SEPTEMBER 26 THE JESUS QUESTIONS JQ#29 “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?” (Matthew 22:42)

 SEPTEMBER 26  THE JESUS QUESTIONS  JQ#29  “What do you think about the Christ? Whose Son is He?”  (Matthew 22:42)

LIVING FOR JESUS  Daily Prayer    

JESUS, Blessed be the Name of the Lord, the Holy and Righteous Son of our God Most High, Praise and Honor are Yours and Yours alone. Lord, through all the ages You alone have been the Way for all to come to the Father, You are the Lamb of God , Perfect and without spot, Sacrificed for ALL sin to be Forgiven through belief in the Father’s Plan of Salvation. Yes! God, very God sent His Only Begotten Son to become Man very man, to live without sin so that He might give that Perfect Life as the Atonement for ALL sin, and through His Death and Resurrection, ALL men can be FREE from sin!  For ALL sin and come short of the Glory of God, but whosoever BELIEVES on the Son and His Perfect Sacrifice, shall not perish but have everlasting life!!!   AMEN

THE JESUS QUESTIONS

Jesus is completing His final Lesson on True Power and Authority which addresses the problem of “hypocrisy” in those that have defiled their “God-given wisdom” and “authority” and have led the nation Israel away from the commands of God and used their “usurped authority” to develop “doctrines of men” that give those in “great authority” over Israel “power” over the nation using the Law of Moses — their “power” was supposed to be reserved for the Supreme Power — God Almighty —that gave Moses the Law to give to the nation but now the scribes and Pharisees were using the “Law” to enslave the nation Israel! Jesus concludes by announcing “Seven Woes” which clearly expose the “Guilty” and “Justify” the “Woes” that they had brought upon themselves! “Woe #1” addressed the problem of “hypocrisy” because the rulers were keeping themselves and others out of the kingdom with their “doctrines of men” and then Jesus presents “Woe #2” : “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you devour widows’ houses, and for a pretense make long prayers. Therefore you will receive greater condemnation.” (Matthew 23:14) This second “Woe” is a reminder that just a few days earlier as Jesus had made His Triumphal Entry into  Jerusalem that He went immediately to the temple and “…drove out all those who bought and sold in the temple…” and then Jesus pronounced: “It is written, ‘My house shall be a house of prayer, but you have made it a den of thieves.” (Matthew 21:1-13) So when Jesus says “you devour widows’ houses” He is referring to the “abuse of office” that would let the scribes and Pharisees steal widows’ houses and then to make matters worse, after “stealing” the widows’ property, the scribes and Pharisees would then go into the temple they had defiled and would pretend to “make long prayers” — and the “Consequence” of breaking the Command of God not to “steal” or “covet” and to do this while defiling their “office”, was not just condemnation by God — but the scribes and Pharisees because of their “hypocrisy” [they] “will receive greater condemnation”. This condemnation is similar to “Woe #1” where Jesus says that we will have to accept responsibility for those you have caused to turn from the kingdom because of your unbelief, with "Woe #2" Jesus is saying that because you defile your “God-given wisdom” and use it to cheat others, you will suffer “greater condemnation”! So a theme is surfacing from these “Woes” and it re-enforces previous Lessons that Jesus has Taught that everyone is subject to the “True Power and Authority” of the “Supreme and Sovereign God” who established His Commands for ALL to live by, and all that do not live by God’s Law will still be “judged” by God’s Law!!! Jesus pronounces the “Seven Woes” to clearly define the problem and to make it clear that if you “do the crime” you WILL “do the time” — Believe it or Not!?!?!?!?