St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 27a; The lightning.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The sign of the last day) Part 8.  

How is it that we have these words from Christ and yet do not understand their meaning.  Their literal meaning is plain to see but what do we comprehend from their figurative meaning?  Is there more to understand?  Are we missing the truth of what is being said?  Christ often spoke in parables.  He said: "To him who has shall be given, and he shall have abundance, but from him who does not have even that which he has shall be taken away." 

Do we have?  Or do we not have?  That is the question that we should ask ourselves.  Can we understand the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven that we may have abundance?  Abundance where?  Here on earth or in heaven.  Which do we want?  Which do we desire?  

Christ tells us:  "For as the lightning comes forth from the east and shines even to the west," the same will happen when he comes on the last day.  All will know and see, as they see the lightning coming forth.  He will come forth for all to see and know.

There will be no hidden mysteries, no secret meetings no press conferences, no announcements, all will know, and all will see what is plain to see as the lightning in the sky.  His coming will be on the last day.  He told his disciples, and he gives us his message now for all to know and see.  Those who desire to know will see and believe.  For some have and some have not.  And for those who have they will have abundance.

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 22, verses: 1-2; The Kingdom of Heaven like a marriage feast.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The marriage feast) Part 1.  

The kingdom of heaven is like a feast, a party.  Christ spoke in parables because it was not for them to know the meaning of the word.  Those who wanted to know would search their minds, hearts, and history to obtain a meaning.  Those who thought that they wanted to know would take in the words as they were spoken but would not search for meaning.  Those who did not care would only listen to the words without seeking to know the meaning beyond the words.  To them this was just another story that was told to entertain the crowd.

Many who followed Christ wanted to know, they wanted to understand because they saw him as a prophet, a person of power and influence.  They knew that he spoke the truth because of the many examples and miracles that he performed.  They sought to understand.  They sought to know.  "And Jesus addressed them, and spoke to them again in parables, saying: "The kingdom of heaven is like a king who made a marriage feast for his son."  

A marriage feast is a party, with singing and dancing, and wine and music, and laughter and joyous banter, all in the name of the son.  This would be an occasion that everyone would want to attend.  There would be food and free wine and a happy occasion that everyone would remember for a long time.  This is what we live for today, to party.  We work all week long and party on the weekend till the light of dawn.  Tomorrow will never come, or so we hope, for we are having the joy of a lifetime today.

The king wanted to celebrate the marriage of his son, the beginning of a new generation.  For he hoped that from this union would come a son to carry forward the legacy of his family.  And he wanted all to rejoice in this union of son and bride.  Some would come and rejoice.  Some would come and feast.  Some would come and talk of the scandal that they saw at the party.  Then there would be those who would come to find jealousy and enmity at the party.  But for the king there was only joy in his heart for himself and his son and new bride.

This is a parable about the kingdom of heaven.  It gives us a hint of what we can expect after our transition to our next life.  There will be no sorrow.  There will be no pain.  There will be no suffering or regret.  There we will experience the joy of the love of our Father and his son, Christ Jesus.  For he is our joy.  He is our happiness.  He is our truth, all that we have searched for in life.  He is our be all and end all and in him there is no lack for that which we might desire.  For he fulfills all the desires of our hearts, of our souls, and of our spirits.  His light will shine on us and within us and we shall be complete.

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: 42b; It is wonderful.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Application of the parable) Part 2. 

So now after relating to them all the parables to help them understand their meaning, he tells them outright the applications.  The chief priests and the elders have been given authority over the people that they may shepherd them to the Lord.  But instead of yielding fruit to the Lord they have produced fruit unto themselves.

Christ tells them about the corner stone upon which the temple is built and how it was rejected by the original builders.  Yet a new structure is being erected and he is the corner stone of this new structure.  They can not believe what they are hearing because they believe that they are the rulers of the people.  And he tells them:  'By the Lord this has been done, and it is wonderful in our eyes'? 

History has been re-written.  The foretold is being fulfilled.  That which was spoken about long ago is now here today.  Time is complete and that which was from the past has now come to past.  And we are the ones who stand in the past now future.  The past is history.  The past is long ago.  The past is not new and does not apply to today.  Yet there were witnesses who were there in the past.  There were witnesses who saw and lived in the past.  And there were those who lived the true meaning of the past.

Today is today.  We live in today.  And yet the past was so long ago that we must make sense of the past today.  We must find a way to make sense of the past into today.  We must find a way to believe in today and not in the past.  But the Lord said that it was good that the past is now the new.  He said that the rejected corner stone had become the new corner stone upon which a new structure would be built.

Are we a part of the new structure?  Do we rationalize the witnesses of the past that we may believe in today?  Are we the vine-dressers who want to hold unto that which is not ours to have.  The fruit is plentiful.  The wine is rich.  The master calls for the fruit of the vineyard.  Do we submit to his will or do we reject his claim to what is his property.  He paid the price.  He gave his life.  He suffered and died.  He arose again to demonstrate the power of God our Father and creator.  The past is now today and the corner stone has been laid.  Come, be a part of the new structure in the kingdom of heaven.

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, 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.

St Matthew, Chapter 19, verse: 19a, The commandments: Honor thy Father and Mother.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The rich young man speaks to Jesus) Part 9.

The rich young man is there before Christ as Christ tells him what he must do to enter into the kingdom.  He is listening intently.  He is taking in all that is being spoken.  He is absorbing on a conscious and subconscious level all that which is being given him by Christ.  For he has to make sense of it all.  He has to understand it.  He has to remember it and repeat it so that he can accepts it completely.  And Christ has given these commandments to him in simple terms in order that he can accept them.

Just as he was speaking to the rich young man, he was also speaking to all that heard, to all that was in ear shot of his words, and all that would hear these words as they are passed on to others.  For he has given to all the stepping stones, the building blocks, the foundation for salvation.  These are the commandments that have the most meaning and these are the commandments that will open the doors to the kingdom.  And Jesus said, "Honor thy father and mother."

Of all the things that we should not do: kill, steal, commit adultery, etc., this is the one thing that Christ tells us that we should do.  We should give honor to those who gave us life.  We should give honor to those who brought us into this world.  We should pay homage to those who came before us.  We should show respect and recognition to their contribution to our life. 

Why was I born?  Why am I here?  These are two questions that each and every one of us has asked at some point in our lives.  We want meaning.  We want purpose.  We want direction.  We want understanding that we may know what is our purpose, our goal, our destination.  And thus we turn back to those who gave to us the who that we are today.  We turn to them for purpose, for direction, and for knowledge.  Lacking that meaning, that purpose, that direction we must seek it from the world around us.  And we must go in search of knowledge and wisdom that we may have purpose.

In search of that meaning and purpose we may, if we are fortunate, come full circle to those who gave us life.  For the purpose is meaningless.  The direction is full circle.  And the question that we seek the answer to brings us back to our beginning.  We have life.  We have spirit.  We have joy and peace and love and hope and faith and belief that our lives do have meaning and purpose.  And that meaning comes from what has been give to us.  That meaning comes from the life that we have.  We are not talking about the physical but the spiritual life that is given to us.

For the spirit is eternal.  The spirit is everlasting.  The spirit is created from an image and a likeness that is eternal.  And the spirit will be light or it will be dark.  The spirit will know its meaning and purpose or the spirit will turn to the darkness that is within and be influenced by the evil that is in the world.  We all have the choice.  What do we choose?  Do we know who we are or are we asleep in the world, following the norms that it gives us.  The light of life is within all.  This is the gift given us by Christ.  For he came that we would have life again.  He came that we would know.  He came that we would believe in the one true God.  But the choice is ours.  We can believe or not believe.  We can know or we can deny.  We can see or we can be blind.  That is our choice.  But the knowledge or the ignorance that comes from the choice that we make can enlighten us to our destiny or blind us to darkness. 

If we choose life then we can know the truth of who we are in Christ.  We can see the light of life that is within us.  We can know the love that our Father bears for us.  And we can be with the spirit that will come to live with us.  We give homage to those who participated in the creation.  We honor those who came before us.  We remember those who brought us into physical life that we would have choice.  And we honor father and mother for the love and sacrifice that they made for us.  For they gave what they had.  They loved with what they could love.  They gave direction with the direction that was given them.  And they died with the spirit that will transform them to the true nature of their existence.  May God be with them and may be with our Lord Christ Jesus forever.

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.