St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 19a; Blind Ones.

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

We grew up signing the nursery rhyme three blind mice not knowing its meaning.  Christ calls the Scribes and the Pharisees blind fools, blind guides, hypocrites because they have created a distorted religion that they teach the people.  He even tells them that they are making converts to their religion that are becoming sons of hell.

They hound him.  They dog him constantly thinking that they might catch him in some trick to accuse him of some transgression of the Law so that they might punish him and silence him of his teachings to the people.  They refuse to see.  They refuse to hear.  They refuse to understand who they are dealing with.  In their minds they believe that Christ is an ordinary man attempting to lead the people away from the rulers of the temple.  Yet this is the one belief that keeps them from seeing the truth that is before their eyes.  And this is why Christ calls them:
"Blind ones!"

They could not see.  They were blind to the truth that was right before their eyes.  Many people are that way today.  Rather than admit an error or their wrong they rather deny the truth knowing that they were wrong.  They create a false lie in their minds in an attempt to make themselves believe that the lie is the truth.  Then there are those who just are not able to accept the truth that is presented to them right before their eyes.  Their minds break down and do not accept what they see.

We cling to what we know, what we can feel and see.  For many everything else is make believe.  Yet the physical and spiritual nature of who we are is a fact, we are one person in two bodies, physical body and spiritual body.  Christ came that our spiritual body would not die.  He came to pay the price for our sins.  Now we have a choice.  We can live in the physical body and die in the spiritual or we can die in the physical and live in the spiritual.  The choice is ours.  The belief is ours.  The asking is ours.  The love of our Lord and Savior is ours to believe.  He came for us.  He died for all of us.  He awaits our call.  Call his name! 

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: 16c; Swearing by the Gold.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their distorted religion) Part 3.  

They were worldly in their beliefs.  They valued gold and silver and incents and jewels and all kinds of precious things.  Their eyes and minds were filled with the ways of the flesh and not the spirit of the Lord.  The prophets came to warn them of their transgressions but they did not listen.  The words spoken to their forefathers did not reach them.  For it had been years since the Lord had spoken to them.

The leadership of the people had lost their way.  They had become blinded by the ways of the world as did the Israelites in desert when they fashioned calves of gold to worship as their god.  Their minds were still set on the glitter of gold as having a value greater than anything on earth or in heaven.  This is why they said that: "But whoever swears by the gold of the temple, he is bound."

They were fixated on gold.  They placed it at a higher value than anything else.  And they believed that if one swears by this higher value then one is bound by that value because if one breaks that bond then one would have to pay that bond in gold.  And yet not many had such a value in gold to pay.  

Yet who was to determine if that bond was broken?  Who was to judge if that bond was a just bond or a false bond, one that could be easily broken?  If the bond is broken do we fear paying the price in gold?  What would be the consequences if not paid?  Would it be jail, or a beating, or lashing, or death, or servitude?  What would be the ultimate price that one would pay for breaking a bond of gold?

What would be the price of breaking a bond with God?  Can we swear by him that we will be bound to do what we say we are to do?  Are we confident in ourselves that we can commit to do what we say that we are bound to do?  Is that something that we can swear by?  Is that something that we can keep?  

We are really between a rock and a hard place.  On the one hand we have a god who does not want us to transgress and on the other we have evil that does.  Our Father knows that we will be influenced by the evil that is in the world.  He is willing to forgive our transgressions if we understand that we have done wrong and ask for his help and forgiveness.  We are not perfect beings.  We are subject to make mistakes.  He is perfect and is willing to forgive our mistakes and love us still because he knows that there is evil in the world.  

Christ saw the good and the bad in all mankind and he was willing to sacrifice his life that we might have the chance for a new life.  His passion for mankind is so great that it transcended the pain and suffering that he endured to save us.  Now we each have a decision to make about our lives.  That choice is ours to make.  Open your heart.  Find the true soul of who you are  within.  Christ is waiting for your call.  He will come knocking at the door of your heart.  Will you open it and let him in?

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 21, verses: 40; The Owner's actions.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The vine-dressers kill the master's son) Part 3. 

What would you do?  If this was a tale about your property what would you do?  You hire and pay someone to build and make repairs to your house while you are away.  After the repairs are completed the house is vacant for a while and the repairman thinks that you are dead and wants to claim the house for himself.  He wants to take what is yours.  What would you do?

This is the central theme of this parable.  They were offered many opportunities to change to return what was not theirs but they refused.  So Christ is speaking to the chief priest and the elders asking them what would the owner do.  "When, therefore, the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those vine-dressers?" 

Will he beat them, will he hang them, will he kill them, what will he do?  For they beat and stoned, and killed his servants.  And they led away his son and killed him, the heir to the vineyard.  They wanted to take everything of value from the owner.  His wrath will be forthcoming.

He was away for a long time, many years.  And they assumed that he was not returning, so they made themselves owners, they made themselves lords of the vineyard.  And when messengers were sent asking for the fruit of the vineyard they refused to send that which belonged to the owner.  Again he sent servants and they were turned away or killed.  Finally he sent his only son that maybe they would respect his rights to the wine but the vine-dressers refused again and killed him also.  And then comes the owner with his might and wonder to put asunder the wrong that has taken place.

We live in this place where we believe and assume that we are the owners.  It was given to us as a gift but we have taken the belief that we are the owners and that our place here evolved over many millions of evolution.  We are the evolved and this is our world.  We search beyond this world in the belief that there is other life in the universe comparable to ours that will justify our own existence and support our reasoning.  Yet the truth and the knowledge that we seek is before us, given to us from eye witnesses, written for us to see and believe. 

Some believe because it is written, not knowing the truth beyond the words.  Some have faith because they have seen in their own lives the results of their prayers.  Then there are those who know because they have found the light of life within themselves and can see the truth of who they are.  What joy and peace that truth brings.  What happiness comes in knowing that you are blessed and loved.  What sorrowful tears are shed in the knowledge of our sins and the merciful relief that comes from forgiveness. 

We are children of light and not of darkness.  The light of Christ Jesus exist within those who know and can see.  And that knowledge can belong to anyone who seeks to see, anyone who wants to know.  It is written for us to see.  It is written for us to know.  It is written for us to walk in the trust that comes from the knowledge of who we are.  It is written, seek and you shall find.  Knock and it shall be opened to you.  Ask and it shall be given you by the Lord our God who created 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 20, verse: 14a, Take what is thine and go.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard)
Part 20.

We come to this part of the parable where the house-holder speaks to the laborers directly concerning their anger and their frustration about their pay.  They have come to believe that they were cheated.  Their minds were influenced by a belief that they deserved more than they agreed to from the beginning.  They saw others come in and work.  They believed that they would receive less.  But when the time came for payment they received the same as those who came before them and worked less.

They saw themselves deserving more.  They saw themselves as being cheated.  They saw themselves as being underpaid even though they agreed to do the labor for a denarius.  Who was at fault?  Who committed a wrong?  Did they deserve more?  Was that the issue or did they compare themselves to others to determine that they deserved more?  The house-holder spoke to them and told them:  "Take what is thine and go." 

What was theirs?  What belonged to them?  What did they own?  They agreed to a denarius when they were hired in the market place and that was what was theirs.  They believed that it was a fair wage for a days work.  So the contract for labor was agreed upon and signed when they went to work.  It was only after they were in the fields, saw others come in after them, and watched as they were paid the same amount that they became dissatisfied and disgruntled.  What would you do?  If you agreed to do a specific task for a fixed amount, would you be disgruntled if you saw others come and do less work and get paid the same amount?  Most would say yes!

Christ tells this parable to his disciples to warn them of the dangers of making comparisons.  He wanted them to know that they would be challenged to compare what they were being offered to what they would receive.  He wanted them to be aware of how evil would challenge them, to weaken them, and to open them up to being influenced.  Knowledge of oneself in the eyes of Christ defends against the outside influence.  Knowing the life that Christ has given to us and the value of that life cannot compare to anything that this world has to offer. 

Evil tempted Christ in the desert and offered him the kingdoms of this world if he would only bow down in worship.  Evil will do the same to us if we do not know who we are in Christ.  It will come and influence.  It will come and tempt.  It will come in and bring anger, and mistrust and disbelief and finally open the door to being controlled.  And when that control takes over one will do what is suggested to get what is being offered by it.

Christ came and opened the door to the kingdom that all could enter.  He gave us a path.  He showed us the way.  He left a message, a book, a light, so that we could find our way home.  And when we come to realize and understand who we are and the path to our destiny, nothing can stand in our way to receive our peace and happiness.  The Advocate will lead the way.  The Advocate will be our guide.  The Advocate will be our council everyday to help us make good decisions as we walk by faith along the path to the kingdom.  Your path is before you.  You can find the way.  Look within and see the light of life given you by Christ.  Seek to know him and you will see.  His love will come and touch you to let you know that he is there waiting for you.  Open your heart and let him in.  Come!  See the true you that is within and let no one or nothing separate you from the love that the Father has for 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 20, verse: 4, The Just payment.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard) Part 4.  

The house-holder has need of workers in his vineyard and he goes to the market place and finds workers standing idle.  He tells them to go to work in his vineyard so that they will have something to do to earn their wages and provide for their families.  He had need of work and they had need of someone to hire them to work.  This is the parable that Christ tells his disciples that relates to the kingdom of heaven.  

The laborers were standing idle without any work to do.  The house-holder was looking for laborers to work.  The kingdom of heaven is seeking workers.  The believers on earth are seeking work to do but are standing idle with no one to hire them.  God is seeking workers so Christ tells his disciples that the house-holder told the workers:  "And he said to them, 'Go you also into the vineyard, and I will give you whatever is just.' "

So the laborers are sent to work in the vineyard with the promise that they will be paid whatever is just.  What is just for a days labor?  What is just for the work that they will do?  What is just for the skill that is required for the work they are required to do?  We live in a world where we are in the same situation of determining what is just for us.  Is it fair and just that we work honestly and fairly and others do not?  Is it fair and honest that we follow the rules and others cut corners and get by?  Is it honest and fair that we are slighted and passed over for promotions and perks and others get the all benefits?

What is just?  What is fair?  What is right?  And what is wrong?  In this day and time it seems that it does not pay to be honest and to be fair.  It seems that it does not pay to be upright and straightforward.  It seems that we are the ones who get the unfair and unjust treatment.  Can we not stand by and accept this?  Can we not allow this to happen to us?  Are we compelled to  change our position and do what is necessary to advance our own cause?  Are we driven to bring about a change for ourselves?  What is just for us?

We compare what is just to what is before us.  We feel what is unjust by what others are doing.  We see the results of what others are doing and how they are rewarded.  We hurt for what is right and what is wrong, what is just and what is unjust, what we want and what we do not have.  These are our passions.  These are our motivations.  These are the things that tempt us to turn from who we are in Christ.  For God is our Father.  He is right and he is just.  He is patient and he is forgiving.  He is the final judge and we must trust in his wisdom and glorify his justice even when it seems that it is unjust.  The just payment is what we should seek.  The just payment is what we should believe.  The just payment is what we should know because God is our Father and he will provide for us.  He will care for us.  And he will be the ultimate judge of what is just.  Seek not the ways of the world but seek the kingdom of heaven and all else will be provided to 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 19, verse: 17b, God is good?

Our paragraph topic is:  (The rich young man speaks to Jesus) Part 2.  

And behold there appeared a young man from nowhere with a question for Christ.  The young man was innocent.  He was perplexed.  He was without a sense of direction with this question that he sought to find an answer but the answer eluded his understanding.  The question was, what must one do to obtain the kingdom of heaven.  What must one say, or think, or behave, or be to assure that he would enter the kingdom of heaven.

Christ came into this world and preached to the people the coming of the kingdom of heaven.  He told them that they must repent and be renewed in the spirit.  He spoke to them of the old ways.  He spoke to them of the new ways that must come into play.  He spoke to them of attitudes, of behaviors, of love, of hate, of good and of evil.  He wanted them to know the truth of what was taking place here on earth.  He wanted them to see for themselves the light of life that was before them that they would know who they are.  And then comes this young man seeking knowledge of what was good.  And Christ told him:  "One there is who is good, and he is God."

The young man was filled with the question of what was good.  He was driven by the need to know what was good,  what was right, what was wrong, or what was bad.  And he sought the one person that he thought was good.  He placed a label upon that person who he thought was good.  So he called Christ the good master.  He asked Christ what good works must he perform to assure that he would attain the kingdom of heaven.  But deep within him was the unknown.  Within him was the innocence and the desire to fulfill.  Yet also within him was the slight tinge of evil that was hidden.  And Christ saw and corrected him that he would not be allowed to think that he was the source of all goodness.

Only one who is good and that is God our Father.  This is a statement that is true, in and of itself.  Yet our concept of God is not real.  Our concept of our heavenly Father is not tangible to us as the world is tangible, as our physical bodies are tangible, as our need for food, clothing and shelter is tangible.  For these are the things that occupy us.  These are the things that consume our daily consciousness.  These are the things that we strive to overcome, to obtain, to master, to assure that we have enough of.  And our Father is good.  Our Father is all powerful.  Our Father is protective.  Our Father is loving and merciful, and forgiving, and good.  But to our understanding this is not tangible to us as the world is tangible.  Or is it?

For our understanding tells us that we must provide for ourselves.  Our understanding tells us that we must be a success unto ourselves.  We are the be all and end all of who we are.  And this is how we are programed to think and believe and be in the world.  For is the world is good?  Is the world caring?  Is the world loving if we just embrace what it has to offer?  This is what we are told.  This is what we are given to believe.  This is what we love by and not by the goodness of our Father.  How deceived we are.  How misled we are.  How unknowing we are of the truth of who we are in Christ.  The truth will come to you.  The truth will knock at your door.  The truth will set you free.  The truth will open the eyes of your heart and fill it with the love of the Father so much so that nothing else on earth can compare.  All you have to do is open your heart and accept what the Father has to offer.  He offers love!  Open up and let him in.  God is good. 

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.