St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 26a; Blind Pharisees!

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their hypocritical purity) Part 3.  

The God of all truth and knowledge came to them.  The God of all wisdom was in their presence.  The God of all creation walked with them, talked with them, attempted to give them insight into his understanding and the mysteries of the universe but they could not see.  They could not hear.  They could not understand what was transpiring before them.  They were lost in their own beliefs and desires.  They were lost in their own religious purity.

We can look back upon all this and wonder how frustrating this must have been, the king of wisdom dressed as a pauper seeking to give wisdom to the wise men who are supposedly learned beyond all wisdom.  The wise men are so puffed up in their own knowledge that they have no room for the wisdom of a simple pauper who has the wisdom of all ages.  Christ called them: Thou blind Pharisee!"  For surely they were without spiritual sight and could not see what and who was before them.

Are we the same today, blind without sight?  Can we not see the truth of who we are?  Do we not know our own nature or are we just asleep with our eyes open not able to see what is within.  The darkness prevails if we look.  But we are given the knowledge to look deeper beyond the darkness in search of the light of life given to us by Christ himself.

He came down from heaven that he might show us how to live a new life.  He came down from heaven that he might walk with us, talk with us, eat with us, laugh with us, dance with us, cry with us, feel the emotions of our sorrows and our pains.  He brought joy and happiness to those whom he healed and restored physically.  He touched the hearts and minds of those who were with him day in and day out throughout his life.  What a joy and a pleasure it must have been to be in his presence during those times.

Yet evil creeps in and takes hold of those on the fringe of life.  It corrupts and distorts the meaning of life.  It steals the life light within and covers it with darkness such that one looses the way and walks in darkness.  Time passes and life becomes meaningless except for those moments when carnal pleasures takes one deeper into darkness.  The light of life is snuffed out unless the call of God is heard through some tragedy.  

God is loving and forgiving.  He is merciful.  He knows we are week and because he is full of mercy he is willing to forgive if we are honestly seeking his forgiveness.  His love is boundless.  His mercy is endless.  His patience is enduring.  He loves all his children he created.  He wants all to be with him in his heavenly kingdom.  Come!  Take your place.  Seek his forgiveness and it will be 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 22, verses: 35; A Doctor of the Law tests him..

Our paragraph topic is:  (The great commandment) Part 2.   

And so they brought forward the great minds of the Law to question Christ.  These were the scholars who had studied and taught the Law down through the ages.  They knew the ends and outs of the Law.  They knew the minutia of the Law.  They knew the intent of the Law as far as man could understand the Law as given by God.  But they could not understand the Law according to the mind of God.  Only Christ had the wisdom and the insight of the Holy Spirit.

You see, they did not believe.  In the face of all that was spoken, all the miracles that were performed, they still did not understand or believe he could be the one.  They only knew that he had to be taken down because he did not belong to their group.  So they gathered together and came up with one question that they believed was the one great question of the Law.  And one of them, a doctor of the Law, putting him to the test, asked him.   

Christ had no formal training in the synagogue.  He did not attend the temple where all the other trainees were taught the ins and outs of the Law.  Yet he knew more of the Law than the masters and the doctors.  They wanted to know who taught him.  They wanted to know how he knew.  They wanted to know were he was trained.  Yet he did not reveal to them who he was and they did not accept that he was the Messiah.  They believed that he was a charlatan, a fake.  

The people knew.  The people accepted him as real.  They could believe what they saw.  They could understand what they heard.  Their minds were opened, their eyes were not blind, their ears could hear.  They could see and believe.  Would we do the same today?  Would we know the truth today if he came to us, spoke to us, performed miracles, healed the sick, made the lame walk, cast out demons? Would we believe?  Yet all that has happened and has been given to us in the written words of the Bible.  He has told us that there will be those who will come after him performing miracles in his name.  He has told us that he will only come again on a cloud with his angels for all to see.  He has given us signs to look for before he comes that we will know that time is drawing near.

Be prepared!  Everyday the thief may come.  Put on your armor in the morning and know that you are ready to face what the day has to offer.  Know that you do not fight alone that you have an army with you to guide you and fight with you in your daily battles.  Be strengthened by your prayers.  Call upon the Lord at all times and he will be your right arm.  Be patient in your needs because he knows what you need.  The Lord is my shepherd I shall not want.  I am but a sinner who asks forgiveness and seeks to do his will in the hope that I may be with him in his kingdom.  May the Lord have mercy on my soul.

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: 22; They Marveled.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Tribute to Caesar) Part 12.  

So finally they heard the words from Christ as to whether one should give tribute to Caesar.  You see they thought that if Christ said that Christians should give tribute to Caesar then that meant that they should worship Caesar as their god.  They believed that Caesar was a god and that there was no other god except him.  But Christ was teaching that there was one and only one God above all including Caesar.  So they wanted to hear his words on this matter so that they would have ammunition for their case against him.

They did not know the truth of who he was.  They were indeed learned.  They were indeed learned in the scriptures, in the Jewish Laws, and text handed down from the time of Moses.  But they did not have the wisdom of God within them.  They did not have the insight of the Holy Spirit upon them that they could interpret the truth in the scriptures.  They only had the words before them and the directions of those who wanted to destroy the living word of God.  Christ spoke his words to them.  And hearing this they marveled, and leaving him went off.

He set them on a different course.  They wanted him to be on one course with Caesar at the head as one god.  But he separated the course and gave them two to follow: Caesar or the living God.  The Jews knew the living God.  He had walked with Abraham, guided Moses, lead them through the desert and into the promised land.  He had protected them and fed them through the forty years, fought the Egyptians to protect them from slaughter.  So they knew their God and what he could do.  Yet they lived under the rule of the Roman Empire and they knew what the Emperor Caesar could do.

They were fearful.  Their rulers sought not to know but only to maintain the status quo, to go along with what was being handed to them through the rulers of the Roman Empire.  The Son of Man came to walk among them and the everyday people felt his presence.  They saw his miracles.  They heard his words.  They walked with him, touched him, lived with him, breathed the same air that he did.  His presence was upon them and they knew.  But the rulers did not.

Each day we live is our trial.  We wake to carry our cross, to be tested as to if we will or will not give way to the temptations that we face.  Will we waver,  will we doubt,  will we give up hope?  The light within flickers and shines less bright.  Yet we must carry on.  We must not falter.  We must find the strength, the courage, to believe, to know, to trust that we are not alone.  We must know that the sacrifice of love and passion was not for naught.  One light shining from a distance can barely be seen, but many shining together light up the universe.  Remember, we are not alone.  He is with us each day, each hour, each and every minute of the day.  We must seek him out and hear his voice within us.  Christ is with us.

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, verse:26; The Dilemma of the Question.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The authority of Jesus) Part 6. 

They were befuddled, not knowing how to respond.  One person believed that they should say this, another person said that they should say that.  There was no consensus among them as to how to answer the question asked by Christ.  They heard of his wisdom.  They knew of his insight from others who had spoken to him or tried to capture him in a falsehood.  So they gathered together to determine the best answer to give.

Jesus knew their uncertainty.  He knew of their plot.  He foresaw their scheme to trick him to answer their question.  But they did not foresee that he would pose a question in response.  So they argued among themselves:  saying, “If we say, ' From heaven,' he will say to us, Why then did you not believe him?' But if we say, ' From men,' we fear the people, for all regard John as a prophet." 

And so it was that they came to an impasse.  They did not know how to respond.  They were befuddled and without answer.  How do you respond to such a question?  How do you say things one way so as not convict yourself?  Our minds work with lightening speed to give us answers.  But will the answer free us from harm?  If that is the case of where you would like to be, then you are practiced in the art of deception.  For we deceive ourselves when we give way to the influences of what comes to our minds in the way of deceit.

Do we intend to deceive?  Do we intend to lie?  Do we intend to sway others to think differently of ourselves, contrary to the real us?  Do we intend to exercise power over others to lead them along a path of our beliefs?  And who leads us in such a direction?  Are we led by fear, anger, hatred, disgust, pity, sympathy, love, care, understanding or wisdom.  Or are we led by the influence of evil. 

Our Father gave to us the joy of life.  He gave to us a life similar to his own spirit.  He is love.  He is joy.  He is peace.  He is merciful, and forgiving, and understanding, and truth.  It is his truth that guides us through life.  It is his knowledge and wisdom that sets us on a path that will change our entire destiny of who we are and who we will become not who we were in the past.  We are his children.  He is our loving Father.  He provides.  He protects.  He guides.  He directs.  And when the time here on this plane of existence ends, we rejoice in our transition to spend eternity with him.  Everyone wants to go to heaven but no one wants to die.  And yet it is in death that we escape from this plane and enter into his realm. 

Peace be with you.  The knowledge of who you are awaits your coming.  The reward of heaven awaits your acknowledgement.  The struggle of this existence will concede to you when you accept who you are and rejoice in the life that is within you.  Come!  The Spirit awaits your awakening.  It awaits your rising up from the slumber of this world and your embracing that for which you are.  Christ loves you.  The Father loves you.  The Holy Spirit feeds you and you will live.

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.