St. Matthew, Chapter 21, verse:27a; The Response to the Question.

Our paragraph topic is:  (The authority of Jesus) Part 7. 

Deceit had taken over.  Cunning was waiting in the wings.  And evil was ready to pounce.  They were back and forth among themselves and with Christ.  Yet he knew the outcome.  He saw their deceit.  He knew of their cunning.  And he was very much aware that the influence of evil had taken control of the chief priest and the elders.

They wanted an excuse.  They sought a way in.  They continued to set the tricks and traps for Christ hoping that he would fall into one of them so that they could have their way with him.  They had their way with the people.  They influenced and controlled them.  They taught them their ways and not the ways of God.  They transformed the Law and made it into their law and their rules, and their practices so that the people would not see what they were doing.

Could they answer the question?  Yes!  Would they answer the question?  No!  The simple answer would lead to their incrimination and their conviction.  So they chose not.  And they answered Jesus and said, "We do not know." 

So they chose not to answer the question.  They chose not to respond.  They chose to deny what they knew was the truth even though they knew the answer that John was from heaven.  They were the learned people.  They were the scholars of the Law the keepers of the history of Israel.  It was written in the books they studied all their lives, the books that they read and memorized from childhood.  Yet they chose not to answer it.

Most children grow up in some form of spiritual background.  They receive their beliefs and spiritual leaning from their parents, and relatives, and spiritual leaders that they encounter in their environment, be it Christian, Jewish, Muslim, Buddhism, or what ever form of spiritual system in their environment.  We all believe in something.  And then there are those who profess to believe in nothing but themselves, the here and the now.  They believe that we are here today and gone tomorrow and after this there is nothing else.

So we are swayed by our spiritual background and influenced by our social living.  If we believe that there is no tomorrow then we live only for today, only for the moment, and anything goes.  If we have some spiritual background then we have some rules or some code to live by.  We have the law that guides us through life.  What guides you?  What set of morals do you live by?  Do you believe in tomorrow, an afterlife?  Where do you stand on the spiritual scale of life?

The chief priest and the elders attempted to be neutral, zero on the spiritual scale.  They did not want to answer the spiritual question concerning John the Baptist, "Is he from heaven or from the people?"  Was he spiritual or was he just physical?  Was he a man of God or just a man from the people?  And this is the question that we are faced with today.  Are we from heaven or just physical?  Are we of a spiritual being or just flesh and bones?  Did we originate through evolution or were we created from the breath of God?  Simple question, simple answer.  There is no neutral, no zero position.  We are or we are not.  Where do you stand?

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:27, The First Disciple.

Our paragraph topic is: (Humility according to Christ's example) Part 6.

He had told them many things along their journey over the past three years.  He showed them miracles.  He taught them of the kingdom of heaven.  He spoke to them about his father and the love that he has for them and for all mankind.  He did many things while he walked among and with them on this journey that they were making. 

For surely it was their journey.  It was their walk.  It was their training,  For Christ knew of his path.  He knew of his journey.  He knew the time and place and sacrifice and pain and suffering that he would face.  But the disciples were in training for their own walk, their own path, their own journey which would take place after Christ returned home to his father.  So he had to prepare them.  He had to plant the seeds that would grow into full blown leaders and teachers, and ministers of the church that he would leave behind.  And the disciples had to understand what would make them great, what would make them first among all.  So he told them:  "And whoever wishes to be first among you shall be your slave."

And there it was in plain words for all to understand.  Desire to be first and you desire to be a slave.  Desire to be great and you desire to be a servant.  These were his words to his disciples who were passionate to be great, to be the best.  Yet his words posed a problem for them.  His words did not make since to them because no one wanted to be a slave.  No one wanted to be a servant.  In their time, slaves were the lowest and servants had no power, no prestige or privilege.  And they wanted to be known.

Yet Christ gave them his example.  He gave them the parameters by which they could measure their greatness, their position among each other.  Be a slave.  Be a servant to all.  A slave implied ownership.  A slave implied a lack of freedom.  A slave implied obedience, and those were the qualities that they did not posses nor did they desire to possess. 

Looking back from our vantage point of today, can we imitate the example that Christ left?  Can we become slaves?  Can we be completely obedient?  The temptation is great to do otherwise.  The culture that we live in today compels us to be anything but obedient to the example that Christ gave to us.  We are compelled to be first.  We are compelled to be great.  We are compelled to do whatever it takes to get ahead, to reap the rewards, to come out on top.  We are compelled to show the world that we have made it. 

How we dress, speak, eat, walk, and talk, all express who we are and who we want to become.  Our minds are constantly filled with the ideas and thoughts that drive us to want to be great, to be first, to be on top.  And for those who do not or can not fulfill their passion then the fall from the lofty heights of their passion leaves scars in their lives.  We become broken people who failed to reach the top.  Yet despite all that is given us, all that we see and hear to demonstrate that we are failures, we are great in his eye.  We are loved in his eyes.  We are protected and provided for under his arms.  If we just turn to him and accept that we are his children, we become great. 

 God is our Father.  He is the Creator.  He is the one who provides and protects.  We are winners in his eyes.  We are his children and he has given each and every one of us all that our hearts desire.  Come!  Open your minds and open your hearts and see that which you are since the beginning of time.  You will know the truth that is within you.  You will know the truth that no one or nothing in this world can take from you.  The life of Christ dwells within you and his love awaits your awakening.  You have a new life, a wonderful and glorious life ahead.  Come!  Start yours today.

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: 27, Leaving All.

Our paragraph topic is:  (A hundredfold reward promised) Part 1. 

Christ made a statement to his disciples to help them understand the nature of God our Father.  He told them:  "With men this is impossible, but with God all things are possible."  He told them this because they were thinking with the minds of men and not with the possibilities of God.  He did not explain the simple example that he gave them with reference to the camel and the eye of the needle.  He did not show them how it was next to impossible for a rich man to enter into the kingdom of heaven.  Instead he gave them this simple example to illustrate to them the physical limitations of this act.

So the disciples were introduced to the unlimited possibilities of God.  Nothing is impossible for God and that was the understanding that Christ wanted his disciples to have.  He wanted them to think with a different mind.  He wanted them to see the power and majesty of the Father.  He wanted them to believe the dangers of riches and how they would hinder one from entering the kingdom.  And then Peter grasping the thought of not having riches and the thought of giving up all asked the question.  Then Peter addressed him, saying, “Behold, we have left all and followed thee; what then shall we have?" 

If we do not have riches, then what do we have?  This is the questions that is on the minds of millions of people today.  What do we get if we do not have the riches of today?  What can we look forward to if we do not have the luxury of today?  Do we get a brand new car in heaven?  Do we get a million dollar home?  Do we have wealth untold in heaven?  What do we get then that we can not have now?  What does heaven have to offer that is far more glorious than what the world offers now? 

We see all the riches that others have that we want.  We see the joy and the happiness that others have that we do not have.  We are constantly bombarded with the images, and sounds, and impressions of the luxury of what wealth and riches has to offer and those are the things that we desire to have.  So we set our minds to going about having those things that are not ours now.  We commit ourselves to doing what it takes now, to get those things that our hearts desire.  And for some the desire is so strong that there are no limits as to what they will do to get them.

Temptation is strong in the world.  The desire and the passion for wealth and riches is nonstop.  We see them in our everyday lives.  We dream of them when we are asleep.  We are consumed with their possession, in everything that we do.  What will we sacrifice to have them?  And for those who believe in the teachings of Christ, what do they want?  What do they get for turning away from the world and turning to Christ?  As Peter asked:  "What shall we have?"

Christ came that we would have life.  He came that we would have life and have it more abundantly.  For those who know this meaning there is joy in their hearts.  For those who do not, the meaning is lost.  What profits a man if he gains the whole world yet looses his own soul?  Better still what can a man give for his soul if it is lost.  There is nothing more valuable in this world than the life that was given back to man by the sacrifice made by Christ. 

What do we get?  We get eternal life with Christ.  What do we get?  We get eternal joy and happiness with Christ.  What do we get?  We get eternal peace here and now with the knowledge of who we are in Him that created us and gave us life.  For he will provide.  He will protect.  He will assure that we will have all that is needed to live and prosper and to carry his message of life and joy and peace and happiness in the Lord.  This is what we get.  And for those who do not understand but want to know, seek him.  Ask him.  Search for him in truth and honesty and you will know what you get.  You get the gift of love that comes from a father who loves you.  You get a gift that is priceless if you know it's value.

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.