St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 5a; To be seen.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Hypocrisy of the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 4.  
We are talking about the Scribes and the Pharisees.  They are the leadership class in the time of Christ.  They are the educated and learned.  The ordinary people do not have books to read.  They do not got to schools to learn how to write.  The ordinary people labor in the fields and build for the kings and the ruling class to earn a living for themselves.  But for those who are fortunate enough, they go to schools and to the synagogue to learn to read and write and become educated.

The Scribes and the Pharisees are educated and learned; they are seen as different from ordinary people.  They dress differently, they talk differently, they consider themselves above the common man because of their training.  Christ tells the crowd:  "In fact, all their works they do in order to be seen by men."

Christ wants the disciples and the common people to see the Scribes and the Pharisees as they are.  He wants to pull the blinders from the peoples' eyes so they can see the true nature of the Scribes and the Pharisees.  Most people would look up to them because of their position.  But Christ wants them to see what lies underneath the clothing, underneath the masks of the Scribes and the Pharisees.  He wants them to understand who and what they revere as their leaders.

Is this an example for us today to look at our leaders, those that we look up to as examples of who we want to become?  Is this what Christ wants us to see?  Do we want our actions to be guided by what we do to be seen?  Are we hypocrites?  We are given examples daily of those persons that we wish we could become, the rich and the famous.  We see constantly on TV hear on the radio, in publications all those celebrities that we would like to know and meet.  Are they similar to the Scribes and the Pharisees that Christ talks about?

The Bible is a book of life.  It has many lessons that we can learn from.  There are real life examples that we can apply today to our lives as to how to live.  Who are we?  What are we?  Seven billion people on this planet, living in this time and space.  What do we have that can bring us joy and peace?  What do we have that can give us pause to the fast pace of life today?  

Two thousand years into the future Christ stands as the rock of all times.  He teaches, he speaks to us, he comes to us in our time of need.  If you do not know him, seek him out.  If you do not know him call his name.  If you do not know him, he knows you.  He sees you everyday that you live.  He knows your needs and your wants.  He hears your sighs and your cries.  He feels your pain and understands your sufferings.  He calls to you but you do not listen.  

Come!  He waits for you.  Come!  He wants you.  Come!  He will protect you and provide for you all the days of your life.  He is the Son of the living God.  He sits at his side.  He will speak to his father about you and ask him to help you in your time of need.  You are precious in his eyes.  His love for you is more than any love you have known.  Open your heart.  Let him in and he will come and be with you.

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, verse:1, Being Sent.

Our paragraph topic is:(Jesus sends two disciples into Jerusalem)
Part 1.

We begin this new paragraph as Jesus is drawing near to Jerusalem.  He knows that his journey is coming to an end.  He knows what his task is as given him by the Father.  He knows that he will complete the Father's will despite all the obstacles, pain, and suffering he will face.  Fear is not with him.  Courage and the love of his Father is his mainstay.  He knows that he is going home, the place from which he came.

His disciples do not know what will happen.  They have followed Christ from the beginning.  They have heard his words, witnessed his deeds.  They have wondered at his origin, the nature of his power, the goal of his journey.  He has told them on several occasions what will happen to him.  But they are in disbelief.  They do not know.  They do not see.  They do not completely understand, but they continue to follow him because they know that he is the Messiah.  AND when they drew near to Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, on the Mount of Olives, then Jesus sent two disciples. 

They loved him, the disciples.  They believed in him, the disciples.  They walked with him, eat with him, listened to his words, spoke with him, touched him, saw him, and knew his gentle presence.  They experienced in themselves what no one has experienced since the beginning of time.  They knew Christ.  They had a physical experience of him that no disbelief could erase.  He gave them his heart.  He gave them his soul.  He gave them his love.  And he gave them the life that was in him that they too would know spiritual life.

They were sent.  They did not know the why and the wherefore.  But they went in accordance with his will.  They followed his instructions.  They believed in him.  They loved him.  We today do not have the physical experience of knowing Christ Jesus.  We can not walk with him in his presence.  We can not talk with him in his presence.  We can not know him with all certainty the way that the disciples knew him.  Yet his words live on through their experience.  His presence lives on through their words.  His love comes through because of the love that he gave to them.  And his spirit lives on through the words.

Christ gives purpose and meaning to our lives.  Because he came and walked among us, he has understanding of who we are, understanding of how we feel, understanding of our lives and our struggles.  He knows our wants and our desires.  And he loves us despite of the sinners that we are.  I sinned in my life, grossly.  I turned away in disbelief.  I was bitter, isolated, struggled, and died to his love.  But then I was touched by his love.  I was moved by his compassion.  I was given new life and I was sent forth to share with others what has been given me. 

I write that others may know.  I write that others may see.  I write that others may receive what has been given me.  I have purpose.  I have direction.  I have love.  I have his protection, and his provision, and the knowledge of who I am in him.  I am sent.  Come!  When will you receive your blessings?  When will you know who you are?  When will your eyes be opened, your heart released, your life given to you?  Come!  When will you be sent? 

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.