St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 9c; For my name's sake.

 Our paragraph topic is: (He tells them of trials and hard times to come) Part 3.  

The Bible is but a short story of what happened some two thousand years ago.  We live our lives today and can imagine the multitude of things that can happen in a day's time.  But to think about all the things that were happening during the life of Christ in a day's time and to have all of that written down would be immense.  Yet there they were, the disciples, walking with the Lord our God, talking and being in his presence.  It must have been the joy of a lifetime.  We only hope for what we desire to have in our future.  They lived in his presence in the past.

One can only imagine the effect he had upon their lives, their being, their souls, during his stay here on earth.  To walk with him, talk with him, touch him, feel him, hear his voice, then to see the torture and sacrifice he made would have been unimaginable.  But even more unbelievable would be to see him again after death and to know that he was alive again, that death had no power over him.  What power and majesty that must have given those who were witnesses to his glory.  And he told them: "And you will be hated by all nations for my name's sake."

We think today of the honor and prestige of working and being in the presence of men and women of power such as presidents and kings, and ceo's, billionaires, etc.  We seek to be like them to attain traits that they have so that we might become like them.  There is but one God and one Lord of all and no other.  There are powers and dominions in heaven and angels and saints but only one God and one Lord of all.  

Christ came and walked among us.  He spent time with mankind.  He loved us so much that he gave up his kingship and became like us.  He took up physical form that he might be with us.  And the disciples and many others had the opportunity to be with him during his stay.  But that was not the end of the story.  

He came that we might all have the opportunity to be with him, to walk with him, talk with him, hear him, see him, feel him, know him.  He came and opened the door for each and everyone of us to have that chance to be with him as the disciples did, if we choose.  The choice is ours.  All we have to do is ask him to come into our lives and believe that he will.  God is our Father.  He gave us life.  He loves us and wants us to be with him.  Come!  The door is open.  Let us go home and be with our Father.

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 23, verses: 23a; The Hypocrites.

Our paragraph topic is:  (They overstress the nonessential part of religion) Part 1.  

They were zealots in their desires to control the people.  They believed that every part of the Law must be applied to everyday life or else the people would find ways to get around the Law.  So they created rules to cover every possible way to keep the people in line and to limit any way that would allow outlets for them to get around the Law.

This is why Christ called them out on all the unnecessary rules they placed upon the people.  These were not rules in the Law.  They were only rules put in place by the Scribes and the Pharisees.  This is why Christ admonished them: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"

Again he called them hypocrites in the face of the public that all would know them for what they were, and again the Scribes and the Pharisees were angered at being publicly humiliated.  But they could not see.  They could not understand.  They could not comprehend that this was an opportunity for them to realize who they were and what they had done to the people.  It was an opportunity for them to become open and be healed of their evil influences.  But this was not to happen.

Instead, as we know today, they were too far gone.  They were pawns in the game of chess between good and evil being played out for the prize of mankind.  Christ came to save us from the forces of evil that had held mankind in its grip since the garden of Eden.  Death was born and brought forth into the world and reigned until Christ came and conquered it.  He is the first of the new born.  He is the master and savior of the new man.  

All now have the chance at life instead of death.  All now have the opportunity at eternal life if they choose.  For the life here on this earth is only temporary.  But the life hereafter is for all eternity.  The comparison of life now to life eternal is but a speck of sand to the entire beach of sand.  Yet that choice is ours to make and we each must come to the awareness of who we are and why we are here.  Choose life eternal and not death.

Life is not about how much money you can make or your status, your home or car, or your clothes, or job.  Life is about life, and that is already given to you if you choose it.  Live a good life.  God will provide all that you need.  Trust in his love for you and he will provide.  Do not be anxious about tomorrow for you have a Father in heaven who knows what you need and he will take care of you.  He is loving and caring, protecting and providing.  All we need do is thank him for the saving grace he gives us.  Amen. 

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: 18b; Swearing by the gifts.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their distorted religion) Part 7.  

He called them blind guides, fools, they did not know what they were doing.  They believed in themselves.  They believed that they had the authority to know, the authority to declare, the authority to be right in their decisions.  But Christ called them fools, blind guides that did not know where they were going.  

They called themselves leading the people.  They called themselves religious leaders, yet Christ said that their religion was distorted, made up, not true, contrived.  They were blind and could not see the truth in their own beliefs that they taught the people.  They told the people that if they swear by the alter it is nothing: "But whoever swears by the gift that is upon it, he is bound."

Christ called them hypocrites, fools, blind guides, because they walked in the dark not knowing where they were going and they led the people in that same darkness.  But these were the Pharisees and the Scribes, the rulers of the day.  They were the ones that walked the streets who enforced the rules of the Law to the people.  They saw to it that the people kept the Law or they paid the fines for breaking it.

And then out of the blue came this stranger that no one knew called Christ who taught the people a different way to live, a different way to love, a different way to know their God in heaven.  He walked with them, talked with them, eat with them, drank with them, danced with them, did all the things that a normal person would do even though he was the Son of God.  He heard their cries and their sorrows, and the moans, and the groans of those who were suffering from affliction and he cured them all.  He opened the eyes, and the mouths, and the ears, and healed the wounds of the lepers and raised the dead that all would know that he was sent from the Father from above.

And they still would not believe.  They still hated him.  They still could not see the truth of who he was.  What do you do with a person who faced with all the evidence but still will not accept the truth?  You can not force them to change.  You can not beat the change into them.  What do you do?  You can only love them for who they are and accept that they are not able to change.  God is a god of love.  He loves the good and the bad.  He makes the sun shine and the rain fall on both until that day comes when his judgment takes place.  Where will you be?

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.

St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verses: 37; The Great Commandment.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The great commandment) Part 4. 

The Pharisees came with their questions seeking to test the knowledge of Christ.  Others came before him and failed.  But the Pharisees were determined.   They gathered among themselves and came up with a question that they thought no one who had not studied the Law as they had would know the answer.  They believed that their great knowledge and wisdom of the Law came from the years of study with the masters.  No one knew or had heard of Christ studying with any of the Doctors of the Law.  So they came to question him with this one question that they believed he did not know and would not be able to answer.

They wanted to know what was the one great commandment in the Law.  One had to discern this commandment after years of study for it was not given outright.  So one Pharisee asked Christ and:  Jesus said to him,  "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart, and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind." 

This is the great commandment upon which all the Law is based and upon which we should practice.  But, one should ask how to practice this commandment?  How do you love the Lord with your whole heart, your whole soul and your whole mind when you only know physical love?  Our love is based upon that which we can see, taste, touch, smell, and feel.  Can we see the Lord, or taste, him?  Can we touch him or feel him?  How then are we to know how to love him?  

What is love?  Love is what moves us inside, what makes us feel good about ourselves and someone else.  Love is the thought of someone we picture, how they look, the little things about them that we like, how they smell, reminding us of them and bringing back fond memories of them.  Love is the emotions that we have of a person and how they make us feel.  Love is a touch, a whisper, a breath, a breeze, a flower, a blue sky, a rainbow, the smell of freshness in the air.  Love is all these things and more.  Love is awakening to a beautiful day and realizing that life is joy and life is happiness and life is full.  Love is the happiness in the understanding that we are children of God and he is our creator, and our provider and our protector.  Love is our whole being in him.

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:31b; The publicans and harlots.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the two sons) Part 4. 

After telling them the parable of the two sons, Christ asks them the question:  "Who did the father's will?"  They answered, the first son.  He gave them the opportunity to understand this simple parable on their a level that they were familiar with.  He wanted them to know.  He wanted them to understand, to have the knowledge and the opportunity for their eyes to be opened that they might be healed.

This parable led them down the path to that knowledge.  They had to open the door.  They had to see.  They had to allow themselves to come to know what was right in front of their eyes.  Could they do this?  Were they open enough?  Could they break through the darkness that blinded them?  So:  Jesus said to them , "Amen I say to you, the
publicans and harlots are entering the kingdom of God before you." 

And there it was, right in front of their faces.  They were so blind that they could not see what was happening.  Others were accepting and entering the kingdom but they were not.  The kingdom of heaven was at hand.  The kingdom of heaven had come to them here on earth.  The kingdom of heaven had come down from heaven and was now here on earth that all might have the opportunity to see and believe.  But the chief priest and the elders could not see.  They could not understand.  They could not hear the truth of the word.  They were blind.

Are we blind today?  Are those with the wisdom and the knowledge unable to see the opportunity?  Has the knowledge of the world so influenced their inner life that it is dimmed and turned to darkness?  Can they not believe?  Can they not see?  Can they not know that we are human beings but more than that we are spiritual beings created in the image and likeness of God himself.

He gave us life.  He created us from dust.  He provided the earth, the air, the water, the sun that we might have the right environment to grow and prosper.  Yet we in our finite wisdom have converted the truth to our own interpretation and liking, that it might make sense to us.  Yet we, not knowing, can not comprehend the knowledge and wisdom of our Father who created us.  Even more we are not supposed to understand but to take a leap beyond our own wisdom and knowledge to exercise the wisdom and knowledge of the spiritual being within us.

Christ came that we would have the truth.  He came that what was lost through deceit could be regained through truth.  We were dead, without a spiritual being, according to God's decree.  Christ came to give us life again.  And that life is open to all who seek it.  It is open to all who want to know the truth.  It is open to the young and the old, the wise and the dumb, the sick and the able, it is open to all.  Let us become like the publicans and the harlots, regain our spiritual light, and enter into the kingdom of heaven, now.

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:34c, The ability to see.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The blind men at Jericho) Part 11.

We finish this paragraph on a happy note.  The two blind men sat by the roadside begging for their existence.  They could not see.  They had no means of support.  Their life and their livelihood depended upon the generosity of those who passed by their station.  They lived in darkness.  They were without hope and believed only in what they could get from those who passed by.

Some were generous.  Some were meager.  Some gave nothing.  And others cursed them for their plight.  But this was all they knew how to do to provide for themselves.  And then the word came their way.  The people spoke of his miracles.  The people spoke the word of all that he had done for others.  He healed the sick, opened the ears of the deaf, made the lame walk and cast out devils.  He even raised the dead.  And suddenly their hearts leapt for joy.  Suddenly there was hope.  Suddenly they had dreams of being able to see and they believed in the words that they heard.

And Christ came their way.  He walked the road that they sat upon begging for their daily bread.  And they heard his coming.  They heard the crowds shouting his name.  They cried out for his help.  Even as everyone pushed them aside they continued to cry out for his help.  And he heard their cries over all the others.  He heard their sorrow, their pain, their hope, and their belief that he could help them.  And he touched their eyes:  and at once they received their sight, and followed him. 

They were touched by Christ and received their sight.  He made them whole.  He gave them new hope and new faith and a new life to live.  Their hearts were filled with joy that they could now see the world as it was.  Their hearts rejoiced that they no longer lived in darkness.  Their hearts rejoiced that they were released from their prison and could finally be independent and provide for themselves.  Imagine the transformation that took place in their lives to go from darkness to light, to go from being dependent to independence, to go from being blind to now being able to see the world in its true form and beauty.  This was the gift that Christ gave to these two blind men.

We live in a world today that is filled with the things that we are given to see.  We have access to instant everything that consume our attention and occupy our time.  We can text, skype, talk, Instagram, Tweet, Google, Facebook, be Linkedin, use all sorts of new technology to make our lives better and more convenient.  We can even binge watch TV to idle the time away until our brains are fried.  But can we see the truth where all this leads us?  Where are we going? What are we doing with our lives?  What is the meaning of why we are here?  Is this all that there is to life?

Christ opened the eyes of the two blind men.  He transformed their lives in an instant.  And they followed him.  What would you do if your eyes were opened that you could truly see where you were going, where you could see what your purpose was in life, where you could understand who you are?  I saw but I did not see.  I knew but I did not know.  I understood but I did not have knowledge.  And then Christ touched me and opened my eyes.  He gave me new purpose and new life.  Now I know who I am in him.  Now I see clearly the world around me.  Now I have knowledge that comes from him and not from the world around me.  Now I have knowledge that comes from the Lord.  Come!  Receive your sight from the Lord and you too will be transformed.  You too will know the truth of who you are in him.  You too will see the light of life that is within you.  Come!  Cry out to the Lord and he will come, touch you and transform you into a new being, a being of light and life eternal.

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.