St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 31b; Those who killed the prophets.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their persecution of religion) Part 5.  

Christ is speaking directly to the Scribes and the Pharisees on how they are destroying the religion of the people.  The things they are doing and the rules and the laws they enforce have little to do with increasing the faith of the people but instead destroying their belief in their God.  Why is it so difficult on the people at this time in their lives?  Why do the leaders proclaim so many laws that they have to follow?  Why are they treated like slaves where every move is watched over by the religious leaders to make sure they are doing no wrong?  Why is there no mercy in the Lord?

God heard the cries and sighs of his people and sent his prophets to warn the leaders of their harsh treatment of the people.  He sent messengers to the Pharisees to tell them of their wrongs. The prophets proclaimed in the streets the message of God but the leaders would not have them stirring up the people with a different word than that which came from them.  To put an end to the messenger they killed the prophets, spilled their precious blood.   And the people were left without the message.  The new leadership followed in the same footsteps as their fathers maintaining the same rules, persecuting the religion as their fathers before them.

When Christ confronted them about their fathers, they tried to escape their heritage but they only convicted themselves by their own words.  He told them that they can not deny: "That you are the sons of those who killed the prophets." 


They, indeed, were the heirs of their fathers who killed the prophets.  As much as they might try to hide from that fact it would be part of their heritage.  Their fathers trained them, taught them how to rule the people.  They taught them the ins and out of leadership, and getting ride of the opposition was one of the key tools handed down to the children.  This was how they ruled the people.  Keep everyone in line.  

We see this even today, in every corner of industry, government, management, finance, business, etc.  As long as you stay in line with your leaders and do as they ask, keep your head down, don't make trouble, no matter what, you will be fine.  If you see something wrong, ask too many questions, speak up at the wrong time, you are subject to find yourself at the back of the line and out the door.  These are the rules of our society and they are enforced down to the man.

Ask yourself, where do you want to be in life?  On the inside or on the outside?  How far are you willing to go to achieve your goals?  What are you willing to do to get there?  Are you willing to lie, cheat, steal, slander, cause harm, murder, lower your moral standards, whatever? We are driven to get ahead.  We are motivated daily to have the things that we see that others have.  We want the same things and we will have them!  And then there is that little voice that sits on our shoulder that tells us how to get what we want if we only have the guts and the courage to take it.  Evil has come full circle.

Christ came to redeem us from the evil in the world.  He came to give us a new life, a life rich with all the joy and happiness that this world cannot offer.  He came that we might have peace within, knowing that we are already wealthy, rich beyond the worldly material of mankind.  Our joy lies with him.  Our peace is in him.  Our love is from him.  We are in him and he is in those who will accept him.  

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: 30a; At the Resurrection.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ's answer) Part 2.  

They came to him with the question of the resurrection.  They did not believe that there was life after death.  They did not believe in the resurrection of the soul.  They only believed that after life you die and there was nothing else.  So they wanted to hear what Christ had to say since he was the up and coming preacher of the day.  He was the person that everyone was talking about.  Some called him a prophet, some called him the Messiah.

So to get their answer they conceived a question about life and death, marriage and heirs that would address the question of the resurrection.  Christ told them that they erred in their assumption of marriage and ownership after death, after the resurrection.  He said:  "For at the resurrection they will neither marry nor be given in marriage." 

Imagine that!  Christ gave them insight into the kingdom of heaven.  He told them that there will be no earthly ties in heaven.  God created man and woman, gave them the garden, and told them to be fruitful and multiply.  But in heaven man and woman will be free of those earthly ties.  They will be free of those physical bonds that held them to the pain and suffering in the physical realm.  They will be able to experience freedom in the kingdom of heaven.  In the spiritual realm created by God there will be no marriage, no physical as on earth.

Christ came that we could know what to do, how to live, what to believe, and how to love one another.  He came as an example for us to live by, as an example to love by, as an example to believe and to hope by in our daily lives.  He created his church to continue his message and to be witnesses to his message for those who did not see him or did not hear his words personally.  He is the living word of God the Father.  He is the eternal love of the creator of the universe, our hope and our passion for life today and tomorrow.

We struggle each day with the trials and tribulations of this world that we live in seeking to maintain a sense of peace amongst all that is not peaceful.  To look around and see the world in its true form only leads to discouragement.  Yet peace comes from within, from the connection with the living soul of life given us through the sacrifice of Christ's passion.  The Spirit abides with us.  The Spirit guides us.  The Spirit lives with us daily to help us along the way when we become weary of life.  Thank you Christ for that which you have given us.  Thank you Father for all that you provide for us.  Thank you Holy Spirit for your guidance. 

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: 29; The Power of God.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ's answer) Part 1.  

They came with their question about marriage and the issue of heirs.  Hidden in it was the question of the resurrection.  They did not believe in the resurrection but they wanted to know the answer from Christ.  They wanted to know his thoughts on the resurrection so that they could trap him.  

He saw them coming.  He knew of their deceit.  He knew of their lies and their plans to trap him.  Each group came with their questions hidden with their traps.  Yet they did not understand who they were speaking with, who they were talking to.  They knew not, they thought not, they perceived not.  But Jesus answered and said to them, "You err because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God." 

They had read the scriptures.  They had read them over and over again but they knew them not.  They did not understand them.  They did not truly comprehend the depth of the knowledge of what they had read.  For the power of God was in the scriptures and was far greater than their imagination could conceive.  They did not believe in the knowledge of what they read in the scriptures.

The scriptures tells of the many miracles wrought by God for his chosen people.  He brought plagues upon those who were against the Jews.  He brought death to the first born, he fought battles to save the people.  He parted the waters of the Red Sea and crushed the Egyptian army to save the Israelites.  Yet they did not know the scriptures and the power of their God that he would do anything for his people.

They brought a question of conflict to Christ because this is how they perceived it.  Who will the widow belong since all the brothers had her?  This would create conflict on earth, but not in heaven.  

This was conflict on the physical plain not on the spiritual.  For we are spiritual beings in a physical body.  When we leave the physical we continue in the spiritual and there is no conflict in the spiritual.  There are no physical ties in the spiritual.  We become free from the physical plain.

Christ is our guide, the first born.  He leads the way, he opens the doors to the kingdom of heaven to the spiritual realm.  When we leave the physical realm we move to the spiritual realm to be with him and all those who have gone before us.  We rejoice in the union of our past and are filled with the spirit of life from the heavenly realm of God.  The path is ours.  The choice is ours.  Come!  Choose!  Do not Err!

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: 27-28; The Resurrection and the wife.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The Sadducees question Christ) Part 4.  

They did not believe in the resurrection but they structured their question around it.  The Sadducees came to Christ with this question of marriage they constructed based upon what Moses had given them concerning a widow and the issue of an heir.  They stretched their question so that it would seem almost ridiculous in that it concerned seven brothers who had the task of inheriting a widow from one of their brothers.  They were not concerned about the question of heirs but only about the question of resurrection.  So this is how they structured their question to seek an answer from Christ.

They did not believe in resurrection after death.  And they wanted to question Christ on this issue so that they could take issue with his answer with the rest of the Sanhedrin about his teachings.  So they put the question to him:  "And last of all the woman also died.  At the resurrection, therefore, of which of the seven will she be the wife?  For they all had her."  

Husband, wife, son, daughter, mother, father, all earthly names that we give to the earthly flesh that we live with here on this rock.  What will we be when we leave it?  What will we become when our flesh is returned to the dirt from which it was formed and our souls go to another place?  Are we just the flesh that we see or are we more?  Who are we?  Where do we come from?  What are we now?  These are all questions that we can ask ourselves.  We seek to find something more than just the flesh that we are in this world we live.  The flesh is pain.  The flesh is weak.  The flesh is vulnerable.  The flesh grows old and dies.  Is this all that we are?  Or are we more than the flesh?  Our search will lead us on a path of discovery to find the truth of who we are.

There are many paths to discovery in life.  Much has been written on the subject.  And there are many established institutions that we can follow.  There is but one established institution , however, that claims to have God that came down from heaven to walk among the people of the earth to teach them how to live.  And Christ came to open the doors to heaven so that anyone and everyone could have the opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven. 

The choice is yours.  The directions are laid out, the path is clear for those who want to follow.  Seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you, ask and it shall be given to you.  These are the words that were spoken and written for us to read, for us to follow, for us to understand today.  They are simple and clear.  Seek them and you will know for yourself.  The truth awaits. 

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.