October 2, 2015
20"See, I am sending an angel
before you, to guard you on the way and bring you to the place I have prepared.
21Be attentive to him and heed his
voice. Do not rebel against him, for he will not forgive your sin. My authority
resides in him.
22If you heed his voice and carry out
all I tell you, I will be an enemy to your enemies and a foe to your foes.
23"My angel will go before you and
bring you to the Amorites, Hittites, Perizzites, Canaanites, Hivites and
Jebusites; and I will wipe them out.
1You who dwell in the shelter of the
Most High, who abide in the shade of the Almighty, 2Say to the LORD, “My refuge and
fortress, my God in whom I trust.”a
3He will rescue you from the fowler’s
snare, from the destroying plague, 4He will shelter you with His
pinions, and under His wings you may take refuge;b His faithfulness
is a protecting shield.
5You shall not fear the terror of the
night nor the arrow that flies by day,c 6Nor the pestilence that roams in
darkness, nor the plague that ravages at noon.d
10No evil shall befall you, no
affliction come near your tent.f 11For He commands His
angels with regard to you,g to guard you wherever you go.h
1At that time the disciples approached
Jesus and said, "Who is the greatest in the kingdom of heaven?" 2He
called a child over, placed it in their midst, 3 and said,
"Amen, I say to you, unless you turn and become like children, you will not enter the kingdom of heaven. 4
Whoever humbles himself like this child is the greatest in the kingdom of
heaven. 5 And whoever receives one child such as this in my name
receives me.
10"See that you do not despise one
of these little ones, for I say to you that their angels in heaven always look
upon the face of my heavenly Father.
Notes on the Gospel:
A). Verse 1- The initiative is taken
not by Jesus as in the Marcan parallel
(Mark 9:33-34) but by the disciples.
Kingdom of heaven may mean the
kingdom in its fullness, for example, after the parousia and the final judgment. But
what follows about causes of sin, church discipline, and forgiveness, all
dealing with the present age, suggests that the question has to do with rank
also in the church, where the kingdom is discernible here and now, although
only partly and by anticipation. See Matthew 3:2; Matthew 3:2; Matthew 4:17 and its footnotes.
See Matthew 3:2 (and its footnote) concerning repentance wherein the Baptist
calls for transformation of heart and behavior that is anchored on God’s will.
The "Heaven" (literally, "the heavens") is a substitute for
the name "God" that was evaded by pious Jews of the time out of
reverence.
The expression "the kingdom of
heaven" appears only in the gospel of Matthew which denotes the effective
rule of God over His people. In its completeness it embraces not only human
obedience to God's word, but the victory of God over physical evils, absolutely
over death. In the expectation found in Jewish apocalyptic, the kingdom was to
be accompanied by a judgment in which sinners would be denounced and perish, an
expectation shared by the Baptist. This was amended in Christian comprehension
where the kingdom was perceived as being instituted in phases, concluded with
Jesus' parousia.
See also Matthew 4:17 (and its footnote) which narrates that the beginning of His
preaching, Jesus takes up the words of John the Baptist (Matthew 3:2) although with a different meaning; in his ministry the kingdom of heaven has
already started to be present (Matthew 12:28).
B). Verse 3 - Become like children: the
child is taken as a model for the disciples not because of any supposed
incorruptibility but because of their total reliance on their
parents. So must the disciples be, in reverence to God.
C). Verse 5 - All who receive the disciples
of Jesus receive Him, and God who sent Him, and will be recompensed fittingly.
D). Verse 10- Their angels in heaven . .
. my heavenly Father: for the Jewish belief in angels as guardians of nations
and individuals, (Daniel 10:13; 20-21) , Tobit 5:4-7;
1 Qumran Hebrew 5:20-22; as intercessors who offer the prayers of people to God, (Tobit 13:12, 15). The high siginificance of the little ones is pointed out by their being
represented before God by these heavenly creations. Please check Matthew 10:40 and its footnote.
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Dear Humanity,
I personally encourage everyone to emulate JESUS' values on LOVE, FAITH, HOPE
and CHARITY, as the humanity has been a failure; which resulted to the more than two (2) years of pandemic and its after-effects on economy, not only here in the Philippines but worldwide.
And the saddest part of it, is that, it affected the POOREST of the POOR to even extremely be more poorer, in exchange of the affluent to be more richer.
Thank you and may GOD bless you and the whole family to have an enjoyed life's journey at home, Church, schools/universities, corporate commitments, public and places of interest.