St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 13b; Shutting the Kingdom of Heaven.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 2.  

In this paragraph Christ continues to scold the Scribes and the Pharisees on the wrongs they are committing against the people.  He scolds them not to berate them but to show them the error of their ways and hopefully to heal them.  He wants to give them every opportunity to change, every opportunity to turn from their evil ways, every opportunity to save their souls from the possession of evil within them.

They are the leaders and pillars of the religious community responsible for the souls of the people.  Yet they do not open the doors of heaven.  They do not show how to follow the commandments of God, they are not the examples of faith that the people need to return to God.  Christ calls them hypocrites:  "Because you shut the kingdom of heaven against men."

They knew the consequences of their actions.  But they did not care.  They only believed in their actions to maintain their own status in society.  They were privileged people.  They were honored in the public places.  They were recognized for their positions.  They were believed to be pious and holy followers of the Laws of God.  Yet the truth was exactly the opposite.  For behind closed doors the piety came off, the beliefs were different and they cared not for the people of God.

We see many examples of this same behavior today.  People profess to be one way in public but out of the public eye they are an entirely different person.  God sees what we do and how we think.  He knows our inner most thoughts.  We cannot hide from his gaze, he knows who we are.  Yet for those who are true to his sight, those who make an effort to follow his commandments, even though they may stumble and fall, he still loves and forgives.

Our belief in him opens the door to his heart.  Our faith in his promise transforms us into his children.  Our trust in his glory gives us the guidance needed to walk a path lit by the light of the spirit.  Our knowledge of the things that he has done for us, his protection, his provisions, strengthens us to know the truth of who we are in him.  Our love for him grows daily with each waking hour because we have the proof and the delight of being able to see his light of life within us as we know who we are.

God is our Father.  He is our creator.  Christ Jesus is our Lord and our Redeemer.  Through the love of God and the passion of Christ we have the choice today to choose.  We are not dead.  We can have life and have it more abundantly.  The choice is ours to make.  Open the door and he will come to you.  Seek his love and he will touch you.  Allow your heart to know that you are loved and you will see the truth of who you are in him.  God is love.  Christ is our redeemer.  The Holy Spirit is our guide.  Belief is your key to a new life, eternally. 

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: 13a; The Hypocrites.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 1.   

Christ spoke to the Scribes and the Pharisees in an attempt to get them to understand their plight.  He wants to heal them.  He wants to open their eyes.  He wants to give them the opportunity to turn from their wicked ways.  But they are too far gone.  They are too blind to see.  Their sight, their hearing, and their understanding has been taken away.

So now he scolds them.  He calls them out to the public by a name that all would see.  No one has spoken to them this way.  No one has ridiculed them in the public eye the way that Christ spoke to them.  No one berated them, belittled them, undermined their authority.  Yet Christ did.  He told them:  "But woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"  

The Scribes and Pharisees were furious.  They wanted to retaliate.  They were enraged.  For if anyone else called them by this name they would have had them arrested and beaten.  But the people considered Christ a prophet.  They praised him for what he gave to the people.  He brought peace, and joy, and understanding of the true nature of the God who loved them.  They would riot before they allowed anyone to harm him.  But it was not his time to suffer.

What lesson can we learn from the plight of the Scribes and the Pharisees?  Are we hypocrites today, preaching to others the life of piety but living a life of sin?  What is our role today with regards to the responsibility to carry the message of peace and love to others.  

God is our Father.  He created us in his image and likeness, not as physical beings but as spiritual beings.  He is love and his love is for all things that he brought forth to life.  Yet there are other forces in the universe that would turn us away from his love, that would have us do evil.  Our Father gave us the commandments to live by.  He placed them in our hearts and minds to guide our lives.  For those who believe, he gives the spirit of his love to guide us in our daily lives.  He gave us his son to take away our sins that we might be justified.  And he gives us a high priest who sits at his right hand to plead for us in our transgressions.

We are loved.  We are protected.  We are provided for.  We are forgiven.  May our God and Father have mercy on the souls of those who seek his forgiveness.  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 22, verses: 42a; Whose son is the Christ?

Our paragraph topic is:  (The son of David) Part 2.  

Now the tables are turned and Christ has the opportunity to test the Pharisees in their knowledge and wisdom.  He wants to save them.  He wants to heal them from their blindness.  He wants to open their eyes so that they may see the truth.  So he makes an attempt to purge their minds with a question that might lead them to understand the truth of the scriptures.
They are the Pharisees.  They are the leaders of the people, the scholars who have studied the scriptures all their lives.  They have learned from the masters of their time the inner meanings of the writings of their forefathers.  They should know the answers to these questions.  So Jesus questioned them:  saying "What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?" 

They knew the scriptures of the old testament.  They studied them everyday.  They knew the answer to the question.  Would their minds allow them to accept the answer?  Would the answer allow itself to be spoken?  It would contradict everything that they thought and believed.  Yet there it was in the scriptures, the answer that they had not put together with the facts of what was before them today.  Contradiction!  Confusion!  Anxiety!  Would they believe?  

God gave man free will to choose his own destiny.  He wanted to save all mankind at first but Adam failed and Satan deceived.  So the soul of man died for many years until Christ came to redeem mankind and give new life to those who would believe.  The decision is not made.  The decision is ours alone to make.  We must decide, individually, as a group.  Do we live or do we continue to die?  

God our Father loves us.  The proof is in his mercy.  The proof is in his love.  The proof is in the sacrifice of his only son.  

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, verses: 41; Jesus questions the Pharisees.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The son of David) Part 1.  

Christ was merciful.  He was kind.  He was gentle.  He was forgiving in that the Pharisees constantly tried him time and time again.  They came at him every way they could because they wanted to show that he was a fraud, a charlatan.  They could not allow themselves to be embarrassed before the people the way that Christ made them feel.  

But that was not the intention of Christ.  He wanted to open their eyes.  He wanted to heal them.  He wanted them to know him for who he really was and not for who they thought that he was.  He wanted to love them but they would not let him.  He taught the people and they were open to him but the Pharisees were not.  Now while the Pharisees were gathered together, Jesus questioned them.  

Before it had been that they had came to him with their questions seeking to find ways to trick him.  He played their game each time giving them the opportunity to understand the truth of who in him.  And each time they came away lacking the understanding but filled with anger and hatred that their plans had failed.  So this time Christ decided that he would turn the table and question them attempting to pull the truth out that they might see with their own eyes who stood before them.

Who stands before you today?  Do you walk by the ways of the world or do you walk by your faith?  Today your faith is challenged and hard pressed for direction.  Strick the shepherd and the sheep will scatter.  Where do you go?  Who do you follow?  What do you believe?  Do you still have the strong faith that you had yesterday?  Your church is under attack and is infected by a disease.  Christ said that the gates of hell shall not prevail against the church but he did not say that it will not suffer attacks.

Evil exists in the world both inside and outside of the church.  Just like the human body has an immune system to fight diseases so the church body must have the same.  Our faith keeps us strong and it is that faith that we must nourish and protect.  Christ gave us a new life, a new beginning.  It is that newness within that we must protect and nourish.  We are the light of the world placed of a lamp stand for all the world to see.  Now is the time for our little lights to shine together for the world is watching.

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.