St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 15; The Abomination of Desolation.

 Our paragraph topic is:  (The destruction of Jerusalem) Part 1.  

He wept for the city he cared for deeply.  He wanted to protect it as a mother wants to protect her children and provide for them.  But Jerusalem would not have it.  Jerusalem was a city of its own.  It had come to power and fame to be known throughout the region for its glory.  And that image made it believe that it did not need help from the maker and provider who gave it the ground it was built upon.  How arrogant it had become in its years of progress, fame, and glory to think that it did not need its founding father. 

Christ came to the city with his disciples.  He saw their pride and their joy in being a part of the peoples that had built such a magnificent place.  He saw also the future of the city and what lay ahead, the destruction and desolation that was coming as a result of the pride and the arrogance of the city.  It became necessary for him to let his disciples know what was coming so that they would be prepared.  He told them:  "Therefore when you see the abomination of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place -let him who reads understand. "  

He wanted them to understand the need to survive the destruction that was coming.  When the temple was desecrated by the placement of idols, it was time for the disciples to leave.  It would be time for the church to move to a new location, to take as many worshippers with them.  To stay would have meant death and destruction.  

What does this mean for followers of Christ today, for those who read?  What knowledge can we obtain from these words to help us prepare for the future that may come?  Will we have a desecration of our places of worship?  Will our churches and altars be replaced with idols of false images to worship as though they are gods?  Will we be forced to acknowledge a worldly power as our god or suffer death and destruction?  Is this a warning for us too? 

Today we live in a different world than what it was two thousand years ago.  We have modern conveniences that were not available then.  Our lives are less cumbersome, we live longer, we are healthier, have more freedom, life all around is better.  Death is not so imminent as it was then.  Christ came to open the doors of heaven to all mankind past, present, and future so that all would have the opportunity for eternal life.  And yet it is this opportunity for eternal life that we loose sight of ,today, in comparison to what modern life has to offer.  

We live as though we are given tomorrow.  And yet tomorrow is not given to us.  Death could come at an instant when we are not prepared for it.  We pray: Father, let the end not come when we are not prepared.  Have mercy on our souls.  

 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: 12b; The Exalted.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 11. 

We end this paragraph topic about the Scribes and the Pharisees but this entire chapter of Matthew revolves around them.  They came together at the end of chapter 22 to challenge Christ since they heard that he had silenced the Sadducees.  Christ used this opportunity to speak directly to all of them since they had come together to challenge him.

This was his chance to give them instructions while he was with his disciples and the people.  Yet even more so, it was an opportunity to open their minds that they might see the truth of who they were and the influence of evil over them.  He had told them that he who is the greatest among you shall be your servant which was contrary to their sense of belief that they would be servants to anyone.  He further tells them:  "And whoever humbles himself shall be exalted."   

These statements were spoken to the Scribes and the Pharisees but were also meant to instruct the disciples and anyone who listened.  The Scribes and the Pharisees certainly were not humble by any means.  They sought recognition.  They sought praise.  They sought honor and fame because of their positions among the people.  They believed that they were above the laws they imposed upon the people.  And their beliefs did not encompass humility.

The disciples were being trained by Christ to follow in his footsteps.  This statement was an instruction to them also.  Do not exalt yourself above the people but follow a humble path.  Follow his example of humility and you will be exalted by the Father.  He is the son of the most high God, first born above all creation, King of Kings, Lord of Lords, Prince of Princes.  Yet he humbled himself, discarded his crown of glory and became a servant to the people.

Here is our example today of how to live a humble life.  Be of service to one another.  Help where help is needed.  Show compassion on the lowly and the needy.  Give with a loving heart and God will give to you.  We are all from one body, created in the same image and likeness, all the same brothers and sisters.  Let us not go astray from ourselves.  Let us not divide ourselves.  Let us not make comparisons that bring jealousy and envy.  We are all one in him who created us and gave us life.  Christ is our savior.  He is our Lord.  He is the architect of the life we have today.  Be the example.  Live the life he has given us in peace and harmony with our brothers and sisters.  For we are from one God, one Father, one Lord.  Amen.

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 20, verse:23a, The Drink.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mother of James and John) Part 8. 

They wanted fame and fortune.  They wanted to sit at his side.  They wanted to have power and prestige.  They wanted to be at the head of the table and not at the end.  But, they did not know the price they would have to pay for their wants.  These were they wishes of James and John as expressed by their mother.  She spoke what they would not speak.  She came forth and worshipped even as they could not worship.  She brought forth what others only thought about, what would be their rewards for following in the footsteps of the Lord.

They loved him surely.  They walked with him for years.  They watched him work unbelievable miracles.  They listened to his words with care.  They, like no other living today, had the opportunity to see with their own eyes and experience with their own beings the living Christ. 

He came down from heaven.  He walked the earth.  He lived amongst the people.  He taught them of the Father and gave them his principles and practices.  And then he died.  He suffered, he was punished as no man has ever been punished.  And he was hung on a cross for sins that he did not commit.  They did not know the whole picture at the time they asked to sit at his side.  But they would follow in his sacrifice.  And:  He said to them, "Of my cup you shall indeed drink." 

Here is something that we can ask ourselves today, "Can we drink of his cup?"  Can we take even a sip, a whiff or even a smell of the cup that he drank from?  It was a tall cup, a cup filled with issues, a cup filled with pain, suffering, unselfish love, grace, tenderness, patience, knowledge, faith, trust, and a deep seated passion in the redemption of mankind, a passion that required his life.  Are we worthy of the love that he has for us?  Do we know the value of the sacrifice that was made for us?  Can we not see, can we not understand, can we not know the beauty of who we are in his eyes? 

We live in a world, a realm, where we are provided with all that our hearts desire.  In order to have all, we must strive.  We must work, we must achieve, we must educate ourselves, overcome obstacles, revise who we are in order to conform to the common mole.  We must give up who we are, sacrifice that which is natural to us, change how we think and feel, how we know, and how we believe, in order to achieve all.  And in the process of all this, we become something else, somethin other than who we are.  We become something that the world has created.  We do all this that we might succeed, that we might be on top.

Will we drink of his cup or shall we drink of the cup the world has given us.  Both will change us.  Both require a decision.  We live in the world but we are spiritual.  The world gives us food, gives us protection, allows us to grow, it gives us love, educates us, gives us the opportunity to provide for ourselves, and demands us to conform to its norms.  But when we come of age and decide which road we want to take, we make a choice.  Sometimes the choice is easy, natural, given to us from birth.  At other times we come to re-evaluate the choice in order to continue. 

Our Father walks with us at each choice we make.  We can let go of the world and turn back to him.  We can change the decision that we make.  We can understand that there is something more, something greater, something that gives us peace and joy and love in our lives.  There is something that is within us that is not of this world but of the spirit and life given us by our Father.  It is that spirit that will guide us along right path that leads to him.  The choice is ours to make.  Do we drink of his cup? 

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.