Sunday, May 15, 2011
Sunday, April 3, 2011
The Tree Of Life Series
Post 1 of the tree of life series
If one really thinks about it, having that good and bad knowledge is no guarantee that one will choose or incline towards the good. After all, that’s what the serpent omitted in his speech, before Eve ate off the tree of knowledge of good and bad. The serpent said, “You are not going to die, but Yahweh knows that as soon as you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like divine beings, who know good and bad.” It’s true in one sense, but false in another; the serpent sort of omitted to point out, that its the power of moral choice alone, that is Yahweh like. The very action that brought Adam and Eve a Yahweh like awareness of their mortal autonomy, was an action that was taken in opposition to Yahweh. Yahweh knows that, that human beings will become like Yahweh, knowing good and bad; it’s one of the things about Yahweh, he knows good and bad, and has chosen the good. For Adam and Eve to have true freedom of will, Adam and Eve have to have the freedom to rebel. This is why this tree is in the garden, next to the tree of life; instead, evil will come about as a result of the clash of the will of Yahweh, and the will of humans, who happen to have the freedom to rebel. Human beings, and only human beings are the potential source of evil, responsibility for evil will lie in the hands of human beings. Yet, evil is represented not as a physical reality, it’s not built into the structure of Eden, evil is a condition of human existence, and to assert that evil stems from human behavior. The drama of Adam and Eve’s life should revolve not around the search for eternal life, nor preoccupation with immortality; it was not in Yahweh’s design for this kind of drama. It was Yahweh’s design for the tree of life to have been eaten of, there was no danger to Adam and Eve going on eternally, being immortal. The eating off the tree of knowledge of good and bad, has caused a moral conflict and tension between Yahweh’s good design for creation, and the free will of human beings that can corrupt that good design. Evil is a product of human behavior, not a principal inherent in the cosmos. Man’s disobedience is the cause of the human predicament. Human freedom can be at one and the same time an omen of disaster, and a challenge, and opportunity.
So despite Adam and Eve’s newfound mortality, humans are going to be a force to be reckoned with. They’re unpredictable to the very Yahweh who created them. Yahweh has to modify his plan, by barring access to the tree of life; that was not something presumably Yahweh planned to do. Adam and Eve had access to this tree up to that point, as long as their will conformed to the will of Yahweh, there was no danger to their going on eternally, being immortal. Once they discovered their moral freedom, once they discovered that they could thwart Yahweh and work evil in the world, and abuse and corrupt all that Yahweh had created, then Yahweh could not afford to allow them access to the tree of life. That would be tantamount to creating divine enemies, immortal enemies. So Yahweh must maintain the upper hand in his struggle with these humans who have learned to defy him. And Yahweh maintains the upper hand in this, the fact that humans eventually must die. Yahweh stations the cherubim and the fiery ever-turning sword to guard the way back to the tree of life, once Adam and Eve were banished from the garden. The tree of life is now inaccessible; no humans have access to immortality, and the pursuit of immortality is futile. So it might be then that Yahweh really spoke the truth after all, the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and bad did bring death to the human race.
Post 2 of the tree of life series
The Noahide Covenant
Cain is culpable, and for someone to be culpable of something, we have to assume some principle that they have violated. There seems to be in existence from the beginning of creation this universal moral law, and that is: Yahweh-endowed sanctity of human life. The fact that Yahweh has created humans in his own image, but Yahweh-endowed sanctity of human life is an assumption, and it’s the violation of the assumption which makes Cain culpable. Despite Yahweh’s warning to Cain, that it’s possible to master the urge to violence by an act of will. Yahweh says, “Sin couches at the door; its urge is toward you, yet you can be its master.” The tension between settled areas, and the unsettled desert areas and desert life of the nomads. Abel is a keeper of sheep. He represents the nomadic pastoralist, unlike Cain who is the tiller of soil, so he represents more settled urban life. Yet Cain’s fatal and culpable refusal to reconcile himself to what Yahweh told him; Yahweh prefers the offering of Abel, and as a result Cain’s distressed and jealous to the point of murder. Yahweh’s reference of the offering of Abel valorized the free life of the nomadic pastoralist over urban existence. After the murder, Cain responds to a question Yahweh asked him, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” We are all of us our brothers’ keepers, and the strong implication that all homicide is in fact fratricide. Yahweh yields to Cain’s plea and protects him from the fate he inflicted on Abel. The man who could not tolerate Yahweh’s inscrutable grace, now benefits from it. Yet, the murderous first-born son of Adam, his offspring will not survive the flood.
The world dissolves, corruption, and injustice, and lawlessness, and violence inevitably bring about destruction. When humans destroy the moral basis of society, when they are violent or cruel or unkind, they endanger the very existence of that society. These humans were not being punished for religious sins, for idolatry, for worshipping the wrong god, or anything of that nature. By virtue of having been created by Yahweh in the image of Yahweh-they are bound to a basic moral law that precludes, murder and other forms of oppression and violence. Inhumanity and violence undermine the very foundations of society, Yahweh provides a moral rationale for his actions. The earth is destroyed because of the violence, bloodshed, but also all kinds of injustice and oppression. Noah is saved specifically for his righteousness, he was righteous in his generation. Noah was chosen therefore for moral reasons. Yahweh is not acting capriciously, but according to certain clear standards of justice. This was deserved punishment and the person who was saved was righteous. Yahweh makes the decision to punish humans because the world has corrupted itself through bloodshed and violence. Yahweh selects Noah due to his righteousness and Yahweh issues a direct command to build an ark.
Yahweh realized that he’s going to have to make some concession. Yahweh’s going to have to make a concession to human weakness and the human desire to kill. And Yahweh’s going to have to rectify the circumstances that made his destruction of the earth necessary in the first place. So Yahweh establishes a covenant with Noah, and humankind receives its first set of explicit laws. The Noahide covenant, they apply to all humanity; this covenant explicitly prohibits murder. The spilling of human blood, blood is the symbol of life; life is in the blood. So blood is the biblical symbol of life, but Yahweh is going to make a concession to the human appetite for power and violence. Before the flood humans were to be vegetarian, the portrait was one in which humans and animals did not compete for food, or consume one another. Humans were vegetarian. Now Yahweh is saying humans may kill animals to eat them. But even so, Yahweh says, the animal’s life is to be treated with reverence, and the blood which is the life essence must be poured out on the ground, returned to Yahweh, not consumed. So the animal may be eaten to satisfy the human hunger for flesh, but the life essence itself belongs to Yahweh. It must not be taken, even if it’s for the purposes of nourishment. Genesis 9:4-6, “You must not however, eat flesh with its life-blood in it; but for your own life-blood I will require a reckoning. I will require it of every beast; of man, too, will I require a reckoning for human life, of every man for that of his fellow man! Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in Yahweh’s image did Yahweh make man.” So if you are killed by a beast or a human, there will have to be a reckoning, an accounting. Whoever sheds the blood of a person, in exchange for the person shall his blood be shed, all life, human and animal, is sacred to Yahweh. The Noahide covenant also entails Yahweh’s promise to restore the rhythm of life and nature, and never again to destroy the earth. The rainbow is set up as a symbol of the eternal covenant, a token of the eternal reconciliation between the divine and human realms.
Post 3 of the tree of life series
Patriarchical Covenant
Yahweh learned immediately after creating this unique being, that he will exercise his free will against Yahweh. Yahweh saw that he had to limit the life span of humans, or risk creating an enemy that was nearly equal to him. So he casts the humans out of the garden of Eden, and blocks access to the tree of life. Yet, humans continue their violent and evil ways, and in desperation, Yahweh wipes them out and starts again. After the flood, humans prove to be not much better. They forget Yahweh, they turn to idolatry. Yet, the Noahide covenant, which is universal in scope, it encompasses all life on earth. It stresses the sanctity of life, and in this covenant, Yahweh has promised not to destroy all humankind again. So Yahweh experiments with a single individual of believing; Abraham’s believing withstands many a trial. Yahweh is the owner of the land, Abraham was called to. Yahweh is empowered to set conditions or residency requirements for those who would reside in it, like a landlord. Yahweh is seeking replacement tenants who are going to follow the moral rules of residence that Yahweh has established for his land. Yahweh’s promise to Abraham is formalized in a ritual ceremony called a suzerainty covenant. The patriarchical covenant, which is a covenant in which a superior party, a suzerain dictates the terms of a political treaty usually, and an inferior party obeys them. The arrangement primarily serves the interest of the suzerain, and not the vassal or the subject. So Yahweh is making a land grant to a favored subject, and there’s an ancient ritual that ratifies the oath. In this kind of covenant, the parties to the oath would pass between the split carcass of a sacrificial animal, as if to say, that they agree they will suffer the same fate as this animal, if they violate the covenant. Abraham cuts sacrificial animals in two, and Yahweh, but only Yahweh, passes between the two halves. Only Yahweh seems to be obligated by the covenant, obligated to fulfill the promise that he’s made. Abraham doesn’t appear to have any obligation in return. In this case, it is the subject, Abraham, and not the suzerain, Yahweh, who is benefited by this covenant, and that’s a complete reversal of this ritual ceremony. Their is a moral justification for the grant of land to Abraham, the current inhabitants of the land are polluting it, filling it with bloodshed and idolatry. And when the land becomes so polluted, completely polluted, it will spew out its inhabitants. That process, Yahweh says, isn't complete; so Abraham's offspring through Isaac, they are going to have to wait, the lease isn’t up yet.
Abraham is obedient to Yahweh in a way that no one has been up to this point, but ultimately, the model of blind obedience is rejected, too. When Abraham prepares to slaughter his own son, Yahweh sees that blind believing can be as destructive and evil as disobedience, so Yahweh relinquishes his demand for blind obedience. The only relationship that will work with humans is one in which there is a balance between unchecked independence and blind obedience, and Yahweh seems to finally have found the working relationship with humans that he has been seeking since their creation, with a man named Jacob. When Jacob undergoes a change in name, Israel, meaning one who wrestles, who struggles with Yahweh; Yahweh and humans lock in an eternal struggle, neither prevailing, yet both forever changed by their encounter with one another.
Post 4 of the tree of life series
Mosaic Covenant
Yahweh’s salvation of his people from Egypt, not the Christian sense of personal salvation from sin; that’s anachronistically read back into the Hebrew Bible. It’s not there. Salvation in the Hebrew Bible does not refer to an individual's deliverance from a sinful nature. This is not a concept that is found in the Hebrew Bible. Salvation refers instead, to the concrete, collective, communal salvation from national suffering and oppression, particularly in the form of foreign rule of enslavement. Remember Jacob’s sons; Joseph’s betrayal by his brothers, his decent into Egypt, set the stage, not only for the reformation of his brothers’ characters, but for the descent of all of the Israelites into Egypt, so as to survive widespread famine; threat of famine is overcome by the relocation to Egypt. Yahweh says to Jacob, “I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I myself will also bring you back.” So in short, there seems to be a plan afoot. Israel’s descent to Egypt sets the stage for the rise of a pharaoh who, didn’t know Joseph, and all that he had done for Egypt. And this new pharaoh will enslave the Israelites, and so embitter their lives, that their cry will rise up to heaven. Yahweh as Israel’s redeemer and savior, is Yahweh’s physical deliverance of the nation from the hands of her foes. But the physical redemption of the Israelites is going to reach its climax in the covenant that will be concluded at Sinai.
Yahweh’s redemption of the Israelites, is a redemption for a purpose, for at Sinai, the Israelites will become Yahweh’s people, bound by a covenant. The covenant concluded at Sinai is referred to as the Mosaic covenant. The Mosaic covenant differs radically from the Noahide and the patriarchal covenants, because here Yahweh makes no promises beyond being the patron or protector of Israel; and also, in this covenant, he set terms that require obedience to a variety of laws and commandments. The Mosaic covenant is neither unilateral, it’s a bilateral covenant, involving mutual, reciprocal obligations, nor is it unconditional like the other two. It is conditional; the first bilateral, conditional covenant. If Israel doesn’t fulfill her oblations by obeying Yahweh’s torah, his instructions, and living in accordance with his will, as expressed in the laws and instruction, then Yahweh will not fulfill his obligation of protection and blessing towards Israel. So the Mosaic covenant, understanding of the relationship between Yahweh and Israel; the history of Israel will be governed by this one outstanding reality of covenant. Israel’s fortunes will be seen to ride on the degree of its faithfulness to this covenant. The nature of the biblical text, it reflects a range of perceptions about Yahweh and his relation to creation and to Israel. Understanding the making sense of the historical odyssey of the nation of Israel in covenant with Yahweh-that is its concern. Understanding Israel’s relationship with Yahweh, the vehicle of the suzerainty treaty. The use of a suzerainty treaty as a model for Israel’s relationship to Yahweh, expresses several key ideas. Suzerainty treaties are between a suzerain, who has a position obviously of power and authority, and a vassal. The historical prologue that’s so central to the suzerainty treaty grounds the obligations of Israel to Yahweh in the history of his acts on her behalf. Also the historical prologue bridges the gap between generations. Israel’s past and present and future generations form a collective entity, Israel, that collectively assents to the covenant. Even today, at Passover ceremonies everywhere, Israelites are reminded to see themselves, they’re reminded of the obligation to see themselves as if they personally came out of Egypt, and personally covenanted with Yahweh. The historical prologue explains why Israel accepts her place in the suzerain-vassal relationship. Israel’s acceptance of a relationship with Yahweh doesn’t stem from mystical introspection, or philosophical speculation. Instead the Israelites are affirming their identity and their relationship with Yahweh by telling a story, a story whose moral can only be that Yahweh is reliable. Israel can rely on Yahweh, just as a vassal can rely on his suzerain. Israel as a vassal, treat their fellow vassals well. Israel as a vassal, can’t serve two suzerains.
Post 5 of the tree of life series
Yahweh’s Sanctuary
In contrast to the land, Yahweh’s sanctuary can be purified for moral impurity by means of a special sacrifice. The blood of the animal, the blood of the sacrifice is the key to the whole ritual. Blood, the blood that courses through one’s veins, represents the life force; the Noahide covenant, you may not spill human blood. And you may not eat animal flesh that has the lifeblood in it, because the blood is the life and that belongs to Yahweh, that’s holy. So the life force is holy, and the life force is in the blood; Leviticus 17:11, repeats the blood prohibition, and then it offers a rationale. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have assigned it to you for making expiation for your lives upon the altar.” Yahweh assigned it to them to use in sacrificial practices. It is the blood as life that effects expiation, purging and atonement. The blood of sacrificial animals is assigned by Yahweh as a detergent, if you will, to cleanse the sanctuary of the impurities that are caused by the sinful deeds of the Israelites. Purification of the sanctuary was believed to be critical to the health and the well-being of the community. If the sanctuary is not purged of impurity, it can become polluted to the point when Yahweh is driven out entirely. The purification offering acts on the sanctuary, not on the offerer. It purges the sanctuary of the defilement that is symbolically; it has symbolically suffered from the offerer’s state of ritual impurity or sinfulness. Once the sanctuary is purged, the offerer has settled his debt, he’s repaired the damage he caused. He’s fully atoned, and Yahweh is no longer repelled by the impurity that marred his sanctuary. The defiling effect of lesser transgressions is calibrated to the sinner’s intentionality and the presence of absence of repentance. So inadvertent sins can be purged, the sanctuary defilement that they cause can be purged by bringing a purification sacrifice. Deliberate sins, as long as there is repentance, then they are converted into inadvertent sins, and they also can be purged, or the impurity they cause can be purged with a purification sacrifice. But brazen unrepentant sins, unrepented sins or unintentional sins that are never realized, these stand unremedied, and they defile the sanctuary. For this reason, the sanctuary has to be regularly purged of the accumulated defilements accruing to it as a result of such sins. On the day of atonement, a purification sacrifice is brought on behalf of the community to purify the sanctuary of the impurities that have been caused by Israel’s sin. And the high priest loads all of the sins and impurities of the Israelites on the head of a goat, which then carries them off into the wilderness away from the sanctuary.
Every sin pollutes the sanctuary; it may not mark the sinner, but, it does mark the sanctuary. It scars the face of the sanctuary. You may think you’ve gotten away with something, but every act of social exploitation, every act of moral corruption, pollutes the sanctuary more and more until such time as Yahweh is driven out entirely, and human society is devoured by its own viciousness and death-dealing. Humans are in control of their destiny, and the action of every individual affects and influences the fate of society. Collective responsibility; sin affects, individual sin affects the entire fabric of society. There’s no such thing as an isolated evil; our deeds affect one another. And when evildoers are finally punished, they bring down others with them, those others aren’t so blameless, because they allowed the wicked to flourish and contribute to the pollution of the sanctuary, the corruption of society. Holy things only exist because of safeguards, rules that keep them separate, that demarcate them. And these safeguards and rules are naturally addressed to human beings. They are the ones charged with the task of preserving the holy in its residence on earth. Although holiness derives from Yahweh, humans have a crucial role to play in sanctification, the Sabbath, Yahweh sanctified the Sabbath at creation; he demarcated it as holy. But Israel is the one to affirm its holiness by observing the rules that make it different, that mark it off as holy. So Israel doesn’t just in fact affirm the holy status of the Sabbath, they actualize the holy status of the Sabbath. If Israel doesn’t observe the prohibitions that distinguish the Sabbath as sacred, it’s automatically desecrated. There are two components integral and inseparable in the concept of holiness: Initial assignment of holy status by Yahweh and establishment of rules to preserve that holy status; and secondly, actualization of that holiness by humans through the observance of the commandments and rules that mark that thing off as holy.
Post 6 of the tree of life series
The Davidic Covenant
The moral and social bankruptcy of Israel at the end of the period of the judges at the dawn, or on the eve, of the monarchy, is Israel’s continued infidelity. A kingdom in which Yahweh is the king and the community is led by inspired judges in times of crisis-that structure, that institutional structure failed to establish stability, a stable continuous government. It failed to provide leadership against Israel’s enemies within and without. In their search for a new political order, the people turn to the prophet Samuel. Samuel warns of the tyranny of kings, the rapaciousness of kings, the service and the sacrifice they will require of the people in order to support their luxurious court life and their large harem, their bureaucracy and their army. The day will come, Samuel warns, when you cry out because of the king whom you yourselves have chosen; and Yahweh will not answer you on that day. The people won’t listen to Samuel, and they say quite significantly, no, we must have a king over us, that we may be like all the other nations, let our king rule over us and go out at our head and fight our battles. This is an explicit and ominous rejection, not only of Yahweh, but of Israel’s distinctiveness from other nations. And what, after all, does it mean to be a holy nation, but to be a nation separated out from, observing different rules then other nations. The king in Israel was not divine, or even semi-divine; monarchy is at best unnecessary and at worst it’s a rejection of Yahweh. Where the Mosaic covenant was contracted between Yahweh and the nation, the Davidic covenant is contracted between Yahweh and a single individual, the king.
The Davidic covenant is an eternal and unconditional covenant between Yahweh and the House of David, or the dynasty of David. Yahweh says that David and his descendants may be punished for sin. They certainly will be punished for sin, but Yahweh will not take the kingdom away from them as he did from Saul. Yahweh’s unconditional and eternal covenants with the patriarchs and with David do not prelude the possibility of punishment or chastisement for sin as specified in the conditional Mosaic covenant. The covenant with David, it’s a covenant of grant, it’s a grant of a reward for loyal service and deeds. Yahweh rewards David with the gift of an unending dynasty, in exchange for his loyalty.
Yahweh’s oath to preserve the Davidic dynasty, would lead eventually to a popular belief in the invincibility of the Holy City. The belief in Israel’s ultimate deliverance from enemies, became bound up with David and his dynasty. When the kingdom fell finally to the Babylonians, the promise to David’s House was believed to be eternal. The community looked to the future for a restoration of the Davidic line or Davidic king or messiah. The messiah simply means anointed, one who is “meshiach” is anointed with the holy oil, That is a reference to the fact that the king was initiated into office by means of holy oil being poured on his head. So King David was the messiah of Yahweh, the king anointed by or to Yahweh. And in the exile, Israelites would pray for another messiah, meaning another king from the House of David appointed and anointed by Yahweh to rescue them from enemies, and reestablish them as a nation at peace in their land as David had done. The Israelites hope for a messiah; it involved the restoration of the nation in its land under a Davidic king.
Post 7 of the tree of life series
The Prophets Tried To Awaken Israel
Vehement denunciation moral decay and social injustice of the period, leading up to the fall of the northern kingdom and southern kingdom of Israel. A prophet criticizes the sins of the nation, he is critical of everyone, the middle class, the government, the king, the establishment, the priesthood; they’re all plagued by a superficial kind of piety. Amos, and all the prophets, the idea of covenant prescribes a particular relationship with Yahweh, but not only with Yahweh; also with one’s fellow human beings. The two are interlinked. It is a sign of closeness to Yahweh that one is concerned for Israel’s poor and needy. The two are completely interlinked. Amos denounces the wealthy. He denounces the powerful and the way they treat the poor. The crimes that are denounced, are crimes that are prevalent in any society in any era. The crimes that are denounced as being utterly unacceptable to Yahweh, infuriating Yahweh to the point of destruction of the nation, are the kinds of crimes we see around us everyday, taking bribes, improper weights and balances, lack of charity to the poor, indifference to the plight of the debtor. Injustice is sacrilege, the ideals of the covenant are of utmost importance. These prophets are called the standard bearers of the covenant, harking back to the covenant obligations. And without these, without the ideals of the covenant, the fulfillment of ritual obligations in and of itself is a farce. Morality is not just an obligation equal in importance to the cult or religious obligations, but that morality is perhaps superior to the cult. What Yahweh requires of Israel is morality and not cultic service. The prophets raised morality to the level of an absolute religious value, and they did so because they saw morality as essentially divine. The essence of Yahweh is his moral nature. Moral attributes are the essence of Yahweh himself, one strives to be Yahweh-like by imitating his moral actions. The prophets insisted that morality was a decisive, if not the decisive factor in the nations’ history; Israel’s acceptance of Yahweh’s covenant placed certain religious and moral demands on her.
One sin is singled out as being historically decisive for the nation. Other sins are punished, absolutely. But only one is singled out as historically decisive for the nation, and that is the sin of idolatry, particularly the idolatry of the royal house. The tragic history of the two kingdoms as essentially a sequence of idolatrous aberrations, which were followed by punishment. And this cycle continued until finally there had to be complete destruction. While it is certainly true that moral sins and other religious sins in Israel were punishable, it is really only the worship of other gods that brings about national collapse, national exile. Idolatry was what provoked Yahweh to drive the nation into exile. The prophets are claiming that the nation is doomed because of commonplace wrongs, because of bribe-taking, because of false scales and false weights that are being used in the marketplace. For the prophets, the national catastrophes are just punishment for sin, but not just the sin of idolatry, for all sins no matter how petty, no matter how venial, because all sins violate the terms of the covenant code, which is given specially to Israel. And the terms of the covenant-being vassals to the sovereign Yahweh means treating co-vassals in a particular way, and it is breach of covenant not to do that. The prophets were harking back to an older tradition, to ancient traditions about Israel and its covenant relationship, traditions according to which Israel’s redemption and election entailed moral obligations.
The prophets warned that unless they changed, the people were going to suffer the punishment that was due them. And, in fact, the people were very foolish to be eagerly awaiting or eagerly expecting what was popularly known as the Day of Yahweh. And so the prophets refer to the Day of Yahweh as if it were a popular conception out there in the general culture. It was a popular idea at the time that on some future occasion, Yahweh would dramatically intervene in world affairs and he would do so on Israel’s behalf. Yahweh would lead Israel in victory over her enemies. They would be punished. Israel would be restored to her full and former glory. And that day, the Day of Yahweh, in the popular mind, was going to be a marvelous day, a day of victory for Israel, triumph for Israel and a day of vengeance on her enemies. The people are very confident that this is going to be a day of light, a day of blessing, a day of victory. But the prophets, according to them, if there is no change, then this Day of Yahweh is not going to be some glorious thing that the people should be eagerly awaiting. It’s not going to be a day of triumph for Israel. It will not be a day of vengeance on her enemies. It’s going to be a dark day of destruction. It is going to be a day of doom, when Yahweh will finally call his own people to account. The prophets transformed the popular image of the Day of Yahweh from one of national triumph, to one of national judgment.
Post 8 of the tree of life series
Yahweh’s Kavod
The fall of Jerusalem shattered the national and territorial basis of Israel’s culture and religion. The Babylonians had burned the temple to the ground, they carried away most of the people to exile, to life in exile in Babylon, leaving behind mostly members of the lower classes to eke out a living as best they could. And it was the completion of the tragedy that had begun centuries earlier, and it was interpreted as a fulfillment of the covenant curses. It was the end of the Davidic monarchy, although the son of Jeholakim was alive and living in Babylon, kind of holding out hope that the line hadn’t actually been killed out, hadn’t been completely wiped out. But the institution seemed to have come to an end for now. It was the end of the temple, the end of the priesthood, the end of Israel as a nation; as an autonomous nation, the Israelites were confronted with a great test. One could see in these events a signal that Yahweh had abandoned Israel to, or had been defeated by the god of the Babylonians, and Marduk would replace Yahweh, as the Israelites assimilated themselves into their new home. And certainly there were Israelites who went that route, but others who were firmly rooted in exclusive Yahwism did not. Yahweh hadn’t been defeated, the nations’s calamities were not disproof of Yahweh’s power and covenant, they were proof of it. Yahweh’s desire for morality as expressed in the ancient covenant, the prophets had spoken truly when they had said that destruction would follow, if the people didn’t turn from their moral and religious violations of Yahweh’s law. The defeat and the exile had the potential to convince Israelites of the need to show absolute and undivided devotion to Yahweh and his commandments.
Ezekiel, a prophet who was a priest, he was deported in the first deportation. There was deportation of exiles in 597. Ezekiel was in exile in Babylon during the final destruction and the fall of Jerusalem in 587. After 587, Ezekiel had a remarkable vision, among many. There’s a stormy wind and a huge cloud, and a flashing fire, Yahweh is riding on a kind of throne chariot. Yahweh’s enthroned above four magnificent creatures. Each of these has a human body and then four faces: the face of a human, the face of a lion, the face of an ox, and the face of an eagle. There are four huge wheels under this throned-chariot, and they are said to gleam like beryl beneath a vast and awe-inspiring expanse or dome, which gleams like crystal. Above that is the semblance of a throne that is like sapphire, and on the throne was the semblance of a human form that’s gleaming like amber, and its fire encased in a frame, which is radiant all about. This fire that’s encased, is in a cloud that contains or hides the fire that is Yahweh’s presence. So this kavod, describing the presence of Yahweh among his people, Yahweh is concealed and revealed only in his kavod. In a vision, an angel transports Ezekiel to Jerusalem and into the temple courts, and there he sees a very vivid description of the shocking abominations. As he watches the slaughter and the destruction that’s going on there, Ezekiel sees the kavod, that is the presence of Yahweh, arise from the Temple and move to the east. The traditions of gods abandoning their cities in anger, leaving them to destruction by another god. The primary difference here is that Yahweh, rather than another god, is Yahweh himself also bringing the destruction. Yahweh doesn’t retire to heaven, nor abandons his people. Yahweh doesn’t remain behind with those left in Judah, but Yahweh moves into exile; those left behind are guilty. Yahweh does not stay with them; Yahweh moves east with the righteous exiles. The kavod went eastward with the exiles, so the kavod will return with the reestablishment of Israel in her home. The kavod returning from the east and back to the temple, Yahweh is not linked to a particular place, but to a particular people; Yahweh was with his people, even when they are in exile.
Post 9 of the tree of life series
The Second Temple
There have been many attempts to equate this man of sorrows with all kinds of figures. Early on, Yeshua’s followers saw Yeshua as the suffering servant of Yahweh in Isaiah. New Testament writers specifically borrowed passages from Isaiah, particularly in chapter 53, when constructing their narratives of Yeshua, taking those verses and using them in describing his story. So Yeshua is depicted as the innocent and righteous servant who suffered for the sins of others. In the teachings of Paul, however, you have a different use of these verses. Christians, generally, are identified as the servant who suffers with and for Yeshua. Isaiah chapter 53 wasn’t talking about a remote Nazarene teacher and charismatic healer who would live more than five centuries later. The servant is Israel herself, the punishment that Israel suffered even if excessive-that punishment isn’t meaningless, it will lead to redemption. Israel will be healed by her wounds. Israel’s suffering is serving a purpose in the divine plan, it’s necessary. Israel needs purification and redemption and that will prepare her for a new role in world history. The Babylonian Empire was itself defeated by the Persians under the leadership of Cyrus-Cyrus of Persia. Cyrus manages to establish the largest empire in the Ancient Near East to date, a huge empire. Unlike other ancient empires, the Persian empire espoused a policy of cultural and religious independence for its conquered subjects and Cyrus gave the Israelite exiles permission to return to Jerusalem and reconstruct the temple.
Many of the exiles returned to this now Persian province and they exercised a fair degree of self-determination. The building doesn’t proceed smoothly and that’s due largely to the hostilities of the surrounding communities. The Samaritans offer to assist in the project of reconstruction. Their offer is rejected, and as a result the Samaritans, insulted, persuade the Persians that this is a bad idea. Rebuilding a potentially rebellious city is a bad idea, and the Persians listen to them and they order the rebuilding stopped. Along comes two prophets, they urge the continuation of the building. A Persian official objects, the Israelites appeal to the new Persian Emperor Darius. And they ask him to search through the court records, look for the original authorization by Cyrus-we have been authorized to do this. Cyrus’ edict is found. Darius agrees not only to enforce it, but to honor Cyrus’ obligation to supply money for the rebuilding. This is under Persia imperial sponsorship, and Darius will honor the obligation to supply money for the rebuilding and to procure sacrifices as well. The temple is finally dedicated and a Passover celebration is celebrated in the sanctuary. The post-exilic period following is also known as the Persian period, at first, but the Persians won’t rule for long. The prophet Ezra may have unified Israel around a common text, but he didn’t unify them around a common interpretation of the text. So that widely divergent groups now, in the Persian period and as history moved into the Hellenistic period, widely divergent groups will claim biblical warrant for their specific practices and beliefs.
Alexander the Great defeated the Persian Army, which at that time controlled all of Asia Minor, modern Turkey, and had even threatened to control Greece. Alexander defeated the Persian Army in Asia Minor at Granicus, the Battle of Granicus. That put Alexander and his Macedonian Army in charge of both Greece and Asia Minor. When Darius II died, who was the king of the Persians, Alexander himself took on Darius’s title, which was Great King. After defeating the Persians again, Alexander pushed his army all the way to the Indus River in India, he wanted to go all the way to the Ganges River, but his army forced him to turn back. Alexander was not yet 33-years-old when he died in Babylon of a fever. Alexander had been educated by Aristotle, when he was young, and so he had adopted Greek language and Greek literature and a lot of other Greek ways. What Alexander had wanted to do was to take all these different peoples, who spoke different languages and had different customs, and use a Greek layer to sort of unite his empire overall. Now Alexander didn’t really care about the lower class people so much. So they could just still live in their villages and out in the country and do their farming and speak their own local language. But if one was going to be elite-Alexander wanted to establish cities throughout his empire that would be actually Greek cities, and he wanted to have the elite people all be able, at least, to speak Greek. In fact this whole dream of Alexander-and it was a very self-conscious, propaganda campaign and a cultural campaign on Alexander’s part. Alexander wanted to make one world; the first time in history, a dream of making all of his empire basically universal, a dream of a universal vision, for one world, under one kind of culture, one kind of language.
Basic structures are part of any kind of Greek city in the Ancient World. And what Alexander and his successors did was they took that basic Greek structure, and they transplanted it all over the Eastern Mediterranean, whether they were in Egypt or Syria or Asia Minor or anyplace else. One can travel right now to Turkey or Syria or Israel or Jordan or Egypt, and one can see excavations of towns, and it’s remarkable how they all look so much alike, because they’re all inspired by this original Greek model of the city. Alexander and his successors Hellenized the entire Eastern Mediterranean, and that meant, every major city would have a certain commonality to it. It would have a certain koine to it; that is, a Greek overlay, over what may also be there, the original indigenous kind of cultures and languages. Then a high priest named Jason, brought Alexander’s dream to Jerusalem in 175 B.C.; just what was this high priest named Jason thinking, when he built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, and he also founded a Greek City structure.
Post 10 of the tree of life series
Hanukkah
A lot of Israelites tried to figure out how do you deal with this whole process of Hellenization. In other words, if one want their own kids to get ahead in the world, back in this time, and one is going to have an elite family in a town, in a city, it makes sense for one’s kids to get a Greek education. It’s precisely the way it is now with English around the world. Elite families want their kids to have English education, they want them to be familiar with American culture, and, if possible, they’ll even send them to a university in the States, or to graduate school in the States, and this is partly because there are good universities in the States, but it’s also partly because they know that to get ahead, their kids need to use English, they need to become, in some sense, to some extent Americanized. Jerusalem wasn’t a huge city, but it was important enough that there were elites there themselves, and so they responded to this urge of Hellenizing culture. Alexander the Great, remember, wanted to set up a one world, a universal empire. He taught a sort of syncretism of religion, he taught a common language, Greek, he set up these Greek cities all around; there was a Greek veneer over what would have been local differences. You’d have Egyptians speaking ancient Egyptian languages, but the elites in the cities would be speaking Greek, so the culture, the elite culture would still be Greek and the same way in Syria. The Syrian Empire or the Greco-Syrian Empire, or simply the Greek Empire. If you draw a line separating Syria from Egypt, the line goes right through Israel. The Israelites were kind of caught on the border between these two empires and they were constantly fighting, trying to aggrandize their own kingdoms.
The Israelites were often caught right in the middle. Antiochus lV reigned from 175 to 164 B.C.. He’s called the lV because he’s the fourth Antiochus; he added Epiphanes to his name, Epiphanes though is a sort of nickname and it means “manifest.” What Antiochus was doing with his name is saying he was claiming divine honors for himself, because what he’s saying is, “I’m Antiochus, God made manifest among you.” This was not that unusual. Alexander the Great had sort of claimed divine honors for himself. Antiochus was following the lead of a lot of eastern monarchs and rulers who would claim to be the descendants of a god and claim to be a god themselves, and would receive cult and worship. Antiochus IV, though, was ruling at that time and he had control, he had gained control of Judah. The high priesthood was the main ruler of the Israelites at this time. They didn’t have a king, and they didn’t have a direct governor, so whoever controlled the high priesthood was sort of the political ruler also at this time; but Antiochus was the one who had the privilege of appointing the high priest. Menelaus, another leading Israelite, seems to have offered Antiochus more money for the priesthood, trying to get it away from Jason. Jason is the one who built a gymnasium in Jerusalem and gained the control of the education; what this did is disenfranchise those leading families who didn’t want to have their sons Hellenized. Menelaus couldn’t afford the priesthood. In order to pay for his own priesthood, he took gold vessels and instruments out of the temple treasure, and this seems to have caused a riot. Both of them apparently trying to get in with this Hellenizing process, they get into a big fight. To settle things down in Jerusalem, Antiochus takes control of Jerusalem and he stationed Syrian troops, that is the Greco-Syrian troops, in Jerusalem in 167. Things are heating up, around this time changes were made to the temple in Jerusalem. It may have been basically to accommodate the soldiers. They may have had to house soldiers from the Greco-Syrian Empire, and they may have used the temple mount apparently to house some of them. This caused changes to the temple. At this time Menelaus is in charge, and his Hellenizing party.
Remember Alexander the Great taught a sort of syncretism of religion, the radical reformers about this time passed several laws that forbade circumcision and it forbidden from observing the Torah. It may have been that even a pig was sacrificed on the altar in Jerusalem in the Holy of Holies, and the temple was turned into a syncretistic Israelite pagan grove. They did this to the temple, and it was renamed as a shrine to Zeus Olympus. If you're one of these liberal Israelites, you may not really believe you're doing anything bad. You’re not forsaking Yahweh, you’re just updating Yahweh, you’re just bringing Yahweh up to the modern era. You might say, “Well what’s wrong with calling Yahweh, Zeus Olympus? We all know these are just different names given to the same god anyway, there’s just one supreme God.” So they may well have identified the Israelite god Yahweh with this god Zeus Olympus and said it’s just two different names, one Greek name and one Israelite for the same Israelite god. Antiochus was happy because the Syrians are worshiping a Syrian god here, the Greeks are happy they’re worshipping Zeus Olympus, and the Israelites will be happy because it’s identified as Yahweh. This whole process of Hellenization, one gets the idea Antiochus is putting all this on the Israelites and forcing Greek religion and Greek culture on them. That’s not really the way it happened, it’s a debate that’s going on today. How Greek should we be? How much does one accommodate the dominant culture? How much does one want their kids to assimilate to be just as American as everybody else? This is what was going on and it was an internal Israelites conflict that was going on. There were several responses to Hellenization, among the Israelites.
Menelaus and the liberals accept Hellenization and promote it; but another priest that had been dislocated from the high priesthood earlier, his family had originally been the high priesthood family, Onias IV. Onias IV withdrew from Jerusalem and went off and built a new temple; his thinking, if their going to destroy the existing temple, we’re going to have an alternative temple elsewhere. Their were a group of former high priests, who have been dislocated and other priestly families withdrawing from Jerusalem, and apparently going out in the desert and maybe building a community out their, writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls? Then their is the reaction of Mattathias. Mattathias was a priest from Jerusalem who had settled in a village called Modein, in the hill country of Judah. One day some soldier come from Jerusalem to the village, and they’re trying to force the Israelites to sacrifice of an altar. Mattathias took a sword away from a soldier and killed this priest and the soldier for encouraging the Israelites in his village to sacrifice to the gods. This was against the law, so Mattathias runs off to the hills, taking is family with him, his sons, he had several sons, and this is the beginning of the war that comes to the be called the Maccabean Revolt. It’s called Maccabean because after Mattathias died, shortly thereafter, he was the leader of the revolt in the beginning, his son Judas becomes the head general of the bunch, and Judas, early on earned the nickname Maccabeus, could mean ‘the hammer,’ but it may have been an attribute from him being a very good general and winning a lot of battles. Against all odds, this rag tag bunch of basically guerilla fighters, up against a far superior army of Antiochus IV, they beat them, they retook Jerusalem, they didn’t actually beat them in Syria, they just beat them in several battles in Judah, and Judas was able to recapture Jerusalem and the temple. In the year 164, they cleansed the temple of the profanation, the pollution of having maybe pigs and things like that sacrificed, it being polluted as the Greek temple, and so 164 B.C. is the beginning of the celebration of the Israelites holiday Hanukkah. The cleansing of the temple, is what the Israelites celebrate with Hanukkah.
Post 11 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (1)
Judas Maccabeus reigned as not an official king at that point, but he reigned over Judah of this time, and there was still battles that raged between him and his family, and his army, on the one side; and Antiochus IV, and then other descendants, on the other. After Judas Maccabeus died, his brother-one of his brothers became the leader, and then another brother became the leader, gradually these different people of this family came to set up their own dynasty of rulers themselves. Their family was known as the Hasmonean Dynasty. The Hasmonean Dynasty was in power from the year 165 to the year 60 B.C. In 141 the Israelites gained complete victory and for the first time since 586, Israel again became an independent nation. Israel kept her freedom only eighty years. In 63 B.C., civil war in Israel gave occasion to Rome to establish her authority there. For the next sixty years Israel was semi-independent, Israel’s rulers being appointed by Rome. In 37 B.C., Herod the Great became king with Rome’s approval. And it occurred in the days of Herod, king of Judah, a priest, whose name was Zachariah, of the ministration of the House of Abijah; and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth; and they were both upright before Yahweh, and walked in all his commandments, and in the righteousness of Yahweh, without reproach; but they had no child, because Elisabeth was barren.
And it occurred, that as Zachariah performed the priestly functions in the order of his ministration before Yahweh, according to the usage of the priesthood, it fell to him to offer the incense; and he went into the Holy Place, and the whole multitude of the people were praying without, at the time of incense; and the angel of Yahweh appeared to Zachariah, standing on the right side of the altar of incense; and when Zachariah saw the angel, he became dumbfounded, and fear fell upon him; and the angel said to him, “Fear not, Zechariah; for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John; and you will have joy and gladness; and a great many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great before Yahweh; and he will not drink wine nor strong drink, and he will have power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh upon him, while he is still in the womb of his mother; and many Israelites he will cause to turn to Yahweh; and he will go before them with power, yea, the powerful power Elijah had, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and those who are disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous; and he will prepare a true people for Yahweh.” And Zachariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife is advance in life.” And the angel answered, saying to him, “I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of Yahweh; and I am sent to converse with you, and to tell you these things. Henceforth you will be dumb, and unable to speak, until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe these my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” And all the people were standing and waiting for Zachariah; and they wondered at his tarrying so long in the Holy Place; and when Zachariah came out, he could not speak with them; and they understood that he had seen a vision in the Holy Place; and he made many signs to them, and remained speechless; and when the days of his ministration were accomplished, he came to his house.
And it was after those days, that Elisabeth, Zachariah’s wife conceived, and she secluded herself five months; and she said, “These things has Yahweh done for me, in the days when he looked upon me to take away my reproach among men.” And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by Yahweh into Galilee, to a city named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary; and the angel entered the house, and said to her, “Peace to you, you having been favored; Yahweh is with you.” And when she saw the angel, she was disturbed at his speech; and she pondered, what this salutation could mean; and the angel said to her, “Fear not, Mary; for you have found favor with Yahweh; for lo, you will conceive in your womb, and will bear a son, and will call his name Yeshua. He will be great, and will be called the son of Yahweh, and Yahweh will give him the throne of his father David; and he will reign over the House of Jacob forever; and of his reign there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, as I have not known a man?” The angel replied, and said to her, “Power from on high will come, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh will overshadow you; therefore the one who is to be born of you is holy, and he will be called the son of Yahweh; and lo, Elisabeth your kinswoman, even she too has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who is called barren. For nothing is impossible for Yahweh.” Mary said, “Here I am, a handmaid of Yahweh; be it to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her; and Mary arose in those days, and went hastily to the mountain district, to a city of Judah; and entered the house of Zachariah, and saluted Elisabeth; and it was so, that when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb, and power from on high came upon her; and she cried out with a loud voice, and said to Mary, “Blessed are you among women; and blessed is the fruit of your womb; and whence is this to me, that the mother of the messiah should come to me? For lo, as the voice of your salutation fell upon my ears, with great joy the babe leaped in my womb; and happy is she that believed; for there will be a fulfillment of those things that were told her by Yahweh.” And Mary said, “I myself do magnify Yahweh; and my soul rejoices in Yahweh my savior; for Yahweh has looked upon the humbled condition of his handmaid; and lo, from henceforth, all generations will ascribe blessedness to me. For Yahweh who is mighty has done for me great things; and holy is Yahweh’s name; and Yahweh’s mercy is on them that reverence him, for generations and posterities. Yahweh has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly. The hungry has Yahweh satisfied with good things, and the rich has Yahweh sent away empty. Yahweh has aided Israel his servant, and remembered his mercy, just as Yahweh spoke with the fathers, with Abraham and through Isaac’s seed, forever.” And Mary remained with Elisabeth about three months, and returned to her home.
The Meshiach (2)
Post 12 of the tree of life series
And Elisabeth’s time of bringing forth arrived; and she bore a son; and when her neighbors and relatives heard that Yahweh had increased his mercy to her, they rejoiced with her; and it occurred, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the babe; and they would have called him Zechariah, after the name of his father, but his mother said to them, “Not so; but John, shall he be called.” And they said to her, “There is no one among your kindred called by that name.” And they made signs to his father, how he would have him named; and he asked for a tablet, and wrote, “John is his name.” And every one was surprised; and immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue; and he spoke, and praised Yahweh; and fear came upon all their neighbors; and these things were talked of in all the mountain district of Judah; and all who heard, pondered them in their heart, and said, “What will this child be?” And the hand of Yahweh was with him; and power from on high came upon Zachariah his father, and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be Yahweh of Israel, for Yahweh has looked on his people, and wrought a deliverance for them; and he has raised up a horn of deliverance for us in the House of his servant David; just as Yahweh spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have been for ages, that Yahweh would deliver us from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; and Yahweh has exercised his mercy to our fathers, and has remembered his holy covenants, and the oath that he sware to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us, to be delivered from the hand of our enemies; and that we should worship before him without fear, all our days, in rectitude and uprightness; and you, child, will be called a prophet of Yahweh; for you will go before the face of the meshiach, to prepare his way, that he may give the knowledge of life to his people, and forgiveness of their sins, through the compassion of the mercy of our Yahweh; whereby the sprout from Jesse will grow among us, to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death; and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the babe grew, and was strengthen in character; and he was in the wilderness, until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
And the birth of Yeshua the messiah was thus. While his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph before they had cohabited, she was found to be with child by Yahweh; and Joseph her husband was a righteous man, and unwilling to expose her; and he thought of putting her away privately; and while he contemplated these things, an angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a dream, and said to him, “Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary your wife; for that which is conceived in her is from power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh; and she will bear a son; and you will call his name Yeshua, for he will resuscitate his people from their sins.” And when Joseph rose from his sleep, he did as the angel of Yahweh commanded him, and took his wife; and in those days it occurred, that a decree went forth from Augustus Caesar, that all the people of his dominion should be enrolled; and this enrollment was first made under the governorship of Quirinus in Syria; and everyone went to his own city to be enrolled; and Joseph also went up from Nazareth of Galilee to Judah, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the House and lineage of David, with Mary his espoused, then pregnant, to be enrolled; and it was while they were there, that the days for her to bring forth were completed; and she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in the stall; for they had no place where they could lodge; and there were shepherds in that region, who abode there and kept watch of their flocks by night; and lo, the angel of Yahweh came to them, and the glory of Yahweh shone upon them; and they feared with great fear; and the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for, lo I announce to you great joy, which will be to all Israel. For there is born to you this day a deliverer, who is the messiah, in the city of David; and this is the sign for you, you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and placed in a stall.” And instantly there were seen with the angel, the many hosts of heaven, praising Yahweh, and saying, “Glory to Yahweh in the highest, and good hope for men.” And it was so, that when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds conferred with one another, and said, “Let us go down to Bethlehem, and see this thing which has occurred, as Yahweh has made known to us.” And they came hastily, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe laid in the stall; and when they saw, they made known the information which was given to them concerning the child; and all that heard, wondered at the things that were told them by the shepherds; and Mary laid up all these things, and pondered them in her heart; and the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising Yahweh for all that they had seen and heard, as it was told them.
Post 13 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (3)
And when the eight days for the circumcision of the babe were completed, his name was called Yeshua; and he was named by the angel, before he was conceived in the womb; and when the days of their purification were completed, according to the law of Moses, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him before Yahweh; as it is written in the law of Yahweh, “Consecrate to me every firstborn; man and beast, the first issue of every womb among the Israelites is mine.” And to offer a sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of Yahweh, “If however, her means do not suffice for a lamb in its first year, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a purification offering.” And there was a certain man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and this man was upright and just, and was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and power from on high was upon him; and it had been told him by Yahweh, that he would not see death, until he would see the messiah of Yahweh. This man was led by Yahweh to the temple courts; and when his parents brought in the babe Yeshua, to do for him as is commanded in the law, he took him in his arms, and blessed Yahweh, and said, “Now dismiss your servant, my Yahweh, in peace, according to your word; for lo, mine eyes have seen your mercies, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light for a revelation to the Gentiles, and a glory to your people Israel.” And Joseph and his mother were astonished at those things which were spoken concerning him; and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother, “Lo, this child is set forth for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, and for a standard of contention; and also a sword will pierce your own soul; that the reasonings of the hearts of many may be disclosed; and Hannah the prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, she also was aged in days, and, from her maidenhood, had lived seven years with her husband, and was a widow of about eighty and four years, and departed not from the temple courts, but worshipped by day and by night with fasting and prayer; and she too stood up, in that hour, and gave thanks to Yahweh, and spoke of Yeshua to everyone that waited for the deliverance of Jerusalem; and when they had accomplished all things, according to the law of Yahweh, they returned to Galilee, to their city Nazareth.
Now when Yeshua having been born in Bethlehem of Judah, in the days of Herod the king, there came Magi from the East unto Jerusalem saying, “Where is the King of the Israelites that is born? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to adore him.” And Herod the king heard, and he was disturbed; and all Jerusalem with him; and he assembled all the chiefs of the priests and the scribes of the people, and inquired of them, “Where is the birthplace of the meshiach?” And they said, “In Bethlehem of Judah; for here it is written in the prophet, and you, O Bethlehem of Ephrath, least among the clans of Judah, from you one shall come forth to rule Israel for me.” Then Herod privately called the Magi, and learned from them at what time the star appeared to them; and he sent them to Bethlehem, and said to them, “Go, search diligently for the boy; and when you have found him, come and tell me, that I also may go and adore him.” And they, when they had heard from the king, went forward; and lo, the star they had seen in the East went before them, until it came and stood over where the boy was; and when they saw the star, they rejoiced much, with great joy; and they entered the house; and they saw the boy with Mary, his mother; and they fell down and adored him; and they opened their treasures and presented to him gifts, gold, and myrrh, and frankincense; and it was shown them in a dream that they should not return to Herod; and by another way they returned to their country; and when they were gone, an angle of Yahweh appeared to Joseph in a dream, and said to him, “Arise, take the boy and his mother, and flee into Egypt; and be you there, until I tell you; for Herod will seek for the boy, to destroy him.” Then Joseph arose, took the boy and his mother, by night, and fled to Egypt; and he was there, until the death of Herod.
Post 14 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (4)
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been deluded by the Magi, was very angry; and he sent and slew all the sons in Bethlehem, and in all its confines, from a boy of two years and under, according to the time that he had carefully learned from the Magi; but when king Herod was dead, an angel of Yahweh appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said to him, “Arise, take the boy and his mother, and go into the land of Israel; for they are dead who sought the life of the boy.” And Joseph arose, and took the boy and his mother, and went to the land of Israel; but when Joseph heard that Archelaus was king in Judah, instead of his father Herod, he feared to go there; and it was revealed to him in a dream, that he should go into the land of Galilee, to their city Nazareth; and the boy grew, and was strengthened in character, and was filled with wisdom; and the favor of Yahweh was upon him; and Yeshua’s people went up to Jerusalem every year, at the feast of the Passover; and when Yeshua was twelve years old, they went up to the feast, as they were accustomed; and when the days were completed, they returned; but Yeshua remained at Jerusalem, and Joseph and his mother knew not of it, for they supposed he was with his companions; and when they had travelled a day’s journey, they sought him among their people, and inquired of everyone that knew them; and they did not find him; and they returned again to Jerusalem, searching for him; and after three days, they found him in the temple courts, sitting in the midst of the teachers, and listening to them, and asking them questions; and all they that heard him, were astonished at his wisdom and his answers; and when they saw him they were amazed; and his mother said to him, “My son, why have you done so to us? For lo, I and your father have been seeking for you with great anxiety.” Yeshua said to them, “Why did you seek me? Do you not know, that it behooves me to be in my Father’s House?” But they did not comprehend the words that he spoke to them; and he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother laid up all these things in her heart; and Yeshua increased in stature, and in wisdom, and in favor, before Yahweh and men.
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, during the governorship of Pontius Pilate in Judah, while Herod was tetrarch in Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch in Ituraea and in the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanius tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and of Caiaphas; the word of Yahweh came to John, the son of Zachariah, in the wilderness; and he went throughout the country around Jordan, proclaiming the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; and their went out to him all the region of Judah, and all the people of Jerusalem; and he baptized them in the river Jordan; and as to this John, he was clad in raiment of camel’s hair; and was girded with a cincture of skin about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey; and he said to the people, who came to him to be baptized, “You offspring of scorpions, who has instructed you to flee from the anger which is coming? Bring forth, therefore, fruits which are worthy of repentance; and do not begin to say within yourselves, we have Abraham as our father; for I say to you, that Yahweh can, from these stones, raise up sons to Abraham; and lo, the ax is already placed at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree which bears not good fruits, will be cut down, and cast into the fire.” And the people asked him, and said, “What, then, shall we do?” He answered, saying to them, “Whoever has two tunics, let him give one to him that has none; and whoever has food, let him do the same.” And tax collectors also came to be baptized; and they said to him “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Exact no more than you are required to exact.” And those serving in war inquired of him, and said, “And what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Be insolent to no one, and oppress no one, and let your wages satisfy you.” And while the people were thinking of John, and all pondered in their heart, perhaps he is the meshiach; and he proclaimed, and said, “Lo, after me comes one more powerful than I, of whom I am not worthy to stoop and untie the fastenings of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptized you with power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh and with fire. He holds his winnowing shovel in his hand, and he will make clean his threshing floor; and the wheat he gathers into his garners, and the chaff he will burn with fire not extinguished; and many other things also, he taught and proclaimed to the people; but Herod the tetrarch, because he was reproved by John, on account of Herodias the wife of his brother Philip, and on account of all the evil things he had done, added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.
Post 15 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (5)
And in those days came John the Baptizer; and he proclaimed in the desert of Judah, and said, “Repent; the sovereignty of Yahweh has approached.” Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judah, and all the country about the Jordan; and they were baptized by John in the river Jordan; but when he saw a great many of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who were coming to be baptized, he said to them, “O offspring of scorpions, who has taught you to flee from the anger which is to come? Bring forth the fruits therefore, that accord with repentance; and do not think and say within yourselves, that Abraham is our father; for I say to you, that Yahweh is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham; and lo, the ax is already placed at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree which bears not good fruits, shall be cut down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that comes after me is more powerful than I; whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh and with fire. His winnowing shovel is in his hand; and he will make clean his threshing-floor. The wheat he will gather into his storehouse; and the chaff he will burn with fire not extinguished.” And it occurred, in those days, that Yeshua came from Nazareth in Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized by him; but John refused him; and said, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet have you come to me?” And Yeshua answered, saying to him, “Allow it now, for this is necessary for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted him; and when Yeshua was baptized, he went up immediately from the water; and he saw the sky cleft; and he saw power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh descending like a dove, and it came upon him; and lo, a voice from the sky, which said, “This is my beloved son, in whom I have delight.”
And Yeshua was about thirty years old; and Yeshua, having the fullness of power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh upon him, returned from the Jordan. Than was Yeshua led by Yahweh into the wilderness forty days, to be tempted by Satan; and during those days, he ate nothing; and he was with the wild beasts; and when he had completed them, he was at last hungry; and Satan said to him, “If you are the son of Yahweh, command this stone to become bread.” Yeshua replied, saying to him, “It is written, that man does not live on bread alone, but that man may live on anything that Yahweh decrees.” And Satan conducted him to a high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the land, in a little time; and Satan said to him, “To you will I give all this dominion, and the glory of it, which is committed to me, and to whom I please, I give it; if therefore, you will worship before me, the whole shall be yours.” But Yeshua replied, saying to him, “It is written, revere only Yahweh, and worship him alone, to him shall you hold fast, and swear only by his name.” And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the son of Yahweh, cast yourself down from here, for it is written, he will give his angels charge over you, to keep you; and in their arms will they sustain you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” And Yeshua replied, saying to him, “It is said, do not try Yahweh.” And when Satan had finished all his temptations, he departed from him for a time; and Satan came, and said to Yeshua, “If you are the son of Yahweh, command these stones to become bread.” But Yeshua replied, and said, “It is written, that man does not live on bread alone, but that man may live on anything that Yahweh decrees.” Then Satan took him to the Holy City, and set him on a pinnace of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the son of Yahweh, cast yourself down; for it is written, that he will give his angles charge of you, and in their hands will they sustain you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Yeshua said to him, “It is moreover written, do not try Yahweh.” Then Satan took him to a mountain that was very high, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; and said to him, “All these will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Yeshua said to him, “Begone, Satan; for it is written, revere only Yahweh, and worship him alone, to him shall you hold fast, and swear only by his name. Then Satan left Yeshua; and lo, angels came, and ministered to him. Wisdom was in the beginning, and that very wisdom was with Yahweh, and Yahweh was that wisdom. Wisdom was in the beginning with Yahweh. Everything came to be by Yahweh’s hand; and without Yahweh, not even one thing that was created came to be. The life is in Yahweh, that life is the light of men.
Post 16 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (6)
And this is the testimony of John, when the Israelites sent to him priests and levites, to ask him, “Who are you?” And they ask him again, “Who then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you a prophet?” And he said, “No.” And they said to him, “Who are you? That we may an answer to them that sent us. What say you of yourself?” And they who were sent, were of the Pharisees; and they asked him, and said to him, “Why then baptize you, if you are not the meshiach, nor Elijah, nor a prophet.” John answered, saying to them, “I baptize with water; but among you stands one, whom you do not know. He it is that comes after me, and is before me, the one, even the strings of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” These things occurred in Bethany, where John was was baptizing. The day after, John saw Yeshua coming towards him, and said, “Behold, the lamb of Yahweh, that bears the sin of Israel. This is he of whom I said, after me comes a man, who is before me, and I knew him not; but that he might be known to Israel, therefore, am I come baptizing with water; and I saw power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh descend from the sky, as a dove, and it rested upon him; and I did not know him; but Yahweh, who sent me to baptize with water said to me, the one upon whom you see power from on high descending and resting, he is the one who will baptize with power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh; and I saw; and I testify, that this is the son of Yahweh.”
And the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked upon Yeshua as he walked, and said, “Behold, the lamb of Yahweh!” And when he said it, two of his disciples heard it; and they went after Yeshua; and Yeshua turned, and saw them coming after him, and he said to them, “What seek you?” They said to him, “Teacher, where do you stay?” He said to them, “Come, and see.” And they came and saw where he lodged; and they were with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour; and one of those who heard John, and went after Yeshua, was Andrew, the brother of Simon. He first saw Simon his brother, and said to him, “We have found the meshiach.” And he brought him to Yeshua, and Yeshua looked upon him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jona; you shall be called Cephas.” The next day, Yeshua was disposed to depart for Galilee; and he found Philip, and said to him, “Come after me.” And Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Simon; and Philip found Nathaniel, and said to him, “We have found him, of whom it is written in the law, and the prophets, Yeshua, the son of Joseph, who is of Nazareth.” Nathaniel said to him, “Can there be any good thing from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come, and see.” And Yeshua saw Nathaniel coming towards him, and said of him, “Behold, a real Israelite, in whom is no deceit.” Nathaniel said to him, “Whence know you me?” Yeshua said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathaniel answered, saying to him, “Teacher, you are the son of Yahweh; you are the King of Israel.” Yeshua said to him, “Because I said to you, that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these. Truly I say to you, that here after you will see heaven opened, and the angles of Yahweh ascending and descending unto the son of man.”
And on the third day, there was a feast in Cana, a city of Galilee; and the mother of Yeshua was there; and also Yeshua and his disciples were invited to the feast; and the wine fell short, and his mother said to Yeshua, “They have no wine.” Yeshua said to her, “What is it to me and to you? Not yet has my hour come.” His mother said to the helpers, “Whatever he tells you, do it.” And there were there six water-pots of stone, set for the purification of the Israelites, which could hold several gallons each. Yeshua said to them, “Fill those water-pots with water.” And they filled them to the top. Then Yeshua said to them, “Draw now, and carry to the master of the feast.” And they carried; and when the master of the feast tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know whence it came; although the helpers knew, as they had filled the pots with water. Then the master of the feast called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Every man first brings forward the good wine, and when they are satiated, then that which is inferior; but you have kept the good wine till now.” And Yeshua’s disciples believed in him.
Post 17 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (7)
Afterwards Yeshua went down to Capernaum, he and his mother, and his brothers, and his disciples; and they were there a few days; and the Passover of the Israelites drew near; and Yeshua went up to Jerusalem; and he found in the temple courts, those who sold beeves, and sheep, and doves, and the moneychangers sitting there; and he made himself a whip from a cord, and turned them all out of the temple courts, and the sheep, and the beeves, and the moneychangers; and he poured out their money, and overset their tables; and he said to them that sold doves, “Take away these things; and make not my Father’s House, a House of trading.” But the Israelites replied, saying to him, “What sign show you to us, since you do these things?” Yeshua answered, saying to them, “Tear down this temple, and in three days it will be raised up.” The Israelites said to him, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” And while Yeshua was in Jerusalem, at the feast of the Passover, many believed in him, because they saw the miracles which he did; and there was a man of the Pharisees there, whose name was Nicodemus, a ruler of the Israelites; and he came to Yeshua by night, and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a teacher sent from Yahweh; for no man can do these miracles that you are doing, unless Yahweh is with him.” Yeshua replied, saying to him, “Truly I say to you, that, unless a man be born anew, he cannot behold the sovereignty of Yahweh.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can an old man be born? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” Yeshua replied, saying to him, “Truly I say to you, that, unless a man be born of water and new nature, he cannot enter the sovereignty of Yahweh. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of new nature, is new nature. Be not surprised that I said to you, you must be born of new nature.” Nicodemus answered, saying to him, “How can these things be?” Yeshua answered, saying to him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?”
After these things, came Yeshua and his disciples into the land of Judah; and there he abode with them, and baptized. John also was baptizing at the spring of Aenon, which is near to Shalim, because there was much water there; and the people came and were baptized; for John was not yet cast into prison; and one of John’s disciples and an Israelite had disputed respecting purification; and they came to John, and said to him, “Teacher, he who was with you at the Jordan crossing, and of whom you gave testimony, lo, he also is baptizing; and a great many are coming to him.” John answered, saying to them, “A man cannot take anything by his own choice, unless it be given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the meshiach. He who has a bride is the bridegroom; and the best man of the bridegroom is he who stands up and listens to him, and rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice; this my joy, therefore, lo, it is full. To him must be increase, and to me decrease.” When Yeshua was aware, that the Pharisee had heard; that he made many disciples, and baptized more than John. Yet Yeshua himself did not baptize, but his disciples; and he left Judah, and went again into Galilee; and in going, he had occasion to pass through the midst of the Samaritans; and he came to a city of the Samaritans called Sychar, near the field which Jacob gave to Joseph; and Jacob’s well of water was there. And Yeshua was weary with the toil of traveling, and seated himself by the well; and it was at the sixth hour.
And a woman from Samaria came to draw water; and Yeshua said to her, “Give me water to drink.” And his disciples had gone to the city, to buy themselves food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How do you, an Israelite, ask drink of me, who am a Samaritan woman? For the Israelites have no familiarity with Samaritans.” Yeshua replied, saying to her, “If you only knew the gift of Yahweh, and who is the man who said to you, give me to drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water?” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no leather bucket, and no deep well; where do you get the living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well, and he himself drank from it, and his sons, and his sheep?” Yeshua replied, saying to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water which I give him, shall never thirst; but the same water, which I shall give him, will be in him a well of water, springing up unto life eternal.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me of this water, that I may not thirst again, and need not come and draw from here.” Yeshua said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” She said to him, “I have no husband.” Yeshua said to her, “You have well said, I have no husband; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have, is not your husband; in this you did speak truly.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; but the Israelites say, that in Jerusalem is the place where it is proper to worship.” Yeshua said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, you will worship the Father. You worship, you know not what; but we worship what we know; for deliverance is from the Israelites; but the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in new nature and in truth; for the Father desires worshippers such as these; for Yahweh is spirit; and they that worship him, must worship in new nature and in truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that the meshiach will come; and when he comes, he will teach us everything.” Yeshua said to her, “I, who talk with you, am he.”
Post 18 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (8)
And while Yeshua was speaking, his disciples came; and they wondered that he would converse with the woman; yet no one said, “What seek you?” or, “Why, talk you with her?” And the woman left her water-pot, and went to the city, and said to the people, “Come, see a man that told me everything I ever did; is not this the meshiach?” And the people went out of the city, and came to Yeshua. In the mean time, Yeshua’s disciples entreated him, and said to him, “Teacher, eat.” But Yeshua said to them, “I have food to eat, of which you are ignorant.” The disciples said among themselves, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Yeshua said to them, “My food is to do the pleasure of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work. Do not say, that after four months comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, and lift up your eyes, and look upon the grounds, that they are white, and have long been ready for the harvest; and he that reaps, receives wages, and gathers fruits unto life eternal; and the sower and the reaper equally rejoice, for in this, is the proverb true, that one is the sower and another the reaper. I send you to reap that, on which you labored not; for others toiled, and you are entering into their labor.” And many Samaritans of that city believed in Yeshua, because of the discourse of the woman, who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” And when these Samaritans come to Yeshua, they requested him to tarry with them; and Yeshua remained with them two days; and many believed in Yeshua, because of his discourse; and they said to the woman, “Henceforth, we believe in him, not on account of your word; for we have heard him ourselves, and we know that he truly is the meshiach.”
And after two days, Yeshua departed from there and went into Galilee; for Yeshua himself testified, that a prophet is not honored in his own city; and when he came to Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the wonders Yeshua did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast; and Yeshua came again to Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine; and there was at Capernaum a king’s servant, whose son was sick. He heard that Yeshua had come from Judah to Galilee; and he went to Yeshua, and besought him, that he would come down and heal his son; for he was near dying. Yeshua said to him, “Unless you see miracles and wonders, you will not believe.” The king’s servant said to him, “Sir, come down, before the boy dies.” Yeshua said to him, “Go, your son lives.” And the man believed the word which Yeshua spake to him, and went away; and as he was going down, his servants met him, and informed him, saying to him, “Your son lives.” And he asked them, at what time he recovered; and they said to him, “Yesterday, at the seventh hour the fever left him.” And his father knew, that it was at that hour in which Yeshua said to him, “Your son lives.” And he believed, and all his house.
After these things there was a feast of the Israelites, and Yeshua went up to Jerusalem; and there was there in Jerusalem a certain place of purification, which was called Bethesda; and there were in it five porches; and in them were laid a great crowd of the sick, and the blind, and the lame, and the withered, waiting for the moving of the water; for an angel, from time to time, descended into the purification pool, and moved the water; and whoever first went in, after the moving of the water, was cured of whatever disease he had; and a man was there, who had been diseased thirty and eight years. Yeshua saw this man lying down, and Yahweh told Yeshua that his disease had been a long time upon him, so Yeshua said to him, “Desire you to be healed?” And the sick man answered, saying, “Yes, sir; but I have no one who, when the water is moved, will put me into the purification pool; but while I am coming, another one goes in before me.” Yeshua said to him, “Arise, take up your quilt, and walk.” And immediately the man was healed; and he arose, took up his quilt, and walked; and it was the Sabbath day; and the Israelites said to him that was healed, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to bear your quilt.” But he answered, saying to them, “He that made me whole, he said to me, take up your quilt and walk.” And they asked him, “Who is the man that said to you, take up your quilt and walk?” But the man that was healed, knew not who it was; for Yeshua had slid away, in the great crowd that was in the place.
Post 19 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (9)
After a time, Yeshua found him in the temple courts, and said to him, “Lo, you are healed; sin not again, lest something worse come upon you than before.” And the man went, and told the Israelites, that it was Yeshua who had cured him; and for this cause the Israelites began to persecute Yeshua, and sought to kill him; because he had done these things on the Sabbath; but Yeshua said to them, “My Father works until now, and I work.” And for this the Israelites sought the more to kill him, not only because he had broken the Sabbath, but because he had said of Yahweh, that he was his Father, and had equalled himself with Yahweh; and Yeshua answered, saying to them, “Truly I say to you, the son can do nothing, of his own pleasure, but what he sees the Father do; for what things the Father does, these in like manner does the son; for the Father loves his son, and showed him everything he does; and greater works than these, will the Father show him, that you may wonder. For when the Father raises the dead, and gives them life; so also the son gives life to whom he pleases; for neither does the Father judge anyone, but he has entrusted all judgment to the son, that every man may honor the son, as he honors the Father. He that honors not the son, honors not the Father that sent him. Truly I say to you, that he who hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has life eternal, and will not come into condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Truly I say to you, that the hour comes, and it is now already here, when the dead will hear the voice of the son of Yahweh; and they that hear, will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so has he given to the son also, to have life in himself, and has moreover given him authority to execute judgment, as he is also the son of man.
Marvel not at this; for the hour comes, when all that are in their graves will hear his voice; and will come forth; they that have done good, to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can do nothing of my own pleasure; but as I hear, so I judge; and my judgment is just; for I seek not my own pleasure, but the pleasure of him that sent me. If I should bear testimony respecting myself, my testimony would not be valid. There is another that bears testimony concerning me; and I know that the testimony which he bears concerning me is true. You sent unto John; and he bore testimony to the truth; and I have not received testimony from men; but these things I say, that you may live. He was a burning and shining lamp; and you were willing for a time, to glory in his light; but I have a testimony, which is greater than that of John; for the works which my Father has given me to accomplish, these works which I do, testifies of me; and his word abides not in you, because you believe not in him whom he has sent. Search the scriptures; for in them, you think, there is life eternal for you; and they testify of me; and you are unwilling to come to me, that life eternal may be yours. I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that the love of Yahweh is not in you. I came in the name of my Father, and you receive me not; if another shall come in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and seek not the glory which comes from Yahweh only? Do you suppose, that I shall accuse you before the Father? There is one that will accuse you, that Moses, on whom you rely. For if you believed Moses, you would also believe me; for Moses wrote concerning me; but if you believe not his writings, how will you believe my words?”
Now when Yeshua had heard that John was delivered up, Yeshua returned to Galilee; and fame concerning him spread in all the region around them; and he taught in their synagogues, and was lauded by everyone; and he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went as he was accustomed, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and rose up to read; and there was delivered to him the scroll of Isaiah the prophet; and Yeshua unrolled the scroll, and found the place where it is written, “The power of Yahweh is upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me; he has sent me as a herald of joy to the humble, to bind up the wounded of heart, to proclaim release to the captives, liberation to the imprisoned; to proclaim a year of Yahweh’s favor.” And Yeshua rolled up the scroll, and gave it to the servitor, and went and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing upon him; and he began to say to them, “This day, is this scripture which you have heard, is fulfilled in your ears.” And all bare him witness, and admired the gracious words which proceeded from his mouth; and they said, “Is not this the son of Joseph?” Yeshua said to them, “Perhaps, you will speak to me this proverb, physician, heal yourself, and whatever we have heard of your doing in Capernaum, do you here also in your city. Truly I say to you, there is no prophet who is acceptable in his own city; for I tell you the truth, that there were many widows in the House of Israel, in the days of Elijah the prophet, when the sky was closed up three years and six months, and there was a great famine in all the land; but to no one of them was Elijah sent, except to Sarepta of Sidon, unto a widow woman; and there were many lepers in the House of Israel, in the days of Elisha the prophet; but none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” And when they heard these things, those in the synagogue were all filled with wrath; and they rose up, and thrust Yeshua out of the city, and brought him to the top of the hill on which the city was built, that they might cast him down from a cliff; but he passed through the midst of them, and went away.
Post 20 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (10)
And Yeshua left Nazareth, and he went down and dwelt in Capernaum, by the side of the lake, on the confines of Zebulon and Naphthali. From that time began Yeshua to proclaim the tidings of the sovereignty of Yahweh, and said, “The time is completed, and the sovereignty of Yahweh has approached. Repent you, and believe the tidings.” And as Yeshua walked on the shore of the lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Cephas, and Andrew his brother, who were casting nets into the lake; for they were fishermen; and Yeshua said to them, “Follow me; and I will cause you to become fishers of men.” And immediately, they left their nets, and went after him; and as Yeshua pass on a little from their, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, who were mending their nets; and Yeshua called them; and immediately they left Zebedee in the boat, with the hired servants, and went after him; and Yeshua traveled over all Galilee, and he taught in their synagogues, and proclaimed the tidings of the sovereignty; and healed every disease and sickness among the people; and his fame spread through all Syria; and they brought to him all them that were very sick with diverse diseases, and them that were afflicted with pains, and unclean spirits, and lunatics and paralytics; and Yeshua healed them; and there followed Yeshua great crowds from Galilee, and from the Ten Cities, and from Jerusalem, and from Judah, and from beyond the Jordan; and when Yeshua saw the crowds, he ascended a mountain; and when he was seated, his disciples drew near him, and Yeshua opened his mouth, and taught them, and said, “Happy are the poor in the land, for the sovereignty of Yahweh is theirs! Happy are the mourners, for they shall be comforted! Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the land! Happy are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satiated! Happy are the merciful, for on them shall be mercies! Happy are the clean in heart, for they shall behold Yahweh! Happy are the cultivators of peace, for they shall be called sons of Yahweh! Happy are they that are persecuted on account of righteousness, for the sovereignty of Yahweh is theirs!
Blessed are you, when they revile you and persecute you, and speak every evil thing against you, falsely, on my account. At that time, rejoice and be glad; for your reward in heaven is great; for so they persecuted the prophets that were before you. You are the salt of the land! But if the salt become insipid, with what shall it be seasoned? It is fit for nothing; but to be thrown out, and be trodden under foot by men. You are the light of the land! A city built upon a hill, cannot be concealed; and they do not light a lamp, and place it under a basket; but upon a light-stand, and it gives light to all that are in the house. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who is in heaven. Do not suppose that I have come to subvert the law or the prophets; I have come not to subvert, but to fulfill; for truly I say to you, that until heaven and earth shall pass away, one iota or one letter shall not pass from the law, until all shall be fulfilled. Therefore, whoever shall break one of these small commands, and shall so inculcate on the children of men, shall be called little in the sovereignty of Yahweh; but everyone that shall do and teach them, shall be called great in the sovereignty of Yahweh; for I say to you, that unless your righteousness shall abound more than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the sovereignty of Yahweh. You have heard that it was said to the ancients, you shall not kill; and everyone that kills, is obnoxious to judgment; and everyone that says to his brother, I spit on you, is obnoxious to the Sanhedrin; and everyone that shall say, abnormal, is obnoxious to hell fire. If it should happen therefore, that while you are presenting your offering upon the altar, and right there you remember that your brother has any grievance against you, leave your offering there upon the altar, and first go and make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your offering. Try to get reconciled with your accuser promptly, while you are going on the road with him; for your accuser might surrender you to the judge, and the judge would commit you to the jailer, and you would be cast into the house of prisoners. Truly I say to you, you will not come out from there, until you have paid the last farthing.
You have heard that it had been said, you shall not commit adultery; but I say to you, that whoever gazes on a woman with concupiscence, at once commits adultery with her in his heart. If therefore, your right eye should cause you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you; because it is better for you, that your one member perish, than that your whole body fall into hell; and if your right hand should cause you to stumble, cut if off, and cast it from you; because it is better for you that one of your members perish, than that your whole body fall into hell. It has been said, that if a man will put away his wife, he must write her a bill of divorcement; but I say to you, that whoever puts away his wife, except for the offense of fornication, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is separated, but not divorced, commits adultery. Again, you have heard that it has been said to the ancients, you shall not swear falsely by the name of Yahweh; for Yahweh will not clear one who swears falsely by his name; but I say to you, swear not at all, not by heaven, for it is the throne of Yahweh; and not by the earth, for it is the footstool under his feet; and likewise not by Jerusalem, for it is the city of a great king. Moreover, you shall not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair in it, either black or white; but let your words be, yes, yes; or no, no; for whatever is beyond these is a deception. You have heard that it has been said, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; but I say to you, resist not evil; but if a person smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if one is disposed to sue you, and get away your tunic, relinquish to him also your cloak. Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Whoever demands of you, give to him; and whoever wishes to borrow of you, deny him not; but I say to you, love your enemies; and bless him that curses you; and do good to him that hates you; and pray for them that lead you in bonds, and that persecute you; that you may be children of your Father that is in heaven, who causes his sun to rise upon the good and upon the bad, and sends his rain upon the righteous and upon the unrighteous. For if you love them that love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do this? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you that is not common? Do not even the tax collectors do this? Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
Post 21 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (11)
Be cautious in your almsgiving, not to perform it before men, so that you may be seen of them; otherwise, you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore, when you do alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get praise from men. Truly I say to you, they have gotten their reward; but you, when doing alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does; that your alms may be in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly; and when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who are fond of standing up in the synagogues and at the corners of streets to pray, so that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have gotten their reward; but as for you, when you pray, enter into your inner chamber and lock your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly; and when you pray, be not garrulous like the Gentiles; for they expect to be heard for their abundance of words. Therefore, be not like them; for your Father knows what is needful for you, before you ask him. In this manner, therefore, pray you; our Father, who is in heaven, hollowed be your name; your sovereignty come; your will be done; as in heaven, so in the land; give us our needful bread, this day; and forgive us our offenses, as we have forgiven our offenders; and do not let us enter into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for yours is the sovereignty, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. For if your forgive men their faults, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive men their faults, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you; but if you shall not forgive men, your Father also forgives not you your faults; and when you fast, be not sad like the hypocrites; for they distort their faces, that they may be seen of men to fast. Truly I say to you, they have gotten their reward; but, as for you, when you fast, wash you your face, and anoint your head; that you may not be seen by men as a faster, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will recompense you. Lay not up for yourselves treasures in the land, where moth and rust spoil, and where thieves dig through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where no moth and no rust can spoil, and no thieves dig through nor steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart also be. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore, your eye shall be diseased, your whole body will be dark. If then, the light that is in you be darkness, how great will be your darkness! No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will honor the one and neglect the other. You cannot serve Yahweh and mammon. Therefore, I say to you, be not anxious about your life, what you shall eat, and what you shall drink; nor about your body, how you shall clothe yourselves. Is not the life more important than food, and the body than raiment? Look at the birds of the sky; which sow not, and reap not, and gather not into storehouses, but your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Are not you more important than they? And who of you that shall be anxious, can add to his stature a cubit? And about raiment, why are you anxious? Consider the lilies of the desert, in what manner they grow. They toil not; and they spin not. Yet I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory, was arrayed like one of them; and if Yahweh so clothe the grass of the field, which exists today, and tomorrow falls into the fireplace, will he not much more clothe you, you small in believing? Therefore, be not anxious; nor say, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink; or wherewith we be clothed? For all these things the people of the world seek after; and your Father who is in heaven, knows that all these things are needful to you; but seek you first the sovereignty of Yahweh, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, be not anxious about the morrow; for the morrow has its own anxieties. Sufficient for the day, is its own evil.
Judge not, that you be not judged; for with the judgment that you judge, you shall be judged; and by the measure that you measure, shall it be measured to you; and why observe you the splinter in your brother’s eye, and regard not the beam that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, allow me to pluck the splinter from your eye; and lo, a beam is in your own eye. You hypocrite, pluck first the beam from your own eye; and then you will see clearly, to pluck the splinter out of your brother’s eye. Give not a holy thing to dogs; and cast not your pearls before swine; lest they tread them under their feet, and turn and lacerate you. Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone that asks, receives; and he that seeks, finds; and to him that knocks, it shall be opened; for what man is there among you, of whom if his son ask bread, will he reach him a stone? Or if he ask of him a fish, will he reach him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him? Whatsoever you would that men should do to you; so also do you to them; for this is the law and the prophets. Enter you in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the road which leads to destruction, and many are those who travel on it. How narrow the gate, and how difficult is the road which leads to life, and few are those who are found on it. Beware of false prophets; who come to you in the garb of sheep, but internally they are rapacious wolves; and from their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes; or figs from thistles? So every good tree bears good fruits; but a bad tree bears bad fruits. A good tree cannot bear bad fruits; nor can a bad tree bear good fruits. Every tree that bears not good fruits, is cut down, and consigned to the fire. Wherefore, by their fruits you shall know them. Not whoever may say to me, meshiach, meshiach, will enter into the sovereignty of Yahweh; but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Yeshua, Yeshua, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name cast out unclean spirits? And in your name do many works of power? And then will I declare to them; I never knew you. Depart from me, you doers of evil. Everyone therefore, that hears these my discourses, and does them, will be like to a wise man, one that built his house upon a rock; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew; and they rushed upon that house; and it fell not, for its foundations were laid upon a rock; and everyone that hears these my discourses, and does them not, will be like a foolish man that built his house upon sand; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew; and they rushed upon that house, and it fell; and great was the ruin of it.” And so it was, that when Yeshua had ended these discourses, the crowds were astonished at his teaching; for he taught them as one having authority; and not as their Scribes and Pharisees.
Post 22 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (12)
And as Yeshua descended from the mountain, great crowds gathered around him; and lo, a leper came and did homage to him, and said, “Sir, if you wish, you can make me clean.” And Yeshua stretched fourth his hand, touched him, and said, “I do wish it; be you clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed; and Yeshua said to him, “See, you tell no man; but go, show yourself to the priests, and present an offering as Moses enjoined for a testimony to them.” And when Yeshua had entered into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, and besought him, and said, “Sir, my child lies at home, paralyzed and badly afflicted.” Yeshua said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion replied, and said, “Sir, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; but speak the word only, and my child will be healed; for I also am a man under authority, and there are soldiers under my hands, and I say to this one, go, and he goes; and to another, come, and he comes; and to my servant, do this thing and he does it.” And when Yeshua heard this, he admired it; and he said to those walking with him, “Truly I say to you, I have not found believing like this even is Israel; and I say to you, that many shall come from the East, and from the West, and shall recline with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, in the sovereignty of Yahweh; but the sons of the kingdom shall go forth into the outer darkness. There will be the weeping and the grinding of the teeth.” And Yeshua said to the centurion, “Go; be it to you as you have believed.” And his child was healed in that same hour; and Yeshua immediately taught on the Sabbath, in their synagogues; and they were astonished at his teachings, for he taught them, as having authority, and not as their Scribes; and in their synagogue was a man, in whom was an unclean spirit; and it cried out, with a loud voice, and said, “What have I do do with you? Let me alone; what have I to do with you, Yeshua? Have you come to destroy me? I know you, who you are, the holy one of Yahweh.” And Yeshua rebuked it, and said, “Shut your mouth; and come out of him.” And the unclean spirit threw him down in the midst, and cried with a loud voice; and came out of him, having not harmed him at all; and they were all amazed, and wonder seized everyone, and inquired one of another, and said, “What a word is this! What new teaching is this? For with authority and power, he commands the unclean spirits, and they obey him, and they come out.”
And Yeshua’s fame went out into all the surrounding region; and Yeshua retired from the synagogue, and he entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John; and the mother-in-law of Simon was lying sick, afflicted with a severe fever; and they besought Yeshua in her behalf; and he came, and he stood over here, and took her hand, and raised her up, and rebuked the fever; and immediately the fever left her; and immediately she arose and ministered to them; and when it was evening, at the setting of the sun, all those that had sick persons, afflicted with divers diseases, they brought many possessed with unclean spirits, and all the city was collected at the door, and he laid his hand on everyone of them, and healed them; and he cast out many unclean spirits by a word; crying out and saying, “You are the meshiach.” And in the morning, Yeshua rose much before the others, and retired to a solitary place, and there prayed; and Simon and his associates sought for him; and when they found him, they said to him, “Everybody is seeking for you.” And he said to them, “Lets go into the adjacent villages and towns; for there also I will preach, because therefore was I sent.” And the crowds sought him, and went out to him, and held him fast, that he might not retire from them; and Yeshua said to them, “It behooves me to announce the sovereignty of Yahweh to other cities also; for therefore was I sent.” And Yeshua preached in all their synagogues, in all Galilee, and cast out unclean spirits. And it occurred, that a crowd gathered about Yeshua, to hear the word of Yahweh; and Yeshua was standing by the side of the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats standing near the lake, and the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets; and one of them belonged to Simon Cephas; and Yeshua entered and sat in it; and he told them to draw off a little from the shore, into the lake; and he seated himself, and taught the people from the boat; and when he ceased from speaking, he said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep, and cast your net for a catch.” Simon answered, saying to him, “Teacher, all the night we have toiled, and have caught nothing; but, at your bidding, I will cast the net.” And when they had done so, they inclosed very many fishes, so that the net was rent; and they made signs to their associates, in the other boat, to come and help them; and when they came, they filled both the boats, so that they were near to sinking; and when Simon Cephas saw it, he fell before the feet of Yeshua, and said to him, “I beseech you, my teacher, that you leave me, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment had seized him, and all that were with him, at the catch of fishes which they had caught; and in like manner also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon; but Yeshua said, “Fear you not; henceforth, you shall catch men unto life.” And they brought the boats to the land; and they left all and followed him.
Post 23 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (13)
And when Yeshua was in one of the cities, a man came all full of leprosy and saw Yeshua, he fell upon his face at his feet, and besought him, saying, “Sir, if you will, you can cleanse me.” And Yeshua had compassion on him, and stretched out his hand, and touched him, and said to him, “I will it; be you clean.” And in that hour, his leprosy departed from him, and he became clean; and Yeshua charged him, and Yeshua said to him, “See that you speak to no one; but go and show yourself to the priests, and make an offering on account of your cleansing, as Moses has commanded, for a testimony to them.” And sent him away; and he, as he went out, began to proclaim it much, and to divulge the matter; and Yeshua’s fame spread abroad still more; and much people assembled to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; so that Yeshua could not openly go into the city, but was without, in desert places, and prayed; and they came to him from every quarter; and when Yeshua saw great crowds around him, he ordered that they should go to the site shore, and a Scribe came and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you to the place wherever you go.” Yeshua said to him, “For foxes there are holes, and for the birds of the sky there are nests; but for the son of man, there is not where he may recline his head.” And another of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, suffer me first to go and bury my father.” But Yeshua said to him, “Follow you me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.” And when Yeshua entered the boat, his disciples embarked with him; and lo, a great commotion arose in the lake, so that the boat was covered by the waves; but Yeshua was asleep; and his disciples came to awake him, saying to him, “Our teacher, deliver us; we are perishing!” Yeshua said to them, “Why are you afraid, you small in believing!” Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the lake; and there was great tranquillity; and the men were amazed; and they said, “What a man is this, to whom the winds and the lake are obedient!” And when Yeshua arrived at the farther shore, in the country of the Gadarenes, he was met by two possessed with unclean spirits, who were just coming out of the cemetery, exceedingly vicious, so that no one would dare to travel that road; and they cried out, and said, “What have we to do with you? Yeshua, you son of Yahweh. Have you come here before the time to torment us?” And at a distance from them there was a herd of many swine feeding; and the unclean spirits kept entreating of him, and said, “If you cast us out, suffer us to attack the herd of swine.” And Yeshua said to them, “Go you.” And immediately they came out, and attacked the swine; and that whole herd ran straight to a cliff and plunged into the lake, and perished in the water; and the herdsmen fled, and entered the city, and related all that had occurred, and concerning them that were possessed with unclean spirits; and all the city came out to meet Yeshua; and when they saw him, they besought him to depart from their coasts; and he entered the boat, and passed over and Yeshua again entered into Capernaum for a few days.
And it occurred, on one of the days when Yeshua was teaching, that Pharisees and Doctors of the law were sitting by, who had come from all the villages of Galilee, and of Judah, and Jerusalem; and when they heard that he was in a certain house, a great many gathered together, so that it was impossible to hold them, not even in front of the entrance; so he spoke a few words to them and the power of Yahweh was present to heal them; and some persons brought a paralytic man on a quilt, carried between four persons, and sought to bring him in, and to place him before him; and when they could not thus introduce him on account of the crowd, they ascended to the roof, and removed the covering of the place where Yeshua was, and let down the quilt on which the paralytic lay into the midst, before Yeshua; and when Yeshua saw their believing, he said to the paralytic, “Take courage; your sins are forgiven you.” And there were some Scribes and Pharisees there, who sat and began to reason in their hearts, and to say, “This man blasphemes! Who is this that speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins, except Yahweh only?” But Yeshua knew that they were reasoning in themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you reason evil things in your heart? For, which is the easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven you? Or to say, Arise, take up your quilt and walk? But that you may know that the son of man has authority in Israel to forgive sins!” He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, Arise, take up your quilt, and go to your house.” And instantly, he rose up before their eyes, and took up his quilt, and departed in presence of them all, and went home, glorifying Yahweh; and astonishment seized everyone; and they praised Yahweh, who had given authority like this to men, saying, “We never saw the like.” And they were filled with awe, and said, “We have seen wonders today.”
And he went out again by the lake, and all the people kept coming to him, and he taught them; and after these things, as he passed on from there, he saw a man sitting at the customhouse, a tax collector named Matthew the son of Alpheus, sitting among the tax collectors; and he said to him, “Come after me.” And he left everything, and he arose and went after him; and Matthew made a great entertainment for him at his house; and it was so, that as he reclined in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and reclined with Yeshua and with his disciples; for they were many, and they followed him; and when the Scribes and Pharisees saw that he ate with tax collectors and with sinners murmured, and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And as Yeshua heard it, he answered and said to them, “They who are in health have no need of a physician, but they that are very sick. Go and learn what that is, for Yahweh desires goodness, not sacrifice! I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasters; then they came and said to him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often, and pray, and also those of the Pharisees; but yours eat and drink, your disciples fast not?” Yeshua said to them, “Can the guests of the nuptial chamber fast as long as the bridegroom is with them? No! But the days will come, when the bridegroom will be taken up from them, and then will they fast, in those days.” And Yeshua spoke a parable to them, “No one takes a patch of new cloth and sews it upon an old garment; lest that which fills up, tear from that garment, and the rent become greater. And no one puts new wine into old sacks, otherwise, the new wine will burst the sacks, and the wine will run out, and the sacks be ruined; but they put new wine into new sacks, and both are preserved. And no one drinks old wine, and immediately wants new wine; for he says, The old is delicious.” And while he was speaking these things with them, a leader of the synagogue came, drew near, did homage to him and said, “My daughter is already dead, but come lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Yeshua rose up, and his disciples; and they went with him; and lo, a woman who had had a hemorrhage for fourteen years, came up from behind him, and she touched the edge of his cloak; for she was saying to herself, “If I can only touch his garment, I will be healed.” And Yeshua turned around, looked at her, and said to her, “Have courage, your believing has healed you.” And the woman was healed in that very hour; and Yeshua arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, and saw the mourners and the excited crowds, and he said to them, “That is enough; for the little girl is not dead, but she is asleep.” And they scoffed at him; but when he had put the people out, he entered in and took her by the hand, and the little girl rose up; and the fame of this thing spread in all that land.
Post 24 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (14)
And as Yeshua passed from there, he was delayed by two blind men, who were crying out, and saying, “Have mercy on us, you son of David!” And when he had entered a house, those blind men approached him, and Yeshua said to them, “Believe you that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, our meshiach.” Then he touched their eyes, and said, “As you have believed, so shall it be to you.” And forthwith their eyes were opened; and Yeshua charged them, and said, “See, that no one know of it.” But they went out and spread the news all over that country; and as Yeshua went out, they brought to him a dumb man in whom was an unclean spirit; and as soon as he was restored, the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed, and said, “Such a thing has never been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He is casting out unclean spirits, by the help of the prince of unclean spirits.” And on a sabbath it occurred, as Yeshua walked among the tilled grounds, that his disciples plucked ears, and rubbed them in their hands and ate; and some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why do you that, which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath?” And the Pharisees said to him, “See, how on the sabbath, they do that which is not lawful?” Yeshua replied, and said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he had need and was hungry, he and those with him? How he entered into the House of Yahweh, when Abiathar was high priest, and took and ate the bread of Yahweh’s table, and gave it to those that were with him, which it was not lawful, except for the priests only, to eat?” And he said to them, “The sabbath was made on man’s account, and not man for the sake of the sabbath. Therefore also the son of man is Yahweh’s Anointed of the sabbath.” And on another sabbath, Yeshua entered into a synagogue and taught; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered; and the Scribes and Pharisees watch him, that if he should heal on the sabbath, they might be able to accuse him; and as he knew their thoughts, he said to the man whose hand was withered, “Rise up and come to the center of the synagogue.” And when he came and stood there; and he said also to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath, or to do evil? To give life to a person, or to destroy it?” But they were silent; and he looked on them with indignation, being grieved with the hardness of their heart; and then said to the man, “Stretch forth your hand.” And he stretched out his hand, and it was restored like the other; and they were filled with bitterness, and they conferred one with another, what they should do to Yeshua; and the Pharisees went out that very hour, with the domestics of Herod, and held a consultation against him, how they might destroy him. And Yeshua retired with his disciples to the lake; and many people joined him from Galilee, and from Judah, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan, and from Tyre, and from Sidon; large crowds, who had heard all that he was doing, came to him; and he told his disciples to bring him a boat, on account of the crowds, lest they should crowd upon him; for he was healing so many, that others pushed toward him, in order to touch him; and those who were afflicted with unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him and cried out, and said, “You are indeed the son of Yahweh.” And he cautioned them earnestly not to make him known.
And in those days, Yeshua retired to a mountain to pray; and he passed the night there, in prayer to Yahweh; and when the day dawned, he called his disciples, and selected from them twelve to be with him, whom he would send out to teach, and who would have power to heal the sick, and to cast out unclean spirits, whom he named apostles: Simon whom he named Cephas, and to James the son of Zebedee and to John the brother of James, he gave the name of Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; and he chose also Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheus, and Simon who is called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot; and Yeshua descended with them, and stood up in the plain; and a large group of his disciples, and a large crowd of people from all over Judah, and from Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon; came to hear his discourse, and to be healed of their diseases; and they who were afflicted by unclean spirits, and they were healed; and all the people sought to touch him, because power proceeded from him, and he healed them all; and he lifted his eyes upon his disciples, and said, “Happy are you poor, for the sovereignty of Yahweh is yours. Happy are you that hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Happy are you that weep now, for you will laugh. Happy are you, when men hate you, and discriminate against you, and reproach you, and publish your names as bad, for the sake of the son of man. Be glad and rejoice in that day, for your reward is increased in heaven; for their fathers did the same to the prophets. But, woe to you that are rich; for you have already received your comforts. Woe to you that are full, for you will hunger. Woe to you that laugh now, for you will weep and mourn. Woe to you, when men shall speak your praise; for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” But to you who hear, I say, “Love your enemies; and do favors to them that hate you; and bless them that curse you; and pray for them that drag you with violence; and to him that smites you on your cheek, offer the other; and from him that takes away your cloak, keep not back your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you; and from him who takes away what is yours, do not demand it back again; and as you would that men should do to you, so do you also to them. For, if you love them that love you, what goodness is it in you? For even sinners love those that love them; and if you do good to them that do good to you, what goodness is it in you? For even sinners do the same; and if you lend to one from whom you expect recompense, what goodness is it in you? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive adequate recompense; but love you your enemies, and do them good; and lend you, and disappoint the hope of no one; and great will be your reward, and you will be sons of Yahweh; for he is kind to the evil, and to the unthankful. Be you therefore merciful, as also your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; and condemn not, and you will not be condemned; release, and you will be released. Give you, and it will be given to you; in good measure, pressed down, and running over, will they cast into your lap; for with what measure you measure, it will be measured to you.”
And he told them a parable, “Can a blind man guide a blind man? Will they not both fall into the pit? There is no disciple who is more important than his teacher; for every man who is well developed, will be like his teacher; and why observe you the splinter that is in your brother’s eye, but regard not the beam that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, My brother, allow me to pluck the splinter from your eye; when, lo, the beam that is in your own eye, you regard not. Hypocrite! First cast the beam out of your eye, and then your vision will be clear to pluck the splinter from your brother’s eye. There is no good tree, that bears bad fruits, nor a bad tree, that bears good fruits; for every tree is known by its fruits. Do men gather figs from thistles? So, neither do they pluck grapes from a bramble bush. A good man, from the good treasure that is in his heart, brings out good things; and a bad man, from the bad treasure that is in his heart, brings out bad things; for, from the abundance of the heart, the lips speak; and why call you me, My teacher, my teacher; while you do not do what I say? Everyone that comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show to whom he is like; he is like a man that built a house; and he dug and went deep, and laid the foundations on a rock; and when a flood occurred, the flood rushed upon that house, and could not move it, for its foundation rested on a rock; but he that hears and does not, is like a man that built his house upon the earth, without a foundation; and when the torrent rushed upon it, it fell immediately, and the ruin of that house was great.” And when Yeshua had finished all these discourses in the audience of the people, Yeshua entered into Capernaum; and they came to the house; and the crowd assembled again, so that they could not eat bread; and Yeshua’s relatives heard of it, and went out to seize him; for they said, “He is out of his reason.” And those Scribes that had come down from Jerusalem said, “Beelzebub is with him; and, by the prince of unclean spirits he is casting out unclean spirits.” And Yeshua called them, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? For if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand; and if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand; and if Satan rise up against himself and be divided, he cannot stand, but is at an end. No one can enter the house of a strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man; and then he plunders his house. Truly I say to you, all sins, and the blasphemies that men may utter, may be forgiven them; but whoever shall blaspheme against Yahweh’s power, to him forever there is no forgiveness, but he is obnoxious to eternal judgment.” For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.” And his mother, and his brothers came, and, standing without, sent to call him to them; but the people were sitting around him; and they said to him, “Lo, your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you.” He replied, and said to them, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And he looked upon those who sat near him, and said, “Lo, my mother, and lo, my brothers; for whoever shall do the pleasure of Yahweh, he is my brother, and my sister, and my mother.”
Post 25 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (15)
And the servant of a centurion was seriously sick, one who was very dear to him, and he was near death; and when he heard about Yeshua, he sent to him Israelite elders, and besought him to come and heal his servant; and when they came to Yeshua, they begged him earnestly, and said, “He is worthy to have this done for him; for he loves our nation, and has even built us a synagogue.” And Yeshua went with them; and when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent some of his friends to him, and said, “Sir, do not trouble yourself; for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof; therefore I deemed myself not worthy to approach you myself; but speak the word only, and my servant will be healed. For I am also a man under authority, and there are soldiers under my command; and I say to this one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it.” And when Yeshua heard these things, he was amazed at him, and he turned, and said to the people who followed him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such believing as this.” So those who were sent returned to the house, and found the servant who was sick, healed; and the following day, he went to a city called Nain; and his disciples were with him, and many people; and when they came near the gate of the city, he saw a dead man being carried out, who was the only son of his mother, and his mother was a widow; and many people of the city were with her; and when Yeshua saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, “Weep not.” And he went and touched the bier, and those who carried it stood still; and he said, “Young man, I say to you, Arise.” And the dead man sat up, and began to speak; and he gave him to his mother; and awe seized all the people; and they glorified Yahweh, and said, “A great prophet is risen among us; and, Yahweh has visited his people.” And this word about him went out through all Judah, and through the country around them. And the disciples of John told him all these things; and John called two of his disciples, and sent them to Yeshua, and said, “Are you the one who is to come? Or are we to expect another?” And they came to Yeshua, and said to him, “John the Baptizer has sent us to you, and said, Are you the one who is to come? Or are we to expect another?” And in that hour he healed many persons of their diseases, and of plagues, and of unclean spirits, and gave sight to many blind persons; and Yeshua replied, and said to them, “Go you, and tell John all that you have seen and heard; that the blind see, and the lame walk, and the leprous are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead rise up, and to the poor good news is proclaimed; and happy is he that is not stumbled in me.” And when John’s disciples had gone, Yeshua began to speak to the people, concerning John, “What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A reed agitated by the wind? If not so, what went you out to see? A man clad in soft raiment? Lo, they that use splendid garments and luxuries, are in kings’ palaces; and if not so, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say to you, and much more than a prophet; for this is he, of whom it is written, “Lo, I send my messenger before your face, to prepare the way before you. I say to you, that there is no prophet, among those who are born of women, who is greater than John the Baptizer; and yet even the least person in the sovereignty of Yahweh, is greater than he.” And all the people who heard it, even the tax collectors, justified themselves before Yahweh, for they were baptized with the baptism of John; but the Pharisees and Scribes rejected the good pleasure of Yahweh, against themselves; as they were not baptized by him. “To what, therefore, shall I compare the men of this nation? And to what are they like? They are like boys who sit in the street, and call to their fellows, and say, We have sung to you, but you did not dance; and we have wailed to you, and you did not weep. For John the Baptizer came, neither eating bread, nor drinking wine; and you say, He has an unclean spirit. The son of man came, eating and drinking; and you say, Lo, a gluttonous man, and a wine drinker, and one fond of tax collectors and sinners; and yet, wisdom is justified by all its works.”
And one of the Pharisees came, and asked him to eat with him; and he entered the house of that Pharisee, and reclined as a guest; and there was a woman in that city, who was a sinner; and when she learned that he was a guest in the Pharisee’s house, she took an alabaster cruse of perfume, and stood behind him, at his feet, and wept; and she began to bathe his feet with her tears, and to wipe them with the hair of her head; and she kissed his feet, and anointed them with the perfume; and when the Pharisee that invited him, saw it, he reasoned within himself, and said, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who she is, and what is her reputation; for the woman that touches him is a sinner.” And Yeshua answered, and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He said to him, “Say it, Teacher.” Yeshua said to him, “There were two men who were debtors to a certain creditor; one of them owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty denarii; and as they had not the means of pay, he released them both. Which of them, therefore, will love him most?” Simon replied, and said, “I suppose he to whom most was released.” Yeshua said to him, “You have judged correctly.” And he turned to the woman, and said to Simon, “See you this woman? I entered your house, and you gave me no water for my feet; but she has bathed my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. You did not kiss me; but she, since she entered, has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil; but she has anointed my feet with perfume. I therefore say to you, her many sins are forgiven her, for she loves much; but he, to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” And he said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” And the guests began to say within themselves, “Who is this man, that even forgives sins?” And Yeshua said to the woman, “Your believing has given you life; go, in peace. And after these things Yeshua travelled about the cities and the villages, and proclaimed and announced the sovereignty of Yahweh; and his twelve were with him, and those woman who were healed of infirmities and of unclean spirits, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven unclean spirits, and Joanna the wife of Chusa the steward of Herod, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered to them of their property. And again he began to teach by the side of the lake; and when many people had assembled about him, and people came to him from all the cities, so that he went up and sat in a boat on the lake; and all the people stood on the land by the lake; and he taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching, he said, “Listen, lo, a sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some seed fell by the side of the path, and was trodden upon, and a bird devoured it; and other seed fell on a rock, so that it had not much earth, and it soon shot up because it had no depth of earth; but when the sun was up, it wilted; as it lacked moisture, and because it had not root, it dried up; and other seed fell among thistles; and the thistles grew up with it, and choked it, and it yields no fruit; and other seed fell on good and fertile ground, and sprung up and grew, and yielded fruit; some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred for one.” Having said these things, he cried out, “He that has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And when they were alone, those who were with him, together with the twelve, asked him, “What means this parable?” And Yeshua said to them, “To you it is granted to know the mysteries of the sovereignty of Yahweh; but to others, everything has to be explained by parables; for seeing they see, and yet do not perceive; and hearing they hear, and yet do not understand; lest they should return, and their sins would be forgiven them.” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? But this is the parable; the seed is the word of Yahweh, the sower that sowed, sowed the word; and those by the side of the path, are they that hear the word, and the enemy comes and takes the word out of their heart, that they may not believe and live; and those sown on the rock, are they who, when they hear the word, immediately receive the word with joy; but they have no root in them, and their believing is temporary, and in time of temptation, and when there is affliction or persecution on account of the word, they are quickly stumbled; and those sown among thistles, are they that hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and by worldly desires, and the residue of other lusts enter in and choke the word, and it is without fruit; and that on good ground, are those who, with a humble and good heart, hear the word, and retain it, and with patience bring forth fruit, by thirties, and by sixties, and by hundreds.” And he said to them, “No one lights a lamp, and covers it with a vessel, or places it under a bed; but sets it upon a light-stand, that all who come in, may see the light of it. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be uncovered; nor concealed, that shall not be known and become manifest. If anyone have ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Take heed what you hear; with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you; and there shall more be given to you who hear; for to him that has, will more be given; and from him that has not, even what he thinks he has, will be taken from him.” And he said to them, “So is the sovereignty of Yahweh, as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and should sleep and rise, by night and by day, and the seed should grow and shoot up while he is not aware of it; for the earth causes it to yield fruit; and yet, first it becomes a blade of grass, then an ear, and at last a full grain in the ear; and when the fruit is ripe, immediately comes the sickle, because the harvest has arrived.” And he said to them, “To what shall we compare the sovereignty of Yahweh? And with what parable shall we picture it? It is just like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is the smallest of all the seeds sown on earth; but when it is sown, it springs up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds can settle under their shadow.” Yeshua talked to them with parables like these, such parables as they were able to hear; and without parables he did not speak to them; but to his disciples, among themselves, he explained everything; and there came to him his mother and his brothers, and they were not able to speak to him because of the crowd; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers stand without, and they want to see you.” And he answered and said, “These are my mother and my brothers, those who hear the word of Yahweh, and do it.”
Post 26 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (16)
On that day at evening, he said to them, “Let us pass over to the other side of the lake.” And they left the people, and took him away while he was in the boat; and there were other boats with them; and while they were rowing, Yeshua fell asleep; and there arose a heavy storm and wind, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that the boat was nearly filled; but Yeshua was sleeping on a blanket in the stern of the boat; and they came and awoke him, and said to him, “Teacher, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the lake, “Cease; be still.” And the wind quieted down, and there was a great calm; and he said to them, “Why are you so fearful? And why do you have no believing?” But as they were exceedingly afraid, they wondered, saying one to another, “O, who is this man, that commands even the winds, and the waves, and the lake; and they obey him?” And they rowed and came to the other side of the lake, to the country of the Gadarenes, which is on the shore opposite Galilee; and as he went out of the boat upon the land, there, met him from the place of the tombs, a man of the city, in whom had been an unclean spirit for a long time; and he wore no clothing, and did not reside in a house, but he dwelt in the place of tombs; and no one could confine him with chains; because, as often as he had been confined with fetters and chains, he had broken the chains and cut the fetters; and no one could control him; and continually, by night and by day, he was in the place of tombs and in the mountains, crying aloud and wounded himself with stones; and when he saw Yeshua at a distance, he ran, he cried out and fell down before him, and said in a loud voice, “What have we in common, Yeshua, you son of the exalted Yahweh. I entreat of you by Yahweh, that you torment me not.” For Yeshua had commanded the unclean spirit, to come out of the man; for it was a long time since he was possessed, and bound with chains and kept in fetters; but he would often break off his bonds, and was driven into the desert by the unclean spirit; and Yeshua demanded of him, “What is your name?” And he said to him, “Our name is Legion; for we are many.” Because many unclean spirits had entered into him; and he begged him eagerly, that he would not send him out of the country; and they besought him, not to command them to go down into the abyss; and there was a herd of many swine grazing on the mountain; and the unclean spirits besought him, and said, “Send us upon those swine, that we may enter them.” And he permitted them; and the unclean spirits went out of the man, and entered the swine; and the herd, of about two thousand, went straight to the steep rocks, and fell down into the lake, and they were drowned in the water; and when the herdsmen saw what had occurred, they fled, and told it in the city and also in the villages; and some men went out to see what had happened; and they came to Yeshua and found the man, from whom the unclean spirits had gone out, dressed, and well behaved, and sitting down quietly at the feet of Yeshua; and they were afraid; and those who had seen it, told them how it occurred to him who had the unclean spirits, and also concerning the swine; and they began to request him, that he would depart from their border; for great fear had seized them; and as he ascended the ship, and the man, from whom the unclean spirits had gone out, requested that he might remain with him; and he would not permit him, but said to him, “Go to your home, to your own people, and tell them what Yahweh has done for you, and that he has had mercy on you.” And he went away, and began to proclaim in the ten cities about what Yeshua had done for him; and they were all astonished.
And when Yeshua crossed in the boat to the other side, large crowds again gathered around him while he was on the shore of the lake; for all were looking for him; and a man, one of the leaders of the synagogue, whose name was Jairus, came, and, on seeing him, fell at his feet, and besought him much to enter his house, and said to him, “My daughter is very sick; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will be cured, and will live; for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was near dying; and Yeshua went with him; and a large crowd followed him, and they pressed about him; and there was a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years; and who had suffered much from many physicians, and had expended all she possessed, and was not profited, but was even the more afflicted; when she heard of Yeshua, she came through the dense crowd from behind him, and touched the border of his garment; for she said, “If I can only touch his garment, I shall live.” And immediately the hemorrhage dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease; and Yeshua instantly knew that some power had issued from him; so he turned around to the people, and said, “Who touched my garments?” And when all of them denied it, Simon Cephas and those who were with him, said to him, “Teacher, the crowds are troubling you, you see the people pressing against you, and yet you say, Who has touched me?” And he looked around, to see who had done this; and he said, “Someone touched me; for I perceive, that power has issued from me.” And the woman, when she saw that she had not escaped his notice, came trembling and fell down before him, and did homage to him, and told him all the truth; and in the presence of all the people, she declared for what cause she had touched him, and that she was instantly healed; and Yeshua said to her, “Take courage, your believing has healed you; go in peace.” And while he was still talking, there came a man from the house of the leader of the synagogue, and said to him, “Your daughter has died, do not trouble the teacher.” And Yeshua heard it, and said to the father of the girl, “Do not be afraid, but only believe, and she will be restored to life.” And while he was speaking, some domestics of the ruler of the synagogue came, and said, “Your daughter is dead; why therefore trouble the teacher?” But Yeshua heard the word they spoke, and said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Fear not, only believe.” And he did not permit anyone to go with him, except Simon Cephas, and James, and John the brother of James; and they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue; and he saw, that they were in a tumult, weeping, and wailing; and he did not allow anyone to enter with him except Simon, and James, and John, and the father, and mother of the girl; and all of them were weeping and mourning over her; but Yeshua said, “Why are you excited and crying? Do not weep, the little girl is not dead, but she is asleep.” And they laughed at him, for they knew that she was dead; but Yeshua put them all out, and took the little girl’s father and mother and those who were with him, and he entered where the little girl was laid; and he took the little girl by her hand and called her, and said, “Little girl, rise up.” And her breath life returned, and she got up immediately and walked; and her parents were astonished with great amazement; but he commanded them that no one should know what had happened; and he told them to give her something to eat; and Yeshua departed from there and came to his own city, and his disciples followed him; and when the sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, and said, “Where has he obtained these things? And, what wisdom is this, which is given to him! And that such mighty works are done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, and of Joses, and of Judas, and of Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they denounced him; and Yeshua said to them, “There is no prophet who is belittled, except in his own city, and among his own kindred, and in his own house.” And he could not perform even a single miracle there, except that he laid his hand on a few sick people, and healed them; and he wondered at their lack of believing.
Post 27 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (17)
And Yeshua travelled over all the cities and the villages; and he taught in their synagogues, and proclaimed the tidings of the sovereignty; and healing every kind of sickness and disease; and when Yeshua saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were tired and scattered, like sheep which have no shepherd; and he said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, and the laborers are few. Entreat, therefore, the owner of the harvest, that he would send more laborers into his harvest.” And Yeshua called his twelve, and gave them power and authority over all unclean spirits, to cast them out, and diseases, to heal them; and he sent them forth, to proclaim the sovereignty of Yahweh, and to heal the sick; and the names of those twelve apostles are these: The first of them, Simon who is called Cephas, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; and Philip; and Bartholomew, and Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; and James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus who was called Thaddeus; and Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot. These twelve Yeshua sent forth; and he charged them, and said, “Go not in the way of the Gentiles; and enter not the cities of the Samaritans; but, go you rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel; and as you go, proclaim, and say, The sovereignty of Yahweh has approached. Heal you the sick; cleanse the leprous; raise the dead; and cast out unclean spirits. Freely you have received; freely give.” And he commanded them, and he said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, except a staff only; provide not gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses; nor a wallet for the journey; nor bread, nor money; neither two coats, nor sandals, nor a staff; but to be shod with sandals; for the laborer is worthy of his food; and into whatever city or town you enter, inquire, who in it is worthy; and there stay until you depart.” And he said to them, “Into whatever house you enter, there abide till you leave the place; and when you enter a house, salute the household; and if the house be worthy, your peace will come upon it; but if it be not worthy, your peace will return upon yourselves; and against whoever will not receive you, nor hear your discourses, when you depart from that house or that town; when you go out from that place shake off even the dust that is under your feet against them, for a testimony. Truly I say to you, that it will be comfortable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, rather than for that city. Lo, I am sending you forth as lambs among wolves; therefore be wise as serpents and pure as doves; and beware of men; for they will deliver you over to the courts, and will scourge you in their synagogues; and they will bring you before governors and kings on my account, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles; and when they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what you will speak; for it will be given you in that very hour what to say; for it is not you that speak, but the power of your Father speaking in you; and brother will deliver up his own brother to death, and a father his son; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to die; and you will be hated by everyone, on account of my name; but he who endures to the end, shall have life; and when they persecute you in one city, flee to another; for truly I say to you, you shall not have completed all the cities of the House of Israel, till the son of man shall come. No disciple is more important than his teacher, and no servant than his master. It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and for a servant to be like his master. If then, they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more those of his household? Therefore be not afraid of them; for there is nothing covered up, that will not be exposed; nor concealed, that shall not become known. Whatever I say to you in the dark, that speak you in the daylight; and what you have heard in your ears, proclaim you on the housetops; and be not afraid of them that kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; but be afraid rather of him who can destroy both soul and body in hell; are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And yet not one of them will fall on the ground without your Father’s will; but so far as you are concerned, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore fear not; you are much more important than many sparrows. Everyone therefore who will acknowledge me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven; but whoever will deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven. Think not that I have come to sow quietness on the land; I have not come to sow quietness, but division; for I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes will be the members of his household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me; and whoever does not follow after me, is not worthy of me. He who is concerned about his life; shall lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake, shall find it. Whoever receives you, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man’s reward; and whoever gives a drink to one of these little ones, if only a cup of cold water, in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall never lose his reward.” And when Yeshua had ended the instructions to his twelve disciples, he went from there, to teach and to proclaim in their cities; and the apostles went forth, and travelled about the villages and cities, and proclaimed that men should repent; and they cast out many unclean spirits, and many of the sick they anointed with oil, and healed them; and healed everywhere.
Now when John heard in prison of the works of the messiah, he sent by the hand of his disciples; and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect another?” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “Go, tell John the things that you see and hear; the blind see, and the lame walk, and the leprous are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead rise up, and the needy hear good tidings; and happy is he, who shall not be stumbled at me.” And when they were gone, Yeshua began to speak to the people concerning John, “What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A reed which is shaken by the wind? And if not, what went you out to see? A man clothed in delicate robes? Lo, they that are clothed in delicate robes, are in the dwelling of kings; and if not; what went you out to see? A prophet? Yes, say I to you, and more than a prophet; for this is he of whom it is written, Lo, I send my messenger before your face, that he may prepare the way before you. Truly I say to you, that among those who are born of women, there has never risen one greater than John the Baptizer; and yet even the least person in the sovereignty of Yahweh, is greater than he; and from the days of John the Baptizer, until now, the sovereignty of Yahweh has been administered by force, and only those in power control it; for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; and, if you are willing, receive you, that this is he who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear; but to whom shall I liken this generation? It is like boys, who sit in the street and call to their friends, and say, We have sung to you, but you did not dance; and we have wailed to you, but you did not mourn; for John came, neither eating, nor drinking; and they said, He has an unclean spirit. The son of man came, eating and drinking; and they say, Lo, a gluttonous man, and a wine drinker, and a friend of tax collectors and sinners; but wisdom is justified by her works.” Then began Yeshua to reproach the cities, in which his many deeds of power were wrought, yet they repented not; and he said, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, doubtless, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes; but I say to you, It will be comfortable for Tyre and Sidon, in the day of judgment, rather than for you; and you, Capernaum, which have exalted yourself up to heaven, shall be brought down to Sheol; for if those deeds of power which were done in you, had been done in Sodom, it would have stood to this day; but I say to you, It will be comfortable for the land of Sodom, in the day of judgment, rather than for you.” At that time Yeshua answered and said, “I praise you, O my Father, Yahweh of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the men of understanding, and have revealed them to little children. O yes, my Father; for so it seemed good before you. Everything is given up by my Father to me; and no one knows the son, except the Father. Also, no one knows the Father, except the son, and he to whom the son is pleased to reveal him. Come unto me, all you wearied and heavily burdened, and I will ease you. Take my yoke upon you; and learn from me, that I am gentle and subdued in my heart; and you will find rest for your souls; for my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light.
Post 28 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (18)
At that time Yeshua, on the sabbath, walked in the tillage grounds; and his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears of grain and to eat; and when the Pharisees saw them, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing that which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath.” But he said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and they that were with him? How he went to the House of Yahweh, and ate the bread of Yahweh’s table; which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for them that were with him, but solely for the priests? Or have you not read in the law, how that in the temple the priests disregard the sabbath, and are without fault? But I say to you, that there is one here, who is greater than the temple; and if you had known what that is, I desire goodness, and not sacrifice; you would not have condemn them who are without fault; for the son of man, is Yahweh’s Anointed of the sabbath.” And Yeshua departed from there, and came to their synagogue; and a man was there, whose hand was withered; and they questioned him, and said, “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath? That they might accuse him.” And he said to them, “What man among you is there, who, if he have a sheep, and it fall into a pit on the day of the sabbath, does not lay hold of it and lift it out? Now, how much better is a human being than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do what is good, on the sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch forth your hand.” And he stretched out his hand; and it was restored like the other; and the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him, so as to do away with him; but Yeshua knew of it, and departed from there; and a great many people followed him, and he healed them all; and he charged them not to say where he was. Then they brought to him one possessed with an unclean spirit that was dumb and blind; and he healed him, so that the dumb and blind man both talked and saw; and all the people were amazed, and said, “Is not this the son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard of it, they said, “This man does not cast out unclean spirits, except by Beelzebub the prince of unclean spirits.” And Yeshua knew their thoughts, and said to them, “Every kingdom that is divided against itself, will become desolate, and every house or city which is divided against itself, will not stand; and if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself, how then does his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out unclean spirits, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges; but if I by the power of Yahweh cast out unclean spirits, the sovereignty of Yahweh has come near to you, or how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and plunder his goods, except he first binds the strong man, and then plunders his house? They who are not with me, are against me; and they who do not gather with me, shall be dispersed. Therefore I say to you, that all sins and blasphemies will be forgiven to men; but the blasphemy against the power, shall not be forgiven to men; and whoever speaks a word against the son of man, will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against Yahweh’s power, it will not be forgiven; not in this age, and not in the age to come. Either produce like a good tree with good fruits, or produce like a bad tree with bad fruits; for a tree is known by its fruits. O generation of scorpions, how can you who are evil, speak good things? For the mouth speaks from the fullness of the heart. A good man brings out good things from good treasures, and a bad man brings out bad things from bad treasures; for I say to you, that for every foolish word that men shall speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment; for by your words you shall be justified; and by your words you shall be found guilty.” Then some of the men of the scribes and Pharisees answered, and said to him, “Teacher, we would like to see a sign from you.” But he answered, and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign; and no sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah; for as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights; so will the son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. Even the men of Nineveh will rise up in judgment with this generation, and will find it guilty; for they repented through the proclamation of Jonah, and lo, a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south will rise up in judgment against this generation, and will find it guilty; for she came from the extremities of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and lo, a greater than Solomon is here. When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it wanders in places where there is no water, and seeks comfort and finds it not. Then it says, I will return to my house, from which I came out; and it comes, and finds it vacated, and swept clean, and set in order. So it goes and takes with it seven other spirits, worse than itself, and they enter and dwell in it; and the end of that man is worse than his beginning. So will it be to this evil generation.” And while he was speaking to the people, his mother and his brothers came and stood without, and sought to speak with him; and a person said to him, “Lo, your mother and your brothers stand without, and seek to speak with you.” But he answered, and said to him that informed him, “Who is my mother? And who are my brothers?” And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said, “Lo, my mother, and lo, my brothers! For everyone that does the good pleasure of my Father who is in heaven, that person is my brother, and my sister, and my mother.”
And on that day Yeshua went out of the house, and sat by the side of the lake; and many people gathered around him, so that he embarked and seated himself in a boat, and all the people stood on the shore of the lake; and he spoke many things to them in parables, and said, “Lo, a sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seed fell upon the side of a path; and a bird came and devoured it; and other seed fell upon a rock, so that it had not much soil; and it sprung up forthwith, because there was no depth of earth; but when the sun was up it wilted; and, because it lacked root, it dried up; and other seed fell among thistles; and the thistles shot up, and choked it; and other seed fell on good ground; and bore fruit, some a hundredfold, and some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold. He that has ears to hear, let him hear.” Then his disciples drew near to him, and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered, and said to them, “Because to you it is granted to know the mysteries of the sovereignty of Yahweh, but it is not granted to them; for to him who has, shall be given, and it shall increase to him; but to him who has not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. This is the reason I speak to them in figures, because they see, and yet cannot perceive; and they hear, and yet do not listen, nor do they understand, but as for you, happy are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear; for truly I say to you, a great many prophets and righteous men have longed to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it; but hear you the parable of the seed. Everyone that hears the word of the sovereignty, and understands it not, the evil one comes and snatches away the seed sowed in his heart; this is what was sowed by the side of the path; and that which was sowed on the rock, is he that hears the word, and at once receives it with joy; but it has no root in him, but is of short duration, and when there is trouble or persecution on account of the word, he soon stumbles; and that which was sowed among thistles, is he that hears the word; and care for this world and the deceptiveness of riches, choke the word; and he is without fruit; but that which was sowed on good ground, is he that hears the word, and understands it, and bears fruit, and yields, some a hundredfold, and some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.” He related another parable to them, and said, “The sovereignty of Yahweh is like to a man who sowed good seed in his field; and when men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away; and when the plant shot up and bore fruit, then appeared also the tares; and the servants of the landowner came, and said to him, Our master, did you not sow good seed in your field; when did the tares come into it? And he said to them, An enemy has done this! His servants then said to him, Do you want us to go and pull them out? But he said to them, It might happen that while you were pulling out the tares, you might uproot with them also the wheat. Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at the harvest season, I will say to the reapers, Pick out first the tares, and bind them into bundles to be burned; but gather the wheat into my barns.” He told them another parable, and said, “The sovereignty of Yahweh is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is larger than all of the herbs; and it becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nestle in its branches.” He told them another parable, “The sovereignty of Yahweh is like the leaven, which a woman took and buried in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” Yeshua spoke all these things to the people in parables; and without parables he did not speak to them. Then Yeshua sent away the people, and went into the house; and his disciples came up to him, and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares and the field.” And he answered, and said to them, “He that sows the good seed, is the son of Yahweh; and the field is the world; and the good seed are the sons of the sovereignty; but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed them, is Satan. The harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. The son of Yahweh will send forth Yahweh’s angels, and they will gather out of Yahweh’s sovereignty all the stumbling blocks, and all the doers of evil; and will cast them into a furnace of fire. There will be wailing and the grinding of the teeth. Then the righteous ones shall shine as the sun, in the sovereignty of their Father. He that has ears to hear, let him hear. Again, the sovereignty of Yahweh is like a treasure that is hid in a field; which when a man finds, he conceals it, and, from his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. Again, the sovereignty of Yahweh is like a merchantman, who sought after good pearls; and when he found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again, the sovereignty of Yahweh is like a sweep net, which was cast into the lake, and collected fish of every kind; and when it was full, they drew it to the shore of the lake; and they sat down and culled over; and the good they put into vessels, and the bad they cast away. So will it be in the end of the age. The angels will go forth, and will separate the wicked from among the righteous; and will cast them into a furnace of fire. There will be wailing and the grinding of the teeth. Have you understood all these things?” They say to him, “Yes, our teacher.” He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who is instructed for the sovereignty of Yahweh, is like a man who is a master of a house, who brings out new and old things from his treasures.” When Yeshua had finished these parables, he departed there, and he came to his own city; and he taught them in their synagogues in such a way that they were amazed, and said, “Where did he get this wisdom and these works of power? Is not this man the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And all his sisters, are they not with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they were perplexed about him; but Yeshua said to them, “No prophet is mocked, except in his own city, and in his own house.” And he did not perform many miracles there, because of their unbelief.
Post 29 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (19)
And at that time Herod the tetrarch heard of all the things done by Yeshua; for his name had become known to him, and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptizer, he is risen from the grave, this is why great miracles are wrought by him.” And he was disturbed; because some said, that John had arisen from the dead; but others said, that Elijah has appeared, and others, that a prophet from among the ancient prophets has arisen; and Herod said, “The head of John, I have cut off; but who is this, of whom I hear these things?” And he was desirous to see him. Now this Herod had seized John, and bound him and cast him into prison; on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip; for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to take your brother’s wife.” And he had wished to kill him; but he was afraid of the people, seeing that they regarded him as a prophet; and Herodias herself was an enemy to him, and wished to kill him, but was not able; for Herod was afraid of John, because he knew him to be a just and holy man, and he guarded him; and he heard that he was doing a great many things, and he heard him gladly. Then came a state occasion, when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet to his officials, and captains, and the leading men of Galilee; and the daughter of Herodias came in, and danced before the guests; and she pleased Herod, and those reclining with him; and Herod said to the little girl, “Ask of me what you please, and I will give it you.” And he swore by an oath to her, “Whatever you shall ask, I will give you, as much as half of my kingdom.” And she went out, and said to her mother, “What shall I ask of him?” She said to her, “The head of John the Baptizer.” And she soon entered with eagerness to Herod, and she, as she had been instructed by her mother, and said, “I desire that you, this hour, give me here on a tray the head of John the Baptizer.” And it pained Herod greatly; nevertheless, as a result of the oath, and on account of the guests, he would not deny her, he commanded that it should be given her; and Herod sent immediately an executioner, and command him to bring the head of John; and he went, and struck off the head of John in the prison; and the head was brought on a tray and given to the little girl; and the little girl brought it to her mother; and his disciples heard of it; they came and took up his corpse, and buried it in a grave; and they came and informed Yeshua; and Yeshua, when he had heard of it, he departed thence by boat, alone to a desert place; and when the people heard of it, they followed him by land from the cities; and when Yeshua disembarked, he saw large crowds; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick.
And when the apostles returned, they assembled before Yeshua, and told him all they had done, and all they had taught; and he said to them, “Come, let us go to the desert all alone and rest a little.” For there were many coming and going, and they had no chance even to eat. So they went away in a boat to a lonely place in Bethsaida by themselves; but many saw them when they were leaving, and they knew them; and when the people found it out, they went after him from all the cities, because they had seen the miracles which he performed on the sick. They hurried by land and reached the place ahead of him; and when Yeshua disembarked he saw large crowds, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he received them, and he began to teach them a great many things concerning the sovereignty of Yahweh, and he healed those who were in need of healing; and when the day began to decline, his disciples came to him, and said, “This is a desert place, and it is getting late; dismiss the people, so that they may go into the fields around us, and may go to the villages and towns, to lodge there and find food for themselves; for they have nothing to eat.” And Yeshua ascended a mountain, and there he seated himself with his disciples; and Yeshua raised his eyes, and saw a large crowd coming towards him, and he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread, that these may eat?” And this Yeshua said merely to try him; for he knew what he was about to do. Philip said to him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be sufficient for them, even if each one should take a little.” But Yeshua said to them, “It is not necessary for them to go; give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go, and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “Go, and see how many loaves you have here?” And when they found out, one of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Cephas, said to him, “There is a boy here, who has with him five cakes of barley, and two fish; but what are these for all those people?” Yeshua said to them, “You give them to eat.” But they said, “We do not have more than five cakes of barley, and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all this people.” Yeshua said to them, “Bring them here to me.” And he ordered them to make everyone to sit down in groups, fifty men in each group on the grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. Now there was much grass in that place; and the disciples did so, making them all sit down in groups of a hundred, or of fifty; and Yeshua took the five cakes and two fish, and he looked up to heaven and blessed them, and broke them and gave them to his disciples, and the disciples placed them before the people, and they ate; and they divided also the two fish among them all, as much as they desired; and when they were satisfied, Yeshua said to his disciples, “Gather up the fragments which remain, that nothing be lost.” And they collected and filled twelve baskets, with fragments of what remained to them that had eaten of the five barley cakes; and the men who had eaten were five thousand, not counting the women and children; and immediately he urged his disciples to go up into the boat, and go in advance of him to the port at Bethsaida, while he dismissed the people. Then the men who saw the miracle which Yeshua performed said, “Truly this is the prophet who is to come into Israel.” But Yeshua knew that they were ready to come and seize him to make him a king; and when he had dismissed them, he went up to the mountain alone to pray; and when evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, and entered into a boat, and were going to the port of Capernaum; and now it was dark, and Yeshua had not yet come to them. Yeshua was still there alone on the land; and the lake became rough, because a strong wind was blowing; but the boat was many miles away from the land; and he saw them struggling as they were rowing, tossed by the waves, for the wind was against them; and in the fourth watch of the night, Yeshua came to them, walking on the water; and he wanted to pass by them; and his disciples saw him walking on the water, and they were frightened as he drew near to he boat, and they said, “It is a false vision.” And they cried out because of their fear; for they all saw him; but Yeshua spoke to them at once, and said, “Have courage; it is I; do not be afraid.” And Cephas answered, saying, “My teacher, if it is you, bid me to come to you on the water.” And Yeshua said to him, “Come.” So Cephas went down from the boat and walked on the water, to come to Yeshua; but when he saw that the wind was strong, he was afraid, and began to sink; and he raised his voice, and said, “My teacher, rescue me.” And immediately Yeshua stretched out his hand and grasped him, and said to him, “O you of little believing, why did you doubt?” And as they got into the boat, the wind quieted down; and they marveled exceedingly, and were astonished. Neither did they understand the miracle of the cakes of barley bread, because their hearts were confused; and they who were in the boat came and did homage to him, and they said, “Truly you are the son of Yahweh.” And they rowed and directly came to the land of Gennesaret; and when they got out of the boat, the men of that place immediately recognized him; and they came running throughout that land, and they sent word to all the villages around them; and began to bring those who were seriously sick, carrying them in quilts to places where they heard he was; and wherever he entered into villages or cities, they laid the sick in the streets, and they besought him that they might touch even the hem of his robe; and all those who touched it were healed.
Post 30 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (20)
And the next day, the crowd which stood waiting at the seaport, saw that there was no other boat there, except the boat in which the disciples had embarked, and that Yeshua had not embarked the boat with his disciples; but other boats had come from Tiberias, near to the place where they had eaten bread when Yeshua blessed it; and when the people saw, that Yeshua was not there, nor his disciples, they embarked in boats, and came to Capernaum, and sought for Yeshua; and when they found him at the seaport, they said to him, “Teacher, when did you come here?” Yeshua answered, saying to them, “Truly I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw the miracles, but just because you ate bread and were satisfied. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that abides unto life eternal, which the son of man will give you; for him has Yahweh the Father sealed.” They said to him, “What shall we do, in order to work the works of Yahweh?” Yeshua answered, saying to them, “This is the work of Yahweh, that you believe on him whom he has sent.” They said to him, “What miracle do you, that we may see and believe in you? What have you performed? Our forefathers ate manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He opened the doors of heaven, and rained manna upon them for food.” Yeshua said to them, “Truly I say to you, Moses gave you not the bread from heaven; but my Father gives you the real bread; for the bread of Yahweh is, he that gives life to Israel.” They said to them, “Teacher, give us at all times this bread.” Yeshua said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall never hunger; and he who believes in me shall never thirst; but I have said to you, that you have seen me, and yet you do not believe. Everyone whom my Father has given me, will come to me; and him, that comes to me, I will not cast out; for I came not to do my own pleasure, but the pleasure of him that sent me; and this is the pleasure of him that sent me, that whatever he has given me, I should lose nothing of it, but should raise it up at the last day; for this is the pleasure of my Father, that everyone who see the son, and believes in him, should have life eternal; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Then the Israelites murmured at him, because he said, “I am the real bread given by Yahweh.” And they said, “Is not this Yeshua, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? And how does he say, I am the real bread given by Yahweh?” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “Murmur not, one with another. No man can come to me, unless the Father who sent me, shall draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day. Truly I say to you, that, to him who believes in me, there is life eternal. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna, in the wilderness, and they died; but this is the real bread Yahweh sent, that a man may eat of it, and not die. I am the bread of life; and if a man shall eat of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give, is my body, which I am giving for the sake of the life of Israel.” Then the Israelites argued one with another, and said, “How can this man give us his body to eat?” And Yeshua said to them, “Truly I say to you, that, unless you eat the body of the son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life within yourselves; but he that eats of my body, and drinks of my blood, to him is life eternal; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my body truly is food, and my blood truly is drink. He that eats my body, and drinks my blood, will abide with me, and I with him. As the living Father has sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he that shall eat me, he also will live because of me. This is the real bread Yahweh sent; not as your fathers ate the manna, and died; whoever shall eat of this bread, will live forever.”
These things he said in the synagogue, while he was teaching at Capernaum. And many of his disciples who heard it said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” Yeshua knew in himself, that his disciples were murmuring about this; and he said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? If then, you were to see the son of man ascend, it is Yahweh that gives life; the body profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you, they are Yahweh’s, and they are life; but there are some of you, that do not believe.” For Yeshua knew for a long while, who were those who did not believe, and who was to betray him; and he said to them, “For this reason, I told to you, That no man can come to me, unless it be given to him by my Father.” Just because of this saying, a great many of his disciples turned away, and did not walk with him; and Yeshua said to his twelve, “What! Do you also want to go away?” Simon Cephas answered, and said, “Teacher, to whom shall we go? The words of life eternal are with you; and we believe, and know that you are the meshiach, the son of the living Yahweh.” Yeshua said to them, “Did not I choose you twelve? Yet one of you is going to miss the mark.” Then there gathered about Yeshua, Pharisees and scribes, who had come from Jerusalem; and they saw some of his disciples eating bread, with their hands unwashed; and they reproached them; for all the Israelites, even the Pharisees, unless their hands were washed carefully, would not eat; because they strictly observed the tradition of the elders. Even the things from the marketplace, if they were not washed, they would not eat; and there are a great many other things which they have accepted to obey, such as the washing of cups, and of pots, and of copper utensils, and of bedding of dead men; and the scribes and Pharisees asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with their hands unwashed?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah the prophet prophecy concerning you, you hypocrites; as it is written, Because that people has approached Yahweh with its mouth, and honored Yahweh with its lips, but has kept its heart far from Yahweh, and its worship of Yahweh has been a commandment of men; for you have ignored the commandment of Yahweh, and observe the tradition of men, such as the washing of cups, and pots, and a great many other things like these.” He said to them, “You certainly do injustice to the commandment of Yahweh, so as to sustain your own tradition! For Yahweh told Moses to say, Honor your father and your mother; and he that curses his father or his mother, let him be put to death; but you say, A man may say to his father or to his mother, whatever you may be benefited from me is my offering to Yahweh; and yet you do not let him do anything for his father or mother; he need not honor his father or his mother. So you have rendered useless, and dishonor the word of Yahweh for the sake of the tradition which you established; and you do a great many other things like these.” Then Yeshua called all the people, and said to them, “Listen, here me all you, and understand. There is nothing outside of a man, if it should enter into the mouth which defiles a man; but what goes out of the mouth, that is what defies a man. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.” And when Yeshua entered into the house, because of the people, then came his disciples, and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees who heard this saying were offended?” And he answered, saying to them, “Every plant, which my Father who is in heaven has not planted, shall be uprooted. Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind; and if the blind lead around the blind, both will fall into a pit.” And Simon Cephas answered, saying to him, “Teacher, explain to us this parable.” And he said to them, “So even you find it hard to understand? Do you not know that whatever enters into a man from outside cannot defile him? Because it does not enter into his heart, but into his stomach, and then is thrown out through the intestines, thereby purifying the food; but what comes out of the mouth comes out from the heart; and that is what defiles the man; for from within, from the hearts of men come evil thoughts, such as fornication, adultery, theft, false witness, murder, extortion, wickedness, deceit, lust, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all these evils come from within, and they defile the man; but if a man should eat when his hands are unwashed, he will not be defiled.
Post 31 of the tree of series
The Meshiach (21)
And Yeshua moved away from there, and came to the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and he entered into a house, and did not want anyone to know about him; and yet he could not hide himself; for immediately a Canaanite woman from these borders heard about him, whose daughter had an unclean spirit; and lo, she came out crying aloud, and fell at his feet, and said, “Have mercy on me, meshiach, son of David; my daughter is seriously afflicted with an unclean spirit;” but the woman was a Gentile, from Phoenicia in Syria; and she besought him to cast out the unclean spirit; but he did not answer her; and his disciples came up to him and urged him, saying, “Dismiss her, for she keeps crying aloud after us.” And he answered, saying to them, I am not sent, except to the sheep which have strayed from the House of Israel.” And she came, and fell before his feet, and said, “Help me, meshiach.” Yeshua said to her, “Let the children be first filled; for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered, saying to him, “Even so, meshiach, even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table, and they live.” Yeshua said to her, “Woman, your believing is great; let it be to you as you wish. Go your way; just because of this word, the unclean spirit has gone out of your daughter.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour; and she went to her house, and found her daughter lying in bed, and the unclean spirit gone out of her; and Yeshua went out from the border of Tyre and Sidon, and came to the lake of Galilee, to the border of the ten cities; and they brought to him a deaf and dumb man; and they asked him to lay his hand on him; and he led him aside from the people, and put his fingers into his ears; then he spat, and touched his tongue, and looked towards the sky, and sighed, and said to him, “Be opened.” And in that hour his ears were opened, and his tongue was loosened, and he spoke plainly; and he warned them not to tell this to any man; but the more he warned them, so much the more they proclaimed it; and they were greatly astonished, saying, “He does everything so well. He makes the deaf hear and the dumb to speak.” And in those days, he went up to a mountain and sat down there; and a great many people came to him who had with them the lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at the feet of Yeshua, and he healed them. So that the people wondered to see the dumb speaking and the maimed healed and the lame walking and the blind seeing; and they praised Yahweh of Israel. Yeshua then called his disciples and said to them, “I have compassion on this people, for they have remained with me three days, and they have nothing to eat; and if I dismiss them fasting to their homes, while they are hungry, they might faint on the way; but this I do not wish to do, for some of them have come from a distance.” His disciples said to him, “Where can we get bread in this desolate place, how can any man here feed all of these people with bread?” And Yeshua asked them, “How many loaves of bread have you?” They said to him, “Seven, and a few small fish.” And he ordered the people to sit on the ground; and he took the seven loaves of bread, and he blessed them, and broke them, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and they set them before the people; and there were a few fish; and them he also blessed, and ordered to set them before the people; and all of them did eat, and were satisfied; and they took up of fragments that were left over, seven full baskets; and those who did eat were four thousand men, besides women and children.
And when he had dismissed the people, and immediately he went into the boat with his disciples, and came to the border of Magdala; and he came to the country of Dalmanutha; and the Pharisees and Sadducees came out and began to question him, and they asked him for a sign from heaven, so as to tempt him; and he sighed with his breath, and said to them, “Why does this generation seek after a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation. When it is evening, you say, It is clear, for the sky is red; and in the morning you say, It is a winter day, for the sky is red and cloudy. O hypocrites, you know how to observe the face of the sky, but the signs of the present time you are not able to distinguish. A wicked and adulterous generation wants a sign; and no sign shall be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah; and he left them, and embarked in the boat, and departed from that port; and when his disciples came to the farther shore, they had forgotten to take bread with them; except one loaf, they had none with them in the boat; and he said to them, “Watch out, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the Sadducees, and of the leaven of Herod.” And they were reasoning among themselves, and said, “It is because we have not brought bread.” But Yeshua knew it, and said to them, “What are you thinking among yourselves, O you of little believing; is it because you have not brought bread? Do you not even yet know, and do you not understand? Is your heart still hard? You have eyes, and yet do you not see? You have ears, and yet do you not hear? Do you not remember? When I broke the five barley cakes of bread for the five thousand, and how many baskets of fragments did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” He said to them, “Neither the seven loaves of bread for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? They said, “Seven.” How is it then you cannot understand that I was not talking to you about the bread; but that you should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?” Then they understood, that he did not say that they should beware of the leaven of the bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. And he came to Bethsaida; and they brought to him a blind man, and they besought him to touch him; and he took the blind man by the hand, and led him outside the village; and he spat on his eyes, and put his hands on him, and asked him what he saw; and he looked and said, “I see men like trees walking.” Again he put his hands over his eyes, and he was restored, and saw everything clearly; and he sent him to his house, and said to him, “Do not even enter into the village, nor tell it to anyone in the village.”
And Yeshua went out, and his disciples, came into the villages of the country of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road as he prayed in private with his disciples; then he questioned his disciples, and said to them, “What do people say concerning me, that I the son of man, am?” And they said to him, “There are some who say you are John the Baptizer; and others, that you are Elijah; and yet others, Jeremiah, or one of the ancient prophets arisen.” Yeshua said to them, “But who, do you yourselves say of me, that I am?” Simon Cephas answered, saying to him, “You are the meshiach of Yahweh, the son of the living Yahweh.” Yeshua answered, saying to him, “Happy are you, Simon son of Jonah; for flesh and blood did not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. I tell you also that you are Cephas; and upon this stone, I will build my assembly; and the gates of the grave shall not prevail against it. To you will I give the keys of the sovereignty of Yahweh; and whatever you bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he enjoined on his disciples, that they should tell any man that he was the meshiach. Then he cautioned them, and warned them not to say this to anyone; and he said to them, “The son of man would have to suffer a great many things, and he will be rejected by the elders, and the high priests and the scribes, and they will kill him, and rise up on the third day.”
From that time Yeshua began to make known to his disciples that he would shortly have to go to Jerusalem, and suffer a great deal from the elders, and the high priests and scribes, and be killed, and rise up on the third day; and he spoke that word openly. So Cephas took him aside, and began to rebuke him, “Far be it from you, my teacher, that is should happen to you.” But he turned around and looked on his disciples, and he rebuked Simon, and said to Cephas, “Get behind me, Satan; you are a stumbling block to me; for you are not thinking of the things of Yahweh, but of men.” And Yeshua called the people, together with his disciples, and he said them, “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and follow me; for, whoever wishes to preserve his life, will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake, and the sake of my tidings, will find it; for, what will a man be profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his soul, or even weakens it? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For, whoever, therefore, is ashamed of me, and of my words, in this sinful and adulterous generation, the son of man will also be ashamed of him, when he comes in the glory of his Father, with his angels; for the son of man is to come in the glory of his Father, with all his holy angles; and then will he recompense to every man as his deeds are.” And he said to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some standing here, who will not taste of death, until they shall see the sovereignty of Yahweh to be coming with power, and see the son of man coming in his kingdom.”
Post 32 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (22)
And it was about eight days after these discourses, that Yeshua took Simon Cephas, and James, and his brother John, and brought them up to a high mountain alone to pray; and while he prayed, he was transfigured before their eyes, and the appearance of his face was changed, shone like the sun, and his garments turned white and dazzling, shone white like the light, became white like snow in such a manner, that men on earth cannot make white; and lo, there appeared to them two men, Moses and Elijah, as they were talking with Yeshua, who appeared in glory, and spoke concerning his departure which was to end at Jerusalem; and Simon and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they awoke they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him; and when they began to leave him, Simon Cephas said to Yeshua, “Teacher, it is better for us to remain here; and if you wish, and let us make three shelters, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what he was saying, for they were afraid; and when he had said these things, there came a cloud and overshadowed them; and they were frightened when they saw Moses and Elijah enter into the cloud; and there came a voice out of the cloud saying, “This is my beloved son, with him I am pleased; hear him.” When the disciples heard it, they threw themselves on their faces, and they were greatly frightened; and Yeshua came near them and touched them, and said, “Arise, do not be afraid.” And they lifted up their eyes, and saw no man except Yeshua alone; and as they were going down from the mountain, Yeshua commanded them, saying, “Do not speak of this vision in the presence of anyone until the son of man rises from among the dead.” So they kept that saying to themselves, and they wanted to know what risen from among the dead meant; and they asked him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must first come?” Yeshua answered, saying to them, “Elijah truly does first come, to prepare all things; and, as it is written of the son of man, he will suffer much, and be rejected; but I say to you, that Elijah has come; and they did not know him; and they have done to him all that they desired, as it was written of him; and, in like manner, also the son of man is to suffer from them.” Then the disciples understood, that he spoke to them of John the Baptizer; and in those days they did not tell any man what they saw.
And the next day, as they came down from the mountain, and when he came to his disciples, he saw a large crowd with them, and the scribes debating with them; and immediately all the people saw him, and were greatly surprised, and they ran to greet him; and he asked the scribes, “What do you debate with them?” And one of the man of that crowd approached him, and fell on his knees, and cried out, and said to him, “O teacher, I beg you to have mercy on me, I have brought my only son to you, my son is a lunatic and has become worse; for he has a spirit of dumbness, and whenever it seizes him, it troubles him; and he suddenly cries out, and gnashes his teeth and foams and faints; and it hardly leaves him when it has tormented him, he often falls into the fire, and often into the water; and I brought him to your disciples, and I besought your disciples to cast it out, but they could not, they were not able to heal him.” Yeshua answered, and said to him, “O unbelieving and crooked generation, how long shall I be with you? And how long shall I put up with you? Bring your son here to me.” And they brought the boy to Yeshua; and as he brought him, the unclean spirit attacked him and immediately convulsed him; and he fell on the ground, gasping and foaming. So Yeshua asked his father, “How long has he been like this?” He said to him, “From his childhood; and many times it has thrown him into the fire, and into the water to destroy him; but whatever you can do, help me and have mercy on me.” Yeshua said to him, “If you can believe, everything is possible to him who believes.” And immediately the father of the boy cried out weeping, and said, “I do believe, help my little believing.” When Yeshua saw that people were running and gathering about him, he rebuked the unclean spirit, and said to it, “O deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him, and do not enter him again.” And the lunatic cried out violently, and was tortured, and the unclean spirit went out; then the boy became as if dead, so that many said, He is dead. Then Yeshua took him by the hand and lifted him up, and gave him to his father; and the boy was healed from that very hour; and they were all amazed at the greatness of Yahweh; and while every man wondered at everything which Yeshua did, he said to his disciples, “Treasure these words in your ears; for the son of man will be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this speech, because it was hidden from them, so that they might not know it; and they were afraid to ask him concerning this speech. And when Yeshua entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, and said to him, “Why could we not heal him?” Yeshua said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for truly I say to you, If there is believing in you even as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move away from here, and it will move away; and nothing would prevail over you. Nevertheless this kind cannot be cast out by anything except by fasting and prayer.”
And while they were traveling through Galilee, Yeshua said to them, “The son of man will shortly be delivered into the hands of men; and they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise up.” And they were very much grieved; and when they came to Capernaum, those who collect two coins of silver as head tax came to Cephas, and said to him, “Would not your master give his two coins?” He said to them, “Yes.” And when they entered the house, he asked them, “What were you reasoning among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had argued with one another as to who was the greatest of them; and when Cephas entered the house, Yeshua anticipated, and said to him, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect custom duties and head tax? From their sons, or from strangers?” Simon said to him, “From strangers.” Yeshua said to him, “Then the sons are free; but so as not offend them, go to the lake, and throw out a hook, and the first fish which comes up, open its mouth, and you will find a coin; take it, and give it for me and for you.” Then a reasoning entered into their minds as to who was the greatest among them; but Yeshua knew the reasoning of their hearts. In that very hour the disciples came up to Yeshua, and said, “Who is the greatest in the sovereignty of Yahweh?” And Yeshua sat down, and called the twelve, and said to them, “He who wishes to be the first, let him be the last of men, and the servant of every man.” And Yeshua called a little child, and made him stand up in the midst of them; and he took the boy and made him stand by him, then he took him in his arms, and said he to them, “Whoever receives a child like this in my name, he receives me; and he who receives me, does not receive me, but him who has sent me; for whoever is least among you, let him be great. Truly I say to you, unless you change, and become like little children, you will not enter into the sovereignty of Yahweh. Whoever therefore will humble himself like this little child, will be great in the sovereignty of Yahweh; and he who will welcome one like this little child, in my name, welcomes me; and whoever misleads one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him that an ass‘ millstone were hanged on his neck, and he were sunk in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of offences! Offences are bound to come; but woe to the man by whose hand the offences come! If your hand or your foot offends you, cut it off and cast it away from you; for it is much better for you to go through life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, and fall into the everlasting fire; and if your eye offends you, remove it and cast it away from you; it is better for you to go through life with one eye, rather than to have two eyes and fall into the hell of fire. See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I say to you, their angels always see the face of my Father in heaven; for the son of man has come to save what was lost. What do you think? If a man should have a hundred sheep, and one of them is lost, would he not leave the ninety and nine on the mountain, and go in search of the one which is lost? And if he should find it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety and nine which were not lost. Even so, your Father in heaven does not want one of these little ones to be lost. Now then, if your brother is at fault with you, go and rebuke him alone; if he listens to you, then you have won your brother; but if he will not listen to you, take one or two with you, because at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word is established; and if he will not listen to them, tell the assembly; and if he will not listen to the assembly, then regard him as the tax collector and the Gentile. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you are worthy on earth, anything that they would ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven; for wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. Then Cephas approached him, and said, “Teacher, if my brother is at fault with me, how many times should I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Yeshua said to him, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seventy. Therefore the sovereignty of Yahweh is likened to a king, who wanted to take an accounting from his servants; and when he began to take the accounting, they brought to him one who owed ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his master commanded him to be sold, together with his wife and children, and all that he had, so that he could pay; and the servant then fell down, and did homage to him, and said, My master, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything; and then the master of that servant had pity, so he released him, and cancelled his debt; but that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and tried to choke him, saying to him, Give me what you owe me; and that fellow servant fell down at his feet, and begged him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay you; but he was not willing, and he went and had him put into prison, until he should pay him what he owed him; and when their fellow servants saw what had happened, it grieved them much; and they came and informed their master of everything that had happened. Then his master called him, and said to him, O wicked servant, I cancelled all your debt, because you begged me. Was it not right for you to have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you? And his master was angry, and delivered him to the scourgers, until he should pay everything he owed him. So will my Father in heaven do to you, if you do not forgive each man his brother’s fault from your hearts.” And John said to him, “Teacher, we saw a man casting out unclean spirits in your name; and we forbade him, because he did not follow us.” Yeshua said to them, “Do not forbid him; for there is no man who performs miracles in my name, who will hastily speak evil of me. Therefore, he who is not against you, is for you; for whoever gives you to drink even a cup of water only, because you represent the name of the meshiach, truly I say to you, that his reward will not be lost; and whoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe in me to stumble, it were better for him that an ass’ millstone were hanged on his neck, and that he were thrown into the sea. If your hand offends you, cut it off; it is much better for you to go through life maimed, than to have two hands, and go into hell, where the embers do not die, and their fire is not extinguished; and if your foot offends you, cut it off; it is much better for you to go through life lame, than to have two feet, and fall into hell, where the embers do not die, and their fire is not extinguished; and if your eye offends you, remove it; it is better for you to enter the sovereignty of Yahweh with one eye, than to have two eyes, and fall into the hell of fire; where the embers do not die, and their fire is not extinguished; for everything will be salted on the fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt. O how good is salt; but if the salt should lose its savor, with what could it be salted? Let there be salt in you, and be at peace with one another.”
Post 33 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (33)
And when Yeshua had finished these discourses, he departed from Galilee, and came to the border of Judah, at the crossing of the Jordan; and a great many people followed him, and he taught them again, as he was accustomed to do, and he healed them there; and the Pharisees came up to him, and were tempting him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” But he answered, saying to them, “Have you not read, that he whom made them from the beginning, made them a male and a female?” And he said, “Because of this, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. Wherefore they are not two, but one body; therefore what Yahweh has joined together, let not man separate.” He said to them, “What did Moses command you?” They said to him, “Moses gave us permission to write a letter of separation, and then to divorce. Why then did Moses command to give a letter of separation, and then to divorce her?” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “It was because of the hardness of your heart that he wrote for you this particular law, permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it was not so; but I say to you, Whoever leaves his wife without a charge of adultery, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries a woman thus separated, commits adultery.” His disciples said to him, “If there is so much difficulty between man and woman, it is not worthwhile to marry.” But he said to them, “This saying does not apply to every man, but to whom it is given; for there are some eunuchs, born so from their mother’s womb; and there are some eunuchs, who were made eunuchs by men; and there are some eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the sovereignty of Yahweh. To him who can comprehend, this is enough.”
And in the house, the disciples asked him again of this matter; and he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife, and marries another, commits adultery; and if a woman divorces her husband, and marries another, she commits adultery.” After these things, Yeshua travelled in Galilee; for he did not wish to travel in Judah, because the Israelites wanted to kill him; and the Israelite's feast of tabernacles drew near; and the brothers of Yeshua said to him, “Depart from here, and go to Judah, so that your disciples may see the works that you do; for there is no man who does anything in secret, and yet wants it to become known. If you are doing these things, show yourself to the people.” For not even his own brothers believed in Yeshua. Yeshua said to them, “My time has not yet come; but your time is always here. Israel cannot hate you; but it hates me, because I testify against it, that its deeds are evil. You go up to this feast; I am not going just now to this feast, for my time is not yet come.” He said these things, and remained in Galilee; but when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, no openly, but as it were in secret. The Israelites were looking for him at the feast, and said, “Where is he?” And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him; for some said, He is good; and other said, No, but he just deceives the people; but no man spoke openly about him, because of the fear of the Israelites; and about the middle period of the feast, Yeshua went up to the temple, and taught; and the Israelites marveled, saying, “How does this man know how to read, when he has not been instructed?” Yeshua answered, and said, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. He who wishes to do his pleasure, can understand if my teaching is from Yahweh, or if I am just speaking of my own accord. He who speaks of his own accord, seeks glory for himself; but he who seeks the glory of him that sent me, is true, and there is no deception in his heart. Did not Moses give you the law? And yet no one of you obeys the law. Why do you want to kill me? The people answered, and said, “You have an unclean spirit; who wants to kill you?” Yeshua answered, saying to them, “I have done one work, and all of you marvel. Moses gave you circumcision, not because it is from Moses, but because it is from the forefathers; and yet you circumcise a man on the sabbath; and if a man is circumcised on the sabbath day, that the law of Moses may not be broken; yet you murmur at me, because I healed a man entirely sound on the sabbath day? Do not judge with a respect for persons, but judge a just judgment.” Then some of the men of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they want to kill? And yet he speaks openly, but they say nothing to him, perhaps our elders have found out that he is the meshiach? Yet we know this man, whence he is; the meshiach, when he shall come, no one knows whence he comes.” And Yeshua then lifted up his voice as he taught in the temple, and said, “You know me, and you know whence I come; and yet I have not come of my own accord, but he who sent me is true, whom you do not know; but I know him; because he sent me.” And they want to apprehend him; but no one laid hands on him, because his time had not yet come; but a great many of the people believed in him, and said, “When the meshiach comes, will he do greater wonders than this man does?” And the Pharisees heard the people talking about him; so they and the high priests sent soldiers to arrest him; and Yeshua said, “I am with you just a short while, and I am going to him that sent me; and you will seek me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” Then the Israelites said among themselves, “Where is he going, that we cannot find him? Is he planning to go to the countries of the Gentiles, to teach the pagans? What does this word mean which he said, “You will seek me, and you will not find me, and where I am, you cannot come?”
And on the great day, which is the last day of the feast, Yeshua stood and cried out, and said, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” And many of the people who heard his words were saying, “This man truly is a prophet.” Others were saying, “He is the meshiach.” But others said, “Is it possible that the meshiach should come from Galilee? Does not the scripture say that the meshiach will come from the seed of David, and from Bethlehem, the town of David?” And there was a division among the people, because of him; and there were some men among them who wanted to apprehend him; but no man laid hands on him; and the soldiers returned to the high priests and the Pharisees; and the priests said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” The soldiers said to them, “Never did a man speak, as this man speaks.” The Pharisees said to them, “What! Have you also been deceived? Have any of the leaders, or of the Pharisees believed in him; but this people, who know not the law, are accursed.” Nicodemus, one of them, who had come to Yeshua at night, said to them, “Does our law convict a man, unless it first hears for him, and knows what he has done?” They answered, and said to him, “What! Are you also from Galilee? Search, and see, that no prophet will rise up from Galilee.”
Post 34 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (24)
And Yeshua again spoke to them, and said, “I am the light of Israel; he who follows me, will not walk in darkness, but he will find for himself the light of life.” The Pharisees said to him, “You testify concerning yourself; your testimony is not true.” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “Even though I testify concerning myself, my testimony is true, because I know whence I came, and whither I go; but you do not know whence I came, or whither I go. You judge according to the flesh; but I judge no man; and if I should judge, my judgment is true; because I am not doing it alone, but I and my Father who sent me; and it is written in your own law, that the testimony of two persons is true. I testify concerning myself, and my Father who sent me, testifies concerning me.” They said to him, “Where is your Father?” Yeshua answered, saying to them, “You know neither me nor my Father. If had known me, you would also have known my Father.” These words he spoke in the treasury, while he taught in the temple courts; and no man arrested him, for his time had not yet come. Again Yeshua said to them, I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sins; and where I am going, you cannot come.” The Israelites said, “What! Will he kill himself? For he says, Where I am going, you cannot come.” And he said to them, “I told you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.” The Israelites said, “Who are you?” Yeshua said to them, “Even though I should begin to speak to you, I have many things to say, and to judge concerning you; but he who sent me is true; and I speak in Israel only, those things which I have heard from him.” They did not understand, that he spoke to them concerning the Father. Again Yeshua said to them, “When you have lifted up the son of man, then you will understand that I am he, and I do nothing of my own accord; but as my Father has taught me, so I speak just like him; and he who sent me, is with me; and my Father has never left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.” And while he was speaking these things, a great many believed in him. Then Yeshua said to the Israelites who believed in him, “If you abide by my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and that very truth, will make you free.” They said to him, “We are the offspring of Abraham, and we have never been enslaved to any man; how do you say, You will be free people?” Yeshua said to them, “Truly I say to you, Whoever commits sin, is a servant of sin; and a servant does not remain in the house forever, but the son remains forever. If therefore, the son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. I know you are the descendants of Abraham; but still you want to kill me, because you have no room in you for my word. I speak that which I have seen with my Father; and you do what you have seen with your father.” They answered, and said to him, “Our own father is Abraham.” Yeshua said to them, “If you were the sons of Abraham, you would be doing the works of Abraham; but lo, now you want to kill me, even a man who has told you the truth, which I have heard from Yahweh; this Abraham did not do; but you do the works of your father.” They said to him, “We are not born of fornication; we have one Father, Yahweh.” Yeshua said to them, “If Yahweh were your Father, you would love me, for I was sent by Yahweh; I did not come of my own accord, but he sent me. Why therefore do you not understand my word? Because you cannot obey my word? You are from the father of accusation, and you want to do the lusts of your father, he who is a murderer of men from the very beginning, and who never stands by the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks, he speaks his own lie, because he is a liar, and the father of lies; but because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you can rebuke me because of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me? He who is of Yahweh, hears Yahweh’s words; for this reason you do not hear, because you are not of Yahweh.” The Israelites said to him, “Did we not say well, that you are a Samaritan, and that you have an unclean spirit?” Yeshua said to them, “I have no unclean spirit; but I honor my Father, and you curse me. I do not seek my glory; there is one that seeks it, and judges. Truly I say to you, Whoever obeys my word, will never see death.” The Israelites said to him, “Now we are sure that you have an unclean spirit. Abraham and the prophets have died; and yet you say, Whoever obeys my word will never taste death. What! Are you greater than our father Abraham who died, and the prophets who died? What do you make yourself?” Yeshua said to them, “If I honor myself, my honor is nothing; but it is my Father who honors me, the one of whom you say, He is our Yahweh. Yet you have not known him, but I know him; and if I should say, I do not know him, I would be a liar like yourselves; but I do know him, and I obey his word. Your father Abraham desired to see my day; and he saw it, and rejoiced.” The Israelites said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and yet, have you seen Abraham?” Yeshua said to them, “Truly I say to you, That before Abraham existed, I was foretold about.” And they took up stones, to stone him; and Yeshua hid himself, and went out of the temple courts, and he passed through the midst of them, and went away.
And as Yeshua passed by, he saw a man who was blind from his mother’s womb; and his disciples asked him, and said, “Teacher, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Yeshua said to them, “Neither did he sin, nor his parents; but that the works of Yahweh might be seen him him, I must do the works of him who sent me, while it is day; the night comes when no man can work. As long as I am in Israel, I am the light of Israel.” And when he said these words, he spat on the ground, and mixed clay with his saliva, and he placed it on the eyes of the blind man; and said to him, “Go, and wash in the purification pool of Siloam.” And he went, and washed, and he came away seeing; and his neighbors, and those who had seen him before begging, said, “Is not this he, who used to sit down and beg?” Some said, “It is he?” And some said, “No, but he resembles him.” But he said, “I am he.” And they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” He answered, and said to them, “A man whose name is Yeshua, made mud and spread it on my eyes, and he said to me, Go, and wash in the water of Siloam; and I went, and washed, and I see.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said to them, “I do not know.” And they brought to the Pharisees, him who had been blind from his birth. Now it was on the sabbath that Yeshua made the mud, and opened his eyes; and again the Pharisees asked him, “How did you receive your sight?” He said to them, “He placed mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” And some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from Yahweh, because he does not observe the sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner, do these miracles?” And there was a division among them. They said to the blind man again, “What say you of him, seeing he has opened your eyes?” He said to them, “I say he is a prophet.” And the Israelites did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight; and they asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” And his parents answered, and said, “We know that he is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he sees now, or who opened his eyes, we do not know; he is of age, ask him, he will speak for himself.” These things said his parents, because they feared the Israelites; for the Israelites had decided already, that if any man should confess that he is the meshiach, they would put him out of the synagogue; for this reason his parents said, “He is of age, ask him.” And they called a second time the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give praise to Yahweh, for we know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, and said to them, “If he is a sinner, I do not know; but I do know one thing, that I was blind, and now, lo, I see.” They said to him again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He said to them, “I have already told you, and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? What! Do you also want to become his disciples?” But they cursed him, and said to him, “You are his disciple, but we are the disciples of Moses; and we know that Yahweh spoke with Moses; but as for this man, we do not know whence he is.” The man answered, and said to them, “This is surprising, that you do not know whence he is, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that Yahweh does not hear the voice of sinners; but he hears the one that fears him, and does his pleasure. From ages it has never been heard, that a man opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this man were not of Yahweh, he could not have done this.” They answered, and said to him, “You were wholly born in sins, and you teach us?” And they cast him out; and Yeshua heard that they had cast him out; and he found him, and said to him, “Do you believe in the son of Yahweh?” And he who was healed answered, and said, “Who is he, teacher, that I may believe in him?” Yeshua said to him, “You have seen him, and he is the one who is speaking with you.” And he said, “I do believe, meshiach; and he fell down, and did homage to him; and Yeshua said to him, “I have come for the judgment of Israel; that they who cannot see, may see, and those who see, may become blind.” And when some of the Pharisees who were with him, heard these things, and they said to him, “What! Are we also blind?” Yeshua said to them, “If you were blind, you would be without sin; but now you say, We see; therefore your sin is established. Truly I say to you, He who does not enter by the door into the fold of the flock, but climbs up in some other place, he is a thief, and a bandit; but he who enters by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep; and to him the doorkeeper opens the door, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by their names, and brings them out; and when he has led out his flock, he goes before it; and his own sheep follow him, because they know his voice; but after a stranger the flock will not follow, but it flees from him, because they do not know the voice of a stranger.” Yeshua spoke this parable to them; but they did not understand what he was telling them; and Yeshua said to them again, “Truly I say to you, I am the door of the flock. All those who have come are thieves and bandits; but the flock did not hear them. I am the door; if any man enter by me, he shall live, and he will come in and go out, and will find pasture. A thief does not come, except to steal, and kill, and destroy; I have come, that they may have life, and may have that which is excellent. I am the good shepherd; a good shepherd risks his life for the sake of his sheep; but the hired person, who is not the shepherd, and who is not the owner of the sheep, when he sees the wolf coming, leaves the flock, and runs away; and the wolf comes, and seizes, and scatters the flock; and the hired person runs away, because he is hired, and does not care for the flock. I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me. Just as my Father knows me, I also know my Father; and I lay down my life for the sake of the flock. I have other sheep also, which are not of this fold; them too I must bring, and they will hear my voice; and all the sheep will become one flock, and one shepherd; for this cause my Father loves me, because I lay down my life, to resume it again. There is no one that takes it from me; but I lay it down of my own pleasure; for I have authority to lay it down, and authority to resume it again; because I have received this command from my Father.” And again there was a division among the Israelites, because of these sayings; and many of them said, “He has an unclean spirit, and is wholly beside himself, why hear you him?” But others said, “These are not the words of an unclean spirit. Can an unclean spirit open the eyes of one blind?”
Post 35 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (25)
And the feast of dedication was held at Jerusalem, and it was winter; and Yeshua walked in the temple courts, in the porch of Solomon; and the Israelites gathered around him; and said to him, “How long do you vex our soul with uncertainty? If you are the meshiach, tell us openly.” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “I have told you, but you do not believe; yet the works which I do in the name of my Father, they testify of me; but you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep, just as I told you. My own sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give to them eternal life; and they will never perish, and no man will snatch them from my hands; for my Father who gave them to me, is greater than all; and no man can snatch anything from my Father’s hand. I and my Father are of one accord.” And again the Israelites took up stones, to stone him. Yeshua said to them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father; for which one of them do you stone me?” The Israelites said to him, “It is not because of the good works, that we stone you, but because you blaspheme; for while you are only a man, you make yourself one accord with Yahweh.” Yeshua said to them, “Why to the one whom the Father sanctified, and sent to Israel, do you say, You blaspheme, just because I said to you, I am the son of Yahweh. If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me; but if I am doing them, even though you do not believe in me, believe in the works, that you may know, and believe that my Father is with me, and I am in one accord with my Father.” And they wanted again to seize him; but he escaped from their hands; and he went away to the Jordan crossing, to the place where John at first baptized; and tarried there; and many persons came to him, and said, “John did not perform a single miracle; but everything which John said concerning this man, is true.” And many believed in him.
And it happened, when the days to go up on his journey were fulfilled, he set his face to go to Jerusalem; and he sent messengers ahead of him; and they went away, and entered into a Samaritan village, to prepare for him; but they did not receive him, because he had set his face to go up to Jerusalem; and when his disciples James and John saw it, they said to him, “Teacher, would you be willing that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them; and he turned and rebuked them; and they went to another village; and while they were on the journey, a man said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Yeshua said to him, “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air a shelter; but the son of man has no place even to lay his head.” And he said to another, “Follow me.” But he said to him, “Teacher, permit me first to go, and bury my father.” And Yeshua said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but you go, and proclaim the sovereignty of Yahweh.” Another one said to him, “I will follow you, teacher; but permit me first to entrust my household to someone, and then come.” Yeshua said to him, “No man who puts his hand on the plough handle, and looks back, is fit for the sovereignty of Yahweh.” And after these things, Yeshua separated from among his disciples seventy other persons, and sent them, two and two, before his face, to every place and city to which he was to go; and he said to them, “The harvest is great, and the laborers are few; ask therefore the owner of the harvest to bring out laborers to his harvest. Go forth; lo, I send you as sheep among wolves. Do not carry purses, nor bags, nor sandals; and do not salute any man on the road; and to whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house; and if a man of peace is there, let your peace rest upon him; and if not, your peace will return to you; and remain in that house, eating and drinking of what they have; for a laborer is worthy of his wages; and do not keep moving from house to house; and into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat whatever they set before you; and heal those who are sick in it, and say to them, The sovereignty of Yahweh is come near to you; but into whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into the street, and say, Even the sand of your city which cleaves to our feet, we shake off to you; but know this, that the sovereignty of Yahweh has come near to you. I say to you, that it will be much easier for Sodom in that day, than for that city. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, perhaps they might have repented in sackcloth and ashes; but, it will be easier for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment day, than for you; and you, Capernaum, which have exalted yourself up to heaven, you will be brought down to hell. He who hears you, hears me; and he who oppresses you, oppresses me; and he who oppresses me, oppresses him that sent me.”
And the seventy whom he had sent forth, returned with great joy, and they said to him, “Teacher, even the unclean spirits have submitted to us in your name.” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall, like the lightning in the sky. Lo, I give you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and overcome the power of the enemy; and nothing shall harm you; but do not rejoice in this, that the unclean spirits submit to you; but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” At that very hour, Yeshua rejoiced in Yahweh, and said, “I thank you, my Father, owner of heaven and earth, because you did hide these things from the wise, and men of understanding, and revealed them to children; yes, my Father, for such was your good pleasure.” And he turned to his disciples, and said to them, “Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no man knows who is the son, except the Father; and who is the Father, except the son, and to whomever the son wishes to reveal him; and he turned to his disciples, privately, and said, “Happy are the eyes which see what you see; for I say to you, that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” And lo, a scribe stood up to try him, and he said, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Yeshua said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He answered, and said to him, “You must love Yahweh with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your fellow as yourself.” Yeshua said to him, “You spoke the truth; do this, and you shall live.” And he, being dispose to justify himself, said, “And who is my fellow?” Yeshua said to him, “There was a man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and bandits attacked him, and robbed him, and beat him, and left him with little life remaining in him, and they went away; and it chanced a priest was going down that road; and he saw him, and passed on; and likewise a Levite came, and arrived at that place, and saw him, and passed on; but a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him; and he came to him, and bound up his wounds, and poured on them wine and oil; and he put him on his own ass, and brought him to the inn, and took care of him; and in the morning, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him; and whatever you spend more, when I return, I will give it to you. Who therefore of these three, as it appears to you, became a fellow to him who fell into the hands of the bandits?” And he said, “The one who had compassion on him.” Yeshua said to him, “You go also, and do likewise.” And it occurred, while they were journeying, he entered into a village; and a woman named Martha, received him into her house; and she had a sister whose name was Mary, and she came and sat at the feet of Yeshua, and listened to his words; but Martha was busy with many household cares, and she came, and said to him, “Teacher, you do not seem to care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.” Yeshua answered, and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and excited about many things; but one thing is more important; and Mary has chosen the good portion for herself, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Post 36 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (26)
And as he was praying in a certain place, it occurred, that when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” Yeshua said to them, “When you pray, pray like this, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name; your sovereignty come; your pleasure be done, as in heaven, so on earth; give us daily the bread we need; and forgive us our sins, for we have also forgiven all who have offended us; and bring us not into trials, but deliver us from evil.” And he said to them, “Who is there among you who has a friend, and if he should go to him at midnight, and say to him, My friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him, and his friend from inside answer, and say to him, Do not trouble me; the door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up, and give you bread? I say to you, that if because of friendship he will not give him, yet because of his persistence, he will rise and give him as much as he wants. I say to you also, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you; for everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and he who knocks, it is opened to him; for who is among you, a father, if his son should ask him bread, what! Would he hand him a stone? And if he should ask him a fish, what! Would he hand him a snake, instead of a fish? And if he should ask him for an egg, what! Would he hand him a scorpion? And if you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father give power from on high to those who ask him?” And while he was casting out an unclean spirit from a dumb man, it occurred, when the unclean spirit went out, the dumb man spoke; and the people were amazed; but some of the men among them said, “This man casts out unclean spirits by Beelzebub, the prince of unclean spirits.” And others, tempting him, asked him for a sign from the sky; but Yeshua knew their thoughts, and said to them, “Every kingdom which is divided against itself, will be destroyed; and a house which is divided against itself, will fall; and if Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom survive? And yet you say, I am casting out unclean spirits through Beelzebub. If I cast out unclean spirits through Beelzebub, by what do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges; but if I cast out unclean spirits by the finger of Yahweh, then the sovereignty of Yahweh is come near to you. When a strong man is armed, and keeps watch over his courtyard, his property is safe; but if there should come one who is stronger than he, he will conquer him, and take away his armor in which he trusted, and divide his spoil. He who is not with me, is against me; and he who does not gather with me, will scatter. When an unclean spirit is gone out of a man, it goes away, and travels in places where there is no water, to seek rest; and when it finds it not, it says, I will return to my own house from whence I came; and if it should come, and find it warm and well furnished. Then it goes away, and brings seven other spirits, worse than itself, and they enter, and dwell there; and the end of that man will become worse than the beginning.” And while he was saying these things, a woman out of the crowd, lifted up her voice, and said to him, “Blessed is the womb which bore you, and the breasts which gave you suck.” He said to her, “Blessed are they who hear the word of Yahweh, and keep it.”
And when the people were gathering, he began to say, “This evil generation wants a sign; and no sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah; for as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the son of man be to this generation. The queen of the south will stand up in judgment with the men of this generation, and will condemn them; for she came from the other side of the earth, to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and lo, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up in judgment against this generation, and will condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and lo, a greater than Jonah is here. No one lights a lamp, and puts it in a hidden place, or under a basket; but on a lamp holder, that those who enter, may see its light. The lamp of your body is your eye; when therefore your eye is bright, your whole body will also be lighted; but if it is diseased, your whole body will also be dark. Take heed, therefore, lest the light which is in you be darkness; for if your whole body is lighted, and there is no part in it dark, the whole of it will give light, just as a lamp gives you light with its shining.” And while he spoke, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him; and he went in, and relined; and the Pharisee noticing him, he was amazed, because he did not first wash before dinner; and Yeshua said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish; but within you are full of extortion and iniquity. You deficient in understanding! Did not he who made the outside, also make the inside? But, give you alms from what you possess; and, lo, everything will be clean to you; but woe to you Pharisees! Who take tithes of mint and dill, and every kind of vegetable, but overlook justice and the love of Yahweh. These were necessary for you to have done, the very ones by no means to have been left undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the streets. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves that cannot be recognized, and men walk over them and know it not.” And one of the scribes answered, and said to him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you reproach us also.” But he said, “Woe also to you, scribes! For you lay heavy burdens on men, and you yourselves do not touch these burdens, even with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of prophets whom your fathers killed. Therefore you are witnesses, and you approve the works of your fathers; for they killed them, and yet you build their tombs; for this reason the wisdom of Yahweh also said, Lo, I will send them prophets, some of whom they will persecute and kill; that the blood of Abel, to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the temple and altar; yes, I say to you, it will be avenged on this generation. Woe to you, scribes! For you have taken away the keys of knowledge; you did not enter, and those who were entering you hindered.” And when he had said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees were displeased, and they were enraged, and criticized his words; and they plotted against him in many ways, seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might be able to accuse him.
And when a large number of people had gathered together, so that they trod on one another, Yeshua began to say to his disciples, “First of all, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy; for there is nothing that is covered, that will not be uncovered; and hidden, that will not be known; for whatever you have said in darkness, will be heard in the light; and what you have whispered in the ears in the inner chambers, will be proclaimed on the housetops; and to you, my friends, I say, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do; but I will show you of whom to be afraid; of him who after he has killed, has the power to throw into hell; yes, I say to you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two assarii? And yet not one of them is forgotten before Yahweh; but so far as you are concerned, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore, because you are much more important then many sparrows; and I say to you, Whoever will acknowledge me before men, the son of man will also acknowledge him before the angels of Yahweh; but he who denies me before men, I will deny before the angels of Yahweh; and whoever says a word against the son of man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against Yahweh’s power will not be forgiven; and when they bring you to the synagogues, before the leaders and authorities, do not worry how you will answer, or what you will say; for Yahweh will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.” And one of the men from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, ask my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But Yeshua said to him, “Man, who appointed me a judge or a property divider over you?” And he said to his disciples, “Beware of all covetousness, because life does not depend on abundance of wealth.” And he told them a parable, “The land of a rich man brought him a great many crops; and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, for I have no place to gather my crops? And he said, I will do this; I will tear down my barns, and rebuild them and enlarge them, and gather there all my wheat and my good things; and I will say to myself, Soul, you have many good things stored up for many years; rest, eat, drink, and be happy; but Yahweh said to him, O you shortsighted man, this very night your life will be demanded of you; and these things which you have prepared, to whom will they be left? Such is he who lays up treasures for himself, and is not rich in the things of Yahweh.” And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I say to you, Do not worry for your life, what you will eat; nor for your body, what you will wear; for life is much more important than food, and the body than clothing. Consider the ravens; for they do not sow or reap, and they have no storerooms and barns; and yet Yahweh feeds them; how much more important are you than the birds? Who among you by worrying can add to his stature one cubit? And if you are not able to do the smaller thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the flowers, how they grow; for they do not toil, nor do they spin; but I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory, was arrayed like one of these; and if Yahweh clothes in such fashion the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow falls into the fireplace; how much more is he to you, you little in believing? And do not be anxious about what you will eat, or what you will drink, and let not your mind be disturbed by these things; for worldly people seek after all these things; and your Father knows that these things are also necessary for you; but seek the sovereignty of Yahweh, and all of these things shall be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock; for your Father is pleased to give you the sovereignty. Sell your possessions, and give them as alms; make for yourselves bags which do not wear out, and a treasure in heaven, that does not run short, where the thief does not come near, and moth does not destroy; for where your treasure is, there also will be your heart. Let your loins be girded, and your lamps lighted; and be like men who expect their master, when he will return from the wedding house; that when he comes and knocks, they will immediately open the door for him. Happy are those servants, whom their master, when he comes, finds awake; truly I say to you, That he will gird himself, and make them sit down, and come in and serve them; and if he should come in the second or the third watch, and find them so, happy are those servants; but know this, that if the master of the house knew at what watch the thief would come, he would have kept awake, and not allowed his house to be plundered. Therefore you also be ready; for the son of man will come in that very hour which you do not expect.
Post 37 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (27)
Simon Cephas said to him, “Teacher, do you speak this parable to us, or also to all men?” Yeshua said to him, “Who is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will appoint over his household, to give supplies in due time? Happy is that servant, whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Truly I say to you, that he will appoint him over all his wealth; but if that servant should say in his heart, My master has delayed his coming; and begins to beat the menservants, and maidservants of his master, and then begins to eat and drink, and get drunk; the master of that servant will come in a day, and at an hour that he does not expect or know; and he will severely punish him, and place him with those who are not trustworthy; and the servant who knows the wishes of his master, and does not make ready according to his wishes, will receive a severe beating; but he who does not know, and does what is worthy of punishment, will receive less beating; for to whomever more is given, of him more will be required; and to whom much is entrusted, more will be required of his hand. I came to set Israel on fire; and I wish to do it, if it has not already been kindled. I have a baptism, to be baptized with; and I am oppressed until it is accomplished. Do you think that I have come to bring peace to Israel? I say to you, No, but divisions; for from henceforth, there will be five in a house, who will be divided, three against two, and two against three; for a father will be divided against his son, and a son against his father; a mother against her daughter, and a daughter against her mother; a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” And he said to the people, “When you see a cloud rise from the west, you immediately say, It will rain; and so it is; and when the wind blows from the south, you say, It will be hot; and it is so. You hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the earth, and of the sky; how then is it that you do not discern this time? And why do you not of yourselves judge correctly? And when you go with your accuser to the ruler, while you are on the way, give something, and settle with him; otherwise he might take you to the judge, and the judge will deliver you to the exactor, and the exactor will throw you into prison. For truly I say to you, you will not come out from thence, until you pay the last mite.”
And at that time, there came some men, and told him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices; and Yeshua answered, and said to them, “Do you think that those Galileans were greater sinners, than all the other Galileans, because this happened to them? No; and I say to you, that all of you also, if you do not repent, will perish in the same way, or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and it killed them; do you think that they were greater sinners, than all the other men who live in Jerusalem? No; and I say to you, that unless you repent, all of you will perish like them.” And he spoke this parable, “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came, and sought fruit on it, and he did not find any; and he said to the laborer, Lo, for three years I have been coming, and seeking fruit on this fig tree, and found none; cut it down; why should the ground be wasted? The laborer said to him, Master, let it remain this year also, until I work it, and fertilize it; and it might bear fruit; and if not, then you can cut it down.” And while Yeshua was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath, a woman was there who had been afflicted with rheumatism for eighteen years, and was bent down, and could never straighten herself at all; and Yeshua saw her, and called her, and said to her, “Woman, you are cured of your sickness.” And he laid his hand on her, and immediately she straightened up, and praised Yahweh; but the leader of the synagogue, answered with anger, because Yeshua healed on the sabbath; and he said to the people, “There are six days in which men should work; in those days you ought to come, and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.” But Yeshua answered, and said to him, “You hypocrites, does not each one of you loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and go with it, to give it drink? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham, and lo, the adversary has bound her for eighteen years; was it not necessary for her to be loosened from this bond on the sabbath day?” And when he said these things, all who opposed him were ashamed; and all the people rejoiced over all the miracles that were done by his hand; and Yeshua said, “To what is the sovereignty of Yahweh like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden, and it grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested on its branches.” Again Yeshua said, “To what shall I compare the sovereignty of Yahweh? It is like the leaven which a woman took and buried in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
And he journeyed through the villages and cities, teaching, while going to Jerusalem; and a man asked him, “Are there only a few who would have life?” And Yeshua said to them, “Strive to enter in through the narrow gate; for I say to you, that many will seek to enter in, and will not be able. From the hour when the master of the house rises up, and locks the door, you will be standing outside, and knocking at the door, and you will begin to say, Our master, our master, open for us; and he will answer, and say, I say to you, I do not know you, or where you come from; and you will begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in your presence, and you taught in our streets; and he will say to you, I do not know you, or where you come from; depart from me, you doers of falsehood. There will be the weeping and gnashing of the teeth, when you see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the sovereignty of Yahweh, but you will be thrown outside; and they will come from the east, and from the west, and from the south, and from the north, and sit down in the sovereignty of Yahweh; and lo, there are some who are last, who will be first, and there are some who are first, who will be last.” On the same day, some of the men of the Pharisees drew near, and said to him, “Get out, and go away from here; for Herod wants to kill you.” Yeshua said to them, “Go, and tell that fox, lo, I cast out unclean spirits, and I heal today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will be finished; but I must do my work today and tomorrow, and I will leave the following day, because it is impossible, that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, murderer of prophets, and stoner of those who are sent to her! How many times Yahweh longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you were not willing! Lo, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, that you will not see me until you say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of Yahweh.” And it occurred, that, as he entered the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees to eat bread on a sabbath day, they watched him; and there was a man before him who had dropsy; and Yeshua answered, and said to the scribes and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?” And they were silent; and he took him, and healed him, and let him go; and he said to them, “Which one of you, if his son or his ox should fall into a pit on the sabbath day, would not immediately pull and bring him out?” And they could not answer him concerning this; and he spoke a parable to those who were invited there, because he saw them choosing places among the front seats. When you are invited of a man to a banquet house, do not go, and sit in the front seat; it might be that a more honorable man than you is invited there; and then he who has invited you and him will come, and say to you, Give the place to him; and you will be embarrassed when you get up, and take a lower seat; but when you are invited, go and sit at the lower end, that when he who has invited you comes, he will say to you, My friend, go up and sit higher; and you will have glory before all who sit with you; for whoever exalts himself, will be humbled; and whoever humbles himself, will be exalted.” And he said to him that invited him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor your rich neighbors; lest they invite you, and you will be repaid for this; but when you give a reception, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind; and you will be blessed; for they have nothing to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” And when one of the guests heard these things, he said to him, “Happy is he who will eat bread in the sovereignty of Yahweh.” Yeshua said to him, “A man gave a great supper, and invited many, and he sent his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, Lo, everything is made ready for you, come; and they all to a man, they began to make excuses. The first said to him, I have bought a field, and I am forced to go and see it; I beg you to excuse me for being called away. Another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am just going to examine them; I beg you, excuse me for being called away. Another said, I have just taken a wife, and therefore I cannot come; and the servant came, and told his master these things. Then the master of the house was angry, and said to his servant, Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor, the afflicted, the maimed, and the blind; and the servant said, My master, it has been done as you commanded, and yet there is more room; and the master said to his servant, Go out to the by-paths, and among the hedges, and urge them to come in, that my house may be filled; for I say to you, that not one of those men who were invited, shall taste of my supper.”
Post 38 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (28)
And while many people were going with him, he turned himself, and said to them, “He who comes to me, and does not put aside his father, and his mother, and his brothers, and his sisters, and his wife, and his children, and even his own life, cannot be a disciple to me; and he who does not follow me, cannot be a disciple to me. For, which of you who wishes to build a tower, does not at first sit down, and consider its cost, to see if he has enough to finish it? Lest after he has laid the foundation, he is not able to finish it, and all who see it will mock him, saying, This man began to build, but he was not able to finish, or which king, who goes to war to fight against a king equal to him, would not at first reason, whether he is able with ten thousand, to meet the one who is coming against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while he is far away from him, sends envoys, and seeks peace. So every one of you who would not leave all his possessions, cannot be a disciple to me. Salt is good; but if the salt lose its savor, with what can it be salted? It is good neither for the ground, nor for fertilizing; but it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” And tax collectors and sinners drew near to him, to hear him; and the scribes and Pharisees murmured, saying, “He receives even the sinners, and eats with them.” And Yeshua told them this parable, “What man among you has a hundred sheep, and if one of them should get lost, would he not leave the ninety and nine in the open, and go in search of the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he finds it, he rejoices, and takes it on his shoulders; and he comes to his house, and invites his friends and neighbors, and says to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say to you, that such will be the joy in heaven, over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety and nine righteous, who need no repentance, or what woman who has ten drachmas, and should lose one of them, would not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and search for it carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her women friends and neighbors, and says to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my drachma which was lost. I say to you, that such will be the joy before the angels of Yahweh, over one sinner who repents.” And Yeshua said to them again, “A man had two sons; and his younger son said to him, My father, give me the portion which is coming to me from your house; and he divided to them his possessions; and after a few days, his younger son gathered everything that was his share, and went to a far country, and there he wasted his wealth in extravagant living; and when all he had was gone, there was a severe famine in that country; and he began to be in need; and he went, and got acquainted with one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him to the field to feed the swine; and he craved to fill his stomach with the husks that the swine were eating; and yet no man would give him; and when he came to himself, he said, How many hired workers are now in my father’s house, who have plenty of bread, and I am here perishing with hunger! I will rise, and go to my father, and say to him, My father, I have sinned before heaven, and before you; and I am no longer worthy to be called your son; just make me like one of your hired workers; and he rose up, and came to his father; and while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him, and had compassion on him, and he ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and his son said to him, My father, I have sinned before heaven, and before you, and I am not worthy to be called your son; but his father said to his servants, Bring the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet; and bring, and kill the fat ox, and let us eat, and be merry; for this my son was dead, and has come to life; he was lost, and is found; and they began to be merry; but his elder son was in the field; and as he came near the house, he heard the voice of the singing of many; and he called one of the boys, and asked him what it was all about; and he said to him, Your brother has come; and your father has killed the fat ox, because he received him safe and well; and he became angry, and would not go in; and his father came out and besought him; but he said to his father, Lo, how many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your commandment; and yet you never gave me even a kid, that I might make merry with my friends; but for this son of yours, after he had wasted your wealth with harlots, and come back, you have killed the fat ox. His father said to him, My son, you are always with me, and everything which is mine is yours; but it was proper for us to make merry and rejoice; for this your brother was dead, and has come to life; and was lost, and is found.”
And he spoke a parable to his disciples, saying, “There was a rich man, who had a steward; and they accused him that he was wasting his wealth; and his master called him, and said to him, What is this that I hear concerning you? Give me an account of your stewardship; for no longer can you be a steward for me; and the steward said to himself, What will I do? For my master will take away from me the stewardship. I cannot dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I know what to do, that when I leave the stewardship, they will receive me in their houses; and he called his master’s debtors, one by one, and said to the first, How much do you owe my master? And he said to him, A hundred measures of butter. And he said to him, Take your note; sit down quickly, and write fifty pounds; and he said to another, And you, what do you owe to my master? And he said to him, One hundred bushels of wheat. And he said to him, Take your note; sit down, and write eighty bushels; and the master praised the unjust steward, because he had done wisely; for the children of this age are wiser in their generation, than the children of light; and I also say to you, Use this earthly wealth, however acquired, to make friends, that when it is gone, they will receive you, and you will have everlasting habitation. He who is faithful with little, is also faithful with much; and he who is dishonest with little, is also dishonest with much. If, therefore, you are not faithful with the wealth of iniquity, who will believe that there is any truth in you? And if you are not found faithful with that which is not your own, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and like the other; or he will honor one, and despise the other. You cannot serve Yahweh and wealth.” And when the Pharisees heard all these things, because they loved money, they ridiculed him; but Yeshua said to them, “You are the ones who make yourselves righteous before men; but Yahweh knows your hearts; for what is highly esteemed among men, is disgusting in the presence of Yahweh. The law and prophets were until John; since then, the sovereignty of Yahweh is proclaimed, and everyone presses to enter into it; and it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, then for one letter of the law to pass away. He who divorces his wife, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries the one who is illegally separated, commits adultery; and there was a rich man, who used to wear purple, and fine linen, and every day he made merry very lavishly; and there was a poor man named Lazarus, who was laid down at that rich’s door, afflicted with boils; and he longed to fill his stomach with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table; and the dogs also came and licked his boils; and so it was, that the poor man died, and the angels carried him into Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died, and was buried; and while he was tormented in hell, he lifted up his eyes from a distance, and saw Abraham with Lazarus in his bosom; and he called in a loud voice, and said, Abraham, my father, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in water, and wet my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame; and Abraham said to him, My son, remember you received your pleasures when you were living, and Lazarus his hardships; and lo, now he is comfortable here, and you are suffering; and with all these, a great barrier is fixed between us and you; that those who wish to cross over from here to you cannot, neither from there to cross over to us. He said to him, If that is so, I beseech you, my father, to send him to my father’s house; for I have five brothers; let him go, and testify to them, that they may not also come to this place of torment. Abraham, said to him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them; but he said to him, No, my father Abraham; but if only a man from the dead go to them, they will repent. Abraham said to him, If they will not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe, even if a man should rise from the dead.” And Yeshua said to his disciples, “It is impossible that offences should come; but woe to him by whose hand they come! It were better for him that an ass’ millstone were hanged on his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Beware among yourselves. If your brother should sin, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him; and if he should offend you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day, turn to you, and say, I repent; forgive him.” And the apostles said to Yeshua, “Increase our believing.” He said to them, “If you have believing even as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, Be uprooted, and planted in the sea; and it would obey you. Which of you has a servant who ploughs, or tends sheep, and if he should come from the field, would say to him, Enter in, and sit down? But he will rather say to him, Prepare something that I may have my supper, and gird yourself, and serve me until I eat and drink; and then you also can eat and drink. What! Will that servant receive praise, because he did what he was commanded to do? I do not think so. So also you, when you have done all the things which are commanded you, say, We are idle servants; we have only done what was our duty to do.”
Post 39 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (29)
And it occurred as Yeshua advanced towards Jerusalem, that he went through Samaritan territory which is towards Galilee; and when he drew near to enter a village, he was met by ten lepers, and they stood afar off; and they lifted their voices, and said, “Yeshua, our master, have mercy on us.” And when he saw them, he said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were cleansed; but one of them, when he saw that he was cleansed, turned back, and with a loud voice, praised Yahweh; and he fell on his face at the feet of Yeshua, thanking him; and this one was a Samaritan; and Yeshua answering said, “Were there not ten who were cleansed? Where are the nine? Why did they separate themselves so as not to come and give praise to Yahweh, except this man who is of a strange people?” And he said to him, “Arise, go; your believing has healed you.” And when some of the Pharisees asked Yeshua when the sovereignty of Yahweh would come, he answered, and said to them, “The sovereignty of Yahweh does not come by observation; and neither will they say, lo, it is here! Or lo, it is there! For lo, the sovereignty of Yahweh is within you.” And he said to his disciples, “The time will come, when you will long to see one of the days of the son of man, and you will not see it; and if they should say to you, Lo, he is here! And lo, he is there! Do not go. For, just as the lightning flashes from the sky, and all under the sky is lighted, such will be the day of the son of man; but first he must suffer a great many things, and be rejected by this generation; and as it was in the days of Noah, such will it be in the days of the son of man; for they were eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed everyone; and again, just as it happened in the days of Lot; they were eating and drinking, and buying and selling, and planting and building; but in the day when Lot went out of Sodom, Yahweh sent down a rain of fire and sulphur from the sky, and destroyed them all. Such will it be in the day when the son of man appears. In that day, he who is on the roof, with his clothes in the house, will not come down to take them; and he who is in the field, will not turn back. Just remember Lot’s wife. He who desires to save his life, shall lose it; and he who loses his life, shall save it. I say to you, that in that very night, two will be in one bed; one will be taken, and the other left; and two women will be grinding together; one will be taken, and the other left. Two will be in the field; one will be taken, and the other left. They answered, and said to him, “Our master, to what place?” He said to them, “Wherever the carcass is, there will the vultures gather.” And he also spoke to them a parable, that they should pray always, and not get weary, “There was a judge in a city, who neither feared Yahweh, nor regarded men; and there was a widow in that city who used to come to him, and said, Avenge me of my accuser; and he would not for a long time; but afterwards, he said within himself, Though I am not afraid of Yahweh, and have no regard for men; yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, that she may not keep coming and annoying me.” Then Yeshua said, “Hear what the unjust judge said, Would not Yahweh avenge his chosen ones much more, who call upon him day and night, and he has patience with them? I say to you, he will avenge them promptly; but when the son of man comes, will he find believing in Israel?” And he spoke this parable against the men who relied upon themselves, that they were righteous, and despised every other man, “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector; and the Pharisee stood by himself, and prayed thus, Yahweh, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, grafters, adulterers, and not like this tax collector; but I fast twice a week, and I give tithes on everything I earn; but the tax collector stood afar off, and he would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote his breast, and said, Yahweh, be merciful to me a sinner. I say to you, that this man went down to his house more righteous, than the Pharisee; for everyone who exalts himself, will be humbled; and everyone who humbles himself, will be exalted.”
And there was a man who was sick, Lazarus of the town of Bethany, the brother of Mary and Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the feet of Yeshua with perfume, and wiped them with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick; and his two sisters sent to Yeshua, and said, “Our teacher, lo, the one whom you are fond of is sick.” And Yeshua said, “This is not a sickness of death, but for the glory of Yahweh, that the son of Yahweh may be glorified by means of it.” Now Yeshua was fond of Martha and Mary, and Lazarus; and when he heard that he was sick, he remained two days in the place where he was; and after that he said to his disciples, “Come, let us go again to Judah.” His disciples said to him, “Teacher, not long ago the Israelites wanted to stone you, and yet are you going there again?” Yeshua said to them, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walks by daytime, he will not stumble, because he sees the light of this world; but if a man travels at nighttime, he will stumble, because there is no light in it.” Yeshua said these things; and after that he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep; but I am going to awaken him.” His disciples said to him, “Teacher, if he is sleeping, he will get well.” But Yeshua spoke of his death; and they thought that what he said was sleeping in bed. Then Yeshua said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead; and I am glad I was not there, for your sakes, that you may believe; but let us walk there. Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, and die with him.” And Yeshua came to Bethany, and he found that Lazarus had been four days in the tomb. Now Bethany was towards Jerusalem, a distance of about two miles; and many Israelites kept coming to Martha and Mary, to comfort their hearts concerning their brother; and Martha, when she heard that Yeshua had come, she went out to meet him; and Mary sat in the house; and Martha said to Yeshua, “Teacher, if you had been here, my brother would not have died; but even now I know that whatever you ask of Yahweh, he will give you.” Yeshua said to her, “Your brother will rise up.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise up in the resurrection, at the last day.” Yeshua said to her, “I am the resurrection, and the life; he who believes in me, even though he die, he shall live; and whoever is alive, and believes in me, shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, teacher; I do believe that you are the meshiach, the son of Yahweh, who is to come to Israel.” And when she had said these things, she went away, and called her sister Mary secretly, and said to her, “Our teacher has come, and he is calling for you.” And when Mary heard it, she rose up quickly, and came to him; and Yeshua had not yet come into the town, but he was still at the same place where Martha met him. Those Israelites who were with her in the house, comforting her, when they saw Mary rise up quickly, and go out, followed her, for they thought she was going to the tomb to weep; and Mary, when she came where Yeshua was, and saw him, she threw herself at his feet, and said to him, “Teacher, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” And when Yeshua saw her weeping, and the Israelites weeping, who had come with her, he was moved in himself, and was greatly disturbed; and he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Teacher, come and see.” And Yeshua was in tears; and the Israelites then said, “See how much he was fond of him!” And some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of that blind man, have also kept this man from dying?” And Yeshua was disturbed in himself, because of them, he came to the tomb. That tomb was a cave, and a stone was placed at the entrance; and Yeshua said, “Take away this stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Teacher, already his body stinks, for he has been dead four days.” Yeshua said to her, “Did not I say to that if you believe, you will see the glory of Yahweh?” And they took away the stone, and Yeshua lifted his eyes upwards, and said, “Father, I thank you, for you have heard me; and I know that you always hear me; but I say these things, just because of this people who stand around, that they may believe that you have sent me.” And when he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with burial clothes, and his face bound with a burial napkin. Yeshua said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” And many of the Israelites who had come to Mary, when they saw what Yeshua had done, believed in him; and some of them went to the Pharisees, and told them everything Yeshua had done; and the high priests and the Pharisees gathered together, and said, “What shall we do? For this man does many miracles; and if we allow him to continue like this, all men will believe in him, and the Romans will come, and take over both our country and our people; but one of them, called Caiaphas, who was the high priest for that year, said to them, “You know nothing; nor are you reasoning that it is much better for us, that one man should die instead of the people, and not all the people perish.” He did not say this of himself; but because he was the high priest for that year, he prophesied that Yeshua had to die for the sake of the people; and from that very day, they plotted to kill him. And Yeshua did not walk openly among the Israelites, but went away from them to a place which is close to the wilderness, in the province of Ephraim; and he remained there with his disciples.
Post 40 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (30)
And they brought little children to him, that he might lay his hand on them and pray; but his disciples rebuked those who brought them; but when Yeshua saw it, he was displeased, and he said to them, “Allow the little children to come to me, and do not stop them; for the sovereignty of Yahweh is for those who are like these. Truly I say to you, Whoever does not receive the sovereignty of Yahweh like a little child, will never enter into it.” And he took them in his arms, and put his hand on them and blessed them, and went away from there; and as he walked in the way, one of the leaders ran and fell upon his knees, and asked him, and said, “Good teacher, what must I do, to inherit eternal life?” Yeshua said to him, “Why do you call me good? There is no one good, except one, that is Yahweh; but if you want to enter into life, obey the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Yeshua said to him, “You know the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not murder, do not bear false witness, do not oppress, honor your father and mother; and, love your fellow as yourself.” But the young man answered, and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have obeyed from my boyhood, what do I lack?” And Yeshua looked at him, and was fond of him, and he said to him, “You lack one thing; if you wish to be perfect, go, and sell your possessions, and give it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven; and come and follow me.” But he felt sad because of this saying, and he went away depressed; for he had great wealth; and when Yeshua saw that he felt sad; and Yeshua looked at his disciples, and said to them, “Truly I say to you, how difficult it is for those who have wealth, to enter into the sovereignty of Yahweh!” But the disciples were surprised at his words; and Yeshua answered again, and said to them, “How hard it is for those who trust in their wealth, to enter into the sovereignty of Yahweh. It is easier for a rope to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the sovereignty of Yahweh.” And when the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, and said, “Who then can attain to life!” And Yeshua looked at them, and said, “With men, this is not possible, but with Yahweh it is; for with Yahweh all things are possible.” And Simon Cephas began to say to him, “Lo, we have left everything, and followed you; what will we have?” Yeshua said to them, “Truly I say to you that in the new age, when the son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me shall also sit on twelve seats, and you shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel; and every man who leaves houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields, for my name’s sake, and for the sake of my tidings, who shall not receive now, in this time, a hundredfold, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and maidservants, and children, and fields, and other worldly things, and in the age to come, shall inherit eternal life; but many who are first, shall be last, and the last first; for the sovereignty of Yahweh is like a man who is a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard; and he bargained with the laborers for a denarius a day, and sent them to his vineyard; and he went out at the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the market place; and he said to them, You also go to the vineyard, and I will give you what is right, and they went; and he went out again at the sixth, and at the ninth hour, and did the same; and towards the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and he said to them, Why do you stand all the day idle? They said to him, Because no man has hired us. He said to them, You also go to the vineyard, and you will receive what is right; and when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers, and pay them their wages; and begin from the last ones, to the first; and when those hired at the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius; but when the first ones came, they expected to receive more; but they also got each one a denarius; and when they received it, they murmured against the householder, and said, These last one have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal with us, who have borne the burden of the day, and its heat; but he answered, and said to one of them, My friend, I am not doing you an injustice; did you not bargain with me for a denarius? Take what is yours, and go away; I wish to give to this last one, the same as to you. Have I no right, to do what I wish with mine own? Or are you jealous, because I am generous? Even so the last shall be first, and the first last; for many are called, but few are chosen.”
Now Yeshua was ready to go up to Jerusalem; and as they were going up on their way to Jerusalem, Yeshua was ahead of them; and they were amazed; and they followed him with fear; and he took his twelve disciples apart on the road, and began to tell them what was surely to happen to him, saying, “Lo, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things written by the prophets, concerning the son of man will be fulfilled; and the son of man will be delivered to the high priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and they will deliver him to the Gentiles; and they will mock him, and scourge him, and spit in his face, and crucify him; and on the third day he will be rise up.” But they understood not one of these things; and this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know these things which were spoken to them; and James and John, the sons Zebedee, came up to him, and said to him, “Teacher, we wish you would do for us whatever we ask.” He said to them, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right, and one at your left, in your glory.” He said to them, “You do not know what you are asking; can you drink the cup which I drink, and be baptized with the baptism with which I am to be baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Yeshua said to them, “The cup which I shall drink, you too will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized also; but to sit at my right and at my left, is not mine to give; except to those for whom it is prepared.” Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him, together with her sons; and she did homage to him, and requested something of him; and he said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Yeshua answered, and said, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am ready to drink, or be baptized with the baptism, with which I am to be baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” He said to them, “Indeed my cup you shall drink, and the baptism with which I am to be baptized, you too shall be baptized with; but to sit at my right hand and at my left, that is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by my Father.” And when the ten heard it, they were angry at the two brothers, they began to murmur at James and John; and Yeshua called them, and said, “You know that those who consider themselves princes of the people, are also their lords; and their officials rule over them. Let not this be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you, let him be a minister to you; and whoever wishes to be first among you, let him be a servant to you; just as the son of man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life as a ransom for the sake of many.”
Post 41 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (31)
And when he drew near Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside, and begging; and he heard the voice of the people passing, and asked, “Who is this?” They said to him, “Yeshua, the meshiach is passing.” And he called out, saying, “Yeshua, son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were going before Yeshua rebuked him, telling him to keep quiet; but he cried out the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Yeshua stood still, and commanded them to call him to him; and as he came near, he asked him, and said to him, “What do you wish me to do for you?” And he answered, “Meshiach, that I may see.” And Yeshua said to him, “See; your believing has healed you.” And he saw immediately, and followed him praising Yahweh; and all the people who saw it, gave praise to Yahweh; and when Yeshua entered and passed through Jericho, there was a man named Zaccheus, who was rich, and chief of the tax collectors; and he wanted to see who Yeshua was; but he could not, because of the crowd; for Zaccheus was small in stature; and he ran ahead of Yeshua, and climbed up into a wild fig tree, that he might see him, because he was to pass that way; and when Yeshua came to that place, he saw him, and said to him, “Make haste, come down, Zaccheus, for today I must stay at your house.” And he hastened, and came down, and welcomed him with joy; and when they all saw it, they murmured, and said, “He has entered to stay in the house with a man that is a sinner.” But Zaccheus rose up, and said to Yeshua, “Lo, teacher, half of my wealth I will give to the poor; and I will pay fourfold to every man, from whom I have extorted.” Yeshua said to him, “This day life has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the son of man came to seek, and give life to that which was lost.” And while they were listening to these things, he continued by speaking a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they were expecting that the sovereignty of Yahweh would appear at that very hour; and he said, “A great man of a noble family went to a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return again; and he called his ten servants, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, Transact business until I come back; but the people of his city hated him, and sent messengers after him, saying, We do not want him to rule over us; and when he received the kingdom, and had returned, he commanded those servants to be called, to whom he had given the money, that he might know what each one of them had gained in business; and the first one came, and said, My master, your pound has gained ten pounds. He said to him, Well done, good servant! Because you are found faithful in a little, you will have authority over ten towns; and the second came, and said, My master, your pound has gained five pounds. He said to this one, You also will have authority over five towns; but another one came, and said, My master, here is your pound which was with me, which I kept laid up in fine linen; for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you pick up, what you have not laid down, and you reap, what you have not sown. He said to him, I will judge you from your own mouth, you wicked servant. You knew me, that I am a harsh man, and pick up, what I have not laid down, and reap, what I have not sown. Why then did you not give my money to the broker’s hands, that when I came, I could demand it with its interest? And he said to those who stood in his presence, Take away the pound from him, and give it to him who has ten pounds. They said to him, Our master, he has already with him ten pounds. He said to them, I say to you, To everyone who has, shall be given; and from him who has not, even that which he has, will be taken away from him; but those my enemies, who were not willing that I should rule over them, bring here and kill them before me.” And when Yeshua had spoken these things, he went forward, to go to Jerusalem; and when Yeshua went out of Jericho with his disciples, and a large crowd, a blind man, Timeus, the son of Timeus, sat by the roadside begging; and when he heard that it was Yeshua, the meshiach, he began to cry aloud, and to say, “You son of David, have mercy on me.” And many rebuked him, and told him to keep quiet, but he cried out the more, and said, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” And Yeshua stopped, and directed him to be called; and they called the blind man, and said to him, “Have courage, arise; he is calling you.” And the blind man threw off his robe and got up, and went to Yeshua. Yeshua said to him, “What do you wish me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Master, that I may see.” And Yeshua said to him, “See, your believing has healed you.” And immediately he saw; and he followed after him; and lo, two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Yeshua was passing by, they cried aloud, and said, “Have compassion upon us, meshiach, son of David.” But the people rebuked them, telling them to keep quiet; but they cried louder, and said, “Meshiach, have compassion upon us, son of David.” And Yeshua stopped, and called them, and he said, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They said to him, “Our meshiach, that our eyes may be opened.” And Yeshua had compassion upon them; and he touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes were opened, and they followed him; and the passover of the Israelites drew near; and many went up from the villages to Jerusalem, before the feast, that they might purify themselves; and they were looking for Yeshua, and in the temple courts, they kept saying to one another, “What do you think, will he not come to the feast?” But the high priests and the Pharisees had already commanded, that if anyone should know where he was, he should let them know, that they might seize him.
And six days before the passover; and as he approached Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, by the side of the mount of Olives, Yeshua then sent two of his disciples, and he said to them, “Go to that village which is in front of you, and straightway you will find an ass which is tied up, and a colt with her; untie them, and bring them to me; and if any man should say anything to you, tell him, “Our meshiach needs them; and he will immediately send them here.” All this happened, that what was said by the prophet, might be fulfilled, saying, “Rejoice greatly, fair Zion; raise a shout, fair Jerusalem! Lo, your king is coming to you. He is victorious, triumphant, yet humbled, riding on an ass, on a donkey foaled by a she-ass.” And the disciples went, and did as Yeshua had commanded them; and they brought the ass and the colt, and they put their garments on the colt, and Yeshua rode on it; and a great many people spread their garments in the path; and others cut down branches from the trees, and spread them in the path; and the people who were going before him, and that followed after him, were shouting, and saying, “Save now, son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh; save now, in the highest.” And as he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, and they were saying, “Who is this man?” And the people were saying, “This is the prophet, Yeshua, from Nazareth in Galilee.” And Yeshua entered into the temple of Yahweh, and drove out all who were buying and selling in the temple court, and he overturned the trays of the moneychangers, and the stands of those who sold doves; and he said to them, “It is written, My House shall be called the House of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers.” And in the temple courts, they brought to him the blind and the lame, and he healed them; but when the high priests and the Pharisees saw the wonders that he did, and the children crying aloud in the temple courts, and saying, “Save now, son of David,” they were displeased; and they said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?” Yeshua said to them, “Yes.” And he left them, and went outside of the city to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Yeshua had raised from the dead; and lodged there.
Post 42 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (32)
And the Sabbath having been completed; and they gave Yeshua a banquet in Bethany; and Martha served; but Lazarus was one of the guests who were with him; and Mary took a cruse containing pure and expensive spikenard, and anointed the feet of Yeshua, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume; and Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve said, “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the poor?” And this he said, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and the purse was with him, and he carried whatever was put into it; but Yeshua said, “Let her alone; she has kept it for the day of my burial; for you have the poor always with you, but I am not with you always; and many people of the Israelites heard that Yeshua was there; and they came, not only on account of Yeshua, but also to see Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead; and the high priests were thinking of killing Lazarus also; because on his account a great many Israelites were leaving, and believing in Yeshua; and the next day, when Yeshua came near to Jerusalem, he sent two of his disciples, and he said to them, “Go to the village which is in front of us; and as so as you enter it, you will find a colt tied up, on which no man of the sons of men has ever ridden; untie it and bring it; and if any man should say to you, Why are you doing this? Why do you untie it? Tell him this; The meshiach needs it; and immediately he will send it here.” And they went, and they found the colt tied by the door, outside in the street, just as he had told them; and as they were untying the colt, some of the men who stood there, said to them, “What are you doing, are you untying the colt?” And they answered them as Yeshua had instructed them, “The meshiach needs it.” And they consented; and a large crowd which had come to the feast, when they heard that Yeshua was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went out to greet him, and they cried out, and said, “Save now, blessed is the king of Israel, who comes in the name of Yahweh.” and they brought the colt to Yeshua; and they put their garments on the it, and they set Yeshua on it, and as he went along, many spread their garments on the road; and others cut down branches from the trees, and spread them on the road; and those who were in front of him, and those who were behind him shouted, and said, “Save now! Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh; and blessed is the kingdom of our father David, which is coming; save now in the highest!” And when he came near to the descent of the mount of the Place of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples were rejoicing, praising Yahweh with a loud voice, for all the miracles which they had seen; but some of the Pharisees who were in the crowd, said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He said to them, “I say to you, that if these should keep silent, the stones would cry out.” And when he drew near, and saw the city, he wept over it; and he said, “If you had only known those who came for your peace, even in this your day! But now they are hidden from your eyes; but the days will come, when your enemies will surround you, and oppress you from every place, and will overthrow you, and your children within you; and they will not leave in you a stone upon a stone, because you did not know the time, when you were to be visited.” And Yeshua entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple courts; and he looked upon everything; but the Pharisees said one to another, “Do you see that you have not been able to gain anything? Lo, all the people have gone after him.” And when evening came, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
And the next day, when they went out of Bethany, he became hungry; and he saw a fig tree at a distance on the roadside, which had leaves on it; and he came to it to see if he could find anything on it; and when he came, he found nothing on it except leaves; for it was not yet time for the figs; and he said to it, “From now and forever, let no man eat of your fruit.” And his disciples heard it; and shortly the fig tree withered; and when the disciples saw it, they were amazed, and said, “How is it that the fig tree has withered so soon?” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “Truly I say to you, If you have believing, and do not doubt, you will perform a deed not only like this of the fig tree, but should you say even to this mountain, Be removed, and fall into the sea, it shall be done; and everything that you will ask in prayer believing, you shall receive.” And they came to Jerusalem; and Yeshua entered into the temple of Yahweh, and began to cast out those who were buying and selling in the temple courts; and he overturned the trays of the moneychangers, and the stands of those who sold doves; and he would not allow any man to bring goods into the temple courts; and he taught them, and said, “Is it not written, My House shall be called the House of prayer for all the peoples? But you have made it a den of robbers.” And there were some Gentiles among them, who had come up to worship at the feast. They came and approached Philip of Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, and said, “Sir, we would like to see Yeshua.” Philip came and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip told Yeshua; and Yeshua answered, and said to them, “The hour has come that the son of man should be glorified. Truly I say to you, that unless a grain of wheat falls, and dies in the ground, it will be left alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. He who loves his life will lose it; and he who has no concern for his life in the age, will keep it to life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there also will my servant be; he who serves me, him my Father will honor. Now my soul is disturbed, and what shall I say? My Father, deliver me from this hour; but for this cause I came to this very hour. Father, glorify your name!” And a voice was heard from the sky, “I have glorified it; and I will glorify it again.” And the people who stood by heard it, and said, “It was thunder.” But others said, “An angel spoke to him.” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “This voice was not on my account, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this age; now the leader of this age will be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to me.” He said this to show by what manner of death, he was about to die. The people said to him, “We have heard from the law, that the meshiach shall remain forever; how do you say that the son of man must be lifted up? Who is this son of man?” Yeshua said to them, “The light is with you for a little while; walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overcome you; and he who walks in the darkness, does not know where he goes. While you have the light, believe in the light.” Yeshua spoke these things, and went away, and hid himself from them; and although he had performed all of these miracles before them, yet they did not believe in him; and many of the leading men also believed in him; but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess it, so that they might not be cast out of the synagogue; for they loved the honor of men, more than the glory of Yahweh; and Yeshua cried out, and said, “He who believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me. I have come into Israel as the light, that whoever believes in me, may not remain in the darkness; and he who hears my words, and does not obey them, I will not judge him; for I have not come to judge Israel, but to give life to Israel. He who oppresses me, and does not receive my words, there is one who will judge him; the word which I have spoken, it will judge him at the last day; for I did not speak of myself; but the Father who sent me, he commanded me what to say, and what to speak; and I know that his commandment is life eternal; these things therefore which I speak, just as my Father told me, so I speak.” And the high priests and the scribes, and the elders of the people heard it, and they sought how to do away with him; but they were not able to find what to do to him, for they were afraid of him, because all the people were amazed at his teaching; and when evening came, they went outside of the city.
Post 43 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (33)
And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up, as it were, from its roots; and Simon remembered, and said to him, “Master, lo, the fig tree which you cursed, is dried up.” And Yeshua answered, and said to them, “If you have believing in Yahweh, truly I say to you, Whoever should say to this mountain, Be moved, and fall into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will be done, it will be done to him. Therefore I say to you, Anything you pray for and ask, believe that you will receive it, and it will be done for you; and when you stand up to pray, forgive whatever you have against anyone, that your Father in heaven will forgive you your offences; but if you will not forgive, even your Father in heaven will not forgive you your offences; and when Yeshua came to the temple; and while he was walking in the temple courts, teaching the people and preaching, the high priests and the scribes, with the elders, rose up against him; and they said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, and who gave you this authority?” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and if you answer me, I will then tell you by what authority I do these things. Whence is the baptism of John? Was it from Yahweh, or from men?” And they reasoned with themselves, and said, “If we should say, From Yahweh, he will say to us, why then did you not believe him? And if we should say, From men, all the people will stone us; for all of them regard John as a prophet.” And they said to him, “We do not know whence it is.” Yeshua said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. What do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first one, and said to him, My son, go, and work today in the vineyard; and he answered, and said, I do not want to, but later he regretted and went; and he came to the other one, and spoke to him likewise; and he answered, Here am I, my father, and yet he did not go. Which of these two did the will of his father?” They said to him, “The first one.” Yeshua said to them, “Truly I say to you, that even the tax collectors and harlots will precede you into the sovereignty of Yahweh; for John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and harlots believed him; but you, even though you saw it, did not repent, that later you may believe him.” Hear another parable, and he began to speak this parable to the people, “There was a man who was a householder, and he planted a vineyard, and fenced it, and he dug in it a winepress, and built a tower, and then he leased it to laborers, and went on a journey for a long time; and when the fruit season was at hand, he sent his servant to the laborers, that they might send him some of the fruits of his vineyard; but the laborers beat him, and sent him back empty; and again he sent another of his servants; but they beat him also, and treated him shamefully, and sent him back empty; and again he sent the third one; but they wounded him also, and threw him outside; and he sent many other servants, some of them they beat, and some they killed. Then the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my very beloved son; perhaps they will see him, and feel ashamed; but when the laborers saw the son, they reasoned with themselves, and said, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours; and they seized him, and took him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those laborers? They said to him, “He will destroy them savagely, and lease his vineyard to other laborers, who will give him fruits in their seasons.” Yeshua said, “He will come, and destroy those laborers, and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it, they said, “This will never happen.” But he looked at them, and said, “What is it that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same became the cornerstone; this was from Yahweh, and it is a marvel in our eyes? Therefore I say to you, that the sovereignty of Yahweh will be taken away from you, and will be given to a people who bear fruits; whoever falls on that stone, will be broken; and whomever it falls upon, it will destroy.” And when the high priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they understood that he was speaking against them; and they wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the people, because they regarded him as a prophet. And Yeshua answered again by parables, and said, “The sovereignty of Yahweh is like a king who gave a marriage feast for his son; and he sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come; and again he sent other servants, and said, Tell those who are invited, Lo, my supper is ready, and my oxen and fatlings are killed, and everything is prepared; come to the marriage feast; but they sneered at it, and went away, one to his field, another to his business; and the rest seized his servants, and mocked them, and killed them; and when the king heard it, he was angry; and he sent out his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, Now the marriage feast is ready, and those who were invited were unworthy. Go, therefore, to the main roads, and whomever you may find, invite them to the marriage feast; and those servants went out to the roads, and gathered together everyone they could find, bad and good; and the banqueting house was filled with guests; and when the king entered to see the guests, he saw there a man who was not wearing wedding garments; and he said to him, My friend, how did you enter here, when you do not have wedding garments? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, Bind his hands and his feet. and cast him into the outer darkness; there will the weeping and the grinding of the teeth; for many are called, and few are chosen.”
Then the Pharisees went away, and took counsel how to trap him by a question; and they sent to him their disciples, and some men of the scribes, together with the Herodians; and they sent as spies, disguised as righteous men, to ensnare him by a word, and to deliver him to the judge, and then to the authority of the governor; and these came, and asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are true, and you teach the way of Yahweh justly; and you do not favor any man, for you do not discriminate between men. Tell us, therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay head tax to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?” But Yeshua knew their wickedness, and said, “Why do you tempt me, you hypocrites? Show me a denarius of the head tax money, that I may see it.” And they brought to him a denarius; and Yeshua said to them, “Whose is this image and inscription?” They said, “Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar, what is Caesar’s, and to Yahweh, what is Yahweh’s.” And when they heard it, they were not able to get a word of accusation from him before the people; and they were amazed at his answer, and kept silence; and they left him, and went away. That same day came to him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, and said to him, “There is no resurrection of the dead.” And they asked him, and said, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother die, and leave a wife, and leave no children, his brother should take his wife, and raise up an offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers; the first one took a wife, and died, and left no offspring; and then the second married her, and he died, he also left no offspring; and likewise the third one; and all seven of them married her, and left no offspring; and after them all, the woman also died. Therefore at the resurrection, to which of these seven will she be a wife? For they all had married her.” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “It is not on this account that you err, because you do not understand the scriptures, nor the power of Yahweh. The sons of this age marry women, and women are given to men in marriage; but those who are worthy of the other age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither take women in marriage, nor are women given in marriage to them; for they cannot die again, because they are as the angels of Yahweh in heaven; and they are sons of Yahweh, because they are sons of the resurrection; but concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was told you by Yahweh, who said to Moses from the bush, I am Yahweh God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? And yet, Yahweh is not the God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him. You therefore greatly err.” And when the people heard it, they were amazed at his teaching; and one of the scribes came near, and heard them debating, and he saw that he gave them an excellent answer; and he asked him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Yeshua said to him, “The first of all commandments is, Hear, O Israel, Yahweh our God, is one Yahweh; and you must love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your might; this is the first commandment; and the second is like to it, You must love your fellow as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well, teacher, you have said the truth, that he is one, and there is no other besides him; and that a man should love him with all the heart, and with all the mind, and with all the soul, and with all the might, and love his fellow as himself; this is far more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Yeshua saw that he replied wisely, he answered, and said to him, “You are not far from the sovereignty of Yahweh.” But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together; and one of them who knew the law, and asked him, testing him, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Yeshua said to him, “Love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment; and the second is like to it, Love your fellow as yourself. On these two commandments hang the law and the prophets.” And some of the scribes answered, and said to him, “Teacher, you have well said.” And while the Pharisees were gathered together, Yeshua asked them, and said, “What do you say concerning the meshiach? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David through the power calls him lord? For he said, Yahweh said to my lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet. If David then calls him lord, how can he be his son?” And no man was able to answer him, and from that day, no man dared again to question him, on any matter.
And as Yeshua was teaching in the temple courts, he answered, and said, “How can the scribes say, That the meshiach is the son of David? For David himself said through the power, in the scroll of Psalms, Yahweh said to my lord, Sit on my right hand, until I put your enemies as a stool under your feet. Now therefore David himself calls him my lord, and how can he be his son?” And all the people heard him with pleasure; and in his teaching, he said to the people, and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses. Therefore whatever they tell you to obey, obey and do it, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say and do not; and they bind heavy burdens, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to touch them, even with their finger, and all their works they do, just to be seen by men; for they widen the fringes of their garments, and they lengthen the ends of their robes, and they like the chief places at feasts, and the front seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the streets, and to called by men, Teacher, but you should not be called Teacher; for one is your Master, and all you are brethren; and call no one on earth, Father, for one is your Father in heaven, nor be called guides, for one is your guide, the meshiach; but he who is greatest among you, let him be your servant; for whoever exalts himself, shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself, shall be exalted. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you have shut off the sovereignty of Yahweh against men; for you do not enter into it yourselves, and do not permit those who would to enter. Wow to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you embezzle the property of widows, with the pretense that you make long prayers; because of this, you shall receive a greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you traverse sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him the son of hell twice more than yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides; for you say, Whoever swears by the sanctuary, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold which is in the sanctuary, he is bound to fulfill the oath! You fools, and blind! For which is greater, the gold, or the sanctuary that sanctifies the gold? And whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is upon it, he is bound to fulfill the oath. You fools, and blind! For which is greater, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? Therefore he who swears by the altar, he swears by it, and by everything that is on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it, and by him who dwells in it; and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of Yahweh, and by him who sits on it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you take tithes of mint, dill, and cummin, and you have overlooked the more important matters of the law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These were necessary for you to have done, and these very things by no means to have left undone. You blind guides, who strain out gnats, and swallow down camels! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and iniquity. You blind Pharisees! Clean first the inside of the cup and of the plate, that their outside may also be clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like tombs painted white, which look beautiful from the outside, but inside are full of dead bones, and all kinds of corruption. So you also, outwardly, appear to men as righteous; but from within, you are full of iniquity and hypocrisy. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and you decorate the graves of the righteous; and you say, If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore you are witnesses, against ourselves, that you are the children of them that killed the prophets. You also fill up the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you offspring of scorpions! How can you flee from the judgment of hell? Because of this, I am sending unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and will persecute them from city to city; so that all the blood of the righteous shed on the ground may come upon you, from the blood of Abel the righteous, down to the blood of Zachariah, son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I say to you, All of these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who killed the prophets, and stoner of those who are sent to her! How often Yahweh wanted to gather your children, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and yet you would not! Lo, your house will be left to you desolate! For I say to you, That you shall not see me henceforth, until you shall say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh; and when Yeshua sat in front of the treasury-room, he watched how the people cast their aims into the treasury; and many rich men were casting in a great deal; and there came a poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which are a brass farthing; and Yeshua called his disciples, and said to them, “Truly I say to you, that this poor widow has cast into the treasury more than all the men who are casting; for all of them cast in of their abundance; but she, of her poverty, cast everything she had, even all of her possessions.
Post 44 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (34)
And Yeshua went out of the temple to go away; while some men were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and gift offerings; and his disciples came up to him, and were showing him the structure of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, lo, look at those stones, and those structures.” But he said to them, “Lo, admire you these great structures? As for these things on which you gaze will be destroyed. Truly I say to you, The days will come when not a stone shall be left here upon another stone, which will not be torn down.” And they asked him, and said, “Teacher, when will these things happen? And what is the sign when these things are about to happen?” And he said to them, “Be careful that you may not be deceived; for many will come in my name, and say, I am the meshiach; and the time is near; but do not follow them; and when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be afraid; for all these things must first come to pass; but the end is not yet; for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be great earthquakes in different places, and famines, and plagues; and there will be alarming sights, and great signs will appear from heaven; and the winters will be severe; but before all these things, they will lay hands on you, and persecute you, and deliver you to the synagogues, and the prisons; and they will bring you before kings and governors for the sake of my name; but it will be to you for a testimony; and treasure it in your hearts, and do not try to learn what to answer; for Yahweh will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your enemies will not be able to withstand; and you will be delivered up, even by your parents and brothers, and your relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death; and you will be hated by every man because of my name; and yet not a hair of your head will be lost; and by your patience, you will gain your souls; but when you see Jerusalem surrounded by an army, then know that its destruction is at hand. Then let those who are in Judah flee to the mountain; and let those who are within it flee; and let those who are in the fields not enter into it; for these are the days of vengeance, so that everything which is written must be fulfilled; but woe to those who are with child, and to those who give suck in those days! For there will be great distress in the land, and wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and they will be taken captive to every country; and Jerusalem will be trodden under the feet of the Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles comes to an end; and there will be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and on earth distress of the nations, and confusion, because of the roaring of the sea; and upheaval that drives out the souls of men, because of fear of what is to come on earth; and the powers of the universe will be shaken; and then they will see the son of man coming with a heavenly host, with much power, and with great glory; but when these things begin to happen, have courage, and lift up your heads, because your deliverance is at hand.” And he spoke to them a parable, “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees; when they put forth leaves, you immediately understand from them that summer is near. Even so you also, when you see these things happen, know that the sovereignty of Yahweh is near. Truly I say to you, This generation will not pass away until all these things happen. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away; but take heed to yourselves, that your hearts may not become heavy by extravagance and drunkenness and worries of this world, and that day come suddenly upon you; for like a downpour, it will entrap all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. Therefore keep watch always and pray, that you may be worthy to escape all these things which are to happen, and that you may stand before the son of man.”
And as Yeshua was sitting on the mount of Olives, towards the temple, his disciples came up talking among themselves, Cephas and James and John and Andrew, and they asked him, privately, “Tell us when these things will happen, and what is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world, when all these things are about to be fulfilled?” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “Be careful that no man deceives you; for many will come in my name, and say, I am the meshiach, and they will deceive many; and you are bound to hear of revolutions, and rumors of wars; watch out, and do not be disturbed; for all of these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet; for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, and uprisings, and plagues, and earthquakes in different places; but all these things are just the beginning of travail. Look out for yourselves; for they will deliver you to the judges, and they will scourge you in their synagogues, and they will deliver you over to be oppressed, and they will kill you; and you will stand before kings, and governors, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake, and as a testimony to them. Then many will be stumbled, and they will hate one another, and betray one another; and many false prophets will rise, and will mislead a great many; and because of the growth of iniquity, the love of many will become cold; but he who has patience to the end, will have life; and this announcement of the sovereignty shall be proclaimed throughout the world, for a testimony to all the nations; then the end will come; and when they bring you to deliver you up, do not worry beforehand what you will speak; and do not think of anything, except what is given you in that very hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but Yahweh, through his power; and a brother will deliver his brother to death, and a father his son; and the children will rise up against their parents, and put them to death; and you will be hated by all men, because of my name; but he who has patience to the end, will have life; but when you see the abominable sign of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place; then let the reader consider; and then let them who are in Judah, flee to the mountain; and let him who is on the roof, not come down to take things out of his house; and let him who is in the field, not return back to take his clothes; but woe to those who are with child, and to those who give suck, in those days; and pray that your flight may not be in winter, nor on the sabbath; for in those days there will be suffering, such as has never been from the beginning of the creation that Yahweh made until now, and never will be again; and if Yahweh had not shortened those days, no flesh would live; but for the sake of the chosen ones, which he chose, he shortened those days. Then if anyone should say to you, Lo, here is the meshiach, or there; do not believe it; for there will rise false meshiach’s, and lying prophets, and they will show signs, and great wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones. Lo, I have told you in advance; therefore, if they should say to you, Lo, he is in the desert, do not go out; or, Lo, he is in the chamber, do not believe it; for just as the lightning comes out from the east, and is seen even in the west, so will be the coming of the son of man; for wherever the carcass is, there will the vultures gather; and immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the universe will be shaken; and then the sign of the son of man will appear in the sky; and all the generations of the earth will mourn, and they will see the son of man coming with a heavenly host, with power, and great glory; and he will send Yahweh’s angels with a large trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other; and learn you a parable from the fig tree. As soon as its branches become tender, and bring forth leaves, you know that summer is coming. So even you, when you see all these things, know that it has arrived at the door. Truly I say to you, That this generation will not pass away, until all these things happen. Even heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away; but concerning that day and that hour, no man knows, not even the angels of Yahweh, neither the son, but the Father alone; and as in the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the son of man; for as the people before the flood were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark; and they knew nothing until the flood came, and carried them all away; such will the coming of the son of man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken away, and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the hand mill; one will be taken, and the other left. Be alert, therefore, for you do not know at what hour the son of man will come; but know this much, that if the master of the house knew at what watch of the night the thief would come, he would keep awake, and would not let his house be plundered; for this reason, you also should be ready, for the son of man will come at an hour, when you do not expect him. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has appointed over his household, to give them food in due time? Happy is that servant, when his master comes, and finds him so doing. Truly I say to you, He will appoint him over all that he has; but if a bad servant should say in his heart, My master will delay his coming; and should begin to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour that he does not know; and he will severely scourge him, and give him a portion like that of the hypocrites; there will be the weeping and the grinding of the teeth. Watch, be alert, and pray; for you do not know when the time is; for it is just like a man who went on a journey, and left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to each man his work, and he commanded the porter to keep awake. Be alert therefore, for you do not know when the owner of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at the cockcrow, or in the morning; lest he come suddenly, and find you sleeping; and what I say to you, I say to you all, Be you watchful. Then the sovereignty of Yahweh will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to greet the bridegroom and the bride; and five of them were wise, and five were foolish; and the foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them; but the wise ones took oil in vessels, with their lamps; and while the bridegroom was delayed, they all became sleepy and fell asleep; and at midnight there was an outcry, Lo, the bridegroom is coming; go out to greet him! Then all the virgins got up, and prepared their lamps; and the foolish ones said to the wise ones, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. The wise ones answered, and said, Why, there would not be enough for us and for you; go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves; and while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and those who were ready, entered with him into the banqueting house, and the door was locked. Afterward the other virgins also came, and said, Our master, our master, open to us; but he answered, and said to them, Truly I say to you, I do not know you. Be alert, therefore, for you do not know the day nor the hour. It is just like a man who went on a journey, who called his servants, and put his wealth in their charge; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each one according to his ability; and immediately he went on a journey. The one who received five talents then went, and traded with them, and he earned five more; and likewise the second one, by trading gained two others; but he who received one, went and dug in the ground, and hid his master’s money; and after a long time, the master of those servants returned, and took an accounting from them; and the one who received five talents came up, and offered five others, and he said, My master, you gave me five talents; lo, I have added five others to them. His master said to him, Well done, good and reliable servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will appoint you over much; enter into your master’s joy; and the one with the two talents came, and said, My master, you gave me two talents; lo, I have added two others to them. His master said to him, Well done, good and reliable servant, you have been faithful over a little, I will appoint you over much; enter into your master’s joy; and the one who received one talent also came up, and he said, My master, I knew that you are a hard man, and you reap where you did not sow, and gather where you did not scatter; and I was afraid, and I went, and hid your talent in the ground; here is the very one you gave me. His master answered, and said to him, You wicked and lazy servant, you knew me that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter! You should then have put my money in the exchange, and when I returned, I would have demanded my own with interest. Therefore, take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has ten talents; for to him who has, it shall be given, and it shall increase to him; but he who has not, even that which he has, shall be taken away from him; and the idle servant, they threw into the outer darkness, there will be the weeping and the grinding of the teeth; and when the son of man comes in his glory, and all Yahweh’s holy angels with him, then he will sit upon the throne of his glory; and all nations will gather before him; and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and he will set the sheep at his right, and the goats at his left. Then the king will say to those at his right, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom which has been prepared for you; for I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me. Then the righteous will say to him, Our master, when did we see you hungry, and feed you? Or thirsty, and gave you drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and took you in? Or that you were naked, and clothed you? And when did we see you sick, or in the prison, and came to you? And the king then will answer, and say to them, Truly I tell you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me. Then he will also say to those at his left, Go away from me, you cursed, to the everlasting fire which is prepared for the adversary and his angles; for I was hungry, and you did not give me food; I was thirsty, and you did not give me drink; I was a stranger, and you did not take me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then he will answer, and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of these least ones, you also did not do it to me; and these shall go into everlasting torment, and the righteous into eternal life.” When Yeshua had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days, the passover will come, and the son of man will be betrayed to be crucified.”
Post 45 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (35)
Then the high priests and the scribes and the elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, who is called Caiaphas; and they took counsel concerning Yeshua, to arrest him by treachery and kill him; and they said, “Not on the feast day, lest it cause a riot among the people.” For they were afraid of the people; and when Yeshua was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came to him a woman who had with her an alabaster vessel of precious ointment of pure spikenard, of good quality and very expensive; and she opened it, and poured it upon the head of Yeshua as he was reclining; and there were some of the men of his disciples who saw it, they were displeased within themselves, and said, “Why was this waste of the ointment? For it could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor.” And they were indignant at her; but Yeshua knew their dissatisfaction, and said to them, “Let her alone; why are you troubling the woman? She has done a good deed to me; for you always have the poor with you, and when you wish, you can do good to them; but I am not always with you; but this one who poured the perfume on my body, has done it with what she had; she anointed my body in advance, as if for burial; and truly I say to you, Wherever this my gospel shall be proclaimed throughout the world, what she has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” But Satan had taken possession of Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve; and he went to the high priests and scribes and officers of the temple, in order to betray Yeshua to them, and he said to them, “What are you willing to give me, if I deliver him to you?” And when they heard him, they rejoiced; and they promised him thirty pieces of silver; and he agreed with them, and from that time he sought an opportunity to betray him to them, in the absence of the people.
And on the first day of unleavened bread, on which the Israelites sacrifice the passover lamb, his disciples came up to Yeshua, and said to him, “Where do you wish that we go and prepare the passover for you to eat?” And Yeshua sent Cephas and John, and he said to them, “Go and prepare the passover for us to eat.” And they said, “Where do you wish us to prepare?” He said, “Go into the city, and lo, when you enter the city, you will meet a man carrying a vessel of water; follow him; and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, The meshiach says, My time has come, where is the guest room, where I will observe the passover with my disciples? And lo, he will show you an upper room, large and furnished, and prepared; there make ready for us.” And his disciples went out, and came to the city, and they found just as he had told them; and they prepared the passover; and when it was time, Yeshua came and sat down, and twelve apostles with him; and when the supper was passed, it had been injected by Satan into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray him; but Yeshua, because he knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, and that he was going to Yahweh, arose from supper, and laid aside his long garments; and he took a cloth, and tied it around his loins; and he poured water into a wash-basin, and began to wash the feet of his disciples, and to wipe them with the cloth, which was tied around his loins; and when he came to Simon Cephas, Simon said to him, “Are you, my master, going to wash my feet?” Yeshua said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but later you will understand.” Simon Cephas said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Yeshua said to him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.” Simon Cephas said to him, “Then, my master, wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Yeshua said to him, “He who has bathed, does not need except to wash his feet only, for he is already all clean; so you are all clean, but not everyone of you.” For Yeshua knew him who was to betray him; therefore he said, “Not everyone of you is clean.” And when he had washed their feet, he put on his long garments, and sat down; and he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me teacher and master; and what you say is well, for I am. If I then, your master and teacher, have washed your feet, how much more should you wash one another’s feet? For I have given you this as an example, that just as I have done to you, you should also do. Truly I say to you, There is no servant who is greater than his master; and no apostle who is greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them. I have greatly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, That henceforth I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the sovereignty of Yahweh. And he took the cup and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the sovereignty of Yahweh comes.” And as they were reclining and eating, he said to them, “Truly I say to you, one of you who eats with me, will betray me.” And they began to feel troubled, and said to him one by one, “What! Is it I, my teacher?” But he said to them, “It is the one who dips his hand with me in the dish who will betray me; and the son of man is going just as it is written concerning him; but woe to the man by whose hand the son of man is betrayed! It would have been far better for that man never to have been born.” Then Judas the betrayer answered, and said, “Teacher, is it I?” Yeshua said to him, “You say that.” And while they were eating, Yeshua took bread and gave thanks, and he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and he said to them, “Take it, eat; this is my body, which is given for your sake; this do in remembrance of me.” And likewise also he took the cup, after they had eaten supper, and he said, “This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you.” And he took the cup and gave thanks, and said, “Take, drink of it, all of you.” And gave it to them, and they all drank of it, and he said to them, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for the sake of many, for the remission of sins; but truly I say to you, Henceforth I shall not drink from this fruit of the vine, until that day in which I drink it anew with you in the sovereignty of Yahweh; but lo, the hand of him who is to betray me is on the table; and the son of man will go, just as he has been destined; but woe to the man by whose hand he will be betrayed! I do not say this concerning all of you, for I know those whom I have chosen; but that the scripture might be fulfilled, He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me. I tell you now before it happens, that when it happens, you may believe that I am the meshiach. Truly I say to you, He who receives him who I send, receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me.” And they began to inquire among themselves, which one of them was to do this act. Yeshua said these things, and he was disturbed in himself, and testified, and said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples then stared at one other, because they knew not, of whom he spoke; and there was one of his disciples, who was leaning on his bosom, the one whom Yeshua was fond of. Simon Cephas beckoned to him, to ask him of whom he spoke; and that disciple leaned himself on the breast of Yeshua, and said to him, “My master, who is he?” Yeshua answered, and said, “He it is, to whom I give the bread when I have dipped it.” And Yeshua dipped the bread, and gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon; and after the bread, Satan took possession of him; and Yeshua said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” And no one of those who were sitting at the table understood what he said to him; for some of them thought, because the purse was with Judas, that he ordered him to buy what was needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor; and Judas having received the sop, and went outside immediately; and it was night when he went out. Yeshua then said, “Now the son of man is glorified, and Yahweh is glorified by him. I am with you yet a little while, and you will seek me; and, just as I said to the Israelites, Where I go you cannot come, the same I now tell you also. A new instruction I give you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this will every one know that you are my disciples, if you have love for each other. Simon Cephas said to him, “Teacher, where are you going? Yeshua answered, and said to him, “Where I go, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.” Simon Cephas said to him, “Teacher, why can I not follow you now? I will even lay down my life for you.” Yeshua said to him, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly I say to you, the cock will not crow, until you have denied me three times. Let not your heart be troubled; believe in Yahweh, and, believe in me also; and you know where I am going, and you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Teacher, we do not know where you are going; and how can we know the way?” Yeshua said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and life; no one comes to my Father, except by me.” Philip said to him, “Teacher, show us the Father, and that is enough for us.” Yeshua said to him, “All this time I have been with you, and yet you do not know me, Philip? And how do you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am with my Father, and my Father is with me? The words that I speak, I do not speak of myself; but my Father who abides with me does his works. Believe that I am with my Father, and my Father is with me; and if not, believe because of the works themselves. Truly I say to you, He that believes in me, will do his works which I do; and even greater than these things he will do, because I am going to my Father; and whatever you ask in my name, it will be done for you, that the Father may be glorified through his son; and if you ask in my name, my Father will do it. If you love me, keep my instructions; and I will ask of my Father, and he will send you power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh, the power of truth, whom Israel cannot receive, because it does not know him; but you know him, because he abides with you. I will not leave you bereaved, for I will come to you after a little while; and Israel will not see me, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am with my Father, and you are with me, and I am with you. He who has my instructions with him, and obeys them, is the one who loves me; he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and reveal myself to him.” Judas, not Iscariot, said to him, “My teacher, why is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to Israel?” Yeshua answered, and said to him, “He who loves me, keeps my instructions; and my Father will love him, and my Father will come to him, and make a place of abode with him; but he who does not love me, does not keep my instructions; and this word which you hear is not my own, but the Father’s who sent me. I have spoken these things to you while I am with you; but the power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh, the power of truth, which my Father will send in my name, my Father will teach you everything, and will remind you of everything which I tell you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid. You heard that I told you, I am going away, and I will come to you. If you loved me, you would rejoice, because I am going to my Father; for my Father is greater than I; and now, lo, I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe. Hereafter I will not talk much with you; for the ruler of this world comes; and yet he has nothing against me; but that Israel may know that I love my Father, and as my Father has commanded me, so I do. There was also a dispute among them as to who was the greatest among them; and Yeshua said to them, “The kings of the nations, are their lords; and those exercising authority over them, are called benefactors; but not so with you; let him who is great among you, be the least, and he who is a leader, be like one who serves. For, who is greater, he who sits down, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits down? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have remained with me throughout my trials; and I promise you, just as my Father has promised me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at the table in my kingdom; and you will sit on seats, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel; and Yeshua said to Simon, “Simon, lo, Satan wants to sift all of you, like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your believing may not weaken; and even you in time, will repent, and strengthen your brethren.” And Simon said to him, “Teacher, with you I am ready, both for prison and for death.” Yeshua said to him, “I say to you, Simon, the cock will not crow today, until you have denied three times that you know me.” And he said to them, “When I sent you out without purses, and without bags, and sandals, did you lack anything?” They said to him, “Not a thing.” He said to them, “From now on, he who has purses, let him take them, and the bag likewise; and he who has no sword, let him sell his robe, and buy for himself a sword; for I say to you, That this also, which was written, must be fulfilled in me; I will be numbered with transgressors; for, all that relates to me, will be fulfilled. And they said to him, “Teacher, lo, here are two swords.” He said to them, “They are sufficient. Arise; let us go hence.” And they sang praises; and he went out, and proceeded, as was his custom, to the mount of the place of Olives; and his disciples followed him. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the laborer. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he cuts off; and the one which bears fruit, he prunes, so that it may bring forth more fruit. You have already been pruned, because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain with me, and I with you. Just as a branch cannot give fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, even so you cannot, unless you remain with me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains with me, and I with him, will bear abundant fruit; for without me, you can do nothing. Unless a man remains with me, he will be cast outside like a branch which is withered, which they pick up, and throw into the fire to be burned. If you remain with me, and my instructions with you, whatever you ask shall be done for you. In this the Father will be glorified, that you bear abundant fruit, and be my disciples. Just as my Father has loved me, I also have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my instructions, you will abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my instruction, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. There is no greater love then this, that a man lay down his life for the sake of his friends. You are my friends, if you do everything that I instructed you. Henceforth, I will not call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master does; but I have always called you my friends, because everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you, and I have appointed you, that you also should go, and produce fruit, and that your fruit might remain, so that whatever you ask my Father in my name, he will give it to you. I instruct these things to you, that you may love one another; and if Israel hates you, know well, that it has hated me before you. Remember the teaching which I said to you, That no servant is greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my teaching, they will also keep yours; but they will do all these things to you, for the sake of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come, and spoken to them, they would be without sin; but now, they have no excuse for their sins. He who hates me, hates my Father also. If I had not done his works before their eyes, such as no other man has ever done, they would be without sin; but now, they have seen, and hated me, and also my Father, so that the word which is written in their law may be fulfilled, they hated me for no reason; but when the power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh comes, which I will ask my Father to send to you, the power of truth which proceeds from my Father, my Father will testify concerning me; and you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. I have spoken these things to you, that you may not be stumbled; for they will put you out of their synagogues; and the hour will come, that whoever kills you, will think that he has presented an offering to Yahweh; and these things they will do, because they have not known my Father, nor me. I have spoken these things to you, that when their time does come, you may remember them, and that I told you; and these things I did not tell you before, because I was with you; but now, I am going to him who sent me, and yet no one of you asks me, Where are you going? But because I told you these things, sorrow has come, and filled your hearts; but I tell you the truth, It is better for you that I should go away; for if I do not go away, my Father’s power will not come to you; but if I should go, I will ask my Father to send his power to you; and when his power is come, my Father will rebuke Israel concerning sin, concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to my Father; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. Again, I have many other things to tell you, but you cannot grasp them now; but when the power of truth is come, my Father will lead you into all the truth; and he will make known to you things which are to come in the future. A little while, and you will not see me; and again a little while, and you will see me, because I am going to the Father.” And his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he said to us, A little while, and you will not see me; and again a little while, and you will see me; and, because I am going to my Father?” And they said, “What is this that he said, A little while? We cannot understand what he talks about.” And Yeshua knew that they desired to ask him, and he said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves concerning this that I told you, A little while, and you will not see me; and again a little while, and you will see me? Truly I say to you, that you will weep and wail, and yet Israel will rejoice; and you will be sad, but your sadness will be changed into gladness. When a woman is in travail, she is depressed, because her day has arrived; but when she has given birth to a son, she no longer remembers her troubles, because of the joy that a male child is born into Israel. So you also are depressed; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take away from you; and in that day, you will not ask me anything. Truly I say to you, that whatever you ask my Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. I have spoken these things in parables; but the hour is coming, when I will not speak to you in parables, but will plainly explain to you concerning the Father. In that day you will ask in my name; and I will not say to you, I will ask the Father concerning you; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed.” His disciples said to him, “Lo, now you speak plainly, and do not utter a single figure. Now we understand, and you have no need, that anyone should ask you; by this we believe.” Yeshua said to them, “Do you believe? All of you will deny me this night; for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of his flock will be scattered. But after I am risen, I will be Galilee before you.” Cephas answered, and said to him, “Even if every man should deny you, I will never deny you.” Yeshua said to him, “Truly I say to you, That you, today, in this night very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times. For lo, the hour is coming, and it has now come, when you will be dispersed, each to his place; and you will leave me alone; and yet, I am not alone, for the Father is with me. These things I have said to you, that in me you may have peace.” But Cephas kept telling him still more, “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you, my teacher.” All the disciples said also the same.
Post 46 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (36)
Yeshua said these things, and went forth with his disciples over the brook Kidron, and they came to a place where there was a garden called Gethsemane, where he and his disciples entered. Judas the traitor also knew that place, for Yeshua and his disciples frequently gathered there. And he said to his disciples, “Sit down here, while I go to pray.” And he took with him Cephas and James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and depressed; and he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death; wait for me here, and watch with me.” And he went aside a little further; and kneeled down on the ground on his face, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him; and he said, “Father, my Father, you can do all things; if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me; yet let it be, not my pleasure, but yours.” And he came to his disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Cephas, “Simon, are you sleeping? So, you were not able to watch with me even for one hour? Awake and pray, that you may not enter into temptation; the desire indeed is willing and ready, but the body is weak.” And he went away again the second time, and prayed, and he said, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass, and if I must drink it, let it be according to your will.” And he came again and found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to say to him, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them, about the distance of a stone’s throw, and he knelt down and prayed, and said, “Father, if it please you, let this cup pass from me. Yet not my pleasure, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, to strengthen him; and he was in fear, and prayed earnestly; and his sweat became like drops of blood; and he fell down upon the ground; and he arose from his prayer; and he came to his disciples and found them sleeping, because of distress, and said to them, “Sleep from now on, and get your rest; the end has arrived; lo, the hour is come; and the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation. Arise, let us go; he that betrays me has arrived.”
Judas, therefore, took a company of soldiers, and also guards from the high priests and the Pharisees, and Judas came at there head with torches and lamps and weapons; and Yeshua, as he knew everything that was to befall him, went out, and said to them, “Whom do you want?” They said to him, “Yeshua the Nazarene.” Yeshua said to them, “I am he.” When Yeshua said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Yeshua again asked them, “Whom do you want?” They said, “Yeshua the Nazarene.” Yeshua said to them, “I have told you that I am he; if then you want me, let these men go away.” And while he was yet speaking, Judas the betrayer, had given them a sign, saying, “He whom I kiss is the one; seize him carefully, and take him away.” And immediately he came up to Yeshua, and said, “My teacher, my teacher, peace, teacher.” And he kissed him; and Yeshua said to him, “Is it for this that you have come, my friend? Judas, do you betray the son of man with a kiss?” Then they came near and laid hands on Yeshua, and arrested him; and when those who were with him saw what happened, they said to him, “Our teacher, shall we smite them with swords?” But Simon Cephas, one of those who were with Yeshua, stretched out his hand, and drew a sword, and struck it at the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear; and servant’s name was Malchus; and Yeshua said to Cephas, “It is enough for the present. Return the sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup which my Father has given me? For all who take swords, will die by swords. Or do you think that I cannot ask of my Father, and he will now raise up for me more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” And he touched the ear of him who was wounded, and healed it. At that very hour, Yeshua said to the high priests and the elders and the officers of the temple who had come against him, “Have you come out against me to arrest me with swords and clubs, as if you were against a bandit? I sat with you every day, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not even point your hands at me; but this is your time, and the power of darkness; but this has happened, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then the regiment and the captains and the Israelites guards seized Yeshua, and bound him. Then all the disciples left him, and fled; and a young man was following after him, naked, with a linen cloth around him; and they seized him; but he left the linen cloth, and fled naked; and they brought him first to Annas, because he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest of that year; and Caiaphas was the one who had counseled the Israelites, that it was better for one man to die, instead of the people; and Simon Cephas and one of the other disciples followed Yeshua; and that other disciple know the high priest; so he entered with Yeshua into the courtyard; but Simon stood outside near the door; and that other disciple, whom the high priest knew, went out and told the portress, and brought in Simon; and the young portress then said to Simon, “Are not you also one of the disciples of this man?” He said to her, “I am not.” And the servants and guards were standing, and making a fire to warm themselves, because it was cold; Simon also stood with them and warmed himself; and the high priest then questioned Yeshua concerning his disciples, and concerning his teaching; and Yeshua said to him, “I have spoken openly to the people, and I have always taught in the synagogue, and in the temple courts, where all the Israelites assemble; and I have spoken nothing secretly. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I have spoken to them; lo, they know everything which I said.” And as he said these things, one of the guards who stood by, struck Yeshua on his cheek, and said to him, “Is this how you answer the high priest?” Yeshua answered, and said to him, “If I have spoken any evil, testify to the evil; but if it is good, why did you strike me?” Annas then sent Yeshua bound to Caiaphas the high priest; and Simon Cephas was standing and warming himself; and they said to him, “What! Are you also one of his disciples?” And he denied, and said, “I am not.” And one of the servants of the high priest, a kinsman of him whose ear Simon had cut off, said to him, “Did I not see you with him in the garden?” And Simon again denied it; and at the very hour the cock crowed.
And those who had apprehended Yeshua, took him to the house of Caiaphas the high priest; and there gathered to him, all the high priests and the scribes and the elders; but Simon Cephas followed after him, at a distance, up to the courtyard of the high priest, and he went inside with the soldiers, and they kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard, and sat around it; and Simon also sat among them, warming himself before the fire, to see the end; and the high priests and the elders and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking witnesses against Yeshua, that they might put him to death; but they could not find any; then there came a great many false witnesses; for even though many testified against him, their testimony was not worthy; but at the end, two men who were false witnesses stood up against him, and said, “We heard this man say, I will tear down this temple of Yahweh, which is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, which is not made with hands.” But even this testimony was not worthy; and the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Yeshua, and said, “You are not answering anything? What is it that these men testify against you?” And Yeshua was silent, and made no answer; and again the high priest asked him, and said, “I adjure you by the living Yahweh, to tell us if you are the meshiach, the son of Yahweh, the blessed one?” And Yeshua said to him, “You say that I am; but I say to you, that from henceforth, you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with a host of angels of heaven.” And the high priest then tore his robe, and said, “He is blaspheming; why therefore do we need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy from his own mouth; what do you think? What else do you want?” They answered, and said, “He is guilty of death.” And they all decided that he was guilty of death. Then some of the men began to spit in his face, and they covered his face and struck him on his head, and others beat him, and said to him, “You meshiach, prophesy to us; who struck you?” And the soldiers smote him on his cheeks; and when Simon Cephas was sitting outside below in the courtyard; and a young maidservant of the high priest saw him sitting by the fire warming himself, and she looked at him, and came up to him, and said, “You also were with Yeshua the Nazarene, this man also was with him.” But he denied it before all of them, and said, “Woman, I do not know him, I do not understand what you are saying.” And after a little while as he was going to the porch, and the cock crowed; and the same young maid saw him, and began to say to those who stood by, “This man was also there with Yeshua the Nazarene, you also are one of them.” And again he denied it, with oaths, saying, “I am not, I do not know the man.” And after an hour, those who were standing by came up, another one argued, and said to Cephas, “Truly this man also is one of them, for you also are a Galilean, and even your speech is like theirs, your speech proves it.” Then Cephas began to curse, and to swear, saying, “Man, I do not know what you are saying, I do not know the man of whom you speak.” And immediately while he was still speaking, the cock crowed the second time; and Yeshua turned and looked at Cephas; and Simon Cephas remembered the words that Yeshua had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me thrice.” And he went outside, and wept bitterly; and the men who held Yeshua mocked him, and they covered his head and smote him on his face, and said, “Prophesy! Who has struck you?” And many other things they revilingly uttered, and said against him; and as soon as it was daybreak, the elders and the high priests and the scribes gathered together, and brought him up to their council chamber; and they said to him “If you are the meshiach, tell us.” He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe me; and if I ask you, you will not answer me, nor release me. From henceforth the son of man will sit at the right hand of the power of Yahweh.” And they all said, “Are you then the son of Yahweh?” Yeshua said to them, “You say that I am.” And they said, “Why then do we need witnesses? For we have heard it from his own mouth.” And forthwith, when it was morning, the high priests with the elders of the people and the scribes, and the whole Sanhedrim, took counsel concerning Yeshua, how to put him to death.
Post 47 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (37)
Then the whole company of them rose up, and they bound him; and they led Yeshua from the presence of Caiaphas unto the Praetorium; and they delivered him to Pilate the governor. Then Judas the betrayer, when he saw that Yeshua was condemned, repented, and went away, and brought back the same thirty pieces of silver to the high priests and the elders, and he said, “I have sinned, because I have betrayed innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? That is your problem.” And he threw the silver into the Sanctuary, and departed, and he went away hanging his head; and the high priests took the silver, and said, “It is not lawful to put it into the house of offerings, because it is the price of blood; and they took counsel, and bought with it the potter’s field, for a cemetery for strangers. On this account that field is called the field of blood, to this day. And it was morning; and they did not enter into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled before they had eaten the passover; and Pilate then went outside where they were, and said to them, “What accusation do you have against this man?” And they began to accuse him, and said, “If he were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him up to you.” Then said Pilate to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your own law.” The Israelites said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put a man to death.” (So that the speech of Yeshua might be fulfilled, when he made known by what death he was to die.) And Plate then entered into the Praetorium, and called Yeshua, and said to him, “Are you the king of the Israelites?” Yeshua said to him, “Do you say this of yourself, or have others told it to you concerning me?” Pilate said to him, “Why, am I a Israelite? Your own people, and the high priests have delivered you to me; what have you done?” Yeshua said to him, “My kingdom is not from here; if my kingdom were from here, my servants would have fought, that I should not be delivered to the Israelites; but now, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate said to him, “Then are you a king?” Yeshua said to him, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this very thing I was sent to Israel, that I may bear witness concerning the truth. Whoever is of the truth, will hear my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is this truth?” And as he said this, he went out again to the Israelites, and said to them, “I am unable to find even one cause against him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him.” And while the hight priests and elders were accusing him of many things, he gave no answer; and Pilate asked again, and said to him, “Do you not answer? See how many are testifying against you.” But he did not answer him, not even a word; and because of this, Pilate marveled greatly. And they began to accuse him, and said, “We found this man misleading our people, and forbidding to pay the head tax to Caesar; and he says concerning him that he is a king, even the meshiach.” And Pilate asked him, saying, “Are you the king of the Israelites?” He said to him, “That is what you say.” Then Pilate said to the high priests and the company, “I cannot find any fault against this man. You have a custom that I should release to you one at the passover; do you wish, therefore, that I release to you this king of the Israelites?” And they all shouted, cried out saying, “Not him, but Barabbas. Now this Barabbas was a bandit. Then Pilate had Yeshua scourged; and the soldiers wove a crown of thorns, and placed it on his head, and they clothed him with purple garments; and they said, “Hail, king of the Israelites!” And they struck him on his cheeks. And Pilate again went outside, and said to them, “Lo, I bring him outside to you, that you may know that I find not even one cause against him.” And Yeshua went outside, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple garments; and Pilate said to them, Lo, the man!” And when the high priests and the officials saw him, they cried out, and said, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “You take him, and crucify him; for I find no cause in him.” The Israelites said to him, “We have a law, and according to our law, he is guilty of death, because he made himself the son of Yahweh.” And when Pilate heard this saying, he was the more afraid; and he entered again into the Praetorium, and said to Yeshua, “Where do you come from?” And Yeshua gave him no answer. Pilate said to him, “Will you not speak even to me? Do you not know that I have the authority to release you, and I have the authority to crucify you?” Yeshua said to him, “You would have no authority whatever over me, if it had not been given to you from on high. for this reason the sin of him who delivered me to you, is greater than yours.” And because of this Pilate wanted to release him; but the Israelites cried out “He has stirred up our people, teaching throughout Judah, and beginning from Galilee, even to this place.” And Pilate, when he heard the name Galilee, he asked if the man was a Galilean; and having learned that he was from under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, because he was in Jerusalem at that time; and when Herod saw Yeshua, he was exceedingly glad, for he had wanted to see him for a long time, because he had heard many things concerning him, and he hoped to see some miracle by him; and he asked him may questions; but Yeshua gave him no answer; and the high priests and the scribes stood up, and accused him bitterly; and Herod and his soldiers insulted him, and mocked him, and dressed him in a scarlet robe, and sent him to Pilate; and that day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other; for there had been a long-standing enmity between them; and Pilate called the high priests and the leaders of the people, and he said to them, “You brought me this man, as if he were misleading your people; and I have examined him before your own eyes, and I have found no fault in him concerning all that you accuse him, nor even has Herod; for I sent him to him; and he has done nothing worthy of death. I will therefore chastise him, and release him.” And because of this Pilate wanted to release him; but the Israelites cried out, “If you release this man you are not a friend of Caesar; for whoever makes himself a king, is against Caesar; and when Pilate heard this declaration, he brought Yeshua outside; then he sat down on the judgment seat at a place which is called the Stone Pavement; and it was the preparation for the passover; and it was about the sixth hour; and he said to the Israelites, “Lo, your king!” But they cried out, “Take him away, take him away; crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests said to him, “We have no king, but Caesar.”
Now on every feast day, it was the custom of the governor, to release one prisoner to the people, anyone whom they asked for; and there was one, a well-known prisoner, called Barabbas, who was bound with those who made insurrection, and who had committed murder during that insurrection; and when they were gathered together, the people cried out, and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to the custom. Pilate answered, and said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas or Yeshua who is called the meshiach. Are you willing, that I release to you the king of the Israelites?” For Pilate knew that the high priests had delivered him, because of envy; but all the people cried out saying, “Get rid of him, and release to us Barabbas!” And when the governor was sitting on his judgment seat, his wife sent to him, and said to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man; for today I have suffered a great deal in my dream because of him.” But the high priests and the elders urged the people to ask for Barabbas, and to destroy Yeshua; and the governor answered, and said to them, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “What shall I then do with Yeshua, who is called the meshiach?” They all said, “Let him be crucified.” But the high priests incited the people the more, that he should release Barabbas to them; and Pilate said to them “What then do you wish me to do to this man, whom you call the king of the Israelites.” And they cried out again, “Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “What evil has he done?” But they cried out the more, and said, “Crucify him!” Again Pilate spoke to them, desiring to release Yeshua; but they cried out, saying, “Crucify him, crucify him!” And he said to them the third time, “What evil has he done? I have found nothing in him worthy of death; I will therefore chastise him, and release him; but they persisted with loud voices, and asked to crucify him; and their voices, and that of the high priests prevailed; and when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but that instead confusion was increasing, he took water, and washed his hands before the people, and said, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; do as you please.” And all the people then answered, and said, “Let his blood be on us, and on our children.” And Pilate wanted to do the will of the people; Then Pilate commanded to have their request granted; and he released to them the one, who because of sedition and murder had been cast into prison, whom they asked for; and scourged Yeshua with whips, and delivered Yeshua to their pleasure; and the soldiers of the governor took Yeshua to the inner courtyard, which is the Praetorium; and they called to together the whole company; and the whole company gathered around him; and they removed his clothes, and put on him a scarlet robe; and they wove a crown of thorns, and put it on him, and a reed in his right hand; and they began to salute him, “Hail, king of the Israelites!” And they fell on their knees before him, and were mocking him, and saying, “Hail, king of the Israelites!” And took the reed, and struck him on his head, and spat in his face, and fell on their knees, and doing homage to him; and when they had mocked him, they took off the scarlet robe, and put on his own clothes, and took him out to crucify him; and as they were going out, they found a man who was passing by, Simon the Cyrenian, who was coming from the fields, the father of Alexander and Rufus, whom they compelled to carry his pole; and laid upon him the pole, to bear it after Yeshua; and many people followed him, and the women who were mourning and wailing over him; and Yeshua turned to them, and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep over me; but weep over yourselves, and over your own children; for lo, the days are coming in which they will say, “Happy are the barren, and the wombs that never gave birth, and the breasts that never gave suck. Then they will begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us; for if they do these things with the green wood, what will be done with dry wood?” And there were coming with him two others malefactors, to be put to death; and when they came to a place which is called Skull, they crucified him there, and the malefactors, one on his right, and one on his left, and Yeshua in the middle.
Post 48 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (38)
And Pilate also wrote on a stone tablet, and placed it on his pole; and the writing was, “THIS IS YEHSUA THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE ISRAELITES!” And a great many Israelites read this tablet, for the place where Yeshua was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, and in Greek, and in Latin; and the high priests then said to Pilate, “Do not write that he is the king of the Israelites.” Pilate said, “What I have written, I have written!” And Yeshua said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing; and they gave him to drink vinegar mixed with gall; and he tasted it, but he would not drink; and they gave him to drink wine mixed with myrrh; but he would not take it; and the soldiers, when they had crucified Yeshua, took his garments, and made four parcels of them, a parcel for each of the soldiers; and cast lots on them, to see what each man should take; and his robe was without seam from the top, woven throughout; and they said one to another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see whose it shall be.” And the scripture was fulfilled, which said, “They divided my clothes among them, and for my robe, they cast lots.” And they were sitting there, and watching him. These things the soldiers did; and the people stood looking on; and even the leaders of the synagogue mocked him, and said, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Meshiach, the chosen one of Yahweh!” And the soldiers ridiculed him, as they came near him, and offered him vinegar, and saying to him, “If you are the king of the Israelites, save yourself.”
And it was the third hour when they crucified him; and the reason for his death was inscribed in writing, placed above his head, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE ISRAELITES.” And they crucified with him two robbers, one on his right, and one on his left; and the scripture was fulfilled which said, “He was accounted among the wicked.” And those who passed by blasphemed against him, nodding their heads, and said, “You who can tear down the temple, and build it in three days, deliver yourself; if you are the son of Yahweh, and come down from the pole.” The high priests likewise were mocking, laughing among themselves, together with the scribes, the elders, and the Pharisees; and they were saying, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself. Meshiach, you are the king of Israel! If he is the king of Israel, let him now come down from the pole, so that we may see, and believe in him. He trusted in Yahweh; let him save him now, if he is pleased with him; for he said, “I am Yahweh’s son.” In like manner the robbers, who were crucified with him, were also reproaching him; and one of the malefactors who were crucified with him blasphemed against him, and said, “If you are the meshiach, save yourself, and save us also.” But his fellow malefactor rebuked him, and said to him, “Do you not fear even Yahweh, for you are also in the same judgment? And ours is just, for we are paid as we deserve, and as we have done; but he has done nothing wrong.” And he said to Yeshua, “Remember me, meshiach, when you come in your kingdom.” And there were standing near the pole of Yeshua, his mother, and his mother’s sister, and Mary of Cleopas, and Mary of Magdala; and when Yeshua saw his mother, and the disciple whom he was found of standing by, he said to his mother, “Woman, lo, your son!” And he said to the disciple, “Lo, your mother!” And from that very hour the disciple took her with him.” And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over all the land, which lasted until the ninth hour; and about the ninth hour, Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, and said, “My Yahweh, my Yahweh, for this I was spared!” And some of the men who were standing by, when they heard it, said, “This man has called for Elijah.” And immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and tied it on a reed to give him a drink; but the rest said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah will come to save him.” And he said, “Hush, let us see if Elijah will come to take him down.” After these things Yeshua knew that everything was now accomplished; and that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, “I thirst.” And a vessedl was standing there, full of vinegar; and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it on the point of a reed, and placed it on his mouth; and when Yeshua drank the vinegar, then Yeshua again cried out with a loud voice, and said, “My Father, into your hands I commit my soul. It is fulfilled.” He said this, and he bowed his head, and gave up his soul, and it was finished; and the sun was darkened, and immediately the curtains at the door of the Sanctuary, were torn in the center in two, from the top to the bottom; and when the centurion, who stood near him, saw that he cried out in this manner, and died, he praised Yahweh, and said, “Truly this was a righteous man. Truly this man was the son of Yahweh.” And those who were with him watching Yeshua, and they said, “Truly this man was the son of Yahweh.” And all the people who were gathered together to see this sight, when they saw what had happened, returned, beating their breasts; and all the acquaintances of Yeshua stood afar off, and there were also many women who were looking on, from a distance, those who had followed Yeshua, when he was in Galilee, and who used to minister to him. One of them was Mary of Magdala; and others were Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses and Salome, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee, and many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem; and they were beholding these things.
And because it was the preparation, the Israelites said, “Let not these bodies remain on their poles, because the sabbath is dawning.” For that sabbath was a great sabbath; and they besought Pilate to have the legs of those who were crucified broken, and to have the bodies lowered down; and the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him; but when they came to Yeshua, they saw that he was dead already; and they did not break his legs; but one of the soldiers thrust a spear into his side; and immediately there issued out blood and water; for these things happened that the scripture might be fulfilled, which said, “Not even a bone shall be broken in him.” And again another scripture which said, “They shall look on him whom they pierced.” After these things, when it was evening, there came a rich man named Joseph, an honorable counsellor of Ramtha, a city of Judah, a good and righteous man, who was a disciple of Yeshua, and he did not agree with their decision and their actions, who was also waiting for the sovereignty of Yahweh; but secretly, because of fear of the Israelites, he dared to go to Pilate, and ask that he might take away the body of Yeshua; and Pilate marveled that he was already dead, and he called the centurion, and asked him if he had already died, and when he learned it, Pilate granted him permission; and Joseph bought linen, and he came, and he took him down, and took away the body of Yeshua; and there came also Nicodemus, who at first had come to Yeshua by night; and he brought with him a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pints; and they took away the body of Yeshua, and wrapped him in shroud of fine linen cloths with the spices, according to the custom of the Israelites in burial; and there was a garden in the place where Yeshua was crucified; and in the garden a new tomb which was hewn in a rock, in which no person was yet laid; and they laid Yeshua there; and they rolled a large stone, and placed it against the door of the tomb and went away, because the sabbath was approaching; and those women who had come with him from Galilee were sitting opposite of the tomb, and Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of Joses saw the tomb, and how his body was laid; and they returned, and prepared spices and perfumes; and on the sabbath they rested, as it is commanded. And on the day that was next after the preparation, the high priests and the Pharisees together came to Pilate, and they said to Pilate, “Governor, we have just remembered that, that deceiver used to say when he was alive, After three days, I will rise again. Command, therefore, that precautions be taken at the tomb for three days. It is probable that his disciples may come, and steal him at night, and then say to the people, He has risen from the dead; and the last deception, will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have guards; go and take precautions as best you know.” And they went, and kept a watch at the tomb, and together with the guards, they sealed the stone.
Post 49 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (39)
And when the sabbath had passed, Mary Magdala, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, and brought the spices they bought, which they had prepared; and there were with them other women, that they might come and anoint him; and early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb as the sun was just rising; and they said among themselves, “Who will roll back for us, the stone from the door of the tomb?” And lo, a great earthquake took place; for the angel of Yahweh descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat on it; and his appearance was like lightning, and his garments were white as snow; and for fear of him, the guards who were watching trembled, and became as if they were dead; and they looked, and saw that the stone was rolled away; for it was very large; and the angel answered, and said to the woman, “You need not be afraid, for I know that you are seeking Yeshua who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, just as he had said. Come, see the place where the meshiach was laid; and go quickly, and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead; and lo, he will go before you to Galilee; there you will see him; lo, I have told you.” And they entered the tomb, and found not the body of Yeshua; and saw a young man, sitting on the right, covered with a white robe; and they were astonished; but he said to them, “Do not be afraid. You seek Yeshua the Nazarene, who was crucified; he has risen; he is not here; lo, the place where he was laid; but go away, and tell his disciples, and Cephas, that he will be before you in Galilee; there you will see him, just as he has told you.” And as they wondered at this, lo, two men stood above them, and their garments were shining; and they were afraid, and bowed their faces to the ground; and they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, he has risen; remember that he spoke to you while he was in Galilee, saying that the son of man had to be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and raised up on the third day.” And when they heard it, they remembered his words, and they went away hurriedly out of the tomb, for they were seized with amazement and trembling fear, and with great joy running to tell his disciples; and lo, Yeshua met them, and said to them, “Peace be to you.” And they came up, and laid at his feet, and did homage to him. Then Yeshua said to them, “Do not be afraid; but go, and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” And they said nothing to anyone, for they were frightened; and while they were going, some of the guards came into the city, and told the high priests everything that had happened; and they gathered with the elders, and took counsel; and they gave money, not a small sum, to the guards, telling them, “Say that his disciples came by night, and stole him while we were sleeping; and if this should be heard by the governor, we will appeal to him, and declare that you are blameless.” And they took the money, and did as they were instructed; and this word has gone out among the Israelites even to this day.
And they returned from the tomb, and told all these glad tidings to the eleven, and to the rest, who now were mourning and weeping. They were Mary of Magdala, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the rest who were with them, who told these things to the apostles; and when they heard them saying that he was alive, and had appeared to them, these words appeared in their eyes as delusions, and they did not believe them; and Mary of Magdala said to Simon Cephas, and to that other disciple whom Yeshua was fond of, “They have taken our teacher out of that tomb, and I do not know where they have laid him.” And Simon rose up, and the other disciple went out, and came to the tomb; and they were both running together; but that disciple outran Simon, and came first to the tomb; and he looked in, and saw the linen cloths lying; but he did not enter in; and Simon came after him, and he looked in and entered into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there by itself; and the burial napkin which was bound around his head was not with the linen cloths, but was wrapped up, and put in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had come first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed; for they did yet not understand from the scripture, that he had to rise from the dead; and the disciples went away again to their lodging place, but Simon went away wondering in himself at what had occurred; but Mary was standing near the tomb weeping; and as she wept, she looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Yeshua had lain; and they said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my teacher, and I do not know where they have laid him.” She said this, and turned around, and saw Yeshua standing, but she did not know that it was Yeshua. Yeshua said to her, “Woman, why do you weep? And whom do you want?” And she thought he was the gardener, and she said to him, “Sir, if you are the one who has taken him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will go, and take him away. Yeshua said to her, “Mary!” And she turned around, and said to him, “My teacher!” Yeshua said to her, “Do not come near me; for I have not yet ascended to my Father; but to my brethren, and say to them, I am ascending to my Father, and your Father; and my Yahweh, and your Yahweh.” Then Mary of Magdala came, and brought glad tidings to the disciples, that she had seen Yeshua, and that he had told her these things.
And lo, two of them, on the same day, were going to a village called Emmaus, about sixty furlongs from Jerusalem; and they were talking with each other concerning all these things that had happened; and while they were speaking, and asking each other, Yeshua came and overtook them, and walked with them; and the sight of their eyes was blurred, that they could not recognize him; and he said to them, “What are these words that you are discussing with each other, as you walk and are sad?” And one of them, name Cleopas, answered, and said to him, “Are you alone a stranger from Jerusalem, that you do not know what has happened in it, in these days?” He said to them, “What things?” They said to him, “About Yeshua of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty in word and deed before Yahweh, and before all the people; and the high priests and the elders delivered him up to the judgment of death, and they crucified him; but we were hoping that he was the one to save Israel; and lo, it is three days since all these things happened; and some of our women also amaze us, for they went early to the tomb; and when his body was not found, they came, and they said that he is alive; and some of our men also went to the tomb, and they found it as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then Yeshua said to them, “O deficient in understanding, and slow of heart to believe all the things that the prophets uttered. Were not these things to be; the meshiach should suffer, and that he should enter into his glory?” Then he began from Moses, and from all the prophets, and expounded to them concerning himself from all the scriptures; and they drew near to the village to which they were going; and he made them feel, as if he would go to a more distant place; and they urged him, and said, “Remain with us; for the day is spent, and it is near dark.” And he entered to stay with them; and it occurred, while he reclined with them, that he took bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to them; and instantly, their eyes were opened, and, they knew him; and he took himself from them; and they said one to another, “Were not our minds dull within us, when he spoke with us on the road, and interpreted the scriptures to us?” And they rose up that very hour, and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together, and those who were with them, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Israelites, saying, “Truly Yeshua has risen, and has appeared to Simon.” And they also reported those things that happened on the road, and how they knew him as he broke bread, but they would not believe them; and while they were discussing these things, Yeshua stood in the midst of them while they were reclining, and said to them, “Peace be with you; it is I; do not be afraid.” And they were confused and frightened, for they thought they saw a unclean spirit. Yeshua said to them, “Why do you tremble? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I; handle me, and understand; for a spirit has no flesh and bones, as you see I have.” And when he said these things, he showed them his hands and his feet and his side, and the disciples rejoiced when they saw Yeshua; and as they still did not believe, for their joy, and were bewildered; he said to them, “Have you here anything to eat?” And they gave him a portion of a broiled fish, and of a honeycomb; and he took it, and ate before their eyes; and he upbraided them for their little believing, and the dulness of their hearts, because they had not believed those who saw him risen, and he said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you when I was with you, that everything must be fulfilled which is written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.” Then he opened their mind to understand the scriptures, and Yeshua said to them again, “Peace be with you; just as my Father has sent me, so I send you, and that repentance should be proclaim in his name for the forgiveness of sins among all nations; and the beginning will be from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” And as he said these things, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive you power from on high. And I will send to you the promise of my Father; but remain in the city of Jerusalem until you are filled with power from on high. If you shall remit sins to anyone, they will be remitted to him; and if you shall retain those of anyone, they will be retained.” But Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called the Twin, was not there with them, when Yeshua came; and the disciples said to him, “We have seen Yeshua.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the marks of the nails, and put my fingers in them, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” And after eight days, the disciples were again indoors, and Thomas with them, Yeshua came, when the doors were locked, and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and reach out your hand, and put it into my side; and be not unbelieving, but believing. Thomas answered, and said to him, “Yeshua, my teacher!” Yeshua said to him, “Now you believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen me, and have believed.”
And the eleven disciples then went to a mountain where Yeshua had promised to meet them; and when they saw him, they did homage to him; but some of them were doubtful; and Yeshua came up, and spoke with them, and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Just as my Father has sent me, I am also sending you. Go, and teach them to obey everything that I have instructed you; and, lo, I am with you always, unto the end of the age.” After these things, Yeshua showed himself again to his disciples by the lake of Galilee; and he appeared in this way; they were all together, Simon Cephas, and Thomas who is called the twin, and Nathanael of Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of the disciples. Simon Cephas said to them, “I am going to catch fish.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” And they went out, and climbed up into the boat; and that night they caught nothing; and when morning came, Yeshua stood by the lakeside; and the disciples did not know that it was Yeshua; and Yeshua said to them, “Lads, have you got anything to eat?” They said to him, “No.” He said to them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find fish.” And they threw it, and they were not able to draw the net, because of the many fish which it had caught; and that disciple whom Yeshua was fond of, said to Cephas, “That is Yeshua.” And when Simon heard that it was Yeshua, he took his cloak, and girded it around his waist, because he was naked; and he jumped into the lake to come to Yeshua; but the other disciples came by boat; for they were not very far from land, but two hundred cubits, and they were dragging the net of fish; and when they landed, they saw burning coals set, and a fish laid on them, and bread; and Yeshua said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” And Simon Cephas went up, and drew the net to land, full of large fishes, one hundred and fifty-three; and in spite of this weight, the net did not break; and Yeshua said to them, “Come and dine.” And not one of the disciples dared to ask him who he was, for they knew he was Yeshua; This is the third time that Yeshua appeared to his eleven disciples after he was raised up from the dead; and when they had dined, Yeshua said to Simon Cephas, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me more than these things?” He said to him, “Yes, Yeshua, you know that I love you.” Yeshua said to him, “Feed my lambs for me.” Again, he said to him the second time, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Yeshua, you know that I love you.” Yeshua said to him, “Feed my sheep for me.” Again, Yeshua said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?” And it grieved Cephas, that he said to him the third time, Do you love me? And he said to him, “Yeshua, you know that I love you.” Yeshua said to him, “Feed my sheep for me. Truly I say to you, when you were young, you tied up your girdle yourself, and walked wherever you pleased; but when you become old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will tie up for you your girdle, and take you where you do not wish to go.” He said this to show by what death he was to glorify Yahweh; and when he had said these things, he said to him, “Follow me.” Simon Cephas turned around, and saw the disciple whom Yeshua was fond of following him, the one who leaned on the breast of Yeshua at the supper, and said, “My teacher, who will betray you?” When Cephas saw him, he said to Yeshua, “Yeshua, what about him?” Yeshua said to him, “If I wish him to remain until I come, what difference does that make to you? You follow me!” And this saying went forth among the brethren, that this disciple would not die; but what Yeshua said was not that he would not die, but, If I wish that he should remain until I come, what difference does that make to you?”
The very ones to whom he had also shown himself alive, after he had suffered, with many wonders during the forty days, while appearing to them, and talking with them concerning the sovereignty of Yahweh; and as he ate bread with them, he instructed them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, the power from on high, which you have heard from me. For, he said, “John baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with power from on high, not many days hence.” And while they were assembled, they asked him, saying, “Yeshua, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know the time, or times which the Father has put under his own authority; but when the power from on high comes in you, you shall receive power, and you shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judah, also in the province of Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.” And he led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them; and it occurred, while he blessed them, he ascended, while they were looking at him, a host of angels received him, and he was hidden from their sight; and ascended to heaven, and sat on the right hand of Yahweh.
Post 50 of the tree of life series
The Conclusion
Are we treating the blood of the meshiach, as ordinary blood? We need to consider, what the meshiach did with that blood, after Yahweh raised him from among the dead. Yeshua entered into heaven itself, and entered the tent that Yahweh pitched-Hebrews chapter nine talks about Yeshua being our high priest, and what Yeshua did with his own blood, in that tent Yahweh pitched. Let us be watchful, that gathering together is coming, let us be alert.
Only dead fish, go with the flow! The religions of this world have been pushing that spirit and three-in-one god teachings for years! Paul never taught that spirit, or that three-in-one god teaching, being push by the religions of this world! Paul was all about us Gentiles getting to share in Israel’s inheritance. Yeshua was all about getting everyone access to that life, which is the same kind of life, the tree of life would have produced; but thanks to what Yeshua accomplished, we now have access to that life; and that life Yeshua got, is within some kind of flesh and bone body. This is just a simple blog, wherein it shows that the human race did have access to that life, but the human race got cheated out of that life! Now, the human race has access to that life again.
The harmonizing of the gospels is a cool research, get out your bibles, and follow along; it does need some work, and I will keep working it, thanks Robert O. Stone
If one really thinks about it, having that good and bad knowledge is no guarantee that one will choose or incline towards the good. After all, that’s what the serpent omitted in his speech, before Eve ate off the tree of knowledge of good and bad. The serpent said, “You are not going to die, but Yahweh knows that as soon as you eat of it, your eyes will be opened and you will be like divine beings, who know good and bad.” It’s true in one sense, but false in another; the serpent sort of omitted to point out, that its the power of moral choice alone, that is Yahweh like. The very action that brought Adam and Eve a Yahweh like awareness of their mortal autonomy, was an action that was taken in opposition to Yahweh. Yahweh knows that, that human beings will become like Yahweh, knowing good and bad; it’s one of the things about Yahweh, he knows good and bad, and has chosen the good. For Adam and Eve to have true freedom of will, Adam and Eve have to have the freedom to rebel. This is why this tree is in the garden, next to the tree of life; instead, evil will come about as a result of the clash of the will of Yahweh, and the will of humans, who happen to have the freedom to rebel. Human beings, and only human beings are the potential source of evil, responsibility for evil will lie in the hands of human beings. Yet, evil is represented not as a physical reality, it’s not built into the structure of Eden, evil is a condition of human existence, and to assert that evil stems from human behavior. The drama of Adam and Eve’s life should revolve not around the search for eternal life, nor preoccupation with immortality; it was not in Yahweh’s design for this kind of drama. It was Yahweh’s design for the tree of life to have been eaten of, there was no danger to Adam and Eve going on eternally, being immortal. The eating off the tree of knowledge of good and bad, has caused a moral conflict and tension between Yahweh’s good design for creation, and the free will of human beings that can corrupt that good design. Evil is a product of human behavior, not a principal inherent in the cosmos. Man’s disobedience is the cause of the human predicament. Human freedom can be at one and the same time an omen of disaster, and a challenge, and opportunity.
So despite Adam and Eve’s newfound mortality, humans are going to be a force to be reckoned with. They’re unpredictable to the very Yahweh who created them. Yahweh has to modify his plan, by barring access to the tree of life; that was not something presumably Yahweh planned to do. Adam and Eve had access to this tree up to that point, as long as their will conformed to the will of Yahweh, there was no danger to their going on eternally, being immortal. Once they discovered their moral freedom, once they discovered that they could thwart Yahweh and work evil in the world, and abuse and corrupt all that Yahweh had created, then Yahweh could not afford to allow them access to the tree of life. That would be tantamount to creating divine enemies, immortal enemies. So Yahweh must maintain the upper hand in his struggle with these humans who have learned to defy him. And Yahweh maintains the upper hand in this, the fact that humans eventually must die. Yahweh stations the cherubim and the fiery ever-turning sword to guard the way back to the tree of life, once Adam and Eve were banished from the garden. The tree of life is now inaccessible; no humans have access to immortality, and the pursuit of immortality is futile. So it might be then that Yahweh really spoke the truth after all, the fruit of the tree of knowledge of good and bad did bring death to the human race.
Post 2 of the tree of life series
The Noahide Covenant
Cain is culpable, and for someone to be culpable of something, we have to assume some principle that they have violated. There seems to be in existence from the beginning of creation this universal moral law, and that is: Yahweh-endowed sanctity of human life. The fact that Yahweh has created humans in his own image, but Yahweh-endowed sanctity of human life is an assumption, and it’s the violation of the assumption which makes Cain culpable. Despite Yahweh’s warning to Cain, that it’s possible to master the urge to violence by an act of will. Yahweh says, “Sin couches at the door; its urge is toward you, yet you can be its master.” The tension between settled areas, and the unsettled desert areas and desert life of the nomads. Abel is a keeper of sheep. He represents the nomadic pastoralist, unlike Cain who is the tiller of soil, so he represents more settled urban life. Yet Cain’s fatal and culpable refusal to reconcile himself to what Yahweh told him; Yahweh prefers the offering of Abel, and as a result Cain’s distressed and jealous to the point of murder. Yahweh’s reference of the offering of Abel valorized the free life of the nomadic pastoralist over urban existence. After the murder, Cain responds to a question Yahweh asked him, “Am I my brother’s keeper?” We are all of us our brothers’ keepers, and the strong implication that all homicide is in fact fratricide. Yahweh yields to Cain’s plea and protects him from the fate he inflicted on Abel. The man who could not tolerate Yahweh’s inscrutable grace, now benefits from it. Yet, the murderous first-born son of Adam, his offspring will not survive the flood.
The world dissolves, corruption, and injustice, and lawlessness, and violence inevitably bring about destruction. When humans destroy the moral basis of society, when they are violent or cruel or unkind, they endanger the very existence of that society. These humans were not being punished for religious sins, for idolatry, for worshipping the wrong god, or anything of that nature. By virtue of having been created by Yahweh in the image of Yahweh-they are bound to a basic moral law that precludes, murder and other forms of oppression and violence. Inhumanity and violence undermine the very foundations of society, Yahweh provides a moral rationale for his actions. The earth is destroyed because of the violence, bloodshed, but also all kinds of injustice and oppression. Noah is saved specifically for his righteousness, he was righteous in his generation. Noah was chosen therefore for moral reasons. Yahweh is not acting capriciously, but according to certain clear standards of justice. This was deserved punishment and the person who was saved was righteous. Yahweh makes the decision to punish humans because the world has corrupted itself through bloodshed and violence. Yahweh selects Noah due to his righteousness and Yahweh issues a direct command to build an ark.
Yahweh realized that he’s going to have to make some concession. Yahweh’s going to have to make a concession to human weakness and the human desire to kill. And Yahweh’s going to have to rectify the circumstances that made his destruction of the earth necessary in the first place. So Yahweh establishes a covenant with Noah, and humankind receives its first set of explicit laws. The Noahide covenant, they apply to all humanity; this covenant explicitly prohibits murder. The spilling of human blood, blood is the symbol of life; life is in the blood. So blood is the biblical symbol of life, but Yahweh is going to make a concession to the human appetite for power and violence. Before the flood humans were to be vegetarian, the portrait was one in which humans and animals did not compete for food, or consume one another. Humans were vegetarian. Now Yahweh is saying humans may kill animals to eat them. But even so, Yahweh says, the animal’s life is to be treated with reverence, and the blood which is the life essence must be poured out on the ground, returned to Yahweh, not consumed. So the animal may be eaten to satisfy the human hunger for flesh, but the life essence itself belongs to Yahweh. It must not be taken, even if it’s for the purposes of nourishment. Genesis 9:4-6, “You must not however, eat flesh with its life-blood in it; but for your own life-blood I will require a reckoning. I will require it of every beast; of man, too, will I require a reckoning for human life, of every man for that of his fellow man! Whoever sheds the blood of man, by man shall his blood be shed; for in Yahweh’s image did Yahweh make man.” So if you are killed by a beast or a human, there will have to be a reckoning, an accounting. Whoever sheds the blood of a person, in exchange for the person shall his blood be shed, all life, human and animal, is sacred to Yahweh. The Noahide covenant also entails Yahweh’s promise to restore the rhythm of life and nature, and never again to destroy the earth. The rainbow is set up as a symbol of the eternal covenant, a token of the eternal reconciliation between the divine and human realms.
Post 3 of the tree of life series
Patriarchical Covenant
Yahweh learned immediately after creating this unique being, that he will exercise his free will against Yahweh. Yahweh saw that he had to limit the life span of humans, or risk creating an enemy that was nearly equal to him. So he casts the humans out of the garden of Eden, and blocks access to the tree of life. Yet, humans continue their violent and evil ways, and in desperation, Yahweh wipes them out and starts again. After the flood, humans prove to be not much better. They forget Yahweh, they turn to idolatry. Yet, the Noahide covenant, which is universal in scope, it encompasses all life on earth. It stresses the sanctity of life, and in this covenant, Yahweh has promised not to destroy all humankind again. So Yahweh experiments with a single individual of believing; Abraham’s believing withstands many a trial. Yahweh is the owner of the land, Abraham was called to. Yahweh is empowered to set conditions or residency requirements for those who would reside in it, like a landlord. Yahweh is seeking replacement tenants who are going to follow the moral rules of residence that Yahweh has established for his land. Yahweh’s promise to Abraham is formalized in a ritual ceremony called a suzerainty covenant. The patriarchical covenant, which is a covenant in which a superior party, a suzerain dictates the terms of a political treaty usually, and an inferior party obeys them. The arrangement primarily serves the interest of the suzerain, and not the vassal or the subject. So Yahweh is making a land grant to a favored subject, and there’s an ancient ritual that ratifies the oath. In this kind of covenant, the parties to the oath would pass between the split carcass of a sacrificial animal, as if to say, that they agree they will suffer the same fate as this animal, if they violate the covenant. Abraham cuts sacrificial animals in two, and Yahweh, but only Yahweh, passes between the two halves. Only Yahweh seems to be obligated by the covenant, obligated to fulfill the promise that he’s made. Abraham doesn’t appear to have any obligation in return. In this case, it is the subject, Abraham, and not the suzerain, Yahweh, who is benefited by this covenant, and that’s a complete reversal of this ritual ceremony. Their is a moral justification for the grant of land to Abraham, the current inhabitants of the land are polluting it, filling it with bloodshed and idolatry. And when the land becomes so polluted, completely polluted, it will spew out its inhabitants. That process, Yahweh says, isn't complete; so Abraham's offspring through Isaac, they are going to have to wait, the lease isn’t up yet.
Abraham is obedient to Yahweh in a way that no one has been up to this point, but ultimately, the model of blind obedience is rejected, too. When Abraham prepares to slaughter his own son, Yahweh sees that blind believing can be as destructive and evil as disobedience, so Yahweh relinquishes his demand for blind obedience. The only relationship that will work with humans is one in which there is a balance between unchecked independence and blind obedience, and Yahweh seems to finally have found the working relationship with humans that he has been seeking since their creation, with a man named Jacob. When Jacob undergoes a change in name, Israel, meaning one who wrestles, who struggles with Yahweh; Yahweh and humans lock in an eternal struggle, neither prevailing, yet both forever changed by their encounter with one another.
Post 4 of the tree of life series
Mosaic Covenant
Yahweh’s salvation of his people from Egypt, not the Christian sense of personal salvation from sin; that’s anachronistically read back into the Hebrew Bible. It’s not there. Salvation in the Hebrew Bible does not refer to an individual's deliverance from a sinful nature. This is not a concept that is found in the Hebrew Bible. Salvation refers instead, to the concrete, collective, communal salvation from national suffering and oppression, particularly in the form of foreign rule of enslavement. Remember Jacob’s sons; Joseph’s betrayal by his brothers, his decent into Egypt, set the stage, not only for the reformation of his brothers’ characters, but for the descent of all of the Israelites into Egypt, so as to survive widespread famine; threat of famine is overcome by the relocation to Egypt. Yahweh says to Jacob, “I myself will go down with you to Egypt, and I myself will also bring you back.” So in short, there seems to be a plan afoot. Israel’s descent to Egypt sets the stage for the rise of a pharaoh who, didn’t know Joseph, and all that he had done for Egypt. And this new pharaoh will enslave the Israelites, and so embitter their lives, that their cry will rise up to heaven. Yahweh as Israel’s redeemer and savior, is Yahweh’s physical deliverance of the nation from the hands of her foes. But the physical redemption of the Israelites is going to reach its climax in the covenant that will be concluded at Sinai.
Yahweh’s redemption of the Israelites, is a redemption for a purpose, for at Sinai, the Israelites will become Yahweh’s people, bound by a covenant. The covenant concluded at Sinai is referred to as the Mosaic covenant. The Mosaic covenant differs radically from the Noahide and the patriarchal covenants, because here Yahweh makes no promises beyond being the patron or protector of Israel; and also, in this covenant, he set terms that require obedience to a variety of laws and commandments. The Mosaic covenant is neither unilateral, it’s a bilateral covenant, involving mutual, reciprocal obligations, nor is it unconditional like the other two. It is conditional; the first bilateral, conditional covenant. If Israel doesn’t fulfill her oblations by obeying Yahweh’s torah, his instructions, and living in accordance with his will, as expressed in the laws and instruction, then Yahweh will not fulfill his obligation of protection and blessing towards Israel. So the Mosaic covenant, understanding of the relationship between Yahweh and Israel; the history of Israel will be governed by this one outstanding reality of covenant. Israel’s fortunes will be seen to ride on the degree of its faithfulness to this covenant. The nature of the biblical text, it reflects a range of perceptions about Yahweh and his relation to creation and to Israel. Understanding the making sense of the historical odyssey of the nation of Israel in covenant with Yahweh-that is its concern. Understanding Israel’s relationship with Yahweh, the vehicle of the suzerainty treaty. The use of a suzerainty treaty as a model for Israel’s relationship to Yahweh, expresses several key ideas. Suzerainty treaties are between a suzerain, who has a position obviously of power and authority, and a vassal. The historical prologue that’s so central to the suzerainty treaty grounds the obligations of Israel to Yahweh in the history of his acts on her behalf. Also the historical prologue bridges the gap between generations. Israel’s past and present and future generations form a collective entity, Israel, that collectively assents to the covenant. Even today, at Passover ceremonies everywhere, Israelites are reminded to see themselves, they’re reminded of the obligation to see themselves as if they personally came out of Egypt, and personally covenanted with Yahweh. The historical prologue explains why Israel accepts her place in the suzerain-vassal relationship. Israel’s acceptance of a relationship with Yahweh doesn’t stem from mystical introspection, or philosophical speculation. Instead the Israelites are affirming their identity and their relationship with Yahweh by telling a story, a story whose moral can only be that Yahweh is reliable. Israel can rely on Yahweh, just as a vassal can rely on his suzerain. Israel as a vassal, treat their fellow vassals well. Israel as a vassal, can’t serve two suzerains.
Post 5 of the tree of life series
Yahweh’s Sanctuary
In contrast to the land, Yahweh’s sanctuary can be purified for moral impurity by means of a special sacrifice. The blood of the animal, the blood of the sacrifice is the key to the whole ritual. Blood, the blood that courses through one’s veins, represents the life force; the Noahide covenant, you may not spill human blood. And you may not eat animal flesh that has the lifeblood in it, because the blood is the life and that belongs to Yahweh, that’s holy. So the life force is holy, and the life force is in the blood; Leviticus 17:11, repeats the blood prohibition, and then it offers a rationale. “For the life of the flesh is in the blood, and I have assigned it to you for making expiation for your lives upon the altar.” Yahweh assigned it to them to use in sacrificial practices. It is the blood as life that effects expiation, purging and atonement. The blood of sacrificial animals is assigned by Yahweh as a detergent, if you will, to cleanse the sanctuary of the impurities that are caused by the sinful deeds of the Israelites. Purification of the sanctuary was believed to be critical to the health and the well-being of the community. If the sanctuary is not purged of impurity, it can become polluted to the point when Yahweh is driven out entirely. The purification offering acts on the sanctuary, not on the offerer. It purges the sanctuary of the defilement that is symbolically; it has symbolically suffered from the offerer’s state of ritual impurity or sinfulness. Once the sanctuary is purged, the offerer has settled his debt, he’s repaired the damage he caused. He’s fully atoned, and Yahweh is no longer repelled by the impurity that marred his sanctuary. The defiling effect of lesser transgressions is calibrated to the sinner’s intentionality and the presence of absence of repentance. So inadvertent sins can be purged, the sanctuary defilement that they cause can be purged by bringing a purification sacrifice. Deliberate sins, as long as there is repentance, then they are converted into inadvertent sins, and they also can be purged, or the impurity they cause can be purged with a purification sacrifice. But brazen unrepentant sins, unrepented sins or unintentional sins that are never realized, these stand unremedied, and they defile the sanctuary. For this reason, the sanctuary has to be regularly purged of the accumulated defilements accruing to it as a result of such sins. On the day of atonement, a purification sacrifice is brought on behalf of the community to purify the sanctuary of the impurities that have been caused by Israel’s sin. And the high priest loads all of the sins and impurities of the Israelites on the head of a goat, which then carries them off into the wilderness away from the sanctuary.
Every sin pollutes the sanctuary; it may not mark the sinner, but, it does mark the sanctuary. It scars the face of the sanctuary. You may think you’ve gotten away with something, but every act of social exploitation, every act of moral corruption, pollutes the sanctuary more and more until such time as Yahweh is driven out entirely, and human society is devoured by its own viciousness and death-dealing. Humans are in control of their destiny, and the action of every individual affects and influences the fate of society. Collective responsibility; sin affects, individual sin affects the entire fabric of society. There’s no such thing as an isolated evil; our deeds affect one another. And when evildoers are finally punished, they bring down others with them, those others aren’t so blameless, because they allowed the wicked to flourish and contribute to the pollution of the sanctuary, the corruption of society. Holy things only exist because of safeguards, rules that keep them separate, that demarcate them. And these safeguards and rules are naturally addressed to human beings. They are the ones charged with the task of preserving the holy in its residence on earth. Although holiness derives from Yahweh, humans have a crucial role to play in sanctification, the Sabbath, Yahweh sanctified the Sabbath at creation; he demarcated it as holy. But Israel is the one to affirm its holiness by observing the rules that make it different, that mark it off as holy. So Israel doesn’t just in fact affirm the holy status of the Sabbath, they actualize the holy status of the Sabbath. If Israel doesn’t observe the prohibitions that distinguish the Sabbath as sacred, it’s automatically desecrated. There are two components integral and inseparable in the concept of holiness: Initial assignment of holy status by Yahweh and establishment of rules to preserve that holy status; and secondly, actualization of that holiness by humans through the observance of the commandments and rules that mark that thing off as holy.
Post 6 of the tree of life series
The Davidic Covenant
The moral and social bankruptcy of Israel at the end of the period of the judges at the dawn, or on the eve, of the monarchy, is Israel’s continued infidelity. A kingdom in which Yahweh is the king and the community is led by inspired judges in times of crisis-that structure, that institutional structure failed to establish stability, a stable continuous government. It failed to provide leadership against Israel’s enemies within and without. In their search for a new political order, the people turn to the prophet Samuel. Samuel warns of the tyranny of kings, the rapaciousness of kings, the service and the sacrifice they will require of the people in order to support their luxurious court life and their large harem, their bureaucracy and their army. The day will come, Samuel warns, when you cry out because of the king whom you yourselves have chosen; and Yahweh will not answer you on that day. The people won’t listen to Samuel, and they say quite significantly, no, we must have a king over us, that we may be like all the other nations, let our king rule over us and go out at our head and fight our battles. This is an explicit and ominous rejection, not only of Yahweh, but of Israel’s distinctiveness from other nations. And what, after all, does it mean to be a holy nation, but to be a nation separated out from, observing different rules then other nations. The king in Israel was not divine, or even semi-divine; monarchy is at best unnecessary and at worst it’s a rejection of Yahweh. Where the Mosaic covenant was contracted between Yahweh and the nation, the Davidic covenant is contracted between Yahweh and a single individual, the king.
The Davidic covenant is an eternal and unconditional covenant between Yahweh and the House of David, or the dynasty of David. Yahweh says that David and his descendants may be punished for sin. They certainly will be punished for sin, but Yahweh will not take the kingdom away from them as he did from Saul. Yahweh’s unconditional and eternal covenants with the patriarchs and with David do not prelude the possibility of punishment or chastisement for sin as specified in the conditional Mosaic covenant. The covenant with David, it’s a covenant of grant, it’s a grant of a reward for loyal service and deeds. Yahweh rewards David with the gift of an unending dynasty, in exchange for his loyalty.
Yahweh’s oath to preserve the Davidic dynasty, would lead eventually to a popular belief in the invincibility of the Holy City. The belief in Israel’s ultimate deliverance from enemies, became bound up with David and his dynasty. When the kingdom fell finally to the Babylonians, the promise to David’s House was believed to be eternal. The community looked to the future for a restoration of the Davidic line or Davidic king or messiah. The messiah simply means anointed, one who is “meshiach” is anointed with the holy oil, That is a reference to the fact that the king was initiated into office by means of holy oil being poured on his head. So King David was the messiah of Yahweh, the king anointed by or to Yahweh. And in the exile, Israelites would pray for another messiah, meaning another king from the House of David appointed and anointed by Yahweh to rescue them from enemies, and reestablish them as a nation at peace in their land as David had done. The Israelites hope for a messiah; it involved the restoration of the nation in its land under a Davidic king.
Post 7 of the tree of life series
The Prophets Tried To Awaken Israel
Vehement denunciation moral decay and social injustice of the period, leading up to the fall of the northern kingdom and southern kingdom of Israel. A prophet criticizes the sins of the nation, he is critical of everyone, the middle class, the government, the king, the establishment, the priesthood; they’re all plagued by a superficial kind of piety. Amos, and all the prophets, the idea of covenant prescribes a particular relationship with Yahweh, but not only with Yahweh; also with one’s fellow human beings. The two are interlinked. It is a sign of closeness to Yahweh that one is concerned for Israel’s poor and needy. The two are completely interlinked. Amos denounces the wealthy. He denounces the powerful and the way they treat the poor. The crimes that are denounced, are crimes that are prevalent in any society in any era. The crimes that are denounced as being utterly unacceptable to Yahweh, infuriating Yahweh to the point of destruction of the nation, are the kinds of crimes we see around us everyday, taking bribes, improper weights and balances, lack of charity to the poor, indifference to the plight of the debtor. Injustice is sacrilege, the ideals of the covenant are of utmost importance. These prophets are called the standard bearers of the covenant, harking back to the covenant obligations. And without these, without the ideals of the covenant, the fulfillment of ritual obligations in and of itself is a farce. Morality is not just an obligation equal in importance to the cult or religious obligations, but that morality is perhaps superior to the cult. What Yahweh requires of Israel is morality and not cultic service. The prophets raised morality to the level of an absolute religious value, and they did so because they saw morality as essentially divine. The essence of Yahweh is his moral nature. Moral attributes are the essence of Yahweh himself, one strives to be Yahweh-like by imitating his moral actions. The prophets insisted that morality was a decisive, if not the decisive factor in the nations’ history; Israel’s acceptance of Yahweh’s covenant placed certain religious and moral demands on her.
One sin is singled out as being historically decisive for the nation. Other sins are punished, absolutely. But only one is singled out as historically decisive for the nation, and that is the sin of idolatry, particularly the idolatry of the royal house. The tragic history of the two kingdoms as essentially a sequence of idolatrous aberrations, which were followed by punishment. And this cycle continued until finally there had to be complete destruction. While it is certainly true that moral sins and other religious sins in Israel were punishable, it is really only the worship of other gods that brings about national collapse, national exile. Idolatry was what provoked Yahweh to drive the nation into exile. The prophets are claiming that the nation is doomed because of commonplace wrongs, because of bribe-taking, because of false scales and false weights that are being used in the marketplace. For the prophets, the national catastrophes are just punishment for sin, but not just the sin of idolatry, for all sins no matter how petty, no matter how venial, because all sins violate the terms of the covenant code, which is given specially to Israel. And the terms of the covenant-being vassals to the sovereign Yahweh means treating co-vassals in a particular way, and it is breach of covenant not to do that. The prophets were harking back to an older tradition, to ancient traditions about Israel and its covenant relationship, traditions according to which Israel’s redemption and election entailed moral obligations.
The prophets warned that unless they changed, the people were going to suffer the punishment that was due them. And, in fact, the people were very foolish to be eagerly awaiting or eagerly expecting what was popularly known as the Day of Yahweh. And so the prophets refer to the Day of Yahweh as if it were a popular conception out there in the general culture. It was a popular idea at the time that on some future occasion, Yahweh would dramatically intervene in world affairs and he would do so on Israel’s behalf. Yahweh would lead Israel in victory over her enemies. They would be punished. Israel would be restored to her full and former glory. And that day, the Day of Yahweh, in the popular mind, was going to be a marvelous day, a day of victory for Israel, triumph for Israel and a day of vengeance on her enemies. The people are very confident that this is going to be a day of light, a day of blessing, a day of victory. But the prophets, according to them, if there is no change, then this Day of Yahweh is not going to be some glorious thing that the people should be eagerly awaiting. It’s not going to be a day of triumph for Israel. It will not be a day of vengeance on her enemies. It’s going to be a dark day of destruction. It is going to be a day of doom, when Yahweh will finally call his own people to account. The prophets transformed the popular image of the Day of Yahweh from one of national triumph, to one of national judgment.
Post 8 of the tree of life series
Yahweh’s Kavod
The fall of Jerusalem shattered the national and territorial basis of Israel’s culture and religion. The Babylonians had burned the temple to the ground, they carried away most of the people to exile, to life in exile in Babylon, leaving behind mostly members of the lower classes to eke out a living as best they could. And it was the completion of the tragedy that had begun centuries earlier, and it was interpreted as a fulfillment of the covenant curses. It was the end of the Davidic monarchy, although the son of Jeholakim was alive and living in Babylon, kind of holding out hope that the line hadn’t actually been killed out, hadn’t been completely wiped out. But the institution seemed to have come to an end for now. It was the end of the temple, the end of the priesthood, the end of Israel as a nation; as an autonomous nation, the Israelites were confronted with a great test. One could see in these events a signal that Yahweh had abandoned Israel to, or had been defeated by the god of the Babylonians, and Marduk would replace Yahweh, as the Israelites assimilated themselves into their new home. And certainly there were Israelites who went that route, but others who were firmly rooted in exclusive Yahwism did not. Yahweh hadn’t been defeated, the nations’s calamities were not disproof of Yahweh’s power and covenant, they were proof of it. Yahweh’s desire for morality as expressed in the ancient covenant, the prophets had spoken truly when they had said that destruction would follow, if the people didn’t turn from their moral and religious violations of Yahweh’s law. The defeat and the exile had the potential to convince Israelites of the need to show absolute and undivided devotion to Yahweh and his commandments.
Ezekiel, a prophet who was a priest, he was deported in the first deportation. There was deportation of exiles in 597. Ezekiel was in exile in Babylon during the final destruction and the fall of Jerusalem in 587. After 587, Ezekiel had a remarkable vision, among many. There’s a stormy wind and a huge cloud, and a flashing fire, Yahweh is riding on a kind of throne chariot. Yahweh’s enthroned above four magnificent creatures. Each of these has a human body and then four faces: the face of a human, the face of a lion, the face of an ox, and the face of an eagle. There are four huge wheels under this throned-chariot, and they are said to gleam like beryl beneath a vast and awe-inspiring expanse or dome, which gleams like crystal. Above that is the semblance of a throne that is like sapphire, and on the throne was the semblance of a human form that’s gleaming like amber, and its fire encased in a frame, which is radiant all about. This fire that’s encased, is in a cloud that contains or hides the fire that is Yahweh’s presence. So this kavod, describing the presence of Yahweh among his people, Yahweh is concealed and revealed only in his kavod. In a vision, an angel transports Ezekiel to Jerusalem and into the temple courts, and there he sees a very vivid description of the shocking abominations. As he watches the slaughter and the destruction that’s going on there, Ezekiel sees the kavod, that is the presence of Yahweh, arise from the Temple and move to the east. The traditions of gods abandoning their cities in anger, leaving them to destruction by another god. The primary difference here is that Yahweh, rather than another god, is Yahweh himself also bringing the destruction. Yahweh doesn’t retire to heaven, nor abandons his people. Yahweh doesn’t remain behind with those left in Judah, but Yahweh moves into exile; those left behind are guilty. Yahweh does not stay with them; Yahweh moves east with the righteous exiles. The kavod went eastward with the exiles, so the kavod will return with the reestablishment of Israel in her home. The kavod returning from the east and back to the temple, Yahweh is not linked to a particular place, but to a particular people; Yahweh was with his people, even when they are in exile.
Post 9 of the tree of life series
The Second Temple
There have been many attempts to equate this man of sorrows with all kinds of figures. Early on, Yeshua’s followers saw Yeshua as the suffering servant of Yahweh in Isaiah. New Testament writers specifically borrowed passages from Isaiah, particularly in chapter 53, when constructing their narratives of Yeshua, taking those verses and using them in describing his story. So Yeshua is depicted as the innocent and righteous servant who suffered for the sins of others. In the teachings of Paul, however, you have a different use of these verses. Christians, generally, are identified as the servant who suffers with and for Yeshua. Isaiah chapter 53 wasn’t talking about a remote Nazarene teacher and charismatic healer who would live more than five centuries later. The servant is Israel herself, the punishment that Israel suffered even if excessive-that punishment isn’t meaningless, it will lead to redemption. Israel will be healed by her wounds. Israel’s suffering is serving a purpose in the divine plan, it’s necessary. Israel needs purification and redemption and that will prepare her for a new role in world history. The Babylonian Empire was itself defeated by the Persians under the leadership of Cyrus-Cyrus of Persia. Cyrus manages to establish the largest empire in the Ancient Near East to date, a huge empire. Unlike other ancient empires, the Persian empire espoused a policy of cultural and religious independence for its conquered subjects and Cyrus gave the Israelite exiles permission to return to Jerusalem and reconstruct the temple.
Many of the exiles returned to this now Persian province and they exercised a fair degree of self-determination. The building doesn’t proceed smoothly and that’s due largely to the hostilities of the surrounding communities. The Samaritans offer to assist in the project of reconstruction. Their offer is rejected, and as a result the Samaritans, insulted, persuade the Persians that this is a bad idea. Rebuilding a potentially rebellious city is a bad idea, and the Persians listen to them and they order the rebuilding stopped. Along comes two prophets, they urge the continuation of the building. A Persian official objects, the Israelites appeal to the new Persian Emperor Darius. And they ask him to search through the court records, look for the original authorization by Cyrus-we have been authorized to do this. Cyrus’ edict is found. Darius agrees not only to enforce it, but to honor Cyrus’ obligation to supply money for the rebuilding. This is under Persia imperial sponsorship, and Darius will honor the obligation to supply money for the rebuilding and to procure sacrifices as well. The temple is finally dedicated and a Passover celebration is celebrated in the sanctuary. The post-exilic period following is also known as the Persian period, at first, but the Persians won’t rule for long. The prophet Ezra may have unified Israel around a common text, but he didn’t unify them around a common interpretation of the text. So that widely divergent groups now, in the Persian period and as history moved into the Hellenistic period, widely divergent groups will claim biblical warrant for their specific practices and beliefs.
Alexander the Great defeated the Persian Army, which at that time controlled all of Asia Minor, modern Turkey, and had even threatened to control Greece. Alexander defeated the Persian Army in Asia Minor at Granicus, the Battle of Granicus. That put Alexander and his Macedonian Army in charge of both Greece and Asia Minor. When Darius II died, who was the king of the Persians, Alexander himself took on Darius’s title, which was Great King. After defeating the Persians again, Alexander pushed his army all the way to the Indus River in India, he wanted to go all the way to the Ganges River, but his army forced him to turn back. Alexander was not yet 33-years-old when he died in Babylon of a fever. Alexander had been educated by Aristotle, when he was young, and so he had adopted Greek language and Greek literature and a lot of other Greek ways. What Alexander had wanted to do was to take all these different peoples, who spoke different languages and had different customs, and use a Greek layer to sort of unite his empire overall. Now Alexander didn’t really care about the lower class people so much. So they could just still live in their villages and out in the country and do their farming and speak their own local language. But if one was going to be elite-Alexander wanted to establish cities throughout his empire that would be actually Greek cities, and he wanted to have the elite people all be able, at least, to speak Greek. In fact this whole dream of Alexander-and it was a very self-conscious, propaganda campaign and a cultural campaign on Alexander’s part. Alexander wanted to make one world; the first time in history, a dream of making all of his empire basically universal, a dream of a universal vision, for one world, under one kind of culture, one kind of language.
Basic structures are part of any kind of Greek city in the Ancient World. And what Alexander and his successors did was they took that basic Greek structure, and they transplanted it all over the Eastern Mediterranean, whether they were in Egypt or Syria or Asia Minor or anyplace else. One can travel right now to Turkey or Syria or Israel or Jordan or Egypt, and one can see excavations of towns, and it’s remarkable how they all look so much alike, because they’re all inspired by this original Greek model of the city. Alexander and his successors Hellenized the entire Eastern Mediterranean, and that meant, every major city would have a certain commonality to it. It would have a certain koine to it; that is, a Greek overlay, over what may also be there, the original indigenous kind of cultures and languages. Then a high priest named Jason, brought Alexander’s dream to Jerusalem in 175 B.C.; just what was this high priest named Jason thinking, when he built a gymnasium in Jerusalem, and he also founded a Greek City structure.
Post 10 of the tree of life series
Hanukkah
A lot of Israelites tried to figure out how do you deal with this whole process of Hellenization. In other words, if one want their own kids to get ahead in the world, back in this time, and one is going to have an elite family in a town, in a city, it makes sense for one’s kids to get a Greek education. It’s precisely the way it is now with English around the world. Elite families want their kids to have English education, they want them to be familiar with American culture, and, if possible, they’ll even send them to a university in the States, or to graduate school in the States, and this is partly because there are good universities in the States, but it’s also partly because they know that to get ahead, their kids need to use English, they need to become, in some sense, to some extent Americanized. Jerusalem wasn’t a huge city, but it was important enough that there were elites there themselves, and so they responded to this urge of Hellenizing culture. Alexander the Great, remember, wanted to set up a one world, a universal empire. He taught a sort of syncretism of religion, he taught a common language, Greek, he set up these Greek cities all around; there was a Greek veneer over what would have been local differences. You’d have Egyptians speaking ancient Egyptian languages, but the elites in the cities would be speaking Greek, so the culture, the elite culture would still be Greek and the same way in Syria. The Syrian Empire or the Greco-Syrian Empire, or simply the Greek Empire. If you draw a line separating Syria from Egypt, the line goes right through Israel. The Israelites were kind of caught on the border between these two empires and they were constantly fighting, trying to aggrandize their own kingdoms.
The Israelites were often caught right in the middle. Antiochus lV reigned from 175 to 164 B.C.. He’s called the lV because he’s the fourth Antiochus; he added Epiphanes to his name, Epiphanes though is a sort of nickname and it means “manifest.” What Antiochus was doing with his name is saying he was claiming divine honors for himself, because what he’s saying is, “I’m Antiochus, God made manifest among you.” This was not that unusual. Alexander the Great had sort of claimed divine honors for himself. Antiochus was following the lead of a lot of eastern monarchs and rulers who would claim to be the descendants of a god and claim to be a god themselves, and would receive cult and worship. Antiochus IV, though, was ruling at that time and he had control, he had gained control of Judah. The high priesthood was the main ruler of the Israelites at this time. They didn’t have a king, and they didn’t have a direct governor, so whoever controlled the high priesthood was sort of the political ruler also at this time; but Antiochus was the one who had the privilege of appointing the high priest. Menelaus, another leading Israelite, seems to have offered Antiochus more money for the priesthood, trying to get it away from Jason. Jason is the one who built a gymnasium in Jerusalem and gained the control of the education; what this did is disenfranchise those leading families who didn’t want to have their sons Hellenized. Menelaus couldn’t afford the priesthood. In order to pay for his own priesthood, he took gold vessels and instruments out of the temple treasure, and this seems to have caused a riot. Both of them apparently trying to get in with this Hellenizing process, they get into a big fight. To settle things down in Jerusalem, Antiochus takes control of Jerusalem and he stationed Syrian troops, that is the Greco-Syrian troops, in Jerusalem in 167. Things are heating up, around this time changes were made to the temple in Jerusalem. It may have been basically to accommodate the soldiers. They may have had to house soldiers from the Greco-Syrian Empire, and they may have used the temple mount apparently to house some of them. This caused changes to the temple. At this time Menelaus is in charge, and his Hellenizing party.
Remember Alexander the Great taught a sort of syncretism of religion, the radical reformers about this time passed several laws that forbade circumcision and it forbidden from observing the Torah. It may have been that even a pig was sacrificed on the altar in Jerusalem in the Holy of Holies, and the temple was turned into a syncretistic Israelite pagan grove. They did this to the temple, and it was renamed as a shrine to Zeus Olympus. If you're one of these liberal Israelites, you may not really believe you're doing anything bad. You’re not forsaking Yahweh, you’re just updating Yahweh, you’re just bringing Yahweh up to the modern era. You might say, “Well what’s wrong with calling Yahweh, Zeus Olympus? We all know these are just different names given to the same god anyway, there’s just one supreme God.” So they may well have identified the Israelite god Yahweh with this god Zeus Olympus and said it’s just two different names, one Greek name and one Israelite for the same Israelite god. Antiochus was happy because the Syrians are worshiping a Syrian god here, the Greeks are happy they’re worshipping Zeus Olympus, and the Israelites will be happy because it’s identified as Yahweh. This whole process of Hellenization, one gets the idea Antiochus is putting all this on the Israelites and forcing Greek religion and Greek culture on them. That’s not really the way it happened, it’s a debate that’s going on today. How Greek should we be? How much does one accommodate the dominant culture? How much does one want their kids to assimilate to be just as American as everybody else? This is what was going on and it was an internal Israelites conflict that was going on. There were several responses to Hellenization, among the Israelites.
Menelaus and the liberals accept Hellenization and promote it; but another priest that had been dislocated from the high priesthood earlier, his family had originally been the high priesthood family, Onias IV. Onias IV withdrew from Jerusalem and went off and built a new temple; his thinking, if their going to destroy the existing temple, we’re going to have an alternative temple elsewhere. Their were a group of former high priests, who have been dislocated and other priestly families withdrawing from Jerusalem, and apparently going out in the desert and maybe building a community out their, writers of the Dead Sea Scrolls? Then their is the reaction of Mattathias. Mattathias was a priest from Jerusalem who had settled in a village called Modein, in the hill country of Judah. One day some soldier come from Jerusalem to the village, and they’re trying to force the Israelites to sacrifice of an altar. Mattathias took a sword away from a soldier and killed this priest and the soldier for encouraging the Israelites in his village to sacrifice to the gods. This was against the law, so Mattathias runs off to the hills, taking is family with him, his sons, he had several sons, and this is the beginning of the war that comes to the be called the Maccabean Revolt. It’s called Maccabean because after Mattathias died, shortly thereafter, he was the leader of the revolt in the beginning, his son Judas becomes the head general of the bunch, and Judas, early on earned the nickname Maccabeus, could mean ‘the hammer,’ but it may have been an attribute from him being a very good general and winning a lot of battles. Against all odds, this rag tag bunch of basically guerilla fighters, up against a far superior army of Antiochus IV, they beat them, they retook Jerusalem, they didn’t actually beat them in Syria, they just beat them in several battles in Judah, and Judas was able to recapture Jerusalem and the temple. In the year 164, they cleansed the temple of the profanation, the pollution of having maybe pigs and things like that sacrificed, it being polluted as the Greek temple, and so 164 B.C. is the beginning of the celebration of the Israelites holiday Hanukkah. The cleansing of the temple, is what the Israelites celebrate with Hanukkah.
Post 11 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (1)
Judas Maccabeus reigned as not an official king at that point, but he reigned over Judah of this time, and there was still battles that raged between him and his family, and his army, on the one side; and Antiochus IV, and then other descendants, on the other. After Judas Maccabeus died, his brother-one of his brothers became the leader, and then another brother became the leader, gradually these different people of this family came to set up their own dynasty of rulers themselves. Their family was known as the Hasmonean Dynasty. The Hasmonean Dynasty was in power from the year 165 to the year 60 B.C. In 141 the Israelites gained complete victory and for the first time since 586, Israel again became an independent nation. Israel kept her freedom only eighty years. In 63 B.C., civil war in Israel gave occasion to Rome to establish her authority there. For the next sixty years Israel was semi-independent, Israel’s rulers being appointed by Rome. In 37 B.C., Herod the Great became king with Rome’s approval. And it occurred in the days of Herod, king of Judah, a priest, whose name was Zachariah, of the ministration of the House of Abijah; and his wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elisabeth; and they were both upright before Yahweh, and walked in all his commandments, and in the righteousness of Yahweh, without reproach; but they had no child, because Elisabeth was barren.
And it occurred, that as Zachariah performed the priestly functions in the order of his ministration before Yahweh, according to the usage of the priesthood, it fell to him to offer the incense; and he went into the Holy Place, and the whole multitude of the people were praying without, at the time of incense; and the angel of Yahweh appeared to Zachariah, standing on the right side of the altar of incense; and when Zachariah saw the angel, he became dumbfounded, and fear fell upon him; and the angel said to him, “Fear not, Zechariah; for your prayer has been heard, and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you will call his name John; and you will have joy and gladness; and a great many will rejoice at his birth. For he will be great before Yahweh; and he will not drink wine nor strong drink, and he will have power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh upon him, while he is still in the womb of his mother; and many Israelites he will cause to turn to Yahweh; and he will go before them with power, yea, the powerful power Elijah had, to turn the hearts of parents to their children, and those who are disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous; and he will prepare a true people for Yahweh.” And Zachariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am old, and my wife is advance in life.” And the angel answered, saying to him, “I am Gabriel, who stand in the presence of Yahweh; and I am sent to converse with you, and to tell you these things. Henceforth you will be dumb, and unable to speak, until the day when these things take place, because you did not believe these my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” And all the people were standing and waiting for Zachariah; and they wondered at his tarrying so long in the Holy Place; and when Zachariah came out, he could not speak with them; and they understood that he had seen a vision in the Holy Place; and he made many signs to them, and remained speechless; and when the days of his ministration were accomplished, he came to his house.
And it was after those days, that Elisabeth, Zachariah’s wife conceived, and she secluded herself five months; and she said, “These things has Yahweh done for me, in the days when he looked upon me to take away my reproach among men.” And in the sixth month, the angel Gabriel was sent by Yahweh into Galilee, to a city named Nazareth, to a virgin espoused to a man whose name was Joseph, of the House of David; and the virgin’s name was Mary; and the angel entered the house, and said to her, “Peace to you, you having been favored; Yahweh is with you.” And when she saw the angel, she was disturbed at his speech; and she pondered, what this salutation could mean; and the angel said to her, “Fear not, Mary; for you have found favor with Yahweh; for lo, you will conceive in your womb, and will bear a son, and will call his name Yeshua. He will be great, and will be called the son of Yahweh, and Yahweh will give him the throne of his father David; and he will reign over the House of Jacob forever; and of his reign there will be no end.” And Mary said to the angel, “How can this be, as I have not known a man?” The angel replied, and said to her, “Power from on high will come, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh will overshadow you; therefore the one who is to be born of you is holy, and he will be called the son of Yahweh; and lo, Elisabeth your kinswoman, even she too has conceived a son in her old age; and this is the sixth month with her who is called barren. For nothing is impossible for Yahweh.” Mary said, “Here I am, a handmaid of Yahweh; be it to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her; and Mary arose in those days, and went hastily to the mountain district, to a city of Judah; and entered the house of Zachariah, and saluted Elisabeth; and it was so, that when Elisabeth heard the salutation of Mary, the babe leaped in her womb, and power from on high came upon her; and she cried out with a loud voice, and said to Mary, “Blessed are you among women; and blessed is the fruit of your womb; and whence is this to me, that the mother of the messiah should come to me? For lo, as the voice of your salutation fell upon my ears, with great joy the babe leaped in my womb; and happy is she that believed; for there will be a fulfillment of those things that were told her by Yahweh.” And Mary said, “I myself do magnify Yahweh; and my soul rejoices in Yahweh my savior; for Yahweh has looked upon the humbled condition of his handmaid; and lo, from henceforth, all generations will ascribe blessedness to me. For Yahweh who is mighty has done for me great things; and holy is Yahweh’s name; and Yahweh’s mercy is on them that reverence him, for generations and posterities. Yahweh has cast down the mighty from their thrones, and has exalted the lowly. The hungry has Yahweh satisfied with good things, and the rich has Yahweh sent away empty. Yahweh has aided Israel his servant, and remembered his mercy, just as Yahweh spoke with the fathers, with Abraham and through Isaac’s seed, forever.” And Mary remained with Elisabeth about three months, and returned to her home.
The Meshiach (2)
Post 12 of the tree of life series
And Elisabeth’s time of bringing forth arrived; and she bore a son; and when her neighbors and relatives heard that Yahweh had increased his mercy to her, they rejoiced with her; and it occurred, that on the eighth day they came to circumcise the babe; and they would have called him Zechariah, after the name of his father, but his mother said to them, “Not so; but John, shall he be called.” And they said to her, “There is no one among your kindred called by that name.” And they made signs to his father, how he would have him named; and he asked for a tablet, and wrote, “John is his name.” And every one was surprised; and immediately his mouth was opened, and his tongue; and he spoke, and praised Yahweh; and fear came upon all their neighbors; and these things were talked of in all the mountain district of Judah; and all who heard, pondered them in their heart, and said, “What will this child be?” And the hand of Yahweh was with him; and power from on high came upon Zachariah his father, and prophesied, saying, “Blessed be Yahweh of Israel, for Yahweh has looked on his people, and wrought a deliverance for them; and he has raised up a horn of deliverance for us in the House of his servant David; just as Yahweh spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets, who have been for ages, that Yahweh would deliver us from our enemies, and from the hand of all that hate us; and Yahweh has exercised his mercy to our fathers, and has remembered his holy covenants, and the oath that he sware to Abraham our father, that he would grant to us, to be delivered from the hand of our enemies; and that we should worship before him without fear, all our days, in rectitude and uprightness; and you, child, will be called a prophet of Yahweh; for you will go before the face of the meshiach, to prepare his way, that he may give the knowledge of life to his people, and forgiveness of their sins, through the compassion of the mercy of our Yahweh; whereby the sprout from Jesse will grow among us, to give light to them that sit in darkness, and in the shadow of death; and to guide our feet into the way of peace.” And the babe grew, and was strengthen in character; and he was in the wilderness, until the day of his manifestation to Israel.
And the birth of Yeshua the messiah was thus. While his mother Mary was betrothed to Joseph before they had cohabited, she was found to be with child by Yahweh; and Joseph her husband was a righteous man, and unwilling to expose her; and he thought of putting her away privately; and while he contemplated these things, an angel of Yahweh appeared to him in a dream, and said to him, “Joseph, son of David, fear not to take Mary your wife; for that which is conceived in her is from power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh; and she will bear a son; and you will call his name Yeshua, for he will resuscitate his people from their sins.” And when Joseph rose from his sleep, he did as the angel of Yahweh commanded him, and took his wife; and in those days it occurred, that a decree went forth from Augustus Caesar, that all the people of his dominion should be enrolled; and this enrollment was first made under the governorship of Quirinus in Syria; and everyone went to his own city to be enrolled; and Joseph also went up from Nazareth of Galilee to Judah, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem; because he was of the House and lineage of David, with Mary his espoused, then pregnant, to be enrolled; and it was while they were there, that the days for her to bring forth were completed; and she brought forth her firstborn son, and wrapped him in swaddling clothes, and laid him in the stall; for they had no place where they could lodge; and there were shepherds in that region, who abode there and kept watch of their flocks by night; and lo, the angel of Yahweh came to them, and the glory of Yahweh shone upon them; and they feared with great fear; and the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid; for, lo I announce to you great joy, which will be to all Israel. For there is born to you this day a deliverer, who is the messiah, in the city of David; and this is the sign for you, you will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, and placed in a stall.” And instantly there were seen with the angel, the many hosts of heaven, praising Yahweh, and saying, “Glory to Yahweh in the highest, and good hope for men.” And it was so, that when the angels had gone from them into heaven, the shepherds conferred with one another, and said, “Let us go down to Bethlehem, and see this thing which has occurred, as Yahweh has made known to us.” And they came hastily, and found Mary and Joseph, and the babe laid in the stall; and when they saw, they made known the information which was given to them concerning the child; and all that heard, wondered at the things that were told them by the shepherds; and Mary laid up all these things, and pondered them in her heart; and the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising Yahweh for all that they had seen and heard, as it was told them.
Post 13 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (3)
And when the eight days for the circumcision of the babe were completed, his name was called Yeshua; and he was named by the angel, before he was conceived in the womb; and when the days of their purification were completed, according to the law of Moses, they carried him to Jerusalem, to present him before Yahweh; as it is written in the law of Yahweh, “Consecrate to me every firstborn; man and beast, the first issue of every womb among the Israelites is mine.” And to offer a sacrifice, according as it is written in the law of Yahweh, “If however, her means do not suffice for a lamb in its first year, she shall take two turtledoves or two pigeons, one for a burnt offering and the other for a purification offering.” And there was a certain man in Jerusalem, whose name was Simeon; and this man was upright and just, and was waiting for the consolation of Israel, and power from on high was upon him; and it had been told him by Yahweh, that he would not see death, until he would see the messiah of Yahweh. This man was led by Yahweh to the temple courts; and when his parents brought in the babe Yeshua, to do for him as is commanded in the law, he took him in his arms, and blessed Yahweh, and said, “Now dismiss your servant, my Yahweh, in peace, according to your word; for lo, mine eyes have seen your mercies, which you have prepared before the face of all peoples, a light for a revelation to the Gentiles, and a glory to your people Israel.” And Joseph and his mother were astonished at those things which were spoken concerning him; and Simeon blessed them, and said to Mary his mother, “Lo, this child is set forth for the fall and for the rising of many in Israel, and for a standard of contention; and also a sword will pierce your own soul; that the reasonings of the hearts of many may be disclosed; and Hannah the prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher, she also was aged in days, and, from her maidenhood, had lived seven years with her husband, and was a widow of about eighty and four years, and departed not from the temple courts, but worshipped by day and by night with fasting and prayer; and she too stood up, in that hour, and gave thanks to Yahweh, and spoke of Yeshua to everyone that waited for the deliverance of Jerusalem; and when they had accomplished all things, according to the law of Yahweh, they returned to Galilee, to their city Nazareth.
Now when Yeshua having been born in Bethlehem of Judah, in the days of Herod the king, there came Magi from the East unto Jerusalem saying, “Where is the King of the Israelites that is born? For we have seen his star in the East, and have come to adore him.” And Herod the king heard, and he was disturbed; and all Jerusalem with him; and he assembled all the chiefs of the priests and the scribes of the people, and inquired of them, “Where is the birthplace of the meshiach?” And they said, “In Bethlehem of Judah; for here it is written in the prophet, and you, O Bethlehem of Ephrath, least among the clans of Judah, from you one shall come forth to rule Israel for me.” Then Herod privately called the Magi, and learned from them at what time the star appeared to them; and he sent them to Bethlehem, and said to them, “Go, search diligently for the boy; and when you have found him, come and tell me, that I also may go and adore him.” And they, when they had heard from the king, went forward; and lo, the star they had seen in the East went before them, until it came and stood over where the boy was; and when they saw the star, they rejoiced much, with great joy; and they entered the house; and they saw the boy with Mary, his mother; and they fell down and adored him; and they opened their treasures and presented to him gifts, gold, and myrrh, and frankincense; and it was shown them in a dream that they should not return to Herod; and by another way they returned to their country; and when they were gone, an angle of Yahweh appeared to Joseph in a dream, and said to him, “Arise, take the boy and his mother, and flee into Egypt; and be you there, until I tell you; for Herod will seek for the boy, to destroy him.” Then Joseph arose, took the boy and his mother, by night, and fled to Egypt; and he was there, until the death of Herod.
Post 14 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (4)
Then Herod, when he saw that he had been deluded by the Magi, was very angry; and he sent and slew all the sons in Bethlehem, and in all its confines, from a boy of two years and under, according to the time that he had carefully learned from the Magi; but when king Herod was dead, an angel of Yahweh appeared in a dream to Joseph in Egypt, and said to him, “Arise, take the boy and his mother, and go into the land of Israel; for they are dead who sought the life of the boy.” And Joseph arose, and took the boy and his mother, and went to the land of Israel; but when Joseph heard that Archelaus was king in Judah, instead of his father Herod, he feared to go there; and it was revealed to him in a dream, that he should go into the land of Galilee, to their city Nazareth; and the boy grew, and was strengthened in character, and was filled with wisdom; and the favor of Yahweh was upon him; and Yeshua’s people went up to Jerusalem every year, at the feast of the Passover; and when Yeshua was twelve years old, they went up to the feast, as they were accustomed; and when the days were completed, they returned; but Yeshua remained at Jerusalem, and Joseph and his mother knew not of it, for they supposed he was with his companions; and when they had travelled a day’s journey, they sought him among their people, and inquired of everyone that knew them; and they did not find him; and they returned again to Jerusalem, searching for him; and after three days, they found him in the temple courts, sitting in the midst of the teachers, and listening to them, and asking them questions; and all they that heard him, were astonished at his wisdom and his answers; and when they saw him they were amazed; and his mother said to him, “My son, why have you done so to us? For lo, I and your father have been seeking for you with great anxiety.” Yeshua said to them, “Why did you seek me? Do you not know, that it behooves me to be in my Father’s House?” But they did not comprehend the words that he spoke to them; and he went down with them, and came to Nazareth, and was obedient to them; and his mother laid up all these things in her heart; and Yeshua increased in stature, and in wisdom, and in favor, before Yahweh and men.
Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, during the governorship of Pontius Pilate in Judah, while Herod was tetrarch in Galilee, and Philip his brother tetrarch in Ituraea and in the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanius tetrarch of Abilene, during the high priesthood of Annas and of Caiaphas; the word of Yahweh came to John, the son of Zachariah, in the wilderness; and he went throughout the country around Jordan, proclaiming the baptism of repentance for the remission of sins; and their went out to him all the region of Judah, and all the people of Jerusalem; and he baptized them in the river Jordan; and as to this John, he was clad in raiment of camel’s hair; and was girded with a cincture of skin about his loins; and his food was locusts and wild honey; and he said to the people, who came to him to be baptized, “You offspring of scorpions, who has instructed you to flee from the anger which is coming? Bring forth, therefore, fruits which are worthy of repentance; and do not begin to say within yourselves, we have Abraham as our father; for I say to you, that Yahweh can, from these stones, raise up sons to Abraham; and lo, the ax is already placed at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree which bears not good fruits, will be cut down, and cast into the fire.” And the people asked him, and said, “What, then, shall we do?” He answered, saying to them, “Whoever has two tunics, let him give one to him that has none; and whoever has food, let him do the same.” And tax collectors also came to be baptized; and they said to him “Teacher, what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Exact no more than you are required to exact.” And those serving in war inquired of him, and said, “And what shall we do?” And he said to them, “Be insolent to no one, and oppress no one, and let your wages satisfy you.” And while the people were thinking of John, and all pondered in their heart, perhaps he is the meshiach; and he proclaimed, and said, “Lo, after me comes one more powerful than I, of whom I am not worthy to stoop and untie the fastenings of his sandals. I have baptized you with water; but he will baptized you with power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh and with fire. He holds his winnowing shovel in his hand, and he will make clean his threshing floor; and the wheat he gathers into his garners, and the chaff he will burn with fire not extinguished; and many other things also, he taught and proclaimed to the people; but Herod the tetrarch, because he was reproved by John, on account of Herodias the wife of his brother Philip, and on account of all the evil things he had done, added this also to them all, that he shut up John in prison.
Post 15 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (5)
And in those days came John the Baptizer; and he proclaimed in the desert of Judah, and said, “Repent; the sovereignty of Yahweh has approached.” Then went out to him Jerusalem, and all Judah, and all the country about the Jordan; and they were baptized by John in the river Jordan; but when he saw a great many of the Pharisees and Sadducees, who were coming to be baptized, he said to them, “O offspring of scorpions, who has taught you to flee from the anger which is to come? Bring forth the fruits therefore, that accord with repentance; and do not think and say within yourselves, that Abraham is our father; for I say to you, that Yahweh is able of these stones to raise up children to Abraham; and lo, the ax is already placed at the root of the trees; therefore, every tree which bears not good fruits, shall be cut down, and cast into the fire. I indeed baptize you with water unto repentance; but he that comes after me is more powerful than I; whose sandals I am not worthy to carry. He will baptize you with power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh and with fire. His winnowing shovel is in his hand; and he will make clean his threshing-floor. The wheat he will gather into his storehouse; and the chaff he will burn with fire not extinguished.” And it occurred, in those days, that Yeshua came from Nazareth in Galilee to the Jordan unto John, to be baptized by him; but John refused him; and said, “I need to be baptized by you, and yet have you come to me?” And Yeshua answered, saying to him, “Allow it now, for this is necessary for us to fulfill all righteousness.” Then he permitted him; and when Yeshua was baptized, he went up immediately from the water; and he saw the sky cleft; and he saw power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh descending like a dove, and it came upon him; and lo, a voice from the sky, which said, “This is my beloved son, in whom I have delight.”
And Yeshua was about thirty years old; and Yeshua, having the fullness of power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh upon him, returned from the Jordan. Than was Yeshua led by Yahweh into the wilderness forty days, to be tempted by Satan; and during those days, he ate nothing; and he was with the wild beasts; and when he had completed them, he was at last hungry; and Satan said to him, “If you are the son of Yahweh, command this stone to become bread.” Yeshua replied, saying to him, “It is written, that man does not live on bread alone, but that man may live on anything that Yahweh decrees.” And Satan conducted him to a high mountain, and showed him all the kingdoms of the land, in a little time; and Satan said to him, “To you will I give all this dominion, and the glory of it, which is committed to me, and to whom I please, I give it; if therefore, you will worship before me, the whole shall be yours.” But Yeshua replied, saying to him, “It is written, revere only Yahweh, and worship him alone, to him shall you hold fast, and swear only by his name.” And he brought him to Jerusalem, and set him on a pinnacle of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the son of Yahweh, cast yourself down from here, for it is written, he will give his angels charge over you, to keep you; and in their arms will they sustain you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” And Yeshua replied, saying to him, “It is said, do not try Yahweh.” And when Satan had finished all his temptations, he departed from him for a time; and Satan came, and said to Yeshua, “If you are the son of Yahweh, command these stones to become bread.” But Yeshua replied, and said, “It is written, that man does not live on bread alone, but that man may live on anything that Yahweh decrees.” Then Satan took him to the Holy City, and set him on a pinnace of the temple, and said to him, “If you are the son of Yahweh, cast yourself down; for it is written, that he will give his angles charge of you, and in their hands will they sustain you, lest you strike your foot against a stone.” Yeshua said to him, “It is moreover written, do not try Yahweh.” Then Satan took him to a mountain that was very high, and showed him all the kingdoms of the world, and their glory; and said to him, “All these will I give you, if you will fall down and worship me.” Then Yeshua said to him, “Begone, Satan; for it is written, revere only Yahweh, and worship him alone, to him shall you hold fast, and swear only by his name. Then Satan left Yeshua; and lo, angels came, and ministered to him. Wisdom was in the beginning, and that very wisdom was with Yahweh, and Yahweh was that wisdom. Wisdom was in the beginning with Yahweh. Everything came to be by Yahweh’s hand; and without Yahweh, not even one thing that was created came to be. The life is in Yahweh, that life is the light of men.
Post 16 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (6)
And this is the testimony of John, when the Israelites sent to him priests and levites, to ask him, “Who are you?” And they ask him again, “Who then? Are you Elijah?” And he said, “I am not.” “Are you a prophet?” And he said, “No.” And they said to him, “Who are you? That we may an answer to them that sent us. What say you of yourself?” And they who were sent, were of the Pharisees; and they asked him, and said to him, “Why then baptize you, if you are not the meshiach, nor Elijah, nor a prophet.” John answered, saying to them, “I baptize with water; but among you stands one, whom you do not know. He it is that comes after me, and is before me, the one, even the strings of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.” These things occurred in Bethany, where John was was baptizing. The day after, John saw Yeshua coming towards him, and said, “Behold, the lamb of Yahweh, that bears the sin of Israel. This is he of whom I said, after me comes a man, who is before me, and I knew him not; but that he might be known to Israel, therefore, am I come baptizing with water; and I saw power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh descend from the sky, as a dove, and it rested upon him; and I did not know him; but Yahweh, who sent me to baptize with water said to me, the one upon whom you see power from on high descending and resting, he is the one who will baptize with power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh; and I saw; and I testify, that this is the son of Yahweh.”
And the next day, John was standing with two of his disciples; and he looked upon Yeshua as he walked, and said, “Behold, the lamb of Yahweh!” And when he said it, two of his disciples heard it; and they went after Yeshua; and Yeshua turned, and saw them coming after him, and he said to them, “What seek you?” They said to him, “Teacher, where do you stay?” He said to them, “Come, and see.” And they came and saw where he lodged; and they were with him that day, for it was about the tenth hour; and one of those who heard John, and went after Yeshua, was Andrew, the brother of Simon. He first saw Simon his brother, and said to him, “We have found the meshiach.” And he brought him to Yeshua, and Yeshua looked upon him, and said, “You are Simon the son of Jona; you shall be called Cephas.” The next day, Yeshua was disposed to depart for Galilee; and he found Philip, and said to him, “Come after me.” And Philip was of Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Simon; and Philip found Nathaniel, and said to him, “We have found him, of whom it is written in the law, and the prophets, Yeshua, the son of Joseph, who is of Nazareth.” Nathaniel said to him, “Can there be any good thing from Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come, and see.” And Yeshua saw Nathaniel coming towards him, and said of him, “Behold, a real Israelite, in whom is no deceit.” Nathaniel said to him, “Whence know you me?” Yeshua said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” Nathaniel answered, saying to him, “Teacher, you are the son of Yahweh; you are the King of Israel.” Yeshua said to him, “Because I said to you, that I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these. Truly I say to you, that here after you will see heaven opened, and the angles of Yahweh ascending and descending unto the son of man.”
And on the third day, there was a feast in Cana, a city of Galilee; and the mother of Yeshua was there; and also Yeshua and his disciples were invited to the feast; and the wine fell short, and his mother said to Yeshua, “They have no wine.” Yeshua said to her, “What is it to me and to you? Not yet has my hour come.” His mother said to the helpers, “Whatever he tells you, do it.” And there were there six water-pots of stone, set for the purification of the Israelites, which could hold several gallons each. Yeshua said to them, “Fill those water-pots with water.” And they filled them to the top. Then Yeshua said to them, “Draw now, and carry to the master of the feast.” And they carried; and when the master of the feast tasted the water that had become wine, and did not know whence it came; although the helpers knew, as they had filled the pots with water. Then the master of the feast called the bridegroom, and said to him, “Every man first brings forward the good wine, and when they are satiated, then that which is inferior; but you have kept the good wine till now.” And Yeshua’s disciples believed in him.
Post 17 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (7)
Afterwards Yeshua went down to Capernaum, he and his mother, and his brothers, and his disciples; and they were there a few days; and the Passover of the Israelites drew near; and Yeshua went up to Jerusalem; and he found in the temple courts, those who sold beeves, and sheep, and doves, and the moneychangers sitting there; and he made himself a whip from a cord, and turned them all out of the temple courts, and the sheep, and the beeves, and the moneychangers; and he poured out their money, and overset their tables; and he said to them that sold doves, “Take away these things; and make not my Father’s House, a House of trading.” But the Israelites replied, saying to him, “What sign show you to us, since you do these things?” Yeshua answered, saying to them, “Tear down this temple, and in three days it will be raised up.” The Israelites said to him, “It took forty-six years to build this temple, and will you raise it up in three days?” And while Yeshua was in Jerusalem, at the feast of the Passover, many believed in him, because they saw the miracles which he did; and there was a man of the Pharisees there, whose name was Nicodemus, a ruler of the Israelites; and he came to Yeshua by night, and said to him, “Teacher, we know that you are a teacher sent from Yahweh; for no man can do these miracles that you are doing, unless Yahweh is with him.” Yeshua replied, saying to him, “Truly I say to you, that, unless a man be born anew, he cannot behold the sovereignty of Yahweh.” Nicodemus said to him, “How can an old man be born? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb, and be born?” Yeshua replied, saying to him, “Truly I say to you, that, unless a man be born of water and new nature, he cannot enter the sovereignty of Yahweh. That which is born of the flesh, is flesh; and that which is born of new nature, is new nature. Be not surprised that I said to you, you must be born of new nature.” Nicodemus answered, saying to him, “How can these things be?” Yeshua answered, saying to him, “Are you a teacher of Israel, and yet you do not understand these things?”
After these things, came Yeshua and his disciples into the land of Judah; and there he abode with them, and baptized. John also was baptizing at the spring of Aenon, which is near to Shalim, because there was much water there; and the people came and were baptized; for John was not yet cast into prison; and one of John’s disciples and an Israelite had disputed respecting purification; and they came to John, and said to him, “Teacher, he who was with you at the Jordan crossing, and of whom you gave testimony, lo, he also is baptizing; and a great many are coming to him.” John answered, saying to them, “A man cannot take anything by his own choice, unless it be given him from heaven. You yourselves bear me witness that I said, I am not the meshiach. He who has a bride is the bridegroom; and the best man of the bridegroom is he who stands up and listens to him, and rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice; this my joy, therefore, lo, it is full. To him must be increase, and to me decrease.” When Yeshua was aware, that the Pharisee had heard; that he made many disciples, and baptized more than John. Yet Yeshua himself did not baptize, but his disciples; and he left Judah, and went again into Galilee; and in going, he had occasion to pass through the midst of the Samaritans; and he came to a city of the Samaritans called Sychar, near the field which Jacob gave to Joseph; and Jacob’s well of water was there. And Yeshua was weary with the toil of traveling, and seated himself by the well; and it was at the sixth hour.
And a woman from Samaria came to draw water; and Yeshua said to her, “Give me water to drink.” And his disciples had gone to the city, to buy themselves food. The Samaritan woman said to him, “How do you, an Israelite, ask drink of me, who am a Samaritan woman? For the Israelites have no familiarity with Samaritans.” Yeshua replied, saying to her, “If you only knew the gift of Yahweh, and who is the man who said to you, give me to drink, you would have asked him, and he would have given you living water?” The woman said to him, “Sir, you have no leather bucket, and no deep well; where do you get the living water? Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us this well, and he himself drank from it, and his sons, and his sheep?” Yeshua replied, saying to her, “Everyone who drinks of this water will thirst again; but whoever drinks of the water which I give him, shall never thirst; but the same water, which I shall give him, will be in him a well of water, springing up unto life eternal.” The woman said to him, “Sir, give me of this water, that I may not thirst again, and need not come and draw from here.” Yeshua said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” She said to him, “I have no husband.” Yeshua said to her, “You have well said, I have no husband; for you have had five husbands, and he whom you now have, is not your husband; in this you did speak truly.” The woman said to him, “Sir, I perceive you are a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; but the Israelites say, that in Jerusalem is the place where it is proper to worship.” Yeshua said to her, “Woman, believe me, the hour comes, when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, you will worship the Father. You worship, you know not what; but we worship what we know; for deliverance is from the Israelites; but the hour comes, and now is, when the true worshippers will worship the Father in new nature and in truth; for the Father desires worshippers such as these; for Yahweh is spirit; and they that worship him, must worship in new nature and in truth.” The woman said to him, “I know that the meshiach will come; and when he comes, he will teach us everything.” Yeshua said to her, “I, who talk with you, am he.”
Post 18 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (8)
And while Yeshua was speaking, his disciples came; and they wondered that he would converse with the woman; yet no one said, “What seek you?” or, “Why, talk you with her?” And the woman left her water-pot, and went to the city, and said to the people, “Come, see a man that told me everything I ever did; is not this the meshiach?” And the people went out of the city, and came to Yeshua. In the mean time, Yeshua’s disciples entreated him, and said to him, “Teacher, eat.” But Yeshua said to them, “I have food to eat, of which you are ignorant.” The disciples said among themselves, “Has anyone brought him something to eat?” Yeshua said to them, “My food is to do the pleasure of him that sent me, and to accomplish his work. Do not say, that after four months comes the harvest? Behold, I say to you, and lift up your eyes, and look upon the grounds, that they are white, and have long been ready for the harvest; and he that reaps, receives wages, and gathers fruits unto life eternal; and the sower and the reaper equally rejoice, for in this, is the proverb true, that one is the sower and another the reaper. I send you to reap that, on which you labored not; for others toiled, and you are entering into their labor.” And many Samaritans of that city believed in Yeshua, because of the discourse of the woman, who testified, “He told me all that I ever did.” And when these Samaritans come to Yeshua, they requested him to tarry with them; and Yeshua remained with them two days; and many believed in Yeshua, because of his discourse; and they said to the woman, “Henceforth, we believe in him, not on account of your word; for we have heard him ourselves, and we know that he truly is the meshiach.”
And after two days, Yeshua departed from there and went into Galilee; for Yeshua himself testified, that a prophet is not honored in his own city; and when he came to Galilee, the Galileans received him, having seen all the wonders Yeshua did in Jerusalem at the feast, for they too had gone to the feast; and Yeshua came again to Cana of Galilee, where he made the water wine; and there was at Capernaum a king’s servant, whose son was sick. He heard that Yeshua had come from Judah to Galilee; and he went to Yeshua, and besought him, that he would come down and heal his son; for he was near dying. Yeshua said to him, “Unless you see miracles and wonders, you will not believe.” The king’s servant said to him, “Sir, come down, before the boy dies.” Yeshua said to him, “Go, your son lives.” And the man believed the word which Yeshua spake to him, and went away; and as he was going down, his servants met him, and informed him, saying to him, “Your son lives.” And he asked them, at what time he recovered; and they said to him, “Yesterday, at the seventh hour the fever left him.” And his father knew, that it was at that hour in which Yeshua said to him, “Your son lives.” And he believed, and all his house.
After these things there was a feast of the Israelites, and Yeshua went up to Jerusalem; and there was there in Jerusalem a certain place of purification, which was called Bethesda; and there were in it five porches; and in them were laid a great crowd of the sick, and the blind, and the lame, and the withered, waiting for the moving of the water; for an angel, from time to time, descended into the purification pool, and moved the water; and whoever first went in, after the moving of the water, was cured of whatever disease he had; and a man was there, who had been diseased thirty and eight years. Yeshua saw this man lying down, and Yahweh told Yeshua that his disease had been a long time upon him, so Yeshua said to him, “Desire you to be healed?” And the sick man answered, saying, “Yes, sir; but I have no one who, when the water is moved, will put me into the purification pool; but while I am coming, another one goes in before me.” Yeshua said to him, “Arise, take up your quilt, and walk.” And immediately the man was healed; and he arose, took up his quilt, and walked; and it was the Sabbath day; and the Israelites said to him that was healed, “It is the Sabbath; it is not lawful for you to bear your quilt.” But he answered, saying to them, “He that made me whole, he said to me, take up your quilt and walk.” And they asked him, “Who is the man that said to you, take up your quilt and walk?” But the man that was healed, knew not who it was; for Yeshua had slid away, in the great crowd that was in the place.
Post 19 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (9)
After a time, Yeshua found him in the temple courts, and said to him, “Lo, you are healed; sin not again, lest something worse come upon you than before.” And the man went, and told the Israelites, that it was Yeshua who had cured him; and for this cause the Israelites began to persecute Yeshua, and sought to kill him; because he had done these things on the Sabbath; but Yeshua said to them, “My Father works until now, and I work.” And for this the Israelites sought the more to kill him, not only because he had broken the Sabbath, but because he had said of Yahweh, that he was his Father, and had equalled himself with Yahweh; and Yeshua answered, saying to them, “Truly I say to you, the son can do nothing, of his own pleasure, but what he sees the Father do; for what things the Father does, these in like manner does the son; for the Father loves his son, and showed him everything he does; and greater works than these, will the Father show him, that you may wonder. For when the Father raises the dead, and gives them life; so also the son gives life to whom he pleases; for neither does the Father judge anyone, but he has entrusted all judgment to the son, that every man may honor the son, as he honors the Father. He that honors not the son, honors not the Father that sent him. Truly I say to you, that he who hears my word, and believes on him that sent me, has life eternal, and will not come into condemnation, but has passed from death to life. Truly I say to you, that the hour comes, and it is now already here, when the dead will hear the voice of the son of Yahweh; and they that hear, will live. For as the Father has life in himself, so has he given to the son also, to have life in himself, and has moreover given him authority to execute judgment, as he is also the son of man.
Marvel not at this; for the hour comes, when all that are in their graves will hear his voice; and will come forth; they that have done good, to the resurrection of life, and they that have done evil, to the resurrection of condemnation. I can do nothing of my own pleasure; but as I hear, so I judge; and my judgment is just; for I seek not my own pleasure, but the pleasure of him that sent me. If I should bear testimony respecting myself, my testimony would not be valid. There is another that bears testimony concerning me; and I know that the testimony which he bears concerning me is true. You sent unto John; and he bore testimony to the truth; and I have not received testimony from men; but these things I say, that you may live. He was a burning and shining lamp; and you were willing for a time, to glory in his light; but I have a testimony, which is greater than that of John; for the works which my Father has given me to accomplish, these works which I do, testifies of me; and his word abides not in you, because you believe not in him whom he has sent. Search the scriptures; for in them, you think, there is life eternal for you; and they testify of me; and you are unwilling to come to me, that life eternal may be yours. I do not receive glory from men; but I know you, that the love of Yahweh is not in you. I came in the name of my Father, and you receive me not; if another shall come in his own name, him you will receive. How can you believe, who receive glory from one another, and seek not the glory which comes from Yahweh only? Do you suppose, that I shall accuse you before the Father? There is one that will accuse you, that Moses, on whom you rely. For if you believed Moses, you would also believe me; for Moses wrote concerning me; but if you believe not his writings, how will you believe my words?”
Now when Yeshua had heard that John was delivered up, Yeshua returned to Galilee; and fame concerning him spread in all the region around them; and he taught in their synagogues, and was lauded by everyone; and he came to Nazareth, where he had been brought up; and he went as he was accustomed, into the synagogue on the Sabbath day, and rose up to read; and there was delivered to him the scroll of Isaiah the prophet; and Yeshua unrolled the scroll, and found the place where it is written, “The power of Yahweh is upon me, because Yahweh has anointed me; he has sent me as a herald of joy to the humble, to bind up the wounded of heart, to proclaim release to the captives, liberation to the imprisoned; to proclaim a year of Yahweh’s favor.” And Yeshua rolled up the scroll, and gave it to the servitor, and went and sat down; and the eyes of all in the synagogue were gazing upon him; and he began to say to them, “This day, is this scripture which you have heard, is fulfilled in your ears.” And all bare him witness, and admired the gracious words which proceeded from his mouth; and they said, “Is not this the son of Joseph?” Yeshua said to them, “Perhaps, you will speak to me this proverb, physician, heal yourself, and whatever we have heard of your doing in Capernaum, do you here also in your city. Truly I say to you, there is no prophet who is acceptable in his own city; for I tell you the truth, that there were many widows in the House of Israel, in the days of Elijah the prophet, when the sky was closed up three years and six months, and there was a great famine in all the land; but to no one of them was Elijah sent, except to Sarepta of Sidon, unto a widow woman; and there were many lepers in the House of Israel, in the days of Elisha the prophet; but none of them was cleansed except Naaman the Syrian.” And when they heard these things, those in the synagogue were all filled with wrath; and they rose up, and thrust Yeshua out of the city, and brought him to the top of the hill on which the city was built, that they might cast him down from a cliff; but he passed through the midst of them, and went away.
Post 20 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (10)
And Yeshua left Nazareth, and he went down and dwelt in Capernaum, by the side of the lake, on the confines of Zebulon and Naphthali. From that time began Yeshua to proclaim the tidings of the sovereignty of Yahweh, and said, “The time is completed, and the sovereignty of Yahweh has approached. Repent you, and believe the tidings.” And as Yeshua walked on the shore of the lake of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Cephas, and Andrew his brother, who were casting nets into the lake; for they were fishermen; and Yeshua said to them, “Follow me; and I will cause you to become fishers of men.” And immediately, they left their nets, and went after him; and as Yeshua pass on a little from their, he saw two other brothers, James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother, in a boat with Zebedee their father, who were mending their nets; and Yeshua called them; and immediately they left Zebedee in the boat, with the hired servants, and went after him; and Yeshua traveled over all Galilee, and he taught in their synagogues, and proclaimed the tidings of the sovereignty; and healed every disease and sickness among the people; and his fame spread through all Syria; and they brought to him all them that were very sick with diverse diseases, and them that were afflicted with pains, and unclean spirits, and lunatics and paralytics; and Yeshua healed them; and there followed Yeshua great crowds from Galilee, and from the Ten Cities, and from Jerusalem, and from Judah, and from beyond the Jordan; and when Yeshua saw the crowds, he ascended a mountain; and when he was seated, his disciples drew near him, and Yeshua opened his mouth, and taught them, and said, “Happy are the poor in the land, for the sovereignty of Yahweh is theirs! Happy are the mourners, for they shall be comforted! Happy are the meek, for they shall inherit the land! Happy are they that hunger and thirst for righteousness, for they shall be satiated! Happy are the merciful, for on them shall be mercies! Happy are the clean in heart, for they shall behold Yahweh! Happy are the cultivators of peace, for they shall be called sons of Yahweh! Happy are they that are persecuted on account of righteousness, for the sovereignty of Yahweh is theirs!
Blessed are you, when they revile you and persecute you, and speak every evil thing against you, falsely, on my account. At that time, rejoice and be glad; for your reward in heaven is great; for so they persecuted the prophets that were before you. You are the salt of the land! But if the salt become insipid, with what shall it be seasoned? It is fit for nothing; but to be thrown out, and be trodden under foot by men. You are the light of the land! A city built upon a hill, cannot be concealed; and they do not light a lamp, and place it under a basket; but upon a light-stand, and it gives light to all that are in the house. Let your light shine before men, that they may see your good works, and may glorify your Father who is in heaven. Do not suppose that I have come to subvert the law or the prophets; I have come not to subvert, but to fulfill; for truly I say to you, that until heaven and earth shall pass away, one iota or one letter shall not pass from the law, until all shall be fulfilled. Therefore, whoever shall break one of these small commands, and shall so inculcate on the children of men, shall be called little in the sovereignty of Yahweh; but everyone that shall do and teach them, shall be called great in the sovereignty of Yahweh; for I say to you, that unless your righteousness shall abound more than that of the Scribes and Pharisees, you shall not enter into the sovereignty of Yahweh. You have heard that it was said to the ancients, you shall not kill; and everyone that kills, is obnoxious to judgment; and everyone that says to his brother, I spit on you, is obnoxious to the Sanhedrin; and everyone that shall say, abnormal, is obnoxious to hell fire. If it should happen therefore, that while you are presenting your offering upon the altar, and right there you remember that your brother has any grievance against you, leave your offering there upon the altar, and first go and make peace with your brother, and then come back and present your offering. Try to get reconciled with your accuser promptly, while you are going on the road with him; for your accuser might surrender you to the judge, and the judge would commit you to the jailer, and you would be cast into the house of prisoners. Truly I say to you, you will not come out from there, until you have paid the last farthing.
You have heard that it had been said, you shall not commit adultery; but I say to you, that whoever gazes on a woman with concupiscence, at once commits adultery with her in his heart. If therefore, your right eye should cause you to stumble, pluck it out, and cast it from you; because it is better for you, that your one member perish, than that your whole body fall into hell; and if your right hand should cause you to stumble, cut if off, and cast it from you; because it is better for you that one of your members perish, than that your whole body fall into hell. It has been said, that if a man will put away his wife, he must write her a bill of divorcement; but I say to you, that whoever puts away his wife, except for the offense of fornication, causes her to commit adultery; and whoever marries a woman who is separated, but not divorced, commits adultery. Again, you have heard that it has been said to the ancients, you shall not swear falsely by the name of Yahweh; for Yahweh will not clear one who swears falsely by his name; but I say to you, swear not at all, not by heaven, for it is the throne of Yahweh; and not by the earth, for it is the footstool under his feet; and likewise not by Jerusalem, for it is the city of a great king. Moreover, you shall not swear by your head, for you cannot make one hair in it, either black or white; but let your words be, yes, yes; or no, no; for whatever is beyond these is a deception. You have heard that it has been said, eye for eye, tooth for tooth; but I say to you, resist not evil; but if a person smite you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also; and if one is disposed to sue you, and get away your tunic, relinquish to him also your cloak. Whoever compels you to go one mile, go with him two. Whoever demands of you, give to him; and whoever wishes to borrow of you, deny him not; but I say to you, love your enemies; and bless him that curses you; and do good to him that hates you; and pray for them that lead you in bonds, and that persecute you; that you may be children of your Father that is in heaven, who causes his sun to rise upon the good and upon the bad, and sends his rain upon the righteous and upon the unrighteous. For if you love them that love you, what reward have you? Do not even the tax collectors do this? And if you salute your brethren only, what do you that is not common? Do not even the tax collectors do this? Be you therefore perfect, even as your Father who is in heaven is perfect.
Post 21 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (11)
Be cautious in your almsgiving, not to perform it before men, so that you may be seen of them; otherwise, you have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. Therefore, when you do alms, do not sound a trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may get praise from men. Truly I say to you, they have gotten their reward; but you, when doing alms, let not your left hand know what your right hand does; that your alms may be in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly; and when you pray, do not be like the hypocrites, who are fond of standing up in the synagogues and at the corners of streets to pray, so that they may be seen by people. Truly I say to you, they have gotten their reward; but as for you, when you pray, enter into your inner chamber and lock your door, and pray to your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will reward you openly; and when you pray, be not garrulous like the Gentiles; for they expect to be heard for their abundance of words. Therefore, be not like them; for your Father knows what is needful for you, before you ask him. In this manner, therefore, pray you; our Father, who is in heaven, hollowed be your name; your sovereignty come; your will be done; as in heaven, so in the land; give us our needful bread, this day; and forgive us our offenses, as we have forgiven our offenders; and do not let us enter into temptation, but deliver us from evil; for yours is the sovereignty, and the power, and the glory, forever and ever. For if your forgive men their faults, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive men their faults, your Father who is in heaven will also forgive you; but if you shall not forgive men, your Father also forgives not you your faults; and when you fast, be not sad like the hypocrites; for they distort their faces, that they may be seen of men to fast. Truly I say to you, they have gotten their reward; but, as for you, when you fast, wash you your face, and anoint your head; that you may not be seen by men as a faster, but by your Father who is in secret; and your Father, who sees in secret, will recompense you. Lay not up for yourselves treasures in the land, where moth and rust spoil, and where thieves dig through and steal; but lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where no moth and no rust can spoil, and no thieves dig through nor steal; for where your treasure is, there will your heart also be. The lamp of the body is the eye. If therefore, your eye shall be diseased, your whole body will be dark. If then, the light that is in you be darkness, how great will be your darkness! No man can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one and love the other, or he will honor the one and neglect the other. You cannot serve Yahweh and mammon. Therefore, I say to you, be not anxious about your life, what you shall eat, and what you shall drink; nor about your body, how you shall clothe yourselves. Is not the life more important than food, and the body than raiment? Look at the birds of the sky; which sow not, and reap not, and gather not into storehouses, but your Father who is in heaven feeds them. Are not you more important than they? And who of you that shall be anxious, can add to his stature a cubit? And about raiment, why are you anxious? Consider the lilies of the desert, in what manner they grow. They toil not; and they spin not. Yet I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory, was arrayed like one of them; and if Yahweh so clothe the grass of the field, which exists today, and tomorrow falls into the fireplace, will he not much more clothe you, you small in believing? Therefore, be not anxious; nor say, what shall we eat, or what shall we drink; or wherewith we be clothed? For all these things the people of the world seek after; and your Father who is in heaven, knows that all these things are needful to you; but seek you first the sovereignty of Yahweh, and his righteousness; and all these things shall be added to you. Therefore, be not anxious about the morrow; for the morrow has its own anxieties. Sufficient for the day, is its own evil.
Judge not, that you be not judged; for with the judgment that you judge, you shall be judged; and by the measure that you measure, shall it be measured to you; and why observe you the splinter in your brother’s eye, and regard not the beam that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, allow me to pluck the splinter from your eye; and lo, a beam is in your own eye. You hypocrite, pluck first the beam from your own eye; and then you will see clearly, to pluck the splinter out of your brother’s eye. Give not a holy thing to dogs; and cast not your pearls before swine; lest they tread them under their feet, and turn and lacerate you. Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you. For everyone that asks, receives; and he that seeks, finds; and to him that knocks, it shall be opened; for what man is there among you, of whom if his son ask bread, will he reach him a stone? Or if he ask of him a fish, will he reach him a serpent? If you then, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father who is in heaven, give good things to them that ask him? Whatsoever you would that men should do to you; so also do you to them; for this is the law and the prophets. Enter you in by the narrow gate; for wide is the gate, and broad is the road which leads to destruction, and many are those who travel on it. How narrow the gate, and how difficult is the road which leads to life, and few are those who are found on it. Beware of false prophets; who come to you in the garb of sheep, but internally they are rapacious wolves; and from their fruits you shall know them. Do men gather grapes from thorn bushes; or figs from thistles? So every good tree bears good fruits; but a bad tree bears bad fruits. A good tree cannot bear bad fruits; nor can a bad tree bear good fruits. Every tree that bears not good fruits, is cut down, and consigned to the fire. Wherefore, by their fruits you shall know them. Not whoever may say to me, meshiach, meshiach, will enter into the sovereignty of Yahweh; but he that does the will of my Father who is in heaven. Many will say to me in that day, Yeshua, Yeshua, have we not prophesied in your name? And in your name cast out unclean spirits? And in your name do many works of power? And then will I declare to them; I never knew you. Depart from me, you doers of evil. Everyone therefore, that hears these my discourses, and does them, will be like to a wise man, one that built his house upon a rock; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew; and they rushed upon that house; and it fell not, for its foundations were laid upon a rock; and everyone that hears these my discourses, and does them not, will be like a foolish man that built his house upon sand; and the rain descended, and the floods came, and the winds blew; and they rushed upon that house, and it fell; and great was the ruin of it.” And so it was, that when Yeshua had ended these discourses, the crowds were astonished at his teaching; for he taught them as one having authority; and not as their Scribes and Pharisees.
Post 22 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (12)
And as Yeshua descended from the mountain, great crowds gathered around him; and lo, a leper came and did homage to him, and said, “Sir, if you wish, you can make me clean.” And Yeshua stretched fourth his hand, touched him, and said, “I do wish it; be you clean.” And immediately his leprosy was cleansed; and Yeshua said to him, “See, you tell no man; but go, show yourself to the priests, and present an offering as Moses enjoined for a testimony to them.” And when Yeshua had entered into Capernaum, a centurion came to him, and besought him, and said, “Sir, my child lies at home, paralyzed and badly afflicted.” Yeshua said to him, “I will come and heal him.” The centurion replied, and said, “Sir, I am not worthy that you should come under my roof; but speak the word only, and my child will be healed; for I also am a man under authority, and there are soldiers under my hands, and I say to this one, go, and he goes; and to another, come, and he comes; and to my servant, do this thing and he does it.” And when Yeshua heard this, he admired it; and he said to those walking with him, “Truly I say to you, I have not found believing like this even is Israel; and I say to you, that many shall come from the East, and from the West, and shall recline with Abraham and Isaac and Jacob, in the sovereignty of Yahweh; but the sons of the kingdom shall go forth into the outer darkness. There will be the weeping and the grinding of the teeth.” And Yeshua said to the centurion, “Go; be it to you as you have believed.” And his child was healed in that same hour; and Yeshua immediately taught on the Sabbath, in their synagogues; and they were astonished at his teachings, for he taught them, as having authority, and not as their Scribes; and in their synagogue was a man, in whom was an unclean spirit; and it cried out, with a loud voice, and said, “What have I do do with you? Let me alone; what have I to do with you, Yeshua? Have you come to destroy me? I know you, who you are, the holy one of Yahweh.” And Yeshua rebuked it, and said, “Shut your mouth; and come out of him.” And the unclean spirit threw him down in the midst, and cried with a loud voice; and came out of him, having not harmed him at all; and they were all amazed, and wonder seized everyone, and inquired one of another, and said, “What a word is this! What new teaching is this? For with authority and power, he commands the unclean spirits, and they obey him, and they come out.”
And Yeshua’s fame went out into all the surrounding region; and Yeshua retired from the synagogue, and he entered into the house of Simon and Andrew, with James and John; and the mother-in-law of Simon was lying sick, afflicted with a severe fever; and they besought Yeshua in her behalf; and he came, and he stood over here, and took her hand, and raised her up, and rebuked the fever; and immediately the fever left her; and immediately she arose and ministered to them; and when it was evening, at the setting of the sun, all those that had sick persons, afflicted with divers diseases, they brought many possessed with unclean spirits, and all the city was collected at the door, and he laid his hand on everyone of them, and healed them; and he cast out many unclean spirits by a word; crying out and saying, “You are the meshiach.” And in the morning, Yeshua rose much before the others, and retired to a solitary place, and there prayed; and Simon and his associates sought for him; and when they found him, they said to him, “Everybody is seeking for you.” And he said to them, “Lets go into the adjacent villages and towns; for there also I will preach, because therefore was I sent.” And the crowds sought him, and went out to him, and held him fast, that he might not retire from them; and Yeshua said to them, “It behooves me to announce the sovereignty of Yahweh to other cities also; for therefore was I sent.” And Yeshua preached in all their synagogues, in all Galilee, and cast out unclean spirits. And it occurred, that a crowd gathered about Yeshua, to hear the word of Yahweh; and Yeshua was standing by the side of the lake of Gennesaret, and he saw two boats standing near the lake, and the fishermen were gone out of them, and were washing their nets; and one of them belonged to Simon Cephas; and Yeshua entered and sat in it; and he told them to draw off a little from the shore, into the lake; and he seated himself, and taught the people from the boat; and when he ceased from speaking, he said to Simon, “Launch out into the deep, and cast your net for a catch.” Simon answered, saying to him, “Teacher, all the night we have toiled, and have caught nothing; but, at your bidding, I will cast the net.” And when they had done so, they inclosed very many fishes, so that the net was rent; and they made signs to their associates, in the other boat, to come and help them; and when they came, they filled both the boats, so that they were near to sinking; and when Simon Cephas saw it, he fell before the feet of Yeshua, and said to him, “I beseech you, my teacher, that you leave me, for I am a sinful man.” For astonishment had seized him, and all that were with him, at the catch of fishes which they had caught; and in like manner also James and John, the sons of Zebedee, who were partners of Simon; but Yeshua said, “Fear you not; henceforth, you shall catch men unto life.” And they brought the boats to the land; and they left all and followed him.
Post 23 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (13)
And when Yeshua was in one of the cities, a man came all full of leprosy and saw Yeshua, he fell upon his face at his feet, and besought him, saying, “Sir, if you will, you can cleanse me.” And Yeshua had compassion on him, and stretched out his hand, and touched him, and said to him, “I will it; be you clean.” And in that hour, his leprosy departed from him, and he became clean; and Yeshua charged him, and Yeshua said to him, “See that you speak to no one; but go and show yourself to the priests, and make an offering on account of your cleansing, as Moses has commanded, for a testimony to them.” And sent him away; and he, as he went out, began to proclaim it much, and to divulge the matter; and Yeshua’s fame spread abroad still more; and much people assembled to hear him, and to be healed of their diseases; so that Yeshua could not openly go into the city, but was without, in desert places, and prayed; and they came to him from every quarter; and when Yeshua saw great crowds around him, he ordered that they should go to the site shore, and a Scribe came and said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you to the place wherever you go.” Yeshua said to him, “For foxes there are holes, and for the birds of the sky there are nests; but for the son of man, there is not where he may recline his head.” And another of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, suffer me first to go and bury my father.” But Yeshua said to him, “Follow you me, and leave the dead to bury their dead.” And when Yeshua entered the boat, his disciples embarked with him; and lo, a great commotion arose in the lake, so that the boat was covered by the waves; but Yeshua was asleep; and his disciples came to awake him, saying to him, “Our teacher, deliver us; we are perishing!” Yeshua said to them, “Why are you afraid, you small in believing!” Then he arose, and rebuked the wind and the lake; and there was great tranquillity; and the men were amazed; and they said, “What a man is this, to whom the winds and the lake are obedient!” And when Yeshua arrived at the farther shore, in the country of the Gadarenes, he was met by two possessed with unclean spirits, who were just coming out of the cemetery, exceedingly vicious, so that no one would dare to travel that road; and they cried out, and said, “What have we to do with you? Yeshua, you son of Yahweh. Have you come here before the time to torment us?” And at a distance from them there was a herd of many swine feeding; and the unclean spirits kept entreating of him, and said, “If you cast us out, suffer us to attack the herd of swine.” And Yeshua said to them, “Go you.” And immediately they came out, and attacked the swine; and that whole herd ran straight to a cliff and plunged into the lake, and perished in the water; and the herdsmen fled, and entered the city, and related all that had occurred, and concerning them that were possessed with unclean spirits; and all the city came out to meet Yeshua; and when they saw him, they besought him to depart from their coasts; and he entered the boat, and passed over and Yeshua again entered into Capernaum for a few days.
And it occurred, on one of the days when Yeshua was teaching, that Pharisees and Doctors of the law were sitting by, who had come from all the villages of Galilee, and of Judah, and Jerusalem; and when they heard that he was in a certain house, a great many gathered together, so that it was impossible to hold them, not even in front of the entrance; so he spoke a few words to them and the power of Yahweh was present to heal them; and some persons brought a paralytic man on a quilt, carried between four persons, and sought to bring him in, and to place him before him; and when they could not thus introduce him on account of the crowd, they ascended to the roof, and removed the covering of the place where Yeshua was, and let down the quilt on which the paralytic lay into the midst, before Yeshua; and when Yeshua saw their believing, he said to the paralytic, “Take courage; your sins are forgiven you.” And there were some Scribes and Pharisees there, who sat and began to reason in their hearts, and to say, “This man blasphemes! Who is this that speaks blasphemy? Who can forgive sins, except Yahweh only?” But Yeshua knew that they were reasoning in themselves; and he said to them, “Why do you reason evil things in your heart? For, which is the easier, to say to the paralytic, Your sins are forgiven you? Or to say, Arise, take up your quilt and walk? But that you may know that the son of man has authority in Israel to forgive sins!” He said to the paralytic, “I say to you, Arise, take up your quilt, and go to your house.” And instantly, he rose up before their eyes, and took up his quilt, and departed in presence of them all, and went home, glorifying Yahweh; and astonishment seized everyone; and they praised Yahweh, who had given authority like this to men, saying, “We never saw the like.” And they were filled with awe, and said, “We have seen wonders today.”
And he went out again by the lake, and all the people kept coming to him, and he taught them; and after these things, as he passed on from there, he saw a man sitting at the customhouse, a tax collector named Matthew the son of Alpheus, sitting among the tax collectors; and he said to him, “Come after me.” And he left everything, and he arose and went after him; and Matthew made a great entertainment for him at his house; and it was so, that as he reclined in Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and reclined with Yeshua and with his disciples; for they were many, and they followed him; and when the Scribes and Pharisees saw that he ate with tax collectors and with sinners murmured, and said to his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?” And as Yeshua heard it, he answered and said to them, “They who are in health have no need of a physician, but they that are very sick. Go and learn what that is, for Yahweh desires goodness, not sacrifice! I came not to call the righteous, but sinners, to repentance.” And the disciples of John and of the Pharisees were fasters; then they came and said to him, “Why do the disciples of John fast often, and pray, and also those of the Pharisees; but yours eat and drink, your disciples fast not?” Yeshua said to them, “Can the guests of the nuptial chamber fast as long as the bridegroom is with them? No! But the days will come, when the bridegroom will be taken up from them, and then will they fast, in those days.” And Yeshua spoke a parable to them, “No one takes a patch of new cloth and sews it upon an old garment; lest that which fills up, tear from that garment, and the rent become greater. And no one puts new wine into old sacks, otherwise, the new wine will burst the sacks, and the wine will run out, and the sacks be ruined; but they put new wine into new sacks, and both are preserved. And no one drinks old wine, and immediately wants new wine; for he says, The old is delicious.” And while he was speaking these things with them, a leader of the synagogue came, drew near, did homage to him and said, “My daughter is already dead, but come lay your hand on her, and she will live.” And Yeshua rose up, and his disciples; and they went with him; and lo, a woman who had had a hemorrhage for fourteen years, came up from behind him, and she touched the edge of his cloak; for she was saying to herself, “If I can only touch his garment, I will be healed.” And Yeshua turned around, looked at her, and said to her, “Have courage, your believing has healed you.” And the woman was healed in that very hour; and Yeshua arrived at the house of the synagogue leader, and saw the mourners and the excited crowds, and he said to them, “That is enough; for the little girl is not dead, but she is asleep.” And they scoffed at him; but when he had put the people out, he entered in and took her by the hand, and the little girl rose up; and the fame of this thing spread in all that land.
Post 24 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (14)
And as Yeshua passed from there, he was delayed by two blind men, who were crying out, and saying, “Have mercy on us, you son of David!” And when he had entered a house, those blind men approached him, and Yeshua said to them, “Believe you that I am able to do this?” They said to him, “Yes, our meshiach.” Then he touched their eyes, and said, “As you have believed, so shall it be to you.” And forthwith their eyes were opened; and Yeshua charged them, and said, “See, that no one know of it.” But they went out and spread the news all over that country; and as Yeshua went out, they brought to him a dumb man in whom was an unclean spirit; and as soon as he was restored, the dumb man spoke, and the people were amazed, and said, “Such a thing has never been seen in Israel.” But the Pharisees said, “He is casting out unclean spirits, by the help of the prince of unclean spirits.” And on a sabbath it occurred, as Yeshua walked among the tilled grounds, that his disciples plucked ears, and rubbed them in their hands and ate; and some of the Pharisees said to them, “Why do you that, which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath?” And the Pharisees said to him, “See, how on the sabbath, they do that which is not lawful?” Yeshua replied, and said to them, “Have you never read what David did, when he had need and was hungry, he and those with him? How he entered into the House of Yahweh, when Abiathar was high priest, and took and ate the bread of Yahweh’s table, and gave it to those that were with him, which it was not lawful, except for the priests only, to eat?” And he said to them, “The sabbath was made on man’s account, and not man for the sake of the sabbath. Therefore also the son of man is Yahweh’s Anointed of the sabbath.” And on another sabbath, Yeshua entered into a synagogue and taught; and there was a man there whose right hand was withered; and the Scribes and Pharisees watch him, that if he should heal on the sabbath, they might be able to accuse him; and as he knew their thoughts, he said to the man whose hand was withered, “Rise up and come to the center of the synagogue.” And when he came and stood there; and he said also to them, “I ask you, is it lawful to do good on the sabbath, or to do evil? To give life to a person, or to destroy it?” But they were silent; and he looked on them with indignation, being grieved with the hardness of their heart; and then said to the man, “Stretch forth your hand.” And he stretched out his hand, and it was restored like the other; and they were filled with bitterness, and they conferred one with another, what they should do to Yeshua; and the Pharisees went out that very hour, with the domestics of Herod, and held a consultation against him, how they might destroy him. And Yeshua retired with his disciples to the lake; and many people joined him from Galilee, and from Judah, and from Jerusalem, and from Idumaea, and from beyond Jordan, and from Tyre, and from Sidon; large crowds, who had heard all that he was doing, came to him; and he told his disciples to bring him a boat, on account of the crowds, lest they should crowd upon him; for he was healing so many, that others pushed toward him, in order to touch him; and those who were afflicted with unclean spirits, when they saw him, fell down before him and cried out, and said, “You are indeed the son of Yahweh.” And he cautioned them earnestly not to make him known.
And in those days, Yeshua retired to a mountain to pray; and he passed the night there, in prayer to Yahweh; and when the day dawned, he called his disciples, and selected from them twelve to be with him, whom he would send out to teach, and who would have power to heal the sick, and to cast out unclean spirits, whom he named apostles: Simon whom he named Cephas, and to James the son of Zebedee and to John the brother of James, he gave the name of Boanerges, that is, sons of thunder; and he chose also Andrew, and Philip, and Bartholomew, and Matthew, and Thomas, and James the son of Alpheus, and Simon who is called the Zealot, and Judas the son of James, and Judas Iscariot; and Yeshua descended with them, and stood up in the plain; and a large group of his disciples, and a large crowd of people from all over Judah, and from Jerusalem, and from the sea coast of Tyre and Sidon; came to hear his discourse, and to be healed of their diseases; and they who were afflicted by unclean spirits, and they were healed; and all the people sought to touch him, because power proceeded from him, and he healed them all; and he lifted his eyes upon his disciples, and said, “Happy are you poor, for the sovereignty of Yahweh is yours. Happy are you that hunger now, for you will be satisfied. Happy are you that weep now, for you will laugh. Happy are you, when men hate you, and discriminate against you, and reproach you, and publish your names as bad, for the sake of the son of man. Be glad and rejoice in that day, for your reward is increased in heaven; for their fathers did the same to the prophets. But, woe to you that are rich; for you have already received your comforts. Woe to you that are full, for you will hunger. Woe to you that laugh now, for you will weep and mourn. Woe to you, when men shall speak your praise; for so did their fathers to the false prophets.” But to you who hear, I say, “Love your enemies; and do favors to them that hate you; and bless them that curse you; and pray for them that drag you with violence; and to him that smites you on your cheek, offer the other; and from him that takes away your cloak, keep not back your tunic. Give to everyone who asks you; and from him who takes away what is yours, do not demand it back again; and as you would that men should do to you, so do you also to them. For, if you love them that love you, what goodness is it in you? For even sinners love those that love them; and if you do good to them that do good to you, what goodness is it in you? For even sinners do the same; and if you lend to one from whom you expect recompense, what goodness is it in you? For sinners also lend to sinners, to receive adequate recompense; but love you your enemies, and do them good; and lend you, and disappoint the hope of no one; and great will be your reward, and you will be sons of Yahweh; for he is kind to the evil, and to the unthankful. Be you therefore merciful, as also your Father is merciful. Judge not, and you will not be judged; and condemn not, and you will not be condemned; release, and you will be released. Give you, and it will be given to you; in good measure, pressed down, and running over, will they cast into your lap; for with what measure you measure, it will be measured to you.”
And he told them a parable, “Can a blind man guide a blind man? Will they not both fall into the pit? There is no disciple who is more important than his teacher; for every man who is well developed, will be like his teacher; and why observe you the splinter that is in your brother’s eye, but regard not the beam that is in your own eye? Or how can you say to your brother, My brother, allow me to pluck the splinter from your eye; when, lo, the beam that is in your own eye, you regard not. Hypocrite! First cast the beam out of your eye, and then your vision will be clear to pluck the splinter from your brother’s eye. There is no good tree, that bears bad fruits, nor a bad tree, that bears good fruits; for every tree is known by its fruits. Do men gather figs from thistles? So, neither do they pluck grapes from a bramble bush. A good man, from the good treasure that is in his heart, brings out good things; and a bad man, from the bad treasure that is in his heart, brings out bad things; for, from the abundance of the heart, the lips speak; and why call you me, My teacher, my teacher; while you do not do what I say? Everyone that comes to me, and hears my words, and does them, I will show to whom he is like; he is like a man that built a house; and he dug and went deep, and laid the foundations on a rock; and when a flood occurred, the flood rushed upon that house, and could not move it, for its foundation rested on a rock; but he that hears and does not, is like a man that built his house upon the earth, without a foundation; and when the torrent rushed upon it, it fell immediately, and the ruin of that house was great.” And when Yeshua had finished all these discourses in the audience of the people, Yeshua entered into Capernaum; and they came to the house; and the crowd assembled again, so that they could not eat bread; and Yeshua’s relatives heard of it, and went out to seize him; for they said, “He is out of his reason.” And those Scribes that had come down from Jerusalem said, “Beelzebub is with him; and, by the prince of unclean spirits he is casting out unclean spirits.” And Yeshua called them, and said to them in parables, “How can Satan cast out Satan? For if a kingdom be divided against itself, that kingdom cannot stand; and if a house be divided against itself, that house cannot stand; and if Satan rise up against himself and be divided, he cannot stand, but is at an end. No one can enter the house of a strong man, and plunder his goods, unless he first bind the strong man; and then he plunders his house. Truly I say to you, all sins, and the blasphemies that men may utter, may be forgiven them; but whoever shall blaspheme against Yahweh’s power, to him forever there is no forgiveness, but he is obnoxious to eternal judgment.” For they had said, “He has an unclean spirit.” And his mother, and his brothers came, and, standing without, sent to call him to them; but the people were sitting around him; and they said to him, “Lo, your mother and your brothers are outside, asking for you.” He replied, and said to them, “Who is my mother, and who are my brothers?” And he looked upon those who sat near him, and said, “Lo, my mother, and lo, my brothers; for whoever shall do the pleasure of Yahweh, he is my brother, and my sister, and my mother.”
Post 25 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (15)
And the servant of a centurion was seriously sick, one who was very dear to him, and he was near death; and when he heard about Yeshua, he sent to him Israelite elders, and besought him to come and heal his servant; and when they came to Yeshua, they begged him earnestly, and said, “He is worthy to have this done for him; for he loves our nation, and has even built us a synagogue.” And Yeshua went with them; and when he was not far from the house, the centurion sent some of his friends to him, and said, “Sir, do not trouble yourself; for I am not worthy that you should enter under my roof; therefore I deemed myself not worthy to approach you myself; but speak the word only, and my servant will be healed. For I am also a man under authority, and there are soldiers under my command; and I say to this one, Go, and he goes; and to another, Come, and he comes; and to my servant, Do this, and he does it.” And when Yeshua heard these things, he was amazed at him, and he turned, and said to the people who followed him, “I say to you, not even in Israel have I found such believing as this.” So those who were sent returned to the house, and found the servant who was sick, healed; and the following day, he went to a city called Nain; and his disciples were with him, and many people; and when they came near the gate of the city, he saw a dead man being carried out, who was the only son of his mother, and his mother was a widow; and many people of the city were with her; and when Yeshua saw her, he had compassion on her, and said to her, “Weep not.” And he went and touched the bier, and those who carried it stood still; and he said, “Young man, I say to you, Arise.” And the dead man sat up, and began to speak; and he gave him to his mother; and awe seized all the people; and they glorified Yahweh, and said, “A great prophet is risen among us; and, Yahweh has visited his people.” And this word about him went out through all Judah, and through the country around them. And the disciples of John told him all these things; and John called two of his disciples, and sent them to Yeshua, and said, “Are you the one who is to come? Or are we to expect another?” And they came to Yeshua, and said to him, “John the Baptizer has sent us to you, and said, Are you the one who is to come? Or are we to expect another?” And in that hour he healed many persons of their diseases, and of plagues, and of unclean spirits, and gave sight to many blind persons; and Yeshua replied, and said to them, “Go you, and tell John all that you have seen and heard; that the blind see, and the lame walk, and the leprous are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead rise up, and to the poor good news is proclaimed; and happy is he that is not stumbled in me.” And when John’s disciples had gone, Yeshua began to speak to the people, concerning John, “What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A reed agitated by the wind? If not so, what went you out to see? A man clad in soft raiment? Lo, they that use splendid garments and luxuries, are in kings’ palaces; and if not so, what did you go out to see? A prophet? Yea, I say to you, and much more than a prophet; for this is he, of whom it is written, “Lo, I send my messenger before your face, to prepare the way before you. I say to you, that there is no prophet, among those who are born of women, who is greater than John the Baptizer; and yet even the least person in the sovereignty of Yahweh, is greater than he.” And all the people who heard it, even the tax collectors, justified themselves before Yahweh, for they were baptized with the baptism of John; but the Pharisees and Scribes rejected the good pleasure of Yahweh, against themselves; as they were not baptized by him. “To what, therefore, shall I compare the men of this nation? And to what are they like? They are like boys who sit in the street, and call to their fellows, and say, We have sung to you, but you did not dance; and we have wailed to you, and you did not weep. For John the Baptizer came, neither eating bread, nor drinking wine; and you say, He has an unclean spirit. The son of man came, eating and drinking; and you say, Lo, a gluttonous man, and a wine drinker, and one fond of tax collectors and sinners; and yet, wisdom is justified by all its works.”
And one of the Pharisees came, and asked him to eat with him; and he entered the house of that Pharisee, and reclined as a guest; and there was a woman in that city, who was a sinner; and when she learned that he was a guest in the Pharisee’s house, she took an alabaster cruse of perfume, and stood behind him, at his feet, and wept; and she began to bathe his feet with her tears, and to wipe them with the hair of her head; and she kissed his feet, and anointed them with the perfume; and when the Pharisee that invited him, saw it, he reasoned within himself, and said, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who she is, and what is her reputation; for the woman that touches him is a sinner.” And Yeshua answered, and said to him, “Simon, I have something to say to you.” He said to him, “Say it, Teacher.” Yeshua said to him, “There were two men who were debtors to a certain creditor; one of them owed him five hundred denarii, and the other fifty denarii; and as they had not the means of pay, he released them both. Which of them, therefore, will love him most?” Simon replied, and said, “I suppose he to whom most was released.” Yeshua said to him, “You have judged correctly.” And he turned to the woman, and said to Simon, “See you this woman? I entered your house, and you gave me no water for my feet; but she has bathed my feet with her tears, and wiped them with her hair. You did not kiss me; but she, since she entered, has not ceased to kiss my feet. You did not anoint my head with oil; but she has anointed my feet with perfume. I therefore say to you, her many sins are forgiven her, for she loves much; but he, to whom little is forgiven, loves little.” And he said to the woman, “Your sins are forgiven.” And the guests began to say within themselves, “Who is this man, that even forgives sins?” And Yeshua said to the woman, “Your believing has given you life; go, in peace. And after these things Yeshua travelled about the cities and the villages, and proclaimed and announced the sovereignty of Yahweh; and his twelve were with him, and those woman who were healed of infirmities and of unclean spirits, Mary called Magdalene, out of whom went seven unclean spirits, and Joanna the wife of Chusa the steward of Herod, and Susanna, and many others, who ministered to them of their property. And again he began to teach by the side of the lake; and when many people had assembled about him, and people came to him from all the cities, so that he went up and sat in a boat on the lake; and all the people stood on the land by the lake; and he taught them many things by parables, and in his teaching, he said, “Listen, lo, a sower went out to sow his seed; and as he sowed, some seed fell by the side of the path, and was trodden upon, and a bird devoured it; and other seed fell on a rock, so that it had not much earth, and it soon shot up because it had no depth of earth; but when the sun was up, it wilted; as it lacked moisture, and because it had not root, it dried up; and other seed fell among thistles; and the thistles grew up with it, and choked it, and it yields no fruit; and other seed fell on good and fertile ground, and sprung up and grew, and yielded fruit; some thirty, some sixty, and some a hundred for one.” Having said these things, he cried out, “He that has ears to hear, let him hear.”
And when they were alone, those who were with him, together with the twelve, asked him, “What means this parable?” And Yeshua said to them, “To you it is granted to know the mysteries of the sovereignty of Yahweh; but to others, everything has to be explained by parables; for seeing they see, and yet do not perceive; and hearing they hear, and yet do not understand; lest they should return, and their sins would be forgiven them.” And he said to them, “Do you not understand this parable? How then will you understand all the parables? But this is the parable; the seed is the word of Yahweh, the sower that sowed, sowed the word; and those by the side of the path, are they that hear the word, and the enemy comes and takes the word out of their heart, that they may not believe and live; and those sown on the rock, are they who, when they hear the word, immediately receive the word with joy; but they have no root in them, and their believing is temporary, and in time of temptation, and when there is affliction or persecution on account of the word, they are quickly stumbled; and those sown among thistles, are they that hear the word, and the cares of this world, and the deceitfulness of riches, and by worldly desires, and the residue of other lusts enter in and choke the word, and it is without fruit; and that on good ground, are those who, with a humble and good heart, hear the word, and retain it, and with patience bring forth fruit, by thirties, and by sixties, and by hundreds.” And he said to them, “No one lights a lamp, and covers it with a vessel, or places it under a bed; but sets it upon a light-stand, that all who come in, may see the light of it. For there is nothing covered, that shall not be uncovered; nor concealed, that shall not be known and become manifest. If anyone have ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Take heed what you hear; with what measure you measure, it shall be measured to you; and there shall more be given to you who hear; for to him that has, will more be given; and from him that has not, even what he thinks he has, will be taken from him.” And he said to them, “So is the sovereignty of Yahweh, as if a man should cast seed into the ground, and should sleep and rise, by night and by day, and the seed should grow and shoot up while he is not aware of it; for the earth causes it to yield fruit; and yet, first it becomes a blade of grass, then an ear, and at last a full grain in the ear; and when the fruit is ripe, immediately comes the sickle, because the harvest has arrived.” And he said to them, “To what shall we compare the sovereignty of Yahweh? And with what parable shall we picture it? It is just like a grain of mustard seed, which, when it is sown in the earth, is the smallest of all the seeds sown on earth; but when it is sown, it springs up and becomes greater than all the herbs, and puts forth large branches, so that the birds can settle under their shadow.” Yeshua talked to them with parables like these, such parables as they were able to hear; and without parables he did not speak to them; but to his disciples, among themselves, he explained everything; and there came to him his mother and his brothers, and they were not able to speak to him because of the crowd; and they said to him, “Your mother and your brothers stand without, and they want to see you.” And he answered and said, “These are my mother and my brothers, those who hear the word of Yahweh, and do it.”
Post 26 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (16)
On that day at evening, he said to them, “Let us pass over to the other side of the lake.” And they left the people, and took him away while he was in the boat; and there were other boats with them; and while they were rowing, Yeshua fell asleep; and there arose a heavy storm and wind, and the waves kept beating into the boat, so that the boat was nearly filled; but Yeshua was sleeping on a blanket in the stern of the boat; and they came and awoke him, and said to him, “Teacher, teacher, do you not care that we are perishing?” And he got up and rebuked the wind, and said to the lake, “Cease; be still.” And the wind quieted down, and there was a great calm; and he said to them, “Why are you so fearful? And why do you have no believing?” But as they were exceedingly afraid, they wondered, saying one to another, “O, who is this man, that commands even the winds, and the waves, and the lake; and they obey him?” And they rowed and came to the other side of the lake, to the country of the Gadarenes, which is on the shore opposite Galilee; and as he went out of the boat upon the land, there, met him from the place of the tombs, a man of the city, in whom had been an unclean spirit for a long time; and he wore no clothing, and did not reside in a house, but he dwelt in the place of tombs; and no one could confine him with chains; because, as often as he had been confined with fetters and chains, he had broken the chains and cut the fetters; and no one could control him; and continually, by night and by day, he was in the place of tombs and in the mountains, crying aloud and wounded himself with stones; and when he saw Yeshua at a distance, he ran, he cried out and fell down before him, and said in a loud voice, “What have we in common, Yeshua, you son of the exalted Yahweh. I entreat of you by Yahweh, that you torment me not.” For Yeshua had commanded the unclean spirit, to come out of the man; for it was a long time since he was possessed, and bound with chains and kept in fetters; but he would often break off his bonds, and was driven into the desert by the unclean spirit; and Yeshua demanded of him, “What is your name?” And he said to him, “Our name is Legion; for we are many.” Because many unclean spirits had entered into him; and he begged him eagerly, that he would not send him out of the country; and they besought him, not to command them to go down into the abyss; and there was a herd of many swine grazing on the mountain; and the unclean spirits besought him, and said, “Send us upon those swine, that we may enter them.” And he permitted them; and the unclean spirits went out of the man, and entered the swine; and the herd, of about two thousand, went straight to the steep rocks, and fell down into the lake, and they were drowned in the water; and when the herdsmen saw what had occurred, they fled, and told it in the city and also in the villages; and some men went out to see what had happened; and they came to Yeshua and found the man, from whom the unclean spirits had gone out, dressed, and well behaved, and sitting down quietly at the feet of Yeshua; and they were afraid; and those who had seen it, told them how it occurred to him who had the unclean spirits, and also concerning the swine; and they began to request him, that he would depart from their border; for great fear had seized them; and as he ascended the ship, and the man, from whom the unclean spirits had gone out, requested that he might remain with him; and he would not permit him, but said to him, “Go to your home, to your own people, and tell them what Yahweh has done for you, and that he has had mercy on you.” And he went away, and began to proclaim in the ten cities about what Yeshua had done for him; and they were all astonished.
And when Yeshua crossed in the boat to the other side, large crowds again gathered around him while he was on the shore of the lake; for all were looking for him; and a man, one of the leaders of the synagogue, whose name was Jairus, came, and, on seeing him, fell at his feet, and besought him much to enter his house, and said to him, “My daughter is very sick; but come and lay your hand on her, and she will be cured, and will live; for he had an only daughter, about twelve years old, and she was near dying; and Yeshua went with him; and a large crowd followed him, and they pressed about him; and there was a woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve years; and who had suffered much from many physicians, and had expended all she possessed, and was not profited, but was even the more afflicted; when she heard of Yeshua, she came through the dense crowd from behind him, and touched the border of his garment; for she said, “If I can only touch his garment, I shall live.” And immediately the hemorrhage dried up; and she felt in her body that she was healed of her disease; and Yeshua instantly knew that some power had issued from him; so he turned around to the people, and said, “Who touched my garments?” And when all of them denied it, Simon Cephas and those who were with him, said to him, “Teacher, the crowds are troubling you, you see the people pressing against you, and yet you say, Who has touched me?” And he looked around, to see who had done this; and he said, “Someone touched me; for I perceive, that power has issued from me.” And the woman, when she saw that she had not escaped his notice, came trembling and fell down before him, and did homage to him, and told him all the truth; and in the presence of all the people, she declared for what cause she had touched him, and that she was instantly healed; and Yeshua said to her, “Take courage, your believing has healed you; go in peace.” And while he was still talking, there came a man from the house of the leader of the synagogue, and said to him, “Your daughter has died, do not trouble the teacher.” And Yeshua heard it, and said to the father of the girl, “Do not be afraid, but only believe, and she will be restored to life.” And while he was speaking, some domestics of the ruler of the synagogue came, and said, “Your daughter is dead; why therefore trouble the teacher?” But Yeshua heard the word they spoke, and said to the ruler of the synagogue, “Fear not, only believe.” And he did not permit anyone to go with him, except Simon Cephas, and James, and John the brother of James; and they came to the house of the leader of the synagogue; and he saw, that they were in a tumult, weeping, and wailing; and he did not allow anyone to enter with him except Simon, and James, and John, and the father, and mother of the girl; and all of them were weeping and mourning over her; but Yeshua said, “Why are you excited and crying? Do not weep, the little girl is not dead, but she is asleep.” And they laughed at him, for they knew that she was dead; but Yeshua put them all out, and took the little girl’s father and mother and those who were with him, and he entered where the little girl was laid; and he took the little girl by her hand and called her, and said, “Little girl, rise up.” And her breath life returned, and she got up immediately and walked; and her parents were astonished with great amazement; but he commanded them that no one should know what had happened; and he told them to give her something to eat; and Yeshua departed from there and came to his own city, and his disciples followed him; and when the sabbath came, he began to teach in the synagogue; and many who heard him were astonished, and said, “Where has he obtained these things? And, what wisdom is this, which is given to him! And that such mighty works are done by his hands! Is not this the carpenter, the son of Mary, and the brother of James, and of Joses, and of Judas, and of Simon? And are not his sisters here with us?” And they denounced him; and Yeshua said to them, “There is no prophet who is belittled, except in his own city, and among his own kindred, and in his own house.” And he could not perform even a single miracle there, except that he laid his hand on a few sick people, and healed them; and he wondered at their lack of believing.
Post 27 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (17)
And Yeshua travelled over all the cities and the villages; and he taught in their synagogues, and proclaimed the tidings of the sovereignty; and healing every kind of sickness and disease; and when Yeshua saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were tired and scattered, like sheep which have no shepherd; and he said to his disciples, “The harvest is great, and the laborers are few. Entreat, therefore, the owner of the harvest, that he would send more laborers into his harvest.” And Yeshua called his twelve, and gave them power and authority over all unclean spirits, to cast them out, and diseases, to heal them; and he sent them forth, to proclaim the sovereignty of Yahweh, and to heal the sick; and the names of those twelve apostles are these: The first of them, Simon who is called Cephas, and Andrew his brother; and James the son of Zebedee, and John his brother; and Philip; and Bartholomew, and Thomas, and Matthew the tax collector; and James the son of Alpheus, and Lebbeus who was called Thaddeus; and Simon the Canaanite, and Judas Iscariot. These twelve Yeshua sent forth; and he charged them, and said, “Go not in the way of the Gentiles; and enter not the cities of the Samaritans; but, go you rather to the lost sheep of the House of Israel; and as you go, proclaim, and say, The sovereignty of Yahweh has approached. Heal you the sick; cleanse the leprous; raise the dead; and cast out unclean spirits. Freely you have received; freely give.” And he commanded them, and he said to them, “Take nothing for the journey, except a staff only; provide not gold, nor silver, nor brass in your purses; nor a wallet for the journey; nor bread, nor money; neither two coats, nor sandals, nor a staff; but to be shod with sandals; for the laborer is worthy of his food; and into whatever city or town you enter, inquire, who in it is worthy; and there stay until you depart.” And he said to them, “Into whatever house you enter, there abide till you leave the place; and when you enter a house, salute the household; and if the house be worthy, your peace will come upon it; but if it be not worthy, your peace will return upon yourselves; and against whoever will not receive you, nor hear your discourses, when you depart from that house or that town; when you go out from that place shake off even the dust that is under your feet against them, for a testimony. Truly I say to you, that it will be comfortable for the land of Sodom and Gomorrah in the day of judgment, rather than for that city. Lo, I am sending you forth as lambs among wolves; therefore be wise as serpents and pure as doves; and beware of men; for they will deliver you over to the courts, and will scourge you in their synagogues; and they will bring you before governors and kings on my account, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles; and when they deliver you up, be not anxious how or what you will speak; for it will be given you in that very hour what to say; for it is not you that speak, but the power of your Father speaking in you; and brother will deliver up his own brother to death, and a father his son; and children will rise up against parents, and cause them to die; and you will be hated by everyone, on account of my name; but he who endures to the end, shall have life; and when they persecute you in one city, flee to another; for truly I say to you, you shall not have completed all the cities of the House of Israel, till the son of man shall come. No disciple is more important than his teacher, and no servant than his master. It is enough for a disciple to be like his teacher, and for a servant to be like his master. If then, they have called the master of the house Beelzebub, how much more those of his household? Therefore be not afraid of them; for there is nothing covered up, that will not be exposed; nor concealed, that shall not become known. Whatever I say to you in the dark, that speak you in the daylight; and what you have heard in your ears, proclaim you on the housetops; and be not afraid of them that kill the body, but cannot kill the soul; but be afraid rather of him who can destroy both soul and body in hell; are not two sparrows sold for a farthing? And yet not one of them will fall on the ground without your Father’s will; but so far as you are concerned, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Therefore fear not; you are much more important than many sparrows. Everyone therefore who will acknowledge me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven; but whoever will deny me before men, I will also deny him before my Father in heaven. Think not that I have come to sow quietness on the land; I have not come to sow quietness, but division; for I have come to set a man against his father, and a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law; and a man’s foes will be the members of his household. Whoever loves father or mother more than me, is not worthy of me; and whoever loves son or daughter more than me, is not worthy of me; and whoever does not follow after me, is not worthy of me. He who is concerned about his life; shall lose it; and he who loses his life for my sake, shall find it. Whoever receives you, receives me; and whoever receives me, receives him who sent me. He who receives a prophet in the name of a prophet, shall receive a prophet’s reward; and whoever receives a righteous man in the name of a righteous man, shall receive a righteous man’s reward; and whoever gives a drink to one of these little ones, if only a cup of cold water, in the name of a disciple, truly I say to you, he shall never lose his reward.” And when Yeshua had ended the instructions to his twelve disciples, he went from there, to teach and to proclaim in their cities; and the apostles went forth, and travelled about the villages and cities, and proclaimed that men should repent; and they cast out many unclean spirits, and many of the sick they anointed with oil, and healed them; and healed everywhere.
Now when John heard in prison of the works of the messiah, he sent by the hand of his disciples; and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or are we to expect another?” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “Go, tell John the things that you see and hear; the blind see, and the lame walk, and the leprous are cleansed, and the deaf hear, and the dead rise up, and the needy hear good tidings; and happy is he, who shall not be stumbled at me.” And when they were gone, Yeshua began to speak to the people concerning John, “What did you go out to the wilderness to see? A reed which is shaken by the wind? And if not, what went you out to see? A man clothed in delicate robes? Lo, they that are clothed in delicate robes, are in the dwelling of kings; and if not; what went you out to see? A prophet? Yes, say I to you, and more than a prophet; for this is he of whom it is written, Lo, I send my messenger before your face, that he may prepare the way before you. Truly I say to you, that among those who are born of women, there has never risen one greater than John the Baptizer; and yet even the least person in the sovereignty of Yahweh, is greater than he; and from the days of John the Baptizer, until now, the sovereignty of Yahweh has been administered by force, and only those in power control it; for all the prophets and the law prophesied until John; and, if you are willing, receive you, that this is he who was to come. He who has ears to hear, let him hear; but to whom shall I liken this generation? It is like boys, who sit in the street and call to their friends, and say, We have sung to you, but you did not dance; and we have wailed to you, but you did not mourn; for John came, neither eating, nor drinking; and they said, He has an unclean spirit. The son of man came, eating and drinking; and they say, Lo, a gluttonous man, and a wine drinker, and a friend of tax collectors and sinners; but wisdom is justified by her works.” Then began Yeshua to reproach the cities, in which his many deeds of power were wrought, yet they repented not; and he said, “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! For if the deeds of power done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, doubtless, they would long ago have repented in sackcloth and ashes; but I say to you, It will be comfortable for Tyre and Sidon, in the day of judgment, rather than for you; and you, Capernaum, which have exalted yourself up to heaven, shall be brought down to Sheol; for if those deeds of power which were done in you, had been done in Sodom, it would have stood to this day; but I say to you, It will be comfortable for the land of Sodom, in the day of judgment, rather than for you.” At that time Yeshua answered and said, “I praise you, O my Father, Yahweh of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and the men of understanding, and have revealed them to little children. O yes, my Father; for so it seemed good before you. Everything is given up by my Father to me; and no one knows the son, except the Father. Also, no one knows the Father, except the son, and he to whom the son is pleased to reveal him. Come unto me, all you wearied and heavily burdened, and I will ease you. Take my yoke upon you; and learn from me, that I am gentle and subdued in my heart; and you will find rest for your souls; for my yoke is pleasant, and my burden is light.
Post 28 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (18)
At that time Yeshua, on the sabbath, walked in the tillage grounds; and his disciples were hungry, and began to pluck the ears of grain and to eat; and when the Pharisees saw them, they said to him, “See, your disciples are doing that which it is not lawful to do on the sabbath.” But he said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, and they that were with him? How he went to the House of Yahweh, and ate the bread of Yahweh’s table; which it was not lawful for him to eat, nor for them that were with him, but solely for the priests? Or have you not read in the law, how that in the temple the priests disregard the sabbath, and are without fault? But I say to you, that there is one here, who is greater than the temple; and if you had known what that is, I desire goodness, and not sacrifice; you would not have condemn them who are without fault; for the son of man, is Yahweh’s Anointed of the sabbath.” And Yeshua departed from there, and came to their synagogue; and a man was there, whose hand was withered; and they questioned him, and said, “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath? That they might accuse him.” And he said to them, “What man among you is there, who, if he have a sheep, and it fall into a pit on the day of the sabbath, does not lay hold of it and lift it out? Now, how much better is a human being than a sheep? Wherefore it is lawful to do what is good, on the sabbath.” Then he said to the man, “Stretch forth your hand.” And he stretched out his hand; and it was restored like the other; and the Pharisees went out and took counsel against him, so as to do away with him; but Yeshua knew of it, and departed from there; and a great many people followed him, and he healed them all; and he charged them not to say where he was. Then they brought to him one possessed with an unclean spirit that was dumb and blind; and he healed him, so that the dumb and blind man both talked and saw; and all the people were amazed, and said, “Is not this the son of David?” But when the Pharisees heard of it, they said, “This man does not cast out unclean spirits, except by Beelzebub the prince of unclean spirits.” And Yeshua knew their thoughts, and said to them, “Every kingdom that is divided against itself, will become desolate, and every house or city which is divided against itself, will not stand; and if Satan cast out Satan, he is divided against himself, how then does his kingdom stand? And if I by Beelzebub cast out unclean spirits, by whom do your sons cast them out? For this reason they will be your judges; but if I by the power of Yahweh cast out unclean spirits, the sovereignty of Yahweh has come near to you, or how can one enter into a strong man’s house, and plunder his goods, except he first binds the strong man, and then plunders his house? They who are not with me, are against me; and they who do not gather with me, shall be dispersed. Therefore I say to you, that all sins and blasphemies will be forgiven to men; but the blasphemy against the power, shall not be forgiven to men; and whoever speaks a word against the son of man, will be forgiven; but whoever speaks against Yahweh’s power, it will not be forgiven; not in this age, and not in the age to come. Either produce like a good tree with good fruits, or produce like a bad tree with bad fruits; for a tree is known by its fruits. O generation of scorpions, how can you who are evil, speak good things? For the mouth speaks from the fullness of the heart. A good man brings out good things from good treasures, and a bad man brings out bad things from bad treasures; for I say to you, that for every foolish word that men shall speak, they shall give account of it in the day of judgment; for by your words you shall be justified; and by your words you shall be found guilty.” Then some of the men of the scribes and Pharisees answered, and said to him, “Teacher, we would like to see a sign from you.” But he answered, and said to them, An evil and adulterous generation demands a sign; and no sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah; for as Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights; so will the son of man be in the heart of the earth three days and three nights. Even the men of Nineveh will rise up in judgment with this generation, and will find it guilty; for they repented through the proclamation of Jonah, and lo, a greater than Jonah is here. The queen of the south will rise up in judgment against this generation, and will find it guilty; for she came from the extremities of the earth to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and lo, a greater than Solomon is here. When an unclean spirit goes out of a man, it wanders in places where there is no water, and seeks comfort and finds it not. Then it says, I will return to my house, from which I came out; and it comes, and finds it vacated, and swept clean, and set in order. So it goes and takes with it seven other spirits, worse than itself, and they enter and dwell in it; and the end of that man is worse than his beginning. So will it be to this evil generation.” And while he was speaking to the people, his mother and his brothers came and stood without, and sought to speak with him; and a person said to him, “Lo, your mother and your brothers stand without, and seek to speak with you.” But he answered, and said to him that informed him, “Who is my mother? And who are my brothers?” And he stretched forth his hand towards his disciples, and said, “Lo, my mother, and lo, my brothers! For everyone that does the good pleasure of my Father who is in heaven, that person is my brother, and my sister, and my mother.”
And on that day Yeshua went out of the house, and sat by the side of the lake; and many people gathered around him, so that he embarked and seated himself in a boat, and all the people stood on the shore of the lake; and he spoke many things to them in parables, and said, “Lo, a sower went out to sow; and as he sowed, some seed fell upon the side of a path; and a bird came and devoured it; and other seed fell upon a rock, so that it had not much soil; and it sprung up forthwith, because there was no depth of earth; but when the sun was up it wilted; and, because it lacked root, it dried up; and other seed fell among thistles; and the thistles shot up, and choked it; and other seed fell on good ground; and bore fruit, some a hundredfold, and some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold. He that has ears to hear, let him hear.” Then his disciples drew near to him, and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” And he answered, and said to them, “Because to you it is granted to know the mysteries of the sovereignty of Yahweh, but it is not granted to them; for to him who has, shall be given, and it shall increase to him; but to him who has not, even that which he has shall be taken away from him. This is the reason I speak to them in figures, because they see, and yet cannot perceive; and they hear, and yet do not listen, nor do they understand, but as for you, happy are your eyes, for they see; and your ears, for they hear; for truly I say to you, a great many prophets and righteous men have longed to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it; but hear you the parable of the seed. Everyone that hears the word of the sovereignty, and understands it not, the evil one comes and snatches away the seed sowed in his heart; this is what was sowed by the side of the path; and that which was sowed on the rock, is he that hears the word, and at once receives it with joy; but it has no root in him, but is of short duration, and when there is trouble or persecution on account of the word, he soon stumbles; and that which was sowed among thistles, is he that hears the word; and care for this world and the deceptiveness of riches, choke the word; and he is without fruit; but that which was sowed on good ground, is he that hears the word, and understands it, and bears fruit, and yields, some a hundredfold, and some sixtyfold, and some thirtyfold.” He related another parable to them, and said, “The sovereignty of Yahweh is like to a man who sowed good seed in his field; and when men slept, his enemy came and sowed tares among the wheat, and went away; and when the plant shot up and bore fruit, then appeared also the tares; and the servants of the landowner came, and said to him, Our master, did you not sow good seed in your field; when did the tares come into it? And he said to them, An enemy has done this! His servants then said to him, Do you want us to go and pull them out? But he said to them, It might happen that while you were pulling out the tares, you might uproot with them also the wheat. Let them both grow together until the harvest; and at the harvest season, I will say to the reapers, Pick out first the tares, and bind them into bundles to be burned; but gather the wheat into my barns.” He told them another parable, and said, “The sovereignty of Yahweh is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. It is the smallest of all seeds; but when it is grown, it is larger than all of the herbs; and it becomes a tree, so that the birds of the air come and nestle in its branches.” He told them another parable, “The sovereignty of Yahweh is like the leaven, which a woman took and buried in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.” Yeshua spoke all these things to the people in parables; and without parables he did not speak to them. Then Yeshua sent away the people, and went into the house; and his disciples came up to him, and said, “Explain to us the parable of the tares and the field.” And he answered, and said to them, “He that sows the good seed, is the son of Yahweh; and the field is the world; and the good seed are the sons of the sovereignty; but the tares are the sons of the wicked one. The enemy that sowed them, is Satan. The harvest is the end of the world; and the reapers are the angels. The son of Yahweh will send forth Yahweh’s angels, and they will gather out of Yahweh’s sovereignty all the stumbling blocks, and all the doers of evil; and will cast them into a furnace of fire. There will be wailing and the grinding of the teeth. Then the righteous ones shall shine as the sun, in the sovereignty of their Father. He that has ears to hear, let him hear. Again, the sovereignty of Yahweh is like a treasure that is hid in a field; which when a man finds, he conceals it, and, from his joy, he goes and sells all that he has, and buys that field. Again, the sovereignty of Yahweh is like a merchantman, who sought after good pearls; and when he found one pearl of great price, he went and sold all that he had, and bought it. Again, the sovereignty of Yahweh is like a sweep net, which was cast into the lake, and collected fish of every kind; and when it was full, they drew it to the shore of the lake; and they sat down and culled over; and the good they put into vessels, and the bad they cast away. So will it be in the end of the age. The angels will go forth, and will separate the wicked from among the righteous; and will cast them into a furnace of fire. There will be wailing and the grinding of the teeth. Have you understood all these things?” They say to him, “Yes, our teacher.” He said to them, “Therefore every scribe who is instructed for the sovereignty of Yahweh, is like a man who is a master of a house, who brings out new and old things from his treasures.” When Yeshua had finished these parables, he departed there, and he came to his own city; and he taught them in their synagogues in such a way that they were amazed, and said, “Where did he get this wisdom and these works of power? Is not this man the carpenter’s son? Is not his mother called Mary, and his brothers James, and Joses, and Simon, and Judas? And all his sisters, are they not with us? Where then did this man get all these things?” And they were perplexed about him; but Yeshua said to them, “No prophet is mocked, except in his own city, and in his own house.” And he did not perform many miracles there, because of their unbelief.
Post 29 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (19)
And at that time Herod the tetrarch heard of all the things done by Yeshua; for his name had become known to him, and he said to his servants, “This is John the Baptizer, he is risen from the grave, this is why great miracles are wrought by him.” And he was disturbed; because some said, that John had arisen from the dead; but others said, that Elijah has appeared, and others, that a prophet from among the ancient prophets has arisen; and Herod said, “The head of John, I have cut off; but who is this, of whom I hear these things?” And he was desirous to see him. Now this Herod had seized John, and bound him and cast him into prison; on account of Herodias, the wife of his brother Philip; for John had said to him, “It is not lawful for you to take your brother’s wife.” And he had wished to kill him; but he was afraid of the people, seeing that they regarded him as a prophet; and Herodias herself was an enemy to him, and wished to kill him, but was not able; for Herod was afraid of John, because he knew him to be a just and holy man, and he guarded him; and he heard that he was doing a great many things, and he heard him gladly. Then came a state occasion, when Herod on his birthday gave a banquet to his officials, and captains, and the leading men of Galilee; and the daughter of Herodias came in, and danced before the guests; and she pleased Herod, and those reclining with him; and Herod said to the little girl, “Ask of me what you please, and I will give it you.” And he swore by an oath to her, “Whatever you shall ask, I will give you, as much as half of my kingdom.” And she went out, and said to her mother, “What shall I ask of him?” She said to her, “The head of John the Baptizer.” And she soon entered with eagerness to Herod, and she, as she had been instructed by her mother, and said, “I desire that you, this hour, give me here on a tray the head of John the Baptizer.” And it pained Herod greatly; nevertheless, as a result of the oath, and on account of the guests, he would not deny her, he commanded that it should be given her; and Herod sent immediately an executioner, and command him to bring the head of John; and he went, and struck off the head of John in the prison; and the head was brought on a tray and given to the little girl; and the little girl brought it to her mother; and his disciples heard of it; they came and took up his corpse, and buried it in a grave; and they came and informed Yeshua; and Yeshua, when he had heard of it, he departed thence by boat, alone to a desert place; and when the people heard of it, they followed him by land from the cities; and when Yeshua disembarked, he saw large crowds; and he had compassion on them, and healed their sick.
And when the apostles returned, they assembled before Yeshua, and told him all they had done, and all they had taught; and he said to them, “Come, let us go to the desert all alone and rest a little.” For there were many coming and going, and they had no chance even to eat. So they went away in a boat to a lonely place in Bethsaida by themselves; but many saw them when they were leaving, and they knew them; and when the people found it out, they went after him from all the cities, because they had seen the miracles which he performed on the sick. They hurried by land and reached the place ahead of him; and when Yeshua disembarked he saw large crowds, and he had compassion on them, because they were like sheep without a shepherd; and he received them, and he began to teach them a great many things concerning the sovereignty of Yahweh, and he healed those who were in need of healing; and when the day began to decline, his disciples came to him, and said, “This is a desert place, and it is getting late; dismiss the people, so that they may go into the fields around us, and may go to the villages and towns, to lodge there and find food for themselves; for they have nothing to eat.” And Yeshua ascended a mountain, and there he seated himself with his disciples; and Yeshua raised his eyes, and saw a large crowd coming towards him, and he said to Philip, “Where can we buy bread, that these may eat?” And this Yeshua said merely to try him; for he knew what he was about to do. Philip said to him, “Two hundred denarii worth of bread would not be sufficient for them, even if each one should take a little.” But Yeshua said to them, “It is not necessary for them to go; give them something to eat.” And they said to him, “Shall we go, and buy two hundred denarii worth of bread, and give it to them to eat?” And he said to them, “Go, and see how many loaves you have here?” And when they found out, one of his disciples, Andrew, the brother of Simon Cephas, said to him, “There is a boy here, who has with him five cakes of barley, and two fish; but what are these for all those people?” Yeshua said to them, “You give them to eat.” But they said, “We do not have more than five cakes of barley, and two fish, unless we go and buy food for all this people.” Yeshua said to them, “Bring them here to me.” And he ordered them to make everyone to sit down in groups, fifty men in each group on the grass. So they sat down in groups, by hundreds and by fifties. Now there was much grass in that place; and the disciples did so, making them all sit down in groups of a hundred, or of fifty; and Yeshua took the five cakes and two fish, and he looked up to heaven and blessed them, and broke them and gave them to his disciples, and the disciples placed them before the people, and they ate; and they divided also the two fish among them all, as much as they desired; and when they were satisfied, Yeshua said to his disciples, “Gather up the fragments which remain, that nothing be lost.” And they collected and filled twelve baskets, with fragments of what remained to them that had eaten of the five barley cakes; and the men who had eaten were five thousand, not counting the women and children; and immediately he urged his disciples to go up into the boat, and go in advance of him to the port at Bethsaida, while he dismissed the people. Then the men who saw the miracle which Yeshua performed said, “Truly this is the prophet who is to come into Israel.” But Yeshua knew that they were ready to come and seize him to make him a king; and when he had dismissed them, he went up to the mountain alone to pray; and when evening came, his disciples went down to the lake, and entered into a boat, and were going to the port of Capernaum; and now it was dark, and Yeshua had not yet come to them. Yeshua was still there alone on the land; and the lake became rough, because a strong wind was blowing; but the boat was many miles away from the land; and he saw them struggling as they were rowing, tossed by the waves, for the wind was against them; and in the fourth watch of the night, Yeshua came to them, walking on the water; and he wanted to pass by them; and his disciples saw him walking on the water, and they were frightened as he drew near to he boat, and they said, “It is a false vision.” And they cried out because of their fear; for they all saw him; but Yeshua spoke to them at once, and said, “Have courage; it is I; do not be afraid.” And Cephas answered, saying, “My teacher, if it is you, bid me to come to you on the water.” And Yeshua said to him, “Come.” So Cephas went down from the boat and walked on the water, to come to Yeshua; but when he saw that the wind was strong, he was afraid, and began to sink; and he raised his voice, and said, “My teacher, rescue me.” And immediately Yeshua stretched out his hand and grasped him, and said to him, “O you of little believing, why did you doubt?” And as they got into the boat, the wind quieted down; and they marveled exceedingly, and were astonished. Neither did they understand the miracle of the cakes of barley bread, because their hearts were confused; and they who were in the boat came and did homage to him, and they said, “Truly you are the son of Yahweh.” And they rowed and directly came to the land of Gennesaret; and when they got out of the boat, the men of that place immediately recognized him; and they came running throughout that land, and they sent word to all the villages around them; and began to bring those who were seriously sick, carrying them in quilts to places where they heard he was; and wherever he entered into villages or cities, they laid the sick in the streets, and they besought him that they might touch even the hem of his robe; and all those who touched it were healed.
Post 30 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (20)
And the next day, the crowd which stood waiting at the seaport, saw that there was no other boat there, except the boat in which the disciples had embarked, and that Yeshua had not embarked the boat with his disciples; but other boats had come from Tiberias, near to the place where they had eaten bread when Yeshua blessed it; and when the people saw, that Yeshua was not there, nor his disciples, they embarked in boats, and came to Capernaum, and sought for Yeshua; and when they found him at the seaport, they said to him, “Teacher, when did you come here?” Yeshua answered, saying to them, “Truly I say to you, you seek me, not because you saw the miracles, but just because you ate bread and were satisfied. Do not labor for the food that perishes, but for the food that abides unto life eternal, which the son of man will give you; for him has Yahweh the Father sealed.” They said to him, “What shall we do, in order to work the works of Yahweh?” Yeshua answered, saying to them, “This is the work of Yahweh, that you believe on him whom he has sent.” They said to him, “What miracle do you, that we may see and believe in you? What have you performed? Our forefathers ate manna in the wilderness; as it is written, He opened the doors of heaven, and rained manna upon them for food.” Yeshua said to them, “Truly I say to you, Moses gave you not the bread from heaven; but my Father gives you the real bread; for the bread of Yahweh is, he that gives life to Israel.” They said to them, “Teacher, give us at all times this bread.” Yeshua said to them, “I am the bread of life; he who comes to me shall never hunger; and he who believes in me shall never thirst; but I have said to you, that you have seen me, and yet you do not believe. Everyone whom my Father has given me, will come to me; and him, that comes to me, I will not cast out; for I came not to do my own pleasure, but the pleasure of him that sent me; and this is the pleasure of him that sent me, that whatever he has given me, I should lose nothing of it, but should raise it up at the last day; for this is the pleasure of my Father, that everyone who see the son, and believes in him, should have life eternal; and I will raise him up at the last day.” Then the Israelites murmured at him, because he said, “I am the real bread given by Yahweh.” And they said, “Is not this Yeshua, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know? And how does he say, I am the real bread given by Yahweh?” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “Murmur not, one with another. No man can come to me, unless the Father who sent me, shall draw him; and I will raise him up at the last day. Truly I say to you, that, to him who believes in me, there is life eternal. I am the bread of life. Your forefathers ate the manna, in the wilderness, and they died; but this is the real bread Yahweh sent, that a man may eat of it, and not die. I am the bread of life; and if a man shall eat of this bread, he will live forever; and the bread which I shall give, is my body, which I am giving for the sake of the life of Israel.” Then the Israelites argued one with another, and said, “How can this man give us his body to eat?” And Yeshua said to them, “Truly I say to you, that, unless you eat the body of the son of man, and drink his blood, you have no life within yourselves; but he that eats of my body, and drinks of my blood, to him is life eternal; and I will raise him up at the last day. For my body truly is food, and my blood truly is drink. He that eats my body, and drinks my blood, will abide with me, and I with him. As the living Father has sent me, and I live because of the Father; so he that shall eat me, he also will live because of me. This is the real bread Yahweh sent; not as your fathers ate the manna, and died; whoever shall eat of this bread, will live forever.”
These things he said in the synagogue, while he was teaching at Capernaum. And many of his disciples who heard it said, “This is a hard saying; who can listen to it?” Yeshua knew in himself, that his disciples were murmuring about this; and he said to them, “Does this cause you to stumble? If then, you were to see the son of man ascend, it is Yahweh that gives life; the body profits nothing; the words which I have spoken to you, they are Yahweh’s, and they are life; but there are some of you, that do not believe.” For Yeshua knew for a long while, who were those who did not believe, and who was to betray him; and he said to them, “For this reason, I told to you, That no man can come to me, unless it be given to him by my Father.” Just because of this saying, a great many of his disciples turned away, and did not walk with him; and Yeshua said to his twelve, “What! Do you also want to go away?” Simon Cephas answered, and said, “Teacher, to whom shall we go? The words of life eternal are with you; and we believe, and know that you are the meshiach, the son of the living Yahweh.” Yeshua said to them, “Did not I choose you twelve? Yet one of you is going to miss the mark.” Then there gathered about Yeshua, Pharisees and scribes, who had come from Jerusalem; and they saw some of his disciples eating bread, with their hands unwashed; and they reproached them; for all the Israelites, even the Pharisees, unless their hands were washed carefully, would not eat; because they strictly observed the tradition of the elders. Even the things from the marketplace, if they were not washed, they would not eat; and there are a great many other things which they have accepted to obey, such as the washing of cups, and of pots, and of copper utensils, and of bedding of dead men; and the scribes and Pharisees asked him, “Why do your disciples not walk according to the tradition of the elders, but eat bread with their hands unwashed?” And he said to them, “Well did Isaiah the prophet prophecy concerning you, you hypocrites; as it is written, Because that people has approached Yahweh with its mouth, and honored Yahweh with its lips, but has kept its heart far from Yahweh, and its worship of Yahweh has been a commandment of men; for you have ignored the commandment of Yahweh, and observe the tradition of men, such as the washing of cups, and pots, and a great many other things like these.” He said to them, “You certainly do injustice to the commandment of Yahweh, so as to sustain your own tradition! For Yahweh told Moses to say, Honor your father and your mother; and he that curses his father or his mother, let him be put to death; but you say, A man may say to his father or to his mother, whatever you may be benefited from me is my offering to Yahweh; and yet you do not let him do anything for his father or mother; he need not honor his father or his mother. So you have rendered useless, and dishonor the word of Yahweh for the sake of the tradition which you established; and you do a great many other things like these.” Then Yeshua called all the people, and said to them, “Listen, here me all you, and understand. There is nothing outside of a man, if it should enter into the mouth which defiles a man; but what goes out of the mouth, that is what defies a man. Whoever has ears to hear, let him hear.” And when Yeshua entered into the house, because of the people, then came his disciples, and said to him, “Do you know that the Pharisees who heard this saying were offended?” And he answered, saying to them, “Every plant, which my Father who is in heaven has not planted, shall be uprooted. Leave them alone; they are blind guides of the blind; and if the blind lead around the blind, both will fall into a pit.” And Simon Cephas answered, saying to him, “Teacher, explain to us this parable.” And he said to them, “So even you find it hard to understand? Do you not know that whatever enters into a man from outside cannot defile him? Because it does not enter into his heart, but into his stomach, and then is thrown out through the intestines, thereby purifying the food; but what comes out of the mouth comes out from the heart; and that is what defiles the man; for from within, from the hearts of men come evil thoughts, such as fornication, adultery, theft, false witness, murder, extortion, wickedness, deceit, lust, an evil eye, blasphemy, pride, foolishness; all these evils come from within, and they defile the man; but if a man should eat when his hands are unwashed, he will not be defiled.
Post 31 of the tree of series
The Meshiach (21)
And Yeshua moved away from there, and came to the borders of Tyre and Sidon, and he entered into a house, and did not want anyone to know about him; and yet he could not hide himself; for immediately a Canaanite woman from these borders heard about him, whose daughter had an unclean spirit; and lo, she came out crying aloud, and fell at his feet, and said, “Have mercy on me, meshiach, son of David; my daughter is seriously afflicted with an unclean spirit;” but the woman was a Gentile, from Phoenicia in Syria; and she besought him to cast out the unclean spirit; but he did not answer her; and his disciples came up to him and urged him, saying, “Dismiss her, for she keeps crying aloud after us.” And he answered, saying to them, I am not sent, except to the sheep which have strayed from the House of Israel.” And she came, and fell before his feet, and said, “Help me, meshiach.” Yeshua said to her, “Let the children be first filled; for it is not right to take the children’s bread and throw it to the dogs.” But she answered, saying to him, “Even so, meshiach, even the dogs eat of the crumbs which fall from their master’s table, and they live.” Yeshua said to her, “Woman, your believing is great; let it be to you as you wish. Go your way; just because of this word, the unclean spirit has gone out of your daughter.” And her daughter was healed from that very hour; and she went to her house, and found her daughter lying in bed, and the unclean spirit gone out of her; and Yeshua went out from the border of Tyre and Sidon, and came to the lake of Galilee, to the border of the ten cities; and they brought to him a deaf and dumb man; and they asked him to lay his hand on him; and he led him aside from the people, and put his fingers into his ears; then he spat, and touched his tongue, and looked towards the sky, and sighed, and said to him, “Be opened.” And in that hour his ears were opened, and his tongue was loosened, and he spoke plainly; and he warned them not to tell this to any man; but the more he warned them, so much the more they proclaimed it; and they were greatly astonished, saying, “He does everything so well. He makes the deaf hear and the dumb to speak.” And in those days, he went up to a mountain and sat down there; and a great many people came to him who had with them the lame, blind, dumb, maimed, and many others; and they laid them down at the feet of Yeshua, and he healed them. So that the people wondered to see the dumb speaking and the maimed healed and the lame walking and the blind seeing; and they praised Yahweh of Israel. Yeshua then called his disciples and said to them, “I have compassion on this people, for they have remained with me three days, and they have nothing to eat; and if I dismiss them fasting to their homes, while they are hungry, they might faint on the way; but this I do not wish to do, for some of them have come from a distance.” His disciples said to him, “Where can we get bread in this desolate place, how can any man here feed all of these people with bread?” And Yeshua asked them, “How many loaves of bread have you?” They said to him, “Seven, and a few small fish.” And he ordered the people to sit on the ground; and he took the seven loaves of bread, and he blessed them, and broke them, and gave them to his disciples to set before them; and they set them before the people; and there were a few fish; and them he also blessed, and ordered to set them before the people; and all of them did eat, and were satisfied; and they took up of fragments that were left over, seven full baskets; and those who did eat were four thousand men, besides women and children.
And when he had dismissed the people, and immediately he went into the boat with his disciples, and came to the border of Magdala; and he came to the country of Dalmanutha; and the Pharisees and Sadducees came out and began to question him, and they asked him for a sign from heaven, so as to tempt him; and he sighed with his breath, and said to them, “Why does this generation seek after a sign? Truly I say to you, no sign will be given to this generation. When it is evening, you say, It is clear, for the sky is red; and in the morning you say, It is a winter day, for the sky is red and cloudy. O hypocrites, you know how to observe the face of the sky, but the signs of the present time you are not able to distinguish. A wicked and adulterous generation wants a sign; and no sign shall be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah; and he left them, and embarked in the boat, and departed from that port; and when his disciples came to the farther shore, they had forgotten to take bread with them; except one loaf, they had none with them in the boat; and he said to them, “Watch out, and beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, and of the Sadducees, and of the leaven of Herod.” And they were reasoning among themselves, and said, “It is because we have not brought bread.” But Yeshua knew it, and said to them, “What are you thinking among yourselves, O you of little believing; is it because you have not brought bread? Do you not even yet know, and do you not understand? Is your heart still hard? You have eyes, and yet do you not see? You have ears, and yet do you not hear? Do you not remember? When I broke the five barley cakes of bread for the five thousand, and how many baskets of fragments did you take up?” They said to him, “Twelve.” He said to them, “Neither the seven loaves of bread for the four thousand, and how many baskets you took up? They said, “Seven.” How is it then you cannot understand that I was not talking to you about the bread; but that you should beware of the leaven of the Pharisees and of the Sadducees?” Then they understood, that he did not say that they should beware of the leaven of the bread, but of the teaching of the Pharisees and the Sadducees. And he came to Bethsaida; and they brought to him a blind man, and they besought him to touch him; and he took the blind man by the hand, and led him outside the village; and he spat on his eyes, and put his hands on him, and asked him what he saw; and he looked and said, “I see men like trees walking.” Again he put his hands over his eyes, and he was restored, and saw everything clearly; and he sent him to his house, and said to him, “Do not even enter into the village, nor tell it to anyone in the village.”
And Yeshua went out, and his disciples, came into the villages of the country of Caesarea Philippi; and on the road as he prayed in private with his disciples; then he questioned his disciples, and said to them, “What do people say concerning me, that I the son of man, am?” And they said to him, “There are some who say you are John the Baptizer; and others, that you are Elijah; and yet others, Jeremiah, or one of the ancient prophets arisen.” Yeshua said to them, “But who, do you yourselves say of me, that I am?” Simon Cephas answered, saying to him, “You are the meshiach of Yahweh, the son of the living Yahweh.” Yeshua answered, saying to him, “Happy are you, Simon son of Jonah; for flesh and blood did not revealed it to you, but my Father who is in heaven. I tell you also that you are Cephas; and upon this stone, I will build my assembly; and the gates of the grave shall not prevail against it. To you will I give the keys of the sovereignty of Yahweh; and whatever you bind on earth, shall be bound in heaven; and whatever you loose on earth, shall be loosed in heaven.” Then he enjoined on his disciples, that they should tell any man that he was the meshiach. Then he cautioned them, and warned them not to say this to anyone; and he said to them, “The son of man would have to suffer a great many things, and he will be rejected by the elders, and the high priests and the scribes, and they will kill him, and rise up on the third day.”
From that time Yeshua began to make known to his disciples that he would shortly have to go to Jerusalem, and suffer a great deal from the elders, and the high priests and scribes, and be killed, and rise up on the third day; and he spoke that word openly. So Cephas took him aside, and began to rebuke him, “Far be it from you, my teacher, that is should happen to you.” But he turned around and looked on his disciples, and he rebuked Simon, and said to Cephas, “Get behind me, Satan; you are a stumbling block to me; for you are not thinking of the things of Yahweh, but of men.” And Yeshua called the people, together with his disciples, and he said them, “If anyone wishes to come after me, let him deny himself, and follow me; for, whoever wishes to preserve his life, will lose it; and whoever will lose his life for my sake, and the sake of my tidings, will find it; for, what will a man be profited, if he gain the whole world, and lose his soul, or even weakens it? Or what will a man give in exchange for his soul? For, whoever, therefore, is ashamed of me, and of my words, in this sinful and adulterous generation, the son of man will also be ashamed of him, when he comes in the glory of his Father, with his angels; for the son of man is to come in the glory of his Father, with all his holy angles; and then will he recompense to every man as his deeds are.” And he said to them, “Truly I say to you, there are some standing here, who will not taste of death, until they shall see the sovereignty of Yahweh to be coming with power, and see the son of man coming in his kingdom.”
Post 32 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (22)
And it was about eight days after these discourses, that Yeshua took Simon Cephas, and James, and his brother John, and brought them up to a high mountain alone to pray; and while he prayed, he was transfigured before their eyes, and the appearance of his face was changed, shone like the sun, and his garments turned white and dazzling, shone white like the light, became white like snow in such a manner, that men on earth cannot make white; and lo, there appeared to them two men, Moses and Elijah, as they were talking with Yeshua, who appeared in glory, and spoke concerning his departure which was to end at Jerusalem; and Simon and those with him were heavy with sleep; and when they awoke they saw his glory, and the two men who stood with him; and when they began to leave him, Simon Cephas said to Yeshua, “Teacher, it is better for us to remain here; and if you wish, and let us make three shelters, one for you, and one for Moses, and one for Elijah.” For he did not know what he was saying, for they were afraid; and when he had said these things, there came a cloud and overshadowed them; and they were frightened when they saw Moses and Elijah enter into the cloud; and there came a voice out of the cloud saying, “This is my beloved son, with him I am pleased; hear him.” When the disciples heard it, they threw themselves on their faces, and they were greatly frightened; and Yeshua came near them and touched them, and said, “Arise, do not be afraid.” And they lifted up their eyes, and saw no man except Yeshua alone; and as they were going down from the mountain, Yeshua commanded them, saying, “Do not speak of this vision in the presence of anyone until the son of man rises from among the dead.” So they kept that saying to themselves, and they wanted to know what risen from among the dead meant; and they asked him, saying, “Why then do the scribes say that Elijah must first come?” Yeshua answered, saying to them, “Elijah truly does first come, to prepare all things; and, as it is written of the son of man, he will suffer much, and be rejected; but I say to you, that Elijah has come; and they did not know him; and they have done to him all that they desired, as it was written of him; and, in like manner, also the son of man is to suffer from them.” Then the disciples understood, that he spoke to them of John the Baptizer; and in those days they did not tell any man what they saw.
And the next day, as they came down from the mountain, and when he came to his disciples, he saw a large crowd with them, and the scribes debating with them; and immediately all the people saw him, and were greatly surprised, and they ran to greet him; and he asked the scribes, “What do you debate with them?” And one of the man of that crowd approached him, and fell on his knees, and cried out, and said to him, “O teacher, I beg you to have mercy on me, I have brought my only son to you, my son is a lunatic and has become worse; for he has a spirit of dumbness, and whenever it seizes him, it troubles him; and he suddenly cries out, and gnashes his teeth and foams and faints; and it hardly leaves him when it has tormented him, he often falls into the fire, and often into the water; and I brought him to your disciples, and I besought your disciples to cast it out, but they could not, they were not able to heal him.” Yeshua answered, and said to him, “O unbelieving and crooked generation, how long shall I be with you? And how long shall I put up with you? Bring your son here to me.” And they brought the boy to Yeshua; and as he brought him, the unclean spirit attacked him and immediately convulsed him; and he fell on the ground, gasping and foaming. So Yeshua asked his father, “How long has he been like this?” He said to him, “From his childhood; and many times it has thrown him into the fire, and into the water to destroy him; but whatever you can do, help me and have mercy on me.” Yeshua said to him, “If you can believe, everything is possible to him who believes.” And immediately the father of the boy cried out weeping, and said, “I do believe, help my little believing.” When Yeshua saw that people were running and gathering about him, he rebuked the unclean spirit, and said to it, “O deaf and dumb spirit, I command you, come out of him, and do not enter him again.” And the lunatic cried out violently, and was tortured, and the unclean spirit went out; then the boy became as if dead, so that many said, He is dead. Then Yeshua took him by the hand and lifted him up, and gave him to his father; and the boy was healed from that very hour; and they were all amazed at the greatness of Yahweh; and while every man wondered at everything which Yeshua did, he said to his disciples, “Treasure these words in your ears; for the son of man will be delivered into the hands of men.” But they did not understand this speech, because it was hidden from them, so that they might not know it; and they were afraid to ask him concerning this speech. And when Yeshua entered the house, his disciples asked him privately, and said to him, “Why could we not heal him?” Yeshua said to them, “Because of your unbelief; for truly I say to you, If there is believing in you even as a grain of mustard seed, you will say to this mountain, move away from here, and it will move away; and nothing would prevail over you. Nevertheless this kind cannot be cast out by anything except by fasting and prayer.”
And while they were traveling through Galilee, Yeshua said to them, “The son of man will shortly be delivered into the hands of men; and they will kill him, and on the third day he will rise up.” And they were very much grieved; and when they came to Capernaum, those who collect two coins of silver as head tax came to Cephas, and said to him, “Would not your master give his two coins?” He said to them, “Yes.” And when they entered the house, he asked them, “What were you reasoning among yourselves on the road?” But they kept silent, for on the road they had argued with one another as to who was the greatest of them; and when Cephas entered the house, Yeshua anticipated, and said to him, “What do you think, Simon? From whom do the kings of the earth collect custom duties and head tax? From their sons, or from strangers?” Simon said to him, “From strangers.” Yeshua said to him, “Then the sons are free; but so as not offend them, go to the lake, and throw out a hook, and the first fish which comes up, open its mouth, and you will find a coin; take it, and give it for me and for you.” Then a reasoning entered into their minds as to who was the greatest among them; but Yeshua knew the reasoning of their hearts. In that very hour the disciples came up to Yeshua, and said, “Who is the greatest in the sovereignty of Yahweh?” And Yeshua sat down, and called the twelve, and said to them, “He who wishes to be the first, let him be the last of men, and the servant of every man.” And Yeshua called a little child, and made him stand up in the midst of them; and he took the boy and made him stand by him, then he took him in his arms, and said he to them, “Whoever receives a child like this in my name, he receives me; and he who receives me, does not receive me, but him who has sent me; for whoever is least among you, let him be great. Truly I say to you, unless you change, and become like little children, you will not enter into the sovereignty of Yahweh. Whoever therefore will humble himself like this little child, will be great in the sovereignty of Yahweh; and he who will welcome one like this little child, in my name, welcomes me; and whoever misleads one of these little ones who believe in me, it would be better for him that an ass‘ millstone were hanged on his neck, and he were sunk in the depths of the sea. Woe to the world because of offences! Offences are bound to come; but woe to the man by whose hand the offences come! If your hand or your foot offends you, cut it off and cast it away from you; for it is much better for you to go through life lame or maimed, rather than having two hands or two feet, and fall into the everlasting fire; and if your eye offends you, remove it and cast it away from you; it is better for you to go through life with one eye, rather than to have two eyes and fall into the hell of fire. See to it that you do not despise one of these little ones; for I say to you, their angels always see the face of my Father in heaven; for the son of man has come to save what was lost. What do you think? If a man should have a hundred sheep, and one of them is lost, would he not leave the ninety and nine on the mountain, and go in search of the one which is lost? And if he should find it, truly I say to you, he rejoices over it more than over the ninety and nine which were not lost. Even so, your Father in heaven does not want one of these little ones to be lost. Now then, if your brother is at fault with you, go and rebuke him alone; if he listens to you, then you have won your brother; but if he will not listen to you, take one or two with you, because at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word is established; and if he will not listen to them, tell the assembly; and if he will not listen to the assembly, then regard him as the tax collector and the Gentile. Truly I say to you, whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you release on earth will be released in heaven. Again I say to you, that if two of you are worthy on earth, anything that they would ask, it will be done for them by my Father in heaven; for wherever two or three are gathered in my name, I am there among them. Then Cephas approached him, and said, “Teacher, if my brother is at fault with me, how many times should I forgive him? Up to seven times?” Yeshua said to him, “I do not say to you up to seven times, but up to seventy times seventy. Therefore the sovereignty of Yahweh is likened to a king, who wanted to take an accounting from his servants; and when he began to take the accounting, they brought to him one who owed ten thousand talents; and as he could not pay, his master commanded him to be sold, together with his wife and children, and all that he had, so that he could pay; and the servant then fell down, and did homage to him, and said, My master, have patience with me, and I will pay you everything; and then the master of that servant had pity, so he released him, and cancelled his debt; but that servant went out, and found one of his fellow servants, who owed him a hundred denarii; and he seized him and tried to choke him, saying to him, Give me what you owe me; and that fellow servant fell down at his feet, and begged him, saying, Have patience with me, and I will pay you; but he was not willing, and he went and had him put into prison, until he should pay him what he owed him; and when their fellow servants saw what had happened, it grieved them much; and they came and informed their master of everything that had happened. Then his master called him, and said to him, O wicked servant, I cancelled all your debt, because you begged me. Was it not right for you to have mercy on your fellow servant, just as I had mercy on you? And his master was angry, and delivered him to the scourgers, until he should pay everything he owed him. So will my Father in heaven do to you, if you do not forgive each man his brother’s fault from your hearts.” And John said to him, “Teacher, we saw a man casting out unclean spirits in your name; and we forbade him, because he did not follow us.” Yeshua said to them, “Do not forbid him; for there is no man who performs miracles in my name, who will hastily speak evil of me. Therefore, he who is not against you, is for you; for whoever gives you to drink even a cup of water only, because you represent the name of the meshiach, truly I say to you, that his reward will not be lost; and whoever shall cause one of these little ones that believe in me to stumble, it were better for him that an ass’ millstone were hanged on his neck, and that he were thrown into the sea. If your hand offends you, cut it off; it is much better for you to go through life maimed, than to have two hands, and go into hell, where the embers do not die, and their fire is not extinguished; and if your foot offends you, cut it off; it is much better for you to go through life lame, than to have two feet, and fall into hell, where the embers do not die, and their fire is not extinguished; and if your eye offends you, remove it; it is better for you to enter the sovereignty of Yahweh with one eye, than to have two eyes, and fall into the hell of fire; where the embers do not die, and their fire is not extinguished; for everything will be salted on the fire, and every sacrifice will be salted with salt. O how good is salt; but if the salt should lose its savor, with what could it be salted? Let there be salt in you, and be at peace with one another.”
Post 33 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (33)
And when Yeshua had finished these discourses, he departed from Galilee, and came to the border of Judah, at the crossing of the Jordan; and a great many people followed him, and he taught them again, as he was accustomed to do, and he healed them there; and the Pharisees came up to him, and were tempting him, saying, “Is it lawful for a man to divorce his wife for any cause?” But he answered, saying to them, “Have you not read, that he whom made them from the beginning, made them a male and a female?” And he said, “Because of this, a man shall leave his father and his mother, and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh. Wherefore they are not two, but one body; therefore what Yahweh has joined together, let not man separate.” He said to them, “What did Moses command you?” They said to him, “Moses gave us permission to write a letter of separation, and then to divorce. Why then did Moses command to give a letter of separation, and then to divorce her?” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “It was because of the hardness of your heart that he wrote for you this particular law, permitted you to divorce your wives; but from the beginning it was not so; but I say to you, Whoever leaves his wife without a charge of adultery, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries a woman thus separated, commits adultery.” His disciples said to him, “If there is so much difficulty between man and woman, it is not worthwhile to marry.” But he said to them, “This saying does not apply to every man, but to whom it is given; for there are some eunuchs, born so from their mother’s womb; and there are some eunuchs, who were made eunuchs by men; and there are some eunuchs, who have made themselves eunuchs for the sake of the sovereignty of Yahweh. To him who can comprehend, this is enough.”
And in the house, the disciples asked him again of this matter; and he said to them, “Whoever divorces his wife, and marries another, commits adultery; and if a woman divorces her husband, and marries another, she commits adultery.” After these things, Yeshua travelled in Galilee; for he did not wish to travel in Judah, because the Israelites wanted to kill him; and the Israelite's feast of tabernacles drew near; and the brothers of Yeshua said to him, “Depart from here, and go to Judah, so that your disciples may see the works that you do; for there is no man who does anything in secret, and yet wants it to become known. If you are doing these things, show yourself to the people.” For not even his own brothers believed in Yeshua. Yeshua said to them, “My time has not yet come; but your time is always here. Israel cannot hate you; but it hates me, because I testify against it, that its deeds are evil. You go up to this feast; I am not going just now to this feast, for my time is not yet come.” He said these things, and remained in Galilee; but when his brothers had gone up to the feast, then he also went up, no openly, but as it were in secret. The Israelites were looking for him at the feast, and said, “Where is he?” And there was much murmuring among the people concerning him; for some said, He is good; and other said, No, but he just deceives the people; but no man spoke openly about him, because of the fear of the Israelites; and about the middle period of the feast, Yeshua went up to the temple, and taught; and the Israelites marveled, saying, “How does this man know how to read, when he has not been instructed?” Yeshua answered, and said, “My teaching is not mine, but his who sent me. He who wishes to do his pleasure, can understand if my teaching is from Yahweh, or if I am just speaking of my own accord. He who speaks of his own accord, seeks glory for himself; but he who seeks the glory of him that sent me, is true, and there is no deception in his heart. Did not Moses give you the law? And yet no one of you obeys the law. Why do you want to kill me? The people answered, and said, “You have an unclean spirit; who wants to kill you?” Yeshua answered, saying to them, “I have done one work, and all of you marvel. Moses gave you circumcision, not because it is from Moses, but because it is from the forefathers; and yet you circumcise a man on the sabbath; and if a man is circumcised on the sabbath day, that the law of Moses may not be broken; yet you murmur at me, because I healed a man entirely sound on the sabbath day? Do not judge with a respect for persons, but judge a just judgment.” Then some of the men of Jerusalem were saying, “Is not this the man whom they want to kill? And yet he speaks openly, but they say nothing to him, perhaps our elders have found out that he is the meshiach? Yet we know this man, whence he is; the meshiach, when he shall come, no one knows whence he comes.” And Yeshua then lifted up his voice as he taught in the temple, and said, “You know me, and you know whence I come; and yet I have not come of my own accord, but he who sent me is true, whom you do not know; but I know him; because he sent me.” And they want to apprehend him; but no one laid hands on him, because his time had not yet come; but a great many of the people believed in him, and said, “When the meshiach comes, will he do greater wonders than this man does?” And the Pharisees heard the people talking about him; so they and the high priests sent soldiers to arrest him; and Yeshua said, “I am with you just a short while, and I am going to him that sent me; and you will seek me, but you will not find me; and where I am, you cannot come.” Then the Israelites said among themselves, “Where is he going, that we cannot find him? Is he planning to go to the countries of the Gentiles, to teach the pagans? What does this word mean which he said, “You will seek me, and you will not find me, and where I am, you cannot come?”
And on the great day, which is the last day of the feast, Yeshua stood and cried out, and said, “If any man is thirsty, let him come to me and drink.” And many of the people who heard his words were saying, “This man truly is a prophet.” Others were saying, “He is the meshiach.” But others said, “Is it possible that the meshiach should come from Galilee? Does not the scripture say that the meshiach will come from the seed of David, and from Bethlehem, the town of David?” And there was a division among the people, because of him; and there were some men among them who wanted to apprehend him; but no man laid hands on him; and the soldiers returned to the high priests and the Pharisees; and the priests said to them, “Why did you not bring him?” The soldiers said to them, “Never did a man speak, as this man speaks.” The Pharisees said to them, “What! Have you also been deceived? Have any of the leaders, or of the Pharisees believed in him; but this people, who know not the law, are accursed.” Nicodemus, one of them, who had come to Yeshua at night, said to them, “Does our law convict a man, unless it first hears for him, and knows what he has done?” They answered, and said to him, “What! Are you also from Galilee? Search, and see, that no prophet will rise up from Galilee.”
Post 34 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (24)
And Yeshua again spoke to them, and said, “I am the light of Israel; he who follows me, will not walk in darkness, but he will find for himself the light of life.” The Pharisees said to him, “You testify concerning yourself; your testimony is not true.” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “Even though I testify concerning myself, my testimony is true, because I know whence I came, and whither I go; but you do not know whence I came, or whither I go. You judge according to the flesh; but I judge no man; and if I should judge, my judgment is true; because I am not doing it alone, but I and my Father who sent me; and it is written in your own law, that the testimony of two persons is true. I testify concerning myself, and my Father who sent me, testifies concerning me.” They said to him, “Where is your Father?” Yeshua answered, saying to them, “You know neither me nor my Father. If had known me, you would also have known my Father.” These words he spoke in the treasury, while he taught in the temple courts; and no man arrested him, for his time had not yet come. Again Yeshua said to them, I am going away, and you will seek me, and you will die in your sins; and where I am going, you cannot come.” The Israelites said, “What! Will he kill himself? For he says, Where I am going, you cannot come.” And he said to them, “I told you that you will die in your sins; for unless you believe that I am he, you will die in your sins.” The Israelites said, “Who are you?” Yeshua said to them, “Even though I should begin to speak to you, I have many things to say, and to judge concerning you; but he who sent me is true; and I speak in Israel only, those things which I have heard from him.” They did not understand, that he spoke to them concerning the Father. Again Yeshua said to them, “When you have lifted up the son of man, then you will understand that I am he, and I do nothing of my own accord; but as my Father has taught me, so I speak just like him; and he who sent me, is with me; and my Father has never left me alone, because I always do what pleases him.” And while he was speaking these things, a great many believed in him. Then Yeshua said to the Israelites who believed in him, “If you abide by my word, you are truly my disciples; and you will know the truth, and that very truth, will make you free.” They said to him, “We are the offspring of Abraham, and we have never been enslaved to any man; how do you say, You will be free people?” Yeshua said to them, “Truly I say to you, Whoever commits sin, is a servant of sin; and a servant does not remain in the house forever, but the son remains forever. If therefore, the son shall make you free, you shall be free indeed. I know you are the descendants of Abraham; but still you want to kill me, because you have no room in you for my word. I speak that which I have seen with my Father; and you do what you have seen with your father.” They answered, and said to him, “Our own father is Abraham.” Yeshua said to them, “If you were the sons of Abraham, you would be doing the works of Abraham; but lo, now you want to kill me, even a man who has told you the truth, which I have heard from Yahweh; this Abraham did not do; but you do the works of your father.” They said to him, “We are not born of fornication; we have one Father, Yahweh.” Yeshua said to them, “If Yahweh were your Father, you would love me, for I was sent by Yahweh; I did not come of my own accord, but he sent me. Why therefore do you not understand my word? Because you cannot obey my word? You are from the father of accusation, and you want to do the lusts of your father, he who is a murderer of men from the very beginning, and who never stands by the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks, he speaks his own lie, because he is a liar, and the father of lies; but because I speak the truth, you do not believe me. Which one of you can rebuke me because of sin? If I speak the truth, why do you not believe me? He who is of Yahweh, hears Yahweh’s words; for this reason you do not hear, because you are not of Yahweh.” The Israelites said to him, “Did we not say well, that you are a Samaritan, and that you have an unclean spirit?” Yeshua said to them, “I have no unclean spirit; but I honor my Father, and you curse me. I do not seek my glory; there is one that seeks it, and judges. Truly I say to you, Whoever obeys my word, will never see death.” The Israelites said to him, “Now we are sure that you have an unclean spirit. Abraham and the prophets have died; and yet you say, Whoever obeys my word will never taste death. What! Are you greater than our father Abraham who died, and the prophets who died? What do you make yourself?” Yeshua said to them, “If I honor myself, my honor is nothing; but it is my Father who honors me, the one of whom you say, He is our Yahweh. Yet you have not known him, but I know him; and if I should say, I do not know him, I would be a liar like yourselves; but I do know him, and I obey his word. Your father Abraham desired to see my day; and he saw it, and rejoiced.” The Israelites said to him, “You are not yet fifty years old, and yet, have you seen Abraham?” Yeshua said to them, “Truly I say to you, That before Abraham existed, I was foretold about.” And they took up stones, to stone him; and Yeshua hid himself, and went out of the temple courts, and he passed through the midst of them, and went away.
And as Yeshua passed by, he saw a man who was blind from his mother’s womb; and his disciples asked him, and said, “Teacher, who did sin, this man or his parents, that he was born blind?” Yeshua said to them, “Neither did he sin, nor his parents; but that the works of Yahweh might be seen him him, I must do the works of him who sent me, while it is day; the night comes when no man can work. As long as I am in Israel, I am the light of Israel.” And when he said these words, he spat on the ground, and mixed clay with his saliva, and he placed it on the eyes of the blind man; and said to him, “Go, and wash in the purification pool of Siloam.” And he went, and washed, and he came away seeing; and his neighbors, and those who had seen him before begging, said, “Is not this he, who used to sit down and beg?” Some said, “It is he?” And some said, “No, but he resembles him.” But he said, “I am he.” And they said to him, “How were your eyes opened?” He answered, and said to them, “A man whose name is Yeshua, made mud and spread it on my eyes, and he said to me, Go, and wash in the water of Siloam; and I went, and washed, and I see.” They said to him, “Where is he?” He said to them, “I do not know.” And they brought to the Pharisees, him who had been blind from his birth. Now it was on the sabbath that Yeshua made the mud, and opened his eyes; and again the Pharisees asked him, “How did you receive your sight?” He said to them, “He placed mud on my eyes, and I washed, and I see.” And some of the Pharisees said, “This man is not from Yahweh, because he does not observe the sabbath.” Others said, “How can a man who is a sinner, do these miracles?” And there was a division among them. They said to the blind man again, “What say you of him, seeing he has opened your eyes?” He said to them, “I say he is a prophet.” And the Israelites did not believe concerning him, that he had been blind, and had received his sight, until they called the parents of him who had received his sight; and they asked them, “Is this your son, who you say was born blind? How then does he now see?” And his parents answered, and said, “We know that he is our son, and that he was born blind; but how he sees now, or who opened his eyes, we do not know; he is of age, ask him, he will speak for himself.” These things said his parents, because they feared the Israelites; for the Israelites had decided already, that if any man should confess that he is the meshiach, they would put him out of the synagogue; for this reason his parents said, “He is of age, ask him.” And they called a second time the man who had been blind, and said to him, “Give praise to Yahweh, for we know that this man is a sinner.” He answered, and said to them, “If he is a sinner, I do not know; but I do know one thing, that I was blind, and now, lo, I see.” They said to him again, “What did he do to you? How did he open your eyes?” He said to them, “I have already told you, and you did not listen; why do you want to hear it again? What! Do you also want to become his disciples?” But they cursed him, and said to him, “You are his disciple, but we are the disciples of Moses; and we know that Yahweh spoke with Moses; but as for this man, we do not know whence he is.” The man answered, and said to them, “This is surprising, that you do not know whence he is, and yet he opened my eyes. We know that Yahweh does not hear the voice of sinners; but he hears the one that fears him, and does his pleasure. From ages it has never been heard, that a man opened the eyes of one who was born blind. If this man were not of Yahweh, he could not have done this.” They answered, and said to him, “You were wholly born in sins, and you teach us?” And they cast him out; and Yeshua heard that they had cast him out; and he found him, and said to him, “Do you believe in the son of Yahweh?” And he who was healed answered, and said, “Who is he, teacher, that I may believe in him?” Yeshua said to him, “You have seen him, and he is the one who is speaking with you.” And he said, “I do believe, meshiach; and he fell down, and did homage to him; and Yeshua said to him, “I have come for the judgment of Israel; that they who cannot see, may see, and those who see, may become blind.” And when some of the Pharisees who were with him, heard these things, and they said to him, “What! Are we also blind?” Yeshua said to them, “If you were blind, you would be without sin; but now you say, We see; therefore your sin is established. Truly I say to you, He who does not enter by the door into the fold of the flock, but climbs up in some other place, he is a thief, and a bandit; but he who enters by the door, is the shepherd of the sheep; and to him the doorkeeper opens the door, and the sheep hear his voice, and he calls his own sheep by their names, and brings them out; and when he has led out his flock, he goes before it; and his own sheep follow him, because they know his voice; but after a stranger the flock will not follow, but it flees from him, because they do not know the voice of a stranger.” Yeshua spoke this parable to them; but they did not understand what he was telling them; and Yeshua said to them again, “Truly I say to you, I am the door of the flock. All those who have come are thieves and bandits; but the flock did not hear them. I am the door; if any man enter by me, he shall live, and he will come in and go out, and will find pasture. A thief does not come, except to steal, and kill, and destroy; I have come, that they may have life, and may have that which is excellent. I am the good shepherd; a good shepherd risks his life for the sake of his sheep; but the hired person, who is not the shepherd, and who is not the owner of the sheep, when he sees the wolf coming, leaves the flock, and runs away; and the wolf comes, and seizes, and scatters the flock; and the hired person runs away, because he is hired, and does not care for the flock. I am the good shepherd, and I know my own, and my own know me. Just as my Father knows me, I also know my Father; and I lay down my life for the sake of the flock. I have other sheep also, which are not of this fold; them too I must bring, and they will hear my voice; and all the sheep will become one flock, and one shepherd; for this cause my Father loves me, because I lay down my life, to resume it again. There is no one that takes it from me; but I lay it down of my own pleasure; for I have authority to lay it down, and authority to resume it again; because I have received this command from my Father.” And again there was a division among the Israelites, because of these sayings; and many of them said, “He has an unclean spirit, and is wholly beside himself, why hear you him?” But others said, “These are not the words of an unclean spirit. Can an unclean spirit open the eyes of one blind?”
Post 35 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (25)
And the feast of dedication was held at Jerusalem, and it was winter; and Yeshua walked in the temple courts, in the porch of Solomon; and the Israelites gathered around him; and said to him, “How long do you vex our soul with uncertainty? If you are the meshiach, tell us openly.” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “I have told you, but you do not believe; yet the works which I do in the name of my Father, they testify of me; but you do not believe, because you are not of my sheep, just as I told you. My own sheep hear my voice, and I know them, and they follow me; and I give to them eternal life; and they will never perish, and no man will snatch them from my hands; for my Father who gave them to me, is greater than all; and no man can snatch anything from my Father’s hand. I and my Father are of one accord.” And again the Israelites took up stones, to stone him. Yeshua said to them, “I have shown you many good works from my Father; for which one of them do you stone me?” The Israelites said to him, “It is not because of the good works, that we stone you, but because you blaspheme; for while you are only a man, you make yourself one accord with Yahweh.” Yeshua said to them, “Why to the one whom the Father sanctified, and sent to Israel, do you say, You blaspheme, just because I said to you, I am the son of Yahweh. If I am not doing the works of my Father, do not believe me; but if I am doing them, even though you do not believe in me, believe in the works, that you may know, and believe that my Father is with me, and I am in one accord with my Father.” And they wanted again to seize him; but he escaped from their hands; and he went away to the Jordan crossing, to the place where John at first baptized; and tarried there; and many persons came to him, and said, “John did not perform a single miracle; but everything which John said concerning this man, is true.” And many believed in him.
And it happened, when the days to go up on his journey were fulfilled, he set his face to go to Jerusalem; and he sent messengers ahead of him; and they went away, and entered into a Samaritan village, to prepare for him; but they did not receive him, because he had set his face to go up to Jerusalem; and when his disciples James and John saw it, they said to him, “Teacher, would you be willing that we command fire to come down from heaven, and consume them; and he turned and rebuked them; and they went to another village; and while they were on the journey, a man said to him, “Teacher, I will follow you wherever you go.” Yeshua said to him, “Foxes have holes, and the birds of the air a shelter; but the son of man has no place even to lay his head.” And he said to another, “Follow me.” But he said to him, “Teacher, permit me first to go, and bury my father.” And Yeshua said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead; but you go, and proclaim the sovereignty of Yahweh.” Another one said to him, “I will follow you, teacher; but permit me first to entrust my household to someone, and then come.” Yeshua said to him, “No man who puts his hand on the plough handle, and looks back, is fit for the sovereignty of Yahweh.” And after these things, Yeshua separated from among his disciples seventy other persons, and sent them, two and two, before his face, to every place and city to which he was to go; and he said to them, “The harvest is great, and the laborers are few; ask therefore the owner of the harvest to bring out laborers to his harvest. Go forth; lo, I send you as sheep among wolves. Do not carry purses, nor bags, nor sandals; and do not salute any man on the road; and to whatever house you enter, first say, Peace be to this house; and if a man of peace is there, let your peace rest upon him; and if not, your peace will return to you; and remain in that house, eating and drinking of what they have; for a laborer is worthy of his wages; and do not keep moving from house to house; and into whatever city you enter, and they receive you, eat whatever they set before you; and heal those who are sick in it, and say to them, The sovereignty of Yahweh is come near to you; but into whatever city you enter, and they do not receive you, go out into the street, and say, Even the sand of your city which cleaves to our feet, we shake off to you; but know this, that the sovereignty of Yahweh has come near to you. I say to you, that it will be much easier for Sodom in that day, than for that city. Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaida! If the mighty works which were done in you, had been done in Tyre and Sidon, perhaps they might have repented in sackcloth and ashes; but, it will be easier for Tyre and Sidon at the judgment day, than for you; and you, Capernaum, which have exalted yourself up to heaven, you will be brought down to hell. He who hears you, hears me; and he who oppresses you, oppresses me; and he who oppresses me, oppresses him that sent me.”
And the seventy whom he had sent forth, returned with great joy, and they said to him, “Teacher, even the unclean spirits have submitted to us in your name.” And he said to them, “I saw Satan fall, like the lightning in the sky. Lo, I give you authority to tread on snakes and scorpions, and overcome the power of the enemy; and nothing shall harm you; but do not rejoice in this, that the unclean spirits submit to you; but rejoice because your names are written in heaven.” At that very hour, Yeshua rejoiced in Yahweh, and said, “I thank you, my Father, owner of heaven and earth, because you did hide these things from the wise, and men of understanding, and revealed them to children; yes, my Father, for such was your good pleasure.” And he turned to his disciples, and said to them, “Everything has been entrusted to me by my Father; and no man knows who is the son, except the Father; and who is the Father, except the son, and to whomever the son wishes to reveal him; and he turned to his disciples, privately, and said, “Happy are the eyes which see what you see; for I say to you, that many prophets and kings desired to see what you see, and did not see it; and to hear what you hear, and did not hear it.” And lo, a scribe stood up to try him, and he said, “Teacher, what shall I do to inherit eternal life?” And Yeshua said to him, “What is written in the law? How do you read it?” He answered, and said to him, “You must love Yahweh with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your strength, and with all your mind; and your fellow as yourself.” Yeshua said to him, “You spoke the truth; do this, and you shall live.” And he, being dispose to justify himself, said, “And who is my fellow?” Yeshua said to him, “There was a man who went down from Jerusalem to Jericho, and bandits attacked him, and robbed him, and beat him, and left him with little life remaining in him, and they went away; and it chanced a priest was going down that road; and he saw him, and passed on; and likewise a Levite came, and arrived at that place, and saw him, and passed on; but a Samaritan, as he journeyed, came where he was, and when he saw him, he had compassion on him; and he came to him, and bound up his wounds, and poured on them wine and oil; and he put him on his own ass, and brought him to the inn, and took care of him; and in the morning, he took out two denarii, and gave them to the innkeeper, and said to him, Take care of him; and whatever you spend more, when I return, I will give it to you. Who therefore of these three, as it appears to you, became a fellow to him who fell into the hands of the bandits?” And he said, “The one who had compassion on him.” Yeshua said to him, “You go also, and do likewise.” And it occurred, while they were journeying, he entered into a village; and a woman named Martha, received him into her house; and she had a sister whose name was Mary, and she came and sat at the feet of Yeshua, and listened to his words; but Martha was busy with many household cares, and she came, and said to him, “Teacher, you do not seem to care that my sister has left me to serve alone? Tell her to help me.” Yeshua answered, and said to her, “Martha, Martha, you are worried and excited about many things; but one thing is more important; and Mary has chosen the good portion for herself, which shall not be taken away from her.”
Post 36 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (26)
And as he was praying in a certain place, it occurred, that when he ceased, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, teach us to pray, as John also taught his disciples.” Yeshua said to them, “When you pray, pray like this, Our Father in heaven, hallowed be your name; your sovereignty come; your pleasure be done, as in heaven, so on earth; give us daily the bread we need; and forgive us our sins, for we have also forgiven all who have offended us; and bring us not into trials, but deliver us from evil.” And he said to them, “Who is there among you who has a friend, and if he should go to him at midnight, and say to him, My friend, lend me three loaves; for a friend has come to me from a journey, and I have nothing to set before him, and his friend from inside answer, and say to him, Do not trouble me; the door is already locked, and my children are with me in bed; I cannot get up, and give you bread? I say to you, that if because of friendship he will not give him, yet because of his persistence, he will rise and give him as much as he wants. I say to you also, Ask, and it shall be given to you; seek, and you shall find; knock, and it shall be opened to you; for everyone who asks, receives; and he who seeks, finds; and he who knocks, it is opened to him; for who is among you, a father, if his son should ask him bread, what! Would he hand him a stone? And if he should ask him a fish, what! Would he hand him a snake, instead of a fish? And if he should ask him for an egg, what! Would he hand him a scorpion? And if you, who are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father give power from on high to those who ask him?” And while he was casting out an unclean spirit from a dumb man, it occurred, when the unclean spirit went out, the dumb man spoke; and the people were amazed; but some of the men among them said, “This man casts out unclean spirits by Beelzebub, the prince of unclean spirits.” And others, tempting him, asked him for a sign from the sky; but Yeshua knew their thoughts, and said to them, “Every kingdom which is divided against itself, will be destroyed; and a house which is divided against itself, will fall; and if Satan is divided against himself, how can his kingdom survive? And yet you say, I am casting out unclean spirits through Beelzebub. If I cast out unclean spirits through Beelzebub, by what do your sons cast them out? Therefore they will be your judges; but if I cast out unclean spirits by the finger of Yahweh, then the sovereignty of Yahweh is come near to you. When a strong man is armed, and keeps watch over his courtyard, his property is safe; but if there should come one who is stronger than he, he will conquer him, and take away his armor in which he trusted, and divide his spoil. He who is not with me, is against me; and he who does not gather with me, will scatter. When an unclean spirit is gone out of a man, it goes away, and travels in places where there is no water, to seek rest; and when it finds it not, it says, I will return to my own house from whence I came; and if it should come, and find it warm and well furnished. Then it goes away, and brings seven other spirits, worse than itself, and they enter, and dwell there; and the end of that man will become worse than the beginning.” And while he was saying these things, a woman out of the crowd, lifted up her voice, and said to him, “Blessed is the womb which bore you, and the breasts which gave you suck.” He said to her, “Blessed are they who hear the word of Yahweh, and keep it.”
And when the people were gathering, he began to say, “This evil generation wants a sign; and no sign will be given to it, except the sign of the prophet Jonah; for as Jonah was a sign to the Ninevites, so also will the son of man be to this generation. The queen of the south will stand up in judgment with the men of this generation, and will condemn them; for she came from the other side of the earth, to hear the wisdom of Solomon, and lo, a greater than Solomon is here. The men of Nineveh will stand up in judgment against this generation, and will condemn it; for they repented at the preaching of Jonah; and lo, a greater than Jonah is here. No one lights a lamp, and puts it in a hidden place, or under a basket; but on a lamp holder, that those who enter, may see its light. The lamp of your body is your eye; when therefore your eye is bright, your whole body will also be lighted; but if it is diseased, your whole body will also be dark. Take heed, therefore, lest the light which is in you be darkness; for if your whole body is lighted, and there is no part in it dark, the whole of it will give light, just as a lamp gives you light with its shining.” And while he spoke, a Pharisee asked him to dine with him; and he went in, and relined; and the Pharisee noticing him, he was amazed, because he did not first wash before dinner; and Yeshua said to him, “Now you Pharisees clean the outside of the cup and the dish; but within you are full of extortion and iniquity. You deficient in understanding! Did not he who made the outside, also make the inside? But, give you alms from what you possess; and, lo, everything will be clean to you; but woe to you Pharisees! Who take tithes of mint and dill, and every kind of vegetable, but overlook justice and the love of Yahweh. These were necessary for you to have done, the very ones by no means to have been left undone. Woe to you Pharisees! For you love the chief seats in the synagogues, and salutations in the streets. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like graves that cannot be recognized, and men walk over them and know it not.” And one of the scribes answered, and said to him, “Teacher, when you say these things, you reproach us also.” But he said, “Woe also to you, scribes! For you lay heavy burdens on men, and you yourselves do not touch these burdens, even with one of your fingers. Woe to you! For you build the tombs of prophets whom your fathers killed. Therefore you are witnesses, and you approve the works of your fathers; for they killed them, and yet you build their tombs; for this reason the wisdom of Yahweh also said, Lo, I will send them prophets, some of whom they will persecute and kill; that the blood of Abel, to the blood of Zechariah, who was killed between the temple and altar; yes, I say to you, it will be avenged on this generation. Woe to you, scribes! For you have taken away the keys of knowledge; you did not enter, and those who were entering you hindered.” And when he had said these things to them, the scribes and the Pharisees were displeased, and they were enraged, and criticized his words; and they plotted against him in many ways, seeking to catch something out of his mouth, that they might be able to accuse him.
And when a large number of people had gathered together, so that they trod on one another, Yeshua began to say to his disciples, “First of all, beware of the leaven of the Pharisees, which is hypocrisy; for there is nothing that is covered, that will not be uncovered; and hidden, that will not be known; for whatever you have said in darkness, will be heard in the light; and what you have whispered in the ears in the inner chambers, will be proclaimed on the housetops; and to you, my friends, I say, Do not be afraid of those who kill the body, and after that have nothing more they can do; but I will show you of whom to be afraid; of him who after he has killed, has the power to throw into hell; yes, I say to you, Fear him. Are not five sparrows sold for two assarii? And yet not one of them is forgotten before Yahweh; but so far as you are concerned, even the hairs of your head are all numbered. Fear not, therefore, because you are much more important then many sparrows; and I say to you, Whoever will acknowledge me before men, the son of man will also acknowledge him before the angels of Yahweh; but he who denies me before men, I will deny before the angels of Yahweh; and whoever says a word against the son of man, it will be forgiven him; but he who blasphemes against Yahweh’s power will not be forgiven; and when they bring you to the synagogues, before the leaders and authorities, do not worry how you will answer, or what you will say; for Yahweh will teach you at that very hour what you ought to say.” And one of the men from the crowd said to him, “Teacher, ask my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” But Yeshua said to him, “Man, who appointed me a judge or a property divider over you?” And he said to his disciples, “Beware of all covetousness, because life does not depend on abundance of wealth.” And he told them a parable, “The land of a rich man brought him a great many crops; and he reasoned within himself, saying, What shall I do, for I have no place to gather my crops? And he said, I will do this; I will tear down my barns, and rebuild them and enlarge them, and gather there all my wheat and my good things; and I will say to myself, Soul, you have many good things stored up for many years; rest, eat, drink, and be happy; but Yahweh said to him, O you shortsighted man, this very night your life will be demanded of you; and these things which you have prepared, to whom will they be left? Such is he who lays up treasures for himself, and is not rich in the things of Yahweh.” And he said to his disciples, “Therefore I say to you, Do not worry for your life, what you will eat; nor for your body, what you will wear; for life is much more important than food, and the body than clothing. Consider the ravens; for they do not sow or reap, and they have no storerooms and barns; and yet Yahweh feeds them; how much more important are you than the birds? Who among you by worrying can add to his stature one cubit? And if you are not able to do the smaller thing, why do you worry about the rest? Consider the flowers, how they grow; for they do not toil, nor do they spin; but I say to you, that not even Solomon in all his glory, was arrayed like one of these; and if Yahweh clothes in such fashion the grass of the field, which today is, and tomorrow falls into the fireplace; how much more is he to you, you little in believing? And do not be anxious about what you will eat, or what you will drink, and let not your mind be disturbed by these things; for worldly people seek after all these things; and your Father knows that these things are also necessary for you; but seek the sovereignty of Yahweh, and all of these things shall be added to you. Do not be afraid, little flock; for your Father is pleased to give you the sovereignty. Sell your possessions, and give them as alms; make for yourselves bags which do not wear out, and a treasure in heaven, that does not run short, where the thief does not come near, and moth does not destroy; for where your treasure is, there also will be your heart. Let your loins be girded, and your lamps lighted; and be like men who expect their master, when he will return from the wedding house; that when he comes and knocks, they will immediately open the door for him. Happy are those servants, whom their master, when he comes, finds awake; truly I say to you, That he will gird himself, and make them sit down, and come in and serve them; and if he should come in the second or the third watch, and find them so, happy are those servants; but know this, that if the master of the house knew at what watch the thief would come, he would have kept awake, and not allowed his house to be plundered. Therefore you also be ready; for the son of man will come in that very hour which you do not expect.
Post 37 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (27)
Simon Cephas said to him, “Teacher, do you speak this parable to us, or also to all men?” Yeshua said to him, “Who is the faithful and wise steward, whom his master will appoint over his household, to give supplies in due time? Happy is that servant, whom his master, when he comes, will find so doing. Truly I say to you, that he will appoint him over all his wealth; but if that servant should say in his heart, My master has delayed his coming; and begins to beat the menservants, and maidservants of his master, and then begins to eat and drink, and get drunk; the master of that servant will come in a day, and at an hour that he does not expect or know; and he will severely punish him, and place him with those who are not trustworthy; and the servant who knows the wishes of his master, and does not make ready according to his wishes, will receive a severe beating; but he who does not know, and does what is worthy of punishment, will receive less beating; for to whomever more is given, of him more will be required; and to whom much is entrusted, more will be required of his hand. I came to set Israel on fire; and I wish to do it, if it has not already been kindled. I have a baptism, to be baptized with; and I am oppressed until it is accomplished. Do you think that I have come to bring peace to Israel? I say to you, No, but divisions; for from henceforth, there will be five in a house, who will be divided, three against two, and two against three; for a father will be divided against his son, and a son against his father; a mother against her daughter, and a daughter against her mother; a mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.” And he said to the people, “When you see a cloud rise from the west, you immediately say, It will rain; and so it is; and when the wind blows from the south, you say, It will be hot; and it is so. You hypocrites, you know how to discern the face of the earth, and of the sky; how then is it that you do not discern this time? And why do you not of yourselves judge correctly? And when you go with your accuser to the ruler, while you are on the way, give something, and settle with him; otherwise he might take you to the judge, and the judge will deliver you to the exactor, and the exactor will throw you into prison. For truly I say to you, you will not come out from thence, until you pay the last mite.”
And at that time, there came some men, and told him about the Galileans, whose blood Pilate had mingled with their sacrifices; and Yeshua answered, and said to them, “Do you think that those Galileans were greater sinners, than all the other Galileans, because this happened to them? No; and I say to you, that all of you also, if you do not repent, will perish in the same way, or those eighteen upon whom the tower in Siloam fell, and it killed them; do you think that they were greater sinners, than all the other men who live in Jerusalem? No; and I say to you, that unless you repent, all of you will perish like them.” And he spoke this parable, “A man had a fig tree planted in his vineyard; and he came, and sought fruit on it, and he did not find any; and he said to the laborer, Lo, for three years I have been coming, and seeking fruit on this fig tree, and found none; cut it down; why should the ground be wasted? The laborer said to him, Master, let it remain this year also, until I work it, and fertilize it; and it might bear fruit; and if not, then you can cut it down.” And while Yeshua was teaching in one of the synagogues on the sabbath, a woman was there who had been afflicted with rheumatism for eighteen years, and was bent down, and could never straighten herself at all; and Yeshua saw her, and called her, and said to her, “Woman, you are cured of your sickness.” And he laid his hand on her, and immediately she straightened up, and praised Yahweh; but the leader of the synagogue, answered with anger, because Yeshua healed on the sabbath; and he said to the people, “There are six days in which men should work; in those days you ought to come, and be healed, and not on the sabbath day.” But Yeshua answered, and said to him, “You hypocrites, does not each one of you loose his ox or his ass from the stall, and go with it, to give it drink? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham, and lo, the adversary has bound her for eighteen years; was it not necessary for her to be loosened from this bond on the sabbath day?” And when he said these things, all who opposed him were ashamed; and all the people rejoiced over all the miracles that were done by his hand; and Yeshua said, “To what is the sovereignty of Yahweh like? And to what shall I compare it? It is like a grain of mustard seed, which a man took, and cast into his garden, and it grew, and became a large tree, and the birds of the air nested on its branches.” Again Yeshua said, “To what shall I compare the sovereignty of Yahweh? It is like the leaven which a woman took and buried in three measures of flour, until it was all leavened.”
And he journeyed through the villages and cities, teaching, while going to Jerusalem; and a man asked him, “Are there only a few who would have life?” And Yeshua said to them, “Strive to enter in through the narrow gate; for I say to you, that many will seek to enter in, and will not be able. From the hour when the master of the house rises up, and locks the door, you will be standing outside, and knocking at the door, and you will begin to say, Our master, our master, open for us; and he will answer, and say, I say to you, I do not know you, or where you come from; and you will begin to say, We have eaten and drunk in your presence, and you taught in our streets; and he will say to you, I do not know you, or where you come from; depart from me, you doers of falsehood. There will be the weeping and gnashing of the teeth, when you see Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob, and all the prophets in the sovereignty of Yahweh, but you will be thrown outside; and they will come from the east, and from the west, and from the south, and from the north, and sit down in the sovereignty of Yahweh; and lo, there are some who are last, who will be first, and there are some who are first, who will be last.” On the same day, some of the men of the Pharisees drew near, and said to him, “Get out, and go away from here; for Herod wants to kill you.” Yeshua said to them, “Go, and tell that fox, lo, I cast out unclean spirits, and I heal today and tomorrow, and on the third day I will be finished; but I must do my work today and tomorrow, and I will leave the following day, because it is impossible, that a prophet should perish outside of Jerusalem. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, murderer of prophets, and stoner of those who are sent to her! How many times Yahweh longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you were not willing! Lo, your house is left to you desolate; and I say to you, that you will not see me until you say, Blessed is he that comes in the name of Yahweh.” And it occurred, that, as he entered the house of one of the leaders of the Pharisees to eat bread on a sabbath day, they watched him; and there was a man before him who had dropsy; and Yeshua answered, and said to the scribes and Pharisees, “Is it lawful to heal on the sabbath?” And they were silent; and he took him, and healed him, and let him go; and he said to them, “Which one of you, if his son or his ox should fall into a pit on the sabbath day, would not immediately pull and bring him out?” And they could not answer him concerning this; and he spoke a parable to those who were invited there, because he saw them choosing places among the front seats. When you are invited of a man to a banquet house, do not go, and sit in the front seat; it might be that a more honorable man than you is invited there; and then he who has invited you and him will come, and say to you, Give the place to him; and you will be embarrassed when you get up, and take a lower seat; but when you are invited, go and sit at the lower end, that when he who has invited you comes, he will say to you, My friend, go up and sit higher; and you will have glory before all who sit with you; for whoever exalts himself, will be humbled; and whoever humbles himself, will be exalted.” And he said to him that invited him, “When you give a dinner or a supper, do not invite your friends, nor your brothers, nor your relatives, nor your rich neighbors; lest they invite you, and you will be repaid for this; but when you give a reception, invite the poor, the maimed, the lame, and the blind; and you will be blessed; for they have nothing to repay you; for you will be repaid at the resurrection of the righteous.” And when one of the guests heard these things, he said to him, “Happy is he who will eat bread in the sovereignty of Yahweh.” Yeshua said to him, “A man gave a great supper, and invited many, and he sent his servant at supper time to tell those who were invited, Lo, everything is made ready for you, come; and they all to a man, they began to make excuses. The first said to him, I have bought a field, and I am forced to go and see it; I beg you to excuse me for being called away. Another said, I have bought five yoke of oxen, and I am just going to examine them; I beg you, excuse me for being called away. Another said, I have just taken a wife, and therefore I cannot come; and the servant came, and told his master these things. Then the master of the house was angry, and said to his servant, Go out quickly to the streets and lanes of the city, and bring in here the poor, the afflicted, the maimed, and the blind; and the servant said, My master, it has been done as you commanded, and yet there is more room; and the master said to his servant, Go out to the by-paths, and among the hedges, and urge them to come in, that my house may be filled; for I say to you, that not one of those men who were invited, shall taste of my supper.”
Post 38 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (28)
And while many people were going with him, he turned himself, and said to them, “He who comes to me, and does not put aside his father, and his mother, and his brothers, and his sisters, and his wife, and his children, and even his own life, cannot be a disciple to me; and he who does not follow me, cannot be a disciple to me. For, which of you who wishes to build a tower, does not at first sit down, and consider its cost, to see if he has enough to finish it? Lest after he has laid the foundation, he is not able to finish it, and all who see it will mock him, saying, This man began to build, but he was not able to finish, or which king, who goes to war to fight against a king equal to him, would not at first reason, whether he is able with ten thousand, to meet the one who is coming against him with twenty thousand? And if not, while he is far away from him, sends envoys, and seeks peace. So every one of you who would not leave all his possessions, cannot be a disciple to me. Salt is good; but if the salt lose its savor, with what can it be salted? It is good neither for the ground, nor for fertilizing; but it is thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear.” And tax collectors and sinners drew near to him, to hear him; and the scribes and Pharisees murmured, saying, “He receives even the sinners, and eats with them.” And Yeshua told them this parable, “What man among you has a hundred sheep, and if one of them should get lost, would he not leave the ninety and nine in the open, and go in search of the one which is lost, until he finds it? And when he finds it, he rejoices, and takes it on his shoulders; and he comes to his house, and invites his friends and neighbors, and says to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my sheep which was lost. I say to you, that such will be the joy in heaven, over one sinner who repents, more than over ninety and nine righteous, who need no repentance, or what woman who has ten drachmas, and should lose one of them, would not light a lamp, and sweep the house, and search for it carefully until she finds it? And when she finds it, she calls her women friends and neighbors, and says to them, Rejoice with me, for I have found my drachma which was lost. I say to you, that such will be the joy before the angels of Yahweh, over one sinner who repents.” And Yeshua said to them again, “A man had two sons; and his younger son said to him, My father, give me the portion which is coming to me from your house; and he divided to them his possessions; and after a few days, his younger son gathered everything that was his share, and went to a far country, and there he wasted his wealth in extravagant living; and when all he had was gone, there was a severe famine in that country; and he began to be in need; and he went, and got acquainted with one of the citizens of that country; and he sent him to the field to feed the swine; and he craved to fill his stomach with the husks that the swine were eating; and yet no man would give him; and when he came to himself, he said, How many hired workers are now in my father’s house, who have plenty of bread, and I am here perishing with hunger! I will rise, and go to my father, and say to him, My father, I have sinned before heaven, and before you; and I am no longer worthy to be called your son; just make me like one of your hired workers; and he rose up, and came to his father; and while he was yet at a distance, his father saw him, and had compassion on him, and he ran, and fell on his neck, and kissed him; and his son said to him, My father, I have sinned before heaven, and before you, and I am not worthy to be called your son; but his father said to his servants, Bring the best robe and put it on him, and put a ring on his hand, and sandals on his feet; and bring, and kill the fat ox, and let us eat, and be merry; for this my son was dead, and has come to life; he was lost, and is found; and they began to be merry; but his elder son was in the field; and as he came near the house, he heard the voice of the singing of many; and he called one of the boys, and asked him what it was all about; and he said to him, Your brother has come; and your father has killed the fat ox, because he received him safe and well; and he became angry, and would not go in; and his father came out and besought him; but he said to his father, Lo, how many years I have served you, and I never disobeyed your commandment; and yet you never gave me even a kid, that I might make merry with my friends; but for this son of yours, after he had wasted your wealth with harlots, and come back, you have killed the fat ox. His father said to him, My son, you are always with me, and everything which is mine is yours; but it was proper for us to make merry and rejoice; for this your brother was dead, and has come to life; and was lost, and is found.”
And he spoke a parable to his disciples, saying, “There was a rich man, who had a steward; and they accused him that he was wasting his wealth; and his master called him, and said to him, What is this that I hear concerning you? Give me an account of your stewardship; for no longer can you be a steward for me; and the steward said to himself, What will I do? For my master will take away from me the stewardship. I cannot dig, and I am ashamed to beg. I know what to do, that when I leave the stewardship, they will receive me in their houses; and he called his master’s debtors, one by one, and said to the first, How much do you owe my master? And he said to him, A hundred measures of butter. And he said to him, Take your note; sit down quickly, and write fifty pounds; and he said to another, And you, what do you owe to my master? And he said to him, One hundred bushels of wheat. And he said to him, Take your note; sit down, and write eighty bushels; and the master praised the unjust steward, because he had done wisely; for the children of this age are wiser in their generation, than the children of light; and I also say to you, Use this earthly wealth, however acquired, to make friends, that when it is gone, they will receive you, and you will have everlasting habitation. He who is faithful with little, is also faithful with much; and he who is dishonest with little, is also dishonest with much. If, therefore, you are not faithful with the wealth of iniquity, who will believe that there is any truth in you? And if you are not found faithful with that which is not your own, who will give you that which is your own? No servant can serve two masters; for either he will hate the one, and like the other; or he will honor one, and despise the other. You cannot serve Yahweh and wealth.” And when the Pharisees heard all these things, because they loved money, they ridiculed him; but Yeshua said to them, “You are the ones who make yourselves righteous before men; but Yahweh knows your hearts; for what is highly esteemed among men, is disgusting in the presence of Yahweh. The law and prophets were until John; since then, the sovereignty of Yahweh is proclaimed, and everyone presses to enter into it; and it is easier for heaven and earth to pass away, then for one letter of the law to pass away. He who divorces his wife, and marries another, commits adultery; and he who marries the one who is illegally separated, commits adultery; and there was a rich man, who used to wear purple, and fine linen, and every day he made merry very lavishly; and there was a poor man named Lazarus, who was laid down at that rich’s door, afflicted with boils; and he longed to fill his stomach with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table; and the dogs also came and licked his boils; and so it was, that the poor man died, and the angels carried him into Abraham's bosom; and the rich man also died, and was buried; and while he was tormented in hell, he lifted up his eyes from a distance, and saw Abraham with Lazarus in his bosom; and he called in a loud voice, and said, Abraham, my father, have mercy on me, and send Lazarus to dip his finger in water, and wet my tongue; for I am tormented in this flame; and Abraham said to him, My son, remember you received your pleasures when you were living, and Lazarus his hardships; and lo, now he is comfortable here, and you are suffering; and with all these, a great barrier is fixed between us and you; that those who wish to cross over from here to you cannot, neither from there to cross over to us. He said to him, If that is so, I beseech you, my father, to send him to my father’s house; for I have five brothers; let him go, and testify to them, that they may not also come to this place of torment. Abraham, said to him, They have Moses and the prophets; let them hear them; but he said to him, No, my father Abraham; but if only a man from the dead go to them, they will repent. Abraham said to him, If they will not hear Moses and the prophets, neither will they believe, even if a man should rise from the dead.” And Yeshua said to his disciples, “It is impossible that offences should come; but woe to him by whose hand they come! It were better for him that an ass’ millstone were hanged on his neck, and he were thrown into the sea, than to cause one of these little ones to stumble. Beware among yourselves. If your brother should sin, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him; and if he should offend you seven times in a day, and seven times in a day, turn to you, and say, I repent; forgive him.” And the apostles said to Yeshua, “Increase our believing.” He said to them, “If you have believing even as a grain of mustard seed, you could say to this mulberry tree, Be uprooted, and planted in the sea; and it would obey you. Which of you has a servant who ploughs, or tends sheep, and if he should come from the field, would say to him, Enter in, and sit down? But he will rather say to him, Prepare something that I may have my supper, and gird yourself, and serve me until I eat and drink; and then you also can eat and drink. What! Will that servant receive praise, because he did what he was commanded to do? I do not think so. So also you, when you have done all the things which are commanded you, say, We are idle servants; we have only done what was our duty to do.”
Post 39 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (29)
And it occurred as Yeshua advanced towards Jerusalem, that he went through Samaritan territory which is towards Galilee; and when he drew near to enter a village, he was met by ten lepers, and they stood afar off; and they lifted their voices, and said, “Yeshua, our master, have mercy on us.” And when he saw them, he said to them, “Go, show yourselves to the priests.” And while they were going, they were cleansed; but one of them, when he saw that he was cleansed, turned back, and with a loud voice, praised Yahweh; and he fell on his face at the feet of Yeshua, thanking him; and this one was a Samaritan; and Yeshua answering said, “Were there not ten who were cleansed? Where are the nine? Why did they separate themselves so as not to come and give praise to Yahweh, except this man who is of a strange people?” And he said to him, “Arise, go; your believing has healed you.” And when some of the Pharisees asked Yeshua when the sovereignty of Yahweh would come, he answered, and said to them, “The sovereignty of Yahweh does not come by observation; and neither will they say, lo, it is here! Or lo, it is there! For lo, the sovereignty of Yahweh is within you.” And he said to his disciples, “The time will come, when you will long to see one of the days of the son of man, and you will not see it; and if they should say to you, Lo, he is here! And lo, he is there! Do not go. For, just as the lightning flashes from the sky, and all under the sky is lighted, such will be the day of the son of man; but first he must suffer a great many things, and be rejected by this generation; and as it was in the days of Noah, such will it be in the days of the son of man; for they were eating and drinking, and marrying and giving in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came, and destroyed everyone; and again, just as it happened in the days of Lot; they were eating and drinking, and buying and selling, and planting and building; but in the day when Lot went out of Sodom, Yahweh sent down a rain of fire and sulphur from the sky, and destroyed them all. Such will it be in the day when the son of man appears. In that day, he who is on the roof, with his clothes in the house, will not come down to take them; and he who is in the field, will not turn back. Just remember Lot’s wife. He who desires to save his life, shall lose it; and he who loses his life, shall save it. I say to you, that in that very night, two will be in one bed; one will be taken, and the other left; and two women will be grinding together; one will be taken, and the other left. Two will be in the field; one will be taken, and the other left. They answered, and said to him, “Our master, to what place?” He said to them, “Wherever the carcass is, there will the vultures gather.” And he also spoke to them a parable, that they should pray always, and not get weary, “There was a judge in a city, who neither feared Yahweh, nor regarded men; and there was a widow in that city who used to come to him, and said, Avenge me of my accuser; and he would not for a long time; but afterwards, he said within himself, Though I am not afraid of Yahweh, and have no regard for men; yet because this widow troubles me, I will avenge her, that she may not keep coming and annoying me.” Then Yeshua said, “Hear what the unjust judge said, Would not Yahweh avenge his chosen ones much more, who call upon him day and night, and he has patience with them? I say to you, he will avenge them promptly; but when the son of man comes, will he find believing in Israel?” And he spoke this parable against the men who relied upon themselves, that they were righteous, and despised every other man, “Two men went up to the temple to pray, one a Pharisee, and the other a tax collector; and the Pharisee stood by himself, and prayed thus, Yahweh, I thank you, that I am not like the rest of men, extortioners, grafters, adulterers, and not like this tax collector; but I fast twice a week, and I give tithes on everything I earn; but the tax collector stood afar off, and he would not even lift up his eyes to heaven, but smote his breast, and said, Yahweh, be merciful to me a sinner. I say to you, that this man went down to his house more righteous, than the Pharisee; for everyone who exalts himself, will be humbled; and everyone who humbles himself, will be exalted.”
And there was a man who was sick, Lazarus of the town of Bethany, the brother of Mary and Martha. It was that Mary who anointed the feet of Yeshua with perfume, and wiped them with her hair, whose brother Lazarus was sick; and his two sisters sent to Yeshua, and said, “Our teacher, lo, the one whom you are fond of is sick.” And Yeshua said, “This is not a sickness of death, but for the glory of Yahweh, that the son of Yahweh may be glorified by means of it.” Now Yeshua was fond of Martha and Mary, and Lazarus; and when he heard that he was sick, he remained two days in the place where he was; and after that he said to his disciples, “Come, let us go again to Judah.” His disciples said to him, “Teacher, not long ago the Israelites wanted to stone you, and yet are you going there again?” Yeshua said to them, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If a man walks by daytime, he will not stumble, because he sees the light of this world; but if a man travels at nighttime, he will stumble, because there is no light in it.” Yeshua said these things; and after that he said to them, “Our friend Lazarus is asleep; but I am going to awaken him.” His disciples said to him, “Teacher, if he is sleeping, he will get well.” But Yeshua spoke of his death; and they thought that what he said was sleeping in bed. Then Yeshua said to them plainly, “Lazarus is dead; and I am glad I was not there, for your sakes, that you may believe; but let us walk there. Then Thomas, who is called the Twin, said to his fellow disciples, “Let us also go, and die with him.” And Yeshua came to Bethany, and he found that Lazarus had been four days in the tomb. Now Bethany was towards Jerusalem, a distance of about two miles; and many Israelites kept coming to Martha and Mary, to comfort their hearts concerning their brother; and Martha, when she heard that Yeshua had come, she went out to meet him; and Mary sat in the house; and Martha said to Yeshua, “Teacher, if you had been here, my brother would not have died; but even now I know that whatever you ask of Yahweh, he will give you.” Yeshua said to her, “Your brother will rise up.” Martha said to him, “I know he will rise up in the resurrection, at the last day.” Yeshua said to her, “I am the resurrection, and the life; he who believes in me, even though he die, he shall live; and whoever is alive, and believes in me, shall never die. Do you believe this?” She said to him, “Yes, teacher; I do believe that you are the meshiach, the son of Yahweh, who is to come to Israel.” And when she had said these things, she went away, and called her sister Mary secretly, and said to her, “Our teacher has come, and he is calling for you.” And when Mary heard it, she rose up quickly, and came to him; and Yeshua had not yet come into the town, but he was still at the same place where Martha met him. Those Israelites who were with her in the house, comforting her, when they saw Mary rise up quickly, and go out, followed her, for they thought she was going to the tomb to weep; and Mary, when she came where Yeshua was, and saw him, she threw herself at his feet, and said to him, “Teacher, if you had been here, my brother would not have died.” And when Yeshua saw her weeping, and the Israelites weeping, who had come with her, he was moved in himself, and was greatly disturbed; and he said, “Where have you laid him?” They said to him, “Teacher, come and see.” And Yeshua was in tears; and the Israelites then said, “See how much he was fond of him!” And some of them said, “Could not this man, who opened the eyes of that blind man, have also kept this man from dying?” And Yeshua was disturbed in himself, because of them, he came to the tomb. That tomb was a cave, and a stone was placed at the entrance; and Yeshua said, “Take away this stone.” Martha, the sister of the dead man, said to him, “Teacher, already his body stinks, for he has been dead four days.” Yeshua said to her, “Did not I say to that if you believe, you will see the glory of Yahweh?” And they took away the stone, and Yeshua lifted his eyes upwards, and said, “Father, I thank you, for you have heard me; and I know that you always hear me; but I say these things, just because of this people who stand around, that they may believe that you have sent me.” And when he had said this, he cried with a loud voice, Lazarus, come out” And the dead man came out, his hands and feet bound with burial clothes, and his face bound with a burial napkin. Yeshua said to them, “Loose him, and let him go.” And many of the Israelites who had come to Mary, when they saw what Yeshua had done, believed in him; and some of them went to the Pharisees, and told them everything Yeshua had done; and the high priests and the Pharisees gathered together, and said, “What shall we do? For this man does many miracles; and if we allow him to continue like this, all men will believe in him, and the Romans will come, and take over both our country and our people; but one of them, called Caiaphas, who was the high priest for that year, said to them, “You know nothing; nor are you reasoning that it is much better for us, that one man should die instead of the people, and not all the people perish.” He did not say this of himself; but because he was the high priest for that year, he prophesied that Yeshua had to die for the sake of the people; and from that very day, they plotted to kill him. And Yeshua did not walk openly among the Israelites, but went away from them to a place which is close to the wilderness, in the province of Ephraim; and he remained there with his disciples.
Post 40 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (30)
And they brought little children to him, that he might lay his hand on them and pray; but his disciples rebuked those who brought them; but when Yeshua saw it, he was displeased, and he said to them, “Allow the little children to come to me, and do not stop them; for the sovereignty of Yahweh is for those who are like these. Truly I say to you, Whoever does not receive the sovereignty of Yahweh like a little child, will never enter into it.” And he took them in his arms, and put his hand on them and blessed them, and went away from there; and as he walked in the way, one of the leaders ran and fell upon his knees, and asked him, and said, “Good teacher, what must I do, to inherit eternal life?” Yeshua said to him, “Why do you call me good? There is no one good, except one, that is Yahweh; but if you want to enter into life, obey the commandments.” He said to him, “Which ones?” And Yeshua said to him, “You know the commandments, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not murder, do not bear false witness, do not oppress, honor your father and mother; and, love your fellow as yourself.” But the young man answered, and said to him, “Teacher, all of these I have obeyed from my boyhood, what do I lack?” And Yeshua looked at him, and was fond of him, and he said to him, “You lack one thing; if you wish to be perfect, go, and sell your possessions, and give it to the poor, and you will have a treasure in heaven; and come and follow me.” But he felt sad because of this saying, and he went away depressed; for he had great wealth; and when Yeshua saw that he felt sad; and Yeshua looked at his disciples, and said to them, “Truly I say to you, how difficult it is for those who have wealth, to enter into the sovereignty of Yahweh!” But the disciples were surprised at his words; and Yeshua answered again, and said to them, “How hard it is for those who trust in their wealth, to enter into the sovereignty of Yahweh. It is easier for a rope to go through the eye of a needle, than for a rich man to enter into the sovereignty of Yahweh.” And when the disciples heard it, they were exceedingly astonished, and said, “Who then can attain to life!” And Yeshua looked at them, and said, “With men, this is not possible, but with Yahweh it is; for with Yahweh all things are possible.” And Simon Cephas began to say to him, “Lo, we have left everything, and followed you; what will we have?” Yeshua said to them, “Truly I say to you that in the new age, when the son of man shall sit on the throne of his glory, you who have followed me shall also sit on twelve seats, and you shall judge the twelve tribes of Israel; and every man who leaves houses, or brothers, or sisters, or father, or mother, or wife, or children, or fields, for my name’s sake, and for the sake of my tidings, who shall not receive now, in this time, a hundredfold, houses, and brothers, and sisters, and maidservants, and children, and fields, and other worldly things, and in the age to come, shall inherit eternal life; but many who are first, shall be last, and the last first; for the sovereignty of Yahweh is like a man who is a householder, who went out early in the morning to hire laborers for his vineyard; and he bargained with the laborers for a denarius a day, and sent them to his vineyard; and he went out at the third hour, and saw others standing idle in the market place; and he said to them, You also go to the vineyard, and I will give you what is right, and they went; and he went out again at the sixth, and at the ninth hour, and did the same; and towards the eleventh hour he went out, and found others standing idle, and he said to them, Why do you stand all the day idle? They said to him, Because no man has hired us. He said to them, You also go to the vineyard, and you will receive what is right; and when evening came, the owner of the vineyard said to his steward, Call the laborers, and pay them their wages; and begin from the last ones, to the first; and when those hired at the eleventh hour came, they each received a denarius; but when the first ones came, they expected to receive more; but they also got each one a denarius; and when they received it, they murmured against the householder, and said, These last one have worked only one hour, and you have made them equal with us, who have borne the burden of the day, and its heat; but he answered, and said to one of them, My friend, I am not doing you an injustice; did you not bargain with me for a denarius? Take what is yours, and go away; I wish to give to this last one, the same as to you. Have I no right, to do what I wish with mine own? Or are you jealous, because I am generous? Even so the last shall be first, and the first last; for many are called, but few are chosen.”
Now Yeshua was ready to go up to Jerusalem; and as they were going up on their way to Jerusalem, Yeshua was ahead of them; and they were amazed; and they followed him with fear; and he took his twelve disciples apart on the road, and began to tell them what was surely to happen to him, saying, “Lo, we are going up to Jerusalem, and all things written by the prophets, concerning the son of man will be fulfilled; and the son of man will be delivered to the high priests and the scribes, and they will condemn him to death, and they will deliver him to the Gentiles; and they will mock him, and scourge him, and spit in his face, and crucify him; and on the third day he will be rise up.” But they understood not one of these things; and this saying was hidden from them, and they did not know these things which were spoken to them; and James and John, the sons Zebedee, came up to him, and said to him, “Teacher, we wish you would do for us whatever we ask.” He said to them, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They said to him, “Grant us to sit, one at your right, and one at your left, in your glory.” He said to them, “You do not know what you are asking; can you drink the cup which I drink, and be baptized with the baptism with which I am to be baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” Yeshua said to them, “The cup which I shall drink, you too will drink; and with the baptism with which I am baptized, you will be baptized also; but to sit at my right and at my left, is not mine to give; except to those for whom it is prepared.” Then the mother of the sons of Zebedee came up to him, together with her sons; and she did homage to him, and requested something of him; and he said to her, “What do you wish?” She said to him, “Command that these two sons of mine may sit, one at your right and one at your left, in your kingdom.” Yeshua answered, and said, “You do not know what you are asking. Can you drink the cup that I am ready to drink, or be baptized with the baptism, with which I am to be baptized?” They said to him, “We can.” He said to them, “Indeed my cup you shall drink, and the baptism with which I am to be baptized, you too shall be baptized with; but to sit at my right hand and at my left, that is not mine to give, but it is for those for whom it is prepared by my Father.” And when the ten heard it, they were angry at the two brothers, they began to murmur at James and John; and Yeshua called them, and said, “You know that those who consider themselves princes of the people, are also their lords; and their officials rule over them. Let not this be so among you; but whoever wishes to be great among you, let him be a minister to you; and whoever wishes to be first among you, let him be a servant to you; just as the son of man did not come to be ministered to, but to minister, and to give his life as a ransom for the sake of many.”
Post 41 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (31)
And when he drew near Jericho, a blind man was sitting by the roadside, and begging; and he heard the voice of the people passing, and asked, “Who is this?” They said to him, “Yeshua, the meshiach is passing.” And he called out, saying, “Yeshua, son of David, have mercy on me!” And those who were going before Yeshua rebuked him, telling him to keep quiet; but he cried out the more, “Son of David, have mercy on me!” And Yeshua stood still, and commanded them to call him to him; and as he came near, he asked him, and said to him, “What do you wish me to do for you?” And he answered, “Meshiach, that I may see.” And Yeshua said to him, “See; your believing has healed you.” And he saw immediately, and followed him praising Yahweh; and all the people who saw it, gave praise to Yahweh; and when Yeshua entered and passed through Jericho, there was a man named Zaccheus, who was rich, and chief of the tax collectors; and he wanted to see who Yeshua was; but he could not, because of the crowd; for Zaccheus was small in stature; and he ran ahead of Yeshua, and climbed up into a wild fig tree, that he might see him, because he was to pass that way; and when Yeshua came to that place, he saw him, and said to him, “Make haste, come down, Zaccheus, for today I must stay at your house.” And he hastened, and came down, and welcomed him with joy; and when they all saw it, they murmured, and said, “He has entered to stay in the house with a man that is a sinner.” But Zaccheus rose up, and said to Yeshua, “Lo, teacher, half of my wealth I will give to the poor; and I will pay fourfold to every man, from whom I have extorted.” Yeshua said to him, “This day life has come to this house, because he also is a son of Abraham; for the son of man came to seek, and give life to that which was lost.” And while they were listening to these things, he continued by speaking a parable, because he was near Jerusalem, and they were expecting that the sovereignty of Yahweh would appear at that very hour; and he said, “A great man of a noble family went to a far country, to receive for himself a kingdom, and to return again; and he called his ten servants, and gave them ten pounds, and said to them, Transact business until I come back; but the people of his city hated him, and sent messengers after him, saying, We do not want him to rule over us; and when he received the kingdom, and had returned, he commanded those servants to be called, to whom he had given the money, that he might know what each one of them had gained in business; and the first one came, and said, My master, your pound has gained ten pounds. He said to him, Well done, good servant! Because you are found faithful in a little, you will have authority over ten towns; and the second came, and said, My master, your pound has gained five pounds. He said to this one, You also will have authority over five towns; but another one came, and said, My master, here is your pound which was with me, which I kept laid up in fine linen; for I was afraid of you, because you are a harsh man; you pick up, what you have not laid down, and you reap, what you have not sown. He said to him, I will judge you from your own mouth, you wicked servant. You knew me, that I am a harsh man, and pick up, what I have not laid down, and reap, what I have not sown. Why then did you not give my money to the broker’s hands, that when I came, I could demand it with its interest? And he said to those who stood in his presence, Take away the pound from him, and give it to him who has ten pounds. They said to him, Our master, he has already with him ten pounds. He said to them, I say to you, To everyone who has, shall be given; and from him who has not, even that which he has, will be taken away from him; but those my enemies, who were not willing that I should rule over them, bring here and kill them before me.” And when Yeshua had spoken these things, he went forward, to go to Jerusalem; and when Yeshua went out of Jericho with his disciples, and a large crowd, a blind man, Timeus, the son of Timeus, sat by the roadside begging; and when he heard that it was Yeshua, the meshiach, he began to cry aloud, and to say, “You son of David, have mercy on me.” And many rebuked him, and told him to keep quiet, but he cried out the more, and said, “Son of David, have mercy on me.” And Yeshua stopped, and directed him to be called; and they called the blind man, and said to him, “Have courage, arise; he is calling you.” And the blind man threw off his robe and got up, and went to Yeshua. Yeshua said to him, “What do you wish me to do for you?” And the blind man said to him, “Master, that I may see.” And Yeshua said to him, “See, your believing has healed you.” And immediately he saw; and he followed after him; and lo, two blind men were sitting by the roadside, and when they heard that Yeshua was passing by, they cried aloud, and said, “Have compassion upon us, meshiach, son of David.” But the people rebuked them, telling them to keep quiet; but they cried louder, and said, “Meshiach, have compassion upon us, son of David.” And Yeshua stopped, and called them, and he said, “What do you wish me to do for you?” They said to him, “Our meshiach, that our eyes may be opened.” And Yeshua had compassion upon them; and he touched their eyes, and immediately their eyes were opened, and they followed him; and the passover of the Israelites drew near; and many went up from the villages to Jerusalem, before the feast, that they might purify themselves; and they were looking for Yeshua, and in the temple courts, they kept saying to one another, “What do you think, will he not come to the feast?” But the high priests and the Pharisees had already commanded, that if anyone should know where he was, he should let them know, that they might seize him.
And six days before the passover; and as he approached Jerusalem, and came to Bethphage, by the side of the mount of Olives, Yeshua then sent two of his disciples, and he said to them, “Go to that village which is in front of you, and straightway you will find an ass which is tied up, and a colt with her; untie them, and bring them to me; and if any man should say anything to you, tell him, “Our meshiach needs them; and he will immediately send them here.” All this happened, that what was said by the prophet, might be fulfilled, saying, “Rejoice greatly, fair Zion; raise a shout, fair Jerusalem! Lo, your king is coming to you. He is victorious, triumphant, yet humbled, riding on an ass, on a donkey foaled by a she-ass.” And the disciples went, and did as Yeshua had commanded them; and they brought the ass and the colt, and they put their garments on the colt, and Yeshua rode on it; and a great many people spread their garments in the path; and others cut down branches from the trees, and spread them in the path; and the people who were going before him, and that followed after him, were shouting, and saying, “Save now, son of David; blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh; save now, in the highest.” And as he entered Jerusalem, the whole city was stirred up, and they were saying, “Who is this man?” And the people were saying, “This is the prophet, Yeshua, from Nazareth in Galilee.” And Yeshua entered into the temple of Yahweh, and drove out all who were buying and selling in the temple court, and he overturned the trays of the moneychangers, and the stands of those who sold doves; and he said to them, “It is written, My House shall be called the House of prayer; but you have made it a den of robbers.” And in the temple courts, they brought to him the blind and the lame, and he healed them; but when the high priests and the Pharisees saw the wonders that he did, and the children crying aloud in the temple courts, and saying, “Save now, son of David,” they were displeased; and they said to him, “Do you hear what they are saying?” Yeshua said to them, “Yes.” And he left them, and went outside of the city to Bethany, where Lazarus was, whom Yeshua had raised from the dead; and lodged there.
Post 42 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (32)
And the Sabbath having been completed; and they gave Yeshua a banquet in Bethany; and Martha served; but Lazarus was one of the guests who were with him; and Mary took a cruse containing pure and expensive spikenard, and anointed the feet of Yeshua, and wiped his feet with her hair; and the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume; and Judas Iscariot, one of the twelve said, “Why was not this ointment sold for three hundred denarii, and given to the poor?” And this he said, not because he cared for the poor, but because he was a thief, and the purse was with him, and he carried whatever was put into it; but Yeshua said, “Let her alone; she has kept it for the day of my burial; for you have the poor always with you, but I am not with you always; and many people of the Israelites heard that Yeshua was there; and they came, not only on account of Yeshua, but also to see Lazarus, whom he raised from the dead; and the high priests were thinking of killing Lazarus also; because on his account a great many Israelites were leaving, and believing in Yeshua; and the next day, when Yeshua came near to Jerusalem, he sent two of his disciples, and he said to them, “Go to the village which is in front of us; and as so as you enter it, you will find a colt tied up, on which no man of the sons of men has ever ridden; untie it and bring it; and if any man should say to you, Why are you doing this? Why do you untie it? Tell him this; The meshiach needs it; and immediately he will send it here.” And they went, and they found the colt tied by the door, outside in the street, just as he had told them; and as they were untying the colt, some of the men who stood there, said to them, “What are you doing, are you untying the colt?” And they answered them as Yeshua had instructed them, “The meshiach needs it.” And they consented; and a large crowd which had come to the feast, when they heard that Yeshua was coming to Jerusalem, took branches of palm trees, and went out to greet him, and they cried out, and said, “Save now, blessed is the king of Israel, who comes in the name of Yahweh.” and they brought the colt to Yeshua; and they put their garments on the it, and they set Yeshua on it, and as he went along, many spread their garments on the road; and others cut down branches from the trees, and spread them on the road; and those who were in front of him, and those who were behind him shouted, and said, “Save now! Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh; and blessed is the kingdom of our father David, which is coming; save now in the highest!” And when he came near to the descent of the mount of the Place of Olives, the whole multitude of the disciples were rejoicing, praising Yahweh with a loud voice, for all the miracles which they had seen; but some of the Pharisees who were in the crowd, said to him, “Teacher, rebuke your disciples.” He said to them, “I say to you, that if these should keep silent, the stones would cry out.” And when he drew near, and saw the city, he wept over it; and he said, “If you had only known those who came for your peace, even in this your day! But now they are hidden from your eyes; but the days will come, when your enemies will surround you, and oppress you from every place, and will overthrow you, and your children within you; and they will not leave in you a stone upon a stone, because you did not know the time, when you were to be visited.” And Yeshua entered Jerusalem, and went into the temple courts; and he looked upon everything; but the Pharisees said one to another, “Do you see that you have not been able to gain anything? Lo, all the people have gone after him.” And when evening came, he went out to Bethany with the twelve.
And the next day, when they went out of Bethany, he became hungry; and he saw a fig tree at a distance on the roadside, which had leaves on it; and he came to it to see if he could find anything on it; and when he came, he found nothing on it except leaves; for it was not yet time for the figs; and he said to it, “From now and forever, let no man eat of your fruit.” And his disciples heard it; and shortly the fig tree withered; and when the disciples saw it, they were amazed, and said, “How is it that the fig tree has withered so soon?” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “Truly I say to you, If you have believing, and do not doubt, you will perform a deed not only like this of the fig tree, but should you say even to this mountain, Be removed, and fall into the sea, it shall be done; and everything that you will ask in prayer believing, you shall receive.” And they came to Jerusalem; and Yeshua entered into the temple of Yahweh, and began to cast out those who were buying and selling in the temple courts; and he overturned the trays of the moneychangers, and the stands of those who sold doves; and he would not allow any man to bring goods into the temple courts; and he taught them, and said, “Is it not written, My House shall be called the House of prayer for all the peoples? But you have made it a den of robbers.” And there were some Gentiles among them, who had come up to worship at the feast. They came and approached Philip of Bethsaida in Galilee, and asked him, and said, “Sir, we would like to see Yeshua.” Philip came and told Andrew; then Andrew and Philip told Yeshua; and Yeshua answered, and said to them, “The hour has come that the son of man should be glorified. Truly I say to you, that unless a grain of wheat falls, and dies in the ground, it will be left alone; but if it dies, it produces much fruit. He who loves his life will lose it; and he who has no concern for his life in the age, will keep it to life eternal. If any man serve me, let him follow me; and where I am, there also will my servant be; he who serves me, him my Father will honor. Now my soul is disturbed, and what shall I say? My Father, deliver me from this hour; but for this cause I came to this very hour. Father, glorify your name!” And a voice was heard from the sky, “I have glorified it; and I will glorify it again.” And the people who stood by heard it, and said, “It was thunder.” But others said, “An angel spoke to him.” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “This voice was not on my account, but for your sake. Now is the judgment of this age; now the leader of this age will be cast out; and I, when I am lifted up from the earth, will draw all men to me.” He said this to show by what manner of death, he was about to die. The people said to him, “We have heard from the law, that the meshiach shall remain forever; how do you say that the son of man must be lifted up? Who is this son of man?” Yeshua said to them, “The light is with you for a little while; walk while you have the light, so that the darkness may not overcome you; and he who walks in the darkness, does not know where he goes. While you have the light, believe in the light.” Yeshua spoke these things, and went away, and hid himself from them; and although he had performed all of these miracles before them, yet they did not believe in him; and many of the leading men also believed in him; but because of the Pharisees, they did not confess it, so that they might not be cast out of the synagogue; for they loved the honor of men, more than the glory of Yahweh; and Yeshua cried out, and said, “He who believes in me, believes not in me, but in him who sent me. I have come into Israel as the light, that whoever believes in me, may not remain in the darkness; and he who hears my words, and does not obey them, I will not judge him; for I have not come to judge Israel, but to give life to Israel. He who oppresses me, and does not receive my words, there is one who will judge him; the word which I have spoken, it will judge him at the last day; for I did not speak of myself; but the Father who sent me, he commanded me what to say, and what to speak; and I know that his commandment is life eternal; these things therefore which I speak, just as my Father told me, so I speak.” And the high priests and the scribes, and the elders of the people heard it, and they sought how to do away with him; but they were not able to find what to do to him, for they were afraid of him, because all the people were amazed at his teaching; and when evening came, they went outside of the city.
Post 43 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (33)
And in the morning, as they passed by, they saw the fig tree dried up, as it were, from its roots; and Simon remembered, and said to him, “Master, lo, the fig tree which you cursed, is dried up.” And Yeshua answered, and said to them, “If you have believing in Yahweh, truly I say to you, Whoever should say to this mountain, Be moved, and fall into the sea, and does not doubt in his heart, but believes that what he says will be done, it will be done to him. Therefore I say to you, Anything you pray for and ask, believe that you will receive it, and it will be done for you; and when you stand up to pray, forgive whatever you have against anyone, that your Father in heaven will forgive you your offences; but if you will not forgive, even your Father in heaven will not forgive you your offences; and when Yeshua came to the temple; and while he was walking in the temple courts, teaching the people and preaching, the high priests and the scribes, with the elders, rose up against him; and they said to him, “Tell us by what authority you do these things, and who gave you this authority?” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “I will also ask you a question, and if you answer me, I will then tell you by what authority I do these things. Whence is the baptism of John? Was it from Yahweh, or from men?” And they reasoned with themselves, and said, “If we should say, From Yahweh, he will say to us, why then did you not believe him? And if we should say, From men, all the people will stone us; for all of them regard John as a prophet.” And they said to him, “We do not know whence it is.” Yeshua said to them, “Neither will I tell you by what authority I do these things. What do you think? A man had two sons, and he came to the first one, and said to him, My son, go, and work today in the vineyard; and he answered, and said, I do not want to, but later he regretted and went; and he came to the other one, and spoke to him likewise; and he answered, Here am I, my father, and yet he did not go. Which of these two did the will of his father?” They said to him, “The first one.” Yeshua said to them, “Truly I say to you, that even the tax collectors and harlots will precede you into the sovereignty of Yahweh; for John came to you in the way of righteousness, and you did not believe him; but the tax collectors and harlots believed him; but you, even though you saw it, did not repent, that later you may believe him.” Hear another parable, and he began to speak this parable to the people, “There was a man who was a householder, and he planted a vineyard, and fenced it, and he dug in it a winepress, and built a tower, and then he leased it to laborers, and went on a journey for a long time; and when the fruit season was at hand, he sent his servant to the laborers, that they might send him some of the fruits of his vineyard; but the laborers beat him, and sent him back empty; and again he sent another of his servants; but they beat him also, and treated him shamefully, and sent him back empty; and again he sent the third one; but they wounded him also, and threw him outside; and he sent many other servants, some of them they beat, and some they killed. Then the owner of the vineyard said, What shall I do? I will send my very beloved son; perhaps they will see him, and feel ashamed; but when the laborers saw the son, they reasoned with themselves, and said, This is the heir; come, let us kill him, and the inheritance will be ours; and they seized him, and took him out of the vineyard, and killed him. When therefore the owner of the vineyard comes, what will he do to those laborers? They said to him, “He will destroy them savagely, and lease his vineyard to other laborers, who will give him fruits in their seasons.” Yeshua said, “He will come, and destroy those laborers, and give the vineyard to others.” And when they heard it, they said, “This will never happen.” But he looked at them, and said, “What is it that is written, The stone which the builders rejected, the same became the cornerstone; this was from Yahweh, and it is a marvel in our eyes? Therefore I say to you, that the sovereignty of Yahweh will be taken away from you, and will be given to a people who bear fruits; whoever falls on that stone, will be broken; and whomever it falls upon, it will destroy.” And when the high priests and the Pharisees heard his parables, they understood that he was speaking against them; and they wanted to arrest him, but they were afraid of the people, because they regarded him as a prophet. And Yeshua answered again by parables, and said, “The sovereignty of Yahweh is like a king who gave a marriage feast for his son; and he sent his servants to call those who were invited to the marriage feast, but they would not come; and again he sent other servants, and said, Tell those who are invited, Lo, my supper is ready, and my oxen and fatlings are killed, and everything is prepared; come to the marriage feast; but they sneered at it, and went away, one to his field, another to his business; and the rest seized his servants, and mocked them, and killed them; and when the king heard it, he was angry; and he sent out his armies, and destroyed those murderers, and burned their city. Then he said to his servants, Now the marriage feast is ready, and those who were invited were unworthy. Go, therefore, to the main roads, and whomever you may find, invite them to the marriage feast; and those servants went out to the roads, and gathered together everyone they could find, bad and good; and the banqueting house was filled with guests; and when the king entered to see the guests, he saw there a man who was not wearing wedding garments; and he said to him, My friend, how did you enter here, when you do not have wedding garments? And he was speechless. Then the king said to the servants, Bind his hands and his feet. and cast him into the outer darkness; there will the weeping and the grinding of the teeth; for many are called, and few are chosen.”
Then the Pharisees went away, and took counsel how to trap him by a question; and they sent to him their disciples, and some men of the scribes, together with the Herodians; and they sent as spies, disguised as righteous men, to ensnare him by a word, and to deliver him to the judge, and then to the authority of the governor; and these came, and asked him, “Teacher, we know that you are true, and you teach the way of Yahweh justly; and you do not favor any man, for you do not discriminate between men. Tell us, therefore, what do you think? Is it lawful to pay head tax to Caesar, or not? Shall we give, or shall we not give?” But Yeshua knew their wickedness, and said, “Why do you tempt me, you hypocrites? Show me a denarius of the head tax money, that I may see it.” And they brought to him a denarius; and Yeshua said to them, “Whose is this image and inscription?” They said, “Caesar’s.” He said to them, “Give therefore to Caesar, what is Caesar’s, and to Yahweh, what is Yahweh’s.” And when they heard it, they were not able to get a word of accusation from him before the people; and they were amazed at his answer, and kept silence; and they left him, and went away. That same day came to him Sadducees, who say that there is no resurrection, and said to him, “There is no resurrection of the dead.” And they asked him, and said, “Teacher, Moses wrote to us that if a man’s brother die, and leave a wife, and leave no children, his brother should take his wife, and raise up an offspring for his brother. Now there were with us seven brothers; the first one took a wife, and died, and left no offspring; and then the second married her, and he died, he also left no offspring; and likewise the third one; and all seven of them married her, and left no offspring; and after them all, the woman also died. Therefore at the resurrection, to which of these seven will she be a wife? For they all had married her.” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “It is not on this account that you err, because you do not understand the scriptures, nor the power of Yahweh. The sons of this age marry women, and women are given to men in marriage; but those who are worthy of the other age, and the resurrection from the dead, neither take women in marriage, nor are women given in marriage to them; for they cannot die again, because they are as the angels of Yahweh in heaven; and they are sons of Yahweh, because they are sons of the resurrection; but concerning the resurrection of the dead, have you not read what was told you by Yahweh, who said to Moses from the bush, I am Yahweh God of Abraham, and the God of Isaac, and the God of Jacob? And yet, Yahweh is not the God of the dead, but of the living; for all live to him. You therefore greatly err.” And when the people heard it, they were amazed at his teaching; and one of the scribes came near, and heard them debating, and he saw that he gave them an excellent answer; and he asked him, “Which is the first commandment of all?” Yeshua said to him, “The first of all commandments is, Hear, O Israel, Yahweh our God, is one Yahweh; and you must love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your mind, and with all your might; this is the first commandment; and the second is like to it, You must love your fellow as yourself. There is no other commandment greater than these.” The scribe said to him, “Well, teacher, you have said the truth, that he is one, and there is no other besides him; and that a man should love him with all the heart, and with all the mind, and with all the soul, and with all the might, and love his fellow as himself; this is far more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.” And when Yeshua saw that he replied wisely, he answered, and said to him, “You are not far from the sovereignty of Yahweh.” But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together; and one of them who knew the law, and asked him, testing him, “Teacher, which is the greatest commandment in the law?” Yeshua said to him, “Love Yahweh your God with all your heart, and with all your soul, and with all your might, and with all your mind. This is the greatest and the first commandment; and the second is like to it, Love your fellow as yourself. On these two commandments hang the law and the prophets.” And some of the scribes answered, and said to him, “Teacher, you have well said.” And while the Pharisees were gathered together, Yeshua asked them, and said, “What do you say concerning the meshiach? Whose son is he?” They said to him, “The son of David.” He said to them, “How is it then that David through the power calls him lord? For he said, Yahweh said to my lord, Sit at my right hand, until I put your enemies under your feet. If David then calls him lord, how can he be his son?” And no man was able to answer him, and from that day, no man dared again to question him, on any matter.
And as Yeshua was teaching in the temple courts, he answered, and said, “How can the scribes say, That the meshiach is the son of David? For David himself said through the power, in the scroll of Psalms, Yahweh said to my lord, Sit on my right hand, until I put your enemies as a stool under your feet. Now therefore David himself calls him my lord, and how can he be his son?” And all the people heard him with pleasure; and in his teaching, he said to the people, and to his disciples, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit in the seat of Moses. Therefore whatever they tell you to obey, obey and do it, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say and do not; and they bind heavy burdens, and put them on men’s shoulders, but they themselves are not willing to touch them, even with their finger, and all their works they do, just to be seen by men; for they widen the fringes of their garments, and they lengthen the ends of their robes, and they like the chief places at feasts, and the front seats in the synagogues, and the greetings in the streets, and to called by men, Teacher, but you should not be called Teacher; for one is your Master, and all you are brethren; and call no one on earth, Father, for one is your Father in heaven, nor be called guides, for one is your guide, the meshiach; but he who is greatest among you, let him be your servant; for whoever exalts himself, shall be humbled; and whoever humbles himself, shall be exalted. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you have shut off the sovereignty of Yahweh against men; for you do not enter into it yourselves, and do not permit those who would to enter. Wow to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you embezzle the property of widows, with the pretense that you make long prayers; because of this, you shall receive a greater condemnation. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you traverse sea and land to make one proselyte; and when he becomes one, you make him the son of hell twice more than yourselves. Woe to you, blind guides; for you say, Whoever swears by the sanctuary, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the gold which is in the sanctuary, he is bound to fulfill the oath! You fools, and blind! For which is greater, the gold, or the sanctuary that sanctifies the gold? And whoever swears by the altar, it is nothing; but whoever swears by the offering that is upon it, he is bound to fulfill the oath. You fools, and blind! For which is greater, the offering, or the altar that sanctifies the offering? Therefore he who swears by the altar, he swears by it, and by everything that is on it; and whoever swears by the sanctuary, swears by it, and by him who dwells in it; and he who swears by heaven, swears by the throne of Yahweh, and by him who sits on it. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you take tithes of mint, dill, and cummin, and you have overlooked the more important matters of the law, such as justice, mercy, and faithfulness. These were necessary for you to have done, and these very things by no means to have left undone. You blind guides, who strain out gnats, and swallow down camels! Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! You clean the outside of the cup and of the plate, but inside they are full of extortion and iniquity. You blind Pharisees! Clean first the inside of the cup and of the plate, that their outside may also be clean. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you are like tombs painted white, which look beautiful from the outside, but inside are full of dead bones, and all kinds of corruption. So you also, outwardly, appear to men as righteous; but from within, you are full of iniquity and hypocrisy. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! For you build the tombs of the prophets, and you decorate the graves of the righteous; and you say, If we had been living in the days of our fathers, we would not have been partakers with them in the blood of the prophets. Wherefore you are witnesses, against ourselves, that you are the children of them that killed the prophets. You also fill up the measure of your fathers. You serpents, you offspring of scorpions! How can you flee from the judgment of hell? Because of this, I am sending unto you prophets, and wise men, and scribes; some of whom you will kill and crucify, and some of them you will scourge in your synagogues, and will persecute them from city to city; so that all the blood of the righteous shed on the ground may come upon you, from the blood of Abel the righteous, down to the blood of Zachariah, son of Barachiah, whom you killed between the sanctuary and the altar. Truly I say to you, All of these things shall come upon this generation. O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, who killed the prophets, and stoner of those who are sent to her! How often Yahweh wanted to gather your children, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and yet you would not! Lo, your house will be left to you desolate! For I say to you, That you shall not see me henceforth, until you shall say, Blessed is he who comes in the name of Yahweh; and when Yeshua sat in front of the treasury-room, he watched how the people cast their aims into the treasury; and many rich men were casting in a great deal; and there came a poor widow, and she cast in two mites, which are a brass farthing; and Yeshua called his disciples, and said to them, “Truly I say to you, that this poor widow has cast into the treasury more than all the men who are casting; for all of them cast in of their abundance; but she, of her poverty, cast everything she had, even all of her possessions.
Post 44 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (34)
And Yeshua went out of the temple to go away; while some men were talking about the temple, that it was adorned with beautiful stones and gift offerings; and his disciples came up to him, and were showing him the structure of the temple, one of his disciples said to him, “Teacher, lo, look at those stones, and those structures.” But he said to them, “Lo, admire you these great structures? As for these things on which you gaze will be destroyed. Truly I say to you, The days will come when not a stone shall be left here upon another stone, which will not be torn down.” And they asked him, and said, “Teacher, when will these things happen? And what is the sign when these things are about to happen?” And he said to them, “Be careful that you may not be deceived; for many will come in my name, and say, I am the meshiach; and the time is near; but do not follow them; and when you hear of wars and revolutions, do not be afraid; for all these things must first come to pass; but the end is not yet; for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be great earthquakes in different places, and famines, and plagues; and there will be alarming sights, and great signs will appear from heaven; and the winters will be severe; but before all these things, they will lay hands on you, and persecute you, and deliver you to the synagogues, and the prisons; and they will bring you before kings and governors for the sake of my name; but it will be to you for a testimony; and treasure it in your hearts, and do not try to learn what to answer; for Yahweh will give you a mouth and wisdom, which all your enemies will not be able to withstand; and you will be delivered up, even by your parents and brothers, and your relatives and friends; and they will put some of you to death; and you will be hated by every man because of my name; and yet not a hair of your head will be lost; and by your patience, you will gain your souls; but when you see Jerusalem surrounded by an army, then know that its destruction is at hand. Then let those who are in Judah flee to the mountain; and let those who are within it flee; and let those who are in the fields not enter into it; for these are the days of vengeance, so that everything which is written must be fulfilled; but woe to those who are with child, and to those who give suck in those days! For there will be great distress in the land, and wrath to this people; and they will fall by the edge of the sword, and they will be taken captive to every country; and Jerusalem will be trodden under the feet of the Gentiles, until the time of the Gentiles comes to an end; and there will be signs in the sun, and in the moon, and in the stars; and on earth distress of the nations, and confusion, because of the roaring of the sea; and upheaval that drives out the souls of men, because of fear of what is to come on earth; and the powers of the universe will be shaken; and then they will see the son of man coming with a heavenly host, with much power, and with great glory; but when these things begin to happen, have courage, and lift up your heads, because your deliverance is at hand.” And he spoke to them a parable, “Look at the fig tree, and all the trees; when they put forth leaves, you immediately understand from them that summer is near. Even so you also, when you see these things happen, know that the sovereignty of Yahweh is near. Truly I say to you, This generation will not pass away until all these things happen. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away; but take heed to yourselves, that your hearts may not become heavy by extravagance and drunkenness and worries of this world, and that day come suddenly upon you; for like a downpour, it will entrap all those who dwell on the face of all the earth. Therefore keep watch always and pray, that you may be worthy to escape all these things which are to happen, and that you may stand before the son of man.”
And as Yeshua was sitting on the mount of Olives, towards the temple, his disciples came up talking among themselves, Cephas and James and John and Andrew, and they asked him, privately, “Tell us when these things will happen, and what is the sign of your coming, and of the end of the world, when all these things are about to be fulfilled?” Yeshua answered, and said to them, “Be careful that no man deceives you; for many will come in my name, and say, I am the meshiach, and they will deceive many; and you are bound to hear of revolutions, and rumors of wars; watch out, and do not be disturbed; for all of these things must come to pass, but the end is not yet; for nation will rise against nation, and kingdom against kingdom; and there will be famines, and uprisings, and plagues, and earthquakes in different places; but all these things are just the beginning of travail. Look out for yourselves; for they will deliver you to the judges, and they will scourge you in their synagogues, and they will deliver you over to be oppressed, and they will kill you; and you will stand before kings, and governors, and you will be hated by all nations for my name’s sake, and as a testimony to them. Then many will be stumbled, and they will hate one another, and betray one another; and many false prophets will rise, and will mislead a great many; and because of the growth of iniquity, the love of many will become cold; but he who has patience to the end, will have life; and this announcement of the sovereignty shall be proclaimed throughout the world, for a testimony to all the nations; then the end will come; and when they bring you to deliver you up, do not worry beforehand what you will speak; and do not think of anything, except what is given you in that very hour, speak that; for it is not you who speak, but Yahweh, through his power; and a brother will deliver his brother to death, and a father his son; and the children will rise up against their parents, and put them to death; and you will be hated by all men, because of my name; but he who has patience to the end, will have life; but when you see the abominable sign of desolation, which was spoken of by Daniel the prophet, standing in the holy place; then let the reader consider; and then let them who are in Judah, flee to the mountain; and let him who is on the roof, not come down to take things out of his house; and let him who is in the field, not return back to take his clothes; but woe to those who are with child, and to those who give suck, in those days; and pray that your flight may not be in winter, nor on the sabbath; for in those days there will be suffering, such as has never been from the beginning of the creation that Yahweh made until now, and never will be again; and if Yahweh had not shortened those days, no flesh would live; but for the sake of the chosen ones, which he chose, he shortened those days. Then if anyone should say to you, Lo, here is the meshiach, or there; do not believe it; for there will rise false meshiach’s, and lying prophets, and they will show signs, and great wonders, so as to mislead, if possible, even the chosen ones. Lo, I have told you in advance; therefore, if they should say to you, Lo, he is in the desert, do not go out; or, Lo, he is in the chamber, do not believe it; for just as the lightning comes out from the east, and is seen even in the west, so will be the coming of the son of man; for wherever the carcass is, there will the vultures gather; and immediately after the suffering of those days, the sun will be darkened, and the moon will not give its light, and the stars will fall from the sky, and the powers of the universe will be shaken; and then the sign of the son of man will appear in the sky; and all the generations of the earth will mourn, and they will see the son of man coming with a heavenly host, with power, and great glory; and he will send Yahweh’s angels with a large trumpet, and they will gather his chosen ones from the four winds, from one end of the sky to the other; and learn you a parable from the fig tree. As soon as its branches become tender, and bring forth leaves, you know that summer is coming. So even you, when you see all these things, know that it has arrived at the door. Truly I say to you, That this generation will not pass away, until all these things happen. Even heaven and earth will pass away, but my words shall not pass away; but concerning that day and that hour, no man knows, not even the angels of Yahweh, neither the son, but the Father alone; and as in the days of Noah, so will be the coming of the son of man; for as the people before the flood were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered into the ark; and they knew nothing until the flood came, and carried them all away; such will the coming of the son of man. Then two men will be in the field; one will be taken away, and the other left. Two women will be grinding at the hand mill; one will be taken, and the other left. Be alert, therefore, for you do not know at what hour the son of man will come; but know this much, that if the master of the house knew at what watch of the night the thief would come, he would keep awake, and would not let his house be plundered; for this reason, you also should be ready, for the son of man will come at an hour, when you do not expect him. Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom his master has appointed over his household, to give them food in due time? Happy is that servant, when his master comes, and finds him so doing. Truly I say to you, He will appoint him over all that he has; but if a bad servant should say in his heart, My master will delay his coming; and should begin to beat his fellow servants, and to eat and drink with drunkards; the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him, and at an hour that he does not know; and he will severely scourge him, and give him a portion like that of the hypocrites; there will be the weeping and the grinding of the teeth. Watch, be alert, and pray; for you do not know when the time is; for it is just like a man who went on a journey, and left his house, and gave authority to his servants, and to each man his work, and he commanded the porter to keep awake. Be alert therefore, for you do not know when the owner of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or at the cockcrow, or in the morning; lest he come suddenly, and find you sleeping; and what I say to you, I say to you all, Be you watchful. Then the sovereignty of Yahweh will be like ten virgins, who took their lamps, and went out to greet the bridegroom and the bride; and five of them were wise, and five were foolish; and the foolish ones took their lamps, but took no oil with them; but the wise ones took oil in vessels, with their lamps; and while the bridegroom was delayed, they all became sleepy and fell asleep; and at midnight there was an outcry, Lo, the bridegroom is coming; go out to greet him! Then all the virgins got up, and prepared their lamps; and the foolish ones said to the wise ones, Give us some of your oil, for our lamps are going out. The wise ones answered, and said, Why, there would not be enough for us and for you; go to those who sell, and buy for yourselves; and while they went to buy, the bridegroom came; and those who were ready, entered with him into the banqueting house, and the door was locked. Afterward the other virgins also came, and said, Our master, our master, open to us; but he answered, and said to them, Truly I say to you, I do not know you. Be alert, therefore, for you do not know the day nor the hour. It is just like a man who went on a journey, who called his servants, and put his wealth in their charge; to one he gave five talents, to another two, to another one; to each one according to his ability; and immediately he went on a journey. The one who received five talents then went, and traded with them, and he earned five more; and likewise the second one, by trading gained two others; but he who received one, went and dug in the ground, and hid his master’s money; and after a long time, the master of those servants returned, and took an accounting from them; and the one who received five talents came up, and offered five others, and he said, My master, you gave me five talents; lo, I have added five others to them. His master said to him, Well done, good and reliable servant; you have been faithful over a little, I will appoint you over much; enter into your master’s joy; and the one with the two talents came, and said, My master, you gave me two talents; lo, I have added two others to them. His master said to him, Well done, good and reliable servant, you have been faithful over a little, I will appoint you over much; enter into your master’s joy; and the one who received one talent also came up, and he said, My master, I knew that you are a hard man, and you reap where you did not sow, and gather where you did not scatter; and I was afraid, and I went, and hid your talent in the ground; here is the very one you gave me. His master answered, and said to him, You wicked and lazy servant, you knew me that I reap where I did not sow, and gather where I did not scatter! You should then have put my money in the exchange, and when I returned, I would have demanded my own with interest. Therefore, take away the talent from him, and give it to the one who has ten talents; for to him who has, it shall be given, and it shall increase to him; but he who has not, even that which he has, shall be taken away from him; and the idle servant, they threw into the outer darkness, there will be the weeping and the grinding of the teeth; and when the son of man comes in his glory, and all Yahweh’s holy angels with him, then he will sit upon the throne of his glory; and all nations will gather before him; and he will separate them one from another, just as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats; and he will set the sheep at his right, and the goats at his left. Then the king will say to those at his right, Come, you blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom which has been prepared for you; for I was hungry, and you gave me food; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a stranger, and you took me in; I was naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I was in prison, and you came to me. Then the righteous will say to him, Our master, when did we see you hungry, and feed you? Or thirsty, and gave you drink? And when did we see you a stranger, and took you in? Or that you were naked, and clothed you? And when did we see you sick, or in the prison, and came to you? And the king then will answer, and say to them, Truly I tell you, Inasmuch as you have done it to one of the least of these my brethren, you did it to me. Then he will also say to those at his left, Go away from me, you cursed, to the everlasting fire which is prepared for the adversary and his angles; for I was hungry, and you did not give me food; I was thirsty, and you did not give me drink; I was a stranger, and you did not take me in; I was naked, and you did not clothe me; I was sick and in prison, and you did not visit me. Then he will answer, and say to them, Truly I say to you, Inasmuch as you did not do it to one of these least ones, you also did not do it to me; and these shall go into everlasting torment, and the righteous into eternal life.” When Yeshua had finished all these sayings, he said to his disciples, “You know that after two days, the passover will come, and the son of man will be betrayed to be crucified.”
Post 45 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (35)
Then the high priests and the scribes and the elders of the people assembled in the courtyard of the high priest, who is called Caiaphas; and they took counsel concerning Yeshua, to arrest him by treachery and kill him; and they said, “Not on the feast day, lest it cause a riot among the people.” For they were afraid of the people; and when Yeshua was at Bethany, in the house of Simon the leper, there came to him a woman who had with her an alabaster vessel of precious ointment of pure spikenard, of good quality and very expensive; and she opened it, and poured it upon the head of Yeshua as he was reclining; and there were some of the men of his disciples who saw it, they were displeased within themselves, and said, “Why was this waste of the ointment? For it could have been sold for more than three hundred denarii, and given to the poor.” And they were indignant at her; but Yeshua knew their dissatisfaction, and said to them, “Let her alone; why are you troubling the woman? She has done a good deed to me; for you always have the poor with you, and when you wish, you can do good to them; but I am not always with you; but this one who poured the perfume on my body, has done it with what she had; she anointed my body in advance, as if for burial; and truly I say to you, Wherever this my gospel shall be proclaimed throughout the world, what she has done will also be told as a memorial to her.” But Satan had taken possession of Judas called Iscariot, who was of the number of the twelve; and he went to the high priests and scribes and officers of the temple, in order to betray Yeshua to them, and he said to them, “What are you willing to give me, if I deliver him to you?” And when they heard him, they rejoiced; and they promised him thirty pieces of silver; and he agreed with them, and from that time he sought an opportunity to betray him to them, in the absence of the people.
And on the first day of unleavened bread, on which the Israelites sacrifice the passover lamb, his disciples came up to Yeshua, and said to him, “Where do you wish that we go and prepare the passover for you to eat?” And Yeshua sent Cephas and John, and he said to them, “Go and prepare the passover for us to eat.” And they said, “Where do you wish us to prepare?” He said, “Go into the city, and lo, when you enter the city, you will meet a man carrying a vessel of water; follow him; and wherever he enters, say to the master of the house, The meshiach says, My time has come, where is the guest room, where I will observe the passover with my disciples? And lo, he will show you an upper room, large and furnished, and prepared; there make ready for us.” And his disciples went out, and came to the city, and they found just as he had told them; and they prepared the passover; and when it was time, Yeshua came and sat down, and twelve apostles with him; and when the supper was passed, it had been injected by Satan into the heart of Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon, to betray him; but Yeshua, because he knew that the Father had given everything into his hands, and that he was going to Yahweh, arose from supper, and laid aside his long garments; and he took a cloth, and tied it around his loins; and he poured water into a wash-basin, and began to wash the feet of his disciples, and to wipe them with the cloth, which was tied around his loins; and when he came to Simon Cephas, Simon said to him, “Are you, my master, going to wash my feet?” Yeshua said to him, “What I am doing, you do not understand now, but later you will understand.” Simon Cephas said to him, “You will never wash my feet.” Yeshua said to him, “If I do not wash you, you have no part with me.” Simon Cephas said to him, “Then, my master, wash not only my feet, but also my hands and my head.” Yeshua said to him, “He who has bathed, does not need except to wash his feet only, for he is already all clean; so you are all clean, but not everyone of you.” For Yeshua knew him who was to betray him; therefore he said, “Not everyone of you is clean.” And when he had washed their feet, he put on his long garments, and sat down; and he said to them, “Do you know what I have done to you? You call me teacher and master; and what you say is well, for I am. If I then, your master and teacher, have washed your feet, how much more should you wash one another’s feet? For I have given you this as an example, that just as I have done to you, you should also do. Truly I say to you, There is no servant who is greater than his master; and no apostle who is greater than he who sent him. If you know these things, happy are you if you do them. I have greatly desired to eat this passover with you before I suffer; for I say to you, That henceforth I will not eat it until it is fulfilled in the sovereignty of Yahweh. And he took the cup and gave thanks, and said, Take this, and divide it among yourselves; for I say to you, I will not drink of the fruit of the vine until the sovereignty of Yahweh comes.” And as they were reclining and eating, he said to them, “Truly I say to you, one of you who eats with me, will betray me.” And they began to feel troubled, and said to him one by one, “What! Is it I, my teacher?” But he said to them, “It is the one who dips his hand with me in the dish who will betray me; and the son of man is going just as it is written concerning him; but woe to the man by whose hand the son of man is betrayed! It would have been far better for that man never to have been born.” Then Judas the betrayer answered, and said, “Teacher, is it I?” Yeshua said to him, “You say that.” And while they were eating, Yeshua took bread and gave thanks, and he broke it, and gave it to his disciples, and he said to them, “Take it, eat; this is my body, which is given for your sake; this do in remembrance of me.” And likewise also he took the cup, after they had eaten supper, and he said, “This is the cup of the new covenant in my blood, which is shed for you.” And he took the cup and gave thanks, and said, “Take, drink of it, all of you.” And gave it to them, and they all drank of it, and he said to them, “This is my blood of the new covenant, which is shed for the sake of many, for the remission of sins; but truly I say to you, Henceforth I shall not drink from this fruit of the vine, until that day in which I drink it anew with you in the sovereignty of Yahweh; but lo, the hand of him who is to betray me is on the table; and the son of man will go, just as he has been destined; but woe to the man by whose hand he will be betrayed! I do not say this concerning all of you, for I know those whom I have chosen; but that the scripture might be fulfilled, He who eats bread with me has lifted up his heel against me. I tell you now before it happens, that when it happens, you may believe that I am the meshiach. Truly I say to you, He who receives him who I send, receives me; and he who receives me, receives him who sent me.” And they began to inquire among themselves, which one of them was to do this act. Yeshua said these things, and he was disturbed in himself, and testified, and said, “Truly I say to you, one of you will betray me.” The disciples then stared at one other, because they knew not, of whom he spoke; and there was one of his disciples, who was leaning on his bosom, the one whom Yeshua was fond of. Simon Cephas beckoned to him, to ask him of whom he spoke; and that disciple leaned himself on the breast of Yeshua, and said to him, “My master, who is he?” Yeshua answered, and said, “He it is, to whom I give the bread when I have dipped it.” And Yeshua dipped the bread, and gave it to Judas Iscariot, the son of Simon; and after the bread, Satan took possession of him; and Yeshua said to him, “What you are going to do, do quickly.” And no one of those who were sitting at the table understood what he said to him; for some of them thought, because the purse was with Judas, that he ordered him to buy what was needed for the feast, or to give something to the poor; and Judas having received the sop, and went outside immediately; and it was night when he went out. Yeshua then said, “Now the son of man is glorified, and Yahweh is glorified by him. I am with you yet a little while, and you will seek me; and, just as I said to the Israelites, Where I go you cannot come, the same I now tell you also. A new instruction I give you, that you love one another; just as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this will every one know that you are my disciples, if you have love for each other. Simon Cephas said to him, “Teacher, where are you going? Yeshua answered, and said to him, “Where I go, you cannot follow me now, but you will follow later.” Simon Cephas said to him, “Teacher, why can I not follow you now? I will even lay down my life for you.” Yeshua said to him, “Will you lay down your life for me? Truly I say to you, the cock will not crow, until you have denied me three times. Let not your heart be troubled; believe in Yahweh, and, believe in me also; and you know where I am going, and you know the way.” Thomas said to him, “Teacher, we do not know where you are going; and how can we know the way?” Yeshua said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and life; no one comes to my Father, except by me.” Philip said to him, “Teacher, show us the Father, and that is enough for us.” Yeshua said to him, “All this time I have been with you, and yet you do not know me, Philip? And how do you say, Show us the Father? Do you not believe that I am with my Father, and my Father is with me? The words that I speak, I do not speak of myself; but my Father who abides with me does his works. Believe that I am with my Father, and my Father is with me; and if not, believe because of the works themselves. Truly I say to you, He that believes in me, will do his works which I do; and even greater than these things he will do, because I am going to my Father; and whatever you ask in my name, it will be done for you, that the Father may be glorified through his son; and if you ask in my name, my Father will do it. If you love me, keep my instructions; and I will ask of my Father, and he will send you power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh, the power of truth, whom Israel cannot receive, because it does not know him; but you know him, because he abides with you. I will not leave you bereaved, for I will come to you after a little while; and Israel will not see me, but you will see me; because I live, you will live also. In that day you will know that I am with my Father, and you are with me, and I am with you. He who has my instructions with him, and obeys them, is the one who loves me; he who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I will love him, and reveal myself to him.” Judas, not Iscariot, said to him, “My teacher, why is it that you will reveal yourself to us, and not to Israel?” Yeshua answered, and said to him, “He who loves me, keeps my instructions; and my Father will love him, and my Father will come to him, and make a place of abode with him; but he who does not love me, does not keep my instructions; and this word which you hear is not my own, but the Father’s who sent me. I have spoken these things to you while I am with you; but the power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh, the power of truth, which my Father will send in my name, my Father will teach you everything, and will remind you of everything which I tell you. Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Let not your heart be troubled, and do not be afraid. You heard that I told you, I am going away, and I will come to you. If you loved me, you would rejoice, because I am going to my Father; for my Father is greater than I; and now, lo, I have told you before it happens, so that when it does happen, you may believe. Hereafter I will not talk much with you; for the ruler of this world comes; and yet he has nothing against me; but that Israel may know that I love my Father, and as my Father has commanded me, so I do. There was also a dispute among them as to who was the greatest among them; and Yeshua said to them, “The kings of the nations, are their lords; and those exercising authority over them, are called benefactors; but not so with you; let him who is great among you, be the least, and he who is a leader, be like one who serves. For, who is greater, he who sits down, or he who serves? Is it not he who sits down? But I am among you as one who serves. You are those who have remained with me throughout my trials; and I promise you, just as my Father has promised me, a kingdom, that you may eat and drink at the table in my kingdom; and you will sit on seats, and judge the twelve tribes of Israel; and Yeshua said to Simon, “Simon, lo, Satan wants to sift all of you, like wheat; but I have prayed for you, that your believing may not weaken; and even you in time, will repent, and strengthen your brethren.” And Simon said to him, “Teacher, with you I am ready, both for prison and for death.” Yeshua said to him, “I say to you, Simon, the cock will not crow today, until you have denied three times that you know me.” And he said to them, “When I sent you out without purses, and without bags, and sandals, did you lack anything?” They said to him, “Not a thing.” He said to them, “From now on, he who has purses, let him take them, and the bag likewise; and he who has no sword, let him sell his robe, and buy for himself a sword; for I say to you, That this also, which was written, must be fulfilled in me; I will be numbered with transgressors; for, all that relates to me, will be fulfilled. And they said to him, “Teacher, lo, here are two swords.” He said to them, “They are sufficient. Arise; let us go hence.” And they sang praises; and he went out, and proceeded, as was his custom, to the mount of the place of Olives; and his disciples followed him. “I am the true vine, and my Father is the laborer. Every branch in me that does not bear fruit, he cuts off; and the one which bears fruit, he prunes, so that it may bring forth more fruit. You have already been pruned, because of the word which I have spoken to you. Remain with me, and I with you. Just as a branch cannot give fruit by itself, unless it remains in the vine, even so you cannot, unless you remain with me. I am the vine, you are the branches. He who remains with me, and I with him, will bear abundant fruit; for without me, you can do nothing. Unless a man remains with me, he will be cast outside like a branch which is withered, which they pick up, and throw into the fire to be burned. If you remain with me, and my instructions with you, whatever you ask shall be done for you. In this the Father will be glorified, that you bear abundant fruit, and be my disciples. Just as my Father has loved me, I also have loved you; abide in my love. If you keep my instructions, you will abide in my love, even as I have kept my Father’s commandments, and abide in his love. I have spoken these things to you, that my joy may be in you, and that your joy may be full. This is my instruction, that you love one another, just as I have loved you. There is no greater love then this, that a man lay down his life for the sake of his friends. You are my friends, if you do everything that I instructed you. Henceforth, I will not call you servants, because a servant does not know what his master does; but I have always called you my friends, because everything that I heard from my Father, I have made known to you. You did not choose me, but I chose you, and I have appointed you, that you also should go, and produce fruit, and that your fruit might remain, so that whatever you ask my Father in my name, he will give it to you. I instruct these things to you, that you may love one another; and if Israel hates you, know well, that it has hated me before you. Remember the teaching which I said to you, That no servant is greater than his master. If they have persecuted me, they will also persecute you; if they kept my teaching, they will also keep yours; but they will do all these things to you, for the sake of my name, because they do not know him who sent me. If I had not come, and spoken to them, they would be without sin; but now, they have no excuse for their sins. He who hates me, hates my Father also. If I had not done his works before their eyes, such as no other man has ever done, they would be without sin; but now, they have seen, and hated me, and also my Father, so that the word which is written in their law may be fulfilled, they hated me for no reason; but when the power, yea, the powerful power of Yahweh comes, which I will ask my Father to send to you, the power of truth which proceeds from my Father, my Father will testify concerning me; and you also will testify, because you have been with me from the beginning. I have spoken these things to you, that you may not be stumbled; for they will put you out of their synagogues; and the hour will come, that whoever kills you, will think that he has presented an offering to Yahweh; and these things they will do, because they have not known my Father, nor me. I have spoken these things to you, that when their time does come, you may remember them, and that I told you; and these things I did not tell you before, because I was with you; but now, I am going to him who sent me, and yet no one of you asks me, Where are you going? But because I told you these things, sorrow has come, and filled your hearts; but I tell you the truth, It is better for you that I should go away; for if I do not go away, my Father’s power will not come to you; but if I should go, I will ask my Father to send his power to you; and when his power is come, my Father will rebuke Israel concerning sin, concerning righteousness, and concerning judgment; concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to my Father; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world has been judged. Again, I have many other things to tell you, but you cannot grasp them now; but when the power of truth is come, my Father will lead you into all the truth; and he will make known to you things which are to come in the future. A little while, and you will not see me; and again a little while, and you will see me, because I am going to the Father.” And his disciples said to one another, “What is this that he said to us, A little while, and you will not see me; and again a little while, and you will see me; and, because I am going to my Father?” And they said, “What is this that he said, A little while? We cannot understand what he talks about.” And Yeshua knew that they desired to ask him, and he said to them, “Are you inquiring among yourselves concerning this that I told you, A little while, and you will not see me; and again a little while, and you will see me? Truly I say to you, that you will weep and wail, and yet Israel will rejoice; and you will be sad, but your sadness will be changed into gladness. When a woman is in travail, she is depressed, because her day has arrived; but when she has given birth to a son, she no longer remembers her troubles, because of the joy that a male child is born into Israel. So you also are depressed; but I will see you again, and your heart will rejoice, and your joy no one will take away from you; and in that day, you will not ask me anything. Truly I say to you, that whatever you ask my Father in my name, he will give it to you. Until now you have asked nothing in my name; ask, and you will receive, that your joy may be full. I have spoken these things in parables; but the hour is coming, when I will not speak to you in parables, but will plainly explain to you concerning the Father. In that day you will ask in my name; and I will not say to you, I will ask the Father concerning you; for the Father himself loves you, because you have loved me, and have believed.” His disciples said to him, “Lo, now you speak plainly, and do not utter a single figure. Now we understand, and you have no need, that anyone should ask you; by this we believe.” Yeshua said to them, “Do you believe? All of you will deny me this night; for it is written, I will smite the shepherd, and the sheep of his flock will be scattered. But after I am risen, I will be Galilee before you.” Cephas answered, and said to him, “Even if every man should deny you, I will never deny you.” Yeshua said to him, “Truly I say to you, That you, today, in this night very night, before the cock crows twice, you will deny me three times. For lo, the hour is coming, and it has now come, when you will be dispersed, each to his place; and you will leave me alone; and yet, I am not alone, for the Father is with me. These things I have said to you, that in me you may have peace.” But Cephas kept telling him still more, “Even if I must die with you, I will never deny you, my teacher.” All the disciples said also the same.
Post 46 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (36)
Yeshua said these things, and went forth with his disciples over the brook Kidron, and they came to a place where there was a garden called Gethsemane, where he and his disciples entered. Judas the traitor also knew that place, for Yeshua and his disciples frequently gathered there. And he said to his disciples, “Sit down here, while I go to pray.” And he took with him Cephas and James and John, the two sons of Zebedee, and he began to be sorrowful and depressed; and he said to them, “My soul is sorrowful even to death; wait for me here, and watch with me.” And he went aside a little further; and kneeled down on the ground on his face, and prayed that if it were possible, the hour might pass away from him; and he said, “Father, my Father, you can do all things; if it be possible, let this cup pass away from me; yet let it be, not my pleasure, but yours.” And he came to his disciples and found them sleeping, and he said to Cephas, “Simon, are you sleeping? So, you were not able to watch with me even for one hour? Awake and pray, that you may not enter into temptation; the desire indeed is willing and ready, but the body is weak.” And he went away again the second time, and prayed, and he said, “My Father, if this cup cannot pass, and if I must drink it, let it be according to your will.” And he came again and found them sleeping, because their eyes were heavy; and they did not know what to say to him, he said to them, “Pray that you may not enter into temptation.” And he withdrew from them, about the distance of a stone’s throw, and he knelt down and prayed, and said, “Father, if it please you, let this cup pass from me. Yet not my pleasure, but yours, be done.” And there appeared to him an angel from heaven, to strengthen him; and he was in fear, and prayed earnestly; and his sweat became like drops of blood; and he fell down upon the ground; and he arose from his prayer; and he came to his disciples and found them sleeping, because of distress, and said to them, “Sleep from now on, and get your rest; the end has arrived; lo, the hour is come; and the son of man is betrayed into the hands of sinners. Why do you sleep? Rise and pray that you may not enter into temptation. Arise, let us go; he that betrays me has arrived.”
Judas, therefore, took a company of soldiers, and also guards from the high priests and the Pharisees, and Judas came at there head with torches and lamps and weapons; and Yeshua, as he knew everything that was to befall him, went out, and said to them, “Whom do you want?” They said to him, “Yeshua the Nazarene.” Yeshua said to them, “I am he.” When Yeshua said to them, “I am he,” they drew back and fell to the ground. Yeshua again asked them, “Whom do you want?” They said, “Yeshua the Nazarene.” Yeshua said to them, “I have told you that I am he; if then you want me, let these men go away.” And while he was yet speaking, Judas the betrayer, had given them a sign, saying, “He whom I kiss is the one; seize him carefully, and take him away.” And immediately he came up to Yeshua, and said, “My teacher, my teacher, peace, teacher.” And he kissed him; and Yeshua said to him, “Is it for this that you have come, my friend? Judas, do you betray the son of man with a kiss?” Then they came near and laid hands on Yeshua, and arrested him; and when those who were with him saw what happened, they said to him, “Our teacher, shall we smite them with swords?” But Simon Cephas, one of those who were with Yeshua, stretched out his hand, and drew a sword, and struck it at the servant of the high priest, and cut off his right ear; and servant’s name was Malchus; and Yeshua said to Cephas, “It is enough for the present. Return the sword into its sheath; shall I not drink the cup which my Father has given me? For all who take swords, will die by swords. Or do you think that I cannot ask of my Father, and he will now raise up for me more than twelve legions of angels? How then could the scriptures be fulfilled, that it must be so?” And he touched the ear of him who was wounded, and healed it. At that very hour, Yeshua said to the high priests and the elders and the officers of the temple who had come against him, “Have you come out against me to arrest me with swords and clubs, as if you were against a bandit? I sat with you every day, teaching in the temple courts, and you did not even point your hands at me; but this is your time, and the power of darkness; but this has happened, that the scriptures of the prophets might be fulfilled.” Then the regiment and the captains and the Israelites guards seized Yeshua, and bound him. Then all the disciples left him, and fled; and a young man was following after him, naked, with a linen cloth around him; and they seized him; but he left the linen cloth, and fled naked; and they brought him first to Annas, because he was the father-in-law of Caiaphas, who was the high priest of that year; and Caiaphas was the one who had counseled the Israelites, that it was better for one man to die, instead of the people; and Simon Cephas and one of the other disciples followed Yeshua; and that other disciple know the high priest; so he entered with Yeshua into the courtyard; but Simon stood outside near the door; and that other disciple, whom the high priest knew, went out and told the portress, and brought in Simon; and the young portress then said to Simon, “Are not you also one of the disciples of this man?” He said to her, “I am not.” And the servants and guards were standing, and making a fire to warm themselves, because it was cold; Simon also stood with them and warmed himself; and the high priest then questioned Yeshua concerning his disciples, and concerning his teaching; and Yeshua said to him, “I have spoken openly to the people, and I have always taught in the synagogue, and in the temple courts, where all the Israelites assemble; and I have spoken nothing secretly. Why do you ask me? Ask those who heard what I have spoken to them; lo, they know everything which I said.” And as he said these things, one of the guards who stood by, struck Yeshua on his cheek, and said to him, “Is this how you answer the high priest?” Yeshua answered, and said to him, “If I have spoken any evil, testify to the evil; but if it is good, why did you strike me?” Annas then sent Yeshua bound to Caiaphas the high priest; and Simon Cephas was standing and warming himself; and they said to him, “What! Are you also one of his disciples?” And he denied, and said, “I am not.” And one of the servants of the high priest, a kinsman of him whose ear Simon had cut off, said to him, “Did I not see you with him in the garden?” And Simon again denied it; and at the very hour the cock crowed.
And those who had apprehended Yeshua, took him to the house of Caiaphas the high priest; and there gathered to him, all the high priests and the scribes and the elders; but Simon Cephas followed after him, at a distance, up to the courtyard of the high priest, and he went inside with the soldiers, and they kindled a fire in the middle of the courtyard, and sat around it; and Simon also sat among them, warming himself before the fire, to see the end; and the high priests and the elders and the whole Sanhedrin were seeking witnesses against Yeshua, that they might put him to death; but they could not find any; then there came a great many false witnesses; for even though many testified against him, their testimony was not worthy; but at the end, two men who were false witnesses stood up against him, and said, “We heard this man say, I will tear down this temple of Yahweh, which is made with hands, and in three days I will build another, which is not made with hands.” But even this testimony was not worthy; and the high priest stood up in the midst, and asked Yeshua, and said, “You are not answering anything? What is it that these men testify against you?” And Yeshua was silent, and made no answer; and again the high priest asked him, and said, “I adjure you by the living Yahweh, to tell us if you are the meshiach, the son of Yahweh, the blessed one?” And Yeshua said to him, “You say that I am; but I say to you, that from henceforth, you will see the son of man sitting at the right hand of power, and coming with a host of angels of heaven.” And the high priest then tore his robe, and said, “He is blaspheming; why therefore do we need witnesses? You have now heard his blasphemy from his own mouth; what do you think? What else do you want?” They answered, and said, “He is guilty of death.” And they all decided that he was guilty of death. Then some of the men began to spit in his face, and they covered his face and struck him on his head, and others beat him, and said to him, “You meshiach, prophesy to us; who struck you?” And the soldiers smote him on his cheeks; and when Simon Cephas was sitting outside below in the courtyard; and a young maidservant of the high priest saw him sitting by the fire warming himself, and she looked at him, and came up to him, and said, “You also were with Yeshua the Nazarene, this man also was with him.” But he denied it before all of them, and said, “Woman, I do not know him, I do not understand what you are saying.” And after a little while as he was going to the porch, and the cock crowed; and the same young maid saw him, and began to say to those who stood by, “This man was also there with Yeshua the Nazarene, you also are one of them.” And again he denied it, with oaths, saying, “I am not, I do not know the man.” And after an hour, those who were standing by came up, another one argued, and said to Cephas, “Truly this man also is one of them, for you also are a Galilean, and even your speech is like theirs, your speech proves it.” Then Cephas began to curse, and to swear, saying, “Man, I do not know what you are saying, I do not know the man of whom you speak.” And immediately while he was still speaking, the cock crowed the second time; and Yeshua turned and looked at Cephas; and Simon Cephas remembered the words that Yeshua had said to him, “Before the cock crows twice, you will deny me thrice.” And he went outside, and wept bitterly; and the men who held Yeshua mocked him, and they covered his head and smote him on his face, and said, “Prophesy! Who has struck you?” And many other things they revilingly uttered, and said against him; and as soon as it was daybreak, the elders and the high priests and the scribes gathered together, and brought him up to their council chamber; and they said to him “If you are the meshiach, tell us.” He said to them, “If I tell you, you will not believe me; and if I ask you, you will not answer me, nor release me. From henceforth the son of man will sit at the right hand of the power of Yahweh.” And they all said, “Are you then the son of Yahweh?” Yeshua said to them, “You say that I am.” And they said, “Why then do we need witnesses? For we have heard it from his own mouth.” And forthwith, when it was morning, the high priests with the elders of the people and the scribes, and the whole Sanhedrim, took counsel concerning Yeshua, how to put him to death.
Post 47 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (37)
Then the whole company of them rose up, and they bound him; and they led Yeshua from the presence of Caiaphas unto the Praetorium; and they delivered him to Pilate the governor. Then Judas the betrayer, when he saw that Yeshua was condemned, repented, and went away, and brought back the same thirty pieces of silver to the high priests and the elders, and he said, “I have sinned, because I have betrayed innocent blood.” And they said, “What is that to us? That is your problem.” And he threw the silver into the Sanctuary, and departed, and he went away hanging his head; and the high priests took the silver, and said, “It is not lawful to put it into the house of offerings, because it is the price of blood; and they took counsel, and bought with it the potter’s field, for a cemetery for strangers. On this account that field is called the field of blood, to this day. And it was morning; and they did not enter into the Praetorium, that they might not be defiled before they had eaten the passover; and Pilate then went outside where they were, and said to them, “What accusation do you have against this man?” And they began to accuse him, and said, “If he were not an evildoer, we would not have delivered him up to you.” Then said Pilate to them, “Take him yourselves, and judge him according to your own law.” The Israelites said to him, “It is not lawful for us to put a man to death.” (So that the speech of Yeshua might be fulfilled, when he made known by what death he was to die.) And Plate then entered into the Praetorium, and called Yeshua, and said to him, “Are you the king of the Israelites?” Yeshua said to him, “Do you say this of yourself, or have others told it to you concerning me?” Pilate said to him, “Why, am I a Israelite? Your own people, and the high priests have delivered you to me; what have you done?” Yeshua said to him, “My kingdom is not from here; if my kingdom were from here, my servants would have fought, that I should not be delivered to the Israelites; but now, my kingdom is not from here.” Pilate said to him, “Then are you a king?” Yeshua said to him, “You say that I am a king. For this I was born, and for this very thing I was sent to Israel, that I may bear witness concerning the truth. Whoever is of the truth, will hear my voice.” Pilate said to him, “What is this truth?” And as he said this, he went out again to the Israelites, and said to them, “I am unable to find even one cause against him. I will therefore chastise him, and release him.” And while the hight priests and elders were accusing him of many things, he gave no answer; and Pilate asked again, and said to him, “Do you not answer? See how many are testifying against you.” But he did not answer him, not even a word; and because of this, Pilate marveled greatly. And they began to accuse him, and said, “We found this man misleading our people, and forbidding to pay the head tax to Caesar; and he says concerning him that he is a king, even the meshiach.” And Pilate asked him, saying, “Are you the king of the Israelites?” He said to him, “That is what you say.” Then Pilate said to the high priests and the company, “I cannot find any fault against this man. You have a custom that I should release to you one at the passover; do you wish, therefore, that I release to you this king of the Israelites?” And they all shouted, cried out saying, “Not him, but Barabbas. Now this Barabbas was a bandit. Then Pilate had Yeshua scourged; and the soldiers wove a crown of thorns, and placed it on his head, and they clothed him with purple garments; and they said, “Hail, king of the Israelites!” And they struck him on his cheeks. And Pilate again went outside, and said to them, “Lo, I bring him outside to you, that you may know that I find not even one cause against him.” And Yeshua went outside, wearing the crown of thorns, and the purple garments; and Pilate said to them, Lo, the man!” And when the high priests and the officials saw him, they cried out, and said, “Crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “You take him, and crucify him; for I find no cause in him.” The Israelites said to him, “We have a law, and according to our law, he is guilty of death, because he made himself the son of Yahweh.” And when Pilate heard this saying, he was the more afraid; and he entered again into the Praetorium, and said to Yeshua, “Where do you come from?” And Yeshua gave him no answer. Pilate said to him, “Will you not speak even to me? Do you not know that I have the authority to release you, and I have the authority to crucify you?” Yeshua said to him, “You would have no authority whatever over me, if it had not been given to you from on high. for this reason the sin of him who delivered me to you, is greater than yours.” And because of this Pilate wanted to release him; but the Israelites cried out “He has stirred up our people, teaching throughout Judah, and beginning from Galilee, even to this place.” And Pilate, when he heard the name Galilee, he asked if the man was a Galilean; and having learned that he was from under Herod’s jurisdiction, he sent him to Herod, because he was in Jerusalem at that time; and when Herod saw Yeshua, he was exceedingly glad, for he had wanted to see him for a long time, because he had heard many things concerning him, and he hoped to see some miracle by him; and he asked him may questions; but Yeshua gave him no answer; and the high priests and the scribes stood up, and accused him bitterly; and Herod and his soldiers insulted him, and mocked him, and dressed him in a scarlet robe, and sent him to Pilate; and that day Pilate and Herod became friends with each other; for there had been a long-standing enmity between them; and Pilate called the high priests and the leaders of the people, and he said to them, “You brought me this man, as if he were misleading your people; and I have examined him before your own eyes, and I have found no fault in him concerning all that you accuse him, nor even has Herod; for I sent him to him; and he has done nothing worthy of death. I will therefore chastise him, and release him.” And because of this Pilate wanted to release him; but the Israelites cried out, “If you release this man you are not a friend of Caesar; for whoever makes himself a king, is against Caesar; and when Pilate heard this declaration, he brought Yeshua outside; then he sat down on the judgment seat at a place which is called the Stone Pavement; and it was the preparation for the passover; and it was about the sixth hour; and he said to the Israelites, “Lo, your king!” But they cried out, “Take him away, take him away; crucify him, crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Shall I crucify your king?” The high priests said to him, “We have no king, but Caesar.”
Now on every feast day, it was the custom of the governor, to release one prisoner to the people, anyone whom they asked for; and there was one, a well-known prisoner, called Barabbas, who was bound with those who made insurrection, and who had committed murder during that insurrection; and when they were gathered together, the people cried out, and began to ask Pilate to do for them according to the custom. Pilate answered, and said to them, “Whom do you want me to release to you? Barabbas or Yeshua who is called the meshiach. Are you willing, that I release to you the king of the Israelites?” For Pilate knew that the high priests had delivered him, because of envy; but all the people cried out saying, “Get rid of him, and release to us Barabbas!” And when the governor was sitting on his judgment seat, his wife sent to him, and said to him, “Have nothing to do with that righteous man; for today I have suffered a great deal in my dream because of him.” But the high priests and the elders urged the people to ask for Barabbas, and to destroy Yeshua; and the governor answered, and said to them, “Which of these two do you want me to release to you?” They said, “Barabbas.” Pilate said to them, “What shall I then do with Yeshua, who is called the meshiach?” They all said, “Let him be crucified.” But the high priests incited the people the more, that he should release Barabbas to them; and Pilate said to them “What then do you wish me to do to this man, whom you call the king of the Israelites.” And they cried out again, “Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “What evil has he done?” But they cried out the more, and said, “Crucify him!” Again Pilate spoke to them, desiring to release Yeshua; but they cried out, saying, “Crucify him, crucify him!” And he said to them the third time, “What evil has he done? I have found nothing in him worthy of death; I will therefore chastise him, and release him; but they persisted with loud voices, and asked to crucify him; and their voices, and that of the high priests prevailed; and when Pilate saw that he was gaining nothing, but that instead confusion was increasing, he took water, and washed his hands before the people, and said, “I am innocent of the blood of this righteous man; do as you please.” And all the people then answered, and said, “Let his blood be on us, and on our children.” And Pilate wanted to do the will of the people; Then Pilate commanded to have their request granted; and he released to them the one, who because of sedition and murder had been cast into prison, whom they asked for; and scourged Yeshua with whips, and delivered Yeshua to their pleasure; and the soldiers of the governor took Yeshua to the inner courtyard, which is the Praetorium; and they called to together the whole company; and the whole company gathered around him; and they removed his clothes, and put on him a scarlet robe; and they wove a crown of thorns, and put it on him, and a reed in his right hand; and they began to salute him, “Hail, king of the Israelites!” And they fell on their knees before him, and were mocking him, and saying, “Hail, king of the Israelites!” And took the reed, and struck him on his head, and spat in his face, and fell on their knees, and doing homage to him; and when they had mocked him, they took off the scarlet robe, and put on his own clothes, and took him out to crucify him; and as they were going out, they found a man who was passing by, Simon the Cyrenian, who was coming from the fields, the father of Alexander and Rufus, whom they compelled to carry his pole; and laid upon him the pole, to bear it after Yeshua; and many people followed him, and the women who were mourning and wailing over him; and Yeshua turned to them, and said, “Daughters of Jerusalem, do not weep over me; but weep over yourselves, and over your own children; for lo, the days are coming in which they will say, “Happy are the barren, and the wombs that never gave birth, and the breasts that never gave suck. Then they will begin to say to the mountains, Fall on us; and to the hills, Cover us; for if they do these things with the green wood, what will be done with dry wood?” And there were coming with him two others malefactors, to be put to death; and when they came to a place which is called Skull, they crucified him there, and the malefactors, one on his right, and one on his left, and Yeshua in the middle.
Post 48 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (38)
And Pilate also wrote on a stone tablet, and placed it on his pole; and the writing was, “THIS IS YEHSUA THE NAZARENE, THE KING OF THE ISRAELITES!” And a great many Israelites read this tablet, for the place where Yeshua was crucified was near the city; and it was written in Hebrew, and in Greek, and in Latin; and the high priests then said to Pilate, “Do not write that he is the king of the Israelites.” Pilate said, “What I have written, I have written!” And Yeshua said, “Father, forgive them, for they know not what they are doing; and they gave him to drink vinegar mixed with gall; and he tasted it, but he would not drink; and they gave him to drink wine mixed with myrrh; but he would not take it; and the soldiers, when they had crucified Yeshua, took his garments, and made four parcels of them, a parcel for each of the soldiers; and cast lots on them, to see what each man should take; and his robe was without seam from the top, woven throughout; and they said one to another, “Let us not tear it, but cast lots for it, to see whose it shall be.” And the scripture was fulfilled, which said, “They divided my clothes among them, and for my robe, they cast lots.” And they were sitting there, and watching him. These things the soldiers did; and the people stood looking on; and even the leaders of the synagogue mocked him, and said, “He saved others; let him save himself, if he is the Meshiach, the chosen one of Yahweh!” And the soldiers ridiculed him, as they came near him, and offered him vinegar, and saying to him, “If you are the king of the Israelites, save yourself.”
And it was the third hour when they crucified him; and the reason for his death was inscribed in writing, placed above his head, “THIS IS THE KING OF THE ISRAELITES.” And they crucified with him two robbers, one on his right, and one on his left; and the scripture was fulfilled which said, “He was accounted among the wicked.” And those who passed by blasphemed against him, nodding their heads, and said, “You who can tear down the temple, and build it in three days, deliver yourself; if you are the son of Yahweh, and come down from the pole.” The high priests likewise were mocking, laughing among themselves, together with the scribes, the elders, and the Pharisees; and they were saying, “He saved others, but he cannot save himself. Meshiach, you are the king of Israel! If he is the king of Israel, let him now come down from the pole, so that we may see, and believe in him. He trusted in Yahweh; let him save him now, if he is pleased with him; for he said, “I am Yahweh’s son.” In like manner the robbers, who were crucified with him, were also reproaching him; and one of the malefactors who were crucified with him blasphemed against him, and said, “If you are the meshiach, save yourself, and save us also.” But his fellow malefactor rebuked him, and said to him, “Do you not fear even Yahweh, for you are also in the same judgment? And ours is just, for we are paid as we deserve, and as we have done; but he has done nothing wrong.” And he said to Yeshua, “Remember me, meshiach, when you come in your kingdom.” And there were standing near the pole of Yeshua, his mother, and his mother’s sister, and Mary of Cleopas, and Mary of Magdala; and when Yeshua saw his mother, and the disciple whom he was found of standing by, he said to his mother, “Woman, lo, your son!” And he said to the disciple, “Lo, your mother!” And from that very hour the disciple took her with him.” And when the sixth hour was come, there was darkness over all the land, which lasted until the ninth hour; and about the ninth hour, Yeshua cried out with a loud voice, and said, “My Yahweh, my Yahweh, for this I was spared!” And some of the men who were standing by, when they heard it, said, “This man has called for Elijah.” And immediately one of them ran, and took a sponge, and filled it with vinegar, and tied it on a reed to give him a drink; but the rest said, “Wait, let us see if Elijah will come to save him.” And he said, “Hush, let us see if Elijah will come to take him down.” After these things Yeshua knew that everything was now accomplished; and that the scripture might be fulfilled, he said, “I thirst.” And a vessedl was standing there, full of vinegar; and they filled a sponge with vinegar, and put it on the point of a reed, and placed it on his mouth; and when Yeshua drank the vinegar, then Yeshua again cried out with a loud voice, and said, “My Father, into your hands I commit my soul. It is fulfilled.” He said this, and he bowed his head, and gave up his soul, and it was finished; and the sun was darkened, and immediately the curtains at the door of the Sanctuary, were torn in the center in two, from the top to the bottom; and when the centurion, who stood near him, saw that he cried out in this manner, and died, he praised Yahweh, and said, “Truly this was a righteous man. Truly this man was the son of Yahweh.” And those who were with him watching Yeshua, and they said, “Truly this man was the son of Yahweh.” And all the people who were gathered together to see this sight, when they saw what had happened, returned, beating their breasts; and all the acquaintances of Yeshua stood afar off, and there were also many women who were looking on, from a distance, those who had followed Yeshua, when he was in Galilee, and who used to minister to him. One of them was Mary of Magdala; and others were Mary the mother of James the less and of Joses and Salome, and the mother of the sons of Zebedee, and many other women who had come up with him to Jerusalem; and they were beholding these things.
And because it was the preparation, the Israelites said, “Let not these bodies remain on their poles, because the sabbath is dawning.” For that sabbath was a great sabbath; and they besought Pilate to have the legs of those who were crucified broken, and to have the bodies lowered down; and the soldiers came, and broke the legs of the first, and of the other that was crucified with him; but when they came to Yeshua, they saw that he was dead already; and they did not break his legs; but one of the soldiers thrust a spear into his side; and immediately there issued out blood and water; for these things happened that the scripture might be fulfilled, which said, “Not even a bone shall be broken in him.” And again another scripture which said, “They shall look on him whom they pierced.” After these things, when it was evening, there came a rich man named Joseph, an honorable counsellor of Ramtha, a city of Judah, a good and righteous man, who was a disciple of Yeshua, and he did not agree with their decision and their actions, who was also waiting for the sovereignty of Yahweh; but secretly, because of fear of the Israelites, he dared to go to Pilate, and ask that he might take away the body of Yeshua; and Pilate marveled that he was already dead, and he called the centurion, and asked him if he had already died, and when he learned it, Pilate granted him permission; and Joseph bought linen, and he came, and he took him down, and took away the body of Yeshua; and there came also Nicodemus, who at first had come to Yeshua by night; and he brought with him a mixture of myrrh and aloes, about a hundred pints; and they took away the body of Yeshua, and wrapped him in shroud of fine linen cloths with the spices, according to the custom of the Israelites in burial; and there was a garden in the place where Yeshua was crucified; and in the garden a new tomb which was hewn in a rock, in which no person was yet laid; and they laid Yeshua there; and they rolled a large stone, and placed it against the door of the tomb and went away, because the sabbath was approaching; and those women who had come with him from Galilee were sitting opposite of the tomb, and Mary of Magdala and Mary the mother of Joses saw the tomb, and how his body was laid; and they returned, and prepared spices and perfumes; and on the sabbath they rested, as it is commanded. And on the day that was next after the preparation, the high priests and the Pharisees together came to Pilate, and they said to Pilate, “Governor, we have just remembered that, that deceiver used to say when he was alive, After three days, I will rise again. Command, therefore, that precautions be taken at the tomb for three days. It is probable that his disciples may come, and steal him at night, and then say to the people, He has risen from the dead; and the last deception, will be worse than the first.” Pilate said to them, “You have guards; go and take precautions as best you know.” And they went, and kept a watch at the tomb, and together with the guards, they sealed the stone.
Post 49 of the tree of life series
The Meshiach (39)
And when the sabbath had passed, Mary Magdala, and Mary the mother of James, and Salome, and brought the spices they bought, which they had prepared; and there were with them other women, that they might come and anoint him; and early in the morning, on the first day of the week, they came to the tomb as the sun was just rising; and they said among themselves, “Who will roll back for us, the stone from the door of the tomb?” And lo, a great earthquake took place; for the angel of Yahweh descended from heaven, and came and rolled away the stone from the door, and sat on it; and his appearance was like lightning, and his garments were white as snow; and for fear of him, the guards who were watching trembled, and became as if they were dead; and they looked, and saw that the stone was rolled away; for it was very large; and the angel answered, and said to the woman, “You need not be afraid, for I know that you are seeking Yeshua who was crucified. He is not here, for he has risen, just as he had said. Come, see the place where the meshiach was laid; and go quickly, and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead; and lo, he will go before you to Galilee; there you will see him; lo, I have told you.” And they entered the tomb, and found not the body of Yeshua; and saw a young man, sitting on the right, covered with a white robe; and they were astonished; but he said to them, “Do not be afraid. You seek Yeshua the Nazarene, who was crucified; he has risen; he is not here; lo, the place where he was laid; but go away, and tell his disciples, and Cephas, that he will be before you in Galilee; there you will see him, just as he has told you.” And as they wondered at this, lo, two men stood above them, and their garments were shining; and they were afraid, and bowed their faces to the ground; and they said to them, “Why do you seek the living among the dead? He is not here, he has risen; remember that he spoke to you while he was in Galilee, saying that the son of man had to be delivered into the hands of sinful men, and be crucified, and raised up on the third day.” And when they heard it, they remembered his words, and they went away hurriedly out of the tomb, for they were seized with amazement and trembling fear, and with great joy running to tell his disciples; and lo, Yeshua met them, and said to them, “Peace be to you.” And they came up, and laid at his feet, and did homage to him. Then Yeshua said to them, “Do not be afraid; but go, and tell my brethren to go to Galilee, and there they will see me.” And they said nothing to anyone, for they were frightened; and while they were going, some of the guards came into the city, and told the high priests everything that had happened; and they gathered with the elders, and took counsel; and they gave money, not a small sum, to the guards, telling them, “Say that his disciples came by night, and stole him while we were sleeping; and if this should be heard by the governor, we will appeal to him, and declare that you are blameless.” And they took the money, and did as they were instructed; and this word has gone out among the Israelites even to this day.
And they returned from the tomb, and told all these glad tidings to the eleven, and to the rest, who now were mourning and weeping. They were Mary of Magdala, and Joanna, and Mary the mother of James, and the rest who were with them, who told these things to the apostles; and when they heard them saying that he was alive, and had appeared to them, these words appeared in their eyes as delusions, and they did not believe them; and Mary of Magdala said to Simon Cephas, and to that other disciple whom Yeshua was fond of, “They have taken our teacher out of that tomb, and I do not know where they have laid him.” And Simon rose up, and the other disciple went out, and came to the tomb; and they were both running together; but that disciple outran Simon, and came first to the tomb; and he looked in, and saw the linen cloths lying; but he did not enter in; and Simon came after him, and he looked in and entered into the tomb; and he saw the linen cloths lying there by itself; and the burial napkin which was bound around his head was not with the linen cloths, but was wrapped up, and put in a place by itself. Then the other disciple who had come first to the tomb also entered in, and he saw and believed; for they did yet not understand from the scripture, that he had to rise from the dead; and the disciples went away again to their lodging place, but Simon went away wondering in himself at what had occurred; but Mary was standing near the tomb weeping; and as she wept, she looked into the tomb; and she saw two angels in white sitting one at the head, and the other at the feet, where the body of Yeshua had lain; and they said to her, “Woman, why do you weep?” She said to them, “Because they have taken away my teacher, and I do not know where they have laid him.” She said this, and turned around, and saw Yeshua standing, but she did not know that it was Yeshua. Yeshua said to her, “Woman, why do you weep? And whom do you want?” And she thought he was the gardener, and she said to him, “Sir, if you are the one who has taken him away, tell me where you have laid him, and I will go, and take him away. Yeshua said to her, “Mary!” And she turned around, and said to him, “My teacher!” Yeshua said to her, “Do not come near me; for I have not yet ascended to my Father; but to my brethren, and say to them, I am ascending to my Father, and your Father; and my Yahweh, and your Yahweh.” Then Mary of Magdala came, and brought glad tidings to the disciples, that she had seen Yeshua, and that he had told her these things.
And lo, two of them, on the same day, were going to a village called Emmaus, about sixty furlongs from Jerusalem; and they were talking with each other concerning all these things that had happened; and while they were speaking, and asking each other, Yeshua came and overtook them, and walked with them; and the sight of their eyes was blurred, that they could not recognize him; and he said to them, “What are these words that you are discussing with each other, as you walk and are sad?” And one of them, name Cleopas, answered, and said to him, “Are you alone a stranger from Jerusalem, that you do not know what has happened in it, in these days?” He said to them, “What things?” They said to him, “About Yeshua of Nazareth, a man who was a prophet, mighty in word and deed before Yahweh, and before all the people; and the high priests and the elders delivered him up to the judgment of death, and they crucified him; but we were hoping that he was the one to save Israel; and lo, it is three days since all these things happened; and some of our women also amaze us, for they went early to the tomb; and when his body was not found, they came, and they said that he is alive; and some of our men also went to the tomb, and they found it as the women had said; but they did not see him.” Then Yeshua said to them, “O deficient in understanding, and slow of heart to believe all the things that the prophets uttered. Were not these things to be; the meshiach should suffer, and that he should enter into his glory?” Then he began from Moses, and from all the prophets, and expounded to them concerning himself from all the scriptures; and they drew near to the village to which they were going; and he made them feel, as if he would go to a more distant place; and they urged him, and said, “Remain with us; for the day is spent, and it is near dark.” And he entered to stay with them; and it occurred, while he reclined with them, that he took bread and blessed it, and brake it, and gave it to them; and instantly, their eyes were opened, and, they knew him; and he took himself from them; and they said one to another, “Were not our minds dull within us, when he spoke with us on the road, and interpreted the scriptures to us?” And they rose up that very hour, and returned to Jerusalem; and they found the eleven gathered together, and those who were with them, the doors being shut where the disciples were, for fear of the Israelites, saying, “Truly Yeshua has risen, and has appeared to Simon.” And they also reported those things that happened on the road, and how they knew him as he broke bread, but they would not believe them; and while they were discussing these things, Yeshua stood in the midst of them while they were reclining, and said to them, “Peace be with you; it is I; do not be afraid.” And they were confused and frightened, for they thought they saw a unclean spirit. Yeshua said to them, “Why do you tremble? And why do thoughts arise in your hearts? Look at my hands and my feet, that it is I; handle me, and understand; for a spirit has no flesh and bones, as you see I have.” And when he said these things, he showed them his hands and his feet and his side, and the disciples rejoiced when they saw Yeshua; and as they still did not believe, for their joy, and were bewildered; he said to them, “Have you here anything to eat?” And they gave him a portion of a broiled fish, and of a honeycomb; and he took it, and ate before their eyes; and he upbraided them for their little believing, and the dulness of their hearts, because they had not believed those who saw him risen, and he said to them, “These are the words which I spoke to you when I was with you, that everything must be fulfilled which is written in the law of Moses, and in the prophets, and in the psalms, concerning me.” Then he opened their mind to understand the scriptures, and Yeshua said to them again, “Peace be with you; just as my Father has sent me, so I send you, and that repentance should be proclaim in his name for the forgiveness of sins among all nations; and the beginning will be from Jerusalem. You are witnesses of these things.” And as he said these things, he breathed on them, and said to them, “Receive you power from on high. And I will send to you the promise of my Father; but remain in the city of Jerusalem until you are filled with power from on high. If you shall remit sins to anyone, they will be remitted to him; and if you shall retain those of anyone, they will be retained.” But Thomas, one of the twelve, who is called the Twin, was not there with them, when Yeshua came; and the disciples said to him, “We have seen Yeshua.” But he said to them, “Unless I see in his hands the marks of the nails, and put my fingers in them, and put my hand into his side, I will not believe.” And after eight days, the disciples were again indoors, and Thomas with them, Yeshua came, when the doors were locked, and stood in the midst, and said to them, “Peace be with you.” And he said to Thomas, “Put your finger here, and see my hands; and reach out your hand, and put it into my side; and be not unbelieving, but believing. Thomas answered, and said to him, “Yeshua, my teacher!” Yeshua said to him, “Now you believe because you have seen me? Blessed are those who have not seen me, and have believed.”
And the eleven disciples then went to a mountain where Yeshua had promised to meet them; and when they saw him, they did homage to him; but some of them were doubtful; and Yeshua came up, and spoke with them, and said to them, “All power in heaven and on earth has been given to me. Just as my Father has sent me, I am also sending you. Go, and teach them to obey everything that I have instructed you; and, lo, I am with you always, unto the end of the age.” After these things, Yeshua showed himself again to his disciples by the lake of Galilee; and he appeared in this way; they were all together, Simon Cephas, and Thomas who is called the twin, and Nathanael of Cana of Galilee, and the sons of Zebedee, and two others of the disciples. Simon Cephas said to them, “I am going to catch fish.” They said to him, “We also will come with you.” And they went out, and climbed up into the boat; and that night they caught nothing; and when morning came, Yeshua stood by the lakeside; and the disciples did not know that it was Yeshua; and Yeshua said to them, “Lads, have you got anything to eat?” They said to him, “No.” He said to them, “Throw your net on the right side of the boat, and you will find fish.” And they threw it, and they were not able to draw the net, because of the many fish which it had caught; and that disciple whom Yeshua was fond of, said to Cephas, “That is Yeshua.” And when Simon heard that it was Yeshua, he took his cloak, and girded it around his waist, because he was naked; and he jumped into the lake to come to Yeshua; but the other disciples came by boat; for they were not very far from land, but two hundred cubits, and they were dragging the net of fish; and when they landed, they saw burning coals set, and a fish laid on them, and bread; and Yeshua said to them, “Bring some of the fish which you have now caught.” And Simon Cephas went up, and drew the net to land, full of large fishes, one hundred and fifty-three; and in spite of this weight, the net did not break; and Yeshua said to them, “Come and dine.” And not one of the disciples dared to ask him who he was, for they knew he was Yeshua; This is the third time that Yeshua appeared to his eleven disciples after he was raised up from the dead; and when they had dined, Yeshua said to Simon Cephas, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me more than these things?” He said to him, “Yes, Yeshua, you know that I love you.” Yeshua said to him, “Feed my lambs for me.” Again, he said to him the second time, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?” He said to him, “Yes, Yeshua, you know that I love you.” Yeshua said to him, “Feed my sheep for me.” Again, Yeshua said to him the third time, “Simon, son of Jonas, do you love me?” And it grieved Cephas, that he said to him the third time, Do you love me? And he said to him, “Yeshua, you know that I love you.” Yeshua said to him, “Feed my sheep for me. Truly I say to you, when you were young, you tied up your girdle yourself, and walked wherever you pleased; but when you become old, you will stretch out your hands, and another will tie up for you your girdle, and take you where you do not wish to go.” He said this to show by what death he was to glorify Yahweh; and when he had said these things, he said to him, “Follow me.” Simon Cephas turned around, and saw the disciple whom Yeshua was fond of following him, the one who leaned on the breast of Yeshua at the supper, and said, “My teacher, who will betray you?” When Cephas saw him, he said to Yeshua, “Yeshua, what about him?” Yeshua said to him, “If I wish him to remain until I come, what difference does that make to you? You follow me!” And this saying went forth among the brethren, that this disciple would not die; but what Yeshua said was not that he would not die, but, If I wish that he should remain until I come, what difference does that make to you?”
The very ones to whom he had also shown himself alive, after he had suffered, with many wonders during the forty days, while appearing to them, and talking with them concerning the sovereignty of Yahweh; and as he ate bread with them, he instructed them not to depart from Jerusalem, but to wait for the promise of the Father, the power from on high, which you have heard from me. For, he said, “John baptized with water; but you shall be baptized with power from on high, not many days hence.” And while they were assembled, they asked him, saying, “Yeshua, will you at this time restore the kingdom to Israel?” He said to them, “It is not for you to know the time, or times which the Father has put under his own authority; but when the power from on high comes in you, you shall receive power, and you shall be witnesses to me both in Jerusalem, and in all Judah, also in the province of Samaria, and to the uttermost part of the earth.” And he led them out as far as Bethany, and he lifted up his hands and blessed them; and it occurred, while he blessed them, he ascended, while they were looking at him, a host of angels received him, and he was hidden from their sight; and ascended to heaven, and sat on the right hand of Yahweh.
Post 50 of the tree of life series
The Conclusion
Are we treating the blood of the meshiach, as ordinary blood? We need to consider, what the meshiach did with that blood, after Yahweh raised him from among the dead. Yeshua entered into heaven itself, and entered the tent that Yahweh pitched-Hebrews chapter nine talks about Yeshua being our high priest, and what Yeshua did with his own blood, in that tent Yahweh pitched. Let us be watchful, that gathering together is coming, let us be alert.
Only dead fish, go with the flow! The religions of this world have been pushing that spirit and three-in-one god teachings for years! Paul never taught that spirit, or that three-in-one god teaching, being push by the religions of this world! Paul was all about us Gentiles getting to share in Israel’s inheritance. Yeshua was all about getting everyone access to that life, which is the same kind of life, the tree of life would have produced; but thanks to what Yeshua accomplished, we now have access to that life; and that life Yeshua got, is within some kind of flesh and bone body. This is just a simple blog, wherein it shows that the human race did have access to that life, but the human race got cheated out of that life! Now, the human race has access to that life again.
The harmonizing of the gospels is a cool research, get out your bibles, and follow along; it does need some work, and I will keep working it, thanks Robert O. Stone
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