St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verses: 1-2; The Kingdom of Heaven like a marriage feast.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The marriage feast) Part 1.  

The kingdom of heaven is like a feast, a party.  Christ spoke in parables because it was not for them to know the meaning of the word.  Those who wanted to know would search their minds, hearts, and history to obtain a meaning.  Those who thought that they wanted to know would take in the words as they were spoken but would not search for meaning.  Those who did not care would only listen to the words without seeking to know the meaning beyond the words.  To them this was just another story that was told to entertain the crowd.

Many who followed Christ wanted to know, they wanted to understand because they saw him as a prophet, a person of power and influence.  They knew that he spoke the truth because of the many examples and miracles that he performed.  They sought to understand.  They sought to know.  "And Jesus addressed them, and spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who made a marriage feast for his son."  

A marriage feast is a party, with singing and dancing, and wine and music, and laughter and joyous banter, all in the name of the son.  This would be an occasion that everyone would want to attend.  There would be food and free wine and a happy occasion that everyone would remember for a long time.  This is what we live for today, to party.  We work all week long and party on the weekend till the light of dawn.  Tomorrow will never come, or so we hope, for we are having the joy of a lifetime today.

The king wanted to celebrate the marriage of his son, the beginning of a new generation.  For he hoped that from this union would come a son to carry forward the legacy of his family.  And he wanted all to rejoice in this union of son and bride.  Some would come and rejoice.  Some would come and feast.  Some would come and talk of the scandal that they saw at the party.  Then there would be those who would come to find jealousy and enmity at the party.  But for the king there was only joy in his heart for himself and his son and new bride.

This is a parable about the kingdom of heaven.  It gives us a hint of what we can expect after our transition to our next life.  There will be no sorrow.  There will be no pain.  There will be no suffering or regret.  There we will experience the joy of the love of our Father and his son, Christ Jesus.  For he is our joy.  He is our happiness.  He is our truth, all that we have searched for in life.  He is our be all and end all and in him there is no lack for that which we might desire.  For he fulfills all the desires of our hearts, of our souls, and of our spirits.  His light will shine on us and within us and we shall be complete.

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: 46b; The People and a Prophet.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Application of the parable) Part 9.  

We now come to the end of the paragraph and the end of Chapter 21.  Much of this chapter has been about Christ and his entry into Jerusalem.  He came with the praise of the little people, riding on a donkey.  The people of the great city did not know him.  They did not understand why there was so much of a uproar about this man that no one knew.

Yet it was those who lived on the outside of the city, those little ones who had seen the miracles, heard the words, followed his teachings, that knew him, worshiped him, and praised him as the new leader of the people.  He cleansed the temple, taught the people in the temple, and criticized the leaders on their two faced behavior.  The leaders rejected the corner stone but it would crush them and ground them to dust.  He gave them opportunity to understand.  But they could not and would not understand.  He spoke in common terms that they would understand.  They were blinded, deaf, and were not allowed to understand, until at last the word got through and they were angry.  They sought to beat him but:  "They feared the people, because they regarded him as a prophet." 

We are the sheep and we follow what is given to us.  We are given our way of life, how to think, what we believe, who we accept and deny.  All of that which we are today is given to us by our surroundings.  People live in different environments today all over this earth and have different ways to live, think, behave, and ways of being who they are.  People in India may have some similarities to the way people in America think but overall they are entirely different cultures.  The environment makes who we are and what we believe.  But we have choices.  We can change.  

Change can come in many forms.  It can come through a critical process of thinking, we decide to change without any outside influence.  Change can come through a force that causes us to make the decision to do away with our old behavior and adapt a new one because there is pain with the old behavior.  Change can come through association with others who we follow that seem to have a better way of living, so we go along with the influence of others.  Change can come through enlightenment, a revelation that we have that brings us to a new way of thinking, of believing, of seeing the world.

We can be locked in on our beliefs that change can not be affected.  We can be so influenced by our way of life that nothing can bring about change in us because we refuse to believe.  We can be blinded by others that their way is better than any change that we may seek, so we remain unchanged.  Ultimately the choice is ours to follow.  The choice is ours to want to change or not.  The option is ours but the opportunity is present for us to see or not to see.  The opportunity is there for us to believe or not to believe.  The opportunity is present for all because we have a God who loves what he has created and wants all to have the opportunity to experience his love and compassion.

There is so much pain and suffering in the world one has to ask why do we have a God who would allow such suffering to happen.  Who are we to question the ways of our Father for he was here before us.  He created the universe before we were a thought in his mind.  He created the earth and the heavens.  He gave life to the world with trees and birds and animals of all sorts.  He carved man out of the dust and gave life to him and the spirit of himself that we may have his image within us.  It is he that lives through all eternity, even unto today.  And it is he that gives all the opportunity because he loves so much that which he has created.  The Prophet calls but we must be able to hear his call.

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 11, verses: 10, John the Baptist, the messenger.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ's witness concerning John) Part 2. 

Christ has called John the Baptist a prophet, a great prophet, in order to dispel Scandal that was brought by the disciples of John.  The disciples of John brought to Christ the question, using the name of John as their authority, asking if Christ was the Messiah or should they look for another one.  Christ sent them away with an offering of salvation.  He sent them away with the message of his miracles.  He sent them away with a blessing that they not be cursed in Scandal.  For the disciples of John sought to become known again by bringing John back into the picture and seeking to take Christ out of the picture.

Christ called John a prophet because John spoke of one, coming after him, who is greater than he.  John told the people to repent for the kingdom of God was at hand and the Messiah was coming.  John spoke the truth to the people about Christ and he was a prophet.  Christ continued to speak about John and to tell the crowd about the John the person.  John was not s soft man.  He lived in the desert and feasted upon locus and honey and the people respected and loved John.  But Christ came into the picture and John left the picture.  John told the people of Christ and now Christ was telling the people about John the Baptist, the person.  

Christ told the crowds,  "This is he of whom it is written, 'Behold, I send my messenger before thy face, who shall make ready thy way before thee.' "   John the messenger was written about in the scriptures and most Jews knew of his coming.  But Christ tells the people that John was the messenger that came before him to make ready his coming.  As it was written John was the messenger of God who came before Christ.  John brought the message to the people to repent.  John was a bold man who had no fear because he was God's messenger.  If the crowd knew anything about John the Baptist, they knew that he was anointed of God and that he brought a message that was spread throughout all of Judea.

So Christ was reinforcing the beliefs of the crowd by demonstrating that John was a prophet and a messenger that pointed towards his coming and that they should not allow Scandal to enter into their minds.  For Scandal wanted to come.  Scandal wanted to be heard.  Scandal wanted to spread.  But Christ repelled her.  Christ would not allow her to come.  Christ sent her running for she could not find a corner to hide, a rock to crawl under, a hole to jump into.  And Christ would not allow the name of John the Baptist to be used as a vehicle for Scandal to ride in.  So he reminded the crowd of the faith that they had in John.  He reminded the crowd of the prophecy about John.  And he reminded the crowd that John pointed the way to his coming.

Are you a messenger for Scandal?  Are you a soldier for her lies and deceits?  Be not deceived. Become a messenger for Christ, a messenger of truth, a messenger of the gospel of the kingdom of heaven.  You will be rewarded greatly.     

St Matthew, Chapte 11, verses: 7-9, The Scandal of John the Baptist.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Christ's witness concerning John) Part 1. 

The disciples of John leave Christ after he has dispelled the lies of Scandal.  Christ would not allow Scandal to come forth.  He would not allow doubt to rear its ugly head.  He would not permit the lies and deceit that Scandal brings to come into his mist.  Instead he offered the disciples of John redemption.  He offered the disciples of John salvation.  He reached out a hand to them and told them to be blessed.  He told them that when they do not find Scandal in themselves that they would be blessed.  For they wanted fame.  They wanted notoriety.  They sought to be restored to their position with John when he was the main attraction in the desert.  Then Christ came along and changed all that.  He became the main attraction.  

Christ performed miracles.  Christ healed the sick.  Christ made the lame walk.  Christ raised the dead.  And these acts put him in the center of attraction.  The word spread of his deeds.  Many talked of seeing, first hand, the performance of his miracles.  They were the news anchors who spread the word of Christ, the miracle healer, the all powerful, the Messiah has come.   And many came from miles around.  Many came to hear his words of freedom.  Many came to hear his words of justice.  Many came to touch him, to be near him, to see him.  Faith was in their hearts.  Hope was in their minds.  And belief of a new beginning was in their needs.  They had lived a life of pain and suffering with no idea of any presence of hope.  They had lived a life of desperation.  They had lived a life of despair.  And Christ came to lift them up.  Christ came to give hope.  Christ came to help their belief.  He came to show them the way and the truth and to provide light that they might see.

Christ witnessed to the greatness of John the Baptist.  For the crowd had heard the question of the disciples of John.  The crowd knew them of former fame.  The crowd had once believed in them.  But now Christ was here and the disciples of John wanted to regain their fame.  Christ put a stop to the spread of Scandal.  He testified to the greatness of John and the mission that he performed.  Christ asked the crowd, '' What did you go out to the desert to see?  A reed shaken by the wind?  But what did you go out to see? A man clothed in soft garments?"    He tested their memories of John.  He created a picture of John in their minds.  John was not a soft man.  John was a man raised in the desert.  He was a strong man with outspoken beliefs.  He did not wear fine clothes or soft shoes or speak with proper language.  John was bold.  He was daring.  He was loud and he spoke of the coming of the Messiah to the people, telling them to repent and make way for the coming of the Lord.  He was a prophet in the true sense.  

Christ told the people, "But what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, I tell you, and more than a prophet."   For John indeed was a prophet who spoke the coming of the kingdom of God.  And the people believed in John because he was a true prophet.  What the prophets speak about, come to pass and Christ wanted to emphasize this fact in the minds of the people.  He wanted to refresh in their memories the affection that the people had for John and his prophesies.  He wanted to dispel Scandal that was brought by the disciples of John.  John spoke of the coming of the Messiah.  John spoke of repentance to the people so that they would be prepared to receive the message of the Messiah.  And the Messiah was here.  The Messiah that John preached about was speaking to them just as John had spoken. 

There are many voices in the world.  The world itself calls us everyday, of which we cannot escape.  Yet Christ has given us defenses to negate the voice of the world.  Scandal calls us also to become her voice and her messenger.  We must beware the snares that she places in our paths, that we do not become her spokesperson as is accepted in the world today.  Seek the voice of the prophet.  Listen for his words.  Seek the justice of a just man.  For he walks with Justice and is her child.  Seek the quiet voice of the Holy Spirit and you will be blessed all the days of your life.  For the Holy Spirit will teach all things.  The Holy Spirit will guide you through the traps of the world.  And the Holy Spirit will lead you down the narrow path to salvation.  Do you seek the voice of the Holy Spirit?  Do you know Him?  Many will speak the words of Christ for their own glory and edification.  But few will lead to the Holy Spirit.  For what does it profit to hear a few words of wisdom when Wisdom calls you herself.  What does it profit to teach verses of understandings when true understanding awaits your call.  Teach the whole Gospel.  Preach the complete word of Christ and point to the understanding of his words and you will understand.  Read the whole New Testament Bible and receive Christ.  These are the only words that should fill ones mind daily and not partial verses.  Encourage others to read.  Spread the word.  The Holy Spirit awaits your call.

St Matthew, Chapter 10, verse:41a, The Reward.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Blessings for the Apostles' benefactors) Part 3. 

In the previous verses Christ talked to his disciples about the message they carried and how they would be received.  The messenger carries the message.  He is only the bearer of the news in the message.  And the news comes from the one who sent the message.  If a king sends a message to another king he sends it by messenger.  The messenger carries the message and the king receives the message because of the bearer of the message and who sent it.  The disciples bare the message of Christ.  They are the ones who will be received based upon the message and who receives the message.  If the message is not received then the disciples will not be received and the one who sent the message also.  Christ told his disciples that those who receive them are also receiving him, Christ.  But even more so, those who receive Christ are receiving the Father in heaven who sent Christ to earth to carry the message to the people.

Who will receive the message?  Who will not receive the message?  The forces of the evil one will work against the disciples to prevent the message from being received.  They will use all kinds of tricks and traps to prevent the people from receiving the message, either individually or as a whole.  The disciples know that they are going into battle.  They have been in training with Christ for this moment when they will face the people who have been blinded and deceived by the evil one.  They are aware of the danger they face and who is behind that danger.  Yet they must make every attempt to reach the people.  They must unveil the tricks of the demons.  They must come with force to demonstrate to the people that they come with the power of God behind them.  They must cure the sick, heal the lame, raise the dead, and cast out all demons so that the people will be able to see clearly and hear soundly the message of the kingdom. 

Christ tells his disciples that there will be rewards to those who receive.  He say,  "He who receives a prophet because he is a prophet, shall receive a prophet's reward."   There are stipulations to the rewards that will be handed out.  Who is a prophet?  How does one recognize a prophet?  What distinguishes a prophet from any ordinary man who wants to be a true prophet.  Many will say, " I am a prophet."  Many will prophesy about things to come.  Some will speak the truth about future events and some will speak circumstances.  But how does one recognize a true prophet?  What distinguishes one from the other?  For both will prophesy.  Both will speak about things to come.   Both will have influence over the people to sway their thoughts and minds.  Who is real and who is false?  Christ says that one should receive a prophet because he is a prophet and that will determine one's reward. 

Christ is a prophet and he is God, one in being with the Father.  He speaks the words of the father bringing the message to the disciples and to the peoples of Israel and to the Gentiles.  God spoke through Christ.  What is a prophet if nothing more than a spokesperson for God.  For God speaks to the people through the prophets.  If one accepts the words of the prophet then one accepts the words of God.  A true prophet speaks truth.  A true prophet does not tarry in his words.  A true prophet has no words of his own but only those that God gives to him. 

A true prophet communicates with God the way that no other man does because he speaks the words of God.  OH, what a reward to be able to hear the voice of God and to carry his message.  What a gift!  What a blessing!  What a joy to know that the words that are spoken are not the words of the person but the words that come forth from the mouth of God. 

That reward has responsibilities.  That reward has consequences.  That reward comes with a burden.  Many will look upon a prophet with anticipation.  Many will desire to know his words.  Many will demand, request, seek, to know what he will speak for their own passions and dreams and plans.  But the true prophet only speaks the words of God and not his own.  He is but a messenger.  He is only the spokesperson through which the message is delivered.  Receive the prophet because he is a prophet.  Receive him because he carries the words of God and not his own.  Receive him for he is just a human being like ourselves and does not have words of wisdom from God for our own needs but words for the glory of God.  Receive him as you would receive yourself and you will receive the prophet's reward, knowledge of God's words for man.