St Matthew, Chapter 12, verses: 1-2, The Accusations of the Pharisees

Our paragraph topic is:(The disciples pluck grain on the Sabbath) Part 1.

Christ and the disciples have moved on from their previous location and are walking through a field of grain.  The disciples, being simple Jewish people, for they were all Jews, were hungry and did pluck grain from the plants that they were walking through.  They knew the law about working on the Sabbath.  They knew the punishment that was exacted by the Pharisees for those who broke the law.  For the Pharisees were the keepers of the law handed down by Moses to the people of Israel.  But they were the disciples of Christ and they were hungry and there was food to eat before them and they eat.

But the Pharisees who were, in their own eyes, the true believers, saw this act as breaking the laws of God.  They saw this as an act of treason on the part of a teacher sent by God and they would not stand by and allow it to happen.  So they protested to Christ.  They brought it to his attention.  St Matthew tells us, "But the Pharisees, when they saw it, said to him, "Thy disciples are doing what it is not lawful for them to do on the Sabbath."

They told the creator of the law about what was lawful.  They told the creator of the law what he should or should not do.  In their arrogance they told the creator of the law that he was wrong in allowing this act to take place.  They demanded that, as a teacher, he do something about this act of breaking the law of the Sabbath.  They wanted to know that Christ was going to exact punish upon his disciples for breaking the law of the Sabbath.  They, did not know.  They only wanted their satisfaction that his teachings aligned with what they were enforcing upon the people in order to maintain their positions of power and authority. 

The Pharisees followed Christ.  They recognized that he had great power.  They wanted to know who he was.  They wanted to align themselves with his teachings so that they could continue to have their positions of authority.  For they were the enforcers of the Law.  They were the keepers of the Law and everyone who did not follow the Law were punished.  The disciples knew the laws concerning the Sabbath.  But when the Pharisees were not around to enforce the laws, the people, like the disciples, did as they pleased.  They did not follow the strict interpretation of the law as laid down by the enforcers.  For the Pharisees believed that through strict enforcement they were able to control the people.  They believed that through harsh punishment issued to those who broke the law, they could keep the people in line and thereby keep their positions of power.  So they used the law as their yoke upon the people.  They used the law as their basis of authority and their means of control.  It was the Jewish heritage that kept them in authority and their interpretation of the Law handed down by Moses.

We have Pharisees today in our churches.  We have those who know the Bible and use it to keep the people in line.  The Pharisees of today will punish you when you get out of line.  They will beat you up with the scriptures when you do wrong.  They will bring down fire and brimstone upon you and create guilt in your life to keep you in line with the teachings, as they see  them and understand them.  Many times the pharisees in our churches are aligned with the chief priest, the pastor, and together they rule the flock to keep them in line.  They preach fire and brimstone and fear and guilt and doubt so that the congregation will live in awe of the teachings.  And as a result the congregation live in spiritual limbo never knowing the true love of Christ.  The congregation live in a continuing battle with sin never winning and never knowing the power in Christ to conquer sin.  The congregation lives under the dictatorial rule of the chief priest and the pharisees. 

Do you live under the rule of the chief priest and the pharisees in your church?  Are you beaten into compliance by those who would use the Bible to create fear and guilt in your life?  Christ did not preach fear and doubt.  Christ does not seek guilt in your life.  Christ seeks your love.  Christ seeks your understanding.  Christ wants to teach each and every one of us his principles for they are light and his yoke is easy.  For he is meek and humble.  Christ wants us to know him, have a relationship with him and to carry him in our heart.  And when we fail, he does not condemn us.  He reaches out a helping hand to lift you up that you may know the true love that he bares for you.  Do not be a pharisee in your church.  Be Christ like in your church, lending a helping hand to those who fall.  For though we practice the principles given us by God, we are all, human and not perfect and do not live perfect lives.  If Christ can forgive us for our faults, we should forgive others of their faults and failures also.  Be Christ like and not a Pharisee!! 

St Matthew, Chapter 11, verses: 29 - 30, The Call for Rest.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus draws men gently to himself) Part 4. 

Christ has called all mankind to come unto him.  He has praised the Father for his good pleasure in hiding the mysteries of heaven from the wise and the prudent.  He has praised the Father for only revealing the mysteries to the little ones who are not filled with earthly wisdom and who are not concerned with the advancement of their cause for greed.  He calls people to come unto him that are burdened and who labor without hope.  For they are the ones who he wants to give hope.  He calls all the people who labor without purpose.  For they are the ones he wants to give purpose and belief in the Father.  With the true belief the people will rejoice and be glad because the Father will protect them.  The Father will provide for them.  The Father will bring them peace.

Christ says, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me."   For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."   The Lord of Lords and the King of Kings tells us to take his yoke and to learn.  For he will teach us.  He will guide us.  He will instruct us in the ways of life.  Our world is burdensome.  Our world is harsh.  Our world is hard.  But when we take the yoke of Christ he will teach us how to have an easy life.  He will guide us and provide for us, showing us how to have a light burden.  For our burden is heavy.  Our burden wears us down.  Our burden brings pain and suffering.  For he is the King of Kings and the Lord of Lords.  His wisdom exceeds all.  His knowledge is greater than the knowledge of man.  His love for us exceeds the love that we have for each other.

Christ says,  "For I am meek and humble of heart; and you will find rest for your souls."   Christ calls all men unto himself.  He tells us that he is meek and humble not proud and vain.  Learn from him.  For it is in his heart that we find the riches of the kingdom.  It is through his meekness that we learn the wisdom of God.  It is through his humility that we become transformed from this world to the person that we will be known as in the kingdom of heaven.  Our spiritual beings grow in humility.  Our spiritual knowledge increases with the practice of our humility.  For through love we understand.  Through love we come to know.  Through love we become love with the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit.  God created us in his likeness and we are his children.

Do you hunger and thirst for rest?  We wear ourselves down trying to keep up with the weight of the world.  For the world calls us.  The world leads us.  The world lusts for us and we lust for the world.  For our passions are in the world.  Our love for worldly things is in the world.  We are lost in the world and do not know it.  We wear ourselves down and try to catch a breath on the weekends when we seek to rejuvenate.  We party.  We go to outings and events.  We seek others who share our interests in an effort to share the pain of existence.  Yet we continue to find ourselves in the race for life in the world.  Oh, there are those who have it made.  There are those who live on top, who make enough money, who have the right job, who drive the right cars, who wear the right clothes, and who live in the right apartments, in the right communities, in the right homes.  Yet they too continue to struggle to keep up.  They too desire to be like others who have more than they do.  They too are driven by the world, led by the world, lust for the world.  For at every level there are those who are our carrots to chase after.  There are those who have more.  There are those that we look up to and desire to be like.  And the world has a carrot for everyone.  For we are lost in the world and do not know who we are.

Christ calls to all, "Take my yoke upon you, and learn from me."   For my yoke is easy, and my burden light."   Learn from him.  His yoke is easy.  His yoke is light.  Step away from the world.  Get out of the race.  For it leads along the road of destruction.  Many follow that path but few follow the narrow road to life.  Will you take up the yoke of Christ and learn from him?  Will you accept his light burden and his easy yoke?  Come, receive your reward!  Come, learn from him that will teach all!  He calls to you!  He awaits your coming!  He loves you!

St Matthew, Chapter 11, verse: 28, The Call for Rest.

Our paragraph topic is:  (Jesus draws men gently to himself) Part 3. 

And now we are given the call to rest.  Christ our Lord and Savior calls us to himself that we may rest.  He calls all who are burdened.  He calls all who labor.  He calls all who are worried.  He calls all.  Some will heed his call.  Others will hear but not follow.  Still others will turn away from his call and accept the ways of the world as their calling.  But Christ, in the name of the Father calls all his children to himself.  For he is one with the Father.  He is King of Kings and Lord of Lords and ruler of the universe.  He calls all to rest.

Christ says to the disciples and the crowd,  "Come to me, all you who labor and are burdened, and I will give you rest."   For he is the origin of rest.  He satisfies all our needs.  He provides for all our wants.  He protects from all harm.  He guides our path through the tricks and traps of the world.  Yet we do not know him.  We do not seek him.  We do not live with him because we are blinded from his existence by the ways of the world.  Come to me, he says.  Yet, we go in the other direction, until we need something that we cannot provide.  We go in the other direction, until we run against a brick wall that causes us to see that we cannot proceed without his help.  We go in the other direction, because we are pulled by the tricks of the world that play on our passions.

We labor in this world thinking that we are in control.  We follow the instructions of the world believing that we will succeed and be eternally happy with the outcome, only to find out that we were deceived.  Our parents have been taught and therefore teach us to go to the right school, socialize with the right friends, marry the right woman, get the right job, have the right kids, make enough money, plan the right retirement and we will live a happy life.  These are the precepts that are passed down by the world we live in.  The world does not teach us to seek Christ.  The world does not teach us to live by his precepts.  The world does not teach us to build our treasures in heaven and not on earth.  The world does not teach us to seek the indwelling of the Holy Spirit to be our guide through life.  In fact the world teaches just the opposite.

Christ says come, and he will give us rest.  Do you seek rest or do you seek more money, more cars, more clothes, more fame, more glory, more lust, more action in the world?  When you get weary of the world, Christ awaits you.  When you wake up from the world, Christ calls to you.  When you hit your bottom in the world, Christ will reach down and lift you up.  But even more, when you want to know true peace in this world, go to him.  Go to him, remain with him and in him.  For He is one with the Father, as you will be, one with him.  For you in Him, there will be no desire for sin.  For you in Him there will be no need for this world.  For you in Him, there will be no anger, no fear, no doubt, no lust.  For you in Him, there will only be love. 

Will you become one with Christ?  He will rearrange all eternity to create a path just for you.  He will open a dream of possibilities you have never considered or imagined.  He will provide guidance through the Holy Spirit that will open the doors to his riches that will overwhelm you with joy.  And he will demonstrate to you his love for all eternity.  The world will scorn you.  The world will scoff you.  The world will isolate you.  The world will pressure you to forsake Him.  But once you know Him you can never for sake Him.  For He will do all for you, if you just open your heart to Him.  Come, all who are burdened and heavy ladened, He will give you rest.