St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 17; Flee from the housetops.

 Our paragraph topic is: (The destruction of Jerusalem) Part 3. 

Christ continues with his predictions about the destruction of Jerusalem.  He is speaking to his disciples so that they will know of the coming doom and to the crowd around them.  This is new.  It is not heard of before.  He is the one who has brought about miracles, raised the dead, cured the sick, made cripples and the lame to walk, cured lepers.  He is the one all the people are talking about.  And now he is talking about the destruction of Jerusalem.

This new word may cause panic among the people.  It may cause fear to run rampant.  It may cause the leaders to take action to stop this talk of the destruction of Jerusalem.  But Jesus is making a prediction of the coming doom of Jerusalem and he wants the world to know of it.  He is telling the people:  "And let him who is on the housetop not go down to take anything from his house."

Destruction will be swift.  It will be keen.  It will be unrelenting.  It will spare no one in it's path.  So flee when you can with only your life and nothing else, less you loose it.  Death is at your heals, one step behind you.  This is the message that Christ is preparing his disciples and the people for, letting them know how they are to survive the coming doom.  They must heed his words and flee for their lives when the time comes or slaughter will overtake them.

What are we to learn today, of this message given so long ago.  Does it have meaning for the people of today.  Jerusalem was destroyed but today it is rebuilt.  Is it due for destruction again?  The Jewish people were proud of what their religion had built.  They were a rich nation.  God provided for them for many years.  Yet they rebelled and Jerusalem fell.  Is there a message in their history for the rest of the Christian world?  Are we provided for by God?  Does he watch over us, does he protect us?  Are we a proud people because of our God?  

Christ came down from heaven to show us how to live, to be an example for us.  He was gentle, and kind and loving, and forgiving.  He gave of himself to those in need and those who believed in him.  Do not be afraid he would always say.  Have the faith of a mustard seed.  Seek the kingdom of heaven first and all other things will be given you, for your Father knows your needs.  These were some of his words to us, written for us to read and to know.  Written for us to carry with us in our daily lives that we will have his words to guide us through life.  The key to life is in his words.  It is there for those who desire to find it, there for those who seek to know it, for those who seek to have it to open the door of their life eternal.  Open yours!!  

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 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 22, verses: 43b-44; Thy Enemies thy footstool.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The son of David) Part 4.  

Here they were all gathered together, the Pharisees, with the intent of questioning Christ.  But their gathering presented an opportunity for Christ to question them, an opportunity to open their minds, an opportunity to help them see what they failed to see before.  What did they think of the Christ?  Whose son was he?  

Obviously they believed that he was the son of David.  This was their belief all along.  It was written in their history and their ancestry.  But in the scriptures there was another interpretation for them to see and Christ had the chance to open their eyes to this new reading.  So he asked them how is it that David in the spirit is:  "Saying,  ‘The Lord said to my Lord: Sit thou at my right hand, till I make thy enemies thy footstool? "  

And that was the paradox of the question, the Lord of my Lord.  If my son is born of my flesh how can he be my Lord unless he is greater than I?  Is that something that I, we, can concede?  Can the Pharisees believe this in their doctrine of beliefs?  Is this possible?  Is the Christ, son of David greater than David himself?  Can this be true?  This would take some study and review to determine the nature of the truth for the Pharisees.  

What is the nature of the truth for us today?  Can we believe in the Christ?  Can we believe in his words as handed down through the centuries of writings of the many bibles available today? Or do we need to do our own research, go on our own quest in search of the truth to find the God of our beliefs.  He is out there waiting for you to find him, waiting for you to search for him.  Most of all he is in you waiting for you to look within to see him in yourself and in others.  He is a God of Love.  He is a God of faith.  He is a God of forgiveness.  He is a God of mercy.  He is a God seeking 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 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: 42b-43a; Whose son is the Christ?

Our paragraph topic is:  (The son of David) Part 3.  

They knew the answer to the question.  They knew their history and their ancestry, for Jesus was from the tribe of David and this was written for all to know.  But they did not know the meaning of this answer.  They were the scholars of the scriptures.  They had studied the books all their lives, but they had not made the connections.  Or maybe they had made the connections but refused to see the truth in them.

Christ was the son of David but he was also the son of God and that was also written.  They, the scholars, did not want to believe that this man was the Messiah.  They did not want to believe that the Christ would come from such a lowly means, that God would send his son in the place of a man with such low standing.  So when they answered: They said to him, "David’s."   Christ responded:  He said to them, "How then does David in the Spirit call him Lord."  

Here was the mind twister, the rattler, the thought that could give them the opportunity to see the truth and be opened.  Christ wanted them to see.  He wanted the Pharisees to understand the truth and be healed.  He had the opportunity to have them all together before him in a group so he posed the question that would make them all think at once.  It would give them the chance to think together, on the same level, to resolve a problem among themselves in his presence.

We are like the Pharisees.  God presents us with problems, issues, that will make us think about the consequences of our actions, of our lives.  He allows things to happen, either to us or for us that we may open our eyes and see who we are.  We are fragile.  We are human.  We are flesh and blood that can easily be destroyed, or injured, where our life is taken away in an instant.  Yet it is not that which is flesh and blood that is of value that we should treasure but that which is of the spirit that is permanent.  We live most of our lives not knowing it and yet it exist within us.  Most times it is not until we come close to loosing it that we realize that it is there.

We are given a choice how to live.  Christ gave us that choice through his love, through his passion.  Thank you Lord for your fulfilling love, for your overwhelming passion.  Thank you for your the sacrifice that you made for me and for mankind.  May we come to understand and know the truth of what you have given us.  Glory be to the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.

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 21, verses: 42b; It is wonderful.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Application of the parable) Part 2. 

So now after relating to them all the parables to help them understand their meaning, he tells them outright the applications.  The chief priests and the elders have been given authority over the people that they may shepherd them to the Lord.  But instead of yielding fruit to the Lord they have produced fruit unto themselves.

Christ tells them about the corner stone upon which the temple is built and how it was rejected by the original builders.  Yet a new structure is being erected and he is the corner stone of this new structure.  They can not believe what they are hearing because they believe that they are the rulers of the people.  And he tells them:  'By the Lord this has been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes'? 

History has been re-written.  The foretold is being fulfilled.  That which was spoken about long ago is now here today.  Time is complete and that which was from the past has now come to past.  And we are the ones who stand in the past now future.  The past is history.  The past is long ago.  The past is not new and does not apply to today.  Yet there were witnesses who were there in the past.  There were witnesses who saw and lived in the past.  And there were those who lived the true meaning of the past.

Today is today.  We live in today.  And yet the past was so long ago that we must make sense of the past today.  We must find a way to make sense of the past into today.  We must find a way to believe in today and not in the past.  But the Lord said that it was good that the past is now the new.  He said that the rejected corner stone had become the new corner stone upon which a new structure would be built.

Are we a part of the new structure?  Do we rationalize the witnesses of the past that we may believe in today?  Are we the vine-dressers who want to hold unto that which is not ours to have.  The fruit is plentiful.  The wine is rich.  The master calls for the fruit of the vineyard.  Do we submit to his will or do we reject his claim to what is his property.  He paid the price.  He gave his life.  He suffered and died.  He arose again to demonstrate the power of God our Father and creator.  The past is now today and the corner stone has been laid.  Come, be a part of the new structure in the kingdom of heaven.

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:22a, A Mother's misunderstanding.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The mother of James and John) Part 5. 

The mother of James and John came before Christ and made her demands for her sons.  She spoke what they would not speak.  She asked that her sons be seated with Christ on his left and on his right when he comes into his kingdom and sits upon his throne.  She believes that they deserve the place of distinction.  She knows, in her mind, that they are worthy of such an honor above all the other disciples.  They were the first to follow him.  They were the first to believe in him.  They were born to the role that they now follow as disciples of Christ, the Messiah.

All their lives the Jews have waited for the time when the Messiah would come.  Their history told them of this time.  They believed that he would come and redeem them.  They knew of the promise made by God but did not know the time that it would take place.  So they lived their lives in expectation of what would happen.  And when it did happen not many knew or believed that the time had come.  But the apostles James and John believed.  They knew that he would come and they prepared all their lives for the time when it would happen.  And that time had come and they were a part of history in the making.  Yet little did they know what they were a part of.  And little did their mother know what would come.  She only knew that he had come and now was the time for redemption.  So she came and made her request thinking that the redemption would be of an earthly or worldly event.  But Jesus answered and said, "You do not know what you are asking for." 

And certainly they did not understand what they were asking.  They thought that he would come and overthrow the rulers.  They thought that he would come and create armies and take back all that was stolen.  They thought that he would come and be declared a new king over all the rulers.  But they were mistaken.  He did not come to conquer the world.  He did not come to destroy the rulers of the world.  He did not come to be served as a king.  He came to become a lamb.  He came to be sacrificed.  He came as an offering to compensate for the sins that man had committed.  And they thought that they wanted to be with him in his sacrifice.

They did not understand that they were asking to be a sacrifice.  They did not understand that they were asking to suffer and die.  They did not understand that they were asking to be scorned, beaten, bruised, battered, mocked, and crucified on a cross to suffer and die.  For this was the price that had to be paid for the sins that had been committed.  This was the price that had to be paid for redemption.  This was the price that was due for all the wrongs that man had committed against the commandments of God.  And they thought that they wanted to be a part of this price that had to be paid. 

Can we say the same today?  Do we want to be a part of the price that Christ paid for our redemption?  Do we want to suffer?  Do we want to deny ourselves?  Do we want to be beaten, mocked, suffer and die for what we believe about the Christ that came to die for us?  Is that something that we can accept?  Most would say no.  Most would not think of suffering.  Most would not think of sacrificing themselves for someone else.  Most would not be able to see the good in those actions.  Yet it is through the suffering, the pain, and the sacrifice that Christ was able to save me and you and all mankind from damnation. 

We were dead and now we have life.  We transgressed and now we are forgiven.  We were lost but now we are found and redeemed.  It is only through acceptance that we are able to find that which was lost.  It is only through recognition that we can come to the light.  It is only through sorrow that we can come to joy.  And it is only through the search that we are able to find that which was originally ours in the beginning.  The path is open.  The way is fixed.  The light of life is within you if you only seek.  For Christ has paved the way.  All we have to do is follow.  The choice is ours to make.  Redeem what was lost or loose what was taken away.  Only you can make the decision.  Come!  Christ awaits with open arms to receive you with love.

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 14, verses:19 - 20a, The Needs of the People: The Multiplication Miracle.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus feeds five thousand) Part 3.   

And Christ told his disciples to bring the five loaves and the two fishes to him and he would demonstrate what needed to be done.  The disciples wanted to dismiss the people.  The disciples wanted the people to leave.  The disciples wanted the people to go away, to be on their own, to leave them, so that they could find peace.  But Christ did not want the people to leave.  Christ did not want to dismiss the people.  Christ did not want to send them away because they did not have food to feed the people.  Christ was their food.  Christ was their drink.  Christ was their clothing.  Christ was their all and the disciples did not understand.

The disciples did not know.  The disciples did not totally see Christ.  They did not see who he had made them to become and therefore did not understand.  For Christ wanted the disciples to feed the people.  Christ wanted the disciples to give them drink.  Christ wanted the disciples to clothe the people, to provide shelter, to provide protection, to provide for all their needs.  And they did not understand that they could do these things or, that they would do these things in Christ's name.  So they wanted to send the people away.  They needed to have the people leave.  They needed to separate themselves from the people that they may find rest for their own needs.  But who would provide for the people?  Who would give them food?  Who would teach the ways of the kingdom of heaven if the disciples did not understand who they were and what was their mission?

So Christ had to demonstrate the power that they would be given.  Christ had to show the disciples who they would become.  Christ had to, once again, provide an example for them to follow.   And when he had ordered the crowd to recline on the grass, he took the five loaves and the two fishes, and looking up to heaven, blessed and broke the loaves, and gave them to his disciples, and the disciples gave them to the crowds.   And all ate and were satisfied.

And so Christ gave his disciples an example to follow to do the multiplication miracle.  He showed them what to do.  And they saw with their own eyes how the miracle happened.  Yet it happened before their very eyes.  He gave them the loaves that was broken.  He gave them the fish that was broken into pieces.  And they gave it to the people.  The basket was passed around and each person eat from it.  Each person took their fill.  Each person ate their fill and the basket never emptied.  The basket never stopped multiplying.  The food continued to fill itself until the last person took from it.  And the basket was never empty.  The basket never stopped replenishing itself.  The basket continued to multiply the fish and the pieces of bread to feed the people.  This was the miracle.  This was the multiplication.  This was the work of Christ and the work that the disciples would do, to feed the people. 

We live in a rational world today.  We have science and math and history and believe that all is possible through our own ability to understand and explain our world and how it works.  Our achievements have surpassed all other achievements in the entire history of mankind.  We have achieved space.  We have reached for the stars.  We can see the distant Milky Way and other galaxies.  In our eyes our achievements are endless.  All this is given to us as men of achievement that we may believe in ourselves.  We  must believe that we can achieve.  We must believe that given time we will achieve all things.  We will tame the winds, calm the storms, understand the earthquakes, create rains and make the sun shine to our liking.  All these things we believe that we can do if we only believe in ourselves and throw off the beliefs of the past.

What, would you believe?  Christ tells us that he is the son of the one true God who is the father of all creation.  Christ tells us that the father loves us, will provide for us, will protect us if we only believe in him and heed his commandments.  And to those who do believe, he will provide a counselor to come and abide with him/her that we may know the truth.  Christ performed the miracle of multiplication of the loaves and the fishes before the eyes of his disciples.  The name of Jesus still brings forth miracles today, to the sick, and the lame, and the downtrodden.   But, we live in a world of achievements, a world that turns our beliefs away from God and towards ourselves.  How would you respond to a miracle performed before your eyes?  Do you believe that our achievements will be able to explain how it happened?  Would our science give meaning to the miracle?  Christ performed miracles.  The disciples performed miracles.  When will you realize that you are a miracle in Christ?  Come, feed the people.  Satisfy their needs!  For you are one in Christ and in Christ all things are.