Jesus Heals a Demon-Possessed Boy
Matthew 17:14-20; Mark 9:14-29; Luke 9:37-43a

Jesus heals a demon-possessed boy DIG: Where was Jesus when the nine apostles were trying to drive out the demon? How did this contribute to His frustration? As the boy’s father, how would you feel during the argument? How do the contrasts between this encounter and the transfiguration account for the Lord’s teaching? Why does Jesus heal the boy before the crowd reaches them? After the healing, what does Christ teach His apostles? What does the phrase: this kind . . . can only come out by prayer and fasting mean? What is the significance of this teaching?

REFLECT: When has a glorious mountain top experience in your life been followed by a depressing valley incident? Which builds up your faith more? In which areas of your life do you long to see more faith? Do you sometimes feel the same way as the boy’s father when he said: I do believe, but help me overcome my unbelief? What does that mean? Did he believe or not? What possibilities and what abuses come to mind when you think about the fact that everything is possible for one who believes?

The period of relative isolation was now coming to an end. Jesus had led the Twelve through the experiences of nearly six months, to a more intimate understanding of His nature and the true character of His Kingdom. He had brought them to a confession of their faith in His messiahship and divinity. Finally, Yeshua ha-Mashiach had taken the three best equipped and most spiritual of the apostles up on Mount Hermon for them to get a glimpse of His true nature so that they might have the courage to stand up under the persecution they would surely face in light of His coming crucifixion.

The scene shifts dramatically from the mountain of glory to the valley of despair. From the overwhelming splendor of the unveiled Messiah in the presence of Moses, Elijah, and God the Father, from a stunning preview of the Lord’s Second Coming, Yeshua and His three talmidim descended into the reality of the sinful world at its worst. It is not surprising, therefore, that the first tragic situation our Savior encountered upon returning from the mount of transfiguration was a lesson about faith.

The next day, when Jesus, Peter, James and John came down from the mountain, a large crowd met them in the vicinity of Caesarea Philippi. When they came to the other apostles, they saw a large crowd around them and the Torah-teacher arguing with them (Mark 9:14; Luke 9:37). Mark has a more complete account of this story than either Matthew or Luke, and the vivid details suggest the input of Peter’s eyewitness account. The Torah-teachers were arguing with the other nine talmidim who had been left behind, and a large crowd that had gathered. Since the transfiguration took place on Mount Hermon, the presence of the Torah-teachers so far north in Palestine indicated their concern in monitoring the teaching and preaching of the maverick Rabbi.⁸⁸⁴

The basis of the argument was that the nine talmidim had tried to drive out a demon, but they were unable to do so. This demonstrated that they still had much to learn. Thus, the Torah-teachers were using their failure as proof that Jesus was not the Messiah. It was kind of guilt by association. This was the hour of triumph for the Torah-teachers. The Master had refused the challenge in Dalmanutha (to see link click Fv – The Pharisees and Sadducees ask for a Sign), but, the apostles accepted it here, and had failed miserably.

This scene reminds us of Israel’s temptation in the wilderness (see my commentary on Exodus Gq – The Golden Calf Incident). We should hardly be surprised if the nine remaining talmidim who were left behind questioned Christ’s return, just as the Israelites questioned the return of Moses. When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they said: As for this fellow Moses who brought us up into Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him (Exodus 32:1).

At that very moment, Jesus appeared with Peter, James and John. As soon as all the people saw Him, they were overwhelmed with wonder and ran to greet Him because He was now well known from Dan to Beersheba (Mark 9:15). He came, as always, unexpectedly, and at the most opportune time to provide an answer for the question at hand.

There was an immediate calm. Christ asked the nine remaining talmidim: What are you arguing with them about? But, before they could answer, a man in the crowd approached Yeshua and knelt before Him begging:Rabbi, have mercy on my son who is possessed by a demon that has robbed him of speech. The condition of the boy was pitiful and the father expressed a personal need (see En – Four Drastic Changes in Christ’s Ministry). He explained: Whenever it seizes him, he suffers greatly. It throws him to the ground and he often falls into the fires or into the water. He foams at the mouth, gnashes his teeth and becomes rigid (Matthew 17:14-15; Mark 9:16-18a). It was an extremely violent demon and seemed like a hopeless case.

The father had come in search of the Master Himself, but only found the nine apostles. Doubtless the nine had fully expected to be able to drive the demon out. Had that not been a part of their commission (Mark 3:15), and had they not already been successful at it (Mk 6:13)? He explained to the miracle working Rabbi, “I asked your talmidim to drive the demon out, but they could not heal him” (Mt 17:16; Mk 9:18b). What had gone wrong? Their failure was not due to the fact that Jesus wasn’t with them, because He had not been with them when they were previously successful. They still had the Lord’s promise of His power, yet they could not heal the boy. The reason for their failure was simple. They failed to use the power available to them.

The apostles’ faithless impotence not only grieved the boy’s father, but Yeshua as well. Speaking to the apostles and the large crowd rather than the man who had just confronted Him, the Lord answered perhaps as much to Himself as to them: You unbelieving and wicked generation, Jesus replied: how long shall I stay with you? How long shall I put up with you? Here the Galilean Rabbi gives us a rare glimpse into the depths of His human emotion and divine soul. Having been accustomed from eternity past to having the angels instantly do His bidding, He was grieved at the spiritual blindness of ADONAI’s people, Isra’el, especially His apostles, whom He had personally chosen, taught, and empowered with unique power and authority. The entire generation of Israelites were faithless; represented on this occasion by the large crowd, the talmidim, and the self-righteous Torah-teachers who were there to trap and discredit the Lord if they could.⁸⁸⁵

The next moment Christ turned to the father and said: Bring your son here to Me. Here the deadly conflict between the Lord and demonic powers is clearly seen. Even while the boy was coming, when the demon saw Jesus, it immediately threw him to the ground in a convulsion. He fell to the ground and rolled around, foaming at the mouth (Matthew 17:17; Mark 9:19-20; Luke 9:41-42a). What a sad spectacle it was!

Messiah asked the boy’s father: How long has he been like this? From childhood, he answered. It has often thrown him into fire or water to kill him. When the father left home to bring his son to Yeshua’s apostles, he apparently believed his son could be healed. But, now he was not so sure and hopefully said: But if you can do anything, take pity on us and help us (Mark 9:21-22). He didn’t doubt the Lord’s ability, but rather His willingness. Was He stronger than His talmidim? He would soon find out.

If I can do anything? Jesus immediately turned the question around. The question was not if the Creator who spoke the world into existence could do anything. The question was did the father have enough faith! Everything is possible for one who believes. Due to the changes in Christ’s ministry after His rejection, Yeshua needed a demonstration of faith. Immediately the boy’s father exclaimed: I do believe; I want to believe. But he recognized that his faith was far from perfect. It was still mixed with unbelief. So he pleaded, please help me overcome my unbelief (Mark 9:23-24)! The father’s statements are not as contradictory as they may seem because we all have experienced questions about the depth of our faith from time to time.

Jesus saw that a crowd was running to the scene. The mention of a crowd running to the scene seems strange in view of Mark 9:14, which states that a large crowd was already there. No mention is made of the large crowd leaving so we must assume that the crowd here is in addition to the first one.

Once again, due to the changes in Christ’s ministry after His rejection, miracles were not meant to convince the masses that He was the Messiah. So Yeshua performed this miracle before the crowd arrived. He rebuked the deaf and mute spirit by saying: I command you, come out of him and never enter him again. The demon realized that it was going to be driven out and made one last attempt to destroy the boy; the demon shrieked, convulsed him violently and came out of him. The man’s son was healed at that very moment (Matthew 17:18; Mark 9:25-26a; Luke 9:42b). Mark’s account also included an echo of the resurrection. The boy looked so much like a corpse that many thought He was dead. But Jesus took him by the hand, lifted him to his feet, and as he stood up the Lord gave the boy back to his father. And they were all amazed at the greatness of God (Mark 9:26b-27: Luke 9:43). This healing should not be interpreted as a guarantee of healing for all followers of Yeshua. We cannot play God and demand that He heal us because the Messiah Himself endured great pain and suffering in order to fulfill His calling. However, the healing of this physical condition and demon possession is a beautiful example of Christ’s power in this specific case.

His apostles must have been both amazed and perplexed, for after Jesus had gone indoors, they came to Him privately and asked: Why couldn’t we drive out the demon? There are two basic reasons Christ gives. First, He replied: Because you have so little faith. Apparently they had taken the power given them or had come to believe that it was inherent in themselves. So they no longer depended prayerfully on God for it, and their failure showed their lack of prayer. Notice that it was the apostles who lacked faith – not the man. The second reason was that that kind of a demon could only come out by prayer and fasting (Matthew 17:19-20a; Mark 9:28-29 NKJV).

When Jesus said: This kind . . . can only come out by prayer, what kind was He talking about? It was a spirit that had robbed the boy of his speech (Mark 9:17). In other words, it was a mute demon (see Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, that This Fellow Drives out Demons)! Jesus verified that the driving out of a mute demon was very different. The Pharisees could drive out many kinds of demons, but not a mute demon! Later, at the great white throne judgment those like them would say: Lord, Lord, did we not drive out demons in your name (Matthew 7:22)? Up to now the talmidim would simply drive out demons in Jesus’ name. That was the only method the Twelve needed to use. But, a mute demon was different. They couldn’t just drive it out . . . they had to pray it out.

To emphasize His point, Jesus shared an amazing truth of the Kingdom. In order to experience some of the God’s great power, a person doesn’t need to be a great spiritual giant. Surprisingly, He continued, saying: Truly I tell you, if you have faith as small as a mustard seed, you can say to this mountain, “Move from here to there,” and it will move. Nothing will be impossible for you (Matthew 17:20b). Whenever the word mountain is used symbolically, it is always the symbol of a king, kingdom or throne. The kingdom they just encountered was the kingdom of Satan.

The lesson should be as clear to us today as it was to His apostles then. Even with a small amount of faith on our part, God can accomplish great things. The teaching was even more striking in the context of this encounter, as the three talmidim had just descended from the tallest mountain in Isra’el, Mount Hermon. From the smallest seed of spiritual faith even this mountain (the kingdom of the Adversary) could potentially be moved.

Yeshua even expanded the possibilities by emphasizing that nothing will be impossible for those who possess such faith. Once again, however, we must be careful to avoid interpreting more in a passage than is allowed by the context of the whole Bible. This statement is not license to impose our own foolish ideas over the mandate of God Himself. In another context Jesus said: You may ask me for anything in my name, and I will do it (John 14:14). It is not a blank check for our own desires, but answers will come, assuming we ask it according to God’s will – as Jesus Himself modeled for us when He prayed: Father, if You are willing, remove this cup from Me; yet not My will, but Yours be done (Luke 22:42 NASB). Nonetheless, the mustard seed promise is beautiful and amazing in that it teaches us that incredible things are possible if we trust in Messiah’s power and submit to His will in our lives.⁸⁸⁶ There are two lessons for us here:

First, Jesus was not only ready to face the Cross, He was also ready to face common problems of everyday people. It is a characteristic of human nature that we can face the great crisis moments in our lives with honor and dignity, but, we allow the routine demands of everyday life to irritate, distract and annoy us. We can face the shattering blows of life with a certain heroism, but, we allow the petty pinpricks to upset us. Many of us can face a great loss in our family with a calm serenity and yet lose our temper if our service at a restaurant is bad or a bus is late. The amazing thing about Jesus was that He could serenely face the cross, and at the same time just as calmly deal with the day-to-day emergencies of life. But, He did not keep God behind glass, reserved just for emergencies like so many of us do. No, He walked the daily paths of life with God the Father.

Second, Messiah came into the world to save the world, and yet, He could give His full and undivided attention to help one single person. It is much easier to preach the Gospel of love for the whole world than it is to love single, individual, unlovable sinners. It is easy to be filled with affection for broad humanitarian causes, and just as easy to find some excuse not to help one person in need. Yeshua had the ability to give Himself fully to every person with whom He happened to be at the time.⁸⁸⁷

Do you have a burden in your life? Do you have a spiritually sick child? A physically sick spouse? An emotionally sick friend? Do you have financial problems? Do the trials of this life seem so overwhelming at times you just don’t know if you can go on another day? Whatever the problems are in your life, you can hear Jesus say: Bring your [burdens] here to Me.

Elijah Has Already Come, And They Did Not Recognize Him
Matthew 17:9-13; Mark 9:9-13; Luke 9:36b

Elijah has already come, and they did not recognize him DIG: Why does Christ silence the apostles? When would news of the Transfiguration be made known to the nation of Isra’el? Who does Jesus invite as witnesses? Why only three? Why these three? Why do the Jews of today still believe in two Messiah’s? What do the talmidim learn about John the Baptist? About Jesus?

REFLECT: How does the picture of a suffering Messiah shape your view of what the life of a believer is all about? When it comes to listening to Yeshua, how hard of hearing are you right now? Do people in your life, your family, your work environment, your neighborhood know that you are a believer? Or do you keep the matter to yourself and do not tell anyone? Why or why not?

It was the early dawn of another summer’s day when the Master and His apostles turned their steps once more towards the plain. They had seen His glory, something that other Jews could not have seen; they had gained new insight into the TaNaKh. They had new insight like they never had before, which was to their souls like the morning air that they breathed on that mountain. Everything pointed to Christ spoke of His death. Perhaps on that morning, better than the night before, they saw a little better what was before them.

It would only be natural that their thoughts should also wander to their fellow talmidim whom they had left in the valley below. How much they had to tell them, how glad they would be to hear the wonderful news! That one night had answered so many questions, especially about His rejection and violent death in Yerushalayim. It should have flooded heavenly light into the terrible gloom for three specific apostles: Philip, who needed to learn to set aside his materialistic, pragmatic, common-sense concerns and learn to lay hold of the supernatural potential of faith; Thomas, who wanted evidence for believing; and Judas, whose burning desire for a Jewish Messiah would overthrow the Romans and put him in a position of power and influence in the Messianic Kingdom, had already begun to consume his own soul. Philip’s every question, Thomas’ every doubt, and Judas’ every nationalistic desire would be answered by what Peter, James and John had to say.

But, it was not to be so. It was not to be made known. Apparently, it was not even to be made known to the other apostles. It seems Jesus thought if they were not qualified to witness it, they were not prepared to hear it! This was not a matter of favoritism. It wasn’t because Peter, James and John were better loved, but because they were better prepared – more fully receptive, more readily accepting, more entirely self-surrendering.

In keeping with Christ’s new policy of silence to the nation after His rejection (to see link click En – Four Drastic Changes in Christ’s Ministry), Jesus cautions them not to tell anyone about what they had seen on Mount Hermon. As they were coming down the mountain after the transfiguration, Jesus instructed them: Don’t tell anyone what you have seen. Yes, Yeshua was the One, but it would be a matter of ADONAI’s timing concerning the coming Kingdom. The truth of the Transfiguration would have its proper time to be made known to the general public, and that time would be after the Son of Man has been raised from the dead (Matthew 17:9; Mark 9:9).

It was Christ’s first step into the valley of humiliation and it was a test. Had they understood the spiritual teaching of the vision on Mount Hermon? Well, their obedience would be the proof of it. But, more than that, their submission was so far reaching that they dared not even question their Master about a new and seemingly greater mystery than any they had previously heard: the meaning of the Son of Man rising from the dead. But, even being better prepared than the other apostles, they were still ignorant. Too often we make a mistake when we think of these men only as apostles, not as disciples; as our teachers, not as His learners, with all their human failings and sin nature.⁸⁸¹

Not only that, after the feeding of the 5,000, Jesus was painfully aware that the people wanted to make Him into a king of their own kind only to fulfill their immediate selfish and worldly expectations (see Fo – Jesus Rejects the Idea of a Political Messiah). But, when they would hear that the Son of Man had been raised from the dead, the entire picture of the two missions of the Messiah would be clearly understood. First, the Meshiach ben Joseph must suffer for the redemption (see my commentary on Exodus Bz – Redemption) of the whole world, and secondly, only then will the Meshiach ben David come with ADONAI’s Messianic Kingdom (see Mv – The Jewish Concept of Two Messiah’s). Orthodox Jews still believe in this concept of two Messiah’s to this day.

Next we are going to finalize everything that we have learned about the correlation between John the Baptizer and Elijah the prophet. Up to this point we have learned three things. First, when John was asked if he was Elijah the prophet, he said, “No I am not” (John 1:21). However, secondly, John did come in the spirit and power of Elijah (Luke 1:17). And thirdly, had the people of Isra’el and the Sanhedrin accepted the offer of the Messianic Kingdom, John would have fulfilled Elijah’s function to restore all things. However, since both the Messiah and His offer were rejected, John did not fulfill Elijah’s function. As a result, Elijah must return himself to fulfill prophecy (see my commentary on Revelation Bw – The Return of Elijah).

Having just seen Elijah on Mount Hermon their confusion led to another question. The apostles asked Him, “Why then do the Torah-teachers say that Elijah must come first” (Matthew 17:10; Mark 9:11)? Their teaching was not simply based on rabbinical tradition but on scriptural teaching. The promise of Malachi 4:5-6 was that Elijah would come before the First Coming. And Malachi told of an unnamed forerunner to come before the First Coming. “Look! I am sending My messenger to clear the way before Me; and the Lord, whom you seek, will suddenly come to His Temple. Yes, the messenger of the covenant, in whom you take such delight – look! Here he comes,” says ADONAI of heaven’s angelic armies (Malachi 3:1). They did not understand the program of two comings.

Jesus affirmed the teaching of the Torah-teachers because He authored the Scriptures (John 1:1-14). Jesus replied: To be sure, Elijah does come first, and will restore all things (Matthew 17:11; Mark 9:12b). This was another clear indication of the fact the Jesus never had any problems with the Torah. He only objected to the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law) because it was merely the traditions of men (Mark 7:8). Therefore, He would have nothing to do with it.

The point of His question was, however, if Elijah came before the First Coming and did his work of restoration, would that mean that the prophecies of Messiah’s sufferings would not be fulfilled? Then, being a good rabbi, Jesus asked the all-important question. Why then is it written that the Son of Man must suffer much and be rejected (Mark 9:12b)? This was the order. Christ would suffer much at the First Coming, then Elijah would come to restore all things, then He would set up His messianic Kingdom after the Second Coming.

But I tell you, there is a sense in which Elijah has already come and they did not recognize him, but have done to him everything they wished, just as it is written about him (Matthew 17:12a; Mark 9:13a). Malachi promised two forerunners – not merely one: an unnamed one before the First Coming, or John the Baptist, and a named one before the Second Coming, or Elijah. So John was a type of Elijah in that he was a forerunner of the First Coming. In that sense, Elijah had already come because John was a type, or foreshadowing of him. Furthermore, John came in the spirit and power of Elijah.

Nevertheless they killed John, and in the same way the Son of Man was going to suffer at their hands (Matthew 17:12b; Mark 9:13b). Jesus was overturning all the preconceived notions and ideas of His talmidim. They looked for the emergence of Elijah, the coming of the Messiah, the eruption of ADONAI into time and the shattering victory of heaven, which they identified with the triumph of Isra’el. Yeshua was trying to compel them to see that in fact the herald had been cruelly executed and the Messiah must end on the cross. But, they still did not understand, and their failure to understand was due to the cause that always makes men fail to understand – they clung to their way and refused to see God’s way. They wished things as they desired them and not as God had ordained them. Remember, what happens to the herald will happen to the King.⁸⁸²

Even today, many Jews question how Yeshua can be the true Messiah if He clearly has not set up the Messianic Kingdom. But, the fulfillment of the mission of Meshiach ben David will only be realized when the leadership of Isra’el invites Him back to rule over them (see my commentary on Revelation Ev – The Basis of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ).

There is a penetrating story in the Talmud that reiterates this belief as Rabbi Joshua ben Levi is said to be searching for the Messiah. Not surprisingly, he runs into Elijah who directs the rabbi to the Meshiach who is ministering among some lepers. As they greet each other, Rabbi Joshua asks the all-important question: “When will you come, Master?” he asked. “Today,” was Messiah’s answer. On his returning to Elijah, the latter enquired, “What did He say to you?” “He spoke falsely to me,” he rejoined, “stating that He would come today, but He has not.” Elijah answered Rabbi Joshua, “This is what He said to you: Today, if you will hear His voice, He will come (Psalm 95:7 in Tractate Sanhedrin 98a).

In the meantime, Yeshua will actually fulfill all the promises concerning the suffering Messiah as described (Isaiah 53). It was then the apostles understood that He was talking to them about John the Baptist. They kept the matter to themselves, discussing what “rising from the dead” meant, and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen (Matthew 17:13; Mark 9:10; Luke 9:36b). Christ’s ministry was coming more and more into focus for the talmidim as they made their way slowly up to Jerusalem.⁸⁸³

Jesus took Peter, James and John Up a High Mountain
Where He was Transfigured
Matthew 17:1-8; Mark 9:2-8; Luke 9:28-36a

Jesus took Peter, James and John up a high mountain where He was transfigured DIG: It had been six days since Peter declared that Yeshua was the Meshiach, the Son of the living God. Why is that context important for what happens next? What does it mean transfigured? What is the significance of Moses’ and Elijah’s presence? Of the Voice? Why would this be important for Jesus at this stage in His ministry?

REFLECT: How did you come to realize that the Lord was the one above all our Savior and was the one above all others that you should listen to? What spot for you is most like the Mount of Transfiguration – where you grasped a bit of Christ’s glory in a special way? What happened? How has God said to you: This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased?

This is the high point of Christ’s teaching His talmidim, and offers an encouragement for the true followers of the Meshiach. It offers a glimpse of the future glory that will follow the suffering of His coming appointment with death in Jerusalem.

It is no coincidence that Chapter 17 begins with the contextual statement after six days, therefore, tying the two chapters together. The promise of the revealed Kingdom to the inner circle of the Twelve would indeed be fulfilled in the following six days. At that time Jesus took with him Peter, James and John the brother of James with Him, and led them up a high mountain to pray, where they were all alone (Mattityahu 17:1; Mark 9:2a). Luke says it was about eight days (Luke 9:28). There is no contradiction here, because Matthew and Mark were counting the days in between Peter’s confession and the transfiguration, while Luke was counting from the first day Kefa’s confession was made and the eighth day on which the transfiguration took place. Based on the geography, and the proximity to Caesarea Philippi, that high mountain could be none other than the gigantic, snowy Mount Hermon.

If you go to Isra’el today, they will take you to another mountain called Mount Tabor, south of Mount Hermon, where the Church of the Transfiguration has been built. This is the Catholic site of the transfiguration. But, it is off by about 45 miles. And furthermore, Mount Tabor was not such a secluded place. It was always well fortified because it was one of the seven key entrances into the Valley of Jezreel.

As the four ascended up the mountain the little group stopped to rest at intervals. Wrapped in their own thoughts, they could look down upon the province of Galilee, dotted with its many towns and villages. Each one probably recalled his experiences of the busy weeks of the Galilean Campaign and the sad hour of withdrawal, when they were persecuted and driven away by their enemies. Or they might look far into the distance and see the City of David, where Jesus had said He must soon suffer and die.⁸⁷²

After their ascent up the mountain that day, the Sabbath-sun had begun to set and a pleasant cool hung in the summer air as the Lord and the three apostles finished their ascent. From all parts of the Land, as far as Jerusalem and Tyre, the one great object in view was the snow-clad Mount Hermon. The Sea of Galilee was lit up with a subtle greenish-yellow hue between the nearby hills. The clear died out in a few minutes, and a pale, steel-colored shade was pulled down before them. It was like the shadow of a long pyramid that slid down to the eastern foot of Mount Hermon and crept across the great plain. Damascus was swallowed up by it. Finally, the pointed end of the shadow stood out distinctly against the sky – a dusky cone of dull color against the redness of the sunset. It was the shadow of the mountain itself, stretching for seventy miles across the plain.

The sun underwent strange changes of shape in the thick clouds, until at last it slid into the sea and was extinguished like a red spark. And overhead, the starry host came out one by one as a witness in the sky (see my commentary on Genesis, to see link click Lw – The Witness of the Stars). We don’t know exactly what route they took, but as they reached the summit on that cool Sabbath evening, the scent of snow – for which the parched tongue would long for in the summer’s heat – must have refreshed them. And now the moon stood out in dazzling splendor. It cast long shadows over the mountain and lit up the broad patches of snow, reflecting their brilliance.⁸⁷³

And He was praying (Luke 9:29a). Without knowing the details, Jesus had much to pray about. No doubt He prayed with His apostles and He prayed for them, just as Elisha prayed for his servant when Syrian horsemen surrounded the city of Dothan – that his eyes might be opened so that he could see the hills full of horses and chariots of fire all around them, far more with them than those against them (Second Kings 6:8-23). Thus Christ prayed for His three talmidim that they could see with their spiritual eyes and comprehend the reality of who He really was.

But Peter and his companions were very sleepy, and just like in the garden of Gethsemane (Mattityahu 26:40-45), the three apostles started to pray but could not stay awake, despite the enormity of the lesson to be learned. The ascent of 9,000 feet above sea level had been rigorous, and the mountain air was thin. Once they stopped, exhaustion must have set in and, consequently, they dozed off.

As Jesus was praying the appearance of His face changed and shone like the sun. This is very similar to the experience of Moshe on Mount Sinai (see my commentary on Exodus – Hd The Radiant Face of Moses). The difference was that the shining of the face of Moses was a reflection, like the shining of the moon is a reflection of the sun. In this case Messiah is the Sh’khinah glory (see my commentary on Isaiah Ju – The Glory of the LORD Rises Upon You). As a result, the shining of His face was much greater than Moses’ face. Christ’s veiled glory was unveiled. And when the three apostles became fully awake, they saw His glory (Matthew 17:2b; Luke 9:29b-32a). In the following events, there were three powerful proofs that Yeshua was indeed the promised Meshiach.

First, there was the transformation of the Son. There He was transfigured before them (Mt 17:2a; Mk 9:2b). The word transfigured means that a metamorphosis took place. It gave an outward expression to Christ that truly reflected His inner character. Jesus had been living for over thirty years in ordinary human form, but was now partially seen in the blazing splendor of ADONAI (Heb 1:1-3). From within Himself, in a way that defies full description, much less full explanation, Yeshua’s divine glory was seen before Peter, James, and John.

What they were seeing was the glory that the Lord will have in the messianic Kingdom promised in the last section (Ga – If Anyone is Ashamed of the son of Man, He Will Be Ashamed of Them When He Comes). It was a striking preview and guarantee of His future coming glory. In his vision on Patmos, Yochanan saw the returning Messiah as someone like a Son of man, dressed in a robe reaching down to His feet and with a golden sash around His chest. The hair on His head was white like wool, as white as snow, and His eyes were like blazing fire. His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and His voice was like the sound of rushing waters. In His right hand He held seven stars, and coming out of His mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance (Revelation 1:13-16).

And his clothes became as dazzling white as bright as a flash of lightening, whiter than anyone in the world could bleach them (Matthew 17:2c; Mark 9:3; Luke 9:29c). Here was the greatest confirmation of Christ’s deity. More than on any other occasion, here, Jesus revealed His true identity, the Son of God. As with the Sh’khinah glory of the TaNaKh, God here portrayed Himself to human eyes in the form of light so dazzling and overwhelming that it could barely be withstood. The contrast of the light in the darkness of the night must have been virtually blinding.

Second, there was the testimony of the prophets. Just then there appeared before the apostles two men in glorious splendor standing with the Lord. They suddenly realized that Moses and Elijah were talking with Jesus (Mattityahu 17:3; Mark 9:4; Luke 9:30 and 9:32b). To the average Jew, these two leaders of Isra’el would represent the whole history of the TaNaKh. Moses represented the Torah and Elijah represented Prophets. As no others, they could give human testimony to Messiah’s divine majesty and glory. By their presence together, it was as if they were saying, “This is the One of whom we testified, the One in whose power we ministered, and the One in whom everything we said and did was meaning. Everything we spoke, accomplished, and hoped for is fulfilled in Him, and not only that, but His divine plan is on schedule.”⁸⁷⁴

Because Elijah never did taste death but was caught up to heaven on the chariot of fire, he holds a special place in Jewish tradition. One example is found in the rabbinic literature where there is often an unresolved theological problem. In such cases, the term Teku is invoked, meaning that it is unresolved. According to some, the Teku is derived from an acronym in Hebrew that translates: The Tishbi will solve all difficulties and questions. The Tishbi comes from Elijah the Tishbite (First Kings 17:1). There is a parenthetical note by Rashi in his Judges 20:45 midrash that after the civil war described there, in which most of the tribe of Benjamin was wiped out, some one hundred members of the tribe fled to the lands of Rome and Germany. Those who remained behind, including Elijah (or his ancestors) came to be called the toshavim, or residents of the Land. Thus, when the unresolved problems of Judaism are discussed, it is maintained that the Tishbi, or those who remain in the Land, will solve all difficulties and questions. Also tradition speaks of a special hope that Elijah will reappear to announce the arrival of King Messiah (see my commentary on Revelation Bw – See, I Will Send You the Prophet Elijah Before the LORD Comes).

These promises are remembered at the Passover Seder, as the cup of Elijah is set aside with the hope that he will reappear to announce the coming of the Meshiach. The combining of these two special prophets are well known in rabbinic thought: Moses, I swear to you, as you devoted your life to their service in this world, so too in the time to come when I bring Elijah, the prophet, unto them, the two of you shall come together (Devarim Raba 3:17). The appearance of Moses and Elijah with Jesus up a high mountain was certainly a confirmation of the central message of the New Covenant – the Messiah is the fulfillment of all the promises to the fathers as seen in the Torah and the Prophets.⁸⁷⁵

It is Luke alone who identifies the topic of Christ’s coming death and ascension, literally His departure or exodus that Moses and Elijah were discussing with Him. They spoke about His departure. They were not merely standing there reflecting on Yeshua’s glory, but, were talking to Him as a Friend about His imminent death and resurrection, which was about to be fulfilled in Jerusalem (Luke 9:31). This was an inescapable part of His ministry, without which redemption from sin would have been impossible (see my commentary on Exodus Bz – Redemption).

With this tradition, and Jewish history in mind, it was no wonder the Twelve had such a strong reaction. As the men were leaving Jesus, Kefa said to Him, “Lord, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three booths – one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” Other than that, he did not know what to say because they were all so frightened (Mt 17:4; Mk 9:5-6; Lk 9:33a). Peter takes a lot of heat for this. He is either accused of demoting Jesus to the level of Moses and Elijah, or elevating the two to the level of Christ. But, his offer would have been a most natural response for any traditional Jew. But, his timing was off a bit because of what was hidden from him by God. He knows that Jesus is the Messiah, but, he does not know about the Church Age or the program of two comings because it was a mystery to the righteous of the TaNaKh (Eph 3:2-11).

Peter saw the glory that Christ will have in the Messianic Kingdom. Being an observant Jew and a student of the Scriptures, Peter knew that the messianic Kingdom was the fulfillment of the Feast of Tabernacles (Zechariah 14:16-21). So, putting two and two together, He makes an assumption the Kingdom was about to be set up! So he wanted to put up three booths to celebrate the Feast of Tabernacles. But, his timing is off because the Feast of the Passover comes before the Feast of Tabernacles. The Passover is fulfilled by the death of the Messiah. In other words, Jesus must die first!⁸⁷⁶

Luke editorially inserted that Peter did not know what he was saying at that time (Luke 9:33b). The thought was not that Peter misunderstood the significance of the coming Messianic Kingdom – he was right on that account. The problem was that he must have got caught up in the excitement of the moment and forgot, or did not fully understand, that Jesus had predicted that He would suffer and die (Luke 9:23-24).⁸⁷⁷ But, later in his life, Kefa would declare: For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of His majesty (Second Peter 1:16).

Third, there was the terror of the Father. While Peter was still speaking the Sh’khinah glory, in the form of a bright cloud, appeared and covered the three of them. The same cloud that enveloped Mount Sinai, enveloped them and they were afraid as they were surrounded by it (Luke 9:34). For a second time, the bat-kol, or the voice of God the Father spoke audibly out of heaven. The first time was at Christ’s baptism. Here He repeated what He said back then: This is my Son, whom I love; with Him I am well pleased. But then God added a sense of urgency when He said: Listen to Him (Matthew 17:5; Mark 9:7; Luke 9:35)! The idea of God speaking periodically from heaven was not unknown among the rabbis. The rabbis teach that after the death of Haggai, Zechariah and Malachi, the last of the prophets, the Ruach Ha’Kodesh departed from Isra’el; nevertheless they received communications from God through the medium of the bat-kol (Tosefta Sotah 13:2). Since it was too intense to consider hearing the voice of ADONAI directly, it was believed that the bat-kol was an echoed deflection as God commanded His people.⁸⁷⁸ The talmidim heard the Torah (Moses), and the Prophets (Elijah), now they needed to hear Him! Hebrews tells us that God the Son is the final revelation of God the Father (Hebrews 1:1-3).

When the three apostles heard this, they knew they were in the presence of El Shaddai and fell face down to the ground, terrified (Matthew 17:6). The combined awareness of Messiah’s splendor, His love and His justice, and His lordship should cause a kind of spiritual tension in every believer. On the one hand we can rejoice in Jesus’ loving friendship, grace and mercy, but, on the other hand, we need to always hold a reverential fear as we reflect on the Lord’s overwhelming holiness and righteousness. This is seen in the difference of the names ADONAI and Ha’Shem; the first is like saying “Daddy,” and the second “Sir.” ADONAI says: Come now, let’s talk this over together (Isaiah 1:18 CJB), while Ha’Shem says: The fear of the LORD is the beginning of wisdom (Psalm 111:10a).

But Jesus’ first actions and words after His powerful exhibition of brilliance were those of gentle, loving care. Knowing what great fear His three friends were in, Yeshua came and touched them. Get up, He said. Don’t be afraid (Matthew 17:7). And as if to drive the point home, as the cloud lifted and they suddenly looked up, they must have been relieved to no longer see anyone with them except Jesus (Matthew 17:8; Mark 9:8; Luke 9:36a). Moses and Elijah were gone, their work had been done and Christ superseded them. He was then God’s authorized Ruler and Spokesman. Yet, they would have to continue waiting (as we do today) for the ultimate Second Coming of Meshiach ben David (see Mv – The Jewish Concept of Two Messiah’s).

There are five theological implications of the transfiguration. First, it authenticated that Jesus was the Messiah. He was rejected by men but accepted by the Father. Second, it anticipated the coming of the messianic Kingdom. Third, it guaranteed the fulfillment of the Torah and the prophets (Second Peter 1:19-21). Fourth, it was a pledge of an afterlife. Moses died and he represents the righteous of the TaNaKh who will be resurrected from the dead; and Elijah did not die and he represents the righteous of the TaNaKh who will be translated alive at the Rapture. Fifth, it was a measure of God’s love for us. Jesus veiled His glory twice. The first time was at the time of the incarnation, and second time was when He came down off of Mount Hermon. Only after His ascension would His glory be revealed forever (Revelation 1:12-16). John sees Him in the fullness of His Sh’khinah glory, no longer veiled. When He comes back at His Second Coming it will be with His unveiled glory.⁸⁷⁹

In 1915 Pastor William Barton started to publish a series articles. Using the archaic language of an ancient storyteller, he wrote his parables under the pen name of Safed the Sage. And for the next fifteen years he shared the wisdom of Safed and his enduring spouse Keturah. It was a genre he enjoyed. By the early 1920s, Safed was said to have a following of at least three million. Turning an ordinary event into an illustration of a spiritual truth was always a keynote of Barton’s ministry.

Now it came to pass in the Summer that I journeyed by the side of a Little Lake that lay to the westward of my habitation. And there was an evening when I watched the Sun as it was going down, and behold it was Glorious. And as I turned away from it and entered my dwelling, behold mine own Shadow went before me, and climbed upon the inner wall of the Room as I entered. And as I went forward, lo, another Shadow rose upon the wall, and it was like unto the first, even mine own Shadow. And I marveled much that one man should cast Two Shadows. And the Thing Seemed Passing Strange.

But the reason was this, as the Sun was going down, it shone on the water and was like another Sun, and cast a Shadow even brighter and taller than the Sun in the heavens. For the Sun in the heavens was partly obscured by the trees; but the Sun off the lake cast its reflected rays under the branches and shown clearly. And so it was that in my sight the reflected Sun was brighter than the real Sun, and cast the greater and taller Shadow.

And I thought within my soul how to men and women the vision of the Most High God is likewise often obscured; and how there are those who must see the exceeding brightness of His Person by reflected light. And I prayed to my God that as I reflect His light, such as these may see the true glory of the Son of Righteousness.⁸⁸⁰

If you have given your life to Christ, God lives in you. And because God lives in you, you need to be transformed: Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – His good, pleasing and perfect will (Romans 12:2). And we all, who with unveiled faces contemplate the Lord’s glory, are being transformed into His image with ever-increasing glory, which comes from the Lord, who is the Spirit (Second Corinthians 3:18). The life of a believer is the process of God’s glory being revealed in you.

If Anyone is Ashamed of the Son of Man,
He Will Be Ashamed of Them When He Comes
Matthew 16:27-28; Mark 8:38-9:1; Luke 9:26-27

If anyone is ashamed of the Son of Man, He will be ashamed of them when He comes DIG: What is the context of this message? What happens before and after it? Can you summarize the first part of the message? Why would the Lord say that to the Twelve? What does the term Son of Man mean? How are believers rewarded and unbelievers punished? Why does the second part of the message cause such confusion? How will Jesus give a foretaste of His Kingdom?

REFLECT: When was the last time you had to declare what side you are on? How did you do? You can have excuses or results, how does this message give you hope?

One thing that stands out from this passage is the confidence of Yeshua. Still at the base of Mount Hermon at Caesarea Philippi after Peter’s confession that Christ is the Son of the living God, Messiah speaks of His death (to see link click Fy – Jesus Predicts His Death) and has no doubt that the Cross awaits Him. Nevertheless, the Lord is absolutely sure that He will triumph in the end.

The first part of this passage states a very natural and simple truth. When the King comes into His messianic Kingdom, He will be loyal to those who have been loyal to Him. No one can expect to escape all the trouble of some great undertaking and then reap all the benefit of it. No one can refuse service in some campaign and then share in the fruits of victory when the battle is won. It is as if Yeshua is saying, “In this difficult and hostile world, true believers will suffer much. But if those who profess to love the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob are ashamed to show which side they are on, they cannot expect to gain a place of honor when God’s Kingdom comes.”⁸⁶⁸

Since Jesus had been clarifying some of the principles of God’s Kingdom, He brings it right down to His own talmidim . . . to them personally. He affirmed that the Son of Man is going to come in His Father’s glory with His angels (Mattityahu 16:27a). Messiah referred to Himself as the Son of Man more than any other title. The name reflects His humanness and His incarnation, and of His fully identifying Himself with mankind as one of their own. For those who know and love Yeshua Ha’Mashiach, His return in glory is a comforting and thrilling promise that fills us with great hope and anticipation. The apostles really needed a word of hope from the Lord. He had just told them of His impending suffering and death, and of the demanding conditions of true discipleship, of taking up one’s cross and of giving up one’s own life in order to save it (Matthew 16:21-25). Possibly for the first time it was becoming clear to the Twelve that their spiritual journey with Messiah would cost them more than they wanted to pay. It would not be easy, comfortable, pleasurable or financially profitable no matter what the health-and-wealth advocates of today have to say.

At His glorious coming, Jesus will reward each person according to what they have done (Matthew 16:27b). The believer looks forward to the Second Coming in the hope of sharing the Lord’s glory, whereas, the unbeliever can only look forward to it with fear of condemnation. As a result, the Greek word ekasto, meaning each one and translated each person is all-inclusive. On the Day of Judgment each person will be judged on the basis of what they have done. Deeds are not the means of salvation, which is by grace through faith alone (Ephesians 2:8-9). Jesus is merely pointing out that it will be a time of glory and reward for those who belong to Him and a time of judgment and punishment for those who do not. His coming will resolve the eternal destiny of each person (Yochanan 5:25-29).

For believers, Messiah declares: Not everyone who says to Me, “Lord, Lord!” will enter the kingdom of Heaven, only those who do what My Father in heaven wants (Mattityahu 7:21 CJB). Rabbi Sha’ul told the Corinthian believers in his first letter: But each one’s work will be shown for what it is; the Day will disclose it, because it will be revealed by fire – the fire will test the quality of each one’s work (First Corinthians 3:13). To the church at Thyatira the Lord Himself announced: I will repay each of you according to your deeds (Revelation 2:23). Consequently, all believers will be rewarded at the bema of Messiah (see my commentary on Revelation Cc – For We Will All Appear Before the Judgment Seat of Christ).

For unbelievers, however, that truth is an ominous warning because at the Great White Throne Judgment they will have no acceptable deeds to present to the King of kings as evidence of salvation (see my commentary on Revelation Fo – The Great White Throne Judgment). Many counterfeit believers will say Jesus on that day, “Lord, Lord! Didn’t we prophesy in Your name? Didn’t we expel demons in Your name? Didn’t we perform miracles in Your name?” Then He will tell them to their faces: I never knew You! Get away from Me, you workers of lawlessness (Matthew 7:22-23 CJB). That Day will be one of great terror when they finally realize that all their supposed good deeds on which they had been relying to make them right with ADONAI are nothing more than filthy rags (Isaiah 64:6) that leave them totally unfit to stand before the righteous King and Judge.⁸⁶⁹

Then Christ broadened His decree to include that the adulterous and sinful generation of His day by saying: If anyone is ashamed of Me and My words in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when He comes in His Father’s glory with the holy angels at the Second Coming (Mark 8:38; Luke 9:26). To be ashamed of Jesus is to reject Him. The Person and the message of Yeshua cannot be separated (Romans 1:16). And to us today, every time we repeat our confession that Jesus Christ is Lord (Philippians 2:9-11), the echo of His voice comes back across the chasm between His mind and ours and says, “Take up your cross, lose your life, gain your soul, and glorify your God.” Christ takes away all our excuses.

The second part of this passage, however, has caused a great deal of confusion. I tell you the truth, some who are standing here will not taste death before they see the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom (Matthew 16:28; Mark 9:1; Luke 9:27). In just a few days, three of the apostles standing there with Him would see the glory of the Kingdom in the transfiguration. It does not say here that the apostles would not die, but rather that they would not die before they saw Yeshua come in His royal splendor.

To understand what Jesus meant, it is helpful to know that word Kingdom, or basileia, was often used as a metonym to mean royal majesty or royal splendor – in much the same way that scepter has long been used figuratively to represent royal power and authority. Used in that way, basileia would refer to a manifestation of Christ’s kingliness rather than to His literal earthly reign. His promise could therefore be translated: before they see the Son of Man coming in His royal splendor.⁸⁷⁰

It is not uncommon for prophecies in the TaNaKh to combine a near historical prophecy with a far eschatological prophecy, with the earlier prefiguring the latter. The fulfillment of the near historical prophecy served to verify the reliability of the far eschatological prophecy. It seems reasonable, then, to believe that Yeshua Ha’Mashiach verified the reliability of His Second Coming by giving three of His talmidim a glimpse of His royal splendor before they would taste death.

The amazing thing about the Lord is that He knew despair. In the face of the dullness of the minds of men and women, in the face of His opposition, and in the face of His future crucifixion and death, Yeshua ha-Mashiach never doubted His final triumph because He never doubted ADONAI. He was always certain that what is impossible with mankind is completely possible with God.⁸⁷¹

Instruction About the Kingdom of God

During the days after Messiah predicted His death (to see link click Fy – Jesus Predicts His Death), the Lord went over and over that lesson with the apostles seeking to get them to grasp it. But, they were ill-prepared to receive it and needed to be prepared for it. Prophecies of suffering, rejection and death had engulfed their minds and souls. The proclamation that Yeshua was the divine Meshiach had not been met with promises of glory from an imminent ushering in of the messianic Kingdom, but announcements of certain public rejection, and seemingly terrible defeat.⁸⁶⁷ How desperately they needed to see what Christ meant about His power and glory. Then the Master wisely took three of His inner-circle, Peter, James and John, who had been with Him in the home of Jairus when He called back the life of the little girl, and would be with Him at Gethsemane. If the talmidim had any doubt that Jesus would someday come to reign in glory, He gave them a foretaste of His future glory in the present.

Jesus Predicts His Death
Matthew 16:21-26; Mark 8:31-37; Luke 9:22-25

Jesus predicts His death DIG: According to Jesus, what is the cost of true discipleship? How do some people react when they learn that being a true follower of Yeshua is costly? What is your reaction to the cost? What does it mean to lose your life for Messiah’s sake? What does it mean to gain the whole world?

REFLECT: In what ways are you trying to deny yourself and take up your cross? Think of a time when you wanted to hide the fact that you are a believer. What made you want to keep quiet? How should a believer’s life be different from a non-believer’s life? What do you need to change to be a true disciple? What is the reward for the person who follows the commands given by the Lord? What is the difference between denying yourself and self-denial?

As Peter’s confession illustrated the issue of partial sight on the part of Isra’el (to see link click Fx – On This Rock I Will Build My Church), this section, while still at Caesarea Philippi, will illustrate the issue of the partial blindness.

Although the messianic revelation was to be kept private for the moment, Yeshua took that opportunity to remind His talmidim of events that awaited Him. For the first time, Jesus predicted His passion, or His death. Only after Peter’s confession does Yeshua begin to explain His program of death and resurrection. Consequently, He begins to deal with this aspect of His mission. As the time of His death draws near the Lord will explain this in more detail. By this time Christ was already in the last year of His life on earth.

But, no matter how often He tells them, or what He tells them, they never fully understand. This is the issue of partial blindness. So, when Jesus died, they were caught off guard. At this point Messiah kept it simple, mentioning four steps: (1) He must go to Jerusalem, (2) There He must suffer, being rejected by the Jewish leadership, (3) He will be killed, and (4) He will rise again on the third day.

From that time on, Yeshua began to teach His apostles what was going to happen to Him. The arrival of the Meshiach will not be as commonly expected. It will not be with great fanfare and celebration at His first arrival but with solemnity. He said: The Son of Man must (dia) go to Jerusalem and suffer many things (see my commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Jd – Yet It Pleased the Lord to Crush Him, and Cause Him to Suffer). There He will be rejected by the Great Sanhedrin, or the elders, the Sadducees and the Torah-teachers (Matthew 16:21a; Mark 8:31a; Luke 9:22a). The definite article appears before each group, showing equal guilt. This should not have been so surprising in that Jesus had already experienced significant public rejection from many of those same rabbinic leaders. But the intensity of the Jerusalem confrontation would be far greater than anything they had previously experienced.

This is the first of three times that Jesus predicts His death (for the second time see Ge – Jesus Predicts His Death a Second Time, and for the third time see Im – The Son of Man Came to Serve and to Give His Life as a Ransom for Many). Christ elaborated that He must (dia) be killed by a hostile mob. The word must, or the Greek word dia, means it was necessary. The word points to the inevitableness of the Cross. This would be tragic indeed if this was the end of the story, but, Jesus reveals more essential information. He assured His talmidim that on the third day be raised to life (Mattityahu 16:21b; Mark 8:31b; Luke 9:22b). Although a time of struggle and rejection was coming, it would all be a part of the LORD’s prophetic plan for the Meshiach’s First Coming as the suffering Servant (Isaiah 53).

It’s easy to set lofty goals that are often forgotten in the heart and drudgery of preparation. Many people are champions in their minds. But, far fewer pay the debt of grueling training and loneliness that precede glory. Think of a time when your involvement in an activity required significant discipline or sacrifice. What aspects of your life did this affect? What did you learn about yourself in the process?⁸⁶⁰

It is important to know that the rabbis also saw strong evidence of the two missions of the coming Messiah. Understandably, many focused on the Meshiach ben David would overthrow all the enemies of Isra’el and establish the kingdom of God on Earth (Isaiah Chapters 9 and 11). But the rabbis also admitted that there were many descriptions of Messiah ben Joseph would somehow suffer at the hands of the world.

Since this picture of a suffering Messiah was so different from the promises of the coming King, some of the Talmudic rabbis came up with the view that perhaps there would be two distinct messiahs. How this could happen was debated, but one view was that the Son of Joseph would come and be rejected by the world (like Joseph of Genesis), perhaps even killed in a battle (Tractate Sukkah 52a, which quotes Zechariah 12:10 as the death of Meshiach ben Joseph)! Only then would the Son of David come to rescue the first Messiah and all of Isra’el.

It should be pointed out that the Bible never speaks of two Messiahs. How could one person fulfill both of these contrasting pictures of the Meshiach? Jesus gives the perfect answer that He, as God’s only true Messiah, will fulfill both missions of ben Joseph (by suffering) and ben David (by resurrection). It is a most perfect way to fulfill both missions in one person (see Mv – The Jewish Concept of Two Messiah’s)!⁸⁶¹

He spoke plainly about this (Mark 8:32a). The verb is imperfect, showing continuous action. Our Lord repeatedly and in great detail gave them what He had to tell them. It was not a quick, short statement. The word plainly is the Greek word parresia. In other words, He spoke openly, unmistakably. This is the ordinary Greek word that means frank, unreserved speech, as opposed to partial or total silence. Here, as in Yochanan 11:14, 16:25, 29, it means plain speech as opposed to hints or veiled allusions, such as Jesus had previously given: But the time will come when the bridegroom will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast (Mark 2:20).

But each time Yeshua predicted His death, one or more talmidin responded with pride or misunderstanding. Here, Peter, who passed the test so magnificently at Caesarea Philippi, failed miserably here. Peter took Jesus aside (but evidently not far enough) and began to rebuke Him (Mark 8:32b). Rebuke is a very strong word. It means to criticize, to reprimand, to prevent an action from happening even by using physical force. It was quite a paradox for Peter. At Caesarea Philippi he identified Jesus as the Messiah, here he rebukes Christ, thus showing his incomplete understanding of the destiny of the Savior. Never, Lord! he said. This shall never happen to you (Mattityahu 16:22)!

But when Jesus quickly turned around and looked at His apostles. Our Lord must have been conscious of the fact that the other talmidim had heard what Peter had said, for had they not, there would have been no need to subject Kefa to the lesson he received in front of them all. Then He rebuked Peter. Mark uses the same word (Greek: epitimao) that he used of Peter rebuking Yeshua. He said: Get behind Me, Satan! Messiah recognized a repetition of the temptation of the devil in the wilderness. There, after showing Him all the kingdoms of the world, he said to Jesus: All this I will give You if you bow down and worship me (Matthew 4:8-9). It was a temptation to go around the Cross and rule the world from the hands of Satan, the god of this age (Second Corinthians 4:4). And he was using the foremost of the apostles do tempt the Lord. The point is Kefa wanted what the Adversary wants. Because Simon Peter didn’t want Jesus to go to the cross Peter was doing the Adversary’s work for him. Jesus didn’t call Peter, Satan, but, recognizing the source He spoke directly to the Tempter, included Kefa in the rebuke.

You are a stumbling block to Me; you do not have in mind the concerns of God, but merely human concerns (Matthew 16:23; Mark 8:33). Perhaps Yeshua was alluding to Peter’s rejection that He must be killed as coming directly from Satan himself. Since the Hebrew word for “satan” means opposition, another option is that Peter was becoming an obstacle in the path of the cross. Either way, Kefa is rebuked by his Rabbi for thinking from a human perspective, not from God’s perspective. Too often today, people still tell God how He should be accomplishing His plans instead of humbly listening to Him! How many even reject Yeshua today as the Messiah because He does not fit their idea of what Christ should do? We would be wise to listen more to God and His Word than to our own ideas.⁸⁶²

Can Satan influence believers? Yes. Can he indwell believers? No. Does he overhear our silent prayers in the prayer garden of our minds? No. There is only room for one on the throne of our hearts, and Jesus Christ is on that throne.

Each time the apostles respond with pride or misunderstanding, Jesus followed with teaching about servanthood or cross-bearing discipleship. A suffering Messiah had important implications for those who would follow Him. Then Jesus called the crowd of disciples to Him along with His apostles and taught them three things.

First, if you want to follow Christ, you must say “No” to yourself. He said: Whoever wants to be My disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow Me (Matthew 16:24; Mark 8:34; Luke 9:23). This clearly illustrates that Messiah’s Kingdom is exactly the opposite of most of our natural inclinations. In addition, to take up their cross means to identify with Christ’s rejection. If you want to follow Christ, you must identify with His rejection. A true disciple is one who will follow the suffering role of the Messiah. Self-sacrifice is the hallmark of the Messiah and His followers. By submitting to Jesus, we are in reality merely giving back to Him what is rightfully His to begin with!

The challenges that Christ presented still interrupt our lives. Denying, losing, dying – these are not the standards the world around us uses for successful living. We’re trained to avoid such sacrifices, to look out for ourselves. But, Yeshua stands before us without apology and asks, “Is there anything you value more highly than Me?” We may have a difficult time answering that question, but only an honest answer will do.⁸⁶³

Follow Me: the word follow is the Greek word akoloutheo, it means to take the same road as another does. It is used with the associative instrumental case. It is as if Jesus is saying: Follow with Me. The idea is not that of following behind another, but that of accompanying the other person, taking the same road that He takes, and fellowshiping with Him along the Way (Acts 9:2 and24:14).⁸⁶⁴

Second, although the price of discipleship is costly, it is even more costly for those who ignore their Creator. In one of the great ironies of the spiritual world, Yeshua states: For whoever wants to save their life will lose it. Everyone wants a happy and full life. But, those who focus exclusively on that goal are actually in danger of missing the mark. Too many today are actually destroying the real purpose of their lives as they attempt to find life!

Yet the irony applies to the opposite side of the equation as well: But whoever loses their life for Me and for the Gospel will save it (Matthew 16:25; Mark 8:35; Luke 9:24). When you’re full of yourself, God can’t fill you. But, when you empty yourself God has a useful vessel. The Scriptures are full of examples of those who did just that. In his gospel, Matthew mentions his own name only twice. Both times he calls himself a tax collector. In his list of apostles, he assigns himself the eighth spot. John doesn’t even mention his name in his gospel. The twenty appearances of “John” all refer to the Baptizer. John the apostle simply calls himself the other talmid (John 13:23 CJB) or one of His talmidim, the one Yeshua particularly loved (John 20:3 CJB). Luke wrote the gospel of Luke and the book of Acts, two of the most important books in the Bible, but never once penned his own name!⁸⁶⁵

It is important to understand the difference between joy in the Lord and happiness in the world. All of the apostles were martyred, with the exceptions of John and Judas Iscariot (see Cy – These are the Names of the Twelve Apostles). Believers should have a joy in Messiah despite their circumstances in the world. Peter was crucified with his body turned upside down; Andrew was also crucified; James was beheaded; Philip was hung upside down with iron hooks through his ankles until he died, Nathaniel was flayed alive; Thomas was run through with a lance; Matthew was slain with the sword; James was thrown from a lofty pinnacle of the Temple and then beaten to death; Thaddaeus died after being shot with arrows; and Simon the Zealot died by being sawn in half. None of them were happy about it. But, they all had the joy of the Lord because they knew that by losing their lives, they were secure in Christ (see Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). It’s not that those who follow Him have to be martyrs, but that they are willing to be martyrs if faithfulness to the Messiah demands it.

Third, discipleship is something that every believer attains to for true spiritual safety and true riches. There is nothing in this world that people can exchange for their life. Even the most “successful” person in this present age will eternally regret neglecting their soul. The eternal Kingdom is worth much more than any temporal accolades or possessions. Actually, words cannot even explain the enormity of the difference. What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul? Here is the ultimate hyperbole. “Imagine, if you can,” Yeshua was saying, “what it would be like to somehow possess the whole world. Of what lasting benefit would that be, if in gaining it you forfeited your soul, your eternal life?” Such a person would be a walking spiritual zombie who temporarily owned everything but who faced an eternity in hell rather than in heaven. Or, Jesus continued, what could possibly be worth having during this lifetime, if to gain it you would have to exchange your soul (Matthew 16:26; Mark 8:36-37; Luke 9:25)?

To gain every possession possible in this world and yet be without Christ is to be bankrupt forever. But, to abandon everything in this world for the sake of Messiah is to be rich for eternity.⁸⁶⁶ In 1956 the Quechua Indians of Ecuador murdered Jim Elliott with several other missionaries. This 29-year-old Christian martyr, husband, and father of a one-year-old baby girl, had written in his journal, “He is no fool who gives up what he cannot keep, to gain that which he cannot lose.”

Can you imagine what it was like for the church at Smyrna (see my commentary on Revelation Ba – The Church at Smyrna) as they watched their beloved and aged pastor burn at the stake? Polycarp was his name. He was a disciple of Jesus’ talmid, the apostle John. One could tell it immediately because he possessed the same tenderness and compassion as his mentor. Polycarp was Bishop of the church at Smyrna (present day Turkey). Persecution broke out in Smyrna and many Christians were fed to the wild beasts in the arena. The godless and bloodthirsty crowd called for the carcass of the leader – Polycarp. The authorities sent a search party to find him. He had been taken into hiding for some Christians but the Romans tortured two young believers until they finally disclosed his location. When the authorities arrival was announced there was still time to whisk Polycarp away but he refused to go saying, “God’s will be done.”

In one of the most touching instances of Christian grace imaginable Polycarp welcome his captors as if they were friends. He talked with them and insisted they eat a meal. He made only one request before being taken away – he asked for one hour to pray. The Roman soldiers listened to his prayer. Their hearts melted and they gave him two hours to pray. They had second thoughts as well and were overheard asking each other why they were sent to arrest him? Other authorities also sympathetic when Polycarp arrived. The Proconsul tried to find a way to release him too. “Curse God and I will let you go!” he pleaded. Polycarp’s reply was: “For eighty-six years I have served him. He has never done me wrong. How then can I blaspheme my King who has saved me?” The Proconsul again looked for a way out. “Then do this old man, just swear by the spirit of the emperor and that will be sufficient.” Polycarp’s reply was: “If you imagine for a moment that I would do that, then I think you pretend that you don’t know who I am. Hear it plainly. I am a Christian.” More entreaties by the Proconsul, Polycarp stood firm. The proconsul threatened with the wild beasts. Polycarp’s reply was: “Bring them forth. I would change my mind if it meant going from worst to best, but not to change from right to wrong.”

The Proconsul threatened, “I will burn you alive!” Polycarp’s reply was: “You threaten with fire that burns for an hour and is over but the judgment on the ungodly is forever.” The fires engulfed him, but, his blood extinguished the flames and was therefore finished off with a dagger. He was buried for the cause of Christ on February 22, 155 A.D. It was as much a day of victory as it was a day of tragedy. Polycarp illustrated the power of knowing Jesus intimately – intimately enough to follow Him into the flames. As the Lord said: What good will it be for someone to gain the whole world, yet forfeit their soul?

On This Rock I Will Build My Church
Matthew 16:13-20; Mark 8:27-30; Luke 9:18-21

On this rock I will build my church DIG: Why did some people think that Yeshua was John the Baptist? Elijah, or Jeremiah? What was significant about Peter’s confession? How does basic Greek grammar show that the Church cannot be built upon Kefa? What are other biblical and historical proofs that Peter was not the first pope? Who is the Rock? How did standing in the River Panias at the base of Mount Hermon illustrate what Christ was talking about? What does the gates of sh’ol mean? In what ways do we see Peter using the keys of the kingdom of heaven? What special authority did the Lord give to Kefa? Why did Jesus tell His apostles not to tell anyone that He was the Messiah?

REFLECT: When did Jesus become more than just a name in the Bible to you? Who do you say Christ is? In what ways is your life built on the Rock? Are there those around you who are confused about who Yeshua is? How can you show them the Rock in your life? Can your position in the Lord be lost because of sin in your life?

This file will illustrate the first stage issue of the partial sight of Isra’el. There will be a clear distinction between how the crowds of people view the Messiah and how the apostles view the Messiah.

As Jesus started the final phase of His ministry to Isra’el, He and His apostles went north about thirty miles to the villages around Caesarea Philippi (Matthew 16:13a). There, the Lord was safe from annoyance by Herod Antipas, the Pharisees and the Sadducees. There He could prepare His talmidim for His coming crucifixion just a little over six months ahead. They removed themselves from the region around the Sea of Galilee and went north about thirty miles to Caesarea Philippi, which is at the foot of Mount Hermon, the highest mountain in the Holy Land. Its highest peak is about 9,000 feet above sea level. Since it was at the headwaters of the Jordan River, the area is striking in its beauty. It had an abundance of fresh water flowing from underground springs through the impressive cliff that surrounds it. Summer was approaching and the two-day journey followed a well-traveled Roman road on the east side of the Hulah Valley.

Because of its extreme northern location, pagan Gentiles largely inhabited the area of Caesarea Philippi, but, Yeshua was not there to minister to them but to His talmidim. It was the center of idolatrous worship. In the Israelite period, the tribe of Dan settled in the area and often fell prey to the pagan influences at its border. The town of Caesarea was built on the ridge that overshadowed a river below. Herod’s son Philip, developed the area into a retreat and named it Caesarea Philippi not only to honor the Caesar, but also to distinguish it from Caesarea on the Mediterranean coast. Later occupants named the place after the pagan god “Pan” and built many altars for worship. Their idol Pan had the hindquarters and horns of a goat and the torso and face of a man. It became known as Panias, or the place of the flute player Pan.

Due to the Muslim conquest of the area in the seventh century, Panias became Banias because they have no “P” sound in their alphabet. It is still called Banias today. In New Covenant times, however, the River Panias flowed out from a cave at the base of Mount Hermon. A century ago a major earthquake caused the river to shift. So today no river flows from the cave. But, at the time of Christ, the River Panias flowed out and came out of that cave and broke up the stones of the river. As a result, the stream where Jesus and His apostles were standing was just filled with little stones or pebbles.

In the last file, the Lord had warned His talmidim about three kinds of leaven. Here He tests the apostles in light of the lies of the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Herodians (to see link click Fw – The Leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees). It was a rather strange, yet appropriate setting for the ensuing dialogue between Yeshua and the Twelve.

Once when Jesus was praying in private and His apostles came to Him. They had obviously been talking among themselves. As a good rabbi, Yeshua started the discussion by posing a question. He asked them: Who do the crowds of people say the Son of Man is (Matthew 16:13b; Mark 8:27; Luke 9:18)? This question was designed to prepare the way for another more important one to follow. The Lord knew that the people did not think He was the Messiah. They were expecting a different kind of Savior, one who would free them from the bondage of Roman dependence and make them a free nation.

The Twelve, in mingling among the people, had heard many opinions expressed about Him. The apostles replied quite frankly: Some say John the Baptist. This had been the immediate conclusion of Herod Antipas when He heard about the wonderful works of the Lord. And His opinion was reflected in others also. Yet others, impressed with Christ’s fiery denunciation of sin and call of repentance, thought He was Elijah, who had gone to heaven in a chariot of fire (Second Kings 2:11), and in the popular tradition, would return as the forerunner of the Messiah. And still others detected the sorrowful preaching of Jeremiah, the weeping prophet. A larger group could not identify Him with any one prophet and were content to speak about Him as one of the prophets of long ago has come back to life (Mattityahu 16:14; Mark 8:28; Luke 9:19).

Traditional Judaism has never held to a teaching of reincarnation; however, there is a belief (even in the TaNaKh) that there may be a resurrection appearance of special individuals (for example Elijah appearing again in Malachi 4:5-6). If truth be told, common tradition reminds us that Eliyahu will come again to announce the arrival of King Messiah (see my commentary on Revelation Bw – See, I Will Send You the Prophet Elijah Before the LORD Comes), as seen in the Cup of Elijah at the Passover seder every spring. It could also be that the people were looking at Yeshua as one ministering in the same spirit and power as the previous prophets.⁸⁵⁶

The people could not find a contemporary great enough with whom to compare Jesus except John who had been recently beheaded. But, in their blindness, they had not been able to think of Him as the expectant One, especially since the Great Sanhedrin had already rejected His messianic claims. So Yeshua posed a follow-up question to bring the discussion close to home: But what about you? He asked. Who do you say I AM (Matthew 16:15; Mark 8:29; Luke 9:20)? The Greek is even more emphatic, it literally reads: But you, who do you say that I AM? Upon their answer much depended.⁸⁵⁷

There may be some confusion over who Jesus is today, but, there was no confusion among His closest talmidim who lived with Him for three years. Simon Peter answered, saying: You are the Messiah, the Son of the living God (Mattityahu 16:16; Mark 8:30b; Luke 9:21). Once again, the Greek is even more emphatic, reading: You are the Messiah, the Son, of the God, the living One. This is rather astounding as one reflects on this declaration! Yeshua of Nazareth did many miracles in Isra’el, yet He is more than a prophet. He taught many beautiful truths to the people, yet He is more than an exalted rabbi. Simon affirms that he believed Yeshua to be the long-promised Meshiach. Without a doubt this confession also marked the highpoint of Kefa’s faith. Never afterwards, until Christ’s resurrection, did it reach such heights.

Now Peter certainly did not understand the full implication of his declaration. It was, however, a clear break from the people. At that point Jesus began to clarify. It was as if He were saying, “Now that you have come to this understanding, I AM going to tell you the role of the Messiah.” And in the very next section, Jesus predicts His death and begins to define the suffering role of the Messiah.

It is important to understand that if Peter’s declaration were wrong, Yeshua would have most certainly corrected him. But, Simon was not corrected, he was blessed. Jesus replied: Blessed are you, Simon son of Jonah, for this was not revealed to you by flesh and blood, but by my Father in heaven (Matthew 16:17). Peter’s confession was not from human logic, but from divine illumination. The truth that Simon had just confessed was the foundation upon which Christ would build His Church. He meant that Peter had seen the basic essential truth concerning His Person, the essential truth upon which the Church would be founded, and nothing would be able to overthrow that truth, not even all the forces of evil that might fight against it. Peter was the first among the twelve apostles to see the Lord as the Messiah. Jesus commended him for that spiritual insight, and said His Church would be founded upon that fact. And that, of course, was a far different thing than founding the Church on Peter.

Using Peter’s name and making, as it were, a play upon words, Jesus said to Him: And I tell you that you are Peter (Mattityahu 16:18a). One can only imagine the Lord standing at the foot of the massive cliff at Caesarea Philippi and bending down to pick up one of the many smaller pebbles. It would have been a graphic object lesson as He held up a small stone as a symbol of Peter and then pointed to the massive cliff as symbolic of his confession of Christ’s messiahship.

The interpretation of the Catholic Church, that the Church was founded upon Peter and that he was the first pope, violates basic Greek grammar. Peter or petros is a masculine noun and means a small stone or pebble. Jesus was saying, “Peter, you are a small stone or pebble, just like these in the River Panias.”

And on this Rock I will build My Church (Matthew 16:18b). The word rock or petra is a feminine noun and means a massive immovable cliff, rock or ledge, just like the one overshadowing them at Caesarea Philippi as Jesus spoke. The basic rules of Greek grammar state that a masculine modifies a masculine, a feminine modifies and feminine, and a neuter modifies a neuter. You cannot have a masculine noun modifying a feminine noun or vice versa; thus, it cannot be grammatically possible that the Church was being built upon Peter. Yeshua made two complete, separate statements. He said: you are Peter or Petros (masculine noun) and on this rock (change of gender, indicating change of subject) I will build My Church. Had Christ intended to say that the Church would be founded on Peter, it would have been ridiculous for Him to have shifted to the feminine form of the word in the middle of the sentence, saying, if we may translate literally and somewhat fancifully, “And I tell you that you are Mr. Rock, and on this, Mrs. Rock, I will build My Church.”

What Jesus was really saying was this: You are Petros, a rock-like man, and on this petra, this huge Gibraltar-like rock, My deity, I will build My Church.

No, without a doubt, the Bible tells us plainly that the Church is not built upon Peter, but that it is built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus Himself as the chief cornerstone (Ephesians 2:20). And again, for no one can lay any foundation other than the one already laid, which is Jesus Christ (First Corinthians 3:11). It is interesting to notice that some of the early Church fathers, Augustine and Jerome among them, understood the Rock not to be Peter, but Jesus Christ. Others, of course, gave the papal interpretation. But, this shows that there was no “unanimous consent of the fathers,” as the Roman Catholic Church claims.

This is the first time the word Church is used in the Bible and it is in the future tense. Covenant theology, or replacement theology, teaches that the Church existed since Adam and therefore the Church has always been the “true Isra’el.” But here, Yeshua indicates the Church is future, it will not begin until the festival of Shavu’ot when all of the Jews gathered there were filled with the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (see the commentary on Acts Al – The Ruach Ha’Kodesh Comes at Shavu’ot). Replacement theology teaches that all the promises to Isra’el have been forfeited because of her sin. The caution there would be that if Isra’el can lose her salvation because of her sin, we could lose our salvation because of our sin! However, the Word of God strongly teaches that the believer is secure in Christ (see Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). Rabbi Sha’ul writes: For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation (which includes us), will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord (Romans 8:38-39).

Whenever the word Rock is used in the TaNaKh, it is a picture of the Messiah (Genesis 49:24; Exodus 17:6; Numbers 20:8; Deuteronomy 32:4 and 13; Second Samuel 22:2; Psalms 18:2, 19:14, 40:2, 61:2 and 92:15; Isaiah 26:4 and 51:1). The Church, then, was not being built upon Peter, but upon the Messiah. More specifically, on what Peter had just said about the Messiah (Peter’s Confession of Christ). You are Peter, and upon this rock I will build My Church (Mattityahu 16:18 KJV). On what basis, then, does the Roman church establish their doctrine of papal succession from Peter forward? To start with, they ignore any accountability for their interpretation by ignoring the original language – the Greek text.

These are the notes taken from the Catholic bible to interpret this verse: The Aramaic word kepa, meaning rock and transliterated into Greek as Kephasis is the name by which Peter is called in the Pauline letters (First Corinthians 1:12; 3:22, 9:5, 15:5; Galatians 1:18; 2:9, 11 and 14, except in Galatians 2:7-8 where he is called Peter). It is translated as petros or Peter in John 1:42. The presumed original Aramaic of Jesus’ statement would have been, in English, “You are the Rock (Kefa) and upon this rock (Kefa), I will build My church.” The Greek text probably means the same, for the difference in gender between the masculine noun petros (Peter’s new name), and the feminine noun petra (rock) may be due simply to the unsuitability of using a feminine noun as the proper name of a male. While the two words were generally used with slightly different nuances, they were also used interchangeably with the same meaning “rock.”

You would hope that a doctrine as important as this one is to the Roman church that they would do a little more than presume what the original language meant. And to say that the Greek text probably means that the words are the same is at best bad scholarship, and at worst irresponsible beyond comprehension. It seems to me that they were not trying to draw meaning out of the text (exegesis), but to read their own meaning into the text. The reason the Catholic Church uses the Latin Vulgate translation instead of the Greek translation is because the Greek translation differentiates between Peter (petros) and rock (petra), the Vulgate does not. In Latin Vulgate translation they are the same word, so the Roman church falsely says that Peter is the Rock on which the Church was built. Five other significant points need to be made before leaving this important topic.

First, Peter never claimed to be the pope in his own writings (First Peter 1:1, 5:1-3). It seems inconceivable that if he had been the pope, “the supreme head of the church taking the place of Christ on earth,” he would have declared that fact in his letters. On the contrary, Peter refers to himself as an apostle of Jesus Christ (of which there were eleven others, and later Rabbi Sha’ul was commissioned by Yeshua as an apostle to the Gentiles), and a fellow elder, that is, simply as a minister of Christ.

Second, it is very interesting to notice Paul’s attitude toward Peter. Paul was called to be an apostle at a later time, after the Church had begun. Yet, Kefa had nothing to do with that choice, as he surely would have if he had been the pope. Paul was easily the greatest of the apostles, having written more of the New Covenant than Peter did. And, on one occasion, Paul publicly rebuked Peter (Galatians 2:11-14 and 16). In other words, Paul gave the “Holy Father” a “dressing down” in front of them all, accusing him of not walking in the truth of the gospel. Surely that was no way to talk to a pope! Imagine anyone today, even a cardinal, taking on himself to rebuke and instruct the pope with such language! Just who did Paul think he was that he could rebuke the “Vicar of Christ” for ungodly conduct? If Kefa were the pope it would have been Paul’s duty and the duty of the other apostles to recognize him as such and teach only what he approved. Obviously, Paul did not regard Peter as infallible in faith and morals, or recognize his supremacy in any way.

Third, the other apostles also seem totally unaware that Peter was the head of the Church. Nowhere do they acknowledge his authority. And nowhere does he attempt to exercise authority over them. The council in Jerusalem in Acts 15 reveals quite clearly how the Church operated in those days. Had the present papal hierarchy been in place, there would have been no need for a council in the first place. The church at Antioch would have written a letter to Kefa, the bishop of Rome, and he would have issued a papal bull settling the matter. And of all the churches the one at Antioch was the last that should have appealed to Tziyon. For, according to Roman Catholic legend, Peter was bishop in Antioch for seven years before transferring his authority to Rome. But, the appeal was made to a church council at Jerusalem, not to Peter. And James presided and announced the decision, not Peter. In fact, Kefa didn’t even so much as express an opinion. He did not attempt to make any infallible pronouncements although the subject under discussion was a vital matter of faith. Furthermore, after the council in Yerushalayim, Kefa is never again mentioned in the book of Acts! That would be a pretty strange way for a pope to act.

Fourth, according to Roman Catholic tradition, Peter was the first bishop of Rome. His pontificate supposedly lasted for twenty-five years until he was martyred in Rome in 67 AD. The remarkable thing, however, about Peter’s alleged reign as pope in Rome, is that the New Covenant does not say one single word about it. The word Rome appears only nine times in the Bible, and never is Kefa mentioned in connection with it. There is no mention to Rome in either of Peter’s letters. But, Paul’s journey to Rome is recorded in great detail in Acts 27 and 28. In fact, there is no evidence in the New Covenant, nor any historical proof of any kind, that Peter was ever in Rome (see the commentary on Romans Do – The People God Uses).

Lastly, the most compelling reason for believing that Peter was never in Rome is found in Paul’s letter to the Romans. According to Roman Catholic tradition, Kefa reigned as pope in Rome from 42 to 67 AD. It is generally agreed that Paul’s letter to the church in Rome was written in the year 58 AD, at the very height of Peter’s alleged reign there. He did not address his letter to Peter, as he should have if he was pope, but, to the believers in Rome. How strange for a missionary to write to a church and not mention its pastor! That would have been an inexcusable insult. What would we think of a missionary today who would dare to write a congregation in a distant city and without mentioning their pastor, tell them that he was anxious to go there so that he might bare some fruit among them even as he had seen in his own community (Romans 1:13), that he was anxious to instruct and strengthen them, and that he was anxious to preach to Gospel there where it had not been preached before? How would the pastor feel if he knew that such greetings had been sent to 27 of his most prominent members, but not him? Would he stand for such unethical actions? Even more so the pope! If Peter had been ministering in the church at Rome for 16 years, why did Paul write to the people of the church in these words: I long to see you so that I may impart to you some spiritual gift to make you strong (Romans 1:11). Would that not be an insult to Kefa? Would it not be presumptuous for Paul to go over the head of the pope? And if Peter had been there for 16 years, why was it necessary for Paul to go there at all, especially since in his letter he says that he does not build on another’s foundation: it has always been my ambition to preach the gospel where Christ was not known, so that I would not be building on someone else’s foundation (Romans 15:20). At the conclusion of his letter to the Roman church, Paul sends greetings to the 27 people mentioned above, including some women. But, he does not mention Kefa at all.

And again, had Peter been pope in Rome prior to, or at the time Paul arrived there as a prisoner in 61 AD, Paul could not have failed to mention him, for in the letters written in Rome during his imprisonment – Ephesians, Philippians, Colossians and Philemon – he gives quite a list of his fellow-workers in Rome and Peter’s name is not among them. He spent two whole years there as a prisoner and welcomed all who came to see him (Acts 28:30). Nor does he mention Peter in his second letter to Timothy, which was written from Rome during his second imprisonment, in 67 AD, the year that Peter is alleged to have suffered martyrdom in Rome, and shortly before his own death (Second Timothy 4:6-8). He says that all his friends had abandoned him, and that only Luke was with him (Second Timothy 4:10-11). Where was Peter? If he was the pope in Rome when Paul was a prisoner, why did Peter not call on Paul and offer aid? What kind of spiritual leader would that be?

All of this makes it quite clear that Peter was never in Rome at all, even though the Vatican has publicly unveiled a handful of bone fragments purportedly belonging to him. Not one of the early church fathers gives any support to the belief that Peter was bishop in Rome until Jerome in the fifth century. Du Pin, a Roman Catholic historian, acknowledges “the primacy of Peter is not recorded by the early church writers, Justin Martyr (139 AD), Irenaeus (178 AD), Clement of Alexandria (190 AD), or others of the most ancient fathers.” Catholicism builds her foundation neither on biblical teaching, nor upon the facts of history, but like the Oral Law, only on the unfounded traditions of men (Mark 7:8).⁸⁵⁸

And the gates of sh’ol will not overcome it (Mattityahu 16:18c). The gates of sh’ol is an idiom of the TaNaKh for physical death (Psalms 9:13, 107:18; Job 38:17; Isaiah 38:10; Jonah 2:6b). Neither Peter’s death, the death of the apostles, or even the death of Christ, could stop the Church from being built. This was implied partial blindness in the teaching of Jesus. He will start to address that partial blindness in the next file.

I will give you the keys of the kingdom of Heaven (Matthew 16:19a). Whenever the words key or keys is used symbolically in the Bible, it always symbolizes the authority to open or close doors (Judges 3:25; First Chronicles 9:27; Isaiah 22:20-24; Matthew 16:19a; Revelation 1:18, 3:7, 9:1 and 20:1). Peter will be responsible to open the doors of the Church. He will have a special role in the book of Acts. In the Dispensation of the Torah, humanity was divided into two groups, Jews and Gentiles. But, in the Dispensation of Grace, because of what went on in the intertestamental period, there were three groups of people, Jews, Gentiles and Samaritans (Matthew 10:5-6). Peter would be the key person (pun intended) in bringing in the Jews (Acts 2), the Samaritans (Acts 8), and the Gentiles (Acts 10) into the Church by receiving the Holy Spirit. Once he opened the door it stayed open.

Whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed in heaven (Mattityahu 16:19b). The perfect tense is used here, meaning that whatever is already God’s decision in heaven will be revealed to the apostles on earth. It literally says: Whatever you prohibit on earth will have already been prohibited in heaven. The terms binding and loosing were common in the rabbinic writing of that day. From the Jewish frame of reference, the terms binding and loosing were used by the rabbis in two ways: judicially and legislatively. Judicially, to bind meant to punish, and to loose meant to release from punishment. Legislatively, to bind meant to forbid something, and to loose meant to permit it. In fact, the Pharisees claimed binding and loosing for themselves, but, God really never gave it to them. At that time Jesus gave this special authority to Peter alone. After His resurrection Christ gave the unique authority to bind and loose in legislative matters and in judicial punishment to the other apostles. Once the talmidim died, however, that authority died with them.

The apostles exercised this authority legislatively to permit and forbid. And we can see Peter exercising judicial authority in Acts 5 where Peter bound Ananias and Sapphira for punishment because they lied to the Holy Spirit. As a result, Peter bound them for punishment using his apostolic authority and they were killed.

Today many people take this concept of binding and loosing out of context and talk about binding and loosing demons. First, we are told to resist, not bind, the devil and he will flee from you (James 4:7). There is no suggestion in the Scriptures that we should bind the Destroyer of souls. Even Michael was told not to enter into spiritual battle with Satan. Jude reminds us: But even the archangel Michael, when he was disputing with the devil about the body of Moses, did not dare to bring a slanderous accusation against him but said, “The Lord rebuke you” (Jude 9)! Theoretically, even if we could bind the Adversary it seems that somebody keeps loosening him after he is bound! No, the context here is not satanic activity, but apostolic authority.⁸⁵⁹

Later in the epistles, we find the apostles binding and loosing. First, we see Peter practiced binding when he forbid Ananias and Sapphira to lie about keeping part of the money that was supposed to go to the needy in the church at Jerusalem when they sold a piece of property. When Kefa confronted them, they individually fell down dead for lying to the Holy Spirit (Acts 5:1-11). Like raising the dead, I don’t see anyone in the Church doing this today. Secondly, Paul confronted, or forbid, Judaizers from attacking believers in the Church (Galatians 1:1 to 2:21); and Paul and Barnabas confronted, or forbid, a group of Judaizers from imposing all of the 613 commandments in the Torah as being obligatory on believers at the council at Jerusalem (Acts 15:1-21).

Once the Great Sanhedrin rejected Christ, His ministry changed dramatically (see En – Four Drastic Changes in Christ’s Ministry). The second change concerned the people for whom He performed the miracles to verify His messiahship. Before His rejection, Jesus performed miracles for the benefit of the people and did not ask for a demonstration of faith; but afterwards, He only performed miracles on the basis of individual need and a demonstration of faith. So the emphasis changed from the multitudes without faith, to individuals with faith. Therefore, Jesus warned His twelve apostles not to tell [the multitudes] that He was the Messiah (Mattityahu 16:20; Mark 8:30b).

Peter’s confession illustrates that Isra’el has partial sight concerning the Messiah, but they also have partial blindness, as we shall see in the next file.

The Leaven of the Pharisees and the Sadducees
Matthew 16:5-12 and Mark 8:13-26

The leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees DIG: In light of all the miracles that Jesus had already done, why would the Pharisees demand a sign from heaven? How might they have responded if Messiah had provided one? What is the leaven about which the Lord warned? How does the leaven differ from Yeshua’s bread? How do the apostles take His comments? With what tone of voice do you hear Christ speaking with in Mark 8:17-21? Why? Where are the numbers five, seven and twelve used elsewhere in the gospels? What is Jesus’ point in highlighting these numbers? What should the Twelve understand about Him by these numbers and feedings? What was Messiah’s point in the series of questions? Why were the apostles so slow in understanding Him?

REFLECT: How can you guard against false teaching and the bad spirit that often comes with it? How can the leaven of the Pharisees and Sadducees be seen today? How does it show in the way people relate to God? To one another? What does hardness of heart mean to you? How has Yeshua made your heart softer?

Then Jesus left the skeptical Pharisees and Sadducees, got back into the boat with the apostles and crossed to the other side of the Sea of Galilee. As the western shore faded with the glorious memories of the greatest days of His past ministry, Christ must have been in a pensive mood. The Master was sure that the Twelve did not realize the danger that He and they were facing by the conspiracy of the Pharisees, Sadducees and the Herodians. There had already been a great defection of the masses, brought about in large measure by the false doctrines, teaching and leadership of these men. They hated Him and would leave no stone unturned until they had done away with Yeshua and His ministry.

The greatest danger for His talmidim, on whom so much depended for the future, was that they might become contaminated with the false teaching of these combined enemies. Those scheming Pharisees had just placed Jesus in a trying position, where He might have easily been misunderstood, by their asking for a sign from heaven (Matthew 16:1; Mark 8:11). His apostles might have wondered why He didn’t give them one. Hadn’t the TaNaKh foretold that the Messiah would do so? The Twelve must be warned against the seductive influence of those hypocritical enemies, who under the appearance of religious zeal, were seeking to destroy both Him and them.

While in the boat, the talmidim realized that they had completely forgotten to bring bread along with them, except for one loaf they had with them (Matthew 16:5; Mark 8:13-14). Had their quick departure from the Pharisees caused this? At any rate, their failure set the stage for the Messiah to teach His apostles an important lesson. Be careful, Jesus warned them. The verb is in the imperfect tense, meaning He repeatedly warned them: Watch out for the leaven [Hebrew chametz] of the Pharisees, the Sadducees, and that of the Herodians (Matthew 16:6; Mark 8:15; for more information on the Herodians click link Cw –  to see Jesus Heals a Man With a Shriveled Hand). The talmidim were to perceive by the use of their eyes. It is used in a metaphorical sense, to see with the mind’s eye, to discern mentally, to understand. They were to be constantly keeping a watchful eye open to consider and watch out.

The Hebrew word Chametz is a bacteria that is essential for the baking of  bread. But the rabbinic tradition has emphasized the chametz is also a fitting symbol of sin which puffs up and permeates the human soul (Tractate Berakhot 17a). It is a powerful symbol that at Passover, traditional Jews and messianic believers are commanded to remove the chametz from their houses as a reminder to cleanse their spiritual lives as well.⁸⁵²

Whenever chametz is used symbolically in the Scriptures, it is always a symbol of sin (Mt 13:33, 16:12; First Corinthians 5:6-8). But, within the gospels, whenever chametz is used, it always symbolizes false doctrine or false teaching that works invisibly. All three of the religious sects from Yerushalayim were spreading false teaching about Jesus, and He warned the apostles not to believe it. All three used different lies. The chametz of the Pharisees lied and said that Jesus was demon possessed; the chametz of the Sadducees lied and said that Jesus was against the worship in the Temple set down by Moshe; the chametz of the Herodians lied and said that Jesus was opposed to Roman rule through the house of Herod.⁸⁵³ Once admitted into the heart or into society, this false teaching would spread until it made obedience to ADONAI impossible.

In light of the insincere questions of the Pharisees and Sadducees and the lack of bread to eat, Yeshua made the perfect connection between the two. Some of the teaching (and motivations) of those rabbis was like a spiritual chametz that could corrupt their souls. At first, the talmidim did not understand this teaching, they could only think of the most obvious connection. They discussed this among themselves in the boat and said: Jesus is saying this because we didn’t bring any bread (Matthew 16:7; Mark 8:16).

Aware of their discussion, Jesus made the connection for them in the form of a loving rebuke. He asked them: You of little faith, why are you talking among yourselves about having no bread. Do you still not see or understand? The verb is imperfect, speaking of continuous action. He said this over and over again, half speaking to them, half to Himself. Are your hearts hardened (Matthew 16:8-9a; Mark 8:17)? They clearly did not understand that He was not only pointing to their lack of bread. He then quoted Ezeki’el 12:2 when He said: Do you have eyes but fail to see, and ears but fail to hear? This sounds amazingly close to the passage He just quoted about the blasphemy of the Holy Spirit. They are very similar passages. Essentially Yeshua is saying, “Are you like the rest who have rejected Me?” Are you going to have ears and not hear? Are you also going to have eyes and not see? Which direction would they go? We soon find out with Peter’s confession at Caesarea Philippi.

If nothing else, the apostles should have had fresh on their minds the feeding of the five thousand (see Fn – Jesus Feeds the 5,000), and the feeding of four thousand (see Fu –  Jesus Heals a Deaf Mute and Feeds the 4,000). Don’t you remember the five loaves for the five thousand, and twelve basketfuls of pieces you picked up? Or the seven loaves for the four thousand, and seven basketfuls of pieces you picked up (Matthew 16:9b-10; Mark 8:18-20)? It was as if He was saying, “If I was only concerned about our having bread, I would simply create some Myself!” How is it you don’t understand that I was not talking to you about bread? In view of the tremendous issues at stake, there was agony of soul in the background of His questioning, but, without the Ruach ha-Kodesh to guide them, they still had a lot of learning to do in Christ’s apostolic college. Jesus finally had to explain to them that He was talking about the doctrines of the Pharisees and Sadducees.

The Lord was not merely talking about bread. He said to them: But be on your guard against the chametz of the Pharisees and Sadducees. In other words, the teaching of the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law) was like chametz in that it permeates and even corrupts the pure understanding of the Torah. Christ could be referring to both their false teaching as well as their dishonest attitude as seen in their deceitful encounters with Messiah. Then they understood that Jesus was not telling them to guard against the leaven used in bread, but against the false teaching of the Pharisees and Sadducees (Matthew 16:11-12; Mark 8:21).

When Christ and the Twelve came to Bethsaida Julias (where the 5,000 had been fed) it was probably late in the afternoon and they must have spent the night there. Their entrance into the town, however, had not gone unnoticed. Early the next morning some people brought a blind man and begged Jesus to touch him (Mark 8:22). This was after The official rejection by the Sanhedrin and He was no longer doing miracles for the masses to authenticate His messiahship. His healing was done only on the basis of personal need (see En – Four Drastic Changes in Christ’s Ministry). Thus, He took the blind man by the hand and led him outside the village where no one else could see what He was about to do.

When they got outside the village Jesus put some spit on the man’s eyes and put His hands on him, asking: Do you see anything? The man looked up and said: I see people, they look like trees walking around. This revealed that the ability to see had been restored, but the man was not yet able to focus so as to see more than an outline. He could not yet distinguish the details. In this, his sight was like that of any newborn baby who can see shapes, but is not able to focus and see details.⁸⁵⁴ Once more Yeshua put His hands on the man’s eyes. Then his eyes were opened, his sight restored, and he saw everything clearly (Mark 8:23-25). The word translated clearly (Greek: telaugos) means clearly at a distance, and indicates the complete restoration of the man’s sight.

We may conclude from this that there was no formula to His healing. Then Jesus sent him home, saying: Don’t go into the village (Mark 8:26). The policy of silence continued. This is the only miracle Yeshua ha-Mashiach performs in two stages that we know of. This two stage healing mirrors the healing of Isra’el herself and the two step cure of His blindness speaks of the Lord’s First and Second Comings.

The first time the Lord placed His hands on the man, he could only see vague outlines of people. They looked more like trees to him. This describes the confused and incomplete way Isra’el viewed their Messiah the first time He came. Their vision of Yeshua wasn’t clear enough to allow them to recognize Him when He came.

The second time Jesus touched the man’s eyes, he could see clearly. In the same way, the next time the Messiah comes the remnant of Isra’el will know exactly Who He is. Zechariah 12:10 says: They will look on me, the one they have pierced, and they will mourn for him as one mourns for an only child, and grieve bitterly for him as one grieves for a firstborn son.

In the next section, Peter’s confession illustrates the first stage of Isra’el’s partial sight. Rabbi Sha’ul wrote: I do not want you to be ignorant of this mystery, brothers, so that you may not be conceited: Isra’el has experienced a partial spiritual blindness until the full number of Gentiles has come in (Romans 11:25). The second stage will come at the end of the Great Tribulation when the entire nation accepts Jesus as the Messiah (see my commentary on the book of Revelation Ev – The Basis of the Second Coming of Jesus Christ) then all Isra’el will be saved, as it is written: The Deliverer will come to Zion. He will turn godlessness away from Jacob (Romans 11:26).⁸⁵⁵

The Pharisees and Sadducees Ask for a Sign
Matthew 15:39 to 16:4 and Mark 8:9b-12

The Pharisees and Sadducees ask for a sign DIG: What do you think the Pharisees and Sadducees actually were hoping to see in the sky? How convincing would a sign have been for these religious leaders? Would they have believed? Why or why not? What were they trying to accomplish?

REFLECT: Can you see anything of yourself in the attitude of those who asked for a sign? Do you sometimes doubt Jesus’ ability to meet your needs? How so? Do you seek to put Him to the test by demanding signs that suit you, rather than trusting Him and acknowledging your total dependence on Him? Do you truly believe the words of Christ that the Father knows what you need before you ask Him (Matthew 6:8)? Does your life exhibit that kind of faith?

After Yeshua had fed the multitude (to see link click Fu – Jesus Heals a Deaf Mute and Feeds the 4,000) He sent the crowd away (Mark 8:9b). Then He got into the boat and returned to the western shore of the Sea of Galilee with His talmidim that Matthew refers to as Magadan (15:39) and Mark refers to as Dalmanutha (8:10). Magadan was the name of a town, while Dalmanutha in Aramaic meant the harbor. Consequently, Dalmanutha was the harbor of Magadan that was located near Capernaum.

Even after the Sanhedrin rejected the Nazarene’s messianic claims, sometimes the Pharisees and Sadducees still came to the Lord to test Him. This time they came and asked Him to show them a sign from heaven (Matthew 16:1; Mark 8:11). It was as if they were saying, “Your miracles are merely deception and a fraud. Show us a sign from heaven, like causing the sun to stand still (Joshua 10:12-14) or calling down fire (First Kings 18:30-40).”⁸⁴⁷ Every section of the ruling classes – the Pharisees, formidable from their religious weight among the people; the Sadducees, few in number, but powerful from wealth and position; the Herodians, representing all the power of Rome, and their nominees the tetrarchs; the Torah-teachers, bring to bear the authority of their orthodoxy and learning – were all united against Him in one firm phalanx of conspiracy and opposition.

The Pharisees and Sadducees were so intent on discrediting Jesus that they went out from their seat in the Holy City and ventured deep into the heathen region of the Decapolis (Mark 7:31). Otherwise carefully shunned, they would normally never think of going into Gentile territory. But, their determination to get rid of Christ knew no limits. They were determined, above all things, to hinder His preaching and to alienate Him, as far as possible, from the affections of the people.⁸⁴⁸ They hated Him.

Twice before, they had come to Him asking for a sign. The first was at the Passover at the beginning of Messiah’s ministry (John 2:18). There He gave them the sign of His resurrection in figurative language that they used against Him at His last trial. Their second demand (Mattityahu 12:38) was clothed in contempt, consequently Yeshua gave them more figurative language about Jonah’s message to Nineveh from the belly of a whale for three days and three nights, and of His own death and resurrection. He said their condemnation would be greater than that of the Ninevites because of their attitude toward Him, who was greater than Jonah.

The Lord had warned them, along with the multitude, not to be seeking bread-from-heaven signs. The people had turned away from Him at that time because He would not repeat the sign of the miraculous feeding and kept it up, like Moshe had done, for years. Therefore, His enemies came to the Savior asking for a sign that they knew He wouldn’t give, in the hopes that the people would be alienated from Him all the more.⁸⁴⁹

The problem, of course, was not with the miracles Yeshua had performed but with the Pharisees’ interpretation of them. Jesus could tell they were hypocrites because they had already made a decision that His signs were from the Adversary (see Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, that This Fellow Drives out Demons). The Jewish religious leaders began to question Him. The fact that they asked for a sign from heaven revealed that they were really not looking for the sign, but evidence to convict the Lord of blasphemy. The verbal form to question is a present infinitive, showing continuous action. In reality, they were cross-examining Him.⁸⁵⁰

The Pharisees and Sadducees pretended that they wanted a sign showing that Jesus was, indeed, a spokesman for ADONAI. This sign was not just from “heaven” in the generic sense, but the conversation reflects the traditional way of substituting a word for the name of God, the One who dwells “in the heavens.” They were in fact asking the Lord to confirm that He was doing His miracles in the name of God and was, in fact, the Messiah of Isra’el. But, already being rejected, He saw right through their thinly veiled request.

But Jesus absolutely refused to meet their third demand for a sign. His response consisted of a simple yet profound parable (see Er – That Same Day He Spoke To Them In Parables). By doing so, those who heard through the ears of faith would glean the truth, but the skeptics would be judged with more confusion. He started with a common observation about weather patterns. Even the most simple observer could conclude that when evening comes, you say, “It will be fair weather, for the sky is red.” And by contrast, in the morning, you say, “Today it will be stormy, for the sky is red and overcast.” Those Pharisees and Sadducees could interpret the appearance of the sky, but [they could] not interpret the signs of the times right in front of them (Matthew 16:2-3). It was way past the time for another request for a sign from God. There had been several messianic miracles, healings and feedings that testified that Jesus was the promised Son of God.

It had reached the point where only a wicked and adulterous generation could ask for another sign. Jesus sighed deeply from the bottom of His heart and said: Why does this generation ask for a sign? Truly I tell you, no sign will be given to it except the sign of Jonah. However, Yeshua did not give an answer, which was in fact the same response He gave to other skeptics. No sign would be given except the sign of Jonah. By this, He was referring to His own resurrection. The sign was physical, but its source was spiritual – a sense of irreconcilable hostility, unshakable unbelief, and coming doom. There would be no more public miracles to try and convince the nation that He was the Messiah. The opportunity had already been missed (see En – Four Drastic Changes in Christ’s Ministry). There was no need for Him to speak to those rabbis any more about His identity, their minds were made up, their hearts were cold as stone; therefore, He then left them and went away (Matthew 16:4; Mark 8:12). There is never enough proof for unbelief.

The sign of Jonah is associated with the three days and three nights the prophet Jonah spent in the belly of a great sperm whale, which is the sign of the resurrection (see my commentary on Jonah Au – From the Belly of the Whale Jonah Prayed to the LORD). As such, the ancient prophet of Isra’el is a perfect type of death and resurrection of Yeshua Ha’Mashiach. The sign of Jonah will come to Isra’el on three occasions:

First, the sign will be seen in the death and resurrection of Lazarus (see Ia – The Resurrection of Lazarus: The First Sign of Jonah).

Secondly, it will be seen in the death and resurrection of Jesus (see Mc – The Resurrection of Jesus: The Second Sign of Jonah).

And thirdly, it will be seen in the death and resurrection of the two witnesses during the Great Tribulation in the last days (see my commentary on the book of Revelation Dm – The Resurrection of the Two Witnesses: The Third Sign of Jonah).

It is significant to point out that for traditional Jews, the sign of Jonah is contemplated once a year on the most high holy day of Yom Kippur (see my commentary on Exodus Go – The Day of Atonement). It is on this most significant day that the designated reading from the Prophets is none other than the entire scroll of Jonah. Thus, ADONAI continues to give those who love the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob a major sign of the true Meshiach every year as we attend High Holy Day services in the fall.⁸⁵¹

Jesus Heals a Deaf Mute and Feeds the Four Thousand
Matthew 15:29-38 and Mark 7:31 to 8:9a

Jesus heals a deaf mute and feeds the four thousand DIG: What is Yeshua doing going into Gentile territory? How does that compare with Jewish expectations of the Messiah (see Isaiah 35:3-6)? How does this feeding of this multitude compare with the previous one (to see link click Fn – Jesus Feeds the 5,000)? How do you account for the lack of insight by the apostles? What is Christ’s reason for healing and feeding the multitude?

REFLECT: When you face overwhelming situations, how well do you remember God’s provision in the past? What would stimulate your memory of ADONAI’s mercy? Do you sometimes doubt Jesus’ ability to meet your needs? How so? How are you discovering that He really can “shepherd” you? In what areas are you still unsure about that?

This is the last of four separate occasions where we see Jesus ministering to Gentiles in the gospels. Each time, His ministry was greatly received and bore much fruit. The first time Yeshua had come to the region of Gadarenes, which is across the lake from Galilee. He had healed a man with a legion of demons inside of him. The Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:15, 18, 15:29; Mark 1:16, 7:31, which was really a lake, was sometimes called Lake Tiberias (John 6:1 and 23), or Lake Gennesaret (Luke 5:1).

The people there asked Jesus to leave the territory, but, now He had come back. The demon-possessed man begged to go with Him, but the Lord sent him away because He was not accepting Gentile disciples at that time. He said: Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how He has had mercy on you (to see link click Fg – Jesus Heals Two Demon Possessed Men). The man did so in the area of Decapolis, or ten Gentile cities, and we now see the results of that man’s ministry.

Then Messiah left the vicinity of Tyre and went through Sidon, down to the Sea of Galilee and into the region of the Decapolis. He left the northwest side of the Sea of Galilee and went southeast, and went around the eastern shore to reach the region of Decapolis. Although the Decapolis was made up of ten Gentile cities where idolatry prevailed, there were small Jewish communities within each city. In Mark’s account we read about an incident of a Jew living in such a Greek city, which was not all that unusual. There, some fellow Jews brought Christ a man who was deaf and could hardly talk. Because he couldn’t communicate, his friends talked for him. They begged Jesus to heal their friend by placing His hand on him (Mark 7:31-32). Yeshua took him aside, away from the crowd. This was one of the drastic changes in the Lord’s ministry after His rejection by the Sanhedrin (see Eh – Jesus is Officially Rejected by the Sanhedrin). Signs and miracles were no longer to authenticate that He was the long awaited Meshiach, they were only based on personal need (see En – Four Drastic Changes in Christ’s Ministry).

Notice that there is no consistent method to Jesus’ healing. The miracle working Rabbi put His fingers into the man’s ears to deal with the deafness. Then He spit and touched the man’s tongue to deal with the speech problem. Christ looking up to heaven is best understood as an attitude of prayer (John 11:41-43, 17:1), and perhaps it was also a way of showing the man that God was the source of His power.⁸⁴³ And with a deep sigh said to him: Be opened! A deaf person could easily lip-read this word. Immediately the man’s ears were opened, his tongue was loosened and he began to speak plainly (Mark 7:33-35). He was in a new world, into which Jesus had put Him with only one Aramaic word: Ephphatha.

The Nazarene commanded them not to tell the other Jews in the community because, although most of the people had not made up their mind about Him, the Sanhedrin had already rejected Him. But the more He commanded them not to tell, the more they kept talking about it. They couldn’t contain their joy. The Jewish people were overwhelmed with amazement. “He has done everything well,” they said. The verb is in the perfect tense, showing their resolute convictions regarding our Lord. “He even makes the deaf hear and the mute speak” (Mark 7:36-37). They all knew these were messianic miracles.

Jesus left there and went along the Sea of Galilee. Then He went up on a mountainside and sat down, which was the official teaching position of a rabbi (Matthew 15:29). He was still in the Gentile region of the Decapolis (Mark 7:31). Great crowds of Gentiles came to Him. Among the people seeking help included the most seriously deformed. The prohibition against miracles for Jewish masses, or the condition of healing on the basis of personal need and faith did not apply to Gentiles. The four drastic changes in Christ’s ministry were for Jews only. The Gentiles had not rejected Jesus as the Messiah; it was only the Jews who claimed that He was demon possessed (see Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, that This Fellow Drives Out Demons). Thus, Gentiles brought the lame, the blind, the crippled, the mute and many others, and laid them at His feet. The supernatural power of the Meshiach was once again evident as He healed them in great numbers. They did not arrive at the same time, and those who were healed moved away to make room for others. But, at any given time, He would have had hundreds of people crowding around Him (Matthew 15:30; Mark 8:1a).

It is not hard to imagine the cries for help that mingled with shouts of joy, as some came to the Lord diseased and deformed while others were leaving healthy and whole. People who were sick went away cured; people who came with only one functioning arm or leg went away with two; and people who came blind and deaf went away seeing and hearing. People who had never spoken a word were now shouting praises to ADONAI. People who had never walked a step in their lives were now jumping and running for joy. Can anyone who claims the gift of healing do this today? Anyway, it was not surprising that the people were amazed when they saw the mute speaking, the crippled made well, the lame walking and the blind seeing. And they glorified the God of Isra’el (Matthew 15:31 NASB).⁸⁴⁴

The multitudes were so large and the needs so great that the healing continued for several days. Since they had nothing to eat, Jesus used that situation as a teachable moment. He called His apostles to Him and said: I have compassion for these people; they have already been with Me three days and have nothing to eat. If I send them home hungry, they will collapse on the way, because some of them have come a long distance (Mt 15:32; Mk 8:1b-3). Does that sound familiar? It should, because Yeshua said basically the same thing when He had compassion on a large crowd of Jews following after Him (see Fn – Jesus Feeds the 5,000).

It seems incredible to us today, but, the talmidim had not learned this lesson yet. However judgmental we might be, we need to remember that they had not yet received the Ruach Ha’Kodesh to guide and teach them (John 14:15-27). So, to a certain extent, they still didn’t have all the spiritual light they would have later. But, their lapse of faith had happened before in Jewish history, even as the generation that walked through the Red Sea (see my commentary on Exodus Ci – The Waters Were Divided and the Israelites Went Through the Sea on Dry Land), was soon complaining about ADONAI’s lack of provision! But, isn’t it still human nature today to have a short memory when it comes to the reality of God’s presence among us?⁸⁴⁵

The Twelve recognized the impossibility of acquiring food in that region to feed so many people. So, they answered: Where could we get enough bread in this remote place to feed such a crowd? How quickly they had forgotten about the feeding of the 5,000! Christ asked them: How many loaves do you have? Seven, they replied:and a few small fish. What a coincidence, a little bread and few small fish again! He told the crowd to sit down on the ground (Matthew 15:33-35; Mark 8:4-6a). Because this multitude was almost as large as the previous one that was fed, it seems likely that Messiah also had this large gathering sit in groups of hundreds and fifties in order to simplify the distribution.

Then He took the seven loaves as well as a few small fish and gave thanks. He broke them and gave them to the Twelve to distribute to the people. As always, Yeshua’s provision was more than sufficient: they all ate and were satisfied. Afterward the Twelve picked up seven large baskets of broken pieces that were left over. The number of those who ate was about four thousand men, besides women and children and could have totaled as many as fifteen thousand people (Matthew 15:36-38; Mark 8:6b-9a).

The seven large baskets mentioned here are of a different type than the twelve baskets used in the feeding of the 5,000 Jews. The type of basket used at the previous feeding was a small Jewish container called a kophinos, used by a person when traveling to carry food for one or two meals. The baskets used in the Decapolis feeding, however, were spuridas, which were distinctly Gentile and quite large. They could even hold a grown man, and it was in such a basket that Rabbi Sha’ul was lowered through an opening in the wall at Damascus (Acts 9:25). As a result, those seven large baskets held considerably more food than the twelve small baskets used in the feeding of the Jews. Because this crowd had nothing to eat for three days, they would have consumed more than the other, which had been without food for only one day (Matthew 14:15).

Alfred Edersheim (1825-1889), the famous Messianic Jew, observed that “the Lord ended each phase of His ministry with a feeding. He ended His Galilean ministry with the feeding of the five thousand. He ended His Gentile ministry with the feeding of the four thousand. And He ended the Judean ministry before His death on the cross with the feeding of His own talmidim in the upper room.”⁸⁴⁶

The Faith of a Canaanite Woman
Matthew 15:21-28 and Mark 7:24-30

The faith of a Canaanite woman DIG: How would the Pharisees and the Torah-teachers view the Lord going into Gentile territory? What was Jesus’ point in going to Tyre and interacting with a Canaanite woman after His confrontation with the religious leaders from Jerusalem over the Oral Law? What do we learn about this woman? How did her reply show her faith? What is the intent of His play on words?

REFLECT: When you deal with needy people or “outsiders” are you more like the apostles or Yeshua? If Christ came to your community, who are the “unclean” He would care for? How might you be His hands and feet for them? Christ walked about a hundred miles to heal this woman’s daughter. How has God done that in your life?

This story about the faith of a Canaanite woman seems to be a natural sequence to the preceding incident showing Jesus wiping out the distinction between clean and unclean foods, while here we see Christ wiping out the difference between clean and unclean people. Yeshua normally had no relationship with Gentiles because any association with them made Jews ceremonially unclean. But, now Messiah shows by example that this and other Oral Laws are invalid by deliberately interacting with a Gentile woman. Another purpose was to emphasize the eventual mission to the Goyim (the Gentile nations). The kingdom of God was not to be limited to Isra’el, even though it came to her first.

This is the third time we see Jesus ministering to Gentiles in the gospels. He set His course for the territory to the northwest of Isra’el known as the region of Tyre and Sidon. This is the same territory that Elijah was sent to, which is modern-day Lebanon. His intent was to have a private time with the talmidim. But, it is interesting to note that Jesus of Nazareth seldom traveled to Gentile areas during His lifetime. In fact, He rarely had a personal conversation with anyone outside of His Jewish community.

This was not a racism or spiritual superiority but, in reality, it is quite fair and logical. After all, the promise of ADONAI was given to Isra’el starting with Abraham, then Isaac and then to Jacob, so it is only fair that they, people of the promise, should be the first to hear of its fulfillment. Of course, the time will come when this message will go out to all the Gentile nations (Matthew 28:19). Here Yeshua enters a Gentile area and ministers to a pagan Canaanite woman. This was a general term, meaning she was a Gentile.⁸³⁹ Nothing could be lower on the Jewish social scale than a Gentile woman!

Jesus left that place and went into the vicinity of Tyre and Sidon. The little preposition eis, translated into is notable. Our Lord did not merely cross over the border into Phoenician territory, but He went deep into the heart of the country. According to Josephus (Jewish Wars, 3. 1), at the time of the Messiah these two areas stretched from the Mediterranean towards Jordan. It was to these extreme boundaries of the Land that Christ had withdrawn from pharisaic Judaism and its blind obedience to the Oral Law (to see link click Ei – The Oral Law). There, our Savior spoke words of healing, and a Canaanite woman would not let the miracle working Rabbi of Isra’el go without an answer.

This scene is quite a contrast to the previous one where Yeshua was in Jewish territory, in Galilee. But, now He was entering purely Gentile country, the land of Phoenicia. He had experienced the antagonism of the Jewish leadership, and had failed to get the quiet and rest He needed to minister and teach His apostles. Consequently, He entered a house and did not want anyone to know it. Yet, He could not keep His presence secret and a Canaanite woman, who was Greek and born in Syrian Phoenicia, heard about Him (Mattityahu 15:21; Mark 7:24, 7:25a, 7:26a). The news concerning the great Teacher and Healer had spread far beyond the confines of Isra’el into pagan territory.

Mark says that the woman was a Greek, born in Syrian Phoenicia. Since she obviously was not a Greek by nationality, Greek is probably equivalent here to Gentile (in distinction from being Jewish) or to Greek-speaking. By nationality, the woman was a Syrophoenician. In those days Phoenicia belonged administratively to Syria. So Mark probably used Syrian Phoenicia to distinguish this woman from Libyan Phoenicia in North Africa. Jesus’ conversation with this woman, therefore, must have been in Greek, not Aramaic. There is no reason why the Nazarene, raised in Galilee, would not have known Greek. In the villages and towns of Palestine, He would ordinarily have used Aramaic. But, in the coastal cities of the Greeks, He would have spoken to them in Greek.⁸⁴⁰

But immediately, a Canaanite woman came to Him and fell at His feet and cried out: Lord, Son of David. By addressing Jesus as the Son of David, it seemed that she had knowledge of, and faith in, the claim that He was the Meshiach of Isra’el. She must have also known of the Hebrew Scriptures promise that the blessings of the Lord were not only for the Jewish people, but would ultimately bless many Gentiles as well. ADONAI had said to Abram: I will make you into a great nation, and I will bless you; I will make your name great, and you will be a blessing. I will bless those who bless you, and whoever curses you I will curse; and all the peoples on earth will be blessed through you (Genesis 12:1-3). Somehow it seemed that this Canaanite woman believed that moment in history had arrived when she met the miracle-working Rabbi from Galilee.

Her request had a sense of urgency when she cried out: Have mercy on me! My little daughter is demon-possessed by an impure spirit and suffering terribly (Matthew 15:22; Mark 7:25b). The spiritual oppression and demonic activity was certainly stronger and more common in the land of paganism and idolatry. Job 1 and Zechariah 3 can testify to the reality of demonic activity and Adversary Himself. In fact, his very name in Hebrew means to oppose. While the devil and his demons can do great damage to this world and its people, believers in Christ must take hold of the promise that He who is in you is greater than the Adversary who is in the world (First John 4:4 CJB). It was with this understanding that this Gentile mother came to Yeshua Ha’Mashiach to plead for spiritual deliverance for her daughter.

She begged Jesus to drive the demon out of her daughter (Mark 7:26b). The verb erotao, is in the imperfect tense indicating continuous action. She kept on begging. What she was really asking for was a miracle. He was the Messiah and, therefore, she was asking for something that was promised to Isra’el, not to the Gentiles. On that basis, Yeshua’s first response was rather shocking. He did not answer or say anything to her. So His talmidim having observed the exchange probably assumed that their Rabbi did not have the time or the inclination to address her needs. They came to Him and urged Him, “Send her away, for she keeps crying out after us” (Mattityahu 15:23).

When she kept pressing the issue, Jesus tells her what the real problem was. He reminded the Twelve (and undoubtedly the Canaanite woman) that He was sent only to the lost sheep of Isra’el (Matthew 15:24)! Yeshua’s personal mission prior to His death and resurrection was only to the Jews – God’s people. After the Ruach Ha’Kodesh was given, the gospel would reach the Gentiles even to the ends of the earth (Acts 1:8), who would be grafted into Isra’el through the Messiah (Romans 11:16-24).⁸⁴¹ The situation must have seemed bleak. There was nothing He could do for her. So, being desperate to save her daughter, she changed the basis of her plea.

The woman came and knelt before (Greek: proskuneo, meaning to kiss the face) Him. “Lord, help me!” she said (Matthew 15:25). She came to Him on the basis of her own personal need (see En – Four Drastic Changes in Christ’s Ministry). But, Messiah’s answer still did not give the mother much hope. In fact, it must have been utterly discouraging. Jesus replied with an analogy: First let the children eat all they want, for it is not right to take the children’s bread and toss it to the dogs (Matthew 15:26; Mark 7:27). In other words, it was not proper to take what was promised to the Jews and give it to the Gentiles. The word Jesus used was kunarion, literally, to the puppies. Because they were the people of the Covenant, over time the spiritual pride of the Jews grew and grew. Eventually they came to regard the non-Jews as dogs, using the word for dog that would have been translated wild beasts that roam in packs (Mt 7:6; Lk 16:21; Second Peter 2:22; Revelation 22:15). Even to enter the house of a Gentile was unthinkable because any Jew would then be considered defiled. In an interesting twist, however, Yeshua used the friendlier term for dog that would be used of household pets, or puppies. His response was still quite shocking, but it emphasized the common understanding of the day that the great treasures given to Isra’el were not meant to be desecrated by the pagan Gentiles.

And because she was a believer and could discern spiritual truth, she understood the lesson He intended to teach. Her reply was remarkable. She humbly agreed with Jesus’ statement and replied: Yes, Lord, but even the puppies eat the children’s crumbs that fall from their master’s table (Mt 15:27; Mk 7:28). And Jesus loved her. Here was a sunny faith that would not take no for an answer; here was a woman with the tragedy of a demon-possessed daughter at home, yet there was still light enough in her heart to answer with a little smile.⁸⁴² The household puppies were part of the family and loved by the children. The bottom line was that she was not asking for that which was promised to the Jews, only that which was extended to the Gentiles.

The woman had taken the place of a Gentile, and had, so to speak, accepted the second place in line. Jesus was pleased with her reply. On that basis, then, He was free to minister to her and granted her appeal. Then Jesus said to her: Woman, you have great faith! Your request is granted. You may go; the demon has left your daughter. The perfect tense is used, showing that it was a permanent cure. And her daughter was healed at that moment. Indeed, she went home and found her child lying on the bed, and the demon was gone (Mattityahu 15:28; Mark 7:29-30).

The whole situation gives us a great picture of first-century Jewish culture. In light of the fact that the Jews are the people of the Covenant, it was understandable. It was not time for the Gospel to be declared to the Gentile nations. Because it is the power of God that brings salvation to everyone who believes: first to the Jew, then to the Gentile (Romans 1:16). This situation was very consistent with traditional rabbinic view dealing with Gentiles who were seeking after ADONAI. While the door has always been open for any Gentile to connect with Isra’el and their God, the rabbis did not make it very easy.

Out of fear of insincere converts or pagan cultural influences, it was specified that the Gentiles needed to clearly prove their commitment. The most pessimistic view stated that the proselytes are as hard for Isra’el to endure as a sore (Tractate Yevamot 47b). The rabbis teach that even the sin of the Golden Calf in the wilderness is to be blamed on the converts from Egyptian paganism (Exodus Rabba 42:6).

Because of these suspicions, it was understood that if a Gentile seeker approached a rabbi, the rabbi was obligated to initially reject the person. In a most interesting parallel to this account seen here, the Talmud notes that some key questions should be posed to a potential convert, like “What is your objective,” and “Do you know that today the people of Isra’el are in constant suffering.” If the seeker says, “I know of this and I do not have the merit,” then that seeker is to be accepted immediately and taught some of the precepts of the Torah (Tractate Yevamot 47a).

In this context, Christ’s encounter with this Gentile woman reflected the very natural reply of a first-century rabbi to a seeker of the God of Isra’el. Without a doubt, the Lord rather harshly rejected the Canaanite woman three different times – not answering at all, then saying His calling was only to the Jews, and finally saying He could not share the bread with a Gentile. It is the commonly held tradition, along with the grace of Yeshua, which resulted in the acceptance of that woman as a new disciple and the healing of her daughter. This should serve as a beautiful reminder to all Gentile believers that they are grafted into Messiah by faith.

This was an important lesson for the Twelve to learn in view of the ministry that would be entrusted to them in the days following Christ’s death and resurrection.

Rabbi Sha’ul says to us even today: To those of you who are Gentiles I say this: since I myself am an emissary sent to the Gentiles, I make known the importance of my work in the hope that somehow I may provoke some of my own people to jealousy and save some of them! For if their casting Yeshua aside means reconciliation for the world, what will their accepting him mean? It will be life from the dead! Now if the hallah offered as firstfruits is holy, so is the whole loaf. And if the root is holy, so are the branches. But if some of the branches were broken off, and you – a wild olive – were grafted in among them and have become equal sharers in the rich root of the olive tree (Romans 11:13-17 CJB).

Why Do Your Disciples Break the Tradition of the Elders?
Matthew 15:1-20; Mark 7:1-23; John 7:1

Why do you disciples break the tradition of the elders DIG: According to Jewish tradition, what did the apostles do wrong? What three areas did Jesus find so hypocritical about the Pharisees and their traditions? How does the quote from Isaiah address the issue at hand? What is the source of true uncleanness? Why can’t external things defile a person? What is the meaning of Yeshua’s parable? Why didn’t the talmidim understand it? Why was it easier to follow religious rules rather than to develop an intimate relationship with ADONAI?

REFLECT: Which of your family traditions would be difficult to change? What traditions do you follow that are part of your religious heritage? What do you do to appear holy? When are you most likely to uphold outward religious tradition rather than honor God in your heart? What is wrong with measuring spirituality by outward actions? How can you make sure traditions and outward actions do not replace true holiness? What can you do to have a pure heart?

Jesus’ popularity sparked envy and concern among the religious leaders of His time. The trouble making Rabbi was breaking too many rules. His talmidim were ignoring traditions held for centuries. A huge collection of rules for living had gradually developed that was supposed to reflect the central teaching of ADONAI’s Word. Many of these, however, turned out to be subtle ways to deflect and actually contradict His commands, as Christ pictures here.

By the time of our Savior, the tradition of the elders, or the Oral Law (to see link click Ei – The Oral Law), had become equal with Scripture in the eyes of the Jews. In fact, to some Jews it had even become greater than the TaNaKh. The rabbis taught that it was more punishable to act against the words of the Scribes, than the words of the Scriptures. They had many other sayings that, in effect, said the same thing. The rabbis had a saying, “He that says something he did not hear from his rabbi causes the Sh’khinah glory to depart from Israel.” They also said, “He that contradicts his rabbis is he that will contradict the Sh’khinah glory. He that would speak against his rabbi is he that would speak against God.” Shockingly, the rabbis said, “My son, give my people words of the rabbis, then give them the words of the Torah.” In that same line of thinking, the rabbis taught that to study the Scriptures was neither good nor bad. But to study the Oral Law was a good habit that brought reward.⁸²⁷

We have already seen two major areas of confrontation between Jesus and the Jewish leadership concerning the Oral Law: fasting (see Dq – When You Fast, Put Oil on Your Head and Wash Your Face) and the proper ways of keeping the Sabbath (see Cs – Jesus Heals a Man at the Pool of Bethesda), (Cv – The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath), and (Cw – Jesus Heals a Man With a Shriveled Hand). Here we see a third major confrontation over hand washing.

After this, Jesus went around in Galilee. He did not want to go about in Judea because the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill Him (John 7:1). From now to the end of His public ministry, hostility to Christ continued to grow. As the hatred of His opponents deepened, it meant that Yeshua could no longer move openly.

And some Pharisees and some of the Torah-teachers who had come from Jerusalem gathered around Jesus (Matthew 15:1; Mark 7:1). Mark begins his account of this confrontation with the word and, or the Greek work kai. This connects what follows very loosely with what went on before; namely, contrast between the phenomenal popularity of the people and the extraordinary hostility of pharisaic Judaism.

They saw some of his talmidim eating bread with hands that were defiled, that is, unwashed (Mark 7:2). Bread is plural in the Greek, and is preceded by the definite articles. The article points to some particular bread known by the Pharisees and the Lord. The plural number speaks of loaves of bread. The reference evidently was to the talmidim eating some of the bread preserved in the baskets from the mountainside near the town of Bethsaida (see Fn – Jesus Feeds the 5,000). There was no specific opportunity at that time to wash their hands, which would have been a good thing to do. But, it was a much more serious issue with the Pharisees because they were thinking only in terms of their traditions.

The Pharisees and all the Jews do not eat unless they give their hands a ceremonial washing, holding to the tradition of the elders (Mark 7:3), or the Oral Law. The word elders referred to the members of the council (see Lg – The Great Sanhedrin). In early times the rulers of the people were chosen from the elderly men. The washing was done with the fist clenched. The person rubbed one hand on the arm up to the elbow with the other hand clenched. The “hand” was considered from the tip of the fingers to the elbow. Then that person would rub using the palm of the other hand with the other clenched, so as to make sure that the part that touched the food would be clean.⁸²⁸

When they come from the marketplace they do not eat unless they wash. It was acceptable to touch ceremonially impure things, but, the Oral Law said they needed to wash their “hands” from the elbow to the fingertips before eating. And they observe many other traditions, such as the washing of cups, pitchers and kettles (Mark 7:4). The Jews were careful to wash their hands before eating anything. They wouldn’t eat the smallest seed until they washed their hands first, even though Moses never commanded it.

Orthodox Jews today observe hand washing before meals. The rationale for it has nothing to do with hygiene but is based on the idea that “a man’s home is his Temple,” with the dining table his altar, the food his sacrifice and himself as the priest. Since the TaNaKh requires priests to be ceremonially clean before offering sacrifices on the bronze Altar, the Oral Law requires the same before eating a meal.⁸²⁹

To give you an idea of just how radical they were about this, here is what the Oral Law says about hand washing. The rabbis taught that it was better to have to walk four miles to water, than to be guilty of neglecting to wash their hands. They also said that the one who neglects hand washing was as bad as a murderer. Along that same line of thinking, they said the one who neglects hand washing is like one who goes to a prostitute. They also said that three sins bring poverty after them, and one of them is neglecting hand washing (In other words, if you don’t want to die poor, wash your hands before you eat).⁸³⁰

But, when Jesus didn’t follow the traditions of men He was viciously attacked. So the Pharisees and Torah-teachers asked Jesus, “Why do Your talmidim break the tradition of the elders instead of washing their hands before they eat” (Matthew 15:2; Mark 7:5)? It is worth noting that the Pharisees and Torah-teachers never had a single opportunity to accuse Jesus of violating the Torah, because He kept it perfectly (see my commentary on Exodus Du – Do Not Think I Have Come to Abolish the Torah or the Prophets). Every argument they had, without exception, was over the Oral Law. This was the basis of His rejection. Then Jesus points out three areas where pharisaic Judaism was a sham.

First, He said the true nature of the traditions of men was hypocrisy. He replied: Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you hypocrites; as it is written: “These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules (Mark 7:6-7; Isaiah 29:13). Legalism gives the outward sense of spirituality, or of being religious. They appear to be spiritual or religious because they live a legalistic lifestyle. They believe they are honoring and worshiping God by trying to keep this set of human rules.

Secondly, sometimes to keep the traditions of men, they actually had to ignore a divine commandment. You have [abandoned] the commands of God and are holding on to the traditions of men (Mark 7:8). Jesus admits to breaking the Oral Law, and, as we shall see later, He goes out of His way to break it.

Thirdly, sometimes to keep the traditions of men, they had to reject a divine commandment. Then He immediately gives an example of their hypocrisy. Yeshua’s response was both simple and forceful as He answered their question with irony and biting sarcasm when He asked: Why do you break the command of God by your tradition? They made God’s Word null and void, and stumbled untold many. For God said through Moses, “Honor your father and mother,” and in conjunction with that mitzvah, the Torah also states that anyone who curses their father or mother is to be put to death (Matthew 15:3-4; Mark 7:9-10). At that point, it was still the commandment for breaking the Torah. But the Mishnah declared, “He who curses his father or mother is not guilty unless he specifically curses them with the name of ADONAI” (Sanhedrin 7. 8). Although these are clear Torah commands that any rabbi would surely respect, Messiah points out how, by means of a theological debate, the Oral Law skirted around the original intent of the commandment.

But you say that if anyone declares that what might have been used to help their father or mother is “devoted to God” or Corban (Matthew 15:5; Mark 7:11). Yeshua was referring to the Oral Law when He responded with the phrase but you say, instead of the familiar wording it is written. At any time a Pharisee would wave his hand above his head and say the magic word: Corban, which meant dedicated to the Temple treasury, then anything he owned at that time became devoted, or set aside, for God. That meant he could do one of two things with his Corban. He could give all of it, or part of it, to the Temple treasury, or he could keep it for his own private use. What he could not do with it was to give it away for someone else to use.

Moshe said: Honor your father and mother (see my commentary on Exodus Do – Honor Your Father and Your Mother). The implication of that commandment was that children were responsible for the welfare of their older parents when they became incapable of taking care of themselves. That was what the Jews believed Moses meant when he gave that commandment. But, the Pharisees were extremely reluctant to share their wealth with anyone who was not a Pharisee. The problem was their parents were not Pharisees. To skirt around the issue, if a Pharisee saw his father approaching, knowing he might ask for something, he would merely wave his hand above his head and say: Corban. When his father stated his need, the son would say, “Golly gee dad, I wish you would have asked me earlier. I have just declared all of my possessions to be Corban.” That was why Jesus said: Then you no longer let them do anything for their father or mother. Thus you nullify the word of God by your tradition that you have handed down. And you do many things like that. You hypocrites! Isaiah was right when he prophesied about you (Mt 15:6-7; Mk 7:12-13). Then Jesus pointed out that this was not something new. He quoted a verse from the TaNaKh in which Isaiah rebuked some of his generation as well. These people honor Me with their lips, but their hearts are far from Me. They worship Me in vain; their teachings are merely human rules (Mt 15:8-9).⁸³¹

Here is another example of their hypocrisy. The Torah said: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. On that day you shall not do any work (Exodus 20:8-11). But, many of the Pharisees wanted to be at the Temple, or would have to carry out business in different towns. So, to get around this, the school of Sophim said, “Alright, we cannot go more than a Sabbath day’s journey from where we live. So how do we define where our home is?” They defined a “home” was being where your possessions were. This solved the problem! They would send out slaves standing a mile apart each holding one of his possessions. As a result, each mile was his “home.” They did many things like that.⁸³²

We are reminded here that Yeshua came as the Meshiach for Isra’el and, as such, a prophetic voice to correct the errors of His generation. So, in that sense, Christ called His generation (and really every generation) to a purer understanding of the Torah even if it means giving up some of the traditions of men that have accumulated over time. The Talmudic tradition is of great value and interest to both Jewish and Gentile believers today, especially in the context of understanding the Gospels that were written in the first century. In spite of that, there are times when the tradition of the elders must take a subordinate position to the written Word of God, just as Jesus Christ taught here.⁸³³

We know that external behavior and measurements are both highly inaccurate. Looks deceive as often as they convey the truth. But, that’s how we tend to judge other people until it occurs to us that Ha’Shem is neither impressed nor fooled by appearances. But, God looks at the heart, and He’s the expert at cleaning hearts. Being pure in ADONAI’s sight doesn’t mean we are perfect; but it means that we take steps to make sure that the internal and external aspects of our lives are consistent. King David would say: Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me. Do not cast me from Your presence or take Your Holy Spirit from Me. Restore to me the joy of Your salvation and grant me a willing spirit, to sustain me (Psalm 51:10-12; also see Second Corinthians 4:16-18; Hebrews 12:14).⁸³⁴

At this juncture, Yeshua turned the discussion away from the Pharisees to the crowd around Him. Again Jesus taught the masses by the use of a parable so that only those of faith could understand Him. Not even His disciples understood at first (see Ez – The Private Parables of the Kingdom in a House). He called the crowd to Him and said: Listen to Me, everyone, and understand this. What goes into someone’s mouth (like food) does not defile them, but what comes out of their mouth (like the Oral Law), that is what defiles them (Matthew 15:10-11; Mark 7:14-15).

Then the apostles came to Him and asked: Do you know that the Pharisees were offended when they heard this (Matthew 15:12)? In response to Torah-teachers being offended, Jesus did not back down but instead continued His rebuke by saying two things. First, they are plants not planted by God. Thus, they must be uprooted. He replied: Every plant that My heavenly Father has not planted will be pulled up by the roots (Matthew 15:13). Since those hypocritical leaders were not truly of ADONAI, God Himself would ultimately deal with them.

Second, they were blind guides leading the blind. Leave them; they are blind guides. If the blind lead the blind, both will fall into a pit (Matthew 15:14). The analogy was striking – the revered guides of the community were in fact blind themselves when it came to the Messiah. That pit of destruction would come in 70A.D. with the destruction of Jerusalem.

After He had left the crowd and entered the house of Peter, the Twelve spoke up and asked: Explain this parable to us (Matthew 15:15; Mark 7:17). So, because He was alone with them, He explained its meaning. For the masses the purpose was to hide the truth, for His apostles, the purpose was to illustrate the truth (see En – Four Drastic Changes in Christ’s Ministry).⁸³⁵ The real issue was defilement. Jesus was trying to teach His talmidim that defilement was internal. The Pharisees taught that defilement was merely external. They believed that people were not defiled until they did something externally. But, Jesus taught that internal decision is the point of defilement. James, the half-brother of Jesus, would say it this way: When tempted, no one should say, “God is tempting me.” For God cannot be tempted by evil, nor does He tempt anyone; but everyone is tempted when, by their own evil internal desire, they are dragged away and enticed. Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full grown, gives birth to death (James 1:13-15).

Yeshua’s elaboration came with a gentle rebuke: Are you so dull? Jesus asked them. Don’t you see that whatever enters the mouth goes into the stomach and then out of the body? He summarized His teaching by saying that the things that come out of a person’s mouth come from the heart, and these defile them. In saying this, the Lord declared all foods (not all things) clean (Matthew 15:16-18; Mark 7:18-20). By using the technical word foods any Jewish reader of the first-century would have understood that this referred to the food list of the Torah as found in Leviticus 11:1-47. These kosher foods were not defiled simply because the Oral Law was not to be followed.

It is important to understand that Yeshua was not abolishing the dietary commandments in the Torah. That would not be consistent with His own words: I tell you that until heaven and earth pass away, not so much as a yud or a stroke will pass from the Torah – not until everything that must happen has happened (Matthew 5:18; Luke 16:17 CJB).⁸³⁶

Peter would raise the question in Acts 10:9-15 and Jesus would have to teach this lesson to him all over again. Part of Christ’s messianic mission was to make the distinction between clean and unclean in the realm of food. At Messiah’s death, all meats became clean. That is, in the Dispensation of Grace (see the commentary on Hebrews Bp – The Dispensation of Grace), all believers, because of our freedom in Messiah (see the commentary on Romans Dg – Torah Questions), can choose to eat Kosher or not.

While certain physical defilements may pass through the biological system, there are more serious things that defile a person spiritually. For out of the heart come evil thoughts – murder, adultery, sexual immorality, theft, false testimony, slander, greed, malice, deceit, lewdness, envy, slander, arrogance and folly. These are what defile a person; but eating with unwashed hands does not defile them (Mt 15:19-20; Mk 7:21-23). The teaching of Christ was simply emphasizing the priority of having a kosher heart through words and deeds.

Judas Iscariot was listening to the words of Jesus. He was the lone apostle who was not raised in Galilee, making him a conspicuous outsider in the group. He wore the same type of robe and sandals, covered his head from the sun, and carried a walking stick to fend off the wild dogs of Galilee, just like the rest of the talmidim. But, his accent was from the south, not the north. So every time he opens his mouth to speak, Judas reminded the rest of the apostles that he is different.

Now Messiah’s words about evil thoughts push Judas further away from Him. For Judas was a thief (John 12:6). Taking advantage of his role as treasurer, he regularly steals from the apostle’s meager finance. Mary, the sister of Martha and Lazarus, poured about a pint of very expensive perfume made of pure nard on His head as He was reclining at the table. Judas alone was indignant, insisting that it be sold and the profit be placed in the group’s communal moneybag – all so that he might steal money for his own use. Now Jesus was reminding him that he was defiled.

Judas considered being morally defiled in Galilee not merely a spiritual state of mind; it was to enter a different class of people altogether. Such a man would become an outcast, fit only for backbreaking jobs such a tanning or mining, destined to own no land and be poor for all his days. Judas had seen these people in the crowds that flocked to see Jesus simply because they had no chance in life and He offered them hope. They had no families, no farms, and no roof over their heads. Others turned to a life of crime, becoming criminals and outlaws, banding together and living in caves. Their lives were hard and they died hard.

This was not the kind of life Judas had planned for himself. If Yeshua was the Meshiach, as Judas believed, then the miracle-working Rabbi was destined to one day overthrow the Roman occupation and rule Judea. Judas’ role as one of the Twelve would ensure him a most coveted and powerful role in the new government when that day came.

Judas apparently believed in the teachings of Messiah, and certainly enjoyed the attention that came with being one of His apostles. But, his desire for material wealth would override any spiritual gains. The betrayer would put his own needs above those of his Rabbi and the other talmidim. For a price, Judas was capable of doing just about anything.⁸³⁷

But, getting back to the tradition of the elders, its evil stems from the fact that it takes God’s high holy standard of perfection, and pulls it down into the gutter of human self-sufficiency. To live perfectly by the Torah was, and is, an impossible task. Jesus Christ is the only person to have fulfilled the whole Torah, never violating any commandment. Sha’ul tells us that the commandments of the Torah were sent to the Jews to act as a tutor to bring them to Christ (Galatians 4:1-7 KJV). God’s plan was that when the Jews realized that the 613 commandments of the Torah were impossible to keep, they would have looked for the Messiah. But, the Oral Law lowered God’s high holy standard of perfection to something the Jews could actually do. For example, if you were a tailor and the tradition of the elders said that you couldn’t carry your needle for more than twenty-five steps on the Sabbath because it would then be considered work. So which is easier? Not carrying your needle for twenty-five steps, or remembering and observing the Sabbath and keeping it holy? The answer is obvious. For the most part, the Jews could actually do what the Oral Law required. But, they could never consistently do what the Torah required. The end result was that the traditions of men (Mark 7:8) eliminated the need for the Messiah and sure enough, when He came – they missed Him. All because of the Oral Law. No wonder Christ despised it and would have nothing to do with it. As a result, the Jewish leaders there were looking for a way to kill Him (John 7:1).

Dear Father God, Your Son always knew the line between obeying the letter of the Torah and the spirit of the Torah. He gave me a good example to follow. Help me to do that. Guide me into an understanding of Your desires that keeps the heart-issues in mind and doesn’t get sidetracked about appearances. Develop in me the integrity of a pure heart.⁸³⁸

Jesus the Bread of Life
John 6: 22-71

Jesus is the bread of life DIG: What does the crowd ask Jesus to do so that they can believe in Him? What is their real interest? How does Yeshua use their interest in food to illustrate what He wants them to understand? What claims does Messiah make in verses 35-40? What do these claims emphasize about His being the Bread of life? About the will of the Father? How do the crowds respond to His claims? What part is played by God and by the people in the process of coming to know Christ in verses 44-45? How is the bread Jesus gives greater than that of Moses? What does it mean to eat the flesh and drink the blood of the Lord? Describe the believer’s unbreakable union with Christ. When Yochanan says the Spirit gives life (John 6:63a), what does he mean? What three results came from this teaching about the bread of life?

REFLECT: In your culture, what is the main reason to follow Yeshua? What was your original motive? How would you describe your daily spiritual diet? Junk food? Frozen food? Baby food? TV microwave food? Left-overs? Meat and potatoes? Pure bread and wine? Has your familiarity with Jesus ever kept you from seeing who He really is? What can you do to remove the blinders?

The next day after the Lord had miraculously fed the multitudes, part of the crowd stayed and looked for Messiah on the grassy slopes of Bethsaida Julias. They had been very anxious to make Him king the day before, so it is not surprising that with the morning light those that remained there once again sought after Him. They realized that only one boat had left with the apostles back across the Sea of Galilee and Jesus wasn’t in it, so they assumed the talmidim had gone back across the Lake alone (Yochanan 6:22).

Some boats from Tiberias had landed sometime during the night near Bethsaida Julias, where people had eaten the bread after the Lord had given thanks (John 6:23). No doubt they had taken shelter from the storm. Tiberias was a city on the western shore of the Sea of Galilee, founded by Herod Antipas and named for Emperor Tiberius, the heir of Caesar Augustus’ titles and power. Because it had been built on the site of Jewish burial grounds, the righteous of the TaNaKh refused to live there, which left it open to Hellenized Jews and Herod’s political allies.

But after they had searched for some time, the crowd realized that neither Jesus nor His talmidim were on the same side of the Lake as they were, so they got into the boats from Tiberias and went across the Lake to Capernaum in search of Jesus (John 6:24).

When they found Him on the other side of the Lake, they asked Him, “Rabbi, when did You get here” (Yochanan 6:25)? The people were surprised to find Jesus so far from where He was last seen in so short a time, but their question suggests more than a desire to know when He had arrived or how. Based on the Lord’s response, they wanted to know why He was there (and perhaps not where they thought He should be) and why He had deliberately eluded them!⁸¹⁴

Messiah simply ignored their question. It was no time to talk about trivial things, there was no time to talk about how He got to Gennesaret. He got straight to the point. Jesus said: I tell you the truth, you are looking for Me, not because you saw the signs I performed but because you ate the loaves and had your fill (John 6:26). The miraculous signs should have awakened their consciousness of God, but they were only conscious of their own physical needs. It’s as if Yeshua said, “You cannot think about your souls for thinking of your stomachs.” They had received a free and generous meal, though they wanted more. There were other hungers, however, that only He could satisfy.

The Lord responded to the spokesmen of the crowd with an indictment, one sounding like the words of Moshe (Deuteronomy 8:2-3). Do not work for food that spoils, but for food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. For on Him God the Father has placed His seal of approval (John 6:27). The Jews wandered in the wilderness because they failed to trust ADONAI. They failed to enter the Promised Land because the people there looked like giants to them. Nevertheless, God sustained them with manna (see my commentary on Exodus, to see link click Cr – I Will Rain Down Manna from Heaven for You), while teaching them that the true food comes from the mouth of God (Mattityahu 4:4). Where the Israelites failed, Jesus triumphed and He deeply wanted them to learn from His victory.

Yeshua then contrasted physical food, which is the result of work and spoils quickly, with spiritual food, which comes by grace and lasts forever. Both are necessary for both fulfill two legitimate human needs. In reality, life cannot be sustained without either one. However, the food that spoils and the food that endures to eternal life are symbolic, and constitute the theme of Christ’s remarks here. He challenged the crowd to stop working for food that spoils and to dedicate equal passion to satisfying the hunger of their souls. It was as if Messiah was saying, “Just as ADONAI physically sustained you in the desert and called you to be filled by His Torah, so I met your physical need yesterday and now call on you to receive spiritual food.” Take notice of the irony of Jesus’ invitation: work for the food that endures to eternal life, which the Son of Man will give you. This paradox sounds like God’s offer in Isaiah 55:1, “Come, buy wine and milk without money and without cost.”

Then they asked Him, “What must we do to work the works God requires” (John 6:28)? They completely missed the Nazarene’s point. They ignored the emphasis on give and, instead, chose to focus on work. They were so focused on getting fed that they couldn’t grasp the Lord’s figurative language because of their spiritual blindness. Jesus continued with His earlier paradox when He answered: The only work of God is to believe in the One He has sent, which really involves no work at all (Yochanan 6:29).

So they asked Him, “What sign then will you give that we may see it and believe you? What will you do?” This is a pretty strange question for people who have just seen Him feed around twenty thousand people with only five small barley loaves and two small fish (to see link click Fn – Jesus Feeds the 5,000). But, they seem set on diminishing its importance by presenting one equally great or greater: Our ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness; as it is written: “He gave them bread from heaven to eat” (see Ex 16:4-12; Ps 105:40). They wanted physical food. It is as if they were saying, “Moses brought manna from heaven, what are You going to do for us?” The attitude of the crowd generates Yeshua’s lengthy discourse (Jn 6:30-31).

But, Jesus reminds them that it was God, not Moses who brought down the manna. He said to them: I tell you the truth, it is not Moses who has given you the bread from heaven, but it is My Father who gives you the true bread from heaven. For the bread of God is the bread that comes down from heaven and gives life to the world (John 6:32-33). They wanted a bread king who would feed them and overthrow the Romans. “Sir,” they said, “always give us this bread” (Yochanan 6:34). They still didn’t get it.

Therefore, the Savior of Sinners made Himself unmistakably clear. In a single sentence, He linked the concepts of belief, bread, eternal life and Himself.⁸¹⁵ Then Jesus declared: I AM the bread of life (see my commentary on Exodus Fo – The Bread of the Presence in the Sanctuary: Christ, the Bread of Life). This is the first of Jesus’ seven I AM’s (Yochanan 8:12, 10:7, 10:11, 11:25, 14:6, 15:1). Each one brings home an important aspect of the Person and ministry of the Chief Shepherd.

But, Christ’s bread will not merely meet their physical needs, but will meet their spiritual needs. Humans, are driven to satisfy physical hunger, but are motivated by spiritual hunger. The diagnosis of this hunger is a sickness of the spirit, a sickness that needs a spiritual remedy. A life-threatening problem develops called the disease of emptiness. Jesus said: I AM the bread of life. Whoever comes to Me will never go hungry, and whoever believes in Me will never be thirsty (John 6:35). He Himself is the food, the sustenance that nourishes spiritual life. It is only from this bread that we really obtain spiritual life.

But as I told you, you have seen Me and still you do not believe (John 6:36). According to Yeshua, faith responds to God when He reveals Himself. The presence of God, then, becomes a sort of litmus test. Those who are His respond in belief and are attracted to Him, while those who are not respond in disbelief and reject Him. Jesus, God in human flesh, came to earth to gather His own, who can be identified by their belief in Him.⁸¹⁶

All those the Father gives Me will come to Me, and whoever comes to Me I will never drive away. This is as succinct a statement of the paradox of predestination and free will as can be found. The Father has given certain people to the Son. How do I find out if I am one of them? By coming to Christ. I have free will and can choose to come, and I have Jesus’ word that He will not turn me away.⁸¹⁷ The word whoever is universal and reminds us of John 3:16. For I have come down from heaven not to do My will but to do the will of Him who sent Me. And this is the will of Him who sent Me, that I shall lose none of all those He has given me, but raise them up at the last day. In spite of all the unbelief, our Lord is going to accomplish the mission for which He was sent. His ministry would not end in failure. For my Father’s will is that everyone who looks to the Son and believes in Him shall have eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day (Yochanan 6:37-40). This is one of the strongest passages regarding eternal security of the believer in the Bible (see Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer).

We learn God’s will by spending time in His presence. The key to knowing ADONAI’s heart is having a relationship with Him. A personal relationship. God will speak to you differently than He will speak to others. Just because God spoke to Moshe through a burning bush does not mean we should all sit next to one waiting for Him to speak. Ha’Shem used a whale to convict Jonah. Does that mean we should have worship services at the beach? No. The LORD reveals His heart personally to each person.

For that reason, your walk with God is essential. His heart is not seen in an occasional chat or weekly visit. We learn His will as we take up residence in His house every single day. Walk with Him long enough and you will come to know His heart.⁸¹⁸

At this the Judeans there began to grumble about Him because He said: I AM the bread that came down from heaven (John 6:41). The word Judeans, or Ioudaioi means something like unbelievers in these two verses. That generation was being compared to the generation of Moses. God had provided manna for them in the wilderness, but, they still grumbled. Now Jesus was providing the bread of life for them, but, they still grumbled. They said: Is this not Jesus, the son of Joseph, whose father and mother we know (see Ey – Jesus’ Mother and Brothers)? How can he now say: I AM the bread that came down from heaven (Yochanan 6:42)? This shows that the Judeans understood the Lord’s words saying that He was divine.

Jesus explains the reason for their unbelief in more detail. Stop grumbling among yourselves, Jesus answered: No one can come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws them, and I will raise them up at the last day (Jn 6:44-45). This is another insight into the framework of free will. His words were not designed to repel, but to humble. It was not closing the door in their face, but showed how they could enter. It was not intended as saying there was no hope for them, rather it was pointing out the direction in which their hope lay.

Our Lord confirmed what He had just said by appealing to the TaNaKh. It is written in the Prophets: “They will all be taught by God” (Is 54:13). Everyone who has heard the Father and learned from Him comes to Me. They needed to believe that He was the Messiah. They could not believe in the gospel yet because Yeshua had not died, nor had He been resurrected. But, if they believed in Him as Messiah they would have eternal life. No one has seen the Father except the one who is from God; only he has seen the Father (Jn 6:45-46). That is to say, God has given them an ear to hear and a heart to perceive. But to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ is the power of God and the wisdom of God (1 Cor 1:23).

Then Christ pursued the line of truth that began in verse 44. I tell you the truth, the one who believes has eternal life. This is not an invitation to the lost, but a declaration to the saved. I AM the bread of life (John 6:47-48). It was as if Yeshua is saying, “I AM that which all sinners need, and without which they will surely die. I AM that which alone can satisfy the soul and fill the aching heart. I AM that because, just as wheat is ground into flour and then subject to the fire to make it fit for human use, so I, too, have come down all the way from heaven to earth, have passed through the sufferings of death, and AM now presented in the Word of God to all that hunger for life.”⁸¹⁹

Your ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died. But here is the bread that comes down from heaven, which anyone may eat and not die. I AM the living bread that came down from heaven. Whoever eats this bread will live forever. This bread is my flesh, which I will give for the life of the world (Yochanan 6:49-51). To eat the flesh of the Son of Man is to absorb His entire way of being and living. The word for flesh used here (Greek: sarx) can also refer to human nature in general, to the physical, emotional, mental and the volitional aspects of human existence. Yeshua wants us to live, feel, think and act like Him; by the power of the Ruach ha-Kodesh He enables us to do so. Likewise, to drink His blood is to absorb His self-sacrificing life, since the life of the flesh is in the blood (Leviticus 17:11).⁸²⁰

Then the Judeans began to argue sharply among themselves, “How can this man give us his flesh to eat” (John 6:52)? The argument implies that some were strongly for Messiah, though the following narrative makes it clear that they must have been vastly outnumbered. Jesus spoke in parables so that those of unbelief could not understand Him (see Er – That Same Day He Began To Speak To Them In Parables).

Because of what Yeshua said here, the grumbling (verse 41) quickly became arguing (verse 52), then a hard teaching they could not accept (verse 60), and finally an insuperable barrier for many of His disciples (not the twelve apostles) who turned back and no longer followed him (verse 66).

Jesus didn’t try to clarify their misconceptions. Their problem was not intellectual. Instead He intensified their confusion and continued to speak in parables because there was no danger of losing genuine believers. He didn’t back down one bit when He said to them: I tell you the truth, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink His blood, you have no life in you. Most of the Jews didn’t know Yeshua was talking figuratively and this was extremely detestable to them because the Torah said: You must not eat the blood (Leviticus 7:26). What had been put negatively was now stated positively. Whoever eats My flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day (John 6:53-54). Because the Torah commanded: You must not eat . . . any blood (Leviticus 3:17) this language must be figurative. It is the blood that makes atonement for one’s life (Leviticus 17:11). Messiah’s hearers must have been shocked by His puzzling words. But, the puzzle is unlocked by understanding that Jesus was speaking of His making atonement by His death and giving life to those who personally appropriate Him by faith.⁸²¹

Other things were not food in the true sense. The Lord had already pointed out that their ancestors ate the manna in the wilderness, yet they died (Yochanan 6:49). His opponents had no idea what constituted true bread.⁸²² For my flesh is real food and My blood is real drink. Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood remains in Me, and I in them (John 6:55-56). There would be an unbreakable union with Christ. That means that through the baptism of the Holy Spirit, there is an actual uniting of the believer to Messiah in such a manner that what is true of Christ becomes true of the believer, minus His deity. We are placed in the Messiah: Second Corinthians 5:17; Romans 8:1; John 15:4 and He is placed in us: Colossians 1:27; Galatians 2:20; John 14:18-20. We are crucified with Yeshua: Galatians 2:20 and Romans 6:6. We died with the Lord: Romans 6:4. We are resurrected with Him: Ephesians 2:6 and Romans 6:5. And we are seated with Jesus: Ephesians 1:3, 19-20 and 2:6; Colossians 3:1-2; Romans 6:8.

The characteristics of this union are personal and intimate as demonstrated by the figures used to describe it: the vine and the branches (John 15:5); the foundation and the building (First Peter 2:4-5; Ephesians 2:20-22); the husband and the wife (Ephesians 5:23-32; Revelation 19:7-9); the head and the body (Ephesians 4:15-16); and the Father and the Son (John 17:20-21).

Then Yeshua comes back to His sense of mission: Just as the living Father sent Me and I live because of the Father, so the one who feeds on me will live because of Me. This is the bread that came down from heaven. Your ancestors ate manna and died, but whoever feeds on this bread will live forever. He said this while teaching in the synagogue in Capernaum (Yochanan 6:57-59). He had spoken there on one other occasion (see Ck – Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit).

They needed to believe in the One that God the Father had sent to have eternal life. He would do what the manna could not do. It had provided physical sustenance, but, it could not provide eternal life. The point Jesus was trying to make was that food taken into the body becomes part of the body. So the ones who put their faith in the Messiah would have faith living in them, and in turn, they will live in Him.

Clearly this had a significant impact on many of Jesus’ disciples who had varying degrees of devotion. At least hundreds were serious enough to consider Him their rabbi and would have actively supported a movement to make Him king. But, Christ knew theirs was a fickle kind of devotion that runs hot and cold. On hearing it, many of His disciples said: This is a hard teaching. Who can accept it (John 6:60)? The word hard (Greek: skleros) means dry, rough, unyielding, or not received without discomfort. Anything they didn’t accept would be called hard. The Nazarene was not difficult to understand, just difficult to accept.

Aware that His disciples were grumbling about this, Yeshua challenged the grumblers with a question: Does this offend you? Then what if you see the Son of Man ascend to where he was before (John 6:61-62)! It was as if the Good Shepherd was saying, “If you can’t accept My claim that I came down from heaven and you must eat My flesh and drink My blood; what will you think when I tell you that I will ascend back to heaven? If you think this teaching is hard, you don’t stand a chance with teaching that will come later.”

When John says the Spirit gives life (Jn 6:63a), he means that all the righteousness of Christ is transferred to our spiritual account at the moment of faith (see Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith). The theological name for this is imputation. The Bible teaches us that we have all inherited Adam’s sin nature. Just as sin entered the world through one man, and death through sin, and in this way death came to all people, because all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God (Rom 5:12, 3:23). In the TaNaKh, there had to be a sacrifice. Blood had to be shed, and a death had to occur; therefore, because of the death of the Meshiach on the cross we have a perfect, absolute, righteousness that God the Father imputes to us through His Son. Because of our faith, we have passed ADONAI’s final exam of the universe with a hundred percent. When God sees us, He doesn’t see our sin, He sees the righteousness of His Son (Rom 1:17). We are in the Holy One, and He is in us. The only way we get to heaven is a result of the perfect righteousness of Christ.

The flesh is no help. The words I have spoken to you – they are full of the Spirit and life (Yochanan 6:63b-c CJB). This is not a downgrading of the body in some Greek dualistic sense, but rather a typically Jewish assertion that without the Spirit of God, the physical things have no real value on their own.⁸²³

As hard as His words were to accept, they would produce eternal life. Yet, the Lord despite what would have been expected, there are some of you who do not believe. For Jesus had known from the beginning which of them did not believe and who would betray Him (John 6:64). John pictures Yeshua here going on His serene way, well aware of all that concerned Him and of the crucifixion that awaited Him. He now explains that He had told them this so that they would not be confused when some did not believe: This is why I told you that no one can come to me unless the Father has enabled them (John 6:65). It is impossible for us to come to Christ without the Father’s giving us the grace to do so. Left to ourselves, we always prefer our sin. Conversion is always a work of grace.⁸²⁴

The teaching about the bread of life led to three results. First, from this time on many of His disciples, who included multitudes besides the Twelve, turned back and no longer followed Him (Yochanan 6:66). The events of this teaching made it all too clear that following Him meant something entirely different from anything they had anticipated. Yeshua succeeded in winnowing out those who were not sincere or who found the cost of eating His flesh and drinking His blood too high. They rejected His words and retreated back into their sinful, mundane lives.

Secondly, there was a reaffirmation on the part of the eleven of the twelve apostles (excluding Judas). Jesus asked them: You do not want to leave too, do you? Jesus already knew the answer to His own question; He challenged the talmidim in order to reinforce His teaching on the true nature of salvation. The question was addressed to them all. But, it does not surprise us that Peter is the spokesman. He often appears as such in the Gospels. Then Simon Peter answered for the others saying: Lord, to whom shall we go? The implied answer is, “There is no one else to go to!” You have the words of eternal life. We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God (Yochanan 6:67-69). The nature of saving faith is not an intellectual game – it’s a decision. The crowd wanted to see and then believe; the apostles, however, believed and eventually began to see (Yochanan 14:16-19, 17:24 and 20:29).⁸²⁵

Thirdly, Judas would start his road to apostasy. Then Jesus replied: Have I not chosen you, the Twelve? In this case, the “choosing” of Messiah did not refer to salvation, but to His invitation to become apostles when He said: Come and see. Yet one of you is a devil in the spirit of the Adversary who would actively oppose what Christ stood for. John adds a note of explanation: He meant Judas, the son of Simon Iscariot, who, though one of the Twelve, was later to betray Him (John 6:70-71). For the first time, Judas was identified as the coming betrayer. John and the other Gospel writers never attack Judas directly. They simply record the facts and let them speak for themselves. At most, as here, they mention that he was one of the talmidim, but even then, they merely let the readers work out how that adds to the enormity of his crime.

In 1915 Pastor William Barton started to publish a series of articles. Using the archaic language of an ancient storyteller, he wrote his parables under the pen name of Safed the Sage. And for the next fifteen years he shared the wisdom of Safed and his enduring spouse Keturah. It was a genre he enjoyed. By the early 1920s, Safed was said to have a following of at least three million. Turning an ordinary event into an illustration of a spiritual truth was always a keynote of Barton’s ministry.

I was not always old, but once was young. And I traveled in the School of the Prophets. And on the day before the Lord’s Day I rode every week Nineteen Miles that on Sunday I might speak the Word of God to the people in a Little White Church with a Tall Steeple. And on Monday, I rode home again. And there were times when the Roads were bad, so that for every foot that my horse went forward, he sank in the mud up the depth of half a foot; so I went down through Nine Miles and the half Mile of mud before I got there. But when I arrived then did the good people welcome me into warm homes and clean beds and set before me hot suppers.

For I boarded among them. And at the first place where I stayed on Preparation Day before Sunday, the good woman set before me Coconut Cake. And I ate plenty of it.

Now the women of the other homes inquired of her, saying, How did you like the Young Minister? And is he hard to entertain? And did he cause you much trouble? And is he fussy? And what does he like to eat?

And she said, He is not fussy, and he said to me that Coconut Cake is his Favorite Cake.

Now all the women told all the other women, saying, The Young Minister loves Coconut Cake. And they all knew how to make Coconut Cake, and they all made it. And wherever I went, there did they set before me Coconut Cake.

Now you probably think within your heart that I got so much Coconut Cake that I hated it and that I have never liked it since. But you have Another Think coming. For you don’t know what kind of Coconut Cake the women of that church made. Yes, for three years did I eat it with hardly ever a break in the record, except they also made Cake with Maple Sugar Frosting. And the person who has eaten that kind of Cake knows that that is about the best ever made.

For there are some things of which no one can ever have too much. And when my heart goes back across the years, then do I remember the long rides, and the times that I drove up in the dark and cold, and how they stabled my horse knee-deep in clean straw, and put a sack of oats under the buggy-seat when I departed, and maybe also a Bushel of Potatoes or a Sack of Apples or a Can of Maple Syrup. And I know that I shall never have too much of any of the good things which they bestowed upon me, especially the Bread of life.

And now and then as the years go by, and one and another of those I loved is called home, then do they send for me to come and say a word of love before the dust returns to dust. And ever there is some good woman who has a table set for me in her home; and there do I always find Coconut Cake.

And whenever I eat Coconut Cake that is Unusually Nice, then do I remember the friends of my early Ministry as a Messenger of God, and I love them yet.⁸²⁶

Jesus’ Reception at Gennesaret
Matthew 14:34-36 and Mark 6:53-56

Jesus’ reception at Gennesaret DIG: What kind of a place was Gennesaret? Why might the Meshiach want to go there with His apostles? What was the scene like when they landed? Why? What was significant about the tassels of Yeshua’s robe?

REFLECT: What desperate measures would you go to if you knew there was someone who could heal your fatal illness, or deformed friends or loved ones? When in your life have you ever used God? What caused you to stop? Or do you still do it? How? Why?

After the eventful crossing of the Sea of Galilee by walking on the water, the talmidim and their Galilean Rabbi landed back in Jewish territory. The Sea of Galilee, which was really a lake, was sometimes called Tiberias. When they had crossed over, they landed at Gennesaret and anchored there (Matthew 14:34; Mark 6:53). This would be along the northwest shore of the lake stretching from the town of Migdal nearly to Capernaum and north of modern Tiberias. It is also the site of the 1985 discovery of a fishing boat from the period of Christ, now on display at Kibbutz Nof-Ginosar.⁸¹⁰

Gennesaret was a small but very beautiful plain located southwest of Capernaum. According to Josephus it was a lush and extremely fertile area that produced a wide variety of crops. The fields and vineyards were irrigated from not less than four large springs, enabling farmers to produce three crops a year. Because the soil was so rich the area was totally devoted to farming and contained no towns or villages. As a result, it was a quiet and peaceful region offering a good place to get away from the crowds and rest. Jesus probably intended to spend some time there alone with His apostles.⁸¹¹

But as soon as they got out of the boat the people of that place recognized Christ (Mark 6:54). The verb recognized is epiginosko, meaning to know by experience. The people recognized the Lord because they had seen Him before. Word of His miraculous healing powers preceded Him and they sent word throughout the entire area and brought everyone who was ill. They ran throughout that whole region and carried all their sick on mats to wherever they heard He was (Matthew 14:35; Mark 6:55). And wherever He went – into villages, towns or countryside – they placed the sick in the marketplaces (Mark 6:56a). What a desperate picture. The people kept running from place to place, carrying all their sick on mats from one place to another. Wherever Jesus was reported to be, or wherever it might be possible to find Him, they ran to Him. This section serves as a summary of Messiah’s ministry in Galilee before He withdrew to other regions. It resembles summaries in Mark 1:32-34 and Mark 3:7-12, except that no mention is made of casting out demons. In it we see the widespread fame of Yeshua the healer.

Nevertheless, the Lord responded to the personal needs. They begged Him that the sick people might only touch the tassels (Hebrew: tzitzit) on His robe (see Matthew 9:20), and all who touched it were completely healed (Matthew 14:36; Mark 6:56b CJB). If someone had the gift of healing today that Jesus demonstrates here, that person could go into hospitals and clear them out, go into cancer wards and all would be completely healed. The Meshiach healed with a word or a touch, He healed organic diseases from birth and He raised the dead. Anyone who claims to have the gift of healing today should be able to do likewise.

The fact that He wore tassels on the edges of His robe tells us that our Savior was an observant Jew obeying the commandments of the Torah (Numbers 15:37-41). In modern Judaism, many traditional Jews continue to wear the arba kanfot, the four-cornered undergarment that contains the tassels. This is called a tallit katan (small prayer shawl), while the more popular version is the tallit (prayer shawl) worn by many Jewish men at morning synagogue services. The way in which the tassels are tied with double knots adds up to the numerical value of 613, which is the number of commandments in the Torah.⁸¹²

He was surrounded by multitudes of people. They were mesmerized by His powers. I am sure that at some point the Good Shepherd looked on the crowd with a kind of sadness, because there was hardly a person in them who had not come to get something out of Him. They came to get. They came with their relentless demands. They came – to put it bluntly – to use Him. What a difference it would have made if among the people there had been some who came to give and not to get. In a way it is quite natural that we should come to Jesus to get things from Him, for there are so many things that He alone can give; but it is always a shameful thing to take everything and to give nothing, and yet it is very characteristic of the human heart.

If we examine ourselves we are all, to some extent, guilty of using ADONAI. It would cause Christ to rejoice if more often we came to Him to offer our love, our service, our devotion, our adoration, and less often to demand from Him the help we need.⁸¹³

Jesus Walks on the Water
Matthew 14:24-33; Mark 6:47-52; John 6:16-21

Jesus walks on water DIG: Why didn’t Jesus go with the apostles in the boat? After a frustrating day, what new problem do the talmidim encounter on Lake Tiberias? Why were the Twelve terrified? What three things did Christ do to calm their fears? What did the apostles fail to understand in the miracle of the feeding of the five thousand that could have helped them in this experience? What was the Lord trying to teach them?

REFLECT: Courage is fear that has said its prayers. Why does God test our faith? In what ways has your faith been tested? How has Jesus responded to you in your test of faith? Why does Yeshua pass by those who are self-sufficient? In their moment of greatest fear, the Messiah calmed the talmidim with words of assurance. How does knowing the Lord help in times of testing? When testing comes, how can I remind myself that Jesus Christ is always there, even if I can’t “see” Him?

After the feeding of the five thousand, our Savior needed some time alone. He sent the apostles ahead in the boat to their next stop. In Christ’s day, traveling by boat was the fastest way to go. Most journeys had to be over land, but, whenever a route could include sailing the trip was often shorter. That is, unless storm winds began blowing.

When evening came, which was six o’clock in the evening, Jesus’ talmidim went down to Lake Tiberias, sometimes called the Sea of Galilee, or the Lake, where they got into a boat and set off across the lake for Gennesaret, the fertile plain southwest of Capernaum (John 6:16-17a). With white sails spreading over tranquil waters, it seemed to be smooth sailing to the Gennesaret.

By then it was dark and Jesus had apparently stayed some hours on a mountainside by Himself to pray for He had not joined them (Matthew 14:23; Mark 6:46 and John 6:17b). Messiah’s withdrawing alone by Himself to pray gives us a hint of the crisis to come. There are only six occasions in the Gospels in which Yeshua withdraws to pray, and each incident involves the temptation not to carry out God’s mission for Him – a mission that would ultimately bring suffering, rejection, and death. These crises seem to increase in intensity and reach their climax in the agony of Gethsemane.⁷⁹⁹

The first time He went away by Himself to pray was when the Master was driven into the wilderness and tempted by the devil. There, the Holy Spirit was present with Him as He faced the ancient Serpent (to see link click Bj – Jesus Tempted in the Wilderness).

Secondly, Jesus withdrew to pray alone prior to His second major preaching tour (see Cm – Jesus Traveled Throughout Galilee, Proclaiming the Good News). He knew that the Adversary would be actively opposing His mission and prayer would be needed.

Thirdly, the Lord prayed alone after His first messianic miracle (Luke 5:16). During the stage of observation, He knew that He would get the attention of the Sanhedrin because it was their responsibility to investigate any claim of messiahship. And so He did – as members of the Sanhedrin traveled all the way to Capernaum to hear Him preach. Christ knew it was going to be a turning point in His earthly ministry because He not only healed a paralytic that day (see Co –Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man), but more importantly, Jesus forgave His sins – claiming to be deity.

Fourthly, Yeshua Ha’Mashiach went to a quiet place to pray before choosing His talmidim who would carry on His ministry after He was gone (see Cy – These are the Names of the Twelve Apostles). These were important decisions and He needed to be alone by Himself and pray about it.

Fifthly, after feeding the five thousand, the people wanted to make Him king. Thus, the Rabbi from Galilee sent His talmidim back across the Lake to the Gennesaret, and dismissed the crowd before going up on a mountainside by Himself to pray (see Fo – Jesus Rejects the Idea of a Political Messiah). He delayed going to His apostles long enough to save them from another storm. By walking on the water, He displayed His deity.

And sixthly, in the climax of the Suffering Servant praying alone, He was under so much stress that His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground foreshadowing the cross in the morning (see Lb – The Garden of Gethsemane).

Because in a normal trip across the northern end of the Sea of Galilee the boat would not have traveled more than a mile or two from shore at any point, the storm had obviously carried it several miles to the south, in the middle of the lake. When Jesus saw the talmidim straining at the oars they were already a considerable distance from the land. The little craft was being battered by a strong headwind and the waters grew rough (Mattityahu 14:24; Mark 6:47-48a; John 6:18), pushing them farther and farther away from their destination and closer and closer to calamity.

I have some good news for you friend. The Lord saw them straining at the oars and He sees you straining at the oars of your life. He knows your problems. You don’t have to send up a flare to let Him know. He already knows, and more than that . . . He cares. Have faith in Him no matter what the outcome in the midst of the dark night.

The apostles were still straining at the oars during the fourth watch of the night (Mt 14:25a). The night was divided into four watches, or shifts. The first was from six p.m. to nine p.m., the second from nine p.m. to twelve, the third from twelve to three a.m. and the fourth from three a.m. to six a.m., or just before dawn. So, they had only rowed three or four miles in six to nine hours! They were basically making no progress and were totally exhausted and hopeless (Mt 14:25; Jn 6:19a). Long enough for more than one talmid to think, “Where is Jesus? We are worn out. He knows we are in the boat. It was His idea in the first place!”

But, Yeshua knew of their situation long before it happened. He waited for many hours before He came to them, just as He waited until Lazarus had been dead for three days before coming to Bethany. In both instances He could have come much earlier than He did, and in both He could have prevented Lazarus from dying or the storm from rising. But, to fulfill His divine purposes, He allowed Mary and Martha at Bethany and the talmidim on the lake to get to the end of themselves before acting. He left them for a while in the midst of their affliction to prepare them for the victory of their faith after His resurrection and for the years of ministry ahead.⁸⁰⁰

The Twelve should have been rejoicing with David that if I climb up to heaven, you are there; if I lie down in Sh’ol, you are there. If I fly away with the wings of dawn and land beyond the sea, even there Your hand would hold me fast (Psalm 139:8-10 CJB). The apostles should have remembered that ADONAI is a stronghold for the oppressed, a tower of strength in times of trouble (Psalm 9:9 CJB), that ADONAI is my Rock, my fortress and deliverer, my God, my Rock, in whom I find shelter, my shield, the power that saves me, my stronghold (Psalm 18:2 CJB), and that He would keep them safe as they walked through the valley of the shadow of death (Psalm 23:4).

The talmidim had forgotten Messiah’s own words or assurance that their heavenly Father knew all their needs before they asked Him (Mattityahu 6:32) and that not even a single sparrow will fall to the ground apart from your Father, and that the very hairs on your head are numbered (Matthew 10:29-30). All they could think about was their own danger and all they could feel was their own fear.

But, Yeshua had not forgotten the apostles. Then they saw Jesus walking on the Sea of Galilee (Matthew 14:25; Mark 6:48b; John 6:19b). The word on is epi which, when used with the genitive case (as it is here) signifies contact. Our Lord’s sandals had actual contact with the water. He walked on the surface of the water as we would walk on hard pavement. This is the fifth of the Lord’s seven miracles in John’s book (John 2:1-11; 4:43-54; 5:1-15; 6:1-15; 9:1-34; 11:1-44).

They needed to call on Him for help. He was about to pass them by when the apostles saw Him and were terrified (John 6:19c). Unlike the earlier storm that Jesus stilled, this one merely stirred up winds and waves that resisted their progress. The talmidim were working hard for nine hours. Absorbed in their own efforts, they apparently almost missed Yeshua walking by on the water. They were probably wondering why He hadn’t accompanied them on their trip, yet they were surprised and even fearful when He suddenly appeared. When we are so wrapped up in the challenges of life, or even obeying Christ’s direction, that we lose a sense of His presence, we have shifted our focus to the wrong thing. Tests often come to call our attention back to Jesus.⁸⁰¹

No doubt the storm conditions and limited visibility contributed to the fears of even the seasoned Galilean fishermen on board. And, just as there was a specific purpose when Yeshua delayed two more days going to His sick friend Lazarus (see Ia – The Resurrection of Lazarus: The First Sign of Jonah); here, the Lord had a specific reason for not joining the Twelve earlier (John 6:17a) as they struggled at the oars when crossing the lake. He strategically used both delays to perform miracles that would elicit faith and trust from His apostles. “It’s a ghost,” they said, and cried out in fear (Mt 14:26; Mark 6:48c-50a). The term ghost is the Greek word phantasma, which means an apparition, a creature of the imagination, and is where we get the English word phantom and phantasm (or an illusion).

At this point Jesus comforts them. But He immediately said to them: Take courage! That was exactly what the terror-stricken talmidim needed to hear. It is I. Don’t be afraid (Matthew 14:27; Mark 6:50b; John 6:20). The modern Hebrew (ani hu) perhaps does not totally capture the force of His declaration. In Greek, it is the phrase I AM (ego eimi), which is used in John’s Gospel as a statement of Messiah’s divine nature. In classical Hebrew it would be a form of YHVH, the very name of God, which is the imperfect Hebrew tense of the verb to be. ADONAI is eternal and omnipotent, the great I AM. Since Jesus was attempting to assure His apostles that He had everything under control, this would have been the best possible way to say it. They immediately recognized His voice.

Since the days of Lucian of Antioch in the latter half of the second century this miracle has been ridiculed. Unbelievers, from the time of David Friedrich Strauss, have considered it to be a myth. Strauss found it especially difficult to believe that Christ’s body really defied the law of gravity. Eighteenth century naturalism sought to explain it away by saying that the boat of the apostles kept close to the shore and that Jesus was not walking on the water but on the land.⁸⁰² Of course, the Bible looks at things differently. It declares that without faith it is impossible to please God (Hebrews 11:6a).

Christ did not walk on the water to teach the Twelve how to do it. Peter tried and failed; and there is no record of any of the others trying at all. As far as the apostles were concerned, Jesus was seeking to prepare them for His approaching death and resurrection. This miracle was a prophecy of the resurrection. The same body that had walked on the water would also pass through a door closed and locked without opening it (John 20:19-29).

On a September morning in 2011, Frank Silecchia laced up his boots, put on his hat, and headed out the door of his New Jersey house. As a construction worker, he made a living making things. But, as a volunteer at the World Trade Center wreckage, he just tried to make some sense of it all. He hoped to find a live body. He didn’t. He found 47 dead ones.

Amid the carnage, however, he stumbled upon a symbol – a twenty-foot-tall-steel-beam cross. The collapsed Tower One on Building Six created a crude chamber in the clutter. In the chamber, through the dusty sunrise, Frank spotted the cross . . .

A symbol in the shards. A cross in the crisis. “Where is God in all this? we asked. The discovery dared us to hope, “Right in the middle of it all.”

Can the same be said of our tragedies? When the ambulance takes our child away or the disease takes our friend, when the economy takes our retirement or the two-timer takes our heart – can we, like Frank, find Christ in the midst of the crisis? The presence of trials doesn’t surprise us. But, the perceived absence of God can crush us.

We can deal with the ambulance if God is in it.

We can stomach the ICU if God is in it.

We can face the empty house if God is in it.

From within the storm of our lives comes the unmistakable voice: I AM.⁸⁰³

In response, Peter came up with an amazing sign of confirmation. If the hazy figure in the shadows of the night was really Rabbi Yeshua, then he would ask for a miracle! “Lord, if it’s You,” Kefa replied, “tell me to come to You on the water” (Matthew 14:28). Kefa was not testing Messiah; he was pleading with Him. Stepping onto a stormy sea is not a move of logic; it’s a move of desperation. Peter grabbed the edge of the boat. Threw out a leg . . . and followed with another. He took several steps. It was like an invisible ridge of rocks ran beneath his feet. At the end of the ridge was the glowing face of a never-say-die Friend. We do the same thing don’t we? We come to Christ in an hour of deep need. We abandon the boat of good works. We realize . . . that human strength won’t save us. So we look to ADONAI in desperation. We realize . . . that all the good works in the world are nothing when laid before the Lamb of God.⁸⁰⁴

Come, He said. Peter’s love for the Savior was imperfect and weak, but, it was real. As the other apostles watched in awe, Peter got out of the boat, walked on the water and came toward Jesus. So long as Kefa kept his eyes on the Lord, he was able to duplicate the miracle of Messiah walking on the water. Christ allowed that miracle to occur for Kefa’s benefit. But when he saw the wind, he was afraid and took his eyes off Yeshua, beginning to sink, he cried out, “Lord, save me” (Matthew 14:29-30).

True to His compassionate character, Jesus immediately reached out His hand and caught him. In the process, He gently admonished Peter (and the others) when He said: You of little faith, He said, why did you doubt (Matthew 14:31)? Faith is only present tense; it does not build up like a bank account. Kefa went from much faith (getting out of the boat), to little faith (beginning to sink), in a matter of seconds.

But, Peter’s little faith was better than no faith; and, as in the courtyard when he denied the Lord, at least he was there in the courtyard and not hiding somewhere under a bush like the rest of talmidim. At least he started toward Yeshua, and when he faltered, Messiah took him the rest of the way (see Mn – Jesus Reinstates Peter). Kefa would one day write: In all this you greatly rejoice, though now for a little while you may have had to suffer grief in all kinds of trials. These have come so that the proven genuineness of your faith – of greater worth than gold, which perishes even though refined by fire – may result in praise, glory and honor when Christ is revealed (First Peter 1:6-7).⁸⁰⁵

And as if to confirm Christ’s power over nature again, Kefa and the Savior climbed into the boat, the wind suddenly died down. The Greek verb died down is kopazo, which means to cease from violence, cease raging. The noun form means beating, toil or weariness. This is a beautiful and picturesque word. It was as if the sea sank to rest because it was exhausted by its own raging.⁸⁰⁶ Immediately the boat reached the shore where they were heading. They were completely amazed, for they had not understood about the loaves because their hearts were hardened (Matthew 14:32; Mark 6:51-52; John 6:21). This idiom didn’t mean they were unkind or cruel (as it does in English). Rather, their reasoning and emotions resisted development. We would say they were “thick-headed.” The lesson here for the apostles was that they needed to depend on the Messiah in any situation that they could not handle themselves. This, of course, was the lesson they should have learned earlier (see Fn – Jesus Feeds the 5,000).

Then those who were in the boat worshiped (Greek: proskuneo, meaning to kiss the face) Him, saying: Truly you are the Son of God (Matthew 14:33). After the storm, the apostles worshiped Him. As a group, they had never done that before. Never. Check it out. Open your Bible. Search for another time when all Twelve worshiped Him. You won’t find it. You won’t find them worshiping when He heals the leper. Forgives the adulteress. Or preaches to the masses. They were willing to follow. Willing to leave family. Willing to cast out demons. But, only after the incident on the Sea of Galilee did they worship Him. Why? Simple. This time they were the ones who had been saved!⁸⁰⁷

It is really unfortunate that Peter and the other apostles are many times portrayed as bumbling, weak men who were out of touch with Jesus. While it is true that they were mere mortals when the Messiah came to Isra’el, at least Kefa got out of the boat! That is especially praiseworthy when we consider the fact that the indwelling of the Holy Spirit would not start until the future day of Shavuot. It is noteworthy that Peter actually walked on the water until he took his eyes off Yeshua. Don’t we all at some point fall prey to similar temptations and distractions when we turn away from our simple trust in Christ? Are we looking for the waves around us or at our Meshiach who created the waves?⁸⁰⁸

Lord Jesus, don’t ever let me get so wrapped up in serving You that I stop watching for You. Remind me that resistance and hardship sometimes come to help me see that Your purposes have less to do with what I accomplish and more to do with what You accomplish in and through me. Help me trust that whatever You need to do to accomplish Your purposes in my life, You will do, and at the perfect moment. Teach me to look for You and not let You pass by. Amen. He is faithful.⁸⁰⁹

Jesus Rejects the Idea of a Political Messiah
Matthew 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-46; John 6:14-15

Jesus rejects the idea of a political Messiah DIG: Why did the people think that Jesus was the Prophet of Deuteronomy 18? As a result, what were their plans? Why was that, in reality, impossible? How do we see Yeshua in His humanity here? How did the Serpent tempt the Lord after the miracle? Why did the Lord refuse their offer? When would Yeshua be taken up to heaven?

REFLECT: If Christ often needed a spiritual and a physical break, don’t you need the same thing? Where do you go to get alone with God? Do you want to make Jesus King of your life on His terms, or your terms?

After the people saw the miracle Jesus performed, they began to say, “Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world.” Immediately Yeshua made the apostles get into the boat at Bethsaida Julius and go ahead of Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to Gennesaret (to see link click Fq – Jesus’ Reception at Gennesaret). Knowing that they intended to come and make Him king by force, Jesus dismissed the crowd and withdrew. He went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night He was there alone (Matthew 14:22-23; Mark 6:45-46; John 6:14-15).

As soon as the five thousand men, along with the women and children, had been fed and twelve baskets of leftovers picked up, the people said: Surely this is the Prophet who is to come into the world. The prophet they were speaking of is the one from Deuteronomy of 18:15 and 18. Moses predicts that a prophet like Him would arise and the people would listen to Him. The Jews in Galilee looked to Jesus as the fulfillment of the prophecy and the establishment of the messianic Kingdom. After His ascension, Peter in Acts 3 and Stephen in Act 7 referred to Yeshua ha-Mashiach as the fulfillment of this prophecy.

Messiah knew that the large crowd had an irresistible urge to come and make Him king in their own way and for their own purposes, by force if necessary. If Jesus had succumbed to their wishes, the Romans would have surely quelled the rebellion and crucified Jesus for sedition. But, the Lord had His own timing and His own purposes for His death. He would die in Jerusalem, not Galilee. And He would be in total control: The reason my Father loves Me is that I lay down my life – only to take it up again. No one takes it from Me, but I lay it down of My own accord. I have authority to lay it down and authority to take it up again. This command I received from My Father (John 10:17-18).

The fact that Yeshua made His talmidim get into the boat, strongly suggests they were reluctant to leave Him and perhaps argued with Him about it. But, He was obviously persuasive enough with them and they obeyed. He did not want His talmidim to be infected and caught up in any nationalistic outburst. He could see it coming and Galilee was the hotbed of revolution. So, Jesus told them to go on ahead of Him to the other side of the Sea of Galilee to Bethsaida while He dismissed the crowd. It was a short trip across the northern tip of the Lake, one that the apostles had made many times.

Without fight or fanfare, the Messiah simply dismissed the crowd, and they bedded down for the night wherever they could near Bethsaida Julias, a few miles inland from the northwest shore of the Sea of Galilee. It was now easier to dispatch the multitudes than it would have been with the apostles present. It was a sad fact that the Twelve had not yet come to a clearer view of the true character of the Messiah and His Kingdom.

After He had dismissed them He withdrew, and went up on a mountainside by Himself to pray. Later that night, He was there alone still communicating with His heavenly Father. Christ is clearly the Son of God, but just as clearly the Son of Man. In fact, the revelation of both His divine nature and His human nature are often seen side-by-side as we see here. At one point, we see Him multiplying the loaves with His messianic powers. Yet, immediately afterwards, we find the same Messiah retreating to a solitary place for personal prayer and, no doubt, to get a break from the crowds.

There, Yeshua would find strength in communion with the Father to stem the tide of temptation, and quench the flame of revolutionary popularity that had flared up, when He would be in the midst of the people again the next day. The crisis was building. The rest of His road would be thorny indeed, as He would suffer the alienation of the crowds and hear the voices of praise turn to disappointment and bitterness against Him.

Jesus’ temptations neither began nor ended with the three in the wilderness immediately after His baptism (see Bj – Jesus is Tempted in the Wilderness). At the end of that time, the ancient Serpent only departed from Him until a more opportune time (Luke 4:13 NASB). The enthusiasm of the crowds and the apostles to make Him king was very much like the third temptation in the wilderness, in which, the Adversary offered Yeshua all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor (Matthew 4:8). It’s as if the devil may have asked, “What better time to establish Your Kingdom than the Passover season with all Your enthusiastic supporters? But, at the God-given time for Him to be taken up to heaven, Jesus would resolutely set out for Yerushalayim (Luke 9:51).

Night fell upon the scene of the solitary figure on the mountainside alone in prayer. It was a stormy night on the sea below Messiah, on which somewhere His talmidim were struggling at the oars and sails with raging waves. But, nothing compared to the elements that raged within His soul as He thought of the death of John the Baptizer and His own approaching day of final bitter struggle that would bring about His own death on the cross.⁷⁹⁸

Jesus Feeds the 5,000
Matthew 14:13-21; Mark 6:30-44; Luke 9:10-17; John 6:1-13

Jesus feeds the 5,000 DIG: Why did Christ withdraw? How did He react to the interruption? What sensitivity did the apostles show initially? How did the talmidim and Jesus differ in how they viewed the situation? How might they have felt after Yeshua’s statement in Matthew 14:16? What tone of voice do you hear in Luke 9:13? How did Christ test Philip? How might the wedding in Cana (John 2:1-11) be a factor in this test? From their responses, what grades would you give to Philip and Andrew? What was their likely reaction after the miracle? What is the lesson of the story?

REFLECT: What problems in your life seem to have no solutions? How have you seen the Lord stretch your resources beyond what you could imagine? How do you need to trust Him right now? How do you think ADONAI wants you to deal with your doubts? In what ways are you like Philip and Andrew, failing to remember something about Yeshua when faced with a difficult situation? How has Jesus “fed” you when you’ve been spiritually hungry lately? What does this story teach you about the way God provides for His people? In what ways has Ha’Shem given you wisdom and strength to overcome difficulties in your life? How does the faith of other believers inspire us to trust God?

On returning from preaching the Good News of the Kingdom the twelve apostles gave glowing reports to Christ of their missionary excursion. When the apostles returned (to see link click Fk – Jesus Sends Out the Twelve Apostles), they reported to Yeshua all that they had done and taught. It was a joyous occasion, except they had to tell the Master about the death of His Forerunner (see Fl – John the Baptist is Beheaded). Many of John’s disciples were seething about his execution and would have liked nothing better than for someone to rise up and avenge the death of their prophet. Who would be a better candidate than Jesus? Perhaps this hope was running through their heads.

At any rate, their reunion did not last very long. Once word got out where they were, the multitudes were gathering again with their sick to be healed. So many people were coming and going that they did not even have a chance to eat. The only way to get a little rest and a chance to quietly talk over the campaign (pointing out the practical lessons of those experiences to His talmidim) was to get away. He said to them: Come with me by yourselves to a quiet place and get some rest (Mark 6:30-31; Luke 9:10a).

Then Jesus took them with Him and they withdrew privately by boat to the far shore of the Sea of Galilee – sometimes called the Sea of Tiberias because of the city of the same name, the capital of the tetrarchy – to a town called Bethsaida Julias (Mattityahu 14:13a; Mark 6:32; Luke 9:10b; John 6:1). It lay on the north end of the Lake across the Jordan from Herod’s jurisdiction. To see the Sea of Galilee today click here. There was a fertile, but sparsely populated plain, to the south of the town where there were grassy slopes.⁷⁸⁷

But, when the Lord and the Twelve departed, a great crowd of people saw them leaving, recognized them, and followed Him on foot by the land route to the north of the lake because they saw the signs He had performed by healing the sick. This route crossed a ford some two miles above where the river enters the Sea of Galilee.

In a frenzy, there were others who heard of His departure, and the multitudes from various cities ran and got there ahead of them (Mt14:13b; Mk 6:33; Lk 9:11a; Jn 6:2). What a picture. If someone had the gift of healing today, would we not see the same thing? With our worldwide communication capabilities, would it not be seen all over the world? John notes that the Jewish Passover Festival was near (Jn 6:4). This is the third of four Passovers mentioned in the ministry of Christ. The first is mentioned in John 2:13. The second is in John 5:1, while the third is referred to here, in John 6:4, and the fourth in John 11:55, 12:1, 13:1, 18:28 and 39. By dating these, we are able to conclude that His public ministry lasted three-and-a-half years.⁷⁸⁸

Pesach was exactly when Isra’el expected the Messiah to come, and they were looking for the messianic banquet as an inauguration of the kingdom of God. We see this from the writings of the Dead Sea Scrolls and apocalyptic literature of Judaism. This was the third Passover of His public ministry. That means it was two-and-a-half years since His public ministry had begun (see Bs – Jesus’ First Cleansing of the Temple). It also marks the beginning of His final year of ministry. He will be crucified the following Passover.

Before the large crowd had arrived Jesus went up on a mountainside, better translated the hill country, and sat down with His apostles (John 6:3). It was not wilderness or desert. We are told below that they would be seated on the green grass. It was simply an uninhabited place near villages. However, Yeshua still couldn’t escape the multitudes. The Lord knew the overwhelming majority sought Him for selfish reasons and nothing more; even so, unlike His talmidim, He felt compassion for them even when they became a nuisance.

When Jesus landed on the shore of Bethsaida Julias, He left the Sea of Galilee and stepped into a sea of humanity. Keep in mind; He had crossed the sea to get away from the crowds. He had recently been rejected by the nation of Isra’el (see Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, That This Fellow Drives out Demons), and He needed to grieve. The Lord longed to relax with His talmidim. He needed anything but another large crowd of thousands to teach and heal. But, His love for people overcame His need for rest.

But, the time with His apostles was soon cut short. When the miracle-working Rabbi looked up He saw the large crowd and He had compassion on them (Matthew 14:14a; Mark 6:34a). The Greek word for compassion is splanchnizomai, which won’t mean much to you unless you are in the health profession and studied “splanchnology” in school. If so, you remember that “splanchnology” is the study of . . . the gut. When Matthew writes that Jesus had compassion on the large crowd, He is not saying that Jesus felt pity for them. No, the term is far more graphic. Matthew is saying that Christ felt their hurt in His gut.

He felt the limp of the crippled.

He felt the hurt of the diseased.

He felt the loneliness of the leper.

He felt the embarrassment of the sinful.

And once He felt their hurts, He couldn’t help but heal them because they were like sheep without a shepherd.⁷⁸⁹ The question among them was, “Should we follow the old shepherds (the Pharisees and Sadducees), or the new one” (Yeshua ha-Mashiach)? Their indecision made them like sheep without a Shepherd (Numbers 27:17; Ezeki’el 34:5). What did our Lord mean by that?

Sheep without a shepherd cannot find their way. Life can be so bewildering. We can stand at some crossroads of life and not know what way to go. It is only when Messiah leads that we can find the way by following Him.

Sheep without a shepherd cannot find their pasture and their food. We need the strength that can keep us going; we need the inspiration that can lift us out and above ourselves. When we seek it elsewhere our minds are still unsatisfied, our hearts are still restless, our souls are still unfed. We can only gain strength for life from Him who is the living bread.

Sheep without a shepherd have no defense against the dangers that threaten them. Sheep cannot defend themselves from thieves or wild beasts. If life has taught us one thing it must be that we cannot live it alone. We cannot defend ourselves from the temptations that assault us, and the evil that attacks us. Only in the company of Jesus can we walk in the world and be holy vessels. Without Him we are defenseless; with Him we are safe.⁷⁹⁰

Jesus welcomed them and spoke to them about the kingdom of God. He healed all those who needed healing on the basis of individual need and a demonstration of faith (see En – Four Drastic Changes in Christ’s Ministry). Most of them probably had to be carried or helped along by relatives or friends, and arrived many hours after the rest of the crowd. And He began teaching them many things (Matthew 14:14b; Mark 6:34b; Luke 9:11b). The crowd, tired of the powerless teaching of pharisaic Judaism, sensed a new type of teaching and was eager to hear their new Rabbi. Once again, those of faith would understand Him and those without trust would not.

The sun had passed its meridian and the shadows fell longer on the great crowd. As evening approached, the apostles came to Him and said: It’s already getting late and sunset is approaching (Mark 6:35). Send the crowds away, so they can go to the surrounding countryside to buy food and lodging because we are in a remote place here (Matthew 14:15; Mark 6:36; Luke 9:12). Here as a teachable moment. The purpose of this miracle would primarily be for the instruction of the apostles, although the masses would benefit from the food, the teaching and the healings.

But surprisingly, the Lord replied: They do not need to go away. You give them something to eat (Matthew 14:16; Mark 6:37a; Luke 9:13a). The word You in the Greek is intensive. Messiah really said: As for you, you give them something to eat. His continual training of the Twelve shows that what was about to happen was primarily intended for them. But, then the Master specifically turned His attention to Philip. We know from our first introduction to him (Bp – John’s Disciples Follow Jesus) that he was a student of the TaNaKh and interpreted it literally and believed in the Messiah. So when Christ came to him and said: Follow Me, he embraced Jesus immediately and followed Him without hesitation. That was Philip’s spiritual side. His heart was in the right place. He was a man of faith. But, sometimes he was a man of weak faith.

Then Jesus said to Philip: Where shall we buy bread for these people to eat (John 6:5)? Why did the master Teacher single out Philip? John tells us that Yeshua asked this only to test him, for He already had in mind what He was going to do (John 6:6). Philip was apparently the apostolic bean counter, the one who was always concerned with organization and protocol. He was the type of person who in every meeting says, “I don’t think we can do that.” So, the Lord was testing him to take a look at himself and see what he was really like – the master of the impossible.

Of course, the Lord knew exactly what Philip was thinking. Philip had probably already started counting heads. When the great crowd started moving in, he was already doing estimates. It was late in the day . . . this was a huge crowd . . . they were going to get hungry . . . no McDonald’s around. So by the time Messiah asked the question, Philip already had his calculations prepared, “It would take more than half a year’s wages to buy enough bread for all of them to eat (Mk 6:37b; Jn 6:7)! All Philip could see was how impossible it was.

But, Philip had been there when the miracle-working Rabbi created wine out of water (John 2:1-11). He had already seen Jesus heal people numerous times. But, when Philip saw the crowd, he began to feel overwhelmed by the impossible. He was too practical to think outside the box. The reality of the raw facts clouded his faith. The limitless supernatural power of Christ had completely escaped his thinking. Even Andrew’s faith (as seen below) was challenged by the immense size of the logistical problem. But, Philip lost the opportunity to see his faith rewarded, while Andrew’s meager faith was rewarded. Philip needed to learn to set aside his pragmatic concerns and take hold of the supernatural potential of faith.⁷⁹¹

How many loaves do you have? He asked. Go and see.

The feeding of the hundred in the Second Kings 4:42-44 foreshadowed the feeding of the five thousand here. A man came from Baal Shalishah, bringing the man of God twenty loaves of barley bread baked from the first ripe grain, along with some heads of new grain. When Elisha said, “Give it to the people to eat,” his servant asked, “How can I set this before a hundred men?” But Elisha answered, “Give it to the people to eat. For this is what ADONAI says, “They will eat and have some left over.” Then he set it before them, and they ate and had some left over, according to the word of the LORD.” The servant obeyed and God multiplied the food as He had promised. This miracle instructed all who heard of it that Ha’Shem could multiply the limited resources (First Kings 17:7-16) that were dedicated to Him and with them nourish and sustain a large multitude.⁷⁹²

Then, one of the Twelve, Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother, spoke up saying: Here is a boy with five small barley loaves and two small fish, but how far will they go among so many (Matthew 14:17; Mark 6:38; Luke 9:13b; John 6:8-9)? Of course, even Andrew knew that five barley loaves and two small fish would not be enough to feed five thousand people, but (in his typical fashion) he brought the boy to Jesus anyway. Yeshua commanded it and Andrew did the best he could. He found the only source of food available, and he made sure that Messiah knew about it. Something in him seemed to understand that no gift is insignificant in the hands of the miracle-working Rabbi.⁷⁹³

Bring them here to Me, Jesus said (Matthew 14:18). Then He said to His apostles: Have the people sit down. The Twelve did so, and everyone was seated on the green grass in groups of hundreds and fifties, arranged like guests at a table (Mark 6:39-40; Luke 9:14b-15; John 6:10a). The Greek actual word for seated is anaklino, the word used of a person reclining on a couch at a banquet. It is the traditional position of free people (non-slaves) relaxing.

In traditional fashion, Christ took the provisions and made a b’rakhah or blessing. Taking the five loaves and the two fish and looking up to heaven (the prayer is to bless God who had provided the meal), Yeshua gave thanks and broke the loaves (Matthew 14:19a; Mark 6:41a; Luke 9:16a; John 6:11a). Since this was a blessing over bread (symbolic of the main course of a meal), the Lord probably chanted the Motzi, “Blessed are You, O LORD our God, King of the universe, who brings forth bread from the earth” or Barukh atah ADONAI, Eloheynu melech ha-olam, ha-motzi lechem min ha-aretz. In the Talmud it is stated, “A man is forbidden to taste anything before saying a blessing over it” (Tractate Berachot 6:1). It is interesting to note that this is a very traditional way of sharing the bread, tearing it by hand rather than cutting it with a knife. The tearing is symbolic of the day when there will be no longer a nation lifting up sword against nation (Isaiah 2:4).⁷⁹⁴

Then He gave them to the talmidim to distribute to the people (Matthew 14:19b; Mark 6:41b; Luke 9:16b). The word gave is in the imperfect tense and continuous action. They kept on giving the bread and fish to the people. As to how the miracle was performed, the Bible gives no hint. All we know is that they all ate and were satisfied (Matthew 14:20a; Mark 6:42; Luke 9:17a).

When they all had enough to eat, He said to His apostles: Gather the pieces that are left over. Let nothing be wasted (John 6:11b-12). So they gathered them and filled twelve basketfuls of bread and fish left over by those who had eaten (Matthew 14:20b; Mark 6:43; Luke 9:17b; John 6:13). According to halakhah, destruction of food is prohibited (Shabbat 50b, 147b), except if the crumbs were smaller than an olive (B’rakhot 52b). These baskets were small wicker baskets (Greek: kophinon) every Jew took with him when he was away from home. He carried his lunch and some needed essentials in it so he would not have to eat defiled Gentile food.⁷⁹⁵ The number of the men who ate was about five thousand. The word for men here is not anthropos, the generic term that could include men and women, but aner, the word for an individual man. Five thousand is no doubt a round figure, not counting the women and children who were present. If they were counted the total might have been around twenty thousand people (Matthew 14:21; Mark 6:44; Luke 9:14a; John 6:10b). This is the fourth of Jesus’ seven miracles in the John’s book (John 2:1-11; 4:43-54; 5:1-15; 6:16-21; 9:1-34; 11:1-44).

This is an extremely unique miracle. It is the only miracle recorded by all four Gospel writers with the exception of the resurrection. Of course, Jesus didn’t even need to have that boy’s lunch in order to feed five thousand people. He could have created food from nothing just as easily. But, the way He fed the five thousand pictures the way ADONAI always works. He takes the sacrificial and seemingly insignificant gifts we offer in faith and He multiplies them to accomplish marvelous things.

Now you would think that the apostles would have gotten the point that Christ was trying to teach them. But, they evidently did not. Mark tells us: For they had not understood about the loaves because their hearts were hardened (Mark 6:51b-52). They had not yet received the Ruach Ha’Kodesh to teach and guide them. They had not yet graduated from Yeshua’s apostolic university.

Alfred Edersheim observed that, “the Lord ended each phase of His ministry with a feeding. He ended His Galilean ministry with the feeding of the five thousand. He ended His Gentile ministry with the feeding of the four thousand. And He ended the Judean ministry before His death on the cross with the feeding of His own talmidim in the upper room.”⁷⁹⁶

Elohim, why do we doubt You? Time and time again, You have proved Your faithfulness, yet our faith falters. Thank You for continually providing for our needs. Keep us from doubt. Fill us with faith in You. Remind us that You are bigger than all of our problems and needs.⁷⁹⁷

The Training of the Twelve by King Messiah

This section covers the third Passover of His public ministry to the festival of Sukkot in 29AD. During this period Messiah ministers to the Gentiles on four different occasions (the Jews considered the Samaritans half-breeds and viewed them with utter contempt).

1. Bz – Jesus’ Acceptance in Samaria

2. Fg – Jesus Heals Two Demon Possessed Men

3. Ft – The Faith of a Canaanite Woman

4. Fu – Jesus Heals a Deaf Mute and Feeds Four Thousand

Jesus Christ was training His apostles for the mission they would accomplish in the book of Acts. These instructions were a direct result of His rejection by the Great Sanhedrin (to see link click Eh – Jesus is Officially Rejected by the Sanhedrin). Yeshua knew His death was imminent and He now prepares those who will carry on afterward.

John the Baptist is Beheaded
Matthew 14:1-12; Mark 6:14-29; Luke 9:7-9

John the Baptist is beheaded DIG: What was Herod’s fear after hearing reports of Jesus? What was Herod’s fear during the life of John the Baptist? Why does Herod put John in prison? Why did Herod behead John? What was the significance of Elijah and Yochanan to the people of Yeshua’s day? What does Herod seem to fear most: The fame of Christ? The ghost of John? The reaction of his dinner guests? His wife? How do the two “kings,” Jesus and Herod, differ in terms of their kingdoms, character, popularity and use of power?

REFLECT: What might this story say to anyone facing persecution? When have you felt like Herod – attracted to the truth, but afraid to follow through with it? What happened? In contrast, how might you grow in reflecting Yochanan’s courage? What is one area in your life where your actions are often governed by fear of what others think? How could Jesus help you?

The family of Herod was one of the great enigmas of first-century Isra’el. Because of the family’s earlier conversion to Judaism from Edom (Idumea), they were appointed by the Romans because of their allegiance to the Gentile occupiers of Judea. Since the Herods’ acted more pagan than Jewish (to see link click Aw – Herod Gave Orders to Kill all the Boys in Bethlehem Two Years Old and Under), there was little respect for them in the Jewish community. Herod Antipas himself was born in Judea but educated in Rome, the city he adored. He paid homage to Caesar Augustus and Rome not only by taxing the Jews blind but also by ordering a Roman-style form of execution for any who would dare defy him.

At that time Herod Antipas heard the reports about Jesus who had become well known because of His Galilean ministry (Matthew 14:1; Mark 6:14a; Luke 9:7a). Antipas was the son of Herod the Great, and ruled from 4 BC to 39 AD. When Herod the Great died, his kingdom was divided among three of his political partners: Archelaus, Herod Philip, and Herod Antipas. It is the latter Herod who is mentioned here. He was the tetrarch, or regional governor over Galilee, which was the territory where most of Yeshua’s ministry took place.⁷⁷⁸  The Jews lived in fear of him, and for good reason. With a dark beard covering the tip of his chin and a thin mustache over his mouth, Herod Antipas resembled a true villain. While his father had serious faults, he also performed many constructive acts. But, not so with Antipas, an immature man who never wanted for anything and who always expected to be handed the keys to the kingdom.⁷⁷⁹

Herod the Great had a number of sons by several different women. His favorite wife was Maryomni. She had a son named Aristobilis. Before his father executed Aristobilis, he had a daughter named Herodias. She was the granddaughter of Herod the Great. Her first marriage was to Philip, another son of Herod the Great by another wife. So, in reality, she married her half-uncle. After being married to Philip for a while, she dumped him and became the mistress of her step-uncle Herod Antipas. Later on she married him. The problem was that Philip was still living and Herod Antipas married her while his wife was still living! So, she was guilty of triple adultery and two counts of incest. What a mess. This adulterous and incestuous union brought Herod immediate trouble and misery. It ultimately cost him his kingdom, and sent him into life-long banishment. Be careful what you ask for.

John denounced the lifestyle of Herod’s live-in adulteress. Loudly. Publicly. So, Herod Antipas had John arrested, bound him and put him in prison because of Herodias, his brother Philip’s wife, whom he had married. John had been pointing out Herod’s sin when he said: It is not lawful for you to have your brother’s wife (Matthew 14:3-4; Mark 6:17-18). Today it would probably be viewed as merely an alternative lifestyle. But, John kept pointing out, loudly and in the public eye, that Herod had violated the Torah (Leviticus 18:16 and 20:21). Antipas wanted to kill John, but he was afraid of the people, because they considered him a prophet (Matthew 14:5).

For Antipas, the issue was political as well as moral. Josephus tells us that the woman Antipas planned to divorce in order to marry Herodias was the daughter of King Aretas IV of Nabatea. This would have severely strained the relations between the kingdoms. Many of Antipas’ subjects in Perea were ethnically Nabatean, thus more loyal to Aretas than to Antipas. The arrest of John would of course make matters worse. And, when Aretas later defeated Antipas in battle, people said it was God’s judgment on Antipas for the beheading of John the Baptist.⁷⁸⁰

So Herodias nursed a grudge against John and also wanted to kill him. The phrase nursed a grudge is in the imperfect tense, which means that she never let up on her fury toward John for daring to denounce her very public relations with Herod. How dare this unkempt savage insult her? But she was not able to, because Antipas feared Yochanan and protected him, knowing him to be a righteous and holy man. When Herod heard Yochanan, he was greatly puzzled; yet he liked to listen to him (Mark 6:19-20). But, Herodias was a patient woman and knew that she would find a way to get her revenge. John was in one of the grim dungeons in the fortress of Machaerus, situated on the barren heights of Moab above the Dead Sea, and he would rot there until Antipas set him free – or she could find a way to have him killed. Finally the opportunity came. The stalemate was broken at Herod’s birthday celebration.

Another year had passed. One night through the thick stone walls of his prison cell, John heard the sounds of music and dancing. Herod Antipas had invited the most powerful men in Galilee – high officials, military commanders, and all his wealthy friends – to join him at Machaerus for a lively dinner banquet to celebrate his birthday (Mark 6:21). This in itself was another indicator of Antipas’ pagan values, as birthday celebrations were virtually unknown in ancient Jewish tradition.⁷⁸¹  He had built the fortress for his protection. Its approach was so steep it was impregnable. When it finally fell to the Romans it was only because some of the Zealots (for Zealots, see Cy – These are the Names of the Twelve Apostles) betrayed their fellow rebels to the enemy.⁷⁸²

Inside the palace, the custom at that time was that the men and women dined in separate banquet halls. In the chamber where Antipas ate with the men, he called for entertainment and then watched intently as his stepdaughter Salome, the daughter of Herodias, slithered into the great hall and danced for them. Such dancing was almost an unprecedented thing for women of rank, or even respectability. But, the beautiful young teenager with the raven-colored hair fluttered slowly around the room, swaying seductively to the beat of the tambourines and symbols. All the men were entranced and unable to take their eyes off her. When the music ended the roar of approval was so loud it could be heard all the way to the banquet hall of the women.

The immoral spectacle catered to the totally depraved natures of the drunken men, and Herod offered her a reward. She pleased Herod and his dinner guests so much that the king said to the girl, “Ask me for anything you want, and I’ll give it to you.” And he promised her with an oath, “Whatever you ask I will give you, up to half my kingdom” (Matthew 14:6-7; Mark 6:22-23). This expression was not to be taken literally, but meant that he would look upon her request with favor.

Salome was very young, but she was also very clever. She went out and said to her mother, “What shall I ask for?” This was the moment Herodias had waited so patiently for and she answered: Give me here on a platter the head of John the Baptist (Mattityahu 14:8; Mark 6:24). The young temptress did not hesitate. At once the girl hurried into the king with the request. Looking brazenly into the eyes of her stepfather, she said in an impudent voice:I want you to give me the head of John the Baptist on a platter right now (Mark 6:25). Salome means “peace.” A nice touch, don’t you think?

Herod was shocked. The king understood political intrigue. After all, he had played that game his whole life. He grew up in a household where his father Herod the Great would kill any of his brothers at the slightest hint of disloyalty. Yes, indeed, he knew how to play the intrigue game. So, we can only guess how upset he was when he realized that his own wife had outwitted him! Herod realized all the implications of the request . . . He was to become the murderer of the prophet whom he feared and respected. But because of his sworn oaths and his dinner guests, he did not want to refuse her; therefore, he ordered that her request be granted (Matthew 14:9; Mark 6:26).

John was arrested and killed for personal reasons. So Herod immediately sent an executioner with orders to bring John’s head. The man went and beheaded John in prison (Matthew 14:10; Mark 6:27). As John heard the creak of his cell door swing open, a man entered carrying a broad, sharpened sword. He came alone. The light of the moon came flooding through the door. The Baptizer had accepted his fate over a year ago. The executioner probably didn’t even have to force John to his knees. The swordsman then raised the blade high over his head and viciously brought it down. Yochanan probably felt nothing as the heavy steel blade severed his head from his body.The voice crying out in the wilderness was silenced.⁷⁸³

Quickly and coldly Yochanan was decapitated in his cell. Grasping John’s head by the hair, the executioner brought it in on a platter and gave it to the girl, who carried it to her mother (Matthew 14:11; Mark 6:28). When the platter was brought in with the bleeding head on it, no doubt Salome took it daintily in her hands lest a drop of it should stain her, and she tripped away to her mother as if bearing some choice dish from the king’s table.₇₈₄

Josephus wrote that Herod “thought it best to put John to death, to prevent any problems he might cause, and not bring himself into difficulties by sparing a man who might make him repent of it” later on. But ten years later, Antipas was defeated in battle and was exiled in Lugdunum by Aretas, where Herodias joined him (Antiquities, Book XVIII, verse 2).  Salome didn’t fare too well either. After dancing for Herod’s birthday party and demanding that John be beheaded, she is not mentioned again in the Bible. Josephus, however, tells us that she later married her uncle Philip, who was tetrarch of Trachonitis (this Philip was a half-brother of Herod Antipas, different from the Philip who was also a half-brother of Herod but who had originally married Herodias and who lived as a disinherited prince in Rome). There is a tradition passed on by Nicephorus and repeated by Dr. Whitby prior to the 18th Century, and mentioned in Matthew Henry’s commentary on the Gospel of Matthew published in 1706, that this Salome died when she was trying to travel across a frozen lake and fell through the ice and was decapitated by the sharp edges through which she fell. Make no mistake about this: You can never make a fool out of God. Whatever you plant is what you’ll harvest (Galatians 6:7 GWT).

On hearing this, John’s disciples came and took his body and laid it in a tomb (Mark 6:29). It is hard to imagine the pain they must have experienced in carrying the decapitated body of the one they dearly loved and had faithfully followed. He was a great and godly man, who had been their friend and teacher, the one under whose fiery preaching they had confessed and forsaken their own sins and under whose inspiration they had perhaps led others to repentance. Then they went and told Jesus (Matthew 14:13).⁷⁸⁵

After killing John the Baptist, the miraculous activity of Jesus throughout Galilee caught the attention of Herod Antipas, for His name had become well known. When the fame of Yeshua reached him, however, some of his advisors suggested that Yochanan had been raised from the dead! That is why miraculous powers are at work in him. Others said: He was Elijah. And still others claimed, “He is a prophet, like one of the prophets of long ago who had come back to life.” But when Herod heard this, he did not believe the Nazarene was the Messiah but, instead, the reincarnation of the forerunner (Matthew 14:1-2; Mark 6:14-16; Luke 9:7b-9). It was as if Antipas was being haunted by the dead prophet as punishment for ordering his murder. He couldn’t forget the sight of John’s head dripping with blood as the gold platter was brought to the banquet hall. Afterwards he was continually restless, wretched and full of apprehension. Antipas could scarcely believe that the Baptizer was really dead, and as the fame of Jesus reached him, Herod’s confused mind always reverted back to the man whom he had beheaded. And as he formerly had often and gladly sought out the Baptist, now he would eagerly seek out Jesus in the hope that somehow it really was Yochanan and his guilty conscience could be relieved.

Herodias had her revenge against John the Immerser. But, if she or her husband thought that killing the Forerunner would quiet the excitement about Jesus sweeping through Galilee, she was sadly mistaken. Yochanan may have stirred strong emotions by his baptism of repentance, but Yeshua ha-Meshiach was challenging the religious authority of His day in ways never seen or heard of before. But we must remember that what happens to the herald will happen to the King.

The Baptist both terrified and fascinated Herod. Although Herod had thrown John in prison, he sensed that the people were right: John was a prophet (Matthew 14:5). And so he was distressed when he found that he had to fulfill his reckless oath and have John beheaded. Yet Herod’s predicament was more dire then John’s. Although he endured a tragic death, Yochanan had done his work on earth – he had been the one to go before the Lord to prepare the way for Him (Luke 1:76). Yeshua said among those born of women there had not risen anyone greater than John the Baptist (Mt 11:11). The forerunner would enjoy eternal life with God.

Herod, on the other hand, had been given the honor of knowing one of the greatest prophets of all time. Instead of being transformed by this experience, he chose to continue in his sinful ways. Perhaps he feared what would happen to his life if he let Yochanan’s message penetrate him. Surely, he would have had to change. Instead of grasping onto the truth, Herod – for all eternity – would be known a man who was manipulated to do what he did not want to do: Sentence John the Baptizer to death.

Fear of change can sometimes lead us to hold on to negative or sinful patterns in our lives as well. We have the honor of knowing Jesus on a personal basis. That prospect can make us rejoice, but it can also make us fearful. As a committed believer, what will ADONAI call us to change in our lives? Will we have to give up habits that lead us away from him, or friendships that influence us negatively? Will we have to risk persecution by taking up unpopular stands?

But we do not belong to those who shrink back and are destroyed, but to those who have faith and are saved (Hebrews 10:39). Let us not shrink back from the Lord, even when His truth challenges all the assumptions upon which we have built our lives. His truth is the door to eternal life.

Father, give us the courage to follow You, no matter what the cost. Even if we must face the pain of change, help us to trust in Your love for us and Your plan for our lives. Amen.⁷⁸⁶

Isn’t This The Carpenter’s Son?
Aren’t His Brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Jude?
Matthew 13:54-58 and Mark 6:1-6a

Isn’t this the carpenter’s son DIG: Aren’t his brothers James, Joseph, Simon and Jude? How did the Nazarenes treat Christ months earlier? What do they think they “know” about Him? How does this impede His ministry? What changed between His initial reception and this one? If they asked the right questions, why didn’t they get the right answers? How do we know James, Joseph, Simon, and Jude were not Christ’s cousins or brothers in the Lord?

REFLECT: What does this teach us about assuming that we all “know” about Yeshua? What relationship does our faith have with Jesus’ ability to be at work in our lives? Why does He look to faith?

Jesus left Peter’s house in Capernaum and went to His hometown of Nazareth, accompanied by His talmidim (Mark 6:1). It almost seems as if the departure of the Lord from Capernaum marked a crisis in the history of that small Jewish town. From then on it ceased to be the headquarters for Messiah’s earthly ministry, and was only visited occasionally as He passed through. Indeed, the concentration and growing power of pharisaic opposition, and the proximity of Herod’s residence at Tiberias would have made a permanent stay there impossible at this stage of His ministry. But, from this time on, the Son of Man would have no place to lay His head (Matthew 8:20; Luke 9:58).⁷⁵⁹

Yeshua Messiah was in the middle of a life-changing two-day period. Just the day before He had been accused of being demon possessed and rejected by the Great Sanhedrin, He pronounced a judgment on that particular Jewish generation, and began speaking to the people in parables. This day had begun at night with Him calming the storm, and healing two demon-possessed men. Then, after sunrise, He raised Jairus’ daughter, and healed a sick woman. Later He healed two blind men and a deaf mute. It was time to go home.

Months earlier when He revealed His true identity as the long-awaited Messiah in His hometown synagogue they tried to kill Him (to see link click Ch – The Spirit of the LORD is One Me). But, in the interval of His absence some changes should have come in the feeling and attitude of the Nazarenes toward Him. After all, He had been the carpenter of the town, taking the place of the deceased Joseph. So, after nine or ten months He had come back to them in totally different circumstances. They could not deny His Godliness of His presence, the wisdom of His words or the power of His miracles. Yet, they could not accept the change.⁷⁶⁰

When the Sabbath came, He began to teach in the synagogue (Mark 6:2a). The people there were essentially the same ones who had been there for many years – but, Jesus was not the same. The main object of the synagogue was the teaching of the people. The teaching part of the service consisted mainly of reading a section from the Torah, then the prophets, which was then taught. It seems that when the ruler of the synagogue invited Him to teach from the Torah, He could not resist the opportunity.

And many who heard Him were amazed (Mark 6:2c). The verb is ekplesso, meaning to strike out, to drive out, to strike one out of self-defense. The teaching and miracles of our Lord struck them so forcefully that they were to the point of losing control of themselves. The verb is imperfect, showing that this condition of being beside themselves with amazement continued for some time. In short, they were completely stunned.

“Where did this man get this wisdom and these miraculous powers?” they asked. “What’s this wisdom that has been given him, that he even does miracles” (Mattityahu 13:54 and 56b; Mark 6:2c)! To their credit they were asking the right questions. The tragedy was that they asked the right questions with the wrong attitude. Their attitude was, “Who does He think He is anyway?” Familiarity had bred contempt that gave birth to unbelief. Nazareth was a microcosm of the nation as a whole.⁷⁶¹ Jesus had been rejected in Nazareth previously, but, this was His final rejection.

They asked mockingly: Isn’t this the carpenter’s son? The language implies that the answer should be a simple “Yes.” The real answer, however, is not so simple. Luke’s language was crafted very carefully: He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph, the son of Heli, the son of Matthat (Luke 3:23b). Joseph the carpenter raised Yeshua and accepted Him as his son even though he had no natural human father, since God the Holy Spirit impregnated Miryam the virgin supernaturally. But, to the Nazarenes, Yeshua was just too ordinary. He was just the carpenter’s son.

Is not His mother called Mary? Miryam was a woman of extraordinary godliness, but, she was no more divine than any other woman ever born, and certainly is not superior to Christ as Catholic dogma maintains (see Ey – Jesus’ Mother and Brothers). She even referred to the Lord as God my Savior (see An – The Song of Mary), affirming her own sinfulness and need of salvation.

And His brothers, James (see Galatians 1:19), Joseph, Simon and Jude (Matthew 13:55; Mark 6:3a NASB)? Jesus had brothers, which means that after He was born, Mary had at least six more children. The four brothers listed here and at least two sisters. The Roman Catholic Church attempts to explain these away as cousins, and therefore not children of Joseph and Miryam at all. But, the Greek has another word that means cousin, anepsios, as in Colossians 4:10: Mark, the cousin of Barnabas. The mention of His mother and father in the immediate context shows this is immediate family, not distant cousins.

Neither are they “brothers in the Lord.” The Greek word for brother here is adelphos. It can be used for a physical brother or a brother in the Lord, with context determining which should be used. For example in First Corinthians 15:6 we learn the Yeshua appeared to more than five hundred brothers (adelphos). That context would obviously be brothers in the Lord. Some contend these are spiritual brothers or cousins, but they have to take that out of context. If you want to pull things out of context you can use the Bible to prove anything you want to prove. The context here, however, is mother, father, brothers and sisters. In other words, immediate family. No mention of aunts, uncles or cousins in the context here.

Aren’t all his sisters here with us (Mattityahu 13:56a; Mark 6:3b)? From this text and numerous others (Matthew 12:46-47; Luke 2:7; John 7:10; Acts 1:14), it is clear the Mary did not live in perpetual virginity, as the Roman Catholic heresy claims. She was a virgin when God the Holy Spirit impregnated her. But, afterward, Mary had normal sexual relations with her husband Joseph and they had a family together. Whether the inspired Gospel writers used the masculine adelphos for brother, or the feminine adelphe for sister, they both have the same root, and mean from the same womb.⁷⁶²

And they took offense at Him (Matthew 13:57a; Mark 6:3c). While multitudes throughout Judea and Galilee and even the regions beyond had accepted Yeshua’s word as that of a prophet because of the miracles He did, it seems like the village of Nazareth was totally unresponsive.⁷⁶³ A Nazarene was not supposed to know all those things. Nazareth was such a small town that even the Nazarenes themselves, like other Galileans, did not expect a great prophet to come from their midst (John 1:46). Any one from there was supposed to be the lowest of the low. They could not explain Him so they rejected Him. The saddest part of all was that His own brothers and sisters, the sons and daughters of Mary and Joseph, did not believe His messianic claims until after His death and resurrection. They had lived in the same home with Yeshua for many years, but, it made no impression on them.

Like the Pharisees and Torah-teachers, the people of Nazareth refused to make the logical and obvious connection between His power and His divinity because they willfully refused to believe. The seed of the Gospel fell on the hard-packed soil of sin-loving hearts into which God’s truth could not penetrate (see Et – The Parable of the Soils). As Yeshua had explained to Nicodemus: Whoever believes in [the Son of God] is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but the people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed (Yochanan 3:18-20).

Those who heard and saw Messiah did not reject Him for lack of evidence – but in spite of overwhelming evidence. They did not reject Him because they lacked the truth – but because they rejected the Truth. They refused forgiveness because they loved their sins more than they loved Him. They denied the light because they preferred darkness. The reason for rejecting the Lord has always been that people prefer their own way to His.⁷⁶⁴

But Jesus said to them: Only in his hometown, among his relatives and in his own house is a prophet without honor (Matthew 13:57b; Mark 6:4). This proved to be true. It is significant here that Jesus made a definite claim to being a prophet. He had already claimed to be the Jewish Messiah (John 4:26; Luke 4:21), the Son of Man with the power of God (Matthew 9:6; Mark 1:10; Luke 5:24), and the Son of God (John 5:22).

But He did not do many miracles there because of their lack of faith, except lay His hands on a few sick people and heal them. At that time Jesus was only performing individual miracles based on faith. But, the people of Nazareth were so consistently unbelieving that they would not even bring their sick to Him to be healed. And He was amazed at their lack of faith (Mattityahu 13:58; Mark 6:5-6a). The fact that our omniscient Lord was amazed at the unbelief of the people of Nazareth, gives us some understanding of His human limitations. As God, He would not be amazed at anything. Yet, in His humanity, He seemingly expected a different reception at Nazareth than He received.

Jesus must have been sad and disappointed as He went down the valley toward the plain of Esdraelon and looked back for the last time on His native town. Humanly, He needed their friendship and moral support as He faced His ministry in Galilee and His destiny in the City of David. But, in reality, they needed Him more than He needed them. They had sadly lost their last opportunity to have Him.

Faith calls for obedience to God. As we obey Him out of love, God can work in our lives. Jesus told His apostles: If you love Me, keep my commands (Yochanan 14:15). When we believe or have faith, we put ourselves under ADONAI and submit to Him.

To be obedient to God’s Word, we have to trust and hope in Him. In Hebrews 11, the writer gave example after example of the holy men and women in the TaNaKh who because of their faith, persevered in following the Lord, trusting that His Word was reliable. They could place their hope in God, knowing that He would be true to all His promises.

Obedience, trust, and hope are essential parts of faith. When confronted by Jesus’ words and deeds, the people of Nazareth did not believe. Since they would not submit to Christ and obey Him, and since they had no trust in Him, He could not work among them. Let us pray that we will believe in Jesus and will experience His presence and work in our lives.

Holy Spirit, increase in me my faith in Yeshua. Enable me to place my trust and hope in the Father and obey His Son’s words. Spirit, I want to know the power of ADONAI in my life. I believe, I want to believe – please help my unbelief.⁷⁶⁵