St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 15a; Woe!

Our paragraph topic is:  (Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 8.  

Jesus was bold.  He was outspoken.  Only the prophets and those who were crazy spoke to the Pharisees this way.  No one would dare speak out loud to them in public for all to hear.  Yet Jesus did.  He spared no words and did not hold his tongue.  He wanted all to hear what he had to say of the Scribes and the Pharisees.  He wanted all to know of their wrongs.

They did not believe.  They did not see.  They did not understand that the kingdom of heaven was at their doorstep.  The Scribes and the Pharisees only heard the words of a man calling them out to the public, something no one dared do to their honor.  But Christ did.  He said to them: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"

In this paragraph he calls them hypocrites three times.  He tells the disciples what they did and how they did it so that all will know their sins.  He gives them three times to repent of their ways.  Yet they do not.  They can not hear.  They can not see.  They can not understand what is happening before them.  They are deaf in their hearing.  They are blind in their seeing and their understand has been taken away.

Where are we today?  Are we in the same boat?  Can we hear the calling?  Can we see the miracles before us?  Can we understand the things that are happening around us that give us the opportunities to repent of our ways?  We have a choice.  God is merciful.  He is loving and forgiving.  He is patient in his mercy and wants all to have the chance to receive his love.  The choice is ours if we can only hear, if we can only see, is we can only understand the gift that is given to us. 

 I am so thankful that I heard.  I am so thankful that I was able to see.  I am so thankful that I was able to understand the gift that I have received, that I am here today to write to you about it.  Seek it and you shall find it.  Knock on the door and it shall be opened to you.  Know that you have a heavenly Father who loves you and who will come to you and embrace you with his love.  I am a witness. 

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: 14c; Greater Judgment.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Woe to the Scribes and Pharisees) Part 7.  

We are crying for the Scribes and the Pharisees.  Woe to them.  They are being called out to the public for their wrongs.  The spotlight of the kingdom of heaven shines upon them and they are being called out for their wrong doings to the people.  The kingdom of heaven is at hand and Christ is passing out mercy tickets to those who are willing to repent.  But the Scribes and the Pharisees are angry and will not relent in their desires to seek revenge upon Christ.

He calls them hypocrites to their face in public.  He tells them that they do not go into the kingdom of heaven but they close the door to the kingdom for those who want to go in.  They devour the houses of widows who have no means after their husbands die by praying long prayers.  And he gives them their judgment by telling them: "For this you shall receive a greater judgment."

He walked the earth and he talked to the earth.  He spoke to the wind and the rain, the sea and the sky, the trees and the fish and the grain.  He was here on this planet and yet we knew him not.  Even today we not know him.  For he is that which is within us, that which is without.  He is around us each and every day.  He has given us the means of being, the being of seeing and the reasoning to know him.  Yet we have not fully known that which we are.

Each waking day is an opportunity to discover.  What are we here for?  Why do we exist?  Is it just to be a part of the collective, to work, play, to love, to create, to procreate, to unify a family, to be a part of a community, a part of a church, a part of an organization?  Or are we given what we consider a greater purpose, to create something that will move humanity along the time line of knowledge and understanding?  Where are we going?  Why are we here?

We walk the time line of death knowing what the future holds for us.  Christ did the same knowing that this was why he was born, why he came, why he died.  Yet he conquered death.  He rose and ascended above the grave.  He tells us that we will do the same that we will have life eternal. Is this why we are here?  Is this our ultimate goal, to die, to rise again?  Should we not rejoice then!  Should we not be happy!  Should we not seek to know the how and the wherefore of him who made this promise to 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:32b, Jesus responds.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The blind men at Jericho) Part 7. 

The two blind men sat by the roadside and heard that Jesus was passing by.  They cried out for his help.  They cried and they cried and they cried out and would not stop.  All the crowd told them to stop.  All the crowd tried to stop them.  All the crowd would not help them.  So they continued to cry out because they believed that he could help them.  They believed that this was their one opportunity to end their pain and suffering in the darkness.

Christ did not hear them over the din of the crowd.  Christ did not see them because of the large crowd.  Christ could not help them because the crowd would not let them get to him.  But over all the noise and all the people that followed Christ heard their hearts crying out to him.  He heard their faith.  He heard their belief in him: and called them, and said, "What will you have me do for you?" 

What would you have me do for you was his response.  What would you say to this response?  What would you ask him to do for you?  What would you want Christ to do for you today?  The two blind men wanted to see more than anything else in the world.  They did not want gold.  They did not want power.  They did not want prestige.  They did not want to be popular.  All they wanted was to be able to see.  What would you ask Christ for today?

Would you want to have your bills paid?  Would you want to have money?  Would you want to be powerful?  Would you want to be popular like an actor or actress?  What more than anything else would you want in your life to ask Christ to do for you today?  I cried because of the mistakes that I made in my life.  I cried because of the failure that I had become.  I cried because of the wrongs that I did to others.  I cried because I was a sinner and did not want to be left out of the kingdom.  What did I ask for?  I asked to know that he loved me and that he would forgive me for my sins.

Many are lost today.  Many are sitting by the wayside not knowing what to do with their lives having lost their ability to see.  Many have taken to dark roads to get what their hearts desire.  They have been blinded into believing that material things can satisfy their hearts desires.  What do you believe?  What do you want?  Do you know what will bring you peace, what will satisfy you in your life?  True satisfaction can only through Christ.  True peace can only come through his wisdom.  True knowledge of the love of the Father brings joy and happiness that no earthly prize can give.  For he is the source of all happiness, the source of all joy, the origin of true peace.  What do you want in your life today?

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.