St. Matthew, Chapter 23, verses: 29a; Scribes and Pharisees, Hypocrites.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their persecution of religion) Part 1. 

Christ cries out for the Scribes and the Phatisees for they still did not understand the serious nature of their crimes.  Evil had taken hold of them and possessed their inner souls so deeply they were unable to comprehend the cry of the Lord for them.  He calls them hypocrites in the public eye.  He cries out for them as one would cry out for a lost child, a lost soul who does not know the way.

His cries only fall on deaf ears for they cannot hear.  They cannot understand.  They can only feel the anger from inside that comes from the hatred of evil against him.  The people look on in amazement.  They do not understand the nature of what is happening between Christ and the Scribes and the Pharisees.  If it were anyone else they would be immediately arrested, jailed, and beaten for the things they said.  But this was the Christ, the miracle worker, loved by the people, the prophet, the Messiah.  He was the one to come and no one should touch him.  So he cried out and called to them: "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"  

Strong words indead for someone to use even today, to be called a hypocrite.  Imagine going to church and having a preacher give his sermon on hypocrisy.  It might be quite a shock to the parishioners to listen to such a speech.  Some may even take it to heart, get up and walk out in the middle of the sermon.  But this was the strength of the sermon Christ gave to the Scribes and the Pharisees on that day they came to question him.  

They came in the guise of curious, inquisitive learners with the hidden agenda of a viper to bite in the end.  But Christ knew their intentions.  He knew the intent of the evil within them.  He knew their desires, their wants, their anger, and their hatred.  Yet he allowed them to question him that he might have them open themselves up to him.  He wanted the opportunity to heal them.  He wanted the opportunity to open their eyes.  He wanted the chance to maybe pierce the shield of evil that they might be wounded and stop to think of the consequences of their actions.

Yes, sometimes it takes a hard knock, a wound to be opened up, to stop and think, to reconsider the consequences of our actions.  What if my life was ended?  What if I had lost a leg or an arm or some other part.  I was luckie this time.  There may not be a next time.  I need to stop and think how fortunate I am to be alive now.  I need to stop doing those crazy things and get my life together before I loose it.  

These thoughts and others are the kind of thoughts that we have after we have a tragic event happen to us or to someone near to us.  And it is these events that open us up to hear the voice of God in our lives to put us on a different path to turn our lives around.  We can repent.  We can change.  We can do better.  We can be a better person, a loving person, a believing person, a God fearing person.  Christ died for all who would believe in him.  His love transcends all.  His heart is open to all.   

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: 27a; Woe to you.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Their hypocritical purity) Part 5.  

He cried for them because he knew their fate.  He knew what would happen to them and he wanted to give them the opportunity to change, so he cried out for them.  Woe to you, he said, as though they were going to suffer the fate of those men who were beaten, flogged, hung from the cross, or even worse, suffered the eternal flames of hell.  Christ knew what would happen to them if they continued on the path they followed.

He used the harshest words that he could think of in the worst way he could use them to affect them in the deepest sense.  Did it work?  Probably not.  Did they change.  Probably not.  Yet he still wanted to open a crack in their armor so that maybe some light might get through.  So he cried out for them:  "Woe to you, Scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites!"  

He called them hypocrites and he did it in the public where everyone could hear.  He knew that it would anger them.  He knew that it would enrage them.  He hoped that it would cause them to question their beliefs, their motives, their faith in their religious behavior.  Were they that blind?  Could they not see the purpose of what he was doing?  Were they so far gone that they had no idea of what was happening around them that they failed to see the obvious?

What is life all about?  There are those who are the achievers in life who are in the spotlight.  There are those who are talked about all the time in the news, in the media, on the radio, television, and elsewhere.  There are those who are our favorite persons that we would like to be like, movie stars, persons of interest, people we would like to know.  And there are those who in our immediate circles that we wish we could be like or have the character traits they have so that we can be liked by so many.  

The need to be liked, be wanted, to have friends that like us that we can influence is very strong in our lives today.  It goes a long way in our everyday life both at work, at play, in the community, in social circles, and in all walks of our lives.  We are compelled to be liked, to be known, to be loved, and to do almost anything to gain that attention and to keep it.  Compare this to the quiet person who seeks no attention, the person who is just there being who he is without the need to show off or take the spotlight.  What speaks of his character, his personality, his wants, his desires, his beliefs, his needs to be known.  Are they nonexistent?  Or is he at peace with himself as he is without the need for attention?

Where do we want to be in this world?  The beauty of the answer to that question is, we are already there.  Christ has promised us a new life.  He has opened the doors for us.  All we have to do is walk in and accept him as our savior.  We do not have to fight or struggle to gain his attention.  We don't have to put down or trample others to get to him, because he has a place for all who will accept him, all who will love him.  We can be at peace in this world because he has already given it to us and more.  He has given us more than our hearts can desire if we simply ask to be with him.

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.