St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 37d; Gathered thy children.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Lamentation over Jerusalem) Part 4.  

Jerusalem, Jerusalem, how I loved thee.  From the foundation of your beginnings to the finishing touches of your crowning, I watched you grow.  I watched as you were planned and sketched out on the grounds to become the magnificent city that you are.  Jerusalem, O Jerusalem, the crown jewel of the Jewish nation, how I loved thee.  How I watched over thee making sure that nothing or no one would harm thee as you in your infancy were growing to become the jewel that you are today.

I wanted to protect thee.  I wanted to provide for thee.  I wanted to love thee as a mother hen loves her young.  O Jerusalem:   "But thou wouldst not!" 

They were his chosen people, the Jews.  From the beginning, he picked Abraham to be the father of a great nation of people as numerous as the stars in the sky, as great as the grains of sand on the beach.  Yet when the time came for their glory to be recognized as the people of God they turned away.  The kingdom of heaven was at hand and they did not accept it.  The Prince of Peace came down from heaven and they crucified him.

The price had to be paid but why at their hands.  Why did they have to be the ones who made the decision to betray the Messiah?  Evil won the day.  The price was paid and mankind was freed from sin.  But the chosen family of God were left in darkness to walk the earth until the day of their reunion.  For God has not forgotten his family.  He has not given up on them.  He is patiently waiting for their day to come when he can bring them back into his family to reunite all as one.

Christ paid the price.  He overcame death.  He rose from the grave and ascended into heaven to take his seat at the right hand of his father.  There he sits waiting for that day when he will come to reign over all.  Come.  Let us rejoice that he is our savior, our king, our provider and our protector.  It is he who has brought us out of the darkness into the light and given us eternal life forever. 

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: 35a; All the Just Blood.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their persecution of religion) Part 11.  

And now comes the pronouncement of judgment against the Scribes and the Pharisees and all their kind who have persecuted religion throughout the ages.  They have massacred the prophets, slain the messengers, crucified the holy ones sent by God, and scourged those who spoke against them in the temples of the synagogues.  The evil within them has taken over and used them to commit sins against God to prevent the people from believing in the one true God.

Anger, pride, lust, slander, false witness, greed, all the sins of man have come upon the leaders of the religious sect to prevent them from seeing or feeling the sorrows of their people.  And God speaks through Christ Jesus to pronounce judgment upon them saying:  "That upon you may come all the just blood that has been shed on the earth."

They were offered the opportunity.  They were given the chance to change.  The door was opened for them many times but they refused to believe, they refused to see, they refused to go through.  Their anger, their pride, their desires, their blind ambition, led them to follow that which was given them from their lust from within, their desire for power.  They thought that they knew.  They thought that they understood.  Little did they know that they were being led down the path of destruction.  Little did they see that they would be required to do more and more evil to demonstrate their loyalty, until there was no turning back, until they had reached the point of no return and their souls were fully committed to evil.  The slippery slope of evil.  If there is no internal compass to guide one then all hope is lost and deceit will eventually play a part in the downfall.

God help us.  God guide us.  God protect those who fear him and those who love him.  Fear not for the events of the day for he has a plan that will always work to his advantage even if evil seems to win the day.  Our Father watches over us and provides and protects us.  We are in his hands and no one or nothing can take us away.  Today is our day to rejoice and be glad.  For we are protected by our Father in heaven and it is his love that will watch over us day in and day out.  Sleep well and be at 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.