St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 34a; Behold, I send you.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their persecution of religion) Part 9.  

It is amazing and chilling these next sentences in this paragraph because they pose a unique perspective from which we can view the nature of our God.  Christ speaks for God the Father because he is one with the Father.  Everything that he does comes from the Father.  Many times he tells the disciples that a cripple has not sinned as they might believe nor has someone in their family done so.  But it is the will of God that the cripple is there before them that he may be cured so that they might believe in him.

God has allowed those things to happen so that they will serve his purpose in showing the disciples who he is and who his son is, that they may believe in him.  And it is through his son that he works and performs his miracles.  And yet he does not speak.  But in this one sentence the voice of God comes forth after offering the Scribes and the Pharisees opportunity to escape hell.  God tells them:  "Therefore, behold, I send you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; and some of them you will put to death, and crucify."

It is the "I" that testifies to the speaker.  For Christ does not speak but it is God the Father that speaks through him telling the Scribes and the Pharisees what they have done and will do to those that God sends to help his people.  They persecute religion and it is the evil within them that has taken over completely and will not let go of their souls.

They are possessed and ignorant of the fact.  They are workers of evil and see no wrong in what they do.  They are doomed to the judgment of hell as those before them and do not understand the punishment before them.  How can they escape?  How can they not reap the rewards of hell?  

How thankful are we to have the knowledge and the understanding we have today.  It has been given us the way and the truth of who we are.  It has been given us the word of God that we may know his will for us that keeps us from harms way.  It has been given us the path to follow that leads us to the kingdom of heaven.  It has been given us a guide to help us along the way that we may not go astray or be led astray.  All this is ours for the asking if we believe in him who came to save us and the one who sent him, our loving Father.  God is real, God is ever living, God is loving and forgiving.  He is merciful and full of joy and hope and peace for those who love him.  God your Father loves you as much as you love him.  Open your heart to him and see.


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:23b; Christ's authority.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The authority of Jesus) Part 2. 

Christ was a gentle man.  He was not pretentious or self seeking.  He taught with love and understanding giving the people all they needed to comprehend fully.  His words were filled with the spirit of his father and he wanted the people to know his father as he knew him.  For God our Father is the creator of all things.  He gave life to all the world, all creatures, all things.  His creation is good.

Christ is a spirit of power and majesty.  And yet with all the power of the universe he was humble, quiet, gentle, loving.  His rage, his wrath could have destroyed anyone and everyone that displeased him.  Yet not often did that side of him show.  He performed miracles.  He made the dead rise, cured the lame, cast out demons, made the blind see, the lepers whole, calmed the stormy seas and walked on water.  But little did you see or hear of the awesome power he commanded, used.

And then came the chief priest and the elders, and said, "By what authority dost thou do these things? And who gave thee this authority?" 

They were wise men.  They were leaders and teachers and elders.  They were learned men, men of the world, knowledgeable of all that concerned the Law and the people of Israel.  But they did not know him.  They did not know the Christ.  They did not know from whence he came or from what part of the world he came and they were fearful. 

He brought change.  He brought peace, he brought harmony, he brought love.  He brought a knowledge of something more to life than what the people knew as their daily routine.  He brought knowledge of the kingdom of heaven to a people who knew of their God but did not know of his kingdom, of his plans for them, of his love for them.

We today live in the same world as those of yesteryear.  We eat, work, play, love, cry, search for truth, and die the same as they did thousands of years ago.  We know through our churches that there is a heaven and a kingdom of God.  Yet do we believe this?  Are we sure of this?  Is this a certainty in our lives today?  We are challenged.  We will be questioned of our faith.  We will face the winds of change that seeks to turn us in another direction.  How solid are our feet planted in the belief and truth of the authority of Christ that nothing will turn us away from him.

He is our provider.  He is our protector.  He is our caretaker no matter who rules, who is in office, who calls the shots.  God's will be done and we who believe and know will not be turned away from the gift of life that has been freely given to us through the passion of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ.  This is the authority upon which we stand.

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.