth.  All came to see Christ because the word spread and brought them to him.  And he sat on a mountain side and waited for them to come.  For the crowds gathered from parts of the towns and villages and districts and all parts of the country.  And Christ waited for them to come.

And he cured them all.  He made the blind see, the lame walk, the cripple were straightened, the deaf heard, the diseased were cured, the possessed freed from their evils.  For all came and all were cured.  And for three days they remained with him.  For three days they sat with him and heard his words.  For three days they knew him as they had not known him before.  For they were the lowly.  They were the downtrodden.  They were the outcast of society, the ones that were spurned and looked down upon as society passed them by.  They were the beggars.  They were the sick.  They were the ones in the market place that smelled of order.  They were the forgotten of society.  And Christ called them.  Christ healed them.  Christ forgave them.  Christ restored them.

And as he sat on the mountainside watching over them, he felt compassion.  He had cast out all the demons.  He had removed sickness.  He had told blindness to leave.  He had removed deafness from all who could not hear.  He had cleansed the people and he had compassion upon them for they were like lost children not knowing what to do.  They were hungry and without food and Christ wanted to feed them.  Then Jesus called together his disciples ,and said, "I have compassion on the crowd, for they have now been with me three days, and have nothing to eat; and I am unwilling to send them away fasting, lest they faint on the way."

Christ had compassion on them.  He had feelings for them that they be fed.  Christ would not will that they leave without having food and he wanted to feed them.  He wanted to give them the bread of life that they do not faint, that they will remember, that they would know that he was the Messiah.  Christ wants to do the same today.  He wants to feed you.  He wants to love you.  He wants to protect you against the evil in the world.  He wants to heal you of sickness and disease.  He wants to open your eyes.  He wants to straighten your legs that you may walk upright.  But the world distracts us.  The world consumes us.  The world calls us.  The world tells us that it will provide for us.  The world tells us it will protect us.  The world tells us it will care for us, it will provide for all our needs, it will fulfill all our passions.  And yet the world is death.

The world is death to our bodies.  The world is death to our souls.  The world is death to who we are.  All must die.  Even the world must die.  But we continue to believe in the world and not in the creator of the world.  Christ calls us.  The word, just as it did in ancient times, calls us today.  Many will heed the call.  Many will be deaf to the call.  Thank you Father for not letting go of my hand when I was in darkness.  Thank you Father for not allowing me to die without knowing you.  Thank you Father for bringing me back from the clutches of death and restoring me to life.  Thank you Father for giving me new life in the Holy Spirit who watches over me everyday, guides me through the traps of the world, and counsels me with its wisdom.  Thank you Father for your grace.  Who do you give your praises and thanks? 

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!