THE HOLIEST Commentaries on St. Matthew
Tablet Thirty-Four
"And he that shall swear by heaven, sweareth by the throne of God, and by him that sitteth thereon." (Matthew 23:22)
<1>That is because God is in heaven.
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, and have omitted the weightier matters of the law, judgment, mercy, and faith: these ought ye to have done, and not to leave the other undone." (Matthew 23:23)
<2>They have left out the reason for the rituals and laws, and perform them without emphasizing (understanding) their purpose. They should have understood and made others understand that the goal of all those laws and rituals is to create justice, mercy, and faith -- be(come) Divine. These things they should have taught and done.
<3>Also those laws and rituals were necessary, and Christ did not say they should be forgotten. Their significances should have been understood and then they would become great vehicles to be(come) Divine. That is why he said, "these ought ye to have done," which is to teach what is the goal of these laws and rituals. <4>But he did not say to just teach the reason for them and leave the rituals out, "and not to leave the other [pay tithe of mint and anise and cummin, etc.] undone." <5>Again we see that he had not come to do away with God's Laws and Commandments.
"Ye blind guides, which strain at a gnat, and swallow a camel." (Matthew 23:24)
<6>They emphasize the smaller points and forget the greater things.
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye make clean the outside of the cup and of the platter, but within they are full of extortion and excess."
"Thou blind Pharisee, cleanse first that which is within the cup and platter, that the outside of them may be clean also."
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! for ye are like unto whited sepulchres, which indeed appear beautiful outward, but are within full of dead men's bones, and of all uncleanness."
"Even so ye also outwardly appear righteous unto men, but within ye are full of hypocrisy and iniquity." (Matthew 23:25-28)
<7>It is the purification of the spirit (ethereal body) which is important. So clean the spirit, "which is within the cup and platter," then the outward actions will be cleaned automatically. Otherwise the dirt inside will come out and there is no way for a person with a dirty spirit (heart) but to be(come) a hypocrite.
"Woe unto you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! because ye build the tombs of the prophets, and garnish the sepulchres of the righteous,"
"And say, If we had been in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets."
"Wherefore ye be witnesses unto yourselves, that ye are the children of them which killed the prophets."
"Fill ye up then the measure of your fathers." (Matthew 23:29-32)
<8>Most of the humans do not really want to know or hear the truth, especially those who are hypocrites. That is why they kill the Prophets and distort the truth so that they may continue in their ways. <9>But more and more humans will reach higher consciousness and eventually the truth will prevail.
"Ye serpents, ye generation of vipers, how can ye escape the damnation of hell?" (Matthew 23:33)
<10>But these hypocrites and those who close their ears to the truth will go through suffering and tribulation until they would have no choice but to open their eyes and see the truth.
<11>That is why even the suffering, tribulations, and all the things that had happened in history to man are for his own good.
"Wherefore, behold, I send unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes: and some of them ye shall kill and crucify; and some of them shall ye scourge in your synagogues, and persecute them from city to city:" (Matthew 23:34)
<12>God knows man and the power of his lower nature (power of the tama guna) so well that He had predicted beforehand what humans would do to His Prophets.
"That upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth, from the blood of righteous Abel unto the blood of Zacharias son of Barachias, whom ye slew between the temple and the altar." (Matthew 23:35)
<13>By doing these things, you create such a great burden upon yourselves, "that upon you may come all the righteous blood shed upon the earth." That is when I bring tribulation, holocaust, suffering, etc, unto you to awaken you. <14>It would be justified because of your own previous actions.
"Verily I say unto you, All these things shall come upon this generation." (Matthew 23:36)
<15>These surely will happen and no human power can stop it, until this generation (those who are chosen for this reward of creation, to reach Pure Consciousness) eventually become awakened and know, through creation and history, that there is only one way and it is God's way.
"O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, thou that killest the prophets, and stonest them which are sent unto thee, how often would I have gathered thy children together, even as a hen gathereth her chickens under her wings, and ye would not!"
"Behold, your house is left unto you desolate." (Matthew 23:37-38)
<16>How many times should God send Prophets to gather His children together and they would not come? <17>So again with the coming of Christ, the scepter was taken from those who thought they were the Chosen Ones and given to another nation as it was prophesied by Jacob and was promised to Abram (Abraham); for more detail read Children of Abram (Abraham), All Prophecies Are Fulfilled.
"For I say unto you, Ye shall not see me henceforth, till ye shall say, Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord." (Matthew 23:39)
<18>That is the only sign Christ gave for his ultimate return. He will come, "in the name of the Lord." The Holy Name of the Lord (
) is in him, and he (
) is in the Holy Name of the Lord. This Sacred Name of the Lord is the only name of the Lord which cannot be pronounced or uttered in the manifested (material) world. It is the Name of the Son (), who comes in the Name of the Father () as One, The Word (/).
<19>He will not be recognized (accepted) by everyone, "...ye shall not see me henceforth,...." He will be accepted only by those who recognize him, see that he is Blessed and is a Blessing. They will also Bless him and will be Blessed, "Blessed is he that cometh in the name of the Lord."
<20>So the mission of Christ finished here. He said what he wanted to say, and he did what he wanted to do. <21>In chapters 24 and 25 some prophecies for the later days (before the Kingdom comes) are foretold. And the rest of the gospel explains the last supper (symbol of overcoming the last material attachments), his betrayal (symbol of the hatred of the lower nature for truth), and his crucifixion. <22>By this he reached the zenith of his mission, that is, self-sacrifice for his ideal -- not being self-centered, being humble.
<23>Then he was resurrected to show that in order to be born again you have to crucify your lower nature for a great ideal (His Will). Then you will rise from the lower self (death) to the higher self (life).
<24>Many in the past have truly been born again, and many will be. But now is the time that those who have been born again in the past and are now on the earth in many different places and nations (also in the Jewish communities), and who long for the Kingdom Of Heaven On Earth, should gather together and see the truth which has been revealed through The Greatest Sign (creation and history). <25>They should put all their efforts together so that the truth may come and His Kingdom come on earth as it is in heaven.
Amen (
).
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