God’s Chosen Servant
Matthew 12:15-21 and Mark 3:7-12

God’s chosen Servant DIG: In reacting to the Pharisee’s threats to kill Him, how did the Lord fulfill prophecy? What did that say about Yeshua’s identity? How far were people traveling to see and hear Messiah? Why were the people coming? Did this matter to Yeshua? Why or why not? How many did He heal? Who recognized His true identity?

REFLECT: How does Jesus’ example or courage and conviction in the face of danger inspire you? In telling other people about Christ, what use of the TaNaKh do you make? What is one way the Lord has healed your life? What motivates you to come to Yeshua for help? How far do you have to travel to be with Him?

The Bible attributes many titles to Messiah, and none is more fitting than My Servant, a title first used by Isaiah (see my commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Hp – Here Is My Servant, Whom I Uphold). Just as the prophet predicted the coming of the Meshiach, Yeshua came in wonder and majesty as the divine Servant, serving the Father and mankind.

This brief passage is an island of refreshing beauty in an ocean of confrontation, which records the first major rejection of Christ, led by the Pharisees and the Torah-teachers. The main point of contention was the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law). After the renegade Rabbi exposed their unscriptural beliefs about the Sabbath, the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus (Mark 3:6). In the midst of that mounting antagonism, however, we learn some outstanding characteristics of our Savior whom the world hates but ADONAI dearly loves.

Aware that the Pharisees plotted to kill Him, Jesus immediately withdrew from that place on the Sabbath. He had not come to do His own will but the will of His Father (John 5:30 and 6:38), and it was not the Father’s time for the Son’s ministry and life to end. Until then Yeshua would be in a continuous cycle of preaching and healing, of acceptance by some but rejection by most (especially the Pharisees) and then withdrawing to another place. As His ministry progressed, like birth pangs, the cycles became shorter and shorter because the opposition came more quickly and more intensely.

He had to leave the synagogues. It was not that He withdrew through fear; it was not the retreat of a Man who feared to face the consequences. When the time came, Jesus accepted His arrest, trial, and crucifixion without complaint or resistance – although at any time He could easily have saved Himself and destroyed those who sought to destroy Him. But, that would be years later. There was much He had to do and say before the time of the final conflict. So, He left the synagogues and went out to the lake and the open sky.

The Lord and His talmidim withdrew to the Sea of Galilee and a large crowd followed Him. There was a rising, stirring interest in Yeshua’s messianic claims. His reputation was spreading, not only within Jewish territory, but also among the Gentiles. When they heard about all He was doing, many people came to Him from Judea, Jerusalem, Idumea, and the regions across the Jordan and around Tyre and Sidon (Matthew 12:15a; Mark 3:7-8). Many made the hundred-mile journey from Yerushalayim to Judea to listen to Him and to be healed by Him. The word large, polu, is in the emphatic position, and calls attention to the fact that it was an exceptionally large crowd.

The people Jesus healed were despised and neglected by the Pharisees and the Torah-teachers, as well as the Sadducees (the priesthood), which ADONAI had established as a means for bringing His people nearer to Himself. The religious leaders were only interested in the rich and influential, not the sick, the poor, or the outcast. As in the case of the man with the shriveled hand (see Cw – Jesus Heals a Man with a Shriveled Hand), their only interest in his affliction was to use it as a means of inducing Messiah to break the Sabbath in order to accuse and convict Him. Jesus, on the other hand, always had time for those who were in need.

The Lord healed many people who didn’t even believe in Him for salvation, merely desperate for healing. Of the ten lepers He cleansed on one occasion, only one, a Samaritan, showed evidence of faith by returning to give thanks. Messiah’s words: Rise and go, your faith has made you well (Luke 17:19), refer to the man’s spiritual healing through salvation, not to his physical healing from leprosy, which had already taken place. All ten lepers were physically healed, but only one was healed spiritually.

Christ feels the pain that hurts us and the weight of burdens that grind us down; and in His grace He heals our hurts and lifts our burdens. He said: Come to Me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me for I AM gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden light (Mattityahu 11:28-30). The Pharisees, Sadducees and Torah-teachers, who were the false shepherds of Isra’el (Jeremiah 23), had only imposed heavy burdens, but when the true Shepherd came to Isra’el, He lifted them. That is why Peter tells us to cast our burdens and anxieties on the Chief Shepherd, because He cares for you (First Peter 5:4 and 7).⁴⁷⁵

Because of the crowd He told His apostles to have a small fishing boat, essentially a rowboat, ready for Him, to keep the people from crowding because those with diseases were pushing forward to crush Him (Mark 3:9-10). The verb to crush is epipipto, means to fall upon. Those around Him fell against Him in the desperation to be healed; they seemed to have little interest in Jesus other than a miracle-worker. The scene must have been chaotic. Jesus stayed with the unruly crowd because they needed Him, but, He found it necessary to protect Himself. Therefore, He needed a little rowboat ready, and close to the shore, so as to be able to take Him off at a moments notice. The verb shows continuous action. The rowboat was able to keep moving down the shoreline.

Jesus healed all who were ill. In anticipation of His coming rejection by the Sanhedrin, He warned them not to tell others about Him (Mattityahu 12:15b-16). It is not that the Servant will be completely quiet, yet it was clear that the point was coming quickly where He would stop trying to convince the nation of Israel in general, and the Great Sanhedrin in particular, that He was indeed the Meshiach (see En – Four Drastic Changes in Christ’s Ministry).

Matthew noted that this ministry to those multitudes who had come from outside the land of Israel was a fulfillment of Isaiah 42:1-4. The Gentile nations would turn to Him and put their faith in the blessed hope. This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah (see my commentary on Isaiah Hp – Here Is My Servant, Whom I Uphold). Isaiah declared: Here is My Servant whom I have chosen, the One I love, in whom I delight. The Greek word pais is not the usual word for servant and is often translated son. In secular Greek it was used of an especially intimate servant who was trusted and loved like a son. In the Septuagint, the Greek translation of the TaNaKh, pais is used of Abraham’s chief servant (Genesis 24:2), of Pharaoh’s royal servants (Genesis 41:10 and 38), and of the angels as ADONAI’s supernatural servants (Job 4:18). I will put My Spirit on Him, and He will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear His voice in the streets. A bruised reed He will not break, and a smoldering wick He will not snuff out, till He has brought justice through to victory. In His name the nations will put their hope (Mattityahu 12:17-21).

Those who saw Jesus – really saw Him – knew there was something different. At His touch blind beggars received their sight. At His command crippled legs became strong and walked. At His embrace empty lives were filled with vision.

He fed thousands with one basket. He stilled a storm with one command. He raised the dead with one proclamation. He changed lives with one request. He altered the history of the world with one life, lived in one country, was born in one manger and died on one hill . . .

God did what we wouldn’t dare dream. He did what we couldn’t imagine. He became a man so we could trust Him. He became a sacrifice so we could know Him. And He defeated death so we could follow Him.

It defies logic. It is a divine insanity. A holy incredibility.

Only a Creator beyond the fence of logic could offer such a gift of love.⁴⁷⁶

While some rabbinic commentators attempt to connect this and other Suffering Servant passages to the nation of Isra’el as a whole (see my commentary on Isaiah Iy – The Death of the Suffering Servant), many other sources disagree by acknowledging that this passage solely applies to the coming Messiah (Targum Yonaton, Rabbi David Kimchi). This rings true, as a close study of the Suffering Servant passages confirm that there are many results only the Meshiach (not national Isra’el) can accomplish (for example, the atonement of sins and faith on the part of the Gentile nations). As an eyewitness to those events in the life of Yeshua, Mattityahu uses the Isaiah proof-text to show that the ministry of Jesus will soon go through the predicted shift in emphasis from national, to individual salvation.⁴⁷⁷

Some of the people brought friends or relatives who were demon possessed in the hope that Jesus could deliver them. Whenever the impure spirits saw Him, they fell down before Him. The verb is in the imperfect tense, pointing to continuous action. The demons repeatedly threw themselves down before Him. And they cried out, “You are the Son of God” (Mark 3:11). Once again the verb is imperfect. They kept on crying out. All of the deep, throaty, unruly voices from the satanic world must have sounded horrific. The fact that they testified that Yeshua is the Son of God indicates their knowledge and acceptance of the Trinity.

But He gave them strict orders not to tell others about Him (Mark 3:12). He would not accept testimony from demons. It is truly ironic that the demons recognized Jesus as the Son of God even though the large crowd and the Jewish religious leaders did not.

A good mystery novel provides intriguing details that twist and intertwine until the reader is almost in knots. That’s the point at which a good storyteller pauses; rather than adding more details, the detective in the story sits down to mull over the evidence This gives the readers a chance to collect their thoughts – to assimilate what is known and to prepare for new details to come.

Mark, the master storyteller, has paused at this point to give us time for reflection. In previous chapters, we’ve seen Jesus healing people afflicted with one sickness after another. Messiah went out and recruited His first apostles, but soon, crowds of people were coming to Him. There was that intriguing little secret that slipped out when Yeshua exorcised demons. They knew who He was, but the Son of God would not let them speak (Mark 1:23-26). Mark had captured the attention of his readers.

Interest was not enough in itself; however, for Mark also had a message to get across. He established a couple of general points about the Meshiach before proceeding with any more details or stories.

First, Jesus had an overwhelming appeal. If you mark on a map the cities and regions from which people were coming (Mark 3:8), you would see that crowds were streaming in from all directions to listen to the Rabbi from Galilee. He wasn’t merely some local rabbi with a small following of talmidim. He attracted great numbers of people from every region and from every walk of life.

Second, Everyone had to decide for themselves – Who is this man? What is so special about Him that the demons are not permitted to announce His identity? Mark would continue to give us clues, but the question he wanted his audience to ponder at this point, and throughout his Gospel, was, “Who is Jesus?”

Let us take time today for the reflection that Mark intended. If you’re not completely convinced of the greatness and divinity of Jesus of Nazareth, take time today to pray about the evidence in the Life of Christ. Those who are committed believers, take some time to allow the Ruach Ha’Kodesh to speak to you more deeply. No matter how close you’ve grown to Yeshua, His presence always calls for change and renewal. Like leaky vessels, we constantly need to be refilled with the living water of the Spirit.⁴⁷⁸

Lord Yeshua, I open my heart for You to speak to me. Whether You’re calling for change in my personal life, or calling me to service in my family, church, messianic synagogue, community or nation, I want to follow wherever You go. Amen.

Jesus Heals a Man With a Shriveled Hand
Matthew 12:9-14; Mark 3:1-6; Luke 6:6-11

Jesus heals a man with a shriveled hand DIG: What causes the tension in the synagogue? Why was the man with the shriveled hand there to begin with? Why did Yeshua question the religious leaders as He did? Why did Jesus provoke the Pharisees’ wrath by healing on the Sabbath? Couldn’t He just wait one more day? What prompts the Lord’s anger? What does their response show? What is the irony in Mark 3:4-6?

REFLECT: Is it easy or hard for you to admit you’re wrong? What does it take to get you to change your mind about something regarding your faith? How do you handle stubborn people who you really care about, but won’t change either their destructive thinking or actions? What is the “shriveled hand” that Jesus is healing in you right now? How is true righteousness gained?

As Jesus traveled around, members of the Sanhedrin went with Him (to see link click Lg – the Great Sanhedrin). Like detectives, they trailed Him. Did they travel behind and keep their distance? Or did they travel with Jesus and talk along the way. We have no way of knowing because the Bible is silent on the issue. But, like pesky mosquitoes that wouldn’t leave Him alone on a hot summer’s day, the Pharisees and the Torah-teachers were tenacious in their determination to find something to accuse Him of. They weren’t really seeking the truth about Jesus, they were simply looking for a way to prove that His claim of being the Messiah was a lie.

On another Sabbath Jesus went into the synagogue and was teaching, and a man was there whose right hand was shriveled. Doctor Luke always gives us more medical details, it was his right hand that was shriveled (Matthew 12:9-10a; Mark 3:1; Luke 6:6). The word shriveled is a perfect participle, speaking of an action completed in past time, but having present finished results. This means that the shriveling of the hand was due to an accident or disease. The man was not born with the deformity, but neither was it life threatening.⁴⁶⁹ This was no coincidence. The Pharisees chose the man to test the Nazarene because his healing would not be a life-or-death issue (see below). They reasoned that if Yeshua really were God, He would merely wait until the next day to heal him.

The Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law) dictated that all work was forbidden on Shabbat. The Pharisees were quite definite and detailed about this. Medical attention could only be given if a life was in danger. To take some examples – a woman in childbirth might be helped on the Sabbath. An affliction of the throat might be treated. If a wall fell on anyone, enough might be cleared away to see whether the person was dead or alive. If alive, the person might be helped; if dead the body could not be removed until the next day. A fracture could not be attended to. Cold water might not be poured on a sprained hand or foot. A cut finger might be bandaged with a plain bandage but not with ointment. In other words, at most, an injury could be kept from getting worse – but not made better.

The best way to understand the strict orthodox view of the Sabbath is to remember that a Jew would not even defend his life on Shabbat. In the Maccabean wars, when resistance broke out, some of the Jewish rebels took refuge in some caves. The Syrian soldiers pursued them. Josephus, the Jewish historian, tell us that they gave them the chance to surrender and they would not, so “the Syrians fought against them on the Sabbath day, and they burned the Jews in the caves, without resistance and without so much as obstructing the entrances to the caves. They refused to defend themselves on that day because they were not willing to break the Sabbath even under such distress.” So the attitude of pharisaic Judaism on this issue was completely rigid and unbending.⁴⁷⁰

The Torah-teachers and the Pharisees were looking for a reason to accuse Jesus publicly before the Great Sanhedrin. No one could miss them because the front seats where reserved for honored guests and there they sat. The Pharisees were the ones who had repeatedly accused Messiah and His talmidim of breaking the Sabbath one week earlier (see Cv – The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath). They were not there to worship. They were there to scrutinize Jesus’ every action, so they watched Him closely. Because this was the second stage of interrogation, they asked Him, “Is it lawful to heal on the Sabbath” (Mt 12:10b; Mk 3:2; Lk 6:7).

But Jesus knew what they were thinking and said to the man with the shriveled hand: Get up and stand in front of everyone. So he got up and stood in the midst of all the people who were there (Mark 3:3; Luke 6:8). Yeshua answered the critical attitude of the Torah-teachers and the Pharisees with a miracle. He knew the man’s life was not in the least danger. Physically, he would be no worse off if his healing were delayed until the following day. The Lord, however, brought everything out into the open, and threw out a challenge to them. He had nothing to hide.

Being a rabbi, the Lord answered their question with a question of His own. Then Messiah said to them: I ask you, which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil? He put them in a corner. They were bound to admit that it was lawful to do good, and that it was a good thing He proposed to do. They were also bound to deny that it was lawful to do evil, and yet, surely it was an evil thing to leave the man in such a wretched condition when it was possible to help him. Then He asked them: Is it lawful to save a life or to destroy it (Luke 6:9)? But they remained silent (Mark 3:4). They didn’t have a snappy comeback for that one! The verb is imperfect. They kept on being silent. Theirs was a painful, embarrassing silence. What could they say? Evidently nothing.

Based on Leviticus 18:5 some of the commandments of Shabbat could be set aside under the concept of pikuach nefesh, literally to save a life. Since God gave the Torah to bless our lives, it is understood to this day that whatever is needed to save a life may be done even on the Sabbath. Maimonides, the great medieval commentator and physician, even called it a “religious duty” to break the Sabbath for such a need (Yad, Shabbat 2:2-3).

After a long silence Jesus said to them: If any of you has a sheep and it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, will you not take hold of it and lift it out (Tractate Shabbat 117b)? Any Jew, including a Pharisee, would find some way to rescue his sheep in such a situation. If there were a regulation permitting him to do such a thing, he would certainly take advantage of it. If there weren’t, he would find some way of circumventing or bending the law in order to save his sheep. So, either within the Oral Law or in spite of the Oral Law, he would find some way to take hold of his sheep and lift it out of the pit. The Pharisees did not argue that point with Yeshua, proving the assumed answer was correct.

The Lord was using a kal v’chomer rabbinic principle, meaning from lesser to greater. If some of the laws of Shabbat could be set aside to help a needy animal, how much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Jesus then summarized His point, saying: How much more valuable is a person than a sheep! Therefore, it is lawful to do good on the Sabbath, anytime the situation arises, not just in life-threatening situations (Matthew 12:11-12). No Pharisee would have admitted that sheep were as valuable as men, who knew they were created in the image of God. But in reality, the Pharisees treated other people with less respect than they treated their own sheep, because in their hearts they didn’t respect, much less love, anyone else, including their fellow Jews. The only thing that mattered to the Pharisees was their self-righteous sect of Judaism and their precious traditions of men.

Christ looked around at them all in righteous anger. It was a swift, sweeping glare. There are three Greek words for anger. The first is thumos, indicating a sudden outburst of anger that cools off quickly. Secondly, orge, defining tolerant habit of the mind, not being used all the time, but only when the occasion demanded it. But, the qualification is that no sinful motivation be included with it. And thirdly, parorgismos, which speaks of anger in the sense of exasperation, which is forbidden in Scripture. Mark uses the word orge because Yeshua’s anger was a righteous anger. But, our Lord’s anger was still tempered with grief.⁴⁷¹

And, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, He said to the man: Stretch out your shriveled hand. Jesus had been zealous when He cleansed the Temple to start His public ministry (see Bs – Jesus’ First Cleansing of the Temple), and He was also zealous here. So he stretched it out and his right hand was completely restored, just as sound as the left hand (Mt 12:13; Mark 3:5; Luke 6:10). He did not ask the man to display any faith. At this point in Messiah’s ministry, miracles were to authenticate His messianic claims. But, that will change after His rejection (see En – Four Drastic Changes in Christ’s Ministry). By proceeding to heal his hand, Jesus continued to show His disdain for the Oral Law.

Can you imagine how this man felt? I am sure he hid his shriveled hand as much as he could. He was embarrassed about it. Now Yeshua was asking him to show it to everyone.

The Pharisaic responses to this incident, and to the Sabbath controversies in general are three-fold. First, The Pharisees and the teachers of the Oral Law were furious, literally filled with madness (Lk 6:11a). Their emotions controlled them. Second, the Pharisees went out and plotted how they might kill Jesus (Mt 12:14; Lk 6:11b). They were getting desperate and would have killed Yeshua on the spot had Rome not taken away their ability to issue the death penalty by stoning, and had they not been afraid of the many people who followed and admired Him.⁴⁷² The Sanhedrin had not yet come to an official conclusion from their second stage of interrogation, but, it seemed like many Pharisees had already come to their own individual conclusion. It was like, “My mind is made up, don’t confuse me with the facts!” Thirdly, the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill the rebellious Rabbi from Galilee (Mk 3:6).

The Pharisees and the Herodians were really strange bedfellows because they were on the opposite ends of the political spectrum, and usually archenemies. The Herodians were theologically in agreement with the Sadducees and politically both of these parties would have been the opposite of the Pharisees who were anti-Hasmonean, anti-Herodian and anti-Roman. The Pharisees looked for a cataclysmic messianic Kingdom to remove the rule of the Herods and Rome, whereas the Herodians wanted to please the Romans and preserve the Herodian rule. However, the Herodians and the Pharisees worked together to oppose Yeshua, because He was introducing a new Kingdom that neither wanted. Therefore, in the final analysis, they could agree on one thing – Jesus needed to be killed.⁴⁷³

The Pharisees and Torah-teachers were self-righteous hypocrites (Matthew 23:24-27), who loved to justify themselves in the sight of others (Luke 16:15). They had cold, calloused hearts and their acts of piety only served to glorify themselves, not ADONAI. A disciple of Yeshua Ha’Meshiach must go beyond self-righteousness that was often characterized by external pious acts (Matthew 5:20). We don’t need external boasting, but internal change. Rabbi Sha’ul wrote of the condition of the human heart: There is no one righteous, not even one (Romans 3:10). The only righteousness that is possible is that which is given to us by God through His grace, as a free and generous gift (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is righteousness gained through the cross of Messiah and does not come from ourselves, but rather, through faith and baptism of the Holy Spirit (see Bw – What God Does for Us at the Moment of Faith).

As we start to understand this truth, we begin to understand that on our own, we cannot please God. Our self-sufficient lives must be put aside in favor of a childlike trust and reliance on our loving Father. Only those who have put their wills to death in this way can truly follow Jesus. Renouncing all self-righteousness, we rejoice with Rabbi Sha’ul and say: I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in my body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave Himself for me (Galatians 2:20).⁴⁷⁴

Lord Jesus, by the power of your Spirit in us, help us to follow You. Teach us to love as You love, so that we may build Your Kingdom on the earth. Amen

The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath
Matthew 12:1-8; Mark 2:23-28; Luke 6:1-5

The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath DIG: What are the Pharisees angry about? How does David’s story apply to Jesus’ situation in First Samuel 21:1-6? About the priests in Numbers 28:9-10? How had the Pharisees neglected the meaning of: I desire mercy, not sacrifice? How does Messiah clarify the Sabbath issue in Matthew 12:8 and Luke 6:5?

REFLECT: When have you fallen into the trap of “offering sacrifice” but “neglecting mercy?” As you try to be obedient to the Lord, do you sense you are becoming freer to love others, or becoming more and more constrained by religious rules? Why? What causes that tension?

Messiah temporarily refuted the accusation of the Pharisees that He was guilty of blasphemy. But, they were relentless. Now His opponents pressed the accusation that He was a Sabbath breaker. Soon they observed another incident that gave them another opportunity to openly accuse Him.

It was the end of April in Galilee, a time when shepherds and their flocks dot the hillsides and farmers conclude their barley harvest and turn their attention to the great fields of wheat. The Torah demanded that farmers leave some wheat on the edges of their fields for the poor and the needy to glean from. Moses wrote: When you harvest the ripe crops produced in your land, don’t harvest all the way to the corners of your field, and don’t gather the ears of grain left by the harvesters (Leviticus 19:9 CJB).

The Great Sanhedrin (to see link click Lg – The Great Sanhedrin) was still in the second stage of interrogation. Maybe you have heard of a job shadow, well, this was a ministry shadow. Everywhere that Yeshua went, the Pharisees were sure to follow. They would challenge Jesus on anything that they perceived was at odds with the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law). They had actually gotten to the point where they elevated the Oral Law even a little higher than the Torah. The rabbis had a saying: He who studies the Torah does a good thing; but he who studies the Oral Law does an even better thing. Like Rabbi Sha’ul, had been at one time, they were extremely zealous for the traditions of their fathers (Galatians 1:14).

Needless to say, the most revered commandment within historical Judaism has been the observance of Shabbat. It is rather surprising that for all the weight given to the Sabbath, the Bible actually gives little definition. To this day, Jews light two candles on Shabbat evening to illustrate the two-fold biblical commandment to remember and observe this most holy day. So, the biblical commandment is to refrain from all work just as God Himself rested. It is unfortunate that many have misinterpreted the commandments of the Sabbath to become a burden or even bondage. While some, like the Puritans of old, made Shabbat a time of gloom and doom, the Jewish view emphasized the biblical perspective that the seventh day was in fact to be a joy and delight.⁴⁶³

To the commandment: Remember the Sabbath and keep it holy (see my commentary on Exodus Dn – Remember the Sabbath by Keeping it Holy), the Pharisees added about 1,500 additional rules and regulations. This is illustrated by the fact that an entire tractate of the Talmud is devoted to the consideration of what is allowed or forbidden on the Sabbath (Tractate Shabbat). In this first verse, the Pharisees said they broke four of them. One Sabbath Jesus was going through the grainfields, and as His apostles were hungry and as they walked along with Him, they began to pick some heads of grain left for the poor, rub them in their hands and eat the kernels (Matthew 12:1; Mark 2:23; Luke 6:1). When they took wheat off of the stalk they were guilty of reaping on the Sabbath; when they rubbed the wheat in their hands for the purpose of separating the wheat from the chaff they were guilty of  threshing on Shabbat; when they blew the chaff away (implied), they were guilty of  winnowing on the Sabbath; and then they ate the wheat they were guilty of  storing the wheat on the seventh day.⁴⁶⁴

That is how extreme the Pharisees had become at that time. The rabbis had a rule that you should not walk on grass on the Sabbath. If you were to ask a pharisaic rabbi, “What’s wrong with walking on the grass on Shabbat?” He would say, “Nothing! But here’s the problem. If there were one wild stalk of wheat growing out there, and if you accidentally stepped on it and separated it from its stalk, you might be guilty of reaping on the seventh day. And if you accidentally separated the wheat from the chaff you could be guilty of threshing. If you kept moving and the outer hem of your garment accidentally blew the chaff away you would be guilty of winnowing on the Sabbath. And if a bird would swoop down and eat the exposed grain, you would be guilty of storing on Shabbat. That’s how extreme building a fence around the Torah had become.⁴⁶⁵

On any ordinary day this would have been permitted, but, on the Sabbath it was strictly forbidden. When the Pharisees saw this, they said to Yeshua, “Look! Your talmidim are doing what is unlawful on the Sabbath” (Matthew 12:2; Mark 2:24 Luke 6:2). The verb said is the Greek word elegon, in the imperfect tense, indicating continuous action. Had Mark wanted to say that the Pharisees were merely speaking to Jesus, he would have used the aorist tense. But, he goes out of his way to emphasize that the Pharisees would not stop going at Jesus. When they were eating at Mattityahu’s house they spoke to His apostles (see Cp – The Calling of Matthew). But now, they spoke directly to Him. They took issue with His talmidim breaking the Oral Law.⁴⁶⁶ Jesus never once contradicted the Torah but was not afraid to oppose the Oral Law when it was necessary. Therefore, He responded by pointing out six reasons why He was Lord of the Sabbath:

First, He makes a historical appeal to king David. Knowing full well that the educated Pharisees knew the account, Yeshua prodded them to look deeper at the spiritual principles to be learned from the unusual encounter. He answered: Have you never read what David did when he and his companions were hungry and in need (Matthew 12:3)? This wording in the Greek expected a positive answer. In setting the context for His historical appeal concerning David, Jesus mentioned that it was in the days of Abiathar, the high priest. But, was the Lord mistaken when He identified Abiathar as the high priest when the account in First Samuel 21:1-6 names Ahimelech? As First Samuel 21 records, David had his dealings at Nob with Abiathar’s father, Ahimelech. But, there are several reasons why it was not wrong or inaccurate to name Abiathar in connection with this incident.

First of all, shortly after David met with Ahimelech, King Saul had the priests at Nob slaughtered, including Ahimelech (First Samuel 22:18-19). Only Abiathar escaped! He fled to David and served as the high priest until David’s death, even though he was not the high priest at the time of the slaughter at Nob.

Second, Messiah did not say that Abiathar was the high priest at the time but that it was literally in the days of Abiathar. He was alive when the incident took place and served as high priest after his father’s death. The slaughter of the priests of Nob Jesus referred to took place in the days of Abiathar, although not during his tenure in office.⁴⁶⁷

Continuing the historical appeal concerning David, our Savior mentioned that he entered the house of God and he and his companions ate the bread of the Presence (see commentary on Exodus Fo – The Bread of the Presence in the Sanctuary: Christ, the Bread of Life) – which is lawful only for priests to eat (Matthew 12:4; Mark 2:25-26; Luke 6:3-4). Christ pointed out that David and his companions also violated pharisaic law when they ate the bread of the Presence (First Samuel 21:1-6). Moses never said that a Levite could not give the bread of the Presence to a non-Levite, but, that was an Oral Law. The Pharisees could not claim that David lived before the Oral Law was formed because they themselves taught and believed that God had given Moses the Oral Law at Mount Sinai at the same time that he brought down the Ten Commandments. In other words, David broke pharisaic law but they never took him to task. So, if David could break the Oral Law, so could his Greater Son, Yeshua Ha’Meshiach.

Second, He pointed out that the Sabbath principal of rest did not apply in every situation. Or haven’t you read in the Torah that the priests on Sabbath duty in the Temple desecrate the Sabbath and yet are innocent (Mattityahu 12:5)? For those in the Temple compound it was not a day of rest. In fact, those within the Temple compound had to work harder on the Sabbath than a normal day because while they had daily sacrifices and rituals, they were all doubled on Shabbat. There were also special Sabbath rituals not performed on any other day. Certain duties were allowed on Shabbat. Also let me point out that the Bible does not transfer the Sabbath regulations to Sunday.

Third, He tells the Pharisees that He is greater than the Temple. I tell you that something greater than the Temple is here (Matthew 12:6). Yeshua ha-Meshiach was greater than the Temple. He is the Lord of the Temple. So, because work was allowed to be done on the Sabbath in the Temple, and He was greater than the Temple, He could also do work on Shabbat.

Fourth, He points out that in any circumstance certain works were always allowed on the Sabbath. If you had known what these words mean, ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice’ (Hosea 6:6), you would not have condemned the innocent (Mattityahu 12:7). He quotes Hosea 6:6, pointing out that in any circumstance certain works were always allowed on the Sabbath; such as works of necessity and works of mercy. Like David, eating was a work of necessity, like healing the invalid at the pool of Bethesda was an act of mercy. Such works were always allowed on Shabbat.

Fifth, as the Messiah, He was Lord of the Sabbath. For the Son of Man (see Gl – The Son of Man Has No Place to Lay His Head) is Lord even of the Sabbath (Matthew 12:8; Mark 2:28; Luke 6:5). The Oral Law had choked the life out of Shabbat. Isra’el was to welcome the Sabbath as a bride; but, instead, to Isra’el it had become her slave. The school of Shammai held that the duty of  Sabbath rest extended not only to men and beasts, but to inanimate objects as well. No process might start on Friday that would go on of itself during Shabbat, such as laying out flax to dry, or putting wool into dye. The school of Hillel excluded inanimate things from the Sabbath rest, but allowed work to be given to Gentiles to complete.⁴⁶⁸ The Son of Man could allow what they forbid, and He can forbid what they allowed.

Sixth, they had totally misunderstood the purpose of the Sabbath. Then He said to them: The Sabbath was made for mankind, not mankind for the Sabbath (Mark 2:27). The word for man is not aner, a male individual, but anthropos, the generic term for mankind. The rabbis taught that the reason God made Isra’el was for the worship of the Sabbath; therefore, the belief was that Isra’el was made for the Sabbath. But, Jesus states here the exact opposite. The Sabbath is only a means to an end – the good of mankind. Isra’el was not made for Shabbat, Shabbat was made for Isra’el. The purpose was to give Isra’el a day of rest, not to enslave her. But nevertheless, the Oral Law enslaved the Jews on the Sabbath.

We have similar problems within the Church today, which has misunderstood Shabbat in two ways: First, some believe that Sunday is the new Sabbath. Sunday is never called the Sabbath anywhere in the Bible. It was, and always will be, from sundown Friday to sundown Saturday. We are no longer obligated to keep Shabbat under the framework of Torah as upheld by the Messiah (First Corinthians 9:21 CJB), but, the day of the Sabbath has never changed. In addition, Sunday is never called “the Lord’s Day,” but the first day of the week (Mattityahu 28:1; Mark 16:2 and 9; Luke 24:1; Yochanan 20:1 and 19; Acts 20:7; First Corinthians 16:2), both before and after the cross.

The second problem is applying rules and regulations to Sunday. For some churches, Sunday is an obligated day of rest and worship. Yes, we are supposed to meet together on a regular basis: Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another – and all the more as you see the Day approaching (Hebrews 10:25), but, the day of the week is purely optional. Rabbi Sha’ul wrote to the church at Rome: One person considers one day more sacred than another; another considers every day alike. Each of them should be fully convinced in their own mind. Whoever regards one day as special does so to the Lord (Romans 14:5-6a; also see Colossians 2:16-17 and Galatians 4:8-10). Shabbat is given, not as a burden, but a gift of ADONAI in which to rejoice. Therefore, the essence of the Sabbath is to give us a day of rest, not to enslave us with a bunch of rules and regulations.

Lord Jesus, help us to clearly see Your authority and lordship. Break through the ways that we diminish You in our thinking. We want to live by Your commandment of love and under Your dominion. Amen. He is faithful.

If You Believed Moses, You Would Believe Me
John 5: 31-47

If you believed Moses, you would believe Me DIG: Who or what testifies in favor of Jesus? How do you think the Jewish leaders felt when Messiah referred to those witnesses? How did Yeshua throw their own Scriptures right back at them? Since they did not lack information, what was their problem with Christ?

REFLECT: What “witnesses” have convinced you that Jesus is indeed the One who gives life? How do you see the Jewish leaders’ attitudes and misuse of Scripture reflected today? How can you use Scripture to cultivate the love of God in you?

If I testify on My own behalf, My testimony is not valid (John 5:31 CJB). The TaNaKh held that self-testimony without supporting witnesses could not be regarded as legally valid: One witness alone will not be sufficient to convict a person of any offense or sin of any kind; the matter will be established only if there are two or three witnesses testifying against that person (Deuteronomy 19:15). The Mishnah records the teaching of the rabbis that none may be believed when he testifies of himself (Ketuboth 2.9). Jesus’ statement should be understood in the context of a Jewish court.⁴⁵⁹ While the Lord had not yet been dragged in front of the Great Sanhedrin for questioning (to see link click Lg – The Great Sanhedrin), He was nevertheless on trial. It was in the second stage of investigation to determine if Yeshua was indeed the Messiah. Therefore, Christ called five witnesses to testify on His behalf. Moses said in two or three witnesses should something be established. So here, Jesus goes well beyond the demands of the Torah.

The first witness was John the Baptist. You have sent to Yochanan and he has testified to the truth. Not that I accept human testimony; but I mention it that you may be saved. Both the I and the you are emphatic. Few doubted that the Baptizer was a genuine prophet of God (Matthew 14:5, 21:26; Mark 11:32; Luke 20:6). But, the excitement he stirred was only temporary. He was a lamp and not the light; he was only a shadow, not the Substance; he was the forerunner, not the Meshiach. John was a lamp that burned and gave light. Here we see John’s sub-theme of light and darkness. And you chose for a time to enjoy his light (Yochanan 5:33-35), but ultimately his message would be rejected and his Messiah crucified.

The second witness was Jesus’ authenticating miracles. But I have a testimony that is greater than Yochanan’s. For the things the Father has given Me to do, the very things I AM doing now (like healing an invalid at the pool at Bethesda), testify on My behalf that the Father has sent Me (John 5:36 CJB). The miracles that Jesus was performing were to authenticate His claims that He was the Messiah (see my commentary on Isaiah Gl – The Three Messianic Miracles). Jesus invites those who do not have His Word staying within them to search the Scriptures, just as the Jews in Berea did later (Acts 17:11).

The third witness was the Father Himself. But there is another who testifies on My behalf, and I know that His testimony about Me is valid (John 5:32). John, the human author of the gospel of John, in recording the Aramaic words of Jesus, could have chosen either of two Greek words for another, allos or heteros. The two words are basically synonymous with a slight nuance. Whereas heteros means another of a different kind, allos means another of the same kind. So when the Lord used allos, this another is, of course, God the Father.⁴⁶⁰ Without denying the oneness of the Trinity, Messiah treated the Father’s testimony as independent. If His opponents objected, they would have admitted that Yeshua and the Father were indeed of One essence. By failing to object, they had to receive the independent testimony of El Shaddai into evidence.

Check mate.

In addition, the Father who sent Me has Himself testified concerning Me. The Prophet of Nazareth was referring to the nine centuries of prophecy that He had fulfilled to the letter. Messiah even fulfilled things over which He had no control (humanly speaking), like the manner, time, and place of His birth (Isaiah 7:14; Dani’el 9:25; Micah 5:2). You have never heard His voice nor seen His form, nor does His Word dwell in you, for you do not believe the One He sent (John 5:37-38). The main element of God’s testimony is His Word.

The fourth witness was the TaNaKh. You keep searching the TaNaKh because you think that in it you have eternal life. It’s as if Yeshua issued a challenge, saying, “Go ahead, and search the TaNaKh.” His point is twofold. First, the Lord’s challenge anticipated the conclusion His enemies would reach if they dared take the TaNaKh at face value. If they were really honest, the TaNaKh would lead them to the conclusion that without question Jesus is the Son of God. Secondly, Rabbi Sha’ul tells us that the Torah has become our tutor to lead us to Christ, so that we may be justified by faith (Galatians 3:24 NASB). The Torah is a tutor because all 613 commandments are viewed as a unit and present an impossible standard. To break one is to break them all. The only person to ever keep all 613 perfectly is the Meshiach. The purpose of the Torah was to reveal the need for a Savior. The continued failure of trying to live up to an impossible standard should have prepared their hearts for the coming of a Prophet like Moses (see below). Instead, pharisaic Judaism took ADONAI’s high, righteous standard and pulled it down to something they could actually do. This was the Oral Law (see Lg – The Oral Law). And yet those very Scriptures bear witness of Me, yet you refuse to come to Me to have life (John 5:39-40 CJB). They made the Oral Law their god.

Jesus supported His accusation by contrasting His motivation to theirs. Whereas, He doesn’t seek the human approval (implying that He only seeks the approval of the Father), they sacrifice their love of ADONAI for the admiration of people. I do not accept praise from men, but I know you. I know that you do not have the love of God in your hearts. I have come with My Father’s authority, and you do not accept Me; but if someone else comes in his own name, you will accept him. Our Savior then pointed to their ridiculous acceptance of rabbis who made a name for themselves, but rejected the One who glorified the Father. How can you believe [in Me] since you accept glory from one another but do not seek the glory that only comes from God (Yochanan 5:41-44)?

The fifth and last witness was Moshe. Yeshua saved for last the argument that would be the most meaningful to His hearers. Moses wrote of Jesus (Luke 16:31, 24:44; Hebrews 11:26). Traditional Judaism denies this, but the early messianic Jews often based their case for Yeshua’s messiahship on passages of Scripture, including those written by Moshe, such as Genesis 49:10; Numbers 24:17 and Deuteronomy 18:15-18. Even within non-messianic Judaism all three of these are widely regarded as referring to the Messiah. Thus, says Yeshua, it is not even necessary for Me to make a special accusation because Moses has already done it. And if you don’t believe him, why would you believe Me?⁴⁶¹

But do not think I will accuse you before the Father. Your accuser is Moses, on whom your hopes are set. Moshe had written: The LORD will raise up a prophet like [Moses] from among their fellow Israelites and I will put My words in His mouth. He will tell them everything I command Him. I Myself will call to account anyone who does not listen to My words that the Prophet speaks in My name (Deuteronomy 18:17-19). Consequently, Jesus said: If you believed Moses, you would believe Me, for he wrote about Me (see my commentary on Exodus Eq – Christ in the Tabernacle). But since you do not believe what he wrote, how are you going to believe what I say (John 5:45-47)? What had been their greatest privilege had become their greatest accuser. No one could condemn someone who never had a chance. The TaNaKh, however, had given the Israelites the knowledge to recognize the Messiah when He came. Therefore, the knowledge they had failed to use had convicted them. Responsibility is always the other side of privilege.

The problem was not insufficient evidence to His claims. The problem is seen in verses 46 and 47. Accusing the Jews of not believing in Moses seems to be a very strange thing to say. If anybody believed in Moses, wouldn’t it be the Jews? But, in reality, it was, and is true. The Jews of Jesus’ day believed in Moshe as he had been interpreted through the Oral Law. Today, Orthodox Jews believe in Moses as the Oral Law, the Gemara and the Talmud have reinterpreted him. They don’t believe in the Moshe of the TaNaKh. Because if they had accepted Moses as only the TaNaKh depicts him, they would have recognized that Jesus was the Messiah. Like the Roman Catholic Church, they substituted their traditions for Scripture with tragic results.

Consequently, what does it mean to keep the Sabbath holy?
It means to believe in the God of the Bible and not the traditions of men.

Despite this and other irrefutable evidence proving the deity of Messiah, pharisaic Judaism remained stubborn. Jesus gave two reasons for this. First, they didn’t want to believe in Him, and secondly, they preferred their pride to salvation. They refused to take their hands off the steering wheel of their lives and let Yeshua take over.

As Chuck Swindoll relays to us in his commentary, New Testament Insights on John, we need to be on the lookout for such people today. Some are genuinely curious about the Lord, and their questions can become an opportunity to lead them to Christ. Always be prepared to give an answer to everyone who asks you to give the reason for the hope that you have. But do this with gentleness and respect (First Peter 3:15). But, don’t be fooled. Not every debate about spiritual matters is prompted by curiosity; more often than not, religious debate is merely a deception of the rebellious (see my commentary on Jude Ah – Godless People Have Secretly Slipped In Among You). Just as the religious leaders did with Jesus, some will seek you out for no other purpose than to challenge the truth rather than to understand and believe.

It’s part of a clever game they play with themselves. Their purpose for debating a believer is to pretend they have good reason to remain on their present course; if the believer cannot refute their objections or offer a compelling reason to believe in Messiah, they don’t feel obligated to submit control of their lives to anyone else. If the truth were known, they cannot tolerate your firm belief that God, not themselves or humanity, really controls the destiny of the universe.

By the end of the debate, the believer feels exhausted and the rebel feels vindicated – at least for a while. Soon, however, the rebel compulsively starts another debate with an unsuspecting believer. Here are a few ways to spot someone like this who wants to play “convert-me-if-you-can.”

1. The rebel challenges you with a negative opinion about ADONAI, or some other theological concern, and then expects you to talk him or her out of it (e.g. God doesn’t care about people or He would end all suffering).

2. The rebel presents a philosophical conundrum that has no definite answer (e.g. What about the Pygmies who were never told about God?).

3. The rebel presumes to judge the goodness of God by human standards, especially his or her own (e.g. I can’t believe a loving God would send anyone to hell).

4. The rebel tries to convince you that your faith is irrational, anti-academic, or that God doesn’t exist (e.g. No thinking person believes that stuff anymore).

5. The rebel shifts the conversation to another issue whenever you begin making headway on the first (e.g. Well, where did Cain get his wife?).

6. The rebel becomes frustrated, angry and belligerent and resorts to name-calling (you fill in the blanks here).

7. The rebel wants to compare qualifications or casts doubt on yours (e.g. Oh yeah, well, where did you get your training?).

If you suspect you’re in a debate with a rebel, politely end the conversation. You might even offer your reason for cutting it short. The temptation to continue can be enticing, but trust me – nobody has been argued into the Kingdom. At best, you can argue to a stalemate because, with a rebel (just as it was with the Pharisees), the challenge is not the intellect, it’s the will. If you must leave him or her with something, then let it be a testimony of your own experience. Few can refute that.

On the other hand, genuinely curious people listen rather than argue. They question rather than challenge. They are receptive and humble, not argumentative and arrogant. They accept that some questions cannot be answered adequately and they respect the occasional “I don’t know.” They respond positively to empathy, while rebels do not respond to compassion. And, best of all, with genuinely curious people, the conversation naturally flows into a presentation of the gospel. Not everyone acts upon the Good News right away, but those who want to know the truth will at least hear it out without a fight. No conversation should feel exhausting. Refuse to participate in one that does.⁴⁶²

The Authority of the Son
John 5: 16-30

The authority of the Son DIG: What was the result for Jesus healing the invalid in John 5:1-15? How did the way He answered the Jewish leaders only heighten their opposition? Why would Yeshua do that? In what ways is Messiah equal with the Father? What terms are used to demonstrate the relationship between the Two? How does that relate to John 1:1 and 18? What claims does Yeshua make about Himself in verse 24? What is the promise? When does someone start to possess this promise? What happens to those who do hear and believe? To those who do not? What exactly is the offer God is making to humanity?

REFLECT: If you had to explain to someone what verse 24 means in your own words, how would you put? In your own walk with Jesus, when did you come to understand this truth? How did it influence your self-image? Did it change your lifestyle at all? A little? A lot? How much? Did it affect your life goals?

After Messiah healed the invalid on Shabbat (to see link click Cs – Jesus Heals a Man at the Pool of Bethesda), the result was inevitable, the Jewish leaders began to persecute Him (John 5:16). Their dispute was no mere squabble among theologians; the issue was one of authority. That healing begged the question, “Who owns the Sabbath?” Pharisaic Judaism claimed ownership of Shabbat by objecting to Yeshua doing these things that the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law) forbid on the seventh day.

There were two specific accusations against Yeshua. First, healing the invalid at the pool of Bethesda on the Sabbath. He began His defense by pointing out that YHVH had never stopped working. The Lord said to them: My Father is always at His work to this very day (John 5:17a). Pharisaic Judaism believed that “work” included any kind of activity. According to Exodus 20:11, ADONAI commanded that the Israelites not do any work on the seventh day because He rested after the sixth day of creation. This was intended to honor Elohim’s creation of the world and to remember His provision. The LORD ceased work because His creation was complete, and Shabbat is based on the Hebrew verb to cease. He never, however, stopped providing or protecting! In that sense, God never rests from them. The sun rises and sets, the tides ebb and flow, the rain falls, the wind blows, the grass grows on the weekly Rest Day as well as on any other. Without His continuing acts of grace, all of creation would immediately pass away.

But, the renegade Rabbi went far beyond that and asserted His absolute equality with the Father when He said: And I AM also working (John 5:17b). This was an outright claim of ownership of  Shabbat. Because the Torah came from ADONAI, the Torah cannot condemn God. The Son of God was simply continuing to do what He, as the Creator, had been doing since the seventh day. He had done what Abraham, Moses, David, or Dani’el had never dreamed of doing. The point was not lost on the Jewish leaders.

Secondly, making Himself equal with God. For this reason they tried all the more to kill Him; not only was He breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God (Yochanan 5:18). All the verbs in this verse are imperfect tense, describing continuous action. This is a good verse to use with cults that deny the deity of Christ. The cults use the logic that any son is less than a father, so if Jesus were merely the son, He would be less than God. That may be true in Gentile reasoning, but in Judaism (context, context, context), the firstborn was equal to the father! We need to understand the original sitz im laben of the first century. Another way the cults deny the deity of Christ is to say that Jesus never said He was God. Or never claimed to be God. But, the Jews in this passage were not so confused about what He was saying. Having an equal relationship with the Father, what One does, the other does. If it is the work of the Son, it is also the work of the Father. They resented His challenge to their illicit authority and they rejected His claim of equality with ADONAI. So, they tried all the more to kill Him.

The real point of contention was this: Who owned the Sabbath? The Lord answered that question with six specific claims. First, the KING of kings said, “I AM equal with God.” Yeshua presented the truth of His deity in terms no one in His day could mistake. Jesus began with a double amen, meaning it is true. Truly, truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by Himself. This does not imply any defect or limitation, it means the Son cannot act independently of the Father. Then He claimed equality with God, calling Himself the Son of God and referring to God as His Father. He can do only what He sees His Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does (John 5:19). While the Father and the Son are distinct persons, Father and Son are the same God. As such, the Father and the Son are One; therefore, these two persons of the Trinity (John discusses the Holy Spirit later in 16:1-15) cannot act in opposition to one another. For the Father loves the Son and shows Him all he does. Yes, and He will show Him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed (John 5:20). The Son is the perfect reflection of the Father here on earth in human form. Everything He does reflects the intentions and actions of the Father.⁴⁵²

Second, the Bread of Life said, “I AM the giver of life.” For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom He is pleased to give it (Yochanan 5:21). In order to be able to give life, you must be the source of life. No one in the TaNaKh claimed to give life other than God Himself. This would be a scandalous claim for any ordinary human. Physicians can prescribe medicine or give treatment in order to postpone death, but they cannot give life to the dead. ADONAI had used the prophets of the TaNaKh to raise the dead, but, none dared claim credit for it. Only God can create something out of nothing: In the beginning God created the heavens and the earth (Gen 1:1). We never feel so helpless when a loved one dies. We can bring medicine, offer rest, and provide encouragement and consolation. Maybe even some financial support. But, when that person dies all we can do is mourn our loss. Only God has the power to restore life.

Third, the Son of God said, “I AM the final Judge.” In the TaNaKh the final judgment was reserved for God the Father. If now the Son is doing the judging, the Son has to be God. Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son (see my commentary on Revelation Fo – The Great White Throne Judgment), and the reason for this is that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him (John 5:22-23). Only Yeshua can discern the intentions of the heart, because He is omniscient. Only Christ can weigh the value of a person without pretense, because He is perfectly righteous. Only the Master Builder can decide our fate, because He made us and is sovereign over us. God the Father has delegated all judgment to God the Son, because the Son is equal with the Father. Thus, Christ claimed to deserve the same honor due the Father.

Fourth, the Savior of Sinners said, “I will determine the eternal destiny of humanity.” Yeshua has the power to provide eternal life. In the TaNaKh the One who had the power to provide eternal life was reserved for God alone. So, if Jesus has this power, He also must be God. The Lord once again punctuated His statement with a double amen. Normally, the Holy One called for a belief in Himself (John 3:16); however, in this case He called for a belief in the Father to reinforce the theme of complete unity of the Father and the Son. To believe in one is to believe in the other. Truly, truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes Him who sent Me has eternal life (see Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer) and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life (John 5:24). We will never die, we will merely change our address to the presence of God. Eternal life can only be a present condition on a just basis. To be justified means to be declared righteous. We are eternally righteous because we have [already] been justified at the moment we were saved (see Bw – What God Does for Us at the Moment of Faith).

Many believers fear the prospect of facing an angry God; knowing He is holy and we are sinful. They haven’t grasped the fact that we have [already] been justified. The Greek language makes the concept of our justification very clear. Because of the precision of the verbs, the language is explicit in describing when something has already been done (past tense), is being done (present tense), will be done (future tense), and is a continuous action (imperfect tense). In Romans 5:1, it clearly says we have [already] been justified before our Holy Father because Jesus has [already] paid the penalty for our sins, establishing our peace with God. The Greek text of Romans 5:1 starts out with dikaiothentes, meaning having been justified. The verb is a culminative aorist, passive participle, which emphasizes the completion of an action, especially the results that flow from it.⁴⁵³ Therefore, since we have been justified through faith, we [already] have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ (Romans 5:1).

When something has [already] been done, there is nothing left for you to do. Many believers try desperately to become something they already are. The Bible declares that you cannot do for yourself what has already been done for you by Christ. Another way of saying it is that you cannot undo what Messiah has already done. Satan’s lie is that you must atone for your sin by works of some kind and thus prove your love for God.⁴⁵⁴

The Roman Catholic Church has developed a doctrine in which all who are not perfect must undergo penal and purifying suffering in an intermediate realm known as purgatory. This doctrine rests on the assumption that while God forgives sin, His justice nevertheless demands that the sinner must suffer the full punishment that is due before being allowed into heaven. According to the Catholic Church, the fire of purgatory does not differ from the fire of hell, except for duration. It has been said that Catholicism is a religion of fear – fear of the priest, fear of the confessional, fear of the consequences of missing mass, fear of the discipline of penance, fear of death, fear of purgatory, and the fear of the righteous judgment of an angry God.⁴⁵⁵

All this fear, however, is unnecessary because Christ has [already] imputed His righteousness to us at faith (Romans 5:2-19). Like a spiritual bank account, Messiah has imputed, or transferred all of His righteousness to us. And as a result, we have [already] been justified by our faith. Consequently, when ADONAI looks at us after salvation. He doesn’t see our sin . . . He sees His Son.

Fifth, the Miracle-Working Rabbi said, “I will raise the dead.” Jesus is the One who will bring about the resurrection of the dead. In the TaNaKh, only God Himself brought about the resurrection of the dead. So if  Yeshua can bring about the resurrection of the dead, He must be God. Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God (emphasizing His deity) and those who hear will live. For as the Father has life in Himself, so He has granted the Son also to have life in Himself. And He has given Him authority to judge because He is the Son of Man (emphasizing His humanity) (John 5:25-27). YHVH validated Yeshua’s qualification to judge all humanity because He is both the Son of God, who can give life, and the Son of Man, who experienced life as a human, yet without sin.⁴⁵⁶

A time is coming when everyone will hear Jesus’ voice. A day when all other voices will be silenced; His voice – and His voice alone – will be heard. Some will hear His voice for the first time. It’s not that He never spoke, it’s just that they never listened. For these, God’s voice will be the voice of a stranger. They will hear it once – and never hear it again. They will spend eternity fending off  “the voice” they followed on earth. But, others will be called from their graves by a familiar voice. For they are sheep who know their Shepherd. They are servants who opened the door when the Holy Spirit knocked. Someday that door will be opened again. Only this time, it won’t be Jesus who walks into our house; it will be we, who walk into His.⁴⁵⁷ In John 5:28-29 the Lord told the Jewish leaders: Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear His voice, and come out – those who have done what is good (James 2:14-26) will rise to live (see my commentary on Revelation Ff – Blessed and Holy are Those Who Have Part in the First Resurrection), and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned (see my commentary on Revelation Fn – The Second Resurrection).

Sixth, Yeshua ben David said, “I AM always doing the will of Elohim.” In Messiah’s final claim He linked His actions on earth to the will of His Father in heaven. Now there is a sudden shift in perspective. Throughout His confrontation with the Jewish religious leaders, the Galilean Rabbi referred to Himself in the third person, using titles like the Son of God and the Son of Man. But, as He transitioned to the next phase of the confrontation between Himself and the Jewish leaders (see Cu – If You Believed Moses, You Would Believe Me), He restates His original claim from verse 19, only speaking in the first person: By Myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and My judgment is just, for I seek not to please Myself but Him who sent Me (Yochanan 5:30). His point was crystal clear, He wasn’t referring to somebody else; He was making claims about Himself. This left His opponents with no room for compromise, no middle ground on which to stand. And the same goes for us today. We must accept or reject His declaration.

Dear heavenly Father, I thank You for sending Your One and only Son to pay the price in order that I may be justified. I now accept by faith that I have peace with You through my Lord Jesus Christ. I renounce the lie that we are enemies and claim the truth that we are friends, reconciled by the death of Your Son. I rejoice in the life that I now have in Messiah and I look forward to the day when I shall see You face-to-face. In Yeshua’s precious name I pray. Amen.⁴⁵⁸

Jesus Heals a Man at the Pool of Bethesda
John 5: 1-15

Jesus heals a man at the pool of Bethesda DIG: What do you think motivated Jesus to go to Bethesda during the Passover? This story focuses on one invalid man. What words would you used to describe his life? Why do you think the Lord chose to help this particular man? After healing him, why was it important for Yeshua to find him and speak to him again? Why were the Jewish leaders so upset? Why did the healed invalid report back to them?

REFLECT: What are some of the challenges of ministering to people with a serious illness? What are the rewards? How can we determine God’s love to people who are suffering? Why is it important for believers to minister to hurting people? Do you know someone who is hurting? How can you reach out to that person? How can we become more sensitive to the suffering of others?

After Jesus had ministered in Galilee for some time, He went up to Jerusalem. The City of David stands near the highest point of the backbone of Palestine, namely, the line of hills running north and south between the Mediterranean Sea and the Jordan River. Because of its elevation, Yerushalayim cannot be approached from any direction without going up.

Some time later, Yeshua went up for one of the Jewish festivals (John 5:1). This is the second of four Passovers mentioned in the ministry of Christ. The first is mentioned in John 2:23. The second mentioned here, in John 5:1, while the third is referred to in John 6:4, and the fourth in John 11:55, 12:1, 13:1, 18:28, 39, 19:14. By dating these, we are able to conclude that His public ministry lasted three-and-a-half years.⁴³⁹

Therefore, the Lord was a year-and-a-half into His public ministry. The apostles are not mentioned. During the summer of Christ’s first Galilean ministry, when Capernaum was His center of ministry, the talmidim had returned to their homes, families and usual occupations, while Jesus moved about alone. The absence of any reference to the Twelve in this section leads us to the obvious conclusion that they had not been with Him.

Now there was a pool in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate (Nehemiah 3:1). This is the gate through which the sacrificial animals were brought to the Temple, which were predominantly lambs, hence the name. The Sheep Gate in Aramaic is called Bethesda or house of mercy. It is only in the Lamb that the poor sinner can find mercy, and it is only through His sacrifice on the Cross that this mercy is available for us in Him. Bethesda was originally the name of a pool in the Holy City, on the path of the Beth Zeta Valley, and is also known as the Sheep Pool. It was deep enough to swim in, and yet associated with healing. The pool was first dug out during the 8th Century BC and was called the Upper Pool. It was surrounded by five covered porches or colonnades (Jn 5:2). It was a double pool surrounded by Herodian colonnades on all four sides, while the fifth colonnade stood on the dividing wall that separated the northern and southern pools.⁴⁴⁰ You can see the remains of this pool in the Muslim section of Tziyon today. It was on the east side of the City, northeast of the Temple.

There were two quite different pictures in Yeshua’s mind that day. On the one side, there were a great number of disabled people laying down, the blind, the lame, and the paralyzed, waiting for the water to be stirred (Yochanan 5:3). Their sufferings and false expectations rose like a cry of the starving for bread. And on the other side, the neighboring Temple, with its priesthood and teachers who, in their self-seeking religion of the Oral Law (to see link click Ei – The Oral Law), neither understood, heard, or cared about such a cry. Both groups were suffering, and it is difficult to know which would have stirred Him the most.⁴⁴¹ The pompous Jewish leaders believed that any kind of disability meant that person was involved in some kind of sin and their handicap was some sort of cosmic retribution. They believed that it was possible to sin in the mother’s womb and be punished by physical deformity as a result.

The superstition was that at certain times angels would cause bubbles to rise when they dipped their wings into the pool and stirred the water. They also believed that whoever stepped into the water first (after it was stirred) was healed of their disease (Jn 5:4). This was the kind of belief that was spread all over the world in ancient days. People believed in all kinds of spirits and demons. The air was supposedly thick with them; they were everywhere. Every tree, river, stream, hill and pool had its resident spirit.⁴⁴² Today we know that an underground spring actually bubbled up in the pool. The angel’s involvement was merely a superstition, but, that’s what the people believed. What a pathetic, cruel scene. House of grace? Hardly! There is no record of anyone actually being healed. However, one of them there that day was about to meet the true Great Healer.

Picture a battleground strewn with wounded bodies, and you see Bethesda. Imagine a nursing home overcrowded and understaffed, and you see the pool. Call to mind the orphans in Bangladesh or the abandoned in New Delhi, and you will see what people saw when the passed Bethesda. As they passed, what did they hear? An endless wave of groans. What did they witness? A field of faceless need. What did they do? Most walked by – but not Jesus.

He is alone. He is not there to teach the people or draw a crowd. But, someone needed Him – so He’s there. Can you see it? Jesus walking among the moaning, smelly, suffering. What is He thinking? When an infected hand touches His ankle, what does He do? When a blind child stumbles in Messiah’s path, does He reach down to catch the child? When a wrinkled hand extends for alms, how does Yeshua respond? Whether the watering hole is Bethesda or Joe’s Bar . . . how does God feel when people are hurting?⁴⁴³

As Christ approached the man at the pool at Bethesda, notice the method He used to heal him. The one who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years, which was longer than the average life expectancy for a male in the first-century Roman Empire. He had literally been an invalid for a lifetime. First, Jesus seeks the man out Himself: When Jesus saw him lying there and knew that he had been in this condition for a long time (Yochanan 5:5-6a). The Synoptics also use the description of our Lord seeing someone (and explicitly or implicitly taking pity on him or her) as a means of introducing a miracle (Luke 7:13 and 13:12).⁴⁴⁴

Second, Jesus does not demand that the man exhibit faith: He asked him: Do you want to get well (John 5:6b ESV)? It was not so foolish a question as it may sound. The man had waited for thirty-eight years and it might have been that hope had died and left behind a reprobate heart. But, the man’s reply was telling. He wanted to be healed, but he didn’t see how that would happen since he had no one to help him.⁴⁴⁵ “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me” (John 5:7). He had fully bought into the false theology that illness resulted from God’s judgment for sin (John 9:2), and the superstition of the stirred water for healing. The poor man had more faith in the means of healing than he had in the Lord. There was initially no evidence of faith on his part.

Third, there is no initial revelation of His Messiahship. That comes later in the context of 5:13. The Great Healer didn’t preach, nor did He correct His false theology. People who lack hope don’t need more knowledge; they need compassion. Yeshua gave the man what he lacked and so desperately needed.⁴⁴⁶

It is worth telling the story if all we do is watch Him walk through the hurting crowd. It’s worth just to know He came. He didn’t have to, you know. Surely there were more sanitary crowds in Yerushalayim. Surely there are more enjoyable activities. After all, this is the Passover feast. It’s an exciting time in the Holy City. People have come from around the world to meet God in the Temple.

Little do they know that God is with the sick.

Little do they know that God is walking slowly, stepping carefully between the beggars and the invalid and the blind.

Little do they know that the strong, young carpenter who surveys the ragged landscape of pain is God, the Great Rabbi Himself.⁴⁴⁷

Then Jesus said to him: Get up! Pick up your mat and walk (Jn 5:8). The cure was both instantaneous and complete. There are those today who claim for themselves the gift of healing. But, when the people do not pick themselves up and walk, they say that the failure is the responsibility of the poor wretched souls who supposedly had no faith! But, it must be pointed out here, that Jesus healed this man before he had any faith. They simply can’t heal like the miracle-working Rabbi healed.

The Great Physician healed the invalid. At this point in His ministry, faith was not necessary before healing because the purpose of His miracles was for the purpose of authenticating His messianic claims. Faith would be necessary after His official rejection by the Sanhedrin (see Eh – Jesus is Officially Rejected by the Sanhedrin). He heard the Lord’s words and at once he was cured; he picked up his mat and walked to the Temple (Yochanan 5:9a). He acted, and along with Christ – the miracle was done. He probably skipped and did some cartwheels also! Here was simple trust, unquestioning obedience to the unseen, unknown, but real Savior. For he believed Him, and therefore trusted in Him, that He must be right; and so, trusting without questioning, he obeyed.⁴⁴⁸

Picture a battleground strewn with wounded bodies, and you see Bethesda. Imagine a nursing home overcrowded and understaffed, and you see the pool. Call to mind the orphans in Bangladesh or the abandoned in New Delhi, and you will see what people saw when they passed Bethesda. As they passed, what did they hear? An endless wave of groans, What did they see? A field of faceless need. What did they do? Most passed by, but not Yeshua. He is alone. They needed Him – so He’s there walking among the suffering. Little did they know that God was walking among them, stepping carefully between the beggars and the blind.⁴⁴⁹

But, the day on which this healing took place was a Sabbath (Mattityahu 5:9b). The Lord continually maintained that it was lawful to heal on the Sabbath to do good, and ignored the Oral Law. In fact, Jesus heals on Shabbat five times in the gospels (here, Mattityahu 12:9-14; Luke 13:10-17 and 14:1-6 and Yochanan 9:1-41). So, just as we begin to celebrate the man’s healing we read: this took place on Shabbat, this sentence throws a wet blanket over our excitement. What He asked the man to do was against the pharisaic interpretation of keeping the Sabbath. The 1,500 Sabbath rules of the Oral Law included one that said you could not carry a burden from a public place to a private place, or from a private place to a public place.

This foreshadows a bizarre twist to the end of the story.

While Yochanan doesn’t disturb the logical flow of the story, there is an apparent change of scene. The healed man was probably carrying his mat to the Temple where he had never worshiped before. And so the Jewish leaders said to the man who had been healed, “It is the Sabbath; the Oral Law forbids you to carry your mat” (John 5:10). This was the heart of the problem with pharisaic Judaism. They obeyed the letter of their man-made laws, but ignored the spirit of the God-inspired Torah. The Pharisees strictly applied the words of Jeremiah, “Do not carry any load on the Sabbath day or bring anything in through the gates of Jerusalem” (Jeremiah 17:21 NASB), but they failed to recognize the context. Jeremiah complained because Shabbat had become business as usual. Nehemiah felt the same way when he ordered the doors of Jerusalem closed on Shabbat so that no load would enter on the Sabbath day (Nehemiah 13:19).

ADONAI instituted Shabbat to be a gift. A day of rest to refresh us. But more to the point, He gave it to us in order to break our routine so that we would remember that God is the ultimate source of our sustenance; our work is merely a means of His provision. We are to stop work so we will not neglect worship. But, the Pharisees turned this wonderful gift into a burden. Freedom was gone. Worship was flat. Service was a drudgery and pharisaic Judaism had become a dry husk worth nothing.

The Man who made me well said to me, “Pick up your mat and walk.” He was not trying to get Yeshua into trouble. The actual words of the Oral Law were, “If anyone carries anything from a public place to a private house on the Sabbath intentionally he is punishable by death by stoning.” The invalid was simply trying to explain that it was not his fault that he had broken the Oral Law.⁴⁵⁰ He was healed from a deformity that, humanly speaking, was irreversible. We might have expected this to be an occasion for joy and thanksgiving. But, instead of rejoicing in God’s grace, the Pharisees focused on this new threat to their authority. So they asked him, “Who is this fellow who told you to pick it up and walk?” The man who was healed had no idea who it was, for Jesus had slipped away into the crowd that was there (Yochanan 5:11-13).

It could not have been long after this that the healed man and his Healer met again. Later, after some time had elapsed, Jesus looked for and found him at the Temple where he had evidently gone to worship God and perhaps to make an offering. And the Savior of sinners said to him: See, you are well again. The verb is in the perfect tense, indicating that the cure was permanent. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you (John 5:14). While disease is not invariably a consequence of sin, as Jesus Himself affirmed (John 9:3), it can be as we see today with the proliferation of drugs, AIDS other STD’s and children born out of wedlock.

Once he found out who Jesus was, the man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was He who had made him well (John 5:15). Yeshua was not intimidated. The evidence that he had been saved can be seen in the fact that he had gone to the House of Prayer and Praise. This is a beautiful ending to the whole story. The one who had been healed confessing with his lips the One who had saved him. The man left the Temple and became a public witness to Messiah. So what did it mean to keep the Sabbath holy? To act justly and to love mercy and walk humbly with God (Micah 6:8).

Those Jewish leaders were members of the Sanhedrin (see Lg – The Great Sanhedrin). They were the very ones who were responsible for making a decision about His claim of messiahship and as we shall see shortly they were in the second stage of interrogation. By the time Yeshua was born, pharisaic Judaism believed that the Messiah would not only believe in the Oral Law, but also participate in the making of new Oral Law when He came. Jesus, however, would have nothing to do with the traditions of men (Mark 7:8). So the Pharisees rejected Him (see Ek – It is only by Beelzebub the Prince of Demons, that This Fellow Drives Out Demons). This would be a continuing conflict until those two opposing beliefs would meet at Golgotha.

John’s gospel progresses through a stream of “witnesses,” or people and events that all point to the truth of Yeshua Ha’Meshiach’s identity. Among these are the many powerful miracles that the Healer performed, like healing this lame man by the pool of Bethesda. This is the third of Jesus’ seven miracles in Yochanan’s book (John 2:1-11; 4:43-54; 5:1-15; 6:1-15; 6:16-24; 9:1-34; 11:1-44).

What is most striking about this miracle is what Messiah did not do. He neither touched the man nor washed him in the pool. He only spoke the words: Get up! Pick up your mat and walk (Jn 5:8), and he was healed. This healing pointed dramatically to a central truth about Jesus as the Son of God: His spoken word is power.

Other parts of John’s story demonstrate the power of our Savior’s word. For example, at a wedding feast in Cana, Yeshua only had to speak a word of command, and water was turned into wine (see Bq – Jesus Changes Water into Wine). He healed an official’s son through His word (see Cg – Jesus Heals an Official’s Son). And before surrendering to His adversaries in the garden of Gethsemane, He flattened them with the word of truth (see Le – Jesus Betrayed, Arrested and Deserted). The Prophet of Nazareth possessed such power because of the rhema, the spoken word of God.

In the beginning God spoke the world into existence. Each day of creation: And God said . . . (Genesis 1:1-26). And at the end of the Great Tribulation, Messiah will slay the antichrist as described by Paul in Second Thessalonians 2:8, And then the lawless one will be revealed, whom the Lord will consume with the breath of His mouth and destroy with the brightness of His coming. Yes, His spoken word is powerful.

Jesus went to places where people were hurting. There was intention in His steps. We can claim there are hurting people all around us, but if we are going to live by Christ’s example, we need to make it part of our lifestyle to visit places where people are obviously hurting: prisons, hospitals, disaster areas, nursing homes – the list is pretty obvious. We may not know how we can help, but we will never find that out or discover how God can use us if we avoid the company of suffering people.

Forgive us, Father, for ignoring the needs of others. Help us respond to the suffering around us. Fill us with Your love. Give us your compassion for the hurting, your love for the despised, your mercy for the afflicted.⁴⁵¹

The Power of Christ Over the Sabbath

The Sabbath had become highly personified in pharisaic Judaism and it had become an extreme point of observance. They personified the Sabbath as the bride of Isra’el, and ADONAI’s queen. At a certain point in the Friday night synagogue service, they would welcome in the Sabbath by singing a song called, “Welcome, my beloved, queen Sabbath.” To the commandment: Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy (see my commentary on Exodus. to see link click Dn – Remember the Sabbath by Keeping It Holy), the Pharisees added about 1,500 additional Sabbath rules and regulations. Consequently, while Jesus and the Pharisees would debate the authority of the Oral Law in general (see Ei – The Oral Law), one specific area of emphasis was the proper observance of the Sabbath.

In the TaNaKh itself we are simply told that we must remember the Sabbath by keeping it holy, and on that day no work must be done, either by a man or his servants or his animals. Not content with that, the Jews spent hour after hour and generation after generation defining what work was and listing the things that could or could not be done on the Sabbath day. About AD 200 the Oral Law was written down and today it is called the Mishnah. The scribes worked out these regulations and the Pharisees dedicated their lives to keeping them. In the Mishnah the section on the Sabbath extends for no fewer than twenty-four chapters. The Talmud is the commentary on the Mishnah, and in the Jerusalem Talmud the section explaining the Sabbath law runs to sixty-four and a half columns; and in the Babylonian Talmud it runs to one hundred and fifty-six double folio pages. And we are told about a rabbi who spent two and a half years in studying one of the twenty-four chapters in the Mishnah.

What kind of work did they do? To tie a knot on the Sabbath was considered work; but a knot had to be defined! “The following are the knots the making of which renders a man guilty of breaking Shabbat – the knot of camel drivers and that of sailors, and as one is guilty by reason of tying them, so also of untying them.” On the other hand knots that could be tied or untied with one hand were quite legal. Further, “a woman may tie up a slit in her shift and the strings of her cap and those of her girdle, the straps of shoes or sandals, of skins of wine and oil.” Now see what a tangled mess it caused. Suppose a man wished to let down a bucket into a well to draw water on the Sabbath day. He could not tie a rope to it, for a knot on a rope was illegal on Shabbat; but he could tie it to a woman’s girdle and let it down, for a knot in a girdle was quite legal. That kind of thing to the scribes and Pharisees was a matter of life and death – that was religion. And as far as they were concerned, they were pleasing God in doing so.

Take the case of taking a trip on Shabbat. Exodus 16:29 says: Everyone is to stay where they are on the seventh day; no one is to go out. So the people rested on the seventh day. A Sabbath day’s journey was therefore limited to one thousand yards. But, if a rope was tied across the end of a street, the whole street became one house and a man could go a thousand yards beyond the end of the street. Or, if a man deposited enough food for one meal on Friday evening at any given place, that place technically became his house and he could go a thousand yards beyond it on the Sabbath day. The rules and regulations and the evasions piled up by the hundreds and thousands.

Take the case of carrying a burden on the Sabbath. Jeremiah 17:21-24 says: Be careful to obey Me, declares ADONAI, and bring no load through the gates of this city on the Sabbath. So, the load had to be defined. It was defined as “food equal in weight to a dried fig, enough wine for mixing in a goblet, milk enough for one swallow, honey enough to put upon a wound, oil enough to anoint a finger, water enough to moisten an eye-salve,” and on and on at ad nauseam. It had then to be settled whether or not on the Sabbath a woman could wear a brooch, a man could use a wooden leg or wear dentures; or would it be carrying a load to do so? Could a chair or even a child be lifted? And so on, and on the discussions and the regulations went.

What was the essence of Sabbath worship? What did it mean to keep it holy? Jesus clarifies the answer to these questions by using three examples: First, the healing of a paralytic on the Sabbath (see Cs – Jesus Heals a Man at the Poll of Bethesda); second, eating from the grain fields on the Sabbath (see Cv – The Son of Man is Lord of the Sabbath); and third, healing a man with a shriveled hand on the Sabbath (Cw – Jesus Heals a Man With a Shriveled Hand). The context of these confrontations between Jesus, the Pharisees and the Torah-teachers was the question of Yeshua’s messiahship. Was He, or was He not the Messiah. The Sanhedrin was still in the second stage of interrogation and they were pressing for answers.

Jesus Questioned About Fasting
Matthew 9:14-17; Mark 2:18-22; Luke 5:33-39

Jesus questioned about fasting DIG: Why did John’s disciples and the Pharisees fast? What was implied by Yeshua’s apostles not fasting? When will they fast? How do the three mini-parables answer the question? What is the old garment? How does new wine into old worn-out wineskins relate to fasting, the Groom, or the Messianic Kingdom?

REFLECT: Where is the new wine in your life? What are the old wineskins? How has the new wine of Jesus burst some of your old wineskins? From these verses, what do you have to do to qualify as a disciple? Do you see any of the modern-day-Oral-Law where you worship? What can you do to call attention to it?

Throughout His ministry, Yeshua was constantly confronted with a first-century sect known as the Pharisees (Hebrew P’rushim). Their name comes from the root parash meaning to separate. They were very meticulous in their religious observance, who set themselves apart even from many of their fellow Jews, especially the common people known as the am ha-aretz. It should be emphasized that there were undoubtedly many P’rushim who followed their strict observervances out of a sincere love of God. Undoubtedly, many of Christ’s followers even came from the sect, including some rather high-profile rabbis such as Nicodemus and Joseph of Arimathea. But, the disagreements between the Messiah and the Pharisees always revolved around the Oral Law (to see link click Ei – The Oral Law).

Among the pharisaic traditions was frequent fasting, twice a week on Mondays and Thursdays (see Dq – When You Fast, Put Oil on Your Head and Wash Your Face). Apparently, John’s disciples were observing a fast at that very time. And it was a confusing time for them as Yochanan languished in Herod Antipas’ prison (see By – Herod Locked John Up in Prison); his disciples seem to have wavered in their belief in John’s message. Was Yeshua really the Meshiach? There were things about Him that seemed strange and inexplicable to them (John 3:26). In their view, there must have been a terrible contrast between him who lay in the dungeon of Machaerus, and Him who sat down to eat and drink at a banquet with tax collectors.

John’s disciples could understand Jesus’ reception of sinners because Yochanan himself had not rejected them. But, what they could not understand was why He had to eat and drink with them? Why attend a banquet at the very time that their master was locked up, when fasting and prayer seemed more appropriate? Indeed, wasn’t fasting always appropriate? And yet, this new Messiah had not taught His talmidim to either fast or what to pray! The Pharisees, in their desire to cause a rift between Jesus and His forerunner obviously pointed to that contrast again and again.

At any rate, immediately after Levi’s banquet (see Cp – The Calling of Matthew) it was at the prompting of the Pharisees, and in company with them, that the disciples of the Baptizer criticized Jesus about fasting and prayer. They seem to have sided with the Pharisees in the Jewish ceremonial and ritualistic observances; Jesus and His apostles did not follow the Oral Law and the Pharisees wanted to know why.⁴³⁴

After Messiah forgave the sins of the paralyzed man (see Co –Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man), the members of the Great Sanhedrin returned to Jerusalem to discuss, debate and then vote on the viability of what they had just witnessed (see Lg – The Great Sanhedrin). Their ultimate decision was to decide if the movement of Jesus of Nazareth was a significant or an insignificant Messianic movement. If they found the movement significant, then they would proceed to the second stage of interrogation, during which they could ask questions. They obviously decided that this was a serious movement that needed further investigation.

The members of the Sanhedrin were then free to ask questions of Jesus to determine if He was the promised Messiah. Now John’s disciples and the Pharisees were fasting. Some Pharisees came and asked Jesus, “How is it that John’s disciples and the disciples of the Pharisees fast often, but yours go on eating and drinking” (Matthew 9:14; Mark 2:18; Luke 5:33)? Unfortunately, fasting had become a mere formality instead of being an expression of true humiliation (Luke 18:13); and how the very appearance of the person praying in public, unwashed, and with ashes on his head was even made a matter of boasting and religious show (Matthew 6:16).⁴³⁵ The problem with their question, therefore, was their assumption. Pharisaic Judaism at the time believed that when the Messiah came He would follow the Oral Law. Fasting was part of the Oral Law! So their thinking was this, “If You are really the Messiah, why don’t You and Your talmidim follow the traditions of the elders (Mark 7:3)?

Religious ritual and routine have always been dangers to true godliness. Many ceremonies, such as praying to saints and lighting a candle for a deceased relative are actually heretical. But, even if it is not wrong in itself, when a form of praying, worshiping, or serving becomes the focus of attention, it becomes a barrier to true righteousness. It can keep an unbeliever from trusting in God and a believer from faithfully obeying Him. Even going to messianic synagogue or church, reading the Bible, saying grace at meals, and singing worship songs can become lifeless routines in which the true worship of ADONAI is absent.⁴³⁶ Here, Jesus uses three mini-parables to make His point.

The first parable is a description of a Jewish wedding. The last recorded testimony of the Forerunner had pointed to Yeshua as the Groom of a typical Jewish wedding (John 3:29). The wedding feast did not start and the invited guests assembled until the groom was there to host the feast. When the feast began it was a time of rejoicing for all who were present. Messiah said that just as it would be inappropriate to expect the guests at a wedding feast to fast, so it was inappropriate for His apostles to fast.⁴³⁷

Jesus answered: How can the guests of the groom mourn and fast while he is with them? They cannot, so long as they have him with them. As long as Yeshua was living they couldn’t mourn because the groom was physically present. They needed to feast, not fast. But the time will come when Jesus, as the Groom, will be taken from them, and on that day they will fast (Matthew 9:15; Mark 2:19-20; Luke 5:34-35). As the departure of the groom from the wedding feast signaled the end of the feast, so Christ’s departure would bring the apostles to a time when fasting and prayer would be appropriate. The reference is to the crucifixion. Isaiah said it like this: For He was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of My people He was stricken (Isaiah 53:8). Therefore, we can see that during the time when the Suffering Servant ministered, the Kingdom of God was being offered to the nation of Isra’el.

To apply this truth to both John’s disciples and the Pharisees who heard His words, the Prophet of Nazareth gave two more parables. To make the point, Messiah referred to two common elements of everyday life around Him – clothing and drink. In each case He insists, by reference to the experience of His hearers, that the change, in order to be effective, must be radical.

Then He told them a second parable: No one tears a piece out of a new garment to patch an old one. The patch refers to the Messiah’s new type of ministry and preaching, grace, as compared to the Oral Law, the old worn-out garment ready to be set aside. This was an allusion to the outer garment worn by the average Jew of that day. It was vital for protection from the elements, which is why the Torah forbids it to be taken overnight (Exodus 22:26-27). Furthermore, this garment would include fringes, or tziziot, as mandated in Numbers 15:37-39, in order for Israel to remember the calling of the Torah. Orthodox and other Jews continue to observe this command by wearing a small prayer shawl called a tallit katan to display the fringes. Many Jewish men (and some women in contemporary branches of Judaism) wear a modern tallit today in synagogue to fulfill this commandment. It is this important garment that Jesus uses as an illustration. If a worn tallit is patched with new material, as the new cloth shrinks it will surely tear away the stitches and become useless. For the new patch will pull away from the old garment, making the tear worse (Matthew 9:16; Mark 2:21 Luke 5:36). The point of this parable was that He had not come to help them patch up pharisaic Judaism. He was not going to help them plug up the holes in the fence of the Oral Law. He was presenting something quite different.

The third word-picture illustrates the same truth. And no one pours new wine into old worn-out wineskins. These were made of the skins of animals, such a goats, and these, for a while, served their purpose well. But there came a day, of course, when the wineskins were old and dried and therefore more vulnerable to pressure from within, especially in the forming of cracks. If, in such old wineskins, new wine was poured, the result would be disastrous. This is because the still fermenting new wine would work and expand and thus bring pressure on the old, hard, inflexible containers, beyond that which they could bear. Then it was just a matter of time before the old wineskins would burst. If they do, the new wine will burst the skins. The wine will run out and both the new wine and the old rigid wineskins will be ruined. No, new wine must be poured into new wineskins, and both are preserved. And no one after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, “The old is better.” The point here is that He didn’t come to put His teaching into the old wineskins of pharisaic Judaism. The legalistic, external, self-righteous system of traditional Judaism could neither connect with or contain the ministry of Christ. He was presenting something that was new. And no one, after drinking old wine wants the new, for they say, “The old is better.” The old wine was the Torah, and the new wine was the Oral Law. And no one, after experiencing the old wine of ADONAI’s Torah (Psalm 1:2), will want the new wine of the Oral Law, for the Torah is better (Matthew 9:17; Mark 2:22; Luke 5:37-39). In each case, the two things did not match: feasting and fasting, an old garment and a new garment, new wine and old wineskins. Jesus was noting that His way and the way of the Oral Law simply did not mix.

Believers today are not immune to this. At least the Oral Law was applied all throughout Isra’el. No so from church to church, or from denomination to denomination. Sometimes their rules vary within the same denomination. The things that they are asking you to do are not to be found in the Bible; however, you must conform to their set of rules to be considered “spiritual.” My wife and I once were members of a church that sent out a very strong subliminal message; not really even talked about to any degree. But the men were supposed to wear suits and ties, and the women were to wear dresses and heels. My wife (the nonconformist) immediately took to wearing pants suits!

If your employer says, “If you work here we don’t want you to (you fill in the blank),” that is a code of conduct and is a reasonable thing to ask. However, if they say, “If you’re really a believer you will (you fill in the blank),” then that is merely modern-day Oral Law. Friend, that is legalism. You become a legalist when you expect everyone to live by your rules that are nowhere to be found in the Scriptures. Then you judge their spirituality on the basis of your arbitrary rules and regulations. That’s what pharisaic Judaism did.

We need to remember that most Jewish tradition is based upon the Scriptures. So we cannot jump to the wrong conclusion and say that Jesus was being critical of anything rabbinic or traditional. The fact that the Messiah has come clearly has implications for our perspective of Torah (see Dg – The Completion of the Torah), and tradition. One example of tradition is the fact that the third cup of the Passover Seder meal is used by Yeshua to illustrate His redemptive work. This cup is not mentioned in Torah details pertaining to Passover, but is actually a rabbinic idea added during the Talmudic period. It would surprise some that not only are Jewish believers encouraged to remember the lessons of this cup (Matthew 26:26-29), but the Gentile believers of Corinth were to do likewise (First Corinthians 11:23-26).

Jesus came to teach the fullness of the Torah, even to the point of correcting some of the errors in people’s understanding of it. In that sense, it gives both Jewish and Gentile believers a way to understand the entire Bible as a consistent revelation from Genesis through Revelation.⁴³⁸

The Calling of Matthew (Levi)
Matthew 9:9-13; Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32

The calling of Matthew, otherwise known as Levi DIG: What is surprising about Jesus’ choice of Matthew? Why? How does this story relate to the paralyzed man? The fishermen who became apostles probably paid inflated taxes to Levi for years. How would they feel when Yeshua called him? Why did He do so? What did it cost Mattityahu to become a talmid? What does Messiah say is needed to enter God’s Kingdom?

REFLECT: If Christ really does forgive sin, why do many believers struggle so much with forgiveness? How sick were you before you saw your need for the Great Physician? Look at the people around you. How can you show those the other side of the cultural fence of unconditional, unquestioning love? How can you cross the great divide and help them see that Yeshua’s love knows no boundaries?

Once again Yeshua went out from Peter’s house for a walk down by the Sea of Galilee. This incident immediately followed the healing of the paralytic (to see link click Co – Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man). The English word by is translated from the Greek word para, which means alongside. It suggests the idea that our Lord did not only go to the seashore, but that He loved to walk along the shore, perhaps for rest and quiet, and for the opportunity to be alone with the Father. The freshness of the air, the quieting influence of the sound of the waves, and the long view over the sea which met His eyes, all would be a tonic for the man Jesus. Whose human nature with all its limitations, needed recreation and rest just as we need them.⁴²⁸

The white-sailed ships would bring crowds of listeners and as He was walking along, a large crowd gathered to hear the word and see the Word (Matthew 9:9a; Mark 2:13; Luke 5:27a). Perhaps Levi may have witnessed the call of the first apostles. He certainly must have known the fishermen and ship-owners of Capernaum. The city was located on the Via Maris and being a busy populous center, had a large custom house with a correspondingly large number of tax collectors. It was located at the landing-place for the ships that traveled the Lake to various towns on the other shore.

As He walked along, He saw a tax collector by the name of Matthew (Levi), son of Alphaeus (Matthew 9:9b; Mark 2:14a; Luke 5:27b). It was not uncommon for Jews to have two names, as is the practice today. Jews in the Diaspora have both a Hebrew name as well as a name common for the country in which they live. We know from other gospel writers that his secondary name was Levi. If this means that he was also from priestly descent, then his enigma becomes even greater. Because of the problems associated with such tax collectors, the rabbis issued a series of judgments against them, such as their disqualification as legal witnesses (Tractate Sanhedrin 25b).⁴²⁹

Whether passing through town or country, by quiet side-roads or along the great highway, there was one sight that would constantly remind Jews of their foreign domination and awaken within them fresh indignation and hatred – the foreign tax collector. By profession, Matthew was a tax collector in the service of Herod Antipas, the ruler of Galilee as designated by the Romans. Rome required each tax collector to gather a certain amount of taxes. Anything they got over that amount, they could keep. In order to keep them happy and productive, the Roman government looked the other way as they overcharged people and extorted whatever they could from their countrymen. A shrewd tax collector could amass a large fortune in very little time. But, they were regarded with the utmost contempt by all Isra’el and were viewed as traitors.

Jesus saw Matthew (Levi) sitting at the tax collector’s booth (Matthew 9:9c; Mark 2:14b; Luke 5:27c). According to Jewish writings there were two kinds of tax collectors, the Gabbai and the Mokhes. The Gabbai were general tax collectors. They collected property tax, income tax, and the poll tax. These taxes were set by official assessments, so not as much could be skimmed off the top from these. The Mokhes, however, collected on imports and exports, goods for domestic trade, and virtually anything that was moved by road. They set tolls on roads and bridges, taxed beasts of burden and axles on transport wagons, and charged tariffs on parcels, letters, or whatever else they could find to tax.

Mokhes consisted of the Great Mokhes and the Little Mokhes. A Great Mokhes stayed behind the scenes and hired others to collect taxes for him. Zaccheus was apparently one of the Great Mokhes (see Ip – Zacchaeus the Tax Collector). Matthew was evidently a Little Mokhes, because he manned a tax office where he dealt with people face to face. He was the one the people saw and resented the most.

According to the rabbis there was no hope for a man like Levi. Pharisaic Judaism stood silent in regards to the forgiveness of sins, so it had no word of welcome or help for the sinner. The very term Pharisee, or separated one, implied their exclusion. Once a man became a tax collector he became ostracized from the Jewish community. According to the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law), the only people who could associate with them were other tax collectors and prostitutes, who were both considered sinners. They taught that repentance was virtually impossible for either a tax collector or a prostitute.

Here was a Jew who loved money more than the respect and fellowship of his countrymen. The bond between Jews is usually far closer than it is between members of other races, since the Jew is part of an isolated and persecuted nation. Therefore, some tax collectors, concerned about their reputations, stayed out of the public eye by hiring others to collect taxes for them. But, the really brazen ones, the ones who didn’t care what people thought of them, actually sat at the tax collecting booth themselves. It was one thing to be a tax collector; it was quite another to flaunt it. On the one hand, this showed the disgusting state of Levi’s soul. But, on the other hand, this was a man that Jesus could use. It was not the first time Yeshua had seen Mattityahu, He had been observing him for some time. And this was not the first time Levi had seen Messiah.

Matthew must have been a man under conviction. Deep down in his soul he must have longed to be free from his life of sin, and that must have been why he practically ran to join Messiah. He would never have followed Yeshua on a whim; he would have given up too much. He surely knew what he was getting into. Jesus had ministered publicly all over the area; the whole city of Capernaum knew about the renegade Rabbi. Levi had seen His miracles. He knew what he was signing up for. He had counted the cost and was prepared to obey.⁴³⁰

Then the Savior of Sinners said to him: Follow Me. The Greek word is akoloutheo. It comes from a word meaning to walk the same road. It means to follow one who precedes, or to join one as his disciple. All these things were involved with our Lord’s command, but, it was more than an invitation. The word is in the imperative mode, issuing a command. Here was King Messiah, sovereign in His demands. Levi recognized the authoritative tone of Yeshua’s voice. But, the Holy Spirit will never kick down the door of your heart. He must be invited in. Mattityahu could say no to Jesus and make it stick. Like we all do – Levi had a choice. At the crossroads of his life, what would he do?

Immediately Mattityahu got up, left everything and followed Him (Matthew 9:9d; Mark 2:14c; Luke 5:27d-28). It meant poverty for Levi, instead of the affluence and luxury to which he had been accustomed. So much for the “God wants you to be a millionaire” crowd of yesteryear and today! The verb is in the present tense, commanding the beginning of an action and its habitual practice. It’s as if Jesus was saying, “Start following Me, and continue as a habit of life to follow Me.” This meant that from that time on, Mattityahu would walk the same road that Jesus walked, a road of self-sacrifice, a road of separation, a road of suffering and a road of holiness.

But, the command was not merely: Follow Me. It was, in essence: Follow with Me. The person indicated by the pronoun is the means that completes the association between the two people. King Messiah did not, therefore, merely command Levi to become His follower. He welcomed him to be His friend and participate in His ministry. This was not, Follow behind Me, but Follow beside Me as we walk side-by-side down the same road.⁴³¹ We are given specific details of the callings of only seven of the original apostles: John, Andrew, Peter, James, Philip and Nathanael (see Bp – John’s Disciples Follow Jesus). Matthew was the seventh.

This marked the point of Matthew’s new birth, so he threw himself a “new birth” birthday party. But instead of the focus of the celebration being on himself, he wanted to celebrate the One who had brought him his new birth. As a sign of heartfelt appreciation for his new calling, Levi held a great banquet for Jesus at his house. Consequently, Mattityahu invited his friends, the only people he could associate with: other tax collectors and prostitutes, and sinners. And a large crowd of tax collectors and sinners came and ate with Yeshua and His talmidim, for there were many who followed and ate with Him (Matthew 9:10; Mark 2:15; Luke 5:29). His friends were thieves, blasphemers, degenerates, con artists, swindlers and other tax collectors. This was a crowd that Christ could not contact in the synagogues.

The Pharisees could verbalize their objections because they were in the second stage of interrogation (see Lg – The Great Sanhedrin). As a result, when the Torah-teachers who belonged to the sect of the Pharisees saw Jesus eating with sinners, they complained to His talmidim. Hardly being able to conceal their dismay, they complained: Why does your rabbi eat with tax collectors, prostitutes and sinners (Mt 9:11; Mk 2:16; Lk 5:30)? It was as if they were thinking, “If he were really the Messiah, he would be having a dinner for us!”

By the very name of the sect of Judaism called the Pharisees, meaning separate ones, would keep far away from anyone they considered a sinner. The Talmud states it this way, “If a tax collector entered a house, all within it became unclean. People may not be believed if they say, ‘We entered but we touched nothing’ (Tractate Toharot 7:6).” From their perspective, such apostate Jews were not only beyond personal friendship, but this kind of crowd would certainly render any observant Jew ritually unclean. Yet, Yeshua breaks down some commonly accepted norms once again, as He not only goes to such a banquet, but also shares a meal with them.⁴³² On hearing this, Jesus answered them in a powerful threefold argument.

First, His appeal to personal experience compares sinners to sick people who need a doctor. He explained: It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. The Pharisees agreed that the tax collectors were spiritually sick. But Christ’s implied reply was, “So why shouldn’t He go to them?” From Messiah’s perspective, those were the very ones who needed His help. It came as a stinging rebuke to the hard-heartedness of the Pharisees. His not-so-subtle question to them was this, “If you’re so perceptive as to diagnose them as sinners, what will you do about it? Or are you doctors who give diagnoses but no cure?” Thus, He exposed them for the pious hypocrites that they really were. Jesus was not at the banquet because He enjoyed that kind of company, for He did not. There was sin all around Him, and His righteous, sensitive soul abhorred it. But, Messiah was there to reach their souls for salvation. No cost was too high to accomplish that.

Even His own life.

Second, the argument from Scripture denounced the Pharisees’ pride: Go and learn. The rabbis used this phrase to reprove students ignorant of something they should have known. It was as if Jesus was saying, “Go back through the TaNaKh and come back again when you’ve got the basics down.” Go and learn what this means, and then He quotes Hosea 6:6: I desire mercy, not animal sacrifice. That would have been highly offensive to the Pharisees who considered themselves experts in the TaNaKh. They must have thought, “How dare he quote Hosea to us!” They were characterized by much sacrifice, but they lacked mercy. They were careful to keep the external demands of the Torah, but failed to keep its internal demands, like mercy. While the Pharisees were experts at ritual, they had no love for sinners. ADONAI instituted the sacrificial system and commanded Isra’el to follow certain rituals, but, that was pleasing to the LORD only when it was the expression of a broken and contrite heart (Psalm 51:16-17).

The third argument, from His own authority, shocked them: For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners to repentance (Mattityahu 9:12-13; Mark 2:17; Luke 5:31-32). The Pharisees saw themselves as being among the righteous and saw the tax collectors and prostitutes as sinners. Luke 18:9 describes the Pharisees as those who were confident of their own righteousness and looked down on everyone else. But, the reality was that they also were in need of the righteousness that only the Meshiach could provide. The postmodern world or relativism that we live in today should not discourage us from a sense of urgency to share the Good News with all those around us. Apparently, this was the one reason why Levi sponsored his banquet to begin with. Jesus came to call sinners to repentance.

God didn’t look at our frazzled lives and say, “I’ll die for you when you deserve it.” No, despite our sin, in the face of our rebellion, He chose to adopt us. And for ADONAI, there’s no going back. His grace is a come-as-you-are promise from a one-of-a-kind King. You’ve been found, called, and adopted; so trust your Father and claim this verse as your own. But God demonstrates His own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us (Romans 5:8). And you never again have to wonder who your Father is – you’ve been adopted by the King and are therefore an heir of God through Christ (Galatians 4:7).⁴³³

Yeshua’s message had been quite clear, and that set the stage for the decision of the Sanhedrin. Was He the Messiah or not? Their decision would change the course of history (see Ek – It is only by Beelzebub, the Prince of Demons, that This Fellow Drives out Demons). So everywhere that Jesus went the Pharisees raised objections either to the things He said or the things He did. It cannot be emphasized too strongly that ALL these objections were over the Oral Law and not the Torah. There was NEVER a time when they objected to Jesus not keeping the Torah. In fact, He was the only person who ever lived that kept all 613 commands of the Torah perfectly.

My wife and I started a church in Wisconsin many years ago. While I was there, I was developing a relationship with a man that lived in my neighborhood. Our sons played on the same Little League team and we started spending time together because he was a sports nut and so was I. One day he asked me if I wanted to go with him to a sports bar to watch the Green Bay Packers on Monday Night Football. I thought it would be a great opportunity to spend some time with him and enjoy the game to boot! So we went. He had some beers and I had many diet Cokes. The next Sunday, one of the members of our church took me to task for being seen in a bar. “A bar! And you are a pastor! How could you? Don’t you care about your witness?” I would like to tell you that I won her over to my way of thinking, but I didn’t – and she left our church. But, don’t you see, this was His image: The Son of Man came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10).

Should we be ashamed to do any less?

Lord, help me to be like You. Help me to be conformed into Your image. Let me care about my witness, but let me be a friend to tax collectors and sinners, just like You. Amen.

Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man
Matthew 9:1-8; Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26

Jesus forgives and heals a paralyzed man DIG: Who was there from all over Judea and Jerusalem watching intently? Why? What risks did the men take who carried the paralytic? Why were the Scribes furious when Jesus forgave the sins of the paralyzed man? Why did Messiah forgive his sins before healing his body? How did people respond to the miracle? How is their response different from the way people respond to God’s work today? In light of this passage what does it mean to be healed spiritually?

REFLECT: In what ways can you identify with the paralytic? Think of a time when you experienced Yeshua’s healing touch in your life. How did it affect you? Many people need God’s spiritual, emotional, or physical healing. In what ways can you share ADONAI’s love and forgiveness with them? Messiah’s attitude and the Pharisees’ attitude varied greatly. What does this story illustrate about your attitudes that honor God? When has the Lord exceeded your expectations and provided you with more than you could ever imagine?

The most distinctive message the Messiah came to give is the reality that sin can be forgiven. That is the heart and lifeblood of the gospel, that people can be freed from sin and its consequences. Our faith has many truths, values and virtues, each of which has countless applications in the lives of believers. But its supreme, overarching Good News is that sinful mankind can be fully cleansed and brought into eternal fellowship with a holy God. This is the message we have before us.⁴¹⁸

A few days later, Jesus stepped into a boat, crossed over and again entered Capernaum. That was a long way from Jerusalem, the center of pharisaic Judaism. Capernaum is on the north shore of the Sea of Galilee, which is a good three-day walk from Yerushalayim. He had possibly been gone for some months, and returned to Capernaum quietly. When the people heard that He had come home they gathered in such large numbers that there was no room left. The greeting was phenomenal, there was no room even outside the door, and He preached the word to them (Matthew 9:1; Mark 2:1-2). The verb preached is in the imperfect tense, emphasizing continuous action. The beauty of His voice, the charm of His manner, and His tenderness and love, obvious to all, must have come to that weary, sick group of people like a breath from heaven.

One day Jesus was teaching, and the Pharisees and Torah-teachers, or the scribes,were sitting there. This is the response to the healing of a Jewish leper, the first messianic miracle (to see link click Cn – The First Messianic Miracle: The Healing of a Jewish Leper). Therefore, the Great Sanhedrin (see Lg – The Great Sanhedrin) had to follow their own rules, which was the first stage of observation. They had come from every village of Galilee and from Judea and Jerusalem (Luke 5:17a). Rather than send a small delegation like they had with John the Baptist (see Bf – You Brood of Vipers, Who Warned You to Flee the Coming Wrath), most, if not all, came. Why had the Pharisees all come to Capernaum? Everybody knew what healing a Jewish leper meant. It was serious. The stage was set. The battle lines were drawn and it was no accident that the Galilean Rabbi would make a claim that could only be made by God Himself. What was He up against?

The Pharisees focused their activities on the synagogue and on the study of the Bible. They were primarily from the middle class and had the following of the people. The word Pharisee probably came from the word meaning separated from the sinful or unclean. The pious one, the chasid, would tuck in their flowing robes when walking to avoid even touching anyone or anything unclean. They belonged to the influential, the most zealous, and the most closely connected religious fraternity, which in the pursuit of its goals spared neither time nor trouble, feared no danger, and shrunk from no consequences. The fraternity, however, was by no means large. According to Josephus (Antiquities 17.2,4) their number at the time of Herod amounted to about six thousand. Comparably small when compared to the entire nation, yet the plague of Pharisaism dominated Jewish culture in most every respect.⁴¹⁹

Education was widespread in the second Temple period. Most all boys and girls were given some form of education up to the age of nine. At that time they were supposed to be getting prepared for adulthood. So, the girls would go to the home to be given training by the mothers and the boys would go with the father to learn his trade. Most would be married by the age of twelve. The boys who showed promise would not only learn their father’s trade, but would be separated for additional educational training that would center on the TaNaKh. By the age of nine such a separated boy would have memorized Genesis. By the age of twelve even those who had memorized Genesis were separated even further. Those who showed extreme promise would then spend concentrated time with one of the rabbis. By this age they would have memorized the Torah: Genesis, Exodus, Leviticus, Numbers and Deuteronomy. Memorized all of it. At the age of twelve!

Then by the age of sixteen they were separated again. The young men who showed real promise went into formal training to be a rabbi. By that time, they would have memorized the entire TaNaKh. They would be able to debate the finer points of the Scriptures from memory. Then they were ready for serious study, focusing on the interpretations of the Scriptures. During that time binding interpretations began to be developed by different rabbinical schools in Isra’el. For example, even though nothing in the TaNaKh suggested that hand washing was necessary before eating, rabbi so-and-so would declare that they were to wash so many times, and the water is to be poured in a certain manner. That is called halakha and is usually translated the path that one walks. The word is derived from the Hebrew root hei-lamed-kaf, meaning to go, to walk or to travel. The rabbis made many additions and binding interpretations to the Torah that also had to be memorized.

This became the basis for the Oral Law that Yeshua talked about. They maintained that the Oral Law was equal with, if not superior to, the written Torah (see Ei – The Oral Law). About AD 200 these Oral Laws were written down and today are called the Mishnah. The Pharisees believed in the resurrection, immortality of the soul, and the overruling of fate. They expected the Messiah to deliver them from their foreign oppressors. The Sadducees were not present that day because they did not believe in Christ anyway, so there was no need to investigate Jesus to see if He was the One.

The Torah-teachers, or the scribes, were interpreters of the Torah (Second Chronicles 34:13; Ezra 7:12) because of their familiarity with and understanding of the Scriptures (First Chronicles 27:32). Although some Torah-teachers belonged to the party of the Sadducees, most were Pharisees, which explains their frequently being mentioned together. They were Torah-teachers, posing questions for the student to answer. They were addressed as rabbi. The Torah-teacher sat on a raised area and the pupils on rows of benches or on the floor. He repeated his material over and over again so it would be memorized. When the student mastered the material and was competent to make his own decisions, he was a non-ordained student. When he came of age, (at least 30 years old), he could be received into the company of Torah-teachers as an ordained scholar. Some served as lawyers and some were members of the Great Sanhedrin.⁴²⁰ The Torah-teachers worked out the regulations of the Oral Law and the Pharisees dedicated their lives to keeping them.

And the Bible tells us that the power of ADONAI was with Jesus to heal the sick (Lk 5:17b). As a doctor, Luke was particularly interested in this. This comment clearly reveals Luke’s emphasis of the Spirit’s coming upon Jesus (Luke 3:21-22, 4:1, 14, 18-21). It prepares the reader for the miracle of healing that is to follow.⁴²¹

The Lord’s arrival caused quite a stir. Four men came carrying a paralyzed man lying on a mat. Whether he was born paralyzed or became paralyzed, the end result was the same – total dependence on others. When people looked at him, they didn’t see the man; they saw a body in need of a miracle. That’s not what Jesus saw, but that’s what the people saw. And that’s certainly what his friends saw. So they did what any of us would do for a friend. They tried to get him some help. So they tried to take him into Peter’s house (Mark 1:32-33 and 37) to lay him before Yeshua.

But, by the time his friends arrived, the house was full. People jammed the doorways. Kids sat in the windows. Others peeked over shoulders. How would they ever attract Jesus’ attention? They had to make a choice. Were they going to find a way in or give up. When they could not find a way to do this because the Pharisees were blocking the doorway, they went up on the roof. In those days, the oriental roof was flat, and served as the porch of the house. There was normally an outdoor stairwell and they managed to get the paralyzed manup to the roof. That would take a great deal of effort by itself. But then, they made an opening right above Yeshua by digging. That meant digging through the mortar, tar, ashes and sand that had been spread on the roof. Then they lowered the man on his mat into the middle of the crowd, right in front of Jesus who had been teaching (Matthew 9:2a; Mark 2:3-4; Luke 5:18-19). What an entrance!

What would have happened had the friends given up? What if they had shrugged their shoulders and mumbled something about the crowd being big and dinner getting cold and turned and left? After all, they had done a good deed in coming that far. Who could find fault for them turning back? You can only do so much for somebody, even a paralytic. But, his friends weren’t satisfied. They were desperate to find a way to help him.

It was risky – they could fall or get hurt themselves. It was dangerous – he could fall. It was unorthodox – digging through someone else’s roof isn’t the quickest way to make new friends. It was intrusive – Jesus was busy. But, it was their only chance and they took it. Faith does those things. Faith does the unexpected. And faith gets God’s attention.⁴²²

On similar occasions the miracle-working Rabbi healed people by touching them, but not this time. When Jesus saw their faith, He said to the paralyzed man using the passive voice: Take heart son, your sins are forgiven (Mattityahu 9:2b; Mark 2:5; Luke 5:20). In Hebrew this passive voice is only used in one section of the entire TaNaKh. Being Pharisees and Torah-teachers, they had memorized it completely and would not miss the connection the Lord was making. He was claiming the authority that ADONAI claimed for Himself in Leviticus, Chapters 4, 5 and 6, where it speaks of blood sacrifices for atonement of sin. Here, Jesus was speaking as if He were God.

The English word forgiven is the translation of aphiemi. The common meaning is to leave, to cancel or let go. But, this does not give an adequate picture of this Greek word. We say that we have “forgiven” someone who has wronged us. By that, we mean that any feelings of animosity we may have had, has changed to one of renewed friendliness and affection. But, that’s as far as it goes. This Greek word aphiemi, however, means more than that. It means when people believe in Yeshua ha-Meshiach as their Lord and Savior, their sins are put away in two ways. First, our sins are put away legally on the basis by the shed blood of Christ. It was His sacrifice that paid the penalty the Torah demanded, and thus satisfied divine justice. Our sins are put away as far as the east is from the west (Psalm 103:12), never to be remembered again (Isaiah 43:25). Secondly, on that basis God removes the guilt of our sin and declares us righteous, just as if we had never sinned (see Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith).

He knew very well that claiming the authority to forgive sins would raise the strongest possible objection from the Sanhedrin. At this, some Pharisees and Torah-teachers who were sitting there began thinking to themselves (Mattityahu 9:3a; Mark 2:6; Luke 5:21a), the reason they thought this to themselves and did not say anything was because they were still in the first stage of observation.

They thought to themselves: Why does this man talk like that? It is notable that the Jewish leadership from Jerusalem is quoted as calling Yeshua this man, because they didn’t even want to pronounce His name. They were furious and thought to themselves,“He’s blaspheming! Who can forgive sins but God alone” (Matthew 9:3b; Mark 2:7; Luke 5:21b)? Either Jesus really was a blasphemer, or He is God Himself.

Now He had their attention!

Who can forgive sins but God alone? That’s a good question, and you would think it would be pretty well cleared-up today. But, the Roman Catholic Church says that a priest can forgive sins in the confessional. Confession was first introduced into the Catholic Church in the fifth century by the authority of Leo the Great. Although it was not until the Fourth Lateran Council in 1215 under pope Innocent III, that private confession heard by a priest was made mandatory and all Roman Catholics were required to confess their sins and seek forgiveness from a priest at least once a year.

The Baltimore Catechism defines confession this way, “Confession is the telling of our sins to an authorized priest for the purpose of obtaining forgiveness.” And a book, Instructions for Non-Catholics, primarily for those who are joining the Roman Catholic Church, says, “The priest does not have to ask God to forgive your sins. The priest himself has the power to do so in Christ’s name. Your sins are forgiven by the priest the same as if you knelt before Jesus Christ and told them to Christ Himself” (page 93). The Roman position is that through the power given to Peter, and received from him by the apostolic succession (see Fx – On This Rock I Will Build My Church), they have the power to forgive (or refuse to forgive) sins. In the Roman system the priest constantly comes between the sinner and God.

The confession of sins is commanded all through the Bible, but it is always confession to God . . . never to man. If we confess our sins, [God] is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness (First John 1:9). Indeed, why should anyone confess their sins to a priest when the Scriptures declare so clearly: For there is one God and one mediator between God and mankind, the man Christ Jesus, who gave Himself as a ransom for all people (First Timothy 2:5).⁴²³

In the Talmudic literature, there is ample debate about the definition of blasphemy and its consequences. One opinion states “the blasphemer is not culpable unless he pronounces the Name [of God] itself (Tractate Sanhedrin 7:5). Of course, this was one of the most serious religious crimes for a Jew, enforceable by death through stoning. While it is unclear if Yeshua pronounced “the Name” of God in this situation, there was no doubt that He was acting with the authority that belongs only to God Himself.⁴²⁴

Immediately Jesus knew in His spirit that this was what they were thinking in their hearts, and asked: Why are you thinking these evil thoughts (Matthew 9:4; Mark 2:8; Luke 5:22)? This was the typical method of Jewish education. In the rabbinic academies when a student would ask a question of a rabbi, the rabbi would often answer the student’s question by asking a question of his own. The rabbi would do this because he wanted the disciple to think through his own question and perhaps come up with the answer on his own without being told. The Lord used this method often.

Using a form of rabbinic logic, “from light to heavy, from easy to difficult,”Jesus asks them: Which is easier: to say to this paralyzed man, “Your sins are forgiven,” or to say, “Get up, take your mat and walk?” Obviously, it is easier to say: Your sins are forgiven because it requires no visual evidence, no proof. It was as if Yeshua was saying, “I’m going to prove to you that I can say the easier by doing the harder.” But I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins. Then He proceeded to do the harder: So He said to the paralyzed man: I tell you, get up, take your mat and go home (Mt 9:5-6; Mk 2:9-11; Lk 5:23-24).

This is the first time the term Son of Man is used in the New Covenant. The phrase is often used in the TaNaKh to contrast the lowliness of humanity with the transcendence of God. In the book of Ezeki’el, the prophet is called son of man ninety-nine times. The prophet Dani’el also used the term prophetically to describe the Messiah coming with the clouds of heaven (Dani’el 7:13-14). The Talmudic sages, who designated the Messiah with the secondary name, confirm this messianic title: Son of the Fallen One, or Bar Nafel, based on this Dani’el passage (Tractate Sanhedrin 96b). By using the term Son of Man, Yeshua was again alluding to His clear claim of being the promised Messiah of Isra’el.⁴²⁵

Immediately, the paralytic stood up in front of them, took his mat and walked out in full view of them all. This was a permanent cure. Jesus heals instantly with a word or touch, He healed organic diseases from birth. Praising God, the man went home (Matthew 9:7; Mark 2:12a; Luke 5:25). This, in turn, becomes evidence that He can say the easier, and is the Messiah. He is the God-Man. His title of the Son of Man emphasized His humanity, and His forgiving sins, emphasized His deity. It was the title He most commonly used of Himself. It beautifully identified Him as He fully participated in human life as the perfect Man, the last Adam (First Corinthians 15:45-47), and the sinless representative of the human race. It was also a title clearly understood by Jews as referring to the Messiah(Luke 22:69). The title is used of Yeshua by others only twice in the New Covenant, once by Rabbi Sha’ul (Acts 7:56) and once by Yochanan (Revelation 14:14).⁴²⁶

When the crowd saw this, everyone was amazed, literally filled with fear, and they praised God for sending a man with such great authority. We do not know how much the crowd knew about Jesus, but they knew that what He did had to have been empowered by ADONAI, and that God Himself  had given that authority to a man. They were beside themselves and filled with awe, saying to each other: We have never seen anything like this (Matthew 9:8 NLT; Mark 2:12b; Luke 5:26)!

As the Pharisees and Torah-teachers took the three-day journey back to Jerusalem they had a long time to think. The Great Sanhedrin would discuss, debate, and then vote. Their ultimate decision was to decide if the movement of Jesus of Nazareth was a significant or insignificant messianic movement. If they found the movement significant, then they would proceed to the second stage of interrogation, during which they could ask questions.

When we look at the results of Christ’s life and His mission in the world, we are overwhelmed by the central place that forgiveness takes. Like the paralytic, we come to God with many needs, but the deepest is the need for forgiveness – the ugly stains and deformities that sin leaves on a person’s soul need healing most of all. How sad that people go a lifetime without having someone to show them the kind of love these friends demonstrated for their paralyzed friend. We need to experience Messiah’s forgiveness and then, if necessary, carry our friends to meet Him too.⁴²⁷

The Healing of a Jewish Leper: The First Messianic Miracle
Matthew 8:2-4; Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16

The healing of a Jewish leper was the first Messianic miracle DIG: In the healing of a Jewish leper, exactly what did it mean to be a leper: Physically? Socially? Spiritually? What was significant about the Lord’s touch? What was a messianic miracle? Why would the Messiah want the cleansing to be certified by the priests? What would that imply for the priests about Jesus?

REFLECT: The leper was an outcast in Jewish society. Who are the outcasts in your social network? What kind of a touch are you giving them? What does it mean to you that as a result of His death on the cross, Yeshua has legally purchased your right to the mercy of God so that all your sins could be cleansed? What kind of gratitude would you feel if you were that leper and were cleansed of your disease? Do you feel the same way about being cleansed of your disease of sin? Have you been able to keep quiet about it?

The problem of leprosy was given special treatment under the Torah (Leviticus 13 and 14). For example, about the only time you could become ceremonially unclean, other than touching a dead human or animal or by touching an unclean animal, was by touching a leper. Under the Torah only the priest had the authority to declare someone a leper. Lepers would tear their clothing, and cover themselves from the nose down. If they happened to see someone walking toward them, they had to warn that person by calling out, “Unclean, unclean,” for they were untouchable. They would be ostracized from the Jewish community and could not live with other Jews. They could not enter into the Tabernacle or Temple to offer any sacrifices for their sins. As strict as the Torah was, the Oral Law made it even more difficult (to see link click Ei – The Oral Law). The rabbis taught that no one was permitted to pass within four cubits of a leper if the wind was not blowing, and one hundred cubits of a leper if the wind was blowing. The leper was dead in a living body, so to speak.

Leprosy was the most feared disease in the ancient world, and even today it cannot be totally cured, though it can be kept in check with proper medication. Although some ninety percent of people in modern times are immune, it was much more communicable in ancient times. Although advanced leprosy is generally not painful, because of the nerve damage it is disfiguring, debilitating, and can be extremely repulsive. One ancient rabbi said, “When I see lepers I throw stones at them lest they come near me.” Another said, “I would not so much as eat an egg that was purchased on a street where a leper had walked.”

The disease generally begins with pain in certain areas of the body. Numbness follows. Soon the skin in those spots loses its original color. It gets to be thick, glossy and scaly. As the sickness progresses, the thickened spots become dirty sores and ulcers due to poor blood supply. The skin, especially around the eyes and ears, begins to bunch, with deep furrows between the swellings, so that the face of the afflicted begins to resemble that of a lion. Fingers drop off or are absorbed; toes are affected in the same way. Eyebrows and eyelashes drop out. By this time one can see the person in this pitiable condition is a leper. By a touch of the finger one can also feel it. One can even smell it, for the leper emits a very unpleasant odor. Moreover, in view of the fact that the disease-producing agent frequently attacks the larynx, the leper’s voice acquires a grating quality. The throat becomes hoarse, and you can now not only see, feel, and smell the leper, but you can hear his or her raspy voice. And if you stay with a leper for some time, you can even imagine a peculiar taste in your mouth, probably due to the odor.⁴¹⁴

As Arnold Fruchtenbaum details, from the time the Torah was actually completed there was no record of any Jew ever being cured of leprosy. Miryam was cured before the Torah was given (Numbers 12:1-15) and Naaman was Syrian (Second Kings 5:1-14). Yet Moses spent two whole chapters, Leviticus 13 and 14, with each chapter being over 50 verses long, giving details of what to do if a Jew was healed of leprosy.

When Moses wrote Leviticus 13 and 14 the Israelites and the Tabernacle were in the desert. When Nehemiah and Zerubbabel came back from the Babylonian Captivity with the Jewish exiles to rebuild the Temple they used details from Ezeki’el’s Temple (Ezeki’el 46:21-24) so it would convey a foretaste of the messianic Temple. So the four corner chambers in the Court of the Women (see below) were designed on the basis of the cooking stations of the messianic Temple. Each chamber was 30 by 40 cubits, or 45 by 60 feet. One of those chambers was the Chamber of the Lepers! How did those four corner chambers function?

First, was the Chamber of the Woodshed in the northeast corner. It was there that the wood for the bronze altar was stored. The Talmud contains a rabbinic tradition, which says that there is a secret subterranean chamber built by Solomon for the ark of the Covenant under the Chamber of the Woodshed. Since 1994 it has been possible to locate the exact spot where the Chamber of the Woodshed stood in the Second Temple. Unfortunately, it is not possible to look for it today since it would be cause for a war with the Islamists. So, at the moment, there is still a veil of suspense over the location of the ark of the Covenant.

Second, was the Chamber of the Nazirites in the southeast corner. In this chamber there was a special fireplace where men completing their Nazirite vow would go to burn his hair and roast a Peace Offering in a cooking pot hanging over it (Numbers 6:1-21).

Third, was the Chamber of the House of Oil in the southwest corner. It was at this place that the oil needed for various purposes was kept. This oil was used, for example, for the golden Lampstand, as well as for the four lamps that lit the Court of the Women, and for the anointing of meal offerings. Wine for the drink offerings was also stored there (Exodus 29:40; Philippians 2:17; Second Timothy 4:6).

And fourth, was the Chamber of the Lepers in the northwest corner. It was there that a cleansed leper washed himself in a ritual bath before presenting himself to the priest. This was the last thing he would do after undergoing the purification process described in Leviticus 13 and 14.⁴¹⁵ But, what exactly did he have to do to be declared ceremonially clean by the priest?

If a Jew claimed to be cured of leprosy, he would initially bring an offering of two birds on that same day. One bird was killed, the other bird was dipped into the blood of the first bird and set free. After that, the priest would have seven days to answer three questions. First, was the person really a leper (since only the priest could declare a person a leper there should have been some record of it somewhere)? If the answer was yes, the second question had to be answered. Was this person really healed of leprosy? How would they know? They were supposed to set them outside the camp of Isra’el for seven days to see if the leprosy reappeared. If the answer was yes, and they were actually healed of leprosy, then the third question would have to be answered. What were the circumstances of the healing? In other words, was the healing legitimate or not?

If all these questions were answered satisfactorily, there would be an eighth day, a day of ritual. On that day there would be four offerings at the Tabernacle or Temple. First, was a sin offering (see my commentary on Exodus Fc – The Sin Offering). The priest would slaughter the sacrifice and place it on the bronze altar. Second, was a guilt offering (see my commentary on Exodus Fd – The Guilt Offering). The priest would take the blood of the sin offering and apply it to three parts of the cleansed leper’s body: the ear, the thumb and the right big toe. Third, was a burnt offering (see my commentary on Exodus Fe – The Burt Offering). This process, the ear, the thumb, the right big toe, was repeated with the blood of the sin offering. Fourth, was a meal offering (see my commentary on Exodus Ff  – The Grain Offering). Then he would wash himself in the Chambers of the Lepers. Only then was the leaper able to return to the Jewish community and the Tabernacle or Temple. With all this information, the Levites never had a single opportunity to put it into use. No record whatsoever over centuries and centuries!

While rabbinic writings had many cures for many different diseases, there was no cure for leprosy. The rabbis taught that it carried with it the concept of divine discipline because God sometimes punished with leprosy. In addition, they taught that leprosy was one of the punishments for violating the Torah. So, any Jew contracting leprosy was viewed as being under divine discipline and could not be cured, like King Uzziah (Second Chronicles 26:21). In teaching that, they had to, in essence, ignore Leviticus 13 and 14. Maybe they did so because no one was ever cured of the dreaded disease.

It must have seemed very odd to the priests, especially in Jesus’ day, that three of the four corner chambers in the Court of the Women were used constantly but one was never used – ever. Century after century the Chamber of the Lepers stood empty, waiting for a Jewish leper.  They must have wondered why, and eventually the rabbis came up with an explanation (as they always did). The rabbis taught that when the Messiah came, He would be able to cure a Jewish leper. Long before the birth of Christ the rabbis divided miracles into two categories. First, miracles that anyone could perform if empowered by God, and secondly, miracles only the Messiah could perform. There were three specific miracles in the second category: the healing of a Jewish leaper, the casting out of a mute demon, and the healing of a man born blind.

While Yeshua was in one of the towns, a man came along who was covered with leprosy. It was fully developed, meaning the man was almost dead. When he saw Jesus, in an act of complete humility he fell with his face to the ground (Greek: proskuneo, meaning to kiss the face) as he sought help and begged Him: Lord, if You are willing, You can make me clean (Matthew 8:2; Mark 1:40; Luke 5:12). The man appealed to the tenderheartedness of the Great Physician. The reason he came to the miracle-working Rabbi was because of his faith. He already believed that Jesus was the Messiah and could cure his disease.

The Torah forbid any Jew from touching a leper because lepers were declared unclean: If a person touches some human uncleanness, no matter what the source of his uncleanness is, and is unaware of it, then, when he learns of it, he is guilty of a sin (Leviticus 5:3 CJB). This offering required confession and restitution for wrongdoing. But, Jesus touched the man that no one in Isra’el would touch. Saying (a present participle): I AM willing. Filled with compassion, He reached out His hand (an aorist participle) and touched the man (an aorist verb). How is this possible? Is the Bible contradicting itself? Or even worse, are the Scriptures telling us that Yeshua sinned and did not completely follow the Torah? No. That’s unthinkable (Romans 6:2 NWT)!

The Greek text gives us a wonderful answer. The rule of Greek grammar that governs this construction says that the action of the present tense participle goes on simultaneously with the action of the leading verb. So when Jesus said: Be clean! Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed (Matthew 8:3; Mark 1:41-42; Luke 5:13). This means that our Lord did not touch the leper in order to cleanse him, but, to show him and the people around that he had been cleansed of his leprosy before Yeshua touched him. The Torah forbid a Jew to touch a leper. Messiah lived under the Torah and obeyed it perfectly. So, the first kind touch of a human hand that the leper ever experienced (since contracting leprosy), was the gentle touch of the Son of God.⁴¹⁶

When Jesus healed, He healed instantly. There was no waiting for restoration to come in stages. He healed with a word or a touch, without prayer and sometimes even without being near the afflicted person. He healed completely, never partially. He healed everyone who came to Him, everyone who was brought to Him, and everyone for whom healing was asked by another. He healed organic diseases from birth and He raised the dead. Anyone today claiming the gift of healing should be able to do likewise.

Then, confirming Yeshua’s Torah observance, the Lord sent him away at once with a strong warning: See that you don’t tell this to anyone. But go, show yourself to the priest and offer the sacrifices that Moses commanded for your cleansing, as a testimony to them (Matthew 8:4; Mark 1:43-44; Luke 5:14).Normally, before His rejection by the Sanhedrin, Jesus would tell the person that He had healed to go and tell what the Lord had done because He was presenting Himself to the nation of Isra’el as the Messiah. But, here He tells this man: Don’t tell anyone. Why? Because Yeshua wanted the Sanhedrin to start taking His claims of messiahship seriously. They would have to go through the extensive seven-day investigation and ask what were the circumstances of the healing. At that point they would discover that Jesus healed a Jewish leaper, which was a messianic miracle. In this instance our Savior sent one healed Jewish leper to the Sanhedrin, but, after His official rejection as the Meshiach by the Sanhedrin, He would send ten more (Luke 17:11-19)!

Instead the cleansed leper went out and began to talk freely, so the news about Jesus spread all the more, so that crowds of people came to hear Him and to be healed of their sicknesses (Mark 1:45a; Luke 5:15). Everyone knew what the cleansing of a Jewish leper meant. It was the first messianic miracle.

As a result, Yeshua could no longer enter a town openly but stayed outside in lonely places and prayed. Yet the people still came to Him from everywhere (Mark 1:45b; Luke 5:16). Came is erchonto, an imperfect, indicating continuous action, in other words, they kept coming. He prayed about what was to happen next. It was about time for a showdown with the members of the Sanhedrin (see Lg – The Great Sanhedrin).

How all this illustrates the old, old story of the Good News of Jesus Christ. Leprosy is a type of sin. As sinners, we come crying: Unclean, unclean, if You are willing, You can make me clean. And Jesus, filled with compassion, reaches out His hand and touches us saying: I AM willing. Be clean. And, as in the case of the leper, He cleanses us from sin before He touches us. The gospel of John gives us clear evidence that justification comes before regeneration. Mercy is only given after God’s righteous anger against sin has been totally satisfied (see Lv – The Second Three Hours on the Cross: The Wrath of God). That is true: Yet to all who did receive Him, to those who believed, He gave the [legal] right to become children of God (John 1:12). Therefore, when we recognize the Lord Yeshua as the One whose blood was shed on the cross and legally purchased our right to the mercy of God, then we receive eternal life (see Bw – What God Does For Us at the Moment of Faith).

Speaking in the name of ADONAI, Ezeki’el prophesied: I will sprinkle clean water upon you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities . . . I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you (Ezeki’el 36:25-26).

Oh, the power of a godly touch. Have you known it? The doctor who treated you, or the teacher who dried your tears? Was there a hand holding yours at a funeral? Another on your shoulder during a trial? A handshake of welcome at a new job?

Can’t we offer the same?

Many already do. You use your hands to pray over the sick and minister to the weak. If you aren’t touching them personally, your hands are writing letters, typing emails, or baking pies. You have learned the power of a touch.

But, others of us tend to forget. Our hearts are good; it’s just that our memories are bad. We forget how significant one touch can be . . .

Aren’t we glad Jesus didn’t make the same mistake?⁴¹⁷

Jesus Traveled Throughout Galilee,
Proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom
Matthew 4:23-25; Mark 1:35-39; Luke 4:42-44

Jesus traveled throughout Galilee, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom DIG: Why did Jesus find it necessary to go off to a solitary place at that time? What pressures was He facing? What might He pray about? How might this relate to His decision in Mark 1:38? What are His priorities?

REFLECT: What worthy activities or pursuits often lure you away from your main priorities? Messiah is obviously busy and in high demand, yet He made a deliberate effort to spend time alone with the Father. Is your schedule demanding? How do you talk to God or hear from Him in the midst of the many distractions in your life? How long has it been since you let God have you? I mean really have you? How long since you gave Him a portion of undiluted, uninterrupted time listening to His voice? Apparently Yeshua did. If prayer was that necessary for Jesus, how much more must it be necessary for us?

The previous day had been demanding. Messiah had taught in the synagogue and cast out a demon there. Then He went back to Simon’s house for the main Sabbath meal, but found Peter’s mother-in-law seriously ill and healed her. When Shabbat had ended after the sun had gone down, He continued to minister to the multitudes, healing all who came to Him. Nobody was busier than Christ. He was tired and needed to be refreshed.

As a result, very early in the morning while it was still dark, Jesus got up, left Simon Peter’s house and went off to a solitary place, where He prayed (Mark 1:35; Luke 4:42a). Prayer is an attitude of complete dependence on ADONAI. From this incident we learn that even though Yeshua Messiah had authority in Himself to heal the sick and cast out demons, He did not act independently of the Father. Prayer was absolutely vital in His life and ministry. He needed time alone; He needed silence.

There are only six occasions in the Gospels in which Jesus withdraws to pray by Himself, 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.⁴⁰⁷

The first time He went away by Himself to pray was when our Savior 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).

Second, Jesus withdrew to pray 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.

Third, the Lord prayed alone after His first messianic miracle (see Cn – The Healing of a Jewish Leper). 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. Jesus knew it was going to be a turning point in His earthly ministry because He not only healed a paralytic that day, but more importantly, He forgave His sins – claiming to be deity.

Fourth, Yeshua Ha’Meshiach 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 by Himself and pray about it.

Fifth, 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 sixth, 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).

But, whether it’s for Jesus, or for us, silence is hard to find isn’t it? Cities are notoriously noisy due to the high concentration of traffic and people. Sometimes there seems to be no escape from loud music or loud voices. But the kind of noise that endangers our spiritual wellbeing is not the noise we can’t escape but the noise we invite into our lives. Some of us use noise as a way of shutting out loneliness; voices of TV and radio personalities give us the illusion of companionship. Some of us use noise as a way of shutting out the voice of God: constant chatter, even when we’re talking about God, keeps us from hearing what He has to say.⁴⁰⁸

Simon and [the other apostles] went to look for Him, and when they found Him, they exclaimed: Everyone is looking for you (Mark 1:36-37)! The people of the Capernaum tried to keep the miracle-working Rabbi from leaving them because they wanted more and more of His miracles. They came like a flood. There was no way Jesus could not shut the door (Luke 4:42). It is human nature to try to put up the barriers and to have time and peace to oneself; that is what Messiah never did. Conscious as He was of His weariness and exhaustion, He was still more conscious of the relentless cry of human need. So, when they came looking for Him, He rose from His knees to meet the challenge of the ministry given to Him by the Father. Prayer will never do our work for us; but it will strengthen us for the tasks that must be done.⁴⁰⁹

But, the real reason of the flight was His desire to preach in as many synagogues as possible before the Scribes and Pharisees could try to obstruct Him. Jesus had a plan of a preaching tour in Galilee, and He felt, I am sure, that it could not begin soon enough.⁴¹⁰ His response must have surprised them for the crowds were large and enthusiastic. However, Jesus said to His talmidim: Let us go somewhere else – to the nearby villages – so I can preach the Good News of the Kingdom there also. That is why I have come (Mk 1:38; Lk 4:43). He left that very night, not wanting any opposition from the people of Capernaum.

He resisted the undertow of the people by anchoring to the rock of His purpose: employing the uniqueness to make a big deal out of God everywhere He could. And aren’t we glad He did? Suppose He had heeded the crowd and set up camp in Capernaum, reasoning, “I thought the whole world was My target and the cross My destiny. But, the whole town is telling Me to stay in Capernaum. Could all those people be wrong?” Well . . . Yes they could! In defiance of the crowd, Yeshua said no to the good things so He could say yes to the right thing: His unique call.⁴¹¹

This was Christ’s second major preaching tour. So Jesus traveled through Galilee, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, and healing every disease and sickness among the people (Matthew 4:23; Mark 1:39a; Luke 4:44). The main object of the synagogues was the teaching of the people. It served as public school for boys, where they studied the Talmud and learned to read, write, and do basic arithmetic. For men, the synagogue was a place of advanced theological study. The Shabbat service itself mainly consisted of a reading from the Torah, with a subsequent reading from the prophets, and a teaching, were conjoined.⁴¹²

Little wonder that word of His teaching and His deeds spread swiftly and large crowds followed Jesus throughout the region. News about Him spread all over Syria, and people brought to Him all who were ill with various diseases, those suffering severe pain, the demon-possessed, those having seizures, and the paralyzed; and He healed them (Mattityahu 4:24; Mark 1:39b). The demon-possessed (Greek: daimonizomenoi) is sometimes translated demoniacs. The Bible takes for granted the existence of a spirit-world. According to the B’rit Chadashah, demons – also called unclean or evil spirits, lying spirits, fallen angels, or angels of the devil – can affect people by causing physical illness, mental aberrations, emotional malaise and moral temptation.⁴¹³ They cannot, however, eavesdrop on our prayers to the Lord, nor read our minds. Their only guide to stumbling us is to observe our actions. This is depicted all too well in C. S. Lewis’ classic book on the activity of demons called the Screwtape Letters.

Large crowds from Galilee, the Decapolis (ten Greek cities), Jerusalem, Judea and the region across the Jordan followed Him (Matthew 4:25). He had a three-fold ministry. The place was at the synagogues. The content was the Good News of the Kingdom. Once again Matthew presents Jesus as the King. At that time Yeshua was not preaching the gospel because He hadn’t died yet. The authentification of His messiahship was the healing of every disease and the casting out of demons. Thus, we see the widening influence of the Lord as a result of His words and His work.

This is the beginning of the gospel, for by Christ’s preaching and teaching He was preparing the people for that which is salvation; that is, His death and His resurrection.

Simon’s Mother-in-Law Was in Bed with a High Fever
Matthew 8:14-17; Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41

Simon’s mother-in-law was in bed with a high fever DIG: How does Jesus’ healing here compare with His casting out a demon in Mark 1:25? Who did Messiah heal on the Sabbath? Why is that important to know? Who did the Lord heal after the sun went down? How many did He heal? How do you picture that scene? Why does He silence the demons? Why were the people coming to Him?

REFLECT: If you were in the crowd, what would you ask Yeshua to heal for you? However, if you pray for healing and like Rabbi Sha’ul (Second Corinthians 12:1-10), Yeshua chose not to heal you, how do you respond? Does God still heal today? According to what? How do people, knowingly or unknowingly, use the Lord? What do you think He feels about that? What can you do about it?

It was the Holy Sabbath – the first after Yeshua had called the majority of His apostles around Him; the first, also, after His return from Pesach at Jerusalem (to see link click Bs – The First Cleansing of the Temple). But, once the synagogue service had ended, Jesus went to Peter’s house. According to Jewish custom the main Sabbath meal came immediately after the synagogue service, at the sixth hour, which is at twelve o’clock noon. As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James, John and the rest of the apostles, to the home of Simon and Andrew (Mark 1:29). When Yeshua came into Simon’s house, He saw Peter’s mother-in-law stretched out lying in bed. Doctor Luke noticed that she was suffering from a high fever. The imperfect tense means it was continuous, not temporary.

And they asked the Lord to help her (Mattityahu 8:14; Mark 1:30; Luke 4:38). It is very important to notice that Simon had a mother-in-law because that means that Shim’on was married. If Peter was supposed to be the first pope, as the Catholic Church claims, why was he married? The fact that Peter was married is confirmed by Paul when he wrote to the believers at Corinth: Don’t we have the right to take a believing wife (the Greek word here is gune, or wife, not adelphe, or sister) along with us, as do the other apostles and Peter (First Corinthians 9:5)? The Catholic Church teaches that this was Simon’s sister.

During the first centuries of the Christian Era the clergy were permitted to marry and have families. The celibacy of the priesthood in the Roman Catholic Church was decreed by pope Gregory VII in 1079, more than a thousand years after the time of Christ. Jesus imposed no rule against the marriage of the apostles. On the contrary, Peter was a married man for at least twenty-five years and his wife accompanied him on his missionary journeys. Hence, Peter was a married man during a considerable part of the time that the Roman Church says that he was a pope in Rome. But, he was never in Rome at all (see Fx – On This Rock I Will Build My Church). If celibacy properly has the place given to it in the Roman Church, it is not credible that Messiah would have chosen as the foundation stone and first pope a man who was married. The fact is that when Christ established His Church, He took no account of celibacy at all, but instead chose married men for His apostolic college.⁴⁰³

Peter’s mother-in-law was very ill and Jesus healed her. But, each Gospel writer reports it a little differently, based upon his particular theme. Matthew presents Jesus as King of the Jews, and here a mere touch from the King is sufficient to heal her. It was not insignificant that the miracle-working Rabbi touched her hand and the fever left her, and she got up and began to wait on Him (Matthew 8:15). The teaching of the Talmud is that a man (and how much more a rabbi) should not make contact with a woman’s hand, even when counting money from his hand to hers (Tractate Berachot 61a).

Mark presents our Lord in the role of a servant, and says: So Jesus went to her, took her hand and helped her up. The fever left her and she began to serve them (Mark 1:31). Luke presents Jesus as the perfect man. So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. Luke alone notices the immediate change so that she could serve the Sabbath meal. She got up at once and began to serve them (Luke 4:39). The term serve (Greek: diekonei), although not a technical term, is used elsewhere in the New Covenant for service for Christ (Luke 8:3, 17:8; Acts 6:2-4, 19:22). The cure must have been instantaneous, to make it possible for Peter’s mother-in-law to cook a meal for the Lord and the men He had with Him. But, the verb is in the imperfect tense, showing progressive action. In other words, it took some time to prepare the meal.

The report that Jesus had cast out demons and healed the sick circulated rapidly. That evening after sunset, many who were sick and demon-possessed were brought to Him. It was the Sabbath that day, as evidenced by the fact that they left the synagogue. Shabbat ended at sunset, and so the people were free to bring their sick and demon-possessed friends and relatives. The Bible makes a distinction between sickness and demon-possession. There is no demon of lust, or demon of gluttony, or demon of this or demon of that. Demons do not specialize in certain illnesses. There is no biblical evidence of that. We can be sick merely because of human frailty or bad genes. The verb brought is imperfect, speaking of continuous action. They kept bringing and bringing and bringing people.

The whole town gathered together at the door. None went away disappointed. The Great Physician drove out the spirits with a word, and laying His hands on each one, healing all the sick (Matthew 8:16; Mark 1:32-34a; Luke 4:40). Yeshua healed with a word or a touch, He healed instantly, He healed organic diseases from birth (John 9:1-41), and raised the dead (Mk 5:21-43; Jn 11:1-44). Anyone who claims to have the gift of healing today should be able to do likewise. These healings were for a particular purpose: This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “He took up our infirmities and bore our diseases” (Mt 8:17). This passage from Isaiah 53 is still applied in many rabbinic commentaries to the coming of the Meshiach (Sanhedrin 98a). Our Savior still heals today, but as the result of His own sovereign will, not our demands.

The Hebrew of Isaiah 53 for diseases allows for both physical and spiritual healing. No doubt, a most important work of Yeshua would be to take our sins away as a guilt offering (Isaiah 53:11). We should remember that physical healing is not necessarily guaranteed in the atonement of Messiah  in the B’rit Chadashah (see my commentary on Hebrews Bp – The Dispensation of Grace). Christ died for our sins, yet believers still fall into sin; He overcame pain and sickness, but, His people still suffer and become ill; He conquered death, but, His followers still die. There are too many examples of unrealized healings both in the Bible and in the modern-day lives of godly believers (Second Corinthians 12:1-10). There is some mystery as to why God does not heal in every case, yet clearly He uses these cases many times to teach His children different lessons. Nonetheless, a day will come when the physical aspect of Jesus’ work will be fully realized by all who call on His name as He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away (Revelation 21:4).⁴⁰⁴

Those who claim that believers should never be sick because of their healing in the atonement should also claim that believers should never die, because Jesus also conquered death in the atonement. The central message in the gospel is deliverance from sin. It is good news about forgiveness, not health. The Anointed One was made sin, not disease, and He died on the cross for our sin, not our sickness. As Peter makes clear when he wrote: He Himself bore our sins in His body on the cross, so that we might die to sins and live for righteousness, “by His wounds you have been healed” (First Peter 2:24).⁴⁰⁵

Moreover, demons came out of many people, shouting, “You are the Son of God!” But He muzzled them and would not allow them to speak, because they knew He was the Messiah (Mark 1:34b; Luke 4:41). He did not give those weighing the evidence of His miracles an opportunity to reject Him because testimony came from such questionable sources. Therefore, He would not allow the demons to testify on His behalf.

Notice all the sick were healed. But, there was the beginning of the tragedy. The crowds came, they came, however, because they wanted something from Yeshua. They did not come because they loved Him; they did not come because they had caught a glimpse of His deity; in the last analysis they didn’t want Him – they wanted what He could do for them.

Actually this was not (or is not) that uncommon. For the one prayer that goes up to Ha’Shem in the days of prosperity – ten thousand go up in the time in adversity. Many who have never prayed when the sun was shining on life begin to pray fervently when the cold winds come. Someone has said that so many people regard religion as belonging “to the ambulance corps and not to the firing-line of life.” Religion to them is merely crisis management. It is only when their lives fall apart that they remember God.

We must always remember to go to Jesus, for He alone can give us the things we need for life even if we don’t understand the answer. We need to have Job’s unwavering trust in the goodness of ADONAI no matter what the circumstances. He said: Even if God kills me, I’ll continue to hope in Him (Job 13:15a). As His children, being adopted into the family of God, He is always looking out for our best interests’ as any loving Father would. But, YHVH is not someone to be used in the day of misfortune; He is someone to be loved and remembered every day of our lives.⁴⁰⁶

Jesus Drives Out an Impure Spirit
Mark 1:21-28 and Luke 4:31-37

Jesus drives out an impure Spirit DIG: How is this story related to (to see link click Ch –The Spirit of the LORD) is On Me? Especially verses Luke 4:17-19? What similarities and differences do you see? What two things about Jesus amazed the people? Why? What does it mean to teach without authority? What was the nature and source of Yeshua’s authority?

REFLECT: What insights about the kingdom of God do you see here? On a scale of one to ten (with ten being the highest) how much authority does the Lord have in your life? What would He have to throw out for it to be a ten? What about Jesus’ authority grabs your attention? How is His authority bringing freedom to you?

After being rejected in His own hometown of Nazareth, He went down to Capernaum. Since Nazareth is about 1,300 feet above sea level and Capernaum is nearly 700 feet below sea level, He had to go down to get there. On this occasion we find Messiah, as was His custom, going into the synagogue in Capernaum where, as we will learn later, Jairus was the synagogue leader. And when the Sabbath came, Jesus went into the synagogue, and began to teach the people (Mark 1:21; Luke 4:31). The Jewish custom was to permit any qualified man to read and interpret the TaNaKh, even though it was usually reserved for the rabbi.

The people were amazed at His teaching. The Torah-teachers (scribes) did not have s’mikhah (were not ordained as rabbis), and therefore could not bring chiddushim (introduce new interpretations) or posek halakhah (make legal judgments). This is why the people were amazed (one could say they were in shock). He taught like a rabbi, not a scribe. That was one level of amazement.

A second level of amazement was that He taught them as one who had authority, not as the Torah-teachers (Mark 1:22; Luke 4:32). No rabbi taught (or judged, pasak) against the halakhah of his own rabbi. But Yeshua, who had no rabbi of His own, appeared to have authority beyond that of any of the rabbis. His teaching was like a breeze from heaven, and, as He summarized later, His authority came directly from His Father.⁴⁰⁰

Then Jesus cried out: Whoever believes in Me does not believe in Me only, but in the One who sent Me. The person who looks at Me is seeing the One who sent Me. I have come into the world as a light, so that no one who believes in Me should stay in darkness. If anyone hears My words but does not keep them, I do not judge that person. For I did not come to judge the world, but to save the world. There is a judge for the person who rejects Me and does not accept My words; the very words I have spoken will condemn them at the last day (see my commentary on Revelation, to see link click Fo – The Great White Throne Judgment). For I did not speak on My own, but the Father who sent Me commanded Me to say all that I have spoken. I know that His command leads to eternal life (see Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). So whatever I say is just what the Father has told Me to say (John 12:44-50).

They were impressed with the content and authority of His teaching without attending a rabbinic academy. But, as His reputation grew, their question was, “Where did He receive His authority?” They didn’t understand yet. At that time the Jews had rabbinic academies where they were taught by a certain rabbi. When the rabbi’s themselves taught, they would reference their rabbi as their source of authority, saying, “Rabbi Cohen says . . .” Or Rabbi Edersheim says . . .” Eventually, however, Messiah would reveal that He not only has the authority to drive out demons, but the authority to forgive sins as well (see Co – Jesus Forgives and Heals a Paralyzed Man)!

Although the people were slow to recognize His authority, the demons were not. Just then a man in their synagogue who was possessed by a demon, an unclean spirit, cried out at the top of his voice, “Go away! What do you want with us, Jesus of Nazareth? Have you come to destroy us? I know who you are – the Holy One of God!” Whenever Jesus is confronted with demons they instantly recognize Him. But, every time one of the demons cried out who Jesus is, He immediately silenced them. Demons don’t make very good character witnesses; therefore, Christ accepts no testimony from them. “Be quiet!” said Jesus sternly. “Come out of him!” The demon shook the man violently and threw him down before all the impure spirits came out of him with a shriek, and doctor Luke adds: Without injuring him (Mark 1:23-26; Luke 4:33-35). But, when He threw those demons out with a mere command, it created further amazement. They recognized that His method was different that Jewish exorcism.

The act of throwing out demons in that day was not particularly unusual at that time. Even the Pharisees and their disciples were also able to do it. Jesus would say later: If I drive out demons by Beelzebub, by whom do your people drive them out (Matthew 12:27)? The Jewish people had already noticed that there was a difference in the way the Pharisees ordered out demons and the way Jesus did it.

The rabbis used a specific ritual when they threw out demons. The ritual had three steps. First, the exorcist would have to establish communication with the demon. When the demon spoke, it would use the vocal cords of the person being possessed to answer. Secondly, after establishing communication with the demon, the rabbis would ask for the demon’s name. Thirdly, once establishing the demon’s name, he would order the demon out. Normally Christ would cast them out without any ritual, which is what made His exorcisms so different.⁴⁰¹

All the people were so amazed that they said to each other, “What is this? What words are these. A new teaching! With authority and power He gives orders to unclean spirits and they obey Him and come out” (Mark 1:28)! This incident in the synagogue in Capernaum causes word about Him to spread rapidly. News about Him spread quickly over the whole region of Galilee (Mark 1:28; Luke 4:36-37). They recognized that He was teaching something new compared with pharisaic Judaism, and despite the fact that Jesus had no formal rabbinic training, He taught with authority.

After the morning synagogue service, the Jewish practice to this day is to have a special Sabbath meal. On this day Jesus was invited to the Sabbath meal at Peter’s house.

What quality was it in that special teacher that enabled you to turn on the light? You know, the “ah-ha” moment when you finally “get-it.” Some teachers are able to put the cookies on the bottom shelf where they’re easier to get to. Perhaps your father had it, or your mother. Maybe it was a teacher at school. But whoever it was, you knew in your heart that he or she knew what they were talking about. It’s called authority, and we can see here that Yeshua definitely had it in a unique way.

To the people of Capernaum, Jesus was amazing because through His words, He was opening them up to the thoughts of the Father. He was not merely repackaging human wisdom in a new box. No – His words were helping them to encounter ADONAI. Because He is God, Yeshua knows the deepest thoughts and desires of the Father. His authority came from above because He Himself was from above. His words were believable, and somehow the people knew He was speaking the truth. But if His words revealed His identity, so did His actions. Jesus used His authority and power to overcome the forces of evil and to restore His people to wholeness. We see here that He had the authority to force an unclean spirit to obey Christ against his will and leave the possessed man.

But, Messiah’s desire to defeat the Adversary is no stronger than His longing to heal men and women who are in bondage to sin. Our weak hearts are attached to our earthly ways of thinking; they resist His new life. Through repentance, turning away from the sin in our lives and turning toward the Lord, we too can experience wholeness. Like the man with the unclean spirit, we can trust Jesus to cleanse our hearts and minds and fill us with new life. Today, let’s be clear that through the Holy Spirit, God is present among us and within us and that we can meet Him as we turn our hearts to Him in prayer when we cry out, Abba, Father.” The Spirit Himself testifies with our spirit that we are God’s children (Romans 8:15b-16).

Lord Jesus, open our minds and our hearts to your power and authority. We reject those interests that lead us away from You and ask You to renew our minds and revive our love for You. Amen.⁴⁰²

Come, Follow Me,
And I Will Show You How to Fish for People
Matthew 4:18-22; Mark 1:16-20; Luke 5:1-11

Come, follow Me, and I will show you how to fish for people DIG: What invitations did Jesus give to those fishermen? What seems unusual about their response? What prior knowledge of Christ to you think they had (see Matthew 4:13 and 17)? Picture yourself as Simon. What are you thinking, doing, feeling in Luke 5:1-3? When the Lord speaks directly to you in Luke 5:4? Why do you go along with His odd request? How did this have a more profound effect on him than the healing of his mother-in-law? What is he beginning to grasp about the Rabbi from Galilee?

REFLECT: Spiritually, are you still preparing the nets? Leaving the boat? Or following hard after Messiah? Are you totally committed? The apostles left their profession and their source of income. They believed that He would provide for their needs. Do we do the same? The Lord told Peter: Don’t be afraid. Why did He say that? When you think of totally committing yourself to follow Yeshua, what are you afraid of? Why? When and how did you fall in love with Jesus?

Rescuing the lost from sin is ADONAI’s greatest concern. So much so that it caused to Yeshua weep bitterly over the unbelieving City of David, sobbing: Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you. How often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, but [they] refused (Matthew 23:37)! God sent His Son to earth – to preach, die, and be raised – for the purpose of saving mankind from sin (John 3:16). Christ said of Himself: For the Son of Man came to seek and save the lost (Luke 19:10). Evangelism was the great concern of the congregations of God after Shavu’ot. They studied at the apostle’s feet, shared with each other, and praising God they enjoyed the favor or all people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved (Acts 2:42-47). Evangelism has been the heartbeat of faithful believers ever since.

Forms of the Greek word translated evangelize are found over fifty times in the B’rit Chadashah. Evangelization is the primary thrust of the Great Commission: Go therefore and make disciples of all nations (Mattityahu 28:19a). While some people have the spiritual gift of evangelism (Ephesians 4:11), we are all to be evangelists. To make disciples is to evangelize, to bring people under the lordship of Yeshua Messiah. But, when Jesus called His disciples to Himself, He also called them to call others.³⁹⁰

Yeshua could have accomplished His mission alone, but, He never intended to do it alone. In conjunction with the declaration that the Kingdom was near, He continued to call His apostles. In this commentary on the Life of Christ, I make a distinction between apostles and disciples. The twelve will be called apostles or talmidim (Hebrew), and the others would come to believe in Him would be called disciples. While it is true that the apostles were also disciples, it is not true that all disciples were apostles.

The concept of discipleship was nothing new to first century Judaism. Any significant rabbi would have faithful followers who would be called to a commitment of both following and learning – thus the word talmid (singular), meaning learner. The talmid would “yoke” to a rabbi, and submit himself to the rabbi for instruction. The rabbis taught that the talmid would “be covered with the dust of his feet” because he would follow so closely. To be selected as a talmid of a leading rabbi was a great honor. This meant more than merely passing on information, but also involved a close personal relationship with one’s rabbi. The word halakhah is usually translated the path that one walks. The word is derived from the Hebrew root hei-lamed-kaf, meaning to go, to walk or to travel. Thus, the goal of a talmid would be to duplicate and perpetuate halakhah. The wisdom of the Torah and halakhah were transferred to the talmid after years of teaching and on the job training, so that one day he would have his own talmidim (plural).

Here Jesus calls Peter and Andrew to halakhah, or full-time ministry (Philip and Nathanael are not mentioned, but it is implied that they were likewise called). Then Yeshua adds two more talmidim, James, and his brother John who also left their prosperous fishing business to follow the Lord into full time ministry. At that time there were seven talmidim.

One day as Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee. It is a beautiful body of water, nearly 700 feet below sea level, thirteen miles long and eight miles wide, is actually an inland lake (Luke calls it the Lake of Gennesaret and John calls it the Sea of Tiberias at one point). The Jewish historian Josephus reported that there were some 240 boats that regularly fished on its waters. When I visited Isra’el in October 2023 just before the war broke out, my Messianic congregation took a boat ride on the Sea of Galilee. Nothing like worshipping on the Sea of Galilee. To take the ride with us click here. The people were crowding around Him and listening to the word of God (Matthew 4:18a; Mark 1:16a; Luke 5:1a)

He saw two brothers, Simon called Peter (Hebrew: Kefa) and his brother Andrew. As Simon was one of the most common names in first-century Palestine (we shall see four other Simons in Matthew 10:4, 13:55, 26:6, 27:32), the nickname by which our Lord used to identify him (and especially to distinguish him from the other Simon among the Twelve). They were casting a net into the sea for they were fishermen (Mattityahu 4:18b; Mark 1:16b; Luke 5:1b).

Simon was a simple, uneducated man who knew Yeshua from their previous meeting during the summer, as he and some others were fishing for the tropical musht fish in the warm mineral springs down the coast near Tabgha. At that time, Jesus had called Shim’on and his brother Andrew to join Him as He preached throughout greater Galilee. While Peter had initially accepted Christ’s call as a talmid, he also had a wife and mother-in-law to care for. But now the Nazarene was back, standing in front of his boat.³⁹¹

The crowding was so great that there was not enough room for Messiah to address the people. He saw at the water’s edge two boats, left there by the fishermen, who were washing their nets of the sand and pebble, with which such a night’s work would clog them. He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Shim’on, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then He sat down and taught the people from the boat (Luke 5:2-3). He is always teaching from a sitting position that is the posture of a rabbi. Crowds began to find Him on those days when He preached. The early morning sun reflected the mirrored surface of the lake and lighted up the whole scene.

When He had finished speaking, He said to Simon: Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch (Luke 5:4). Peter was an experienced fisherman who knew the habits of fish. Fishing was normally done at night; for it was then that the fish rose from the depths to feed at the surface of the water. The fish remained at the surface as long as it was dark. But, when the night passed and the sun rose, the fish descended back into the depths of the lake again. Those in the fishing trade knew that it was useless to attempt to fish in the daytime.³⁹²

But Kefa was exhausted and discouraged. He had been up for twenty-four hours straight, sailing his small boat out onto the lake and dropping his nets again and again. His back was probably aching from leaning over the side to pull his nets in. He had been in and out of the inland sea time and again without any success. He needed a drink and a meal. He needed some sleep. But, most of all, he needed to pay his taxes, and that fruitless night of fishing didn’t help.³⁹³

So Simon answered: Rabbi, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. Do you have any worn, wet, empty nets? Do you know the feeling of a sleepless, night of failure? Of course you do. For what have you been casting?
Solvency? “My debt is an anvil around my neck . . .”
Faith? “I want to believe, but . . .”
A happy marriage? “No matter what I do . . .”
You say, “I’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything.”
You’ve felt what Peter felt. You’ve sat where Peter sat. And now Jesus is asking you to go fishing. He knows your nets are empty. He knows your heart is weary. He knows you’d like nothing more than to turn your back on the mess and call it a life.
But He urges, “It’s not too late to try again.”
See if Peter’s reply won’t help you formulate your own.³⁹⁴

Simon thought he knew more about fishing than Yeshua. Kefa’s experience told him that to put down the nets during the daytime would be useless. But because You say so, I will let down the nets (Luke 5:5). Being an obedient talmid he let down his nets.

When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink. Seeing the miracle of both boats filled with fish was enough to convince Shim’on Kefa that he was in the presence of the Holy One of God. The effect on the impulsive Peter was instantaneous. When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said: Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man (Luke 5:6-8)! Like Isaiah, Simon expressed his unworthiness, which one should feel in the presence of the divine.

If we compare ourselves to someone else we can always find someone who is worse that we are. So don’t do it. The only thing that will result is bad fruit. The only comparison we should be making is with the absolute standard of Jesus Christ. He is our audience of One. When we do this, our only conclusion can be the same as Peter’s. We are sinful indeed.

For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners. Then Yeshua offered by bringing a word of comfort to Shim’on: “Don’t be afraid. Come, follow me, and from now on I will show you how to fish for people” (Mattityahu 4:19; Mark 1:17; Luke 5:9-10b). Come, this seems to be one of His favorite words:

Come now, and let us reason together, though your sins are as scarlet, they will be as white as snow (Isaiah 1:18 NASB).

Let anyone who is thirsty, come to Me and drink (Yochanan 7:37 NCBV).

Come to Me all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest (Matthew 11:28). It all begins with a tug on the heart. This is not to say that our faith is mindless, but, for most of us, following Jesus is like falling in love. It has been said that “we admire people for reasons; we love them without reasons.” It happens merely because they are who they are. And I, Yeshua said: when I AM lifted from the earth, will draw all people to Myself (John 12:32). Yes, we follow Messiah for what He said – His words are important; but, we also follow Him because of everything that He is.³⁹⁵

The obedience of His talmidim was instantaneous. At once Simon Peter and his brother Andrew left their nets and followed Him (Matthew 4:20; Mark 1:18). Obedience is the spark that lights the fire of passion. Kefa did eventually catch men and women. Remember how well he did on Shavu’ot? The Lord’s answer to Peter was certainly significant. About three thousand souls were saved and baptized after his first sermon (see my commentary on Acts, to see link click An – Peter Speaks to the Shavu’ot Crowd)! Shim’on was fishing according to Messiah’s instructions.

A number of qualities that make a good fisherman can also help make a good evangelist. First, a fisherwoman needs to be patient, because she knows that it often takes time to find a school of fish. Second, a fisherman must have perseverance. It is not simply a matter of waiting patiently in one place, hoping some fish will eventually show up. It’s a matter of going from place to place, and sometimes back again, over and over – until the fish are found. Third, the fisherwomen must have good instinct for going to the right place and dropping the net at just the right time. Poor timing has lost many a catch, both of fish and of people. A fourth quality is courage. Commercial fishermen, certainly ones such as those on the Sea of Galilee, frequently face considerable danger from storms and various calamities.³⁹⁶

But, do you know there is another fisherman? The devil is also a fisherman? Rabbi Sha’ul tells us that in Second Timothy 2:26 CJB, when he says: God may grant sinners the opportunity . . . to come to their senses and escape the trap of the Adversary, after having been captured alive by him to do his will. Satan also has his hook out in the water. While it is true ADONAI is fishing for your soul, that old Serpent is also fishing for your soul with a hook baited with the things of this world (First John 2:15-17). You might say the Lord’s hook is the cross. The Son of God died on that cross for you. This is the Father’s message for you today. By the way . . . whose hook are you on today? You are either on God’s hook or the Adversary’s hook.³⁹⁷

And there’s no wiggling off the line.

So, they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed Him (Luke 5:11). It is important to understand that this wasn’t the Lord’s first interaction with Peter, Andrew, James or John (see Bp – John’s Disciples Follow Jesus). They had already been called to faith, and the Rabbi from Galilee already had a relationship with them.

When He had gone a little further, He saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. When the Galilean Rabbi called the two brothers they were tough, crusty outdoorsmen, like uncut jewels. They had little education, little spiritual insight, and perhaps little religious training. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets, a routine but vital task in the fishing business (Mt 4:21; Mk 1:19).

Although their family name was Zebedee or Zavdai, Hebrew for gift of God, Yeshua would later give these two zealous brothers the nickname Boanerges, which means “sons of thunder” (Mark 3:17). Jesus called them as He had called Simon and Andrew, and immediately they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed Him (Mattityahu 4:22; Mark 1:20). In their case something of a price of discipleship is indicated by the breaking of family ties – the leaving of their father’s business. The mention of hired men may imply that Zebedee was wealthy. But John, the inspired human author, may also be included to indicate that by leaving their father to follow Jesus, James and John were not leaving him entirely alone to run his fishing business. Nonetheless, the emphasis is on their immediate response to Christ’s call.³⁹⁸

Like Shim’on Kefa, the prophet Isaiah also had a revelation of the Lord that humbled and terrified him, “Woe is me! For I am lost . . . for my eyes have seen . . . the LORD” (Isaiah 6:5). However, the touch of a burning coal from the bronze altar cleansed him of his sins and freed him from all guilt. Once purified, Isaiah was able to hear the cry of ADONAI’s heart: Whom shall I send? And who will go for Us? Without hesitation, Isaiah called out: Here am I! Send me (Isaiah 6:8).

God longs to call each of us, just as He called Peter and Isaiah. As we allow ADONAI to overwhelm us with His love, we too will hear the call to discipleship. We will know that we are unworthy of such an honor, but we will also know that, through repentance (First John 1:8-10), we can be empowered by the Holy Spirit to be fishers of men and women ourselves.

As our relationship with Jesus deepens, so too will our love for Him and, like Simon and Isaiah, we will want to followed Him. Let us not be afraid to humble ourselves before the Lord and receive the calling He has for us. There is no greater honor than to be a disciple of the Meshiach, equipped to catch souls for His Kingdom.

Lord Jesus, cleanse our sin and empower us with Your presence. Here we are, Lord! Send us! Empower us to advance Your Kingdom! Teach us to speak Your words and minister Your love to everyone we meet. Amen.³⁹⁹

The Spirit of the LORD is On Me
Luke 4: 16-30

The Spirit of the LORD is on Me DIG: What was so different about what Jesus did that Shabbat? What did the Good News mean to Messiah? In what ways did He proclaim freedom for the prisoners and renew sight for the blind? What was a year of the favor of ADONAI? What was the significance of the Lord stopping in the middle of Isaiah 61:2? How did the people respond? Why? Why did Yeshua use the examples of Elijah and Elisha? What was He trying to say? Why did that turn their amazement into rage? What did they do?

REFLECT: Saint Francis of Assisi once said, “Preach the gospel at all times . . . and if necessary, use words.” How are you “doing” the Good News? Is the Spirit of ADONAI on you? Is the Lord on your lips? Would your family, your relatives, your neighbors, or your coworkers say you are Good News, or “Bad News?” Why or why not? What “Gentiles” are you ministering to this week?

As the lengthening shadows of Friday’s sun closed around the quiet valley, Jesus would hear the familiar double blast of the trumpet from the roof of the synagogue-leader’s house, proclaiming the arrival of the Sabbath. Once more it sounded through the still summer air, to tell all that work must be put aside.

As Shabbat morning dawned, Jesus returned to that synagogue where, as a child, a youth, and a man, He had so often worshiped in all humility, sitting, not up front among the elders and the honored, but far back (I visited Nazareth Village in Jerusalem, October 2023. To see a video of the reconstruction of Yeshua’s first century synagogue in Nazareth click here). The old well-known faces surrounded Him. Yeshua heard the familiar words of the service, but how different they had always been to Him than to them, with whom He had mingled in common worship. It had only been a few months since He had left Nazareth, but now He was home again, truly a stranger among them. It was the first time, so far as we know, that the Anointed One taught in a synagogue, and non-coincidentally it was in His hometown of Nazareth.³⁸¹

The men of the small synagogue lifted their voices blending as one chanting the Sh’ma (Deuteronomy 6:4) and singing the words of the Psalms. The room was small and square, with wooden benches pressed against each wall. The Temple in Jerusalem, with its priests and animal sacrifices, was the center of Jewish life. The local synagogue, however, was, and still is, the lifeblood of Judaism. In the first century the synagogue was an intimate place that allowed the righteous of the TaNaKh to gather in a less formal setting than the Temple itself. There were no high priests, no Levites, nor any standard liturgy. Anyone was allowed to get up and read from the sacred scrolls.³⁸²

Jesus went to Nazareth, where He had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day He went into the synagogue, as was His custom of any good Jew. And He stood up to read publically from a scroll (Luke 4:16). The reader stood; the rabbi sat. To this day in a synagogue, you stand to read the Torah. This is called the aliyah (calling up to the bema or platform at synagogue). On this bema stood the pulpit, or lectern, the migdal ez, the wooden tower of Nehemiah 8:4, where the Torah and the prophets were read.³⁸³

The scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to Yeshua. Unrolling it, He found the place (Isaiah 61:1-2a) where it is written: The Spirit of ADONAI is on Me, because:

(1) He has anointed Me to announce Good News to the poor in spirit. Although only Jesus is said to have been anointed by the Ruach Ha’Kodesh (Luke 3:22; Acts 4:26-27, 10:38), He serves here as a model for Spirit-filled preachers and teachers today.

(2) He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners. This is understood metaphorically, and refers to the forgiveness of sins (Luke 1:77, 3:3, 24:47; Acts 2:38, 5:31, 10:43, 13:38 and 26:18).

(3) And renewed sight for the blind. This may be a reference to the blind that the Lord healed during His ministry: to see link click Ek – The Second Messianic Miracle: Jesus Heals a Blind Mute; Fi – Jesus Heals the Blind and Mute; Fw – The Yeast of the Pharisees and the Sadducees; Gt – The Third Messianic Miracle: Jesus Heals a Man Born Blind; see In – Bartimaeus Receives His Sight. In another sense, however, it can also refer metaphorically to those who are spiritually blind (Luke 1:78-79, 2:30-32, 3:6, 6:39; Acts 9:8-18, 13:47, 22:11-13 and 26:17-18).

(4) To release those who have been crushed. The same word translated release here is translated freedom earlier in this verse. Therefore, it is parallel with the preceding statements (especially Acts 26:18, where forgiveness of sins parallels with release for those who have been crushed).

(5) To proclaim a year of the favor of ADONAI (Luke 4:17-19 CJB). This is basically a synonym for the Good News of the Kingdom of God (Luke 4:43). Yeshua was claiming that God’s Kingdom had come. In fulfillment of the prophets of the TaNaKh, salvation was now being offered to all.³⁸⁴

With each Torah portion there is also a corresponding portion of the prophets that is read. He may have read both the Torah portion and the prophetic portion, but, only the prophetic portion is mentioned here. What Jesus does is He reads all of verse 1, but only the first half of verse 2 (Isaiah 61:1-2a).

The reason that Christ stopped where He did was because the first half of the verse was to be fulfilled by His First Coming: He has sent Me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind, to release the oppressed, to proclaim the year of the LORD’s favor (Isaiah 61:2a). And the second half of the verse will be fulfilled by His Second Coming: And the day of vengeance of our God (see my commentary on Isaiah Ka – And the Day of Vengeance of Our God), to comfort all who mourn (Isaiah 61:2b).

Then He rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and He sat down (Luke 4:20a). The reader stood; the rabbi sat. Here Jesus assumed the position of a rabbi, sitting while teaching. They stood up to read the Torah, and they sat down to teach to Torah. So far everything was in accordance with Jewish practice at the time, except that Jesus did not meet the accepted number of verses required for the reading. A minimum of three verses was required and He read only one-and-a-half.

The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on Him (Luke 4:20b), because first, He read only half of what He was supposed to read, and secondly, what was He going to say? The rabbis taught that these two verses were a messianic prophecy. So when He began saying to them: Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing (Luke 4:21), they understood that He was claiming to be the Messiah.

All spoke well of Him and were amazed at the gracious words that came from His lips. But, quietly they whispered to each other: Isn’t this Joseph’s son? They asked rhetorically (Luke 4:22). It’s as if to say, “Who does this big shot think he is?” To them, He was the son of Joseph and nothing more. They were offended. Being two-faced, they instantly rejected both Him and His message. They had heard about His miracles throughout Galilee, but, they had never seen any performed.

Jesus said to them: Surely you will quote this proverb to Me: Physician heal yourself! Do the miracles (see Br – Jesus’ First Stay in Capernaum, and Cg – Jesus Heals an Officials Son) here in your hometown that we have heard that You did in Capernaum (Luke 4:23). But, He wouldn’t satisfy their idle curiosity and didn’t back down.

I tell you the truth (amen), no prophet is accepted in his hometown (Luke 4:24). In response to their unbelief, Christ reminded them that Isra’el had often responded to the prophets of Ha’Shem in unbelief. Elijah had appeared to an apostate nation with God’s message of impending judgment to call the people to repentance. I assure you that there were many widows in Isra’el in Elijah’s time, when the sky was shut for three and a half years and there was a severe famine throughout the land. Yet Elijah was not sent to any of them, but to a widow in Zarephath in the region of Sidon (Luke 4:24-26). This incident is described in First Kings 17:1, 7, 9-24 and 18:1. The people of Isra’el did not receive the prophet’s message and therefore received no benefit from his ministry, but a Gentile widow believed the prophet’s word and did receive benefit.

In similar fashion, and there were many in Isra’el with leprosy in the time of Elisha the prophet (Second Kings 5:1-14), yet not one of them was cleansed – only Naaman the Syrian (Luke 4:27). At that time there were many lepers in Isra’el. But, the Israelites did not believe the word of the prophet and turn to Him for help. The only one who received help from Elisha’s ministry was, again, a Gentile.³⁸⁵  Here Jesus is already starting to hint that what the Jews will reject . . . the Gentiles will accept. Just as Isra’el was unworthy in the days of Elijah and Elisha, so they were unworthy in Christ’s day.

All the people in the synagogue were furious when they heard Yeshua say that God had dealt favorably with Gentiles in the past (Luke 4:28). There are those today who claim that nowhere in the New Covenant does Jesus specifically say “I AM God.” Well, the people of Nazareth were not so confused about it. They understood exactly who He was claiming to be. Their response was that they got up and drove Him out of town, which foreshadowed the day of His crucifixion because executions were not carried out within city walls (Leviticus 24:14).

They took Him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw Him down the cliff (Luke 4:29). The rabbis called this “death by the hand of God” but, ironically, it was actually in the hands of the people, who might administer “the rebels’ beating” on the spot without trial if anyone were caught openly defying of some positive teaching, whether from the Torah or the Oral Law (see Ei – The Oral Law). The rebels’ beating was until death.³⁸⁶

But He walked right through the crowd and went on His way (Luke 4:30). On two other occasions the people took up stones in the Temple to kill Him (John 8:59 and 10:31). The Adversary always tried to shortcut God’s ordained plan for His Son. But, Jesus was destined to die on a cross in Jerusalem, not off a cliff in Nazareth. This was not His appointed time to die.

Nazareth is built in a little valley on a mountain overlooking the Valley of Jezreel. Catholic tradition teaches that Mary, the mother of Jesus, was present when they tried to kill Him. When her Son was led to the edge of the cliff, tradition says she was frightened. Therefore, there was a Catholic Church built there called, “The Chapel of Our Lady of Fright.” Not stopping there, they also claim that Jesus leapt to Mount Tabor, which is about four miles away! Today Catholics call Mount Tabor the Mount of the Leap.

The Lord’s pronouncement that He was indeed the long-promised Meshiach was meaningful because it was a microcosm that would play itself out as the Gospel unfolds. Yeshua’s announcement that no prophet is accepted in his hometown (Luke 4:24) became a prediction of His own death in Jerusalem. Yet, through Christ’s resurrection, He provided deliverance for Jew and Gentile alike.

Jesus continues to announce Good News to the poor in spirit and to proclaim freedom to those who have been crushed today. But, can you imagine yourself as one of those in the synagogue in Nazareth, hearing the Lord first announce that the prophecy of Isaiah was being fulfilled right before their eyes? You would have probably thought, “How can I really be released from sin, or be freed from guilt and hopelessness? When was the last time I felt favored by anyone, let alone ADONAI?”

To an Israelite in Yeshua’s day, a year of the favor of ADONAI referred to the year of Jubilee in Leviticus 25. Every fiftieth year, all debts were to be forgiven and all slaves set free; everyone in Isra’el was called to celebrate and to rest, to enjoy the fruits of six years of harvest. Thanks to Jesus Christ, our debt of sin can be lifted from us every day; and slavery to old ways can be removed at any time by the power of the Holy Spirit. We can all rejoice as we hear these words!

The fact that Messiah’s ministry was accepted for the most part by the outcasts of society, even by unbelieving Gentiles, threatened some Jews, and aroused murderous thoughts among them. Among the Nazarenes, the fact that the maverick Rabbi was so popular outside of His hometown was hard to accept. “Why should Capernaum get all the miracles (Luke 4:23)? Yet their response didn’t faze Him. This would only be the beginning of the opposition Jesus would face as He made His way toward His destiny in Jerusalem.

Sometimes we may think the renegade Rabbi actually enjoyed stirring up controversy. He must have known His words would not always go down easily, but, He never tried to soften them. The fact is that Jesus does want to shake things up so that He can get our attention. He came to proclaim the Good News unlike anything we might expect, and if we are to listen properly, we will need to be made uncomfortable. How else will we want to part with sin and follow Him on the way to the cross?

Lord Jesus, today You offer us a choice: to accept Your words, or to listen to the desires of our own fallen nature. Help us to be generous recipients of Your grace and instruments of Your peace. Amen. He is able.³⁸⁷

Jesus’ Headquarters in Capernaum
Matthew 4: 13-16

As a result of His rejection in Nazareth, Jesus made His headquarters in Capernaum, just down the hill from Nazareth. Leaving Nazareth, He went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali (Matthew 4:13). The Sea of Galilee (Matthew 4:15, 18, 15:29; Mark 1:16, 7:31, which was really a very large lake, was sometimes called Tiberias (John 6:1 and 23).

For more than two centuries, the business of fishing defined the bustling town of Capernaum on the Sea of Galilee, as boats and nets lined every inch between the stone piers and the breakwater. Some were ferries, designed to carry passengers quickly and easily down to Magdala, or across the eight miles of sea to Gergesa. But, most boats were for fishing. Of more than a dozen major fishing villages on the shores of Lake Gennesaret, as the freshwater sea is also known, none is busier than Capernaum, not even Herod Antipas’ creation of Tiberias city. A detachment of one hundred Roman soldiers had been posted there to ensure that all the taxes were collected according to Roman law.388 On a major highway on the north shore of Galilee it provided constant traffic for the Good News to spread all over the region.

To fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah (Matthew 4:14): “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali, the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan (see my commentary on Isaiah, to see link click Cj – He Will Honor Galilee of the Gentiles).

Galilee of the Gentiles (Matthew 4:15) is a name reflects the historical experience of the region, which was the territory of some of the tribes of the northern kingdom of Israel. It was an area of disgusting idolatry and paganism, especially in the tribe of Dan to the north. In 722 BC the Assyrians conquered the area, sending the Israelites to Assyria or intermarrying with them in the Land. Eventually the region became a mixture of Jews, Assyrians, and Jews who married Assyrians who later became known as the Samaritans.

As a result, Galilee was a land of darkness for many centuries. Nevertheless, in a rather strange prophecy, it is this Galilee of the Gentiles (not religious Jerusalem) where a great light will pierce the darkness of history. The people living in darkness have seen a great light; on those living in the land of the shadow of death a light has dawned” (Mattityahu 4:16).

What Isaiah predicted in his generation was affirmed in rabbinic tradition many times with the hope of the coming Meshiach. In the mystical literature of the Zohar, some of the rabbis even saw a logical reason for this promise of Isaiah. The rabbis taught that “the Messiah will arise and reveal Himself in the Land of Galilee because that [will be] the first place to be destroyed in the Holy Land” (Zohar 2:7b). Matthew’s point is that Yeshua will fulfill even the minute details concerning the promised Messiah as spoken in the TaNaKh.³⁸⁹

Jesus Heals an Official’s Son
John 4: 46-54

Jesus heals an official’s son DIG: Now that Jesus is back home again, what motivates the people to welcome Him? How do you account for the contrast between the crowd’s welcome in John 4:45 and Yeshua’s comments in John verses 44 and 48? How are the Galileans like, or unlike, the Samaritans in John 39-42? What motivates the royal official to travel so far? How would you have responded to what the Messiah told him to do? What was the result of his action? What does this miraculous sign point to about the Lord?

REFLECT: Why did the royal official travel to Cana? How did the miracle at the wedding compare to the healing of the man’s son? How did the royal official ask Christ to come with him? What was unusual about that? Why was Yeshua so abrupt with him? What was the difference between believing in the words of Jesus and believing in Him as the Messiah? What convinced him to believe? Do you need a sign from God to know He is there for you? When was the last time you fully trusted the Lord in a crisis?

The brief harvest in Samaria was, as Yeshua had indicated to His apostles, also the beginning of sowing-time. It formed an introduction to His great Galilean ministry when they had seen all that He had done in Jerusalem at the Passover Festival (John 4:45a). His first miracle (to see link click Bq – Jesus Changes Water to Wine), was not for the public to see. It was so that His talmidim would have faith in Him. The Suffering Servant, however, had already started His public ministry in Jerusalem when He cleansed the Temple (see Bs – Jesus’ First Cleansing of the Temple). Now that John had been imprisoned, Christ took up the message of His forerunner, only with a wider scope, urging the multitudes to believe the gospel that He championed.

The Master had warned the twelve, saying: Truly I tell you, no prophet is accepted in His hometown (Luke 4:24). And this was His boyhood home! This would highlight the irony of the Jew’s rejection so soon after Jesus had enjoyed such great success among the Samaritans. While on this occasion the Galileans treated Yeshua hospitably – perhaps they felt proud of their hometown hero – the renegade Rabbi kept their goodwill in perspective.

When people get what they want, belief comes easily. But, how do they respond when confronted with the Truth? When Christ confronted their misconstrued expectations, which would they choose? The days ahead would reveal a clash of wills – human expectations versus the sovereignty of ADONAI. Yeshua’s encounter with the royal official illustrated the kind of faith He was looking for then, and now.³⁷⁷

Once more He visited Cana in Galilee, where He had turned the water into wine (John 4:46a). When we place these two miracles side-by-side we can see that there is some connection between them, something they have in common. As we study them both there are seven striking comparisons. First, they both happened on the third day. In Yochanan 2:1 we read: On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. And in John 4:43 we are told: After the two days [in Samaria] He [went into] Galilee.

Second, when Mary came to Jesus and told Him they had no wine He seemed to rebuke her, but His comments were actually for her own good (Yochanan 2:4); so when the royal official asked the Lord to come down and heal his dying son, Messiah’s reply seemed rather harsh, but again, it was ultimately for his own good (John 4:48).

Third, in each case we see the obedient response made by those to whom Jesus commanded. Jesus said to the servants: Fill the jars with water; so they filled them to the brim. Then He told them: Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet. They did so (Yochanan 2:7-8a). To the royal official the Lord replied: You may go. Your child will live. The man believed what Yeshua said and left (John 4:50 CJB).

Fourth, in both miracles we see the word at work; in each, our Savior did nothing but speak. He replied to Mary . . . (John 2:4a CJB), and to the official, He told him . . . (John 4:48). There are two primary words in the New Covenant that translate “word.” Logos primarily refers to the total inspired Word of God (John 1:1; Luke 8:11; Philippians 2:16; Titus 2:5; Hebrews 4:12; First Peter 1:23). Rhema, however, refers to a word that is spoken. Sometimes it is used explicitly, but many times it is inferred. In my commentaries, I use Word for the written expression, and word for the spoken utterance.

Fifth, in both narratives the servant’s knowledge is pointed out. At the wedding, the servants obeyed Christ’s orders and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew (Jn 2:8-9). While the royal official was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living (John 4:51).

Sixth, the consequence in each case was that those who witnessed the miracle believed. At the conclusion of the wedding we read: And His talmidim believed in Him (Yochanan 2:11), and as for the royal official, he and his entire household believed (John 4:53b).

Seventh, there is a designed similarity in the way each narrative ends. At the conclusion of the wedding we are told: What Yeshua did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which He revealed His glory (Yochanan 2:11a). And after the royal officials’ son was healed we learn: This was the second time that Yeshua came from Judea to Galilee and performed a miracle (John 4:54 CJB). Here we have a comparison between two miracles that, though separated in time, are the only miracles recorded in the B’rit Chadashah that occurred in Cana.³⁷⁸

And there was a certain royal official who lived in Capernaum and heard that Jesus had returned from Judea (John 4:46b). The term translated royal official (Greek: basilikos) generally refers to something or someone associated with royalty – royal clothing (Acts 12:21), royal territory (Acts 12:20), royal law (James 2:8). This royal official may have been a member of Herod Antipas’s extended family. It’s more probable, however, that he was a Jew who was in charge of this particular area. Regardless, he was a man of influence, wealth and privilege, who exercised considerable authority. We are told that his son lay sick at Capernaum (John 4:46c).

When this man heard that Jesus had arrived in Galilee from Judea, he went to Him (John 4:47a). Traveling from Capernaum to Cana was about eighteen miles. Not only that, but Capernaum is 600 feet below sea level and Cana is 1,500 above sea level, so it was an uphill walk all the way. It was a very difficult trip, but, the man’s need was great.

Being a man of significant influence in the area, we can be certain that his arrival did not go unnoticed. But, his behavior did not match his lofty position. He immediately went to Yeshua and begged Him to come and heal his son, who was close to death (Yochanan 4:47b). The word begged is imperfect in tense, indicating continuous action. Because his son was almost dead, the official abandoned all dignity and kept on begging and begging for the Lord to come. Notice that the father thought Christ had to physically be present for any healing to take place.

Jesus’ reply at first may seem rather harsh: Unless you people see miraculous signs and wonders, Messiah told him, you will never believe (John 4:48). But, this was addressed to a wider audience than the royal official, as you people would indicate. It was not so much the Master’s answer to the man’s request, as it was a reflection on the reason for the request – miraculous signs. This was the typical attitude of the Galileans. Because this man was an aristocratic Jew, it’s likely he was a member of the Sadducees (see Ja – Whose Wife Will She Be at the Resurrection?), who didn’t believe in Sh’ol or any afterlife – good or bad. They believed people made their own decisions and, therefore, deserved whatever fate might come their way in this life. So for a Sadducee to beg repeatedly for his son’s life was unusual to say the least.

It’s as if Jesus was really saying, “Does your faith depend on some kind of a sign? Did you come because you already believe that I AM the Messiah or did you come because you need to be convinced?” Nevertheless, the royal official did not defend himself, nor did he argue. He simply begged the Lord again and again, saying: Sir, come down before my child dies (John 4:49). But, Yeshua was troubled and abrupt because of the royal official’s motivation was wrong. Here it was subtle, later it would be unmistakable (John 6:26-27). He sought the Master as a means of getting what he wanted (even though understandable), not because He was the Messiah who is worthy of worship. As sincere as he was, he was sincerely wrong; the royal official missed the bigger picture for Christ’s coming.

The royal official, however, would not give in. At that desperate point, he was not an aristocrat, or an official, or a Sadducee, or even a Galilean. He was a father, sick with worry about his dying son. Yeshua used his vulnerability to teach him a lesson about faith that he would never forget. The Lord replied: You may go. Your child will live. Basically He was saying, “Go on about your business; your son is fine.”

The man believed what Yeshua said, did not ask for a sign, and left (John 4:50 CJB). He believed in what Yeshua said, but, not necessarily in Yeshua as his Lord and Savior. When Yochanan uses the verb believe without an object – as in, many people believed (John 1:7 and 50, 3:12 and 15, 4:41) – he describes saving faith in Jesus as Savior (see Bw – What God Does for Us at the Moment of Faith). The same is true of the phrase, believed in Him (Jn 3:16-17). The royal official believed in what Yeshua said, but it was not the same faith that saved the Samaritans (Jn 4:41). Clearly, Jesus’ words were all he needed to hear, so he left without any more begging (Jn 4:50 CJB). The Greek word for left is the same verb for go the Lord used earlier.³⁷⁹

While he was still on the way, his servants met him with the news that his boy was living. The natural response would have been for him to hurriedly race back to Capernaum to check on the condition of his son. But, the man didn’t do that. He apparently went about his business and stayed overnight in Cana before leaving for Capernaum in the morning. When he inquired as to the time when his son got better, they said to him, “The fever left him yesterday at (1:00 pm) the seventh hour” (Yochanan 4:51-52). The miracle-working Rabbi had told him that his child would live and he believed Him.

This was the second time that Yeshua came from Judah to Galilee and performed a miracle (John 4:54 CJB). This is the second of  John’s seven miracles (John 2:1-11; 4:46-54, 5:1-15, 6:1-15, 6:16-24, 9:1-34, 11:1-44). The first miracle was changing water into wine, and the second sign was healing the royal official’s son.

Then the father realized that this was the exact time (1:00 pm) at which Jesus had said to him: Your son will live. So he and his entire household believed (John 4:53). Note the absence of any direct object. Before he believed what Yeshua said, now he simply believed. He believed in Jesus as his Lord and Savior.

We know from the other gospel accounts that the Master performed many more John 21:25 miracles in Galilee and Judea and His growing fame spread like wildfire. Many people sought His physical and spiritual healing. It didn’t take long for Him to attract countless disciples. Some believed what He said, while others believed in Him as their Lord. But, as He presented Himself to the nation of Isra’el as the Meshiach, what kind of a Savior were they looking for? What was their motivation? Were they looking for forgiveness for their sins, or someone who could give them what they wanted? Would they accept the Kingdom He promised, or did they want a king of their own making? As the Anointed One turned toward Yerushalayim, His followers faced a difficult choice.

Crises demand decisions that demonstrate the extent of our faith. When we face disasters in our lives, do we try to rely on our own ability in controlling events? The human tendency is to grab hold of that steering wheel and take over – even though we know that when we choose to leave the driving to the Lord, we open ourselves to His peace, even in the most difficult of circumstances. But, that’s easier said than done, isn’t it?

If your young daughter is raped and goes through life with low self-esteem and all the related consequences; if your child is killed in an automobile accident because of a drunk driver; if your spouse has an affair and leaves you for another; if your twelve-year-old son is molested and ends up living a homosexual lifestyle as an adult. I could go down the list . . .

The choice is simple, but it’s not easy. Either you believe that God loves you and has your best interests at heart, no matter what the circumstances, or not. There is no middle ground. All the apostles, save John, were martyred – yet they continued to believe. No matter what happens, God always deserves our trust, as Job said: I know that my Redeemer lives, and at the last He will take His stand on the earth (Job 19:25).

Heavenly Father, You are my provider and protector. You gave up Your beloved Son for me so that all Your promises would become a reality in my life. I love You and trust You with my life.³⁸⁰

Jesus returned to Galilee in the Power of the Spirit,
News About Him Spread Through the Countryside
Mark 1:14-15 and Luke 4:14-15

Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of ht Spirit, news about Him spread through the countryside DIG: Compare Luke 3:21, 4:1, 14 and 18. What is the common element in each of these verses? What does this tell us about the source of Jesus’ power? Is repentance the same thing as salvation? Why, or why not?

REFLECT: If the apostles show what it means to repent (Hebrew: to turn or return) and believe, where are you: (a) still fishing? (b) keeping the old business going and spending nights and weekends with Yeshua? (c) swimming ashore? Explain.

Yochanan the Baptizer was the forerunner to the King because he heralded a “back-to–God movement.” It was essentially a message of repentance, and was the central message of Messiah’s entire earthly ministry. The word repent was His one word sermon. The maverick Rabbi would stand boldly before the stiff-necked multitudes and declare: Unless you repent, you will all perish (Luke 13:5). The Good News according to Jesus is as much a call to repent or turn from sin, as it is an invitation to believe. The word repent is translated from the Hebrew word shuwb, which is the key word in the book of Jeremiah (see my commentary on Jeremiah, to see link click Ac – The Book of Jeremiah from a Jewish Perspective).

After John was put in prison, Jesus returned into Galilee in the power of the Spirit, proclaiming the Good News of God. “The time has come,” He said. “The kingdom of God has come near.” So, news about Him spread everywhere, through the whole countryside (Mark 1:14; Luke 4:14) this was the official offer of the messianic Kingdom if the nation of Isra’el and its leadership, or the Sanhedrin, would accept Him.

He was teaching in their synagogues: Repent and believe the Good News (Mark 1:15; Luke 4:15). What is repentance? It is the critical element of saving faith, but one must never dismiss it as simply another word for believe. On the one hand, true repentance always exists with faith; on the other hand, whenever there is true faith, there is also genuine repentance . . . the two cannot be separated. Such repentance is what Rabbi Sha’ul had in mind when he described the actions of the Thessalonians . . . You turned to God from idols, to serve the true God, the One who is alive (First Thessalonians 1:9 CJB). Notice the three elements of repentance: turning to God, turning away from sin, and the intent to serve God. The simple truth is that a changed mind will result in changed behavior.

Repentance is not merely being ashamed or sorry about sinning, although genuine repentance always involves an element of remorse. It is a purposeful decision to turn your back on unrighteousness and pursue righteousness instead. Nor is repentance simply a human work. For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith – and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God – not by works, so than no one can boast (Ephesians 2:8-9). It is not merely a mental activity, but involves the intellect, will and emotions.

Emotions are a part of repentance, but they do not lead the way. Many think that they have to feel something before they can be saved. But, it is important to understand that our emotions are the caboose, not the engine. The emotions will come, but they will not, and should not, lead the way. Being remorseful about what you have done in your life is not, in and of itself, true repentance. Judas, for example, felt remorse (Matthew 27:3), but he was not repentant. The rich young ruler went away sorrowfully (Matthew 19:22), but he was not repentant. Repentance is not salvation . . . it leads to salvation. Second Corinthians 7:10 says: Godly sorrow brings repentance that leads to salvation and leaves no regret, but worldly sorrow brings death. It is hard to imagine being truly repentant without at least an element of sorrow – not for getting caught, not sadness because of consequences that must be faced, but a sense of sorrow for having sinned against God. Repentance changes the core of who you are.³⁷⁵

Repentance is not a one-time act. It begins at conversion (see Bw – What God Does for Us at the Moment of Faith), and begins a progressive, life-long process of being conformed into the image of Christ (Romans 8:29). This continuous attitude of repentance produces poverty of spirit, mourning, and meekness spoken of by Yeshua in the Sermon on the Mount (see Da – The Sermon on the Mount). It is the mark of a true believer.

What about those who say they are believers, yet are really wolves in sheep’s clothing (see my commentary on Jude Ah –Godless People Have Secretly Slipped In Among You)? Did they lose their salvation? No, heaven forbid (see Ms – The Eternal Security of the Believer). John said it this way: They went out from us, but they did not really belong to us. For if they had belonged to us, they would have remained with us; but their going showed that none of them belonged to us in the first place (First John 2:19). They were really never believers to begin with. So, how can we tell who is a believer and who is not?

If repentance is genuine, we can expect it to produce observable results. We are not to judge others, but we are supposed to be fruit inspectors (see my commentary on Jude As – They are Autumn Trees without Fruit, Wild Waves of the Sea Foaming Up Their Shame, Wandering Stars). Jesus said it this way: Beware of false believers. They come to you in sheep’s clothing, but inwardly they are ferocious wolves. By their fruit you will recognize them. Do people pick grapes from thorn bushes, or figs from thistles? Likewise, every good tree bears good fruit, but a bad tree bears bad fruit. A good tree cannot bear bad fruit, and a bad tree cannot bear good fruit. Every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire. Thus, by their fruit you will recognize them (Matthew 7:15-20). There were those in the Lord’s day, and there are those today who turn their backs on sin, unbelief and disobedience, and embrace Messiah with a faith that obeys. Theirs is true repentance, demonstrated by the righteousness it produces. They are the truly righteous. And that was Christ’s ultimate aim when He returned into Galilee in the power of the Spirit, proclaiming the Good News of God.³⁷⁶

The Program of King Messiah
Matthew 4: 17

The Holy One, blessed be He, will sit and expound [on] the new Torah that He will give through the Messiah. “New Torah” means the secrets and the mysteries of the Torah which have remained hidden until now” (Midrash Talpiot 58a).³⁷⁴

After His baptism and subsequent forty days of testing in the wilderness, Yeshua had completed His required preparation and then began His actual messianic program for Israel. From that time on, Yeshua began proclaiming: Turn from your sins to God, for the kingdom of Heaven is near (Matthew 4:17 CJB). Turning from sin is the key element in traditional Judaism. Repentance (t’shuvah) covers more than merely a change of heart, but actually turning and going in a different direction. Turn (shuv) is the key word for the book of Jeremiah, as the weeping prophet tried in vain to persuade rebellious Isra’el to repent from her destructive path. In the messianic program, the call is to turn from that which misses the spiritual mark that ADONAI has placed before us. It is important to note that Isra’el was not called to convert to a different religion or a different God; but rather, to turn around and come back to the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob.

Mattityahu uses the phrase, the kingdom of Heaven rather than the Kingdom of God because he was speaking to a Jewish audience. Jews then, as well as many today, avoided using the word God. Some substitute the name ADONAI, the LORD, or Ha’Shem, meaning the Name, for God’s name. If they are writing in English, they will write it as G-d, out of reverence for His name. Matthew’s intended audience would understand his substitution of the word heaven rather the word G-d. Consequently, the kingdom of God and the kingdom of Heaven effectively mean the same thing. Establishing the kingdom of Heaven has been the foundational hope given to Isra’el in the Torah (Exodus 19:6), the Prophets (Isaiah 11:1-9) and the Writings (1 Chronicles 29:11). It only makes sense for Jews to conclude, therefore, that the Messiah would be the King over His Kingdom on earth (Isaiah 9:6). Since Yeshua was the promised King Messiah, it was not surprising that He started His public ministry with an announcement that His Kingdom was near.