St. Matthew, Chapter 24, verse: 26a; In the desert.

 Our paragraph topic is:  (The sign of the last day) Part 6.  

He has told us beforehand what to expect when the last day comes.  He has told us what to look for on the last day, what the signs will be, what will happen, who to believe and who not to believe.  Christ has given us all that we need to know.  Believe it or not.  It is written for all to see, for all to read, for all to know for their own knowledge.  The words have been spoken from the mouth of spokesperson of God.

Christ came that we might believe that he came from the Father.  He came so that we would know that there is one true God above all other gods that we might think or believe.  He gave examples.  He showed miracles that no other person before him had completed.  He cured the lepers, made the lame walk, healed the sick, raised the dead, forgave sins of those who transgressed, and he challenged the rulers of the day to stop the corruption.  Yet many did not believe, and evil was well engrained in the rulers and the people.

Jerusalem will be destroyed.  The last days are coming.  Great tribulation will be upon the people.  He has told them beforehand.  These were the words of Christ Jesus to his disciples letting his disciples know what was coming in the future.  He wanted them to be aware of the corruption they could not see now that would lead to the destruction later.  If they tell you that Christ was coming, "Do not believe," he told them.  There would be false prophets, and false christs.  There would be all kinds of false signs in order to lead many astray.  Be careful of what you see and what you hear, he told them.  "If therefore they say to you, 'Behold, he is in the desert,' do not go forth."

Each day be watchful.  No one knows when the end will come.  Only the Father knows of that day and of that time.  So, each day, rise, and watch, for the signs as though you were expecting the end to come.  Know that time is limited, and no day is given to you as eternal.  Expect not to live one day as though it were the same as the next.  For we know not when it may be our last.  Christ calls and we must go, weather we want too or not.  He is our Lord and Savior who paid the price for our sins.  He it is who gave us new life if we choose to accept it.  He will come to call us, and the last day will come.   

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 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 20, verse:26a, The Disciples exercise no authority over the Gentiles.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Humility according to Christ's example) Part 4.

Christ told them:  "Not so is it among you. "  He wanted them to understand that they were different than the rulers and lords of the day.  The rulers of the day exercised control over the Gentiles.  They set themselves above the local people and exercised privilege over the people.  They were special.  They were not of the ordinary.  They were the rulers and their great men demonstrated their power over the people.

Christ did not want his disciples to think of themselves as such, but the disciples wanted to have power and prestige.  They thought of themselves as though they were to be the new rulers and the new lords according to the authority of Christ.  But Christ had to show them that they were different.  He had to close the door to enmity, and hatred, and anger, and jealousy, and all the emotions that were a part of the rulers of the day.  For his disciples must take their example from him.  They must follow his guidance, his path, his sacrifice.

So he gave them the understanding that they were different than the everyday ruler of the time.  They were his followers.  They were his witnesses that carried his message.  They were his teachers and his preachers and his examples of the love that comes from the Father.  They were not to become rulers and lords of the day.  Not so, is it among you that you lord your authority over the Gentiles. 

They were meek and mild.  They were loving and forgiving.  They were understanding and helpful to all the people because they saw something in the people.  Christ showed them the love that he had for the lowly.  He demonstrated the forgiveness that he possessed for the sinner.  He opened his heart to those who were suffering, the lame, the blind, the sick, the deaf, the widowed.  For he saw that which was in them that was in him.  He saw the beauty of the life that was given to mankind that was created by God our Father.  And he knew that the love that the Father had for him was the same love that he had for all men.

So he came to serve not to become a king.  He came to give and not to take.  He came to light the path and not to leave us in darkness.  He came to pay the price for disobedience and not to trespass against the Father.  He came that what was lost could now be found if we only search for it.  The choice to find it is ours to make.  The choice to believe in it is ours if we want.  The choice to know is ours if we seek to know.  The choice to see the truth is ours if we are not blinded.  What, do you choose? 

  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.