St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 26b; Clean first the inside!

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their hypocritical purity) Part 4.

 He had to teach them.  He had to help them to understand where they were.  He had to break through the darkness inside, to open a door so that they might have light to see what was inside.  They only cleansed the outside and thought they were pure.  But on the inside they were full of dirt and uncleanness.  All kinds of iniquities had taken over on the inside and they believed that it was okay to appear this way.  This was their purity on the inside and Christ had to teach them to see the truth of what was really inside.

So he called them out.  He told them they were impure.  He told the Pharisees they were like whited graves full of rotted bones on the inside, painted white on the outside to look clean.  This was the religion they practiced.  He told them:  "Clean first the inside of the cup and of the dish, that the outside too may be clean."

 Clean the inside first.  Get all the garbage out of the inside.  Clean the mind, clean the thoughts, clean the actions, do right, do no wrong, speak good of your neighbors, be at peace with yourself and others, love your neighbor as yourself, hold fast to the beliefs given us by Christ as handed down through his teachings.  

There is so much that we must live with in this world in accordance with Christian beliefs.  Life does not offer opportunity to live according to the teachings of Christ.  There are times when we will be tempted.  Times when we will be put to the test to do otherwise.  There will be times when we must ask for forgiveness for not having the strength to follow our beliefs.  Yet if we can remember our teachings we can come back to the path we are given and seek his mercy to return to his wisdom of life for us.  

Surrender to his will and peace will be yours.  Seek to know his purpose for your life and you will find your way.  He came to unlock the chains of bondage to free us from slavery to sin.  He came to teach us how to live a life of peace and love, a life of knowledge and understanding.  He came to light the path that we may know the way to his kingdom, the path to the Father.  

Seek the knowledge that he has left for us to know.  Understand the wisdom that is within you to see.  Trust in the spirit that connects you to his love and to the Father, the creator of all things.  For he is the fulfillment of all desire and all joy and all happiness and desires of the 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, verses: 45; How is he his son?

Our paragraph topic is:  (The son of David) Part 5.  

The spirits are talking and David is listening.  He is in the mist of the Lord of Lords listening to the conversation of his Lord speaking to his Lord.  David was special.  He was chosen from among the seven brothers to be crowned a king.  He was favored by his Lord because he was just a lowly shepherd boy working in the fields watching over the sheep and God chose him to be anointed king over his brothers who were full of pride.

But not David.  He worshiped his God and was a humble servant.  And this is why God chose him over his brothers to lead the people of Israel.  So David knew that the Christ, his Lord, would come, from his blood line.  He knew that the Christ would be a part of his children's children.  He also knew from his understanding in the spirit that the Christ would come through him but not of him.  And the question would become:  "If David, therefore, calls him ‘Lord,’ how is he his son?"  

This was the mystery that puzzled the Pharisees.  And if we think of it today, it will also give us a twist of mind.  How is it that Christ could not be the son of David since he was born through the lineage of David?  Yet Christ was not brought forth through David, he was before David, he was before man was conceived, he was before the world was conceived, he was the first born of God conceived of his love.  So whose son is he, God's son or David's son?  Which one can it be?

Before we were, there was nothing.  Before we were brought forth into existence, we were not conceived as human beings.  There was nothing of us.  Nothing of you and me.  We can say that we have parents and grandparents and great, and great and great, great, great parents, but even before them there was nothing.  I came into existence one day and now I am.  My Lord tells me that I will have a short test in the flesh and then I will transform into the spirit and exist for eternity with him, if I pass the test of his commandments, the test of his love.  

My existence will go on into eternity.  I am and I will be.  I came from nothing and I will be into eternity. Can I grasp this concept?  Can I fully understand the magnitude of who I am and the gift that has been given me from my Lord?  I think not.  For I live as though time is limited.  I live as though I am not.  My mind is wrapped in a glass ball not knowing that I am, on the outside looking in, instead of on the inside looking around trying to scrape out an existence.  

My Father and God is my provider, my helper, my protector.  He watches over me.  He cares for me.  He loves me and I love him.  His son has opened my eyes and healed me, forgiven me of my sins, washed away my tears.  I know that I am redeemed.  I would share the overflowing love that is within me with all who would open themselves to the love that awaits them from 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 22, verses: 42a; Whose son is the Christ?

Our paragraph topic is:  (The son of David) Part 2.  

Now the tables are turned and Christ has the opportunity to test the Pharisees in their knowledge and wisdom.  He wants to save them.  He wants to heal them from their blindness.  He wants to open their eyes so that they may see the truth.  So he makes an attempt to purge their minds with a question that might lead them to understand the truth of the scriptures.
They are the Pharisees.  They are the leaders of the people, the scholars who have studied the scriptures all their lives.  They have learned from the masters of their time the inner meanings of the writings of their forefathers.  They should know the answers to these questions.  So Jesus questioned them:  saying "What do you think of the Christ? Whose son is he?" 

They knew the scriptures of the old testament.  They studied them everyday.  They knew the answer to the question.  Would their minds allow them to accept the answer?  Would the answer allow itself to be spoken?  It would contradict everything that they thought and believed.  Yet there it was in the scriptures, the answer that they had not put together with the facts of what was before them today.  Contradiction!  Confusion!  Anxiety!  Would they believe?  

God gave man free will to choose his own destiny.  He wanted to save all mankind at first but Adam failed and Satan deceived.  So the soul of man died for many years until Christ came to redeem mankind and give new life to those who would believe.  The decision is not made.  The decision is ours alone to make.  We must decide, individually, as a group.  Do we live or do we continue to die?  

God our Father loves us.  The proof is in his mercy.  The proof is in his love.  The proof is in the sacrifice of his only son.  

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: 38; The First Commandment.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The great commandment) Part 5.  

They put him to the test thinking that he would fail.  One of the Doctor's of the Law asked him the question that they believed he would not know having not studied under their direction.  But they were wrong in their assumption, for he knew the great commandment of the law, "Thou shalt love the Lord thy God with thy whole heart and with thy whole soul, and with thy whole mind."

And he recited it to them as though he lived it.  But he added more to that statement to let them know that he also was knowledgeable of the Law.  He said:  "This is the greatest and the first commandment."

You see they only knew about the great commandment as being the foundation of the Law.  They did not know that there was another commandment that was also a foundation principle of the Law.  They were the scholars.  They were the ones who studied the Law.  They read it, discussed it, practiced it, applied to their lives and the lives of the people on a daily basis.  So they believed that they knew it like the back of their hand.  Yet here comes a commoner like Christ who knew more about the Law than they did.  How was that possible?

And this was the way of God working according to the promise that was made to the forefathers of those who believed in him.  The prophets foretold the coming of the Messiah and the redemption of the people from sin.  They foretold of his sacrifice, the resurrection, and his ascension into heaven.  All this written down for those future generations to read and believe.  

It is there for those who want to know, for those who seek to find, for those who are tired of what the world has offered.  You see, once your eyes are opened and you are healed, you know the truth of what happened.  So, the struggle becomes keeping your eyes opened, keeping the truth in front of you, and following the path given you by your spirit.  For the Spirit will lead you and guide you every day.  The Spirit will protect you and provide for you.  Your life will be filled with joy and peace because now you have a path, a sense of direction, a purpose and a goal in life that leads to fulfillment.  We are his children and he is our Father.  He will care for 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 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 22, verse: 21c; God's things.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Tribute to Caesar) Part 11.  

They would not cease in their endeavor to trap him in his words.  Christ knew their plans.  This is why he was angry with them because they continued to test him.  They didn't know that he was the Christ, the Messiah.  They only thought that he was a fake, a fraud, a charlatan, some one who sought to turn the people away from the rule of law of the Jews.  And it was their duty, their responsibility to show him as such.

They didn't believe.  They didn't see.  Despite all their wisdom and knowledge they could not come to see what the little people were seeing and believing.  No prophet before Christ had come to perform the miracles or come to do the things that he did or spoke such words of truth.  But the people of wisdom and knowledge were blinded.  They could not see.  They could nor believe.  So they continued to test him and ask questions to trap him.  They asked: "If it was lawful to give tribute to Caesar."  And Christ gave them their answer.   "Render, therefore, to Caesar the things that are Caesar's, and to God the things that are God's."  

And that was part of the answer that they wanted to hear but part of the answer that they did not want to hear.  For it was complex in it's response.  Give to Caesar the things that are his and to God the things that belong to God's . 

What belongs to Caesar?  Of course the tribute belongs to Caesar because the people lived under the rule of Caesar and the Roman Empire.  What belongs to God?  We belong to God because he made us, gave us life, gives us the sun and the moon and the water and the plants and the food and all the things that we need to live.  We give praise and glory to God for his love and provisions and protection.  We give tribute to Caesar.  And we give hope to God for the life that he promises after we leave this shell here on earth.  We give our obedience to Caesar because he sets the laws of the land.  We give our faith, our belief, and our praise and our glory to God for the tomorrow that he provides for he is our life and our promise for all eternity.

We live to share in the life that he has promised through Christ Jesus.  We share that belief with all our brothers and sisters with love.  For it is through love that we are all bound together as one.  For out of love we came forth.  And it is through the love of his son Christ Jesus that we exist today.  We are the creation of love everlasting.   

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: 18; The Hypocrites.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Tribute to Caesar) Part 6.  

They sought to test him.  They sought to trap him.  They sought to know what were his thoughts on the matter of Caesar, the ruler of the Roman empire.  They thought that they were clever and wise and cunning.  But they were only revealing the wickedness of their thoughts and inner beliefs according to the directions that they were given by those who wanted to stop Christ.

So they sent the best of the best of their scholars and wise men to meet with Christ in an attempt to trap him in his own words that they could testify against him as witnesses.  But Christ knew of their plans.  But Jesus, knowing their wickedness, said, "Why do you test me, you hypocrites?"  

Here they were pretenders, paid actors pretending to be pious, holy, seeking knowledge, truth, and wisdom only they were wolves in sheep's clothing seeking their own purpose to get paid and to serve their masters who sent them to trick and trap Christ in his words.  They were wicked men.  They were deceitful and dishonest men.  They were high in stature but low in character, wearing an outward mask but having a mask underneath showing their true nature.

They did not fool Christ for he was able to see beyond the mask to the inner self of who they were.  He knew them for their nature and their character.  He saw the influence behind the inner mask, the evil that drove them to do what they were called to do.  And he was able to call them out as hypocrites.

Often times we are drawn to the charismatic ones who lead a group.  They are the ones that we wish that we were like, the ones that we want to be with.  Yet because of our desire to belong we find ourselves bound to a group that does not have the same values, but we go along just out of a need or a coercion to belong.  Gangs provide that need to belong and then they brainwash to solidify any second thoughts of backing out.  All this comes from a need to build up strong support for an ability to withstand the temptation of the gang.  It takes a strong individual along with a strong support group to prevent the draw of gang coercion.

Christ came to bring peace and love to the people of the earth.  He was an example to those who knew him, those who walked with him.  The gangs of his time sought to recruit him because they wanted to use him as their symbol to cause the people to rise up against Roman rule.  But his kingdom was not of this world.  So they tortured him, beat him, spat upon him and crucified him upon a cross of wood even though he was innocent of any crime or sin.  He was the sacrificial lamb that came down from heaven to be a propitiation for the sins of all mankind that we may have life again.  We lost it once but he came and regained it for all eternity.  So our gang is the gang of Christ.  We are the children of God our Father who has given us life eternal because we follow the rules of his commandments and belong to his gang.  Our home is not of this earth but of the kingdom of heaven.  Come!  Join the brotherhood of Christ and become a member of the Christian gang. 

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.