St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 13c; You do not go in.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 3.   

Christ continues to scold the Scribes and the Pharisees on the error of their ways.  They shut the doors of heaven to those who want to enter, he tells them.  They put up barriers to prevent men from obtaining the kingdom of heaven.  In their minds they believe that it is their duty to enforce the law to keep the peace according to Roman rule.  But in actuality Roman rule has nothing to do with the kingdom of heaven.
Christ tells them that they shut the doors of heaven against men:  "For you yourselves do not go in."  You see, theirs is the role of leadership.  Theirs is the role of authority.  Theirs is the role of example for the people and they cannot lead a pious role, one that they do not believe in.  The people will know.  The people will see.  The people will not respect their authority if they were pious leaders.

So they have taken on a dual role in their society.  They have become pious on the outside and scandalous on the inside.  They tell the people one thing but they do another.  They enforce the law to the latter with the people but have special circumstances with themselves and their friends.  

God is not a cruel god.  God is not unmerciful.  God is not unforgiving.  God is not hateful.  Yet these are the qualities that were portrayed by the Scribes and the Pharisees to the people.  They enforced the laws of God upon the people with no mercy or forgiveness, with no love or compassion.  And Christ came and showed compassion, and love, and mercy, and forgiveness.  

He did things that were against the enforcement of the law according to the Scribes and the Pharisees.  He showed the people that they were loved by their God.  He performed miracles to make the blind see and the lame walk and raise the dead.  He walked on water, change water to wine, open the mouths of babes to praise God.  Yet they spat on him, beat him, and crucified him on a cross all for the sins of mankind that we might be free.  He did all this that we might have life again, for we were dead according to God's command from the garden of Eden.

We have a choice today.  We can choose to live or we can choose to die.  It is just that simple.  We either live in this physical life and die in the spiritual or we choose to die in this physical life and live in the spiritual.  The journey is ours to make, ours to walk, ours to believe, ours to see and know.  Knowing is the truth of the matter for once you know then your entire life changes.  You become a new person and you walk a new path in life.  There will be challenges to turn back, but you have a guide along the way and others to walk with you.  May God be with you and the Holy Spirit be your guide.

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: 9; One Father.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 7.  
The Scribes and the Pharisees were worshipped in their day and time.  They were thought to be high priest by the people because of the way they carried themselves and the respect they demanded.  Yet Christ wanted the people to know that their worship of the Scribes and the Pharisees was wrong and out of place.  

There was only one person that they should worship and he is in heaven.  There is only one master whom they should show respect and that is the Christ.  One is the Father and there is not one else.  No one should not be placed above the One Father.  He told them:  "And call no one on earth your father; for one is your Father, who is in heaven."  

What is the difference?  Why the distinction?  Christ helped the people to understand the true meaning of Father in the highest and greatest expectation of the word.  For we have but one.  All others are less than and do not deserve the highest connection with the title of Father.
We call our male parents father.  We call our priest father out of respect for their spiritual position as shepherds of the people.  We give the title to those who have gone before us and have been a part of our heritage.  But not one deserves the highest meaning and understanding of the word than our Father the creator.  One should not confuse this distinction.  And this is the understanding that Christ wanted the people to know.

For they praised the Scribes and the Pharisees.  They worshipped them as though they were indeed the lords of all knowledge and understanding without having any knowledge of the true Father in heaven, a concept that we must not confuse today.  We call our leaders in different fields of study father i.e., father of physics, or father of modern medicine, or father of aviation, because they were the first to discover principles in certain fields of study.  And we revere them because of their knowledge and expertise in their field.

It is important that we realize that we are all brothers and sisters created in the image and likeness of the One.  He alone is the object of our praise.  For from him and through him and with him we have life.  Without him we are nothing.  He is our be all and end all and with him we have everlasting peace that surpasses all understanding. 

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 21, verses: 37; The Vine-dresser's respect.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the vine-dressers) Part 4. 

The householder of the vineyard continues to send messengers to the vine-dressers requesting samples of wine from his vineyard.  He sent one set of servants to the vine-dressers and they beat one, killed another and stoned another.  When he did not hear from them he sent another group of messengers.  But the same thing happened to them, they did not return.  So now he is wondering what has happened to his property and why he has not heard from the vine-dressers about his wine.

Maybe they were detained.  Maybe they were robbed on the way and killed.  Maybe there was a bad storm that killed them and they could not reach the vine-dressers.  Maybe a number of things could have happened that the householder did not know.  So as a last effort he decides to send someone with honor and respect that they, the vine-dressers, would see and yield to the householders requests.  Finally he sent his son to them, saying, 'They will respect my son.' 

His son was his replacement as spokesperson.  His son was a key figurehead for the Father.  His son was the future for the Father and brought respect and obedience the same as the Father.  The pride of who we are as fathers goes forth with our sons.  We have raised our children to the best of our ability.  We have given them the wisdom and knowledge that was passed down to us from our fathers as well as the life's lessons that we have learned throughout our years.  We give them all that we can and all that we know.

Yet we are not they and they are not us.  They grow up in a time and place different from what we have known as parents.  They have opportunities that we did not have as children.  They come to know much more than we can know about the future.  Yet the knowledge and wisdom from the past is their guiding lessons to lead them in the future.  Some things about life are changing and some things are constant.

This parable is about opportunity.  It is about redemption.  It is about mercy and forgiveness and love.  The householder gave ample opportunity to the vine-dressers to do what was right with respect to his property, his vineyard.  Twice they refused.  And twice the householder was patient and merciful and not sending an army to retake what was rightfully his.  The fruit was so good and the wine so precious that the vine-dressers decided to take what was not theirs.

And the Father sent his son to allow for redemption assuming that the vine-dressers would respect him.  He assumed that they would recognize the authority of the son and do what was right.  He assumed that the vine-dressers were honorable men; they would understand the consequences of the appearance of the son and would relinquish and return to the householder his fruit.  But they were not respectful.  They were not honorable.  They were not men who could see the opportunity that was being offered to them.  They could only see the greed in taking possession of the vineyard.

We steal, we lie, we cheat, we murder, we deceive to get that which we believe is ours to have.  Our passions drive us to see only that which is given us by this world, where it is common and expected to be this way.  Yet we miss the opportunity given us by what has been freely given.  We came with nothing, for we were dust.  We leave with everything for we are spirit, eternal life given us freely by the passion of Christ.  His love, his compassion, his mercy, his blessings, his forgiveness is all that we need.  He has given us the riches of the world and more, if we believe in him.  Yet we do not.  We believe in the dirt that the world offers that does not fulfill.  Be not the vine-dressers taking what is not yours.  Be not the disrespectful not knowing who you are.  Be not the lawless, not seeing the truth of the boundaries set for your protection.  For God your Father has given every opportunity to change, every opportunity to accept, every opportunity to believe.  Opportunity knocks at your door.  Open and receive the riches 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 12, verse: 33, Discerning the Tree: Good or Bad.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Blasphemy against the Spirit not forgiven)
Pt 3. 

The Pharisees have been given the curse that they brought upon themselves.  Christ has told them that blasphemy against the Son of Man will be forgiven, but blasphemy against the Holy Spirit will not be forgiven either here on earth or there in the coming of the kingdom of heaven.  The demons have delight in this pronouncement by Christ because the Pharisees have placed themselves into the hands of Satan.  They have officially taken on the mark of the beast through their actions against Christ and the Holy Spirit.  How did they do this, by proclaiming that Christ performed miracles by the power of Beelzebub. 

Christ had warned them of their blindness.  He had warned them of their judgment.  He had warned them of the presence of the kingdom of God.  But they did not listen.  They did not hear.  They did not understand the truth.  For they were fearful of loosing their positions.  They were fearful of loosing their power.  They were fearful of loosing their authority over the people.  And it was this fear that led them to bring upon themselves the curse proclaimed by Christ.  For the battle continued.  The lines were drawn and the sides were chosen.  The Pharisees chose their side in the battle and they chose to fight against Christ.  Christ had told them that they were either against him or they were with him.  There was no in between.  They were there to gather the lost sheep of the house of Israel or they were there to scatter the sheep.  It was simply a matter of black and white.  There was no grey.  The tree was either good or bad.  Christ said to them,  "Either make the tree good and its fruit good, or make the tree bad and its fruit bad for by the fruit the tree is known."

Long had the Pharisees been in power.  Long had they exercised authority over the people.  Long had they led the people in the ways that were of their own making.  And the devil came.  They devil crept into their midst.  The devil slowly and steadily grew on them such that they began to change to his ways and forsake the ways of God.  Greed took over.  Lust brought her chains into the temple and enslaved the leadership.  Vanity prevailed.  Corruption was brought in.  And all manner of evil began to surface and become part of the rank and file of the Pharisees.  And Satan had his grip upon them, that their passions and desires blossomed fully without check.   And Christ came into the picture.  Christ began to preach.  Christ spoke against them.  And Christ proclaimed the curse upon them that they spoke with their own mouths.

The Pharisees lived in luxury.  The Pharisee lived in honor and respect of the people.  They enjoyed favors and privileges that were given to no others.  And it was those same favors and privileges, that same honor and respect, that brought them to their downfall.  They did not want to change.  They did not want to relinquish to a higher authority.  They wanted to hold own to their positions despite the decrees of the higher authority.  For God declared the end of their reign.  God declared the beginning of a new time.  God proclaimed the judgment and the sacrifice of the lamb to justify the people.  God proclaimed the end of the reign of Satan on earth.

But Satan continues to influence, even today.  Satan continues to creep.  Satan continues to steal, and kill, and destroy.  For the tree is bad and the fruit is bad of those who follow him.  There is no middle ground.  Satan would have man believe that there is a middle ground so that he can snatch those who walk the fence.  Do you know the fruit of the Spirit?  Are you a tree of good fruit or a tree of bad fruit?  There is no partial fruit, partially good and partially bad.  Do not be deceived by the suggestions of the devil.  For he is there to deceive, he is the father of all deception.  

Are you with Christ or against him?  Are you a scatterer or a gatherer?  Know your fruit.  Know who you are.  Stand up and become a warrior for Christ that your fruit may be known.  Put on the armor of the Holy Spirit and take the sword of God that you may fight the temptations of the devil.  The devil will deceive you.  The devil will lie to you.  The devil will steal from you that precious gift of life given you by the blood of Christ.  Be not in the world but be in the word of Christ!  Be not in the world but be in the Holy Spirit!  Know that he will come to you.  Know that he will provide for you.  Know that he will protect and guide you that you may do the will of God in this world and be blessed with his riches.  For God is the owner of the vineyard and all those who produce bad fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.  Be of good fruit and know who you are!