St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 2; Temple destruction.

Our paragraph topic is: (Christ foretells the Temple's destruction) Part 2.  
Many came to the city to marvel at the construction and beauty.  They came from near and far because they had heard of Jerusalem's beauty.  They wanted to see it.  They wanted to know it.  They wanted to hear of the history and the culture that caused such a city to be built.  So they came from all nations and tribes, from north and south, east and west to see this great city.  They wanted to learn so they could take that knowledge back to their own cultures.

And the Jews were proud of this fact that the people from all over the known world were coming to Jerusalem to see the majesty of their great city.  The disciples wanted Christ to see all there was of this great city.  They wanted to show him around to all the different parts.  But Christ did not see greatness.  All he saw was destruction.  All he saw was ruin.  "But he answered and said to them, 'Do you see all these things?  Amen I say to you, there will not be left here one stone upon another that will not be thrown down.' "

And so it was that destruction was in his sight and not the beauty that was in the eyes of the disciples.  They were proud.  He was sadden.  They were joyful.  He was heart broken.  They could only see the here and now.  He saw the future and the destruction that was taking place even as they spoke because it was happening before their eyes and they could not see.  

What we see and what we do not see is what we are given to see or not see.  We are given to see the things around us because they are there every day.  We look for them and they are there.  We are not given to see those things that are not there.  They may be there but we are not given to see them.  That doesn't mean that they are not there it's just that we are not given to see them because we don't ordinarily look for them.  They could be right in front of our face and we do not see them because we are not looking for them.  

Christ sees all and knows all, past , present, and future.  He sees us in our daily lives and our daily struggles.  We are his body and together he provides for all, protects all.  We know not where we are going.  We only know that day by day we will eventually get there.  He will carry us through if we call upon his name to see us through.  We are not given to see the outcome of these things but our belief tells us that we can see that he is with us.  We ask him for help with our problems and though they may not get solved according to our time frame, they do get solved if we leave them in his hands.  

Thank you God for that which we cannot see that we know that is there for us.  Thank you Christ for being there for us to help us along the way.  Thank you Holy Spirit for being our guide every day when we need someone to lean on to help us along the way.   

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: 14a; Woe to you.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 5.  

Christ continues to scold the Scribes and the Pharisees about their behavior.  He calls them hypocrites in public for all to hear which is not good.  The Scribes and the Pharisees are respected and honored and to call them hypocrites in public is bad.  

Christ did not do this out of hate.  He did not do this out of jealousy.  He loved his people.  He did this because he wanted to save the Scribes and the Pharisees.  He wanted to open their eyes.  He wanted them to see the truth of what they were doing to themselves and to the people.  But they were so blinded that they could not see, they could not hear his love for them, they could not understand the truth of what he was doing for them.  Therefore, he said to them:  " Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"

What would you do for someone that you loved that you knew was going in the wrong direction?  Would you try to help them see what they were doing?  Would you do everything in you means to open their eyes to the truth?  What methods would you take to help them understand?  God our father tried to make us understand but we were wayward children driven by the lust of our flesh.  So he almost destroyed the human race.  But he decided to start over with a chosen few.

He gave us free will to choose.  And Christ gave us the choice of new life or death.  His passion and love for the good that he saw in us allowed him to withstand the test of pain and suffering for all mankind.  Not for one or two or three but for all men, all women, all children on this earth.  

We live and die that we might show that we are worthy to have the choice of life with him in heaven.  This is our entire purpose in life.  Recognize the choice.  Remember the choice.  Live the choice in Christ.

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.