St. Matthew, Chapter 22, verse: 6; And they killed the messengers.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The marriage feast) Part 5.  

No one showed.  No one came to the feast.  The invitations were sent out twice but no one came to the party.  Everyone was talking about it.  Everyone said that they were going.  But they were too busy to celebrate with the king and his son.  He sent out the invitations twice so no one could say that they did not get it.  They were complacent and had other more important things to do than to spend time with the king.

They were tired of hearing about the king's party.  The messengers had come around on several occasions talking about the celebration and everyone was talking about it.  But no one went when the time came.  So they were frustrated and wanted to stop the talk about this event.  And so: "The rest laid hold of his servants, treated them shamefully, and killed them." 

They killed the messengers.  The king sent them out to remind those invited that the celebration was ready and they killed them.  They beat them, kicked them, spat on them, and then killed them.  Is that something that we would do today?  Would we kill the messengers if they came around talking about the kingdom of heaven and we did not want to hear them?  Would we treat them badly and kill them?  We often see them on the corners of our local streets, preaching hell and damnation.  Often we think of them as bible thumping preachers who have nothing else to do.  We see them and then we continue on about our business.  We believe that our message will be preached in the churches and not on the streets.  But this was the way it was in the time of Christ.  There were no churches, just the synagogue.

Today we don't kill them because it is against the law.  But we do kill them because we ignore them.  We see them but we do not.  We hear them but we do not hear them.  We believe what they are saying but we do not.  We live in two worlds.  We live in the physical world and we live in the spiritual world, if we believe.  We respond to the physical world because that is what we see and feel everyday.  But the spiritual world is within us.  The spiritual world requires something of us that the physical does not, that we believe.  We say that we believe but do we really.  

God, our Father, calls us to be his children, created in his image and likeness.  Our Father is a loving god and he would expect the same of us.  He is a god of provision and protection.  He would not allow anything to happen to his children just as we are parents and would not allow anything within our power to happen to our own children.  We love them and they give us love and happiness.  They are a part of us and we are a part of them.  So as we grow and become more a part of the physical world let us reflect back and think about the part where we were young and had parents to provide for us.  So today we are children of our God and he provides for and cares for us.  He is having a celebration and all are invited.  Come, join the party.

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: 3, The Idle workers.

Our paragraph topic is: (Parable of the laborers in the vineyard) Part 3. 

So Christ continues to tell the story of the workers as they are hired for the work in the vineyard.  He has compared this parable to the kingdom of heaven that his disciples may have some understanding of the kingdom.  For in the kingdom they will rule.  In the kingdom they will judge.  In the kingdom of heaven they will sit on the twelve thrones that oversee the twelve tribes of Israel.  And Christ will be with them in the regeneration.

But, now, he had to give them some understanding that they will know.  He had to enlighten them.  He had to teach them the ways of the spiritual world.  So he continued to tell them this parable about the laborers in the vineyard.  He said to them:  "And about the third hour, he went out and saw others standing in the market place idle." 

He saw idle workers in the market place waiting for someone to hire them to work.  He saw men wanting to have something to do.  He saw men needing to make money to support themselves.  He saw opportunity.  And he opened the door for them to enter.  Are we idle workers?  Are we in need of something to do?  Do we have a need to be employed by someone else to provide for our needs?  Reading this parable gives us some view into what the story is telling us today.

The kingdom of heaven is like a house-holder, a property owner, who is in need of workers to assist him with the work at hand.  The property owners owns property where he has planted seeds that are in need of harvest.  He has planted grape vines that are reaching their ripe state and are ready to be picked.  The property owner has wealth and he wants to pay workers to help him bring in the harvest.  Are we ready to work?  Are we ready to assist?  Are we ready to receive the rewards for working in the vineyard of God our Father?

He created us.  He provided for us.  He gave us everything that we needed to grow and prosper.  Yet we lost our way.  We were deceived.  We were blinded.  And we are scattered and lost in the darkness, afraid and alone.  And then Christ came.  He opened the door and pushed back the darkness that all may see.  He touched us and gives us new life that our eyes may be opened to the truth of who we are in him.  But there are many who are lost.  There are many who do not know.  There are many who are still in the darkness. 

The light of life is opened to the lost if they accept, if they believe.  But the darkness and death holds them.  The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few.  Are you a believer?  Are you a worker?  Do you carry the light of Christ within you?  Do you know the truth of who you are in him?  Let us not be idle workers!  Let us go and become workers for 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 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.