Our paragraph topic is: (Christ's answer) Part 5.
They came to him for answers and he gave them knowledge. They thought that they knew about the resurrection. They believed that there was no life after death, that there was no resurrection so they came to him for an answer. He told them that they were wrong, that they knew neither the scriptures nor the power of God. They thought that they knew, but they did not. They thought they had the answers but they did not. They thought that they were right in their beliefs but they were wrong in their assumptions and Christ told them so.
He told them that there would be no marriage in heaven. Therefore, what took place on earth would not be bound in heaven. Men and women would not be bound to each other in heaven. They will be like angels of God in heaven. This was a shocking revelation to the Sadducees because they assumed that the wedding commitment would be bound over at the resurrection after death. Christ had to correct them on this point also. God was a God of the living and not of the dead. He told them what was spoken by God himself saying: " ' I am God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob?' He is not the God of the dead, but of the living."
Where does that leave us today, those who believe? Do we believe in the living God? Are we right in our faith, in our hope, in our trust in the invisible God? Can we act on that which we believe, walk by, live by, and know, that we have a living God that we can call on, in our time of need? Will he hear us? Will he respond to us? Will he care for our needs? Will he provide for us?
We indeed are weak. Yet something inside tells us, talks to us, encourages us to think otherwise. Something wants us to not be humble, to not be dependent, to not trust in the Lord. History has taught us that he has been there for us. He has walked with us, showed us the way, done things for us, brought us far without problems. So why should we stop leaning on him now. Why should we stop trusting him now. He was a plan for us, all we have to do is be patient and enjoy the ride.
Our God is patient. He is merciful. He is loving. He saved us from the deep depression that we were in where those thoughts of ending came upon us. He gave us new life and new hope. He show us the way. He opened the door for us to enter the kingdom of heaven. He opened our eyes to who we are in Christ Jesus and now we see ourselves in a new light. The Spirit lives with us and guides us daily. Thanks be to God. Thanks be to Jesus Christ. Thanks be to the Holy Spirit.
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.
Our paragraph topic is: (Christ's answer) Part 3.
They knew not the scriptures nor the power of God. This is why they erred in their beliefs about the resurrection and life after death. The Sadducees did not believe in life after death. But they were curious as to what Christ had to say on the subject. They were certain of their beliefs. Their belief is what they had taught and known all their lives but Christ spoke of something different. He spoke of a father in heaven and life after death that made them curious.
This is why they came to him with the question of the widow and the seven brothers. They posed a question that would address the question of the resurrection. Christ told them that they were wrong in their thinking because they did not know the power of God. He told them:
"But they will be as angels of God in heaven."
And there we have it from the living word of God himself as to what we will be in heaven. Christ has given us a picture of the shape and form of our future selves in heaven. We will be as angels of God.
Many people wander about the afterlife, what it will be, how it will be, where it will be. Here in the spoken words of the Messiah himself he tells us what we need to know of our future selves. A new type of form, other than the physical form. He tells us of a new being other than the mental. He tells us of a new type of spirit other than the soul that we know of today, a spiritual form of the angels given by the power of God our creator. Eye has not seen nor has the mind conceived of the things that God has prepared for those who love him. This is the power of God our creator.
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.
Our paragraph topic is: (Christ's answer) Part 2.
They came to him with the question of the resurrection. They did not believe that there was life after death. They did not believe in the resurrection of the soul. They only believed that after life you die and there was nothing else. So they wanted to hear what Christ had to say since he was the up and coming preacher of the day. He was the person that everyone was talking about. Some called him a prophet, some called him the Messiah.
So to get their answer they conceived a question about life and death, marriage and heirs that would address the question of the resurrection. Christ told them that they erred in their assumption of marriage and ownership after death, after the resurrection. He said: "For at the resurrection they will neither marry nor be given in marriage."
Imagine that! Christ gave them insight into the kingdom of heaven. He told them that there will be no earthly ties in heaven. God created man and woman, gave them the garden, and told them to be fruitful and multiply. But in heaven man and woman will be free of those earthly ties. They will be free of those physical bonds that held them to the pain and suffering in the physical realm. They will be able to experience freedom in the kingdom of heaven. In the spiritual realm created by God there will be no marriage, no physical as on earth.
Christ came that we could know what to do, how to live, what to believe, and how to love one another. He came as an example for us to live by, as an example to love by, as an example to believe and to hope by in our daily lives. He created his church to continue his message and to be witnesses to his message for those who did not see him or did not hear his words personally. He is the living word of God the Father. He is the eternal love of the creator of the universe, our hope and our passion for life today and tomorrow.
We struggle each day with the trials and tribulations of this world that we live in seeking to maintain a sense of peace amongst all that is not peaceful. To look around and see the world in its true form only leads to discouragement. Yet peace comes from within, from the connection with the living soul of life given us through the sacrifice of Christ's passion. The Spirit abides with us. The Spirit guides us. The Spirit lives with us daily to help us along the way when we become weary of life. Thank you Christ for that which you have given us. Thank you Father for all that you provide for us. Thank you Holy Spirit for your guidance.
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.
Our paragraph topic is: (Christ's answer) Part 1.
They came with their question about marriage and the issue of heirs. Hidden in it was the question of the resurrection. They did not believe in the resurrection but they wanted to know the answer from Christ. They wanted to know his thoughts on the resurrection so that they could trap him.
He saw them coming. He knew of their deceit. He knew of their lies and their plans to trap him. Each group came with their questions hidden with their traps. Yet they did not understand who they were speaking with, who they were talking to. They knew not, they thought not, they perceived not. But Jesus answered and said to them, "You err because you know neither the scriptures nor the power of God."
They had read the scriptures. They had read them over and over again but they knew them not. They did not understand them. They did not truly comprehend the depth of the knowledge of what they had read. For the power of God was in the scriptures and was far greater than their imagination could conceive. They did not believe in the knowledge of what they read in the scriptures.
The scriptures tells of the many miracles wrought by God for his chosen people. He brought plagues upon those who were against the Jews. He brought death to the first born, he fought battles to save the people. He parted the waters of the Red Sea and crushed the Egyptian army to save the Israelites. Yet they did not know the scriptures and the power of their God that he would do anything for his people.
They brought a question of conflict to Christ because this is how they perceived it. Who will the widow belong since all the brothers had her? This would create conflict on earth, but not in heaven.
This was conflict on the physical plain not on the spiritual. For we are spiritual beings in a physical body. When we leave the physical we continue in the spiritual and there is no conflict in the spiritual. There are no physical ties in the spiritual. We become free from the physical plain.
Christ is our guide, the first born. He leads the way, he opens the doors to the kingdom of heaven to the spiritual realm. When we leave the physical realm we move to the spiritual realm to be with him and all those who have gone before us. We rejoice in the union of our past and are filled with the spirit of life from the heavenly realm of God. The path is ours. The choice is ours. Come! Choose! Do not Err!
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.
Our paragraph topic is: (The Sadducees question Christ) Part 4.
They did not believe in the resurrection but they structured their question around it. The Sadducees came to Christ with this question of marriage they constructed based upon what Moses had given them concerning a widow and the issue of an heir. They stretched their question so that it would seem almost ridiculous in that it concerned seven brothers who had the task of inheriting a widow from one of their brothers. They were not concerned about the question of heirs but only about the question of resurrection. So this is how they structured their question to seek an answer from Christ.
They did not believe in resurrection after death. And they wanted to question Christ on this issue so that they could take issue with his answer with the rest of the Sanhedrin about his teachings. So they put the question to him: "And last of all the woman also died. At the resurrection, therefore, of which of the seven will she be the wife? For they all had her."
Husband, wife, son, daughter, mother, father, all earthly names that we give to the earthly flesh that we live with here on this rock. What will we be when we leave it? What will we become when our flesh is returned to the dirt from which it was formed and our souls go to another place? Are we just the flesh that we see or are we more? Who are we? Where do we come from? What are we now? These are all questions that we can ask ourselves. We seek to find something more than just the flesh that we are in this world we live. The flesh is pain. The flesh is weak. The flesh is vulnerable. The flesh grows old and dies. Is this all that we are? Or are we more than the flesh? Our search will lead us on a path of discovery to find the truth of who we are.
There are many paths to discovery in life. Much has been written on the subject. And there are many established institutions that we can follow. There is but one established institution , however, that claims to have God that came down from heaven to walk among the people of the earth to teach them how to live. And Christ came to open the doors to heaven so that anyone and everyone could have the opportunity to enter the kingdom of heaven.
The choice is yours. The directions are laid out, the path is clear for those who want to follow. Seek and you shall find, knock and it shall be opened unto you, ask and it shall be given to you. These are the words that were spoken and written for us to read, for us to follow, for us to understand today. They are simple and clear. Seek them and you will know for yourself. The truth awaits.
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.
Our paragraph topic is: (The Sadducees question Christ) Part 2.
The Sadducees were a part of the ruling party. They had their own teachings according to the Law of Moses. They believed that there was no resurrection after death. You see it had been a long time since the Jews were released from slavery in Egypt. They had wandered in the desert for forty years. So they knew of the writings of old, how God protected their forefathers from death and fed them in the desert. They knew about the prophets and all the miracles wrought in their name. But they still did not believe that their was life after death.
Christ comes on the scene and he draws large crowds. The people are talking about him everywhere. The word is spreading and the rulers do not like that they are loosing popularity to this newcomer. So now they have the opportunity to question him to determine his knowledge and education in the Law. They come, saying, "Master, Moses said, 'If a man die without having a son, his brother shall marry the widow and raise up issue to his brother.' "
And so they came with a rule from Moses that had come down through the ages to the people of the present time. They wanted to set a foundation upon which to build their premise that Christ would accept. They did not want to have contradiction so that they could then add the extra conditions. Moses was their father and he was given authority from God to rule the people. So their premise and his rule was acceptable by God was their belief and their foundation.
They had the premise right and the foundation right. For they were speaking directly with the Word of God. For Christ spoke and did what his father showed him and told him to do. He was the mouth piece of the living God. His words came directly from the mind of God. And the Spirit was his guide.
The words we see and read today have come to us down through history, down through time as written and directed by the Holy Spirit of God himself. Some believe those words and take them to heart. Some do not believe and claim the words as false, being the writings of man to control the people. Some doubt and half believe what is written. Then there are those who hate the words and use them for dark purposes to call upon evil to rise and take control of mankind.
The words are written. Take them as you choose. They are a tool to open the door to the heart. And within the heart lies the key to belief. Without belief we cannot transform. Without belief we cannot see. Without belief we are blind, living in the darkness of time and the emptiness of space. But with belief the door is open to the light of life that is given us freely through the sacrifice and the passion of Christ. It is only through this belief in him that we are able to transform ourselves and to see the truth of who we are, new beings, new life, new light.
No more emptiness. No more darkness. No more loneliness. Now we can know who we are and who he is in our lives. And the truth will be given to us through the guidance of the Holy Spirit for we are not orphans left alone. We are his children, his precious ones, his loved.
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.
Our paragraph topic is: (The Sadducees question Christ) Part 1.
The Herodians came, questioned and tested him, and left marveling at his answer. Now we have the Sadducees coming on the same day with their questions in their attempt to gather evidence against him. They were learned men. They studied the text and the books handed down by their fathers and the prophets but they had no wisdom or insight into the meaning behind the words. The spirit of the Lord was not with them.
They were the ones who did not believe in the resurrection. They only believed that we lived for today and die tomorrow. So they had no understanding of what happened after death. They had no knowledge or belief that there was an after life, a soul or a spirit. They only believed that they lived for today and tomorrow you die and that is the end of life. So, "On that same day some of the Sadducees, who say there is no resurrection, came to him, and questioned him."
Christ was an ordinary man, an ordinary man of flesh and blood. He was not a hero. He was not a prince or a scholar, at least not in the eyes of those who practiced being a scholar in those days, those who trained with the elders and learned various schools of thought. He was just an ordinary man who would not attract the attention of anyone. Yet within this ordinary man lived the Son of Man, the Son of God.
He came down from heaven to walk among the ordinary people to be an example to them of a new way of life. He wanted to show that there is a God and a heaven and a life after death that we could all believe in and live for. He showed that he had the power of the Holy Spirit and God the Father to perform miracles that no other man or prophet had performed before him. He wanted the people to rejoice, to have hope, to be happy in the knowledge that they had a God to provide for them, to care for them, to protect them, and to love them, even if they had to suffer in the present.
For he came to suffer. He came to die for us. He came to become a substitute for us all that we might have new life. He came that the life that we lost in the garden we could have again. He came because of the passion of his love for us all. He came that we each might now have the choice to make our own decision as to whether we wanted to live with him or to die without him. The choice would be ours alone. The message would be spread to all. All would have the opportunity over and over again till the last day, to decide. The choice would be ours. We must choose or the choice will be made for us. Death will come and it will decide. Why wait.
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.
Our paragraph topic is: (The vine-dressers kill the master's son) Part 2.
This is a special time of year when Christians come together to celebrate the three days of the passion of Christ. He came to Jerusalem knowing full well the outcome. Yet he completed the Father's will, not his own, even to the point of death. He died on the cross sacrificing his life for the life of many throughout the world and throughout all time. He conquered death and gave life anew to all who would believe.
This parable is about that death. It is about the opportunity that Christ Jesus extends to all. The vine-dressers were given that opportunity to change from their greed, to change from their passion, to turn away from temptation. Yet they could not see. They could not understand what was being offered. They did not accept it. They could only see the greed and passion of their wants and desires. "So they seized him, cast him out of the vineyard, and killed him."
They were vine-dressers. They were workers in the vineyard. They did not own it, but they laid claim to it. The owner sent messengers. He sent servants to them. He sent his own son thinking that they would respect him as the official representative of the owner. They did not. They cast him out and killed him, thinking that his death would end the claim on the vineyard. The opportunity was theirs to take. The reward was theirs to receive. But greed had consumed them and they could not see beyond their false claim.
Christ came into this world to bring the word to all who would listen. He came so that we could know and believe in the Father. He cast out demons. He healed the sick, cured the lame, opened the eyes of the blind, made the lepers whole, even raised the dead to give signs of the power given him from the Father. Yet even this was not enough to convince that he was the Messiah, the chosen one. Evil had taken hold of Israel. Power and influence were challenged. He came to break those bonds to set the people free and give them new life.
We celebrate Easter on this day, the death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. We celebrate with joy and gladness the gift that he has given to all, the gift of life. Though he paid a horrific price for our freedom, he accomplished the will of God our Father through the passion of love. His love is fulfilling. His love is all encompassing. His love is for all peoples throughout the entire
world. His love is eternal throughout all time. We are his people, his creation; he is our Father. Let us be glad this day that it is finished.
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.
