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 23, verses: 26a; Blind Pharisees!

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their hypocritical purity) Part 3.  

The God of all truth and knowledge came to them.  The God of all wisdom was in their presence.  The God of all creation walked with them, talked with them, attempted to give them insight into his understanding and the mysteries of the universe but they could not see.  They could not hear.  They could not understand what was transpiring before them.  They were lost in their own beliefs and desires.  They were lost in their own religious purity.

We can look back upon all this and wonder how frustrating this must have been, the king of wisdom dressed as a pauper seeking to give wisdom to the wise men who are supposedly learned beyond all wisdom.  The wise men are so puffed up in their own knowledge that they have no room for the wisdom of a simple pauper who has the wisdom of all ages.  Christ called them: Thou blind Pharisee!"  For surely they were without spiritual sight and could not see what and who was before them.

Are we the same today, blind without sight?  Can we not see the truth of who we are?  Do we not know our own nature or are we just asleep with our eyes open not able to see what is within.  The darkness prevails if we look.  But we are given the knowledge to look deeper beyond the darkness in search of the light of life given to us by Christ himself.

He came down from heaven that he might show us how to live a new life.  He came down from heaven that he might walk with us, talk with us, eat with us, laugh with us, dance with us, cry with us, feel the emotions of our sorrows and our pains.  He brought joy and happiness to those whom he healed and restored physically.  He touched the hearts and minds of those who were with him day in and day out throughout his life.  What a joy and a pleasure it must have been to be in his presence during those times.

Yet evil creeps in and takes hold of those on the fringe of life.  It corrupts and distorts the meaning of life.  It steals the life light within and covers it with darkness such that one looses the way and walks in darkness.  Time passes and life becomes meaningless except for those moments when carnal pleasures takes one deeper into darkness.  The light of life is snuffed out unless the call of God is heard through some tragedy.  

God is loving and forgiving.  He is merciful.  He knows we are week and because he is full of mercy he is willing to forgive if we are honestly seeking his forgiveness.  His love is boundless.  His mercy is endless.  His patience is enduring.  He loves all his children he created.  He wants all to be with him in his heavenly kingdom.  Come!  Take your place.  Seek his forgiveness and it will be yours.

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: 25b; Robbery and Uncleanness.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their hypocritical purity) Part 2.  

They knew they were correct in their beliefs, their teachings, and their preaching to the people.  They had years of experience.  They had years of knowledge.  They had years of teachings from those who came before them to guide them along the way.  Did they heed the messages from the prophets handed down from God?  Did they completely understand the mysteries hidden in the writings of the Gospels?  Had they strayed away from the true meaning of the message of love given by Christ?  Were the Scribes and the Pharisees deserved of the critical scorn given by Christ? 

Something was truly wrong for them to have such public scrutiny made of their character and honor.  What had they done?  What was wrong with them?  The people did not really like them.  They knew that something was wrong because of the harsh treatment that they received, but did not know why.  But Christ looked deep beyond the surface of their exterior and saw the ugliness of what was inside.  He told them: "Because you clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but within they are full of robbery and uncleanness."

They were full of robbery and uncleanness inside.  The things they did while no one else was looking only Christ could see the ugliness inside and the uncleanness that they carried which made them hypocrites.  

What lessons can we learn from them today?  Are we living the same hypocritical lives as the Pharisees?  Do we dress up the outside and leave the inside full of ugliness and uncleanness, full of robbery and iniquity?  We dress up on Sunday and go to church to sing and shout to God in praise and then go out on Monday through Saturday and do the same iniquities all over again.  What are we living for?  What do we go to church for?  Truly we are human and week in our sins but we have a God who is forgiving if we are truly seeking forgiveness hoping to try not to commit the same sin again.  We want to clean the inside that we may present ourselves presentable to our Father in Heaven.

We acknowledge that we are sinners.  We accept that we are week.  We ask for help and the strength to withstand the trials and temptations of evil for surely they will come daily.  But we must assure ourselves that with the help of our Father and the help of his Holy Spirit that we can overcome the temptations we face.  He will guide us.  He will walk with us.  He will show us the way.  He will carry us until we can walk for ourselves.  And when we gain our strength and can stand on our own, he will empower us to fight with him to show others how to become one with him.  For together we are one spirit, one body, one person in the Lord Jesus Christ, who has given us the spirit of new life eternal.

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.