St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 22b; For the Sake of the Elect.

Our paragraph topic is: (The destruction of Jerusalem) Part 11.  

Christ continues to talk about the destruction of Jerusalem and how life would end.  He knows what the Father wants.  He knows the anger and the frustration of the Father.  So many times the Father has been merciful and patient with his creation.  He has waited centuries for mankind to become the family, the people, the community of love and understanding that they are capable of becoming.  Yet the world tempts and taunts the people to do evil, to be led astray from the love that the Father has for his people. 

Christ tells the people, pray, that they do not have to experience the great tribulation that comes in winter or on the sabbath.  For on those days such destruction will be seen as man has not witnessed since the beginning of time nor will be.  Jerusalem will be torn asunder.  Many will suffer.  There will be much pain and death.  When you see the signs do not turn back, run for the hills for there will not be time to save anything except yourself.  Christ tells them had those days of destruction not been shortened no living creature would be saved:  "But for the sake of the elect those days will be shortened."   

All is not lost.  The elect will save some.  For their sake the world will not be lost, all living creatures will not be destroyed.  Thanks be to God that there are those who are chosen.  Thanks be to God that there are those who meet his favor, who are special to him and worth saving from destruction.  They are the ones who save mankind.  They are the ones who show the best of who we are.  They are the ones who do not yield to the temptations of the world, who do not fall prey to the traps of evil.  

We all are just human, weak and frail, struggling daily, attempting to know his will for us in this world.  We yield to temptation, but do we get up, ask for forgiveness, and repent of our sins.  Seeking forgiveness and repenting is our salvation.  Try and try as we might, we must continue to fight the struggle to live the life of love and trust and faith that Christ has given us to live.  And believe that as long as we believe with all our hearts and minds that he is our lord and savior and that we will be saved.  Believe that those days will be shortened, and we will be part of the elect of God. 

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: 14b; Widows houses.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 6.  

The kingdom of heaven was at hand and Christ pronounced judgment over the Scribes and the Pharisees.  He made every effort to reach them.  He did everything he could to pull them back from the brink, but they were too far gone to turn back.  They were too caught up in their anger and frustration at Christ to break free from their positions of hatred and fear.

The prophets of the past had called them out to the people.  They spoke the words of God to the leaders and rulers who did not listen.  And so it was the same in the time of the Scribes and the Pharisees.  They would do the same as their forefathers to get rid of those who would call them out to the people.  Christ called them hypocrites:  "Because you devour the houses of widows, praying long prayers."  

This is the time in history to look back on and imagine what it was like to be there with Christ.  Imagine being in his presence, in the presence of the kingdom of heaven that was with him.  And yet from what we can read it was difficult for those who were there, those that did not know him, to experience his presence.  Often he said that this man was blind or this person was cripple for the sake of the disciples and the people that they might believe, that they might see the power of God in him.  And how much of a life altering experience was it for those who were touched by his miracles.

We, today, do not have the luxury of experiencing his miracles as they did then.  Or do we?  We cry and moan to God when we are in pain, when we suffer loss.  We blame him for the loss of our loved ones when they are taken suddenly without cause.  We cry to him of the hardships that we face daily because we are presented with a better life that we wish we could have.  Yet with all our pain and suffering, do we thank him for the little blessings, the little miracles that he gives us daily.  

If we let him he will provide.  If we allow him he will protect.  If we trust him he will secure for us a place of peace in our life today, tomorrow and forever.  And if we learn to love that which he does for us he will call us home to be with him for eternity.

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 22, verse: 13; The Guest is cast out.

Our paragraph topic is:  (One guest is cast out) Part 3. 

And now in the final episode of this parable where the king enters the ballroom to find the guests enjoying the celebrations that he has prepared.  At last now he has a party that will be remembered by all.  He has brought together enough people that will remember this celebration of the union of the bride and the groom.  This is a celebration for all to talk about.

But wait.  All were talking about something else.  They were talking about a guest at the wedding feast that did not wear a wedding garment.  They were talking about a person who came to the wedding feast who dared to come without the appropriate attire in defiance of the king, in defiance of the host of the celebration.  And the king was not going to have this person spoil his party.  "Then the king said to the attendants, 'Bind his hands and feet and cast him forth into the darkness outside, where there will be the weeping, and the gnashing of teeth.' "  

The party was not going to be spoiled by one guest who came with the intent to disgrace the host.  This was an important celebration that the king wanted all to remember.  He wanted all who came to spread the word of this one celebration.  He wanted all who came to tell everyone so that all would remember the wedding feast held by the king.  And this was not going to be a feast that one guest spoiled.

So this one guest was cast out into the darkness.  He was thrown outside where the animals who are hungry were wanting to get into the party.  They smell the food and they want to come in.  The teeth were gnashing and the mouths were watering and the stomachs were hungry for the great feast of food that inside the great hall.  But they could get in.  And that is the way that it was. 

There are some parties that we would like to go to.  There are some parties that we would die to be invited to.  There are some parties that would kill to get into but the guards at the gates will not let us in.  What do we do?  We accept with anger that we are not invited.  We accept with disgust that we are not a part of that crowd.  We accept with frustration that we will get even with those guys when we see them again.  But we still cannot get into the party.

This is not the case with the kingdom of heaven.  All are invited.  All are welcomed to come.  All are given the message about the celebration to come and be a part of the wedding feast.  But you must wear a wedding garment.  You must wear the proper attire.  You must come prepared to enter or you may be asked to leave or you may be thrown out into the darkness.  You may be embarrassed in front of all your friends and asked to leave by the host.  God wants all to attend but you must come prepared for the feast.

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:25b, Authority over the Gentiles.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Humility according to Christ's example) Part 3.

The disciples have expressed their anger and their frustration at James and John.  They want to sit with Christ also.  They want to be at his right and at his left also.  They want to be first also and that is the problem.  James and John did not express these wants, these desires.  Their mother came forth and spoke to Christ about what she wanted for them.  She came forth and spoke what was in their hearts.

What she did not realize was that her words opened the door to the hearts of the disciples.  Her words exposed them to anger.  He words exposed them to injustice.  Her words exposed them to jealousy.  And Christ had to speak to their hearts to help them understand what they were doing.  He had to speak to the jealousy, and their anger and their heartfelt injustice.  So he gave them an example.  He told them of the lords of the Gentiles.  He told them of their practices.  He told them how they would become like the Gentiles, how the rulers of the Gentiles lorded their power over them.  "And their great men exercise authority over them." 

They wanted to be great.  They wanted to be known throughout the land.  They wanted to be like the lords and rulers of their time.  This was the example that they knew.  This was what they saw in their time.  The rulers would parade through the streets with their guards and their attendants.  They would receive privileges everywhere they went.  The people would give them special recognition and this was what they thought that they would become being disciples of Christ.

Yet Christ wanted to give them a different image.  He wanted to give them a different understanding of who they were and who they would become through him.  For he was a lord.  He was a king.  He was the ruler of all the world.  Yet he did not come to be a king.  He did not come to be a lord, a ruler.  He gave up all his royal trappings to become like an ordinary man.  He gave up his crown and his glory and his majesty to become the pauper among us.  And this was the example that he wanted his disciples to understand.

For without the power and without the glory, one does not assume a position of greatness.  Without the majesty and the privilege one does not become haughty,  and aloof and assume an attitude of being special.  And without the attitude of feeling special the heart is closed to jealousy, and anger, and injustice.  For Christ came to right the injustices of the world, he came to act as a sacrifice for the injustices.  He came that the punishment may be lifted.  He came that what was lost may now be restored.  He came that his love for man would be established for all eternity.

We are here today to be witnesses to the love and the mercy and the forgiveness of our God and Father.  We are here today to testify to his love.  We are here today to become living examples of the life that is within each of us that others may see and know that they are our brothers and sisters in Christ.  For he came and gave that we would have life.  He came and walked among us that we would know the truth.  He came and gave us an example, a history, and a path to follow that would lead us to him.  He came to demonstrate his passion for us that would last throughout all eternity.  It is that passion that carries us.  It is that passion that guides us.  It is that passion that leads us to him each day.  And it is that passion that is available for all to know, to see, to feel, to become a part of their lives today.  His love is there for the asking.  His love is there for those who seek it.  His love is there for all to receive it even if they do not know him.  All you have to do is open the door to your heart and let him in.   

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: 26, Tribute to the kings of the earth: The Payment.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Paying the Temple tax) Part 4.   

Simon Peter was questioned by the tax collectors about the didrachma and he was angry.  The question opened a wound.  The question made him see red.  The question made him see the injustice of the system and it did not sit well with him.  For many years Simon did not like how the tax collection system was administered and he wanted to do something about it.  But Christ wanted to teach him a lesson.  Christ wanted to show him how to overcome the anger.  He wanted Peter to learn not to let the injustices of the world cause him to open the door to anger, to frustration, to hatred, and not to give evil a foothold into his heart.  

Christ saw how Peter was disturbed.  He knew the turmoil in his heart.  He felt the anger and the frustration in Peter so he wanted to help him to understand how to accept it.  Christ sought to question Simon on the injustice.  He sought to show Simon how to overcome.  And he sought to demonstrate to Simon the trust that he must have in the father to overcome all injustices.  So Christ sent Simon fishing.  He gave him a task that would bring him peace, a task that would take away the pain of injustice and bring calm into his mind and soul. 

Simon was a fisherman and that was the one thing that he knew.  And Christ sent him to fish that he might believe in the providence of God.  He told Simon:  But that we may not give offense to them, go to the sea and cast a hook, and take the first fish that comes up.  And opening its mouth thou wilt find a stater; take that and give it to them for me and for thee."

What can we learn today from this lesson that Christ gave Simon then?  Simon was disturbed by this injustice.  This injustice had been with him for years and each experience made him feel worse.  He wanted to react.  He wanted to do something.  He wanted to find some solution.  We face the same situations today.  There are many things that would disturb us.  There are injustices that we face that would make us angry, disturb us, frustrate us, make us want to take action into our own hands to find a solution.  But God is our father and it is his to resolve, his to deal with, his to exact wrath and punishment.

How then do we find resolution?  How then do we cope with what we face daily?  How then do we allow ourselves to have peace with the pain and horror in the world?  Christ sent Peter fishing.  He gave him something to do to past the time until the issue would be resolved.  He gave Simon a task that would give him the time to trust in God's justice.  He gave Simon a task that would allow him the opportunity to practice patience.  And so it is with us today.  God's rule will prevail.  God's justice will be upheld and the wrath of God will be exacted upon those who practice injustice.  We must trust in God to fulfill his promise.  We must have faith in God's will for us that we do not open the door to the evil of hatred, fear, frustration, anger, and all manner of wrongs that are against the will of the father.

Christ gave us a commandment that we should love one another as he has loved us.  For we are all created in the image and likeness of our father.  We all have the spiritual life given to us by our father and it is that life within us that is most precious.  For our father loves each and every one of us and if we understood the love that he has for us we would know the truth of who we are in him.  That knowledge of love brings a peace that is not of this world and that peace is the joy of who we are in him.  Let not your peace be disturbed.  Let not your joy be overturned that you loose the inner peace that comes with the truth of who you are. 

For God so loved the world that he sent his only son that we would have life eternal in him.  And it is that precious gift of life that we must strive to protect from the destruction that comes through the open door of the injustices of this world.  Hatred, fear, frustration, anger, all are intended to disturb the peace that Christ has given us through the father.  Practice Perfect Patience and you will know the justice of God.  Practice Perfect Patience and you will see the miracles of the father.  Practice Perfect Patience and you will know the love of the father that will fill your heart and soul completely.  Be at peace.  Be with love.  See the truth of the light of the life that Christ has given you and you will see your brothers and sisters as they truly are in you.  Come!  Follow the path before you.  The truth is before you.  Seek it.  Follow it.  Find it and you will know.  Christ loves you.  The Holy Spirit awaits you.  God the Father be with 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 17, verse: 23-24a, Tribute to the kings of the earth: The Question?

Our paragraph topic is:  (Paying the Temple tax) Part 1.   

Christ and his disciples traveled on until they reached Capharnaum.  And in Capharnaum the collectors of the tax were waiting.  It was their job to make sure that the taxes were paid.  It was their job to make sure that the taxes were collected from all who entered the city.  It was there job to make sure that according to the law that the levy was paid to the temple so that all would bear responsibility.  The Law stated that the taxes would be paid by all.  The Law stated that all would support the maintenance and upkeep of the temple.  And the Law must be exacted upon all.

But there were those who did not pay.  There were those who had special privilege.  There were those who were above the law.  And the payment of the tax was looked upon with disdain.  So many were forced to pay the tax or suffer the consequences of the Law.  Support the temple.  Support the high priest.  Support the Pharisees and the Sadducees so that they were able to continue to live the lifestyle that their positions afforded.  All must pay.  All must give.  All must pay their fair share.  And those who were exempt would receive the benefits of the income that came from the tax.

So when the disciples entered the city and Christ did not pay the tax, Peter was questioned.  He was questioned concerning an answer that he did not know how to reply.  Does the Son of Man pay tribute others?  Does the Son of God give support to pay for the continuation of an unjust system?  Peter was confused.  Peter was concerned.  So in order to not cause alarm with the tax collectors he answered what they wanted to hear, even though he was still at odds with the system.  And when they had come to Capharnaum, those who were collecting the didrachma came to Peter, and said, "Does your Master not pay the didrachma?"  He said, "Yes." 


There were things that raised the ire of people in the time of Christ and there are things that raised the ire of people today.  There are many opportunities for us to get mad about the injustices that we experience today.  Why does the cost of gasoline continue to go up?  Why do we experience high electric and high gas bills, where the per unit costs is not fixed but fluctuate?  Why are food prices increasing but our income decreasing?  Why do we have to pay increasing taxes to the government and then hear about government waste? 

There are many things in the world that would cause us to be mad and angry, but where does it get us?  Why do we get angry?  Why do we get mad?  Why are we frustrated with the system?  We want more and we do not want to suffer the consequences of what the world forces upon us.  We want more money.  We want more food.  We want more clothes, cars, boats, women, drinks, good times.  We want to live in high places, we want all that this life has to offer, just like the others that we see having the good life.  Yet we do not realize that this world is dying, this world is decaying right before our eyes and we cannot see it. 

For those who believe, they already have their rewards.  For those who are in Christ, he provides for all our needs.  For those who abide with the Holy Spirit, there is no greater reward than what has already been given.  We do not need to get mad.  We do not need to be angry.  Christ provides all.  Christ cares for all.  Christ is all to those who know and believe.  He fulfills all our needs and all our desires.  His fulfillment is not temporary but permanent.  His fulfillment is everlasting.  His provisions are more than this world could ever offer.  Patience is the key.  Practice "perfect patience" and witness the miracles of God, for he will provide.  He will come through.  He will protect.  And he will fulfill all of the promises he has given to those who love him. 

Seek the kingdom of heaven and all else will be provided to you.  Have faith in the Lord and practice the patience that comes with the knowledge of truth.  Trust in the creator of the universe and you will be rewarded with the riches of the universe.  For material riches have nothing of value compared to the riches of heaven.  Crave not for the dirt of the earth but crave the kingdom of God.  I sought to know.  I sought to find.  I knocked on the door and asked God to know his love.  I was touched by his love and now I know.  This is the path I traveled.  This is the road I walked.  It is before you.  Come!  Walk the road with me and we will share a life of joy and happiness in the love of Christ and the love of God our Father.

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.