2024 Commentary on The Gospels and Acts

Matthew 1, Matthew 2, Matthew 3, Matthew 4

If we count the generations from Abraham to David, there are 14, and from Solomon to Jeconiah, 14, but if we count similarly from Shealtiel to Yeshua, there are only 13—UNLESS we consider that Joseph may have been the name of Mary's husband as well as the name of her father. The Greek reads that Joseph was the "ἄνδρα (andra)" of Mary, which means "man." The word could mean "husband," and this has been its interpretation, but it could also mean "father." If Joseph was also the name of Mary's father, then there are 14 generations from Shealtiel to Yeshua, just as Matthew 1:17 says. I tend to believe this is true, but there is room for different interpretations. Yeshua certainly could be the "legal" son of David through His step-father Joseph. Either interpretation works, for Paul wrote in 1 Tim. 1:3-4: "As I urged you when I went into Macedonia—remain in Ephesus that you may charge some that they teach no other doctrine, nor give heed to fables and endless genealogies, which cause disputes rather than godly edification which is in faith." Yeshua was the son of David and He is the son of God, conceived by the Holy Spirit in Mary. After Yeshua was born, Mary and Joseph had other children, implied here by the text and verified later.

The "μάγος (magos)" or Magi that came from the East were a sacred caste from Midian who conformed to the Persian religion while retaining some of the old beliefs. Recall that Daniel was in the Babylonian court and then the Median-Persian court after the conquest from the new empire against Babylon. Daniel was second to the king in both empires, according to the record of his book. As a eunuch in the empire, he would have not had children, but he also would have been very wealthy. He was also the head of the magos and led them from the time that he interpreted Nebuchadnezzar's dream. It is very likely that he also led a small contingent in the ways of Yahweh according to Torah. There is evidence supporting this in the several times Daniel's actions cause Babylonian kings and overseers as well as Median-Persian kings to give obeisance to Yahweh. A more in depth textual study supports this. It can be deduced that these magos that came to visit the newborn Messiah in Bethlehem were not just astrologers following a star, but disciples of Daniel who knew exactly when and where to look for Yeshua the Messiah on account of Daniel's teaching, which we can see recorded in Daniel 9:24. ...

... They would have brought Yeshua an inheritance from Daniel that very well could have been kept by them specifically for this purpose throughout the years. If God could prepare for the Tabernacle in the wilderness by asking Israel to plunder the Egyptians before they left for the wilderness, then God could certainly prepare for His Son to Tabernacle among us by asking Daniel to plunder the Babylonians through the position that his faith secured him. The Magi also went out of their way to protect the New Born King, who was likely born during the Feast of Tabernacles. Perhaps the Magi were there for the feast, when both Jews and Gentiles were welcomed to Jerusalem and nearby Bethlehem. But if they were also sent by Daniel's will, then they would have known the significance of the Messiah's birth and they would have wanted to protect the newborn at all costs.

Herod was half Jew and half Edomite, and so he would have been half-hearted and harbored a hatred for God's people and His plan for redemption, seeking his own wealth and power instead. Like Esau who wanted his brother dead simply because of his unwavering faith in the LORD's kingdom to come, Herod wanted his half-brother Yeshua dead who had come to atone for sin and unite both Jew and Gentile in faith to prepare for the coming Kingdom.

Separately, Matthew accounts for Yeshua's fulfillment of prophesy, and we ought to study these references closely. Of special note today, Matthew's statement, "so that what had been spoken by the prophets might be fulfilled, that he will be called a Natzrati," fulfilled a prophesy in Isaiah 11:1: “And there shall come forth a rod out of the stem of Jesse, and a Branch (Netzer—נֵצֶר) shall grow out of his roots.”

John the Immerser fulfilled prophesy about the coming of the Spirit of Elijah, and this same Spirit of Teshuvah, or Repentance, will come again at the End of the Age—it precedes both of the two comings of Yeshua. In this first coming, Yeshua fulfilled Torah perfectly and showed us by example how we ought to also follow Him. His message: Repent and prepare the way of the LORD was later repeated by Yeshua who said "repent and hear the good news." We should always have a heart of repentance before God.

Yeshua's temptation in the wilderness by Satan shows us, as we read in Hebrews 4:15, that "we do not have a High Priest who cannot sympathize with our weaknesses, but was in all points tempted as we are, yet without sin." The LORD spoke three times from Deuteronomy to counter the attacks of the Devil, and here we learn from our Master how we ought to fight spiritual battles in our lives. When the enemy flings Biblical half truths and deception at us, it is our strength to fight back with the Word of God. We cannot do this without a working knowledge of the Word, and we are commanded to study and meditate on the Word day and night. When we do this, we can follow our Messiah—with His Holy Spirit helping us—and fend off the Devil. Nothing offends Satan more than the Truth of God's Word and praise toward God, and this is our power against Him when combined with faith in Yeshua.

Matthew 5, Matthew 6

The Sermon on the Mount is among the most significant and important messages ever recorded in human history, and its conclusion is this: "be perfect, just as your Father in heaven is perfect.” This we ought strive for, by studying and learning the Torah and its application through the prophets, but also by looking to Yeshua's example as recorded by His witnesses. We will be blessed when we are humble, when we mourn, when we are meek, when we desire righteousness, when we show mercy, when we are pure in heart, desiring to do the will of God as He commanded in His Word, when we make peace, and when we are persecuted on account of our faithfulness. Our duty is to spread the good news of Yeshua, make disciples for Him, and teach them the commandments of God. This is how we put the light of Messiah on a lampstand. Heaven and Earth remain, and thus so does every stroke of Torah. To be considered least in the Kingdom means to not be in it, but to be considered great means we will one day be resurrected to dwell in it with Yeshua. Our LORD taught us that the law is not just a matter of the letter, but a matter of the heart. We ought to desire to please God with obedience to His Word. This also is how we love our neighbor.

Our righteousness in obedience to God through Messiah Yeshua cannot be done for any other reason than desire to please the One we love. If we think we gain anything over others from obedience, we are hypocrites and have no portion in the Kingdom, but if we think we are excused from obedience because God values our faith, then we do not understand faith and will be cast out with those who practice lawlessness. We ought to pray with praise and thanksgiving toward God, with simple requests for His will to be done here on Earth as it is done in Heaven, and with faith that God will fulfill His Word—His promises are sure. To be forgiven, we must forgive. We must seek first the Kingdom of God and disregard any attachment to earthly rewards. The LORD cares for us and will give us everything we need; all we have to do is trust in Him. Our job is to serve Him as His emissaries here in this place until He calls us home.

Matthew 7, Matthew 8, Matthew 9

When Yeshua said do not judge, He meant only in the manner that we ourselves are guilty. We ought to first judge ourselves. When we confess our sins and repent by walking righteously with God, we then can teach what is right to others. We also ought to treat others as we desire to be treated.

We ought not cast our pearls before swine, for to speak righteous Truth to doubters or wall-sitters will bring great suffering. We must preach to those with ears to hear, for these will keep asking for knowledge of Truth and seeking the LORD in His Word, and in their eagerness to know Him better, Yeshua will reveal Himself.

The path to God's Kingdom is not easy, and many who believe they are on it are actually not. This is largely on account of false prophets who may know the Christian lingo, but don't do what is righteous according to Christ, and thus teach hypocrisy. These will not produce good fruit, but those teachers who do produce good fruit will be known in God's Kingdom.

Many believe they are saved and call out to Jesus in praise and worship, but if they do not follow His commandments they will not enter God's Kingdom, no matter how many Holy Spirit empowered acts they perform. "Only those who do the will of the Father" "will enter the Kingdom of Heaven." We must hear the Word of God and do it.

The LORD heals lepers, those who have been cast off by the modern church for their undesirable sins, but only when they first desire to be clean. He will always be willing to forgive sin from the humble and contrite hearted man. He can forgive sins and lift up those crushed by the crippling circumstances of life, but we must have faith.

The LORD marvels at the faith of those who trust in Him and His power to accomplish all things. He especially blesses those who follow Him even when we don't know where He's taking us and when we are willing to leave everything else behind to follow Him, even what we love most. Life sure is an adventure with Yeshua. The LORD can heal lifelong infirmities and raise the dead. He can calm the sea and pacify the wind and waves of life's storms. He has no limits.

When we cast out demons in Yeshua's name, we ought to recognize they are unclean and unworthy to live among us; thus we cannot be careless and simply cast them out, but we ought to cast them into the abyss. Many will observe such miracles and get frightened, begging Yeshua to leave. We ought to oblige this, for again, we ought not cast pearls before swine.

The LORD marvels at the faith of those who trust in Him and His power to accomplish all things. He especially blesses those who follow Him even when we don't know where He's taking us. When we are willing to leave everything behind to follow Him, even what we love most. Life sure is an adventure with Yeshua. The LORD can heal lifelong infirmities and raise the dead. He can calm the sea and pacify the wind and waves of life's storms. He has no limits.

When we cast out demons in Yeshua's name, we ought to recognize they are unclean and unworthy to live among us; thus we cannot be careless, but we ought to cast them into the abyss. Many will observe such miracles and get frightened, begging Yeshua to leave. We ought to oblige this, for again, we ought not cast pearls before swine.

When Yeshua calls us to follow Him, we must drop everything to do so. As followers, we ought to have compassion on those seeking to escape from their bondage, and those who are blind who desire to see. Healing some in this way will set off the others, for those who lack faith will hate those who do. There are so many willing, but not enough believers to see them the way God looks upon them. We are called to go forth and multiply, as God commanded!

Matthew 10, Matthew 11

Just as Yeshua gave authority to His first 12 disciples to cast out demons and heal diseases, so has He given us this authority today, if we have faith and wait on His instruction to execute His will. We ought not seek any earthly reward, but accept what gifts of hospitality are given to us as we share the Word with others. We ought to go out in peace, with wisdom and grace, but we ought not insist on teaching those who don't desire to hear the Word and we ought to stay away from those who teach falsely. If we get caught up in persecution, we ought to speak boldly according to the implanted Word given by the Spirit, and God will provide all we need. We must put our walk with Yeshua first before family, friends, work, and everything else this world may offer, even our own lives. If we're hated for walking in Truth, and God is blasphemed on account of our faith, it is a blessing knowing we are walking with our Messiah, and we will experience similar attacks to Him. We shouldn't fear man, for what can man do to us? But rather we ought to fear God who can destroy both our body and soul.

When John wondered whether Yeshua was the one or whether there would be another, examine the Greek. He's actually asking whether Yeshua had come to restore the Kingdom or whether He would come a second time. Yeshua answered by explaining the prophesies regarding His first coming. He also explained that people with the wrong heart will misjudge prophets of righteousness as well as the mercy of our righteous Messiah. Those who understand Truth will enjoy the Kingdom with Yeshua and the prophets, but those who don't will be worse off than Sodom and Gomorrah.

It wasn't John the Apostle only who taught that Yeshua is God. Consider Matthew's account: "no one fully knows the Son except the Father, and no one fully knows the Father except the Son and those to whom the Son wishes to reveal him." They are one! This is analogous to when John wrote, "Anyone who has seen Me has seen the Father."

Yeshua provides us with rest when we come to Him, and on the Sabbath in particular, we ought to go sit at His feet to listen to His Word. His teachings are very light burdens indeed compared to the oral tradition of the elders that created many fence laws with no real basis in Scripture. Ultimately, the Way of Yeshua is for our good, as He has explained to us from the beginning of Genesis.

Matthew 12, Matthew 13

The Rabbis (Scribes/Pharisees) had come up with numerous oral traditions about the Sabbath that were not based on Torah, and picking heads off of grain in a field as well as healing on the Sabbath were prohibited by the Rabbis, but not by God. God permits both things in His Torah. On top of this, Yeshua showed how even David had violated the oral tradition (prior to its existence), but the Rabbis don't accuse David of breaking Sabbath. This was hypocrisy. As a matter of utter importance, Yeshua Himself, being one with God, is the One who Created the Sabbath Day and gave us the Fourth Commandment to keep forever. Yeshua Himself is LORD of the Sabbath; He is the One whose feet we sit by and the One whom we learn from when we stop work on the Seventh Day (Saturday) to rest. This ought to give us a sense of urgency when we read: "remember to keep the Sabbath Day Holy" (Exodus 20) and Isaiah 56's explanation that the "son of the foreigner" who keeps the Sabbath will enter God's Kingdom along with His other children. We honor Jesus by keeping the Sabbath Day holy.

God no longer desires our sacrifices or offerings because Yeshua has become our sacrifice and offering once and for all, but we must do two things to obtain His mercy: confess (believe) and obey.

We must remember: When Israel offered sacrifices in the Temple, which they were still doing when Yeshua walked the earth, they were offering up these sacrifices for sin. Outside Yeshua becoming our one-time sacrifice, which is of paramount importance, we must recognize that God does not want our sacrifices because when we offer them we are attempting to repent from sin. If we are continually offering sacrifices, that means we are continually sinning, but this is not what God wants. As He told the woman caught in adultery, He tells us: "go and sin no more." Mercy is given so we can surrender to the will of God and walk righteously by the power of the Holy Spirit.

It is a sin against the Holy Spirit to call Yeshua accursed, because "Therefore I make known to you that no one speaking by the Spirit of God calls Jesus accursed, and no one can say that Jesus is Lord except by the Holy Spirit." (1 Corinthians 12:3). Thus, to say the Son of God cast out demons by Beelzebub is to call Yeshua accursed, and because no one can be saved other than by His name, this is an unforgivable sin. Romans 10:9 shows us "that if you confess with your mouth the LORD Yeshua and believe in your heart that God has raised Him from the dead, you will be saved." The solution to blaspheming the Holy Spirit is humility, confession of sin and repentance, for "whomever calls upon the name of the LORD will be saved." Yeshua is the Kingdom of Heaven, and having a relationship with Him and following Him in all of His ways is the way into the Kingdom. After all, if we "do the will of the Father," we are His mother and His brothers. By obeying God's commandments, He sends His Holy Spirit into us (John 14:15-18) and then the demons that have been cast out cannot return in greater number. To escape bondage, we must fill ourselves with Yeshua.

Matthew 13 has been covered a lot lately by my own sermons at First Fruits Ministries and Pastor Daniel's sermons at Corner Fringe Ministries. I spoke about those with "ears to hear" on Saturday in my sermon, "Listen for the Eternal Way" (https://youtu.be/q_haL3X_SBY), and Pastor Daniel covered the "Parable of the Sower" in great detail in parts 5-12 of his new sermon series on "Parables" (https://youtu.be/cOrURP05Y6c).  

In brief, the Parables here show that Angels will come with Yeshua at the End of the Age to take the evil ones who do not follow God's law in their hearts from the earth; to cast them into eternal judgment, but he will gather those who testify concerning their faith in Yeshua AND keep the commandments of God into His kingdom. There is nothing that has more value in life than being with Yeshua in His kingdom forever, and thus we ought to put this first before anything else. The Parable of the Sower shows that many who are saved today by Jesus will fall away from salvation due to a carefree attitude (greasy/cheap grace), hardship, persecution, or worldly desires, but those who endure in faith and obedience will make it into the Kingdom. Yeshua spoke in parables so that only those who desire to follow Him and therefore keep His commandments would be given the understanding of what He meant when He spoke by the power of His Holy Spirit (Again, see John 14:15-18). We ought to humble ourselves unto God, confess our sins and repent by walking according to God's commandments now before it is too late.

Matthew 14, Matthew 15

I preached a whole message on Yeshua's walk on water, which you can view here:
https://youtu.be/ZOyBbp5DVwU A PDF download of the transcript is also available there.

I also preached a whole message on the meaning of Matthew 15 (and Mark 7) relative to food laws. It is a must-watch teaching for proper understanding, especially for those reading the interpolative translations in today's English Bibles. This is part-two of a two-part series on the Food Laws and how we as Christians ought to follow them: https://youtu.be/34hHa1_sMF4 

Yeshua multiplies whatever we need in this life when we have faith in Him, and He will multiply even the best blessings of this world in His Kingdom, for those who long to be with Him, but faith in Yeshua means obedience to the will of God and He does not desire a disobedient bride. He has mercy on those who show mercy, and long-suffering toward those who are sinning, not willing that any will perish, but that all will come to repentance, which means to walk with obedience according to the law of God, with the help of the Holy Spirit.

Matthew 16, Matthew 17, Matthew 18

The LORD would give the sign of Jonah: three days and three nights in a Hebraic perspective equates to any part of three days or three nights; He would be in the belly the Earth from before sundown on Friday, and then raise after sundown on Saturday sometime Sunday morning, from what I can deduce from Scripture and then He would complete a mission of reconciliation. Unlike Jonah, who did not appreciate his mission to Gentiles, Yeshua would instruct His disciples to make disciples of all nations, explaining the good news about atonement and teaching them the commandments of God.

We must beware of the teaching of men, especially when they organize, and look only to the teaching of God Himself. We also need to trust in God alone.

The rock (כֵּף—kaph), or foundation, of Yeshua's congregation is Simon Peter's statement, "You are the Mashiach, the Son of the living God." Peter humbled Himself before the LORD so God would give him this understanding, which is necessary for salvation. He was literally kephaph (כָּפַף), or bowed down low (humbled), in order for God to reveal this to him. God said in Isaiah 66:2, "But on this one will I look: On him who is poor and of a contrite spirit, And who trembles at My word." This is why God looked upon Peter, called him into the ministry of following Messiah, and gave him His Truth, which is that Yeshua is Messiah, the Son of God. Faith in Yeshua with the requisite obedience that shows such faith would not just help believers defend themselves against the Evil One, but would actually bring the evil one to ultimate destruction. The kingdom of darkness will not last when the fire and light of God comes to burn up all that is opposed to Him, and God wants our participation in this. In the meantime, Satan seeks God's people to devour, to tear away from their victory in Yeshua. He hit Peter hard with worldly perspective right after Yeshua commended him. Pride can quickly replace humility and bring rebuke. But blessed are those who repent when rebuked by God, for this restores us in Him.

The reality is that we must be willing to give up everything in this life to seek Yeshua, and this takes total humility before our Creator God. He desires this in us. Unless we follow Him in every single way that He lived, as a Jew who righteously kept the law of God because of love for the Father, we cannot be His disciples and we will not make it. The Son of Man will come with His angels and repay everyone for whether they obeyed God or not. The time of Mercy and Grace is now, but a time is coming when that Mercy and Grace will run out. We must run to Yeshua and do what He taught us today so we are not caught unaware.

Yeshua revealed Himself as the Son of God, confirming Peter's confession, which shows that Yeshua forgave Peter after rebuking him. The vision of Moses and Elijah shows us that all of the Torah and the Prophets are fulfilled in Yeshua; meaning that Yeshua was our earthly example of how to perfectly live out what God taught through His prophets, and we ought to follow His example. We saints endure by keeping God's commandments and by testifying our faith in Yeshua.

Those who did not taste death and saw the Son of Man coming in His Kingdom were Peter, James and John, who saw Yeshua in His glory on the top of Mt. Hermon.

When we are up against demonic influences, oppressions, and even possessions in our lives, it is right for us to go to Yeshua in faith, often with prayer and fasting. He is the vine and we are the branches, and without Him we can do nothing. With faith in Him, and reliance on His will, we can take back ground from the enemy for the Kingdom of God. Little did the enemy know at this point in Yeshua's ministry that He would literally claim victory by dying on the cross. He would defeat death and all the enemies of darkness, making a way for the faithful through the sacrifice of Himself. One day He will return as conquering King, and He will reign forever and ever. For now, He has humbled Himself to give us an example so that we may live as He now lives.

To be like a child is to be humble and obey our Father. We can learn a lot from the loving obedience of a child, because he trusts his dad. Thus, if any sin, temptation or rebellion is in us, we must prioritize casting it away from us to preserve ourselves for our relationship with Yeshua. He will help us do this when we surrender to His will and give up our own.

The LORD will seek His lost sheep in this age, knocking on the door of their hearts, but He will not gather in the goats when the time comes. We too ought to seek after lost brothers through exhortation from the Word of God with the Holy Spirit. We even ought to bring other Spirit-filled believers with us, and then our whole congregation to try and win back a soul, but if that person insists on rebellion, then they must be removed from us lest they destroy the Body. One yeast cell can leaven an entire loaf of bread. We must remove the sin from our midst, lest we too become sinful. At the same time, we ought to welcome back the repentant one—the one who confesses sin and begins to walk righteously with God—so that we can help him persist in righteousness. The LORD works with all contrite hearts, no matter how depraved they once were.

But Yeshua has given us authority over the enemy: Whatever we bind on Earth will be bound in Heaven by the power of God, and no evil spirit can has the power to act against God's faithful who are walking with Him. And likewise, we can loose anyone bound up by an evil spirit on Earth because we have the authority from Yeshua and His power to remove the chains that bind and bring someone into the freedom that Yeshua offers to follow His will.

The LORD desires we treat others with Mercy and Grace, as we have been given Mercy and Grace. The LORD's Mercy and Grace is extended only to those who repent and hear the good news. We must walk with the LORD and testify our faith in Yeshua.

Matthew 19, Matthew 20

The LORD expects us to work things out with our brothers and sisters, and this is even more serious when a man marries a woman, for they become "one flesh" and what the LORD combines man should not separate. To marry another spouse after leaving the first is only permissible if your spouse (not you) has committed sexual immorality. Divorce was a concession given due to the hardness of our hearts, and this heart condition does not bode well for the Kingdom.

When Yeshua was asked, "What good thing should I do in order to have eternal life?" He answered: "If you want to obtain eternal life, keep the commandments" and then He gave a partial list of the Ten Commandments plus Leviticus 19:18, Hebraically indicating that the whole Torah is what He meant. The man who asked believed He was blameless, but Yeshua revealed his shortcoming; namely, he loved his wealth more than God—he had made an idol of it. For this man and this man only, Yeshua said for him to sell everything he had and follow after Him. The man was not willing, and after counting the cost, decided he preferred this short life to the eternal life waiting for the faithful. Only with God's grace can a man caught up in sin like this be saved, but in Yeshua we all have an opportunity for such grace. Because we all fall short of God's glory, we need Yeshua to atone for our sins. Rather than cling to Yeshua, this man clung to his wealth. We must be careful not to put anything in this world before the LORD and His commandments. Proverbs 16:6: "In mercy and truth atonement is provided for iniquity; And by the fear of the Lord one departs from evil."

The same eternal reward awaits any man or woman who turns to the LORD, no matter how long they are serving Him. We do not want to be like the Older brother in the story of the Prodigal son who took his faith for granted and bemoaned his younger brother's repentance, but we ought to gleefully welcome any who turn toward God and relish the relationship we have with Him now. We will receive the same wages no matter how hard we work, but that does not excuse us from doing the work. The Master has already forgiven our debt, and it was a debt we could not pay. Should we not be glad when the LORD provides what He has promised to us as well as to our neighbor?

Yeshua did not hide his pending execution and resurrection, but no one understood it until after it had happened. Thus we should beware of any prophesies of the future we might hold sacrosanct. It is likely for them to be wrong and for us to miss the work that the LORD plans to do. He commanded us to watch by doing the work of the Great Commission while He tarries. When He comes, it will be good for us if He finds us so doing this work. We ought to humble ourselves before God and before our brothers and sisters in the faith, for a leader is one who serves and considers others more highly than himself. Let us also pray for the LORD to open our eyes to where we are falling short so we can be healed.

Matthew 21, Matthew 22

The people of Israel called out to Yeshua for His deliverance, and He would deliver them, but not in the way they might expect. It is still certain by studying history that up to one third of the Jews in Jerusalem became Nazarene Jews, or followers of Yeshua. They were the first Christians, if you will. His crucifixion certainly scattered many of His followers, even those closest to Him except for John and the women, but they believed upon His resurrection. Following the report of His resurrection, I believe many of these same people turned to Yeshua in faith, because as Luke later reports in Acts 1:3 and Paul agrees in 1 Corinthians 15:3-8, He appeared to many people. I believe these are the same Jews who were laying down their clothing and palm leaves for Him as He entered Jerusalem. They had faith in Him, and He indeed delivered this remnant who had faith. I can't say that they were exactly all the same people, but I do believe the majority of this remnant of Yeshua's Jewish followers remained consistently faithful following HIs resurrection, and they also increased in number as reported in Acts 2:47. These would be the first ones to bring the good news to the whole world.

When Phinehas saw Zimri and Cozbi practicing cult prostitution within the Tabernacle, he thrust them through with a spear and prevented God's judgment on all Israel. Paul wrote in Romans 1:32 that even those approving of sinful practices are guilty of violating Torah. Without Phinehas's action, grievous sin would have been imputed on the whole congregation. We read in Numbers 25:11-13: “Phinehas ... has turned back My wrath from the children of Israel, because he was zealous with My zeal among them, so that I did not consume the children of Israel in My zeal. Therefore say, ‘Behold, I give to him My covenant of peace; and it shall be to him and his descendants after him a covenant of an everlasting priesthood....” Phinehas was a prophetic template for Yeshua, our King and High Priest, who would drive out those trying to extort the poor by forcing them to buy sacrificial animals at an inflated price instead of allowing them to bring their own sacrifices. Both sexual immorality and extorting the poor are deadly sins punishable by eternal death. John 2:17 indicates Yeshua fulfilled the prophesy, "The zeal of Your house will consume Me." Through His zeal, Yeshua saved the remnant of Israel by preventing an imputed sin of extortion.

The fig tree without fruit is a prophesy about the end relative to all false teachers and their students who do not bear fruit for the Kingdom, whether in Israel or within the later Church. Later in Matthew 24:32-33, Yeshua said: “Now learn this parable from the fig tree: When its branch has already become tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near. So you also, when you see all these things, know that it is near—at the doors!" The end of the temple was AD 70, as a judgment against the leaders who rejected Yeshua, but also, after a transitional period of 40 years, it signaled the end of temple sacrifices and the beginning of the eternal atonement provided through Yeshua's blood. The end of Jerusalem was AD 135 after unbelieving Jews followed a false Messiah named Simon Bar Kokhba and the false priest Rabbi Akiva, but the Jews who believed Yeshua escaped to the mountains from the Roman purge and settled in Pella, building the Kingdom there. Another apostasy like these would come about in the Last Days when Christian leaders would deny the commandments of God and teach "lawless grace." Yeshua will purge His congregation of such leaders and their followers when He returns to collect His people into His Kingdom.

Fruit is obedience to God's word. Consider Galatians 5: Love, goodness, faithfulness, and self control refer to obeying God's commandments;  joy and peace reflect what happens when we obey the commandments with willing hearts; and patience, kindness and gentleness refer to how we ought to teach the commandments of God and faith in Yeshua to others. It is in bearing this "Fruit of the Spirit" that we fulfill the Great Commission of Yeshua, to preach the Gospel, to make disciples, to baptize them in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit and to teach them the commandments of God (Matthew 28). It is important to note that the summer is not the season for the fig tree to bear fruit, and so the Jewish leaders were not expected to bear fruit when Messiah first appeared. This allowed Yeshua's crucifixion and resurrection, for He was the "stone the builders rejected who became the chief cornerstone." In the latter days, both Jews and Gentiles who faithfully keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Yeshua would bear fruit in its season, even in the midst of drought (persecution and apostasy). We can move mountains, meaning that we can tear down strongholds and any other lofty argument that is against the Word of God.

In the parables about the farmer and his vinyard and the king with the wedding feast, Yeshua was referring specifically to the s’mikhah, meaning the Rabbinical authority or order of the Scribes, Pharisees and Chief Priests (Sanheden). The LORD came to tear down this "rabbinnical" order and replace it with a Halacha (the Way, teachings) based solely on the Word of God. We can see this Truth explained extensively in Matthew 15 and Mark 7, but also here. When Yeshua walked into the Temple area (Mat 21:23), the leaders asked Him: "What s'mikah do you have that authorizes you to do these things?" He didn't tell them, but He told us in the rest of His Gospel. It was the authority He innately possessed as the Son of God. Only faith in Him reveals this. Yeshua concluded about those teaching the commandments of Rabbis: "I tell you that the Kingdom of God will be taken away from you and given to the kind of people that will produce its fruit!” (Mt. 21:43). God desires those who produce the fruit of His Word in their lives, not adding to it or taking away from it. They even understood this was his intent, as we read in Mt. 21:45, “As the head cohanim and the P’rushim listened to his stories, they saw that he was speaking about them.”

When the Rabbis tested Yeshua and Yeshua tested them, we see exhibited the Hebraic form of teaching called "sh’eilah," which means "careful inquiry." We might understand this style as the Socratic method, but it's slightly different than that in that students challenge a teacher and teachers challenge their students through questions that cause contemplation. There isn't anything inherently wrong with it, but what was wrong was the condition of their hearts and their lack of faith. Yeshua taught from the Tanakh and He taught from the book of Enoch and the Book of Tobit in Matthew 22, explaining God's intent for us to put His Way above any of our own understanding, just as was written in Proverbs 3:5-6: "Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding; in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight." We should also heed this warning Yeshua gave the Rabbis in Mt. 22:29: "The reason you go astray is that you are ignorant both of the Tanakh (Old Testament) and of the power of God." This is the testimony of two all Saints must possess to inherit Heaven; specifically, those who know and keep the commandments of God and the testimony of Yeshua. There are many good lessons here for further study.

Matthew 23, Matthew 24

Matthew 23 was a direct rebuke against the Oral Law of the Rabbis. The Rabbis claimed the Oral Torah was passed down from Moses, but this is demonstrably untrue. Exodus 24:4a: "And Moses wrote all the words of the LORD." Deuteronomy 31:9a: "So Moses wrote this law..." Deuteronomy 31:26: “Take this Book of the Law..." It is evident that Moses wrote down every word of the Torah of God, and thus the Oral Torah was NOT passed down from His time. It is likely, but not certain, that the Oral Law developed in Babylon during the time when most Jews did not have the Torah as a resource. What a horrible time! They had a famine of the Word of God, as prophesied in Amos 8:11: “'Behold, the days are coming,' says the Lord GOD, 'That I will send a famine on the land, Not a famine of bread, Nor a thirst for water, But of hearing the words of the LORD.'" They tried to recover from this depth with their own strength. What started out as a good—trying to prevent the lawlessness that led to the Babylonian captivity—ended with fence laws that added to and took away from the Word, and this was forbidden by God in Deuteronomy 4:2: "You shall not add to the word which I command you, nor take from it, that you may keep the commandments of the LORD..."

The LORD instructed us to obey the commands given through Moses when He said, "The scribes and the Pharisees sit in Moses’ seat. Therefore whatever they tell you to observe, that observe and do, but do not do according to their works; for they say, and do not do." The term Moses's seat comes from Exodus 18:13: “The next day Moses took his seat to serve as judge for the people, and they stood around him from morning till evening.” Moses wasn't judging on a whim or by any oral tradition, but according to the Torah of God. Thus, Yeshua's point was that when the scribes and Pharisees judge according to the Torah, we ought to listen to them. However, He also said we should not follow their example. While they read and interpret the law of God for the people, they don't do it themselves, because they add to it and take away from it according to their oral tradition. When they add to it, they add heavy burdens, but their oral tradition also excluded themselves from following a lot of it. They sought honor for themselves, and enjoyed their position, using it to lord over the people. But we ought to look only to Messiah Yeshua for our understanding of Torah and give our LORD the glory for what He teaches us. He gave us an example of service leadership.
 
To make a proselyte, a Rabbi would require Gentiles learn the Oral Law or oral tradition they came up with before they could become a Jew. This included four things: 1) Obey Torah, 2) Obey the Oral Torah, 3) Get circumcised, and 4) Get baptized. As we learn from Paul's teaching in Romans and Galatians, conversion to be grafted into Israel in Yeshua was through faith and obedience, marked by baptism, but circumcision and the Oral Torah were removed. When the Rabbis made proselytes, they stressed mastery of the Oral Law, which was not from God, rather than learning about God's Word, thus they were literally training up these converts to be "twice as fit for Gehenna" as themselves.

The Rabbis invented scores of oral traditions surrounding oaths, but Yeshua said we ought to "let your yes be yes, and your no be no," for anything else is sinful. The Rabbis contributed nothing to the Temple and the synagogues of their own wealth, even speaking about the tithes of mint, dill and cumin in ridiculous detail, but Torah teaches that we ought to be concerned with justice, mercy and faith. The oral tradition got down to such detail that Yeshua likened it to "straining out a gnat," but because of their cruel adherence to these traditions, ... Yeshua said they were "swallowing a camel," meaning that they were bringing guilt into themselves almost impossible to eradicate. Remember His earlier teaching: "by the measure you judge others, you will be judged." The Rabbis worried about washing hands before eating bread (see Matthew 15, Mark 7), they washed cups and dishes in a certain way, but they filled themselves by extorting the people and creating a filthiness in themselves. The Rabbis made sure they were dressed better than anyone, but under their raiments they were walking dead men, not knowing God. These Rabbis were hypocrites and did not know the Torah of God they were called to teach. They disgraced God and destroyed those who spoke Truth, even Yeshua Himself, to keep their positions of authority. Yeshua prophesied: Because this generation of Rabbis would put Yeshua to death and many of His Apostles and disciples, they in particular would be judged for this bloodguilt. These had the evil one in their hearts, just like their evil predecessors. Yeshua also prophesied that no Rabbi would have any connection to God from that point forward unless they put their faith in Yeshua, by saying, "Blessed is He who comes in the Name of the LORD."

Matthew 24 concerns short-term prophesy that has been fulfilled as well as long-term prophesy yet to be fulfilled. In an inaugurated eschatology, which I give significant credence to, the Kingdom and the New Covenant were established in Yeshua's first coming, but neither have come to their fullness and won't until Yeshua returns. Much was fulfilled with the death and resurrection of Yeshua, the coming of the Holy Spirit, the destruction of the temple in AD 70 and then the destruction of Jerusalem in AD 135, when surviving Orthodox Jews mostly fled to Yavneh and the warned and obedient Messianic believers fled to Pella, and grew in strength there. There will be a similar time at the very end, when, John writes in Revelation 13:7, "It was granted to him to make war with the saints and to overcome them." And yet, "He who endures to the End shall be saved." We must therefore look out to ensure we are not deceived by false teachers or false Messiahs, but we must also watch, and this means we are to become like the watchmen on the wall in Ezekiel 33, to speak Truth with love even in the midst of persecution and other hardship. If we can endure in faith to Yeshua and the Torah of God until the end, we will be delivered.

In the time between Yeshua's first and second coming, Daniel wrote in His Messianic passages of his ninth chapter that "desolations are determined." Yeshua explained, there would be wars between kingdoms as well as ethnic groups, famines, earthquakes, wars and rumors of wars and so many other things we've all experienced. These are birth pangs, which is a nod to the prophetic idea that the Earth would give birth to her dead in the resurrection on the Last Day, something Yeshua also speaks about in this sermon. Toward the end of everything, believers will experience persecution, martyrdom and other such horrors and it is possible that many will either fall away from the faith or be slain during this time. Few will be left. The whole world will hear the Gospel message, but this present age won't end until the time of the Nations ruling over Israel ends. When Messiah comes, "every eye will see Him." There will be no mistaking it. Thus, we should not listen to anyone who claims He has returned when we have not witnessed it ourselves. The Son of Man will return on the clouds with His angels and collect the living and the dead of His children from every area of the whole earth. On that very same day, the veil that separates our perception of the spiritual and physical will be gone and we will all see God in His glory on His throne, the wicked will be destroyed and the Kingdom will be fully established.

No one knows precisely when this day will arrive, but we will know the season. It will be like the days of Noah, when "the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intent of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually." The Book of Enoch further explores Noah's day as well as the Last Day, and it is worth considering due to Yeshua and His apostles many references to it. On account of the mystery of this coming time, Yeshua instructed us to watch, which means to trust in Yeshua, obey God's commands, and to make disciples—to always be ready. It will go well for those who are found obeying God when Yeshua returns, for even Yeshua said: "If you love Me, keep My commandments." Those Christians giving lip service to Christ but not doing what God commanded, those beating up obedient believers and participating in sinful practices, will be cast out into darkness with the Rabbinical hypocrites of Yeshua's day. Both those practicing legalism (adherence to the legal tradition of men over God) and lawlessness (belief in cheap grace and/or no need to follow the law) will be destroyed together.

Matthew 25, Matthew 26

Matthew 25 continues the previous sermon from Matthew 24. As we look at the bridesmaids, we must consider they both went out with lamps to meet the groom. These are two sets of Christians, and what differentiates them? Oil for their lamps. I once thought this meant the presence of the Holy Spirit in them, and perhaps it does have that meaning, but I believe the text presents another option. Oil is produced from pressing olives, and olives are fruit from a tree. Thus, those followers of Yeshua who were producing the fruit of the Spirit and then getting persecuted for doing so are those who were faithfully following the LORD's commandments on account of their faith in Him. Those who were not actually "doing the Word," as James later wrote, were getting by without persecution. They hid their lamps under a basket and neglected to collect enough oil. Perhaps they sought an easy life, worldly pursuits, or fell away from faithfulness on account of the trials of life? Whatever reason, they didn't fulfill God's commandments, which shows they truly didn't love Yeshua, and thus the light of Yeshua did not shine in them. Thus they were the ones saying "LORD, LORD," in Matthew 7, whom the LORD said He did not know. We must be producing oil for our lamps, and the Holy Spirit certainly helps us who do this (John 14:15-18).

We must take what the LORD has given us and produce fruit with it, whether it is a little bit of understanding and faith or a lot. If we hold in the Truth the LORD has disclosed to us and keep it solely for our own edification, we will not make it into the Kingdom.

The end of Matthew 25 comes from Isaiah 58, and in both places Yeshua exhorted His people to give food to the hungry, give drink to the thirsty, take in the stranger, clothe the naked and visit the sick and imprisoned. The children of God who do these things will be welcomed into His kingdom, while those who do not do these things will be cast out, Yeshua said. There is a secondary, spiritual meaning to both of these exhortations. When we feed the hungry, we ought to speak the Word of God into people’s lives, teaching them the commandments of God, especially when they have no one else to feed them this Truth. When we give drink to the thirsty, we ought to be conduits of Yeshua’s living water that He gives through His Holy Spirit, exhibiting the fruit of the Spirit in our lives. When we take in the stranger, we ought to welcome the unbeliever into the faith. When we clothe the naked, we ought to lead sinners to Messiah Yeshua, who covers the sins of the unrighteous upon their repentance. After all, the shame of sin makes us naked in the eyes of the Lord as it did for Adam. When we visit the sick, we ought to work with Christians who are going astray and lead them back onto the narrow path, using sound doctrine to correct them of their sin. When we go to the prisoner, we ought to introduce the unbelieving sinners to Yeshua, who frees them from the bondage of sin and brings them into the light of His Salvation. This is ministry we certainly ought to be doing, so we might hear, "Well done good and faithful servant."

Yeshua next celebrated a Passover Seder with His disciples. He would fulfill (fill to the brim) the Feast Day and become our Passover Lamb without blemish and our Unleavened Bread offered up with prayer from the cross. How much more ought we "keep the feast," as Paul wrote in 1 Corinthians 5:8, "with sincerity and Truth"? David wrote unto the LORD in Psalm 119:160, "The entirety of Your word is Truth, and every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever." This is why Yeshua said: "Do this in memory of Me," for now we ought to Keep the Feasts of Passover and Unleavened Bread as a memorial to the LORD's death and resurrection on our behalf. Yeshua told His disciples the time was coming for the Tanakh to be fulfilled, and yet they scattered when it happened and Peter even denied the LORD, potentially condemning himself outside the Mercy and Grace of our LORD. Don't let anyone ever tell you Yeshua is not the Son of God. Even Caiaphas knew that the Messiah would be the Son of God, for He asked Yeshua: "I put you under oath! By the living God, tell us if you are the Mashiach, the Son of God!” He answered affirmatively: “The words are your own. But I tell you that one day you will see the Son of Man sitting at the right hand of Power and coming on the clouds of heaven.” This tells us everything we need to know.

Matthew 27, Matthew 28

Tonight begins Sukkot, the Feast of Tabernacles, when Yeshua came in the flesh to tabernacle among us. He came for the purpose we're reading about today; to die as our one-time sacrifice, the blameless Lamb of God, who atoned for our sins, transgressions and iniquities once for all time. He went willingly, and did not open His mouth in protest. But He would be raised up forever to the right hand of the Father interceding for those who trust in Him. He commanded His disciples, and all who would follow them, to spread this good news, to baptize new believers in the name of the Father, Son and Holy Spirit, and to make people of all nations into disciples by teaching them the commandments of God.

The Jewish leaders would decide between Yeshua Bar Abba, or Jesus Son of the Father, and Yeshua HaMashiach, or Jesus the Messiah. Yeshua Bar Abba was a rebel against Rome who had led insurrection; he was the type of Messiah they expected, and so they asked for his release. Yeshua HaMashiach had come as a suffering servant, and willingly gave up His perfect life to save all who would call upon His name. Those condemning Him to death will face the judgment seat of God. Those trusting in Him will live in His Kingdom on the Last Day.

When the parokhet was torn in two that separated the Ark of the Covenant in the Holy of Holies and the Middle Wall of Separation also crumbled down, according to Paul's later testimony in Ephesians 2:14, all people now have access to the throne room of God through the eternal High Priest Yeshua. The Torah itself would become accessible to all believers, because the Holy Spirit would help us understand how to apply it to our lives, and the Mercy Seat that covered the Torah would also be available to us through Yeshua's blood that was sprinkled on the altar directly after He rose from the dead. We receive atonement through Him alone. He is the sacrifice. He is the High Priest, and the Mediator between God and man. And now we worship in Spirit and Truth no matter where we are, in the mighty name of Yeshua, the Messiah. He rose on First Fruits, the day after the Sabbath, and He is the First Fruits of the Resurrection. In the latter days represented by the Fall Feasts, Yeshua will return to raise up all who had faith and trust in Him by following Him in all of His ways. This latter resurrection is still to come, and the field is white for harvest. How can we not do the will of the Father and go out as laborers in the field?

Mark 1, Mark 2

Mark's Gospel is succinct and establishes the best news of all: Yeshua, the Son of God, came in the flesh. As Yeshua was baptized by John, the Father confirmed: "You are My Son, Whom I love; I am well pleased with You." Even the evil spirits understood.

Both John and Yeshua preached the same message with one key difference. John taught using a baptism of repentance, while Yeshua proclaimed "repent, for God's Kingdom is near." Yeshua IS God's Kingdom. When we know Him, we know the King. When He is near, the Kingdom is near. Therefore, we must repent in order to know Him and follow His Way.

Yeshua's disciples did not fast while He walked on Earth because they were living in the Kingdom with the King. After His resurrection and ascension, Yeshua said His followers would fast awaiting His return. God, in His Kingdom, heals all illness, moves the immovable, casts out all darkness, cleanses us from sin, and wipes every tear from our eyes.

We ought to prepare our hearts and our homes so we can rest and celebrate the Sabbath by sitting at our Master's feet. Gleaning grain while passing through the edge of a field is not work according to Torah. The Rabbis added fence laws that Yeshua tore down, for He is the author of Torah.

Mark 3, Mark 4

Yeshua requires us to judge with righteous judgment (John 7:24), and He established a principle of such judgment in John 7:23 by saying, “If a man receives circumcision on the Sabbath so that the Law of Moses will not be broken, are you angry with Me because I made an entire man well on the Sabbath?” Torah requires circumcision on the Eighth Day. What happens when the Eighth Day is a Sabbath? The circumcision, which requires work, takes place on Sabbath, to fulfill the Torah. Yeshua's point was that if you can circumcise on the Sabbath, then certainly you can show mercy and heal a man on Sabbath. He asked here in Mark: "What is permitted on Shabbat? Doing good or doing evil? Saving life or killing?" Surely it is lawful to do good and save life and heal on the Sabbath, particularly when we are confronted with this and similar problems unexpectedly. The work we should not do is that which can be put aside—that which we can prepare to end on the sixth day, when the LORD provides double. Certainly, we should stop our customary work by which we earn a living and any other work that can be delayed. After all, work is the curse for sin, while rest with God is a blessing that echoes into eternity. God will bring blessing to the obedient.

Yeshua taught with the authority He had innately as the Son of God, and so all the people who were craving such Truth came to hear Him. But some would not accept His teaching, and it would not grow in them. Others would believe but not develop a rich faith with depth of understanding and would thus fall away from the heat of persecution and difficulty. Others would believe but lose their salvation on account of false teaching or worldly trappings. While still others would receive faith and grow in it richly, producing fruit that would in turn spread its seed and start the process over again. The faithful spread the good news to others, not expecting to understand how God builds it in the hearts of some and not in others, but doing the work nonetheless, for the harvest of souls is promised at the end of the age and the faithful trust in the promises of God. The faithful put Yeshua first in their lives, before anything else. The faithful understand that God's power works through them, and they thus do the work without doubting. Though the Kingdom cannot be seen, it is larger and more real than anything visible. Though there are storms, trials, persecutions and sufferings in this life, the LORD can get us through them all.

Mark 5, Mark 6

Yeshua told them man he cleaned of a legion of demons that he could not follow the LORD around and take part in the blessings of being in Yeshua's direct ministry. Would the man have been only a receiver? It's possible. Two things are clear: 1) Yeshua wasn't looking for numbers in His ministry. 2) Yeshua was looking to add people willing to go out and do the work of spreading the Gospel. Too often we are looking to build a church that has everything we need to make us happy, but a church's purpose is to build us up so we can go out and multiply. Yeshua wants many small gatherings of believers all over the place who then go out and live like He teaches us to live to spread the Kingdom to others.

Yeshua is a powerful healer and He has given us authority to heal in His name according to His will. He doesn't heal to show signs and wonders but to build His Kingdom, and thus all spiritual works will be edifying and for a specific purpose. What's interesting is that He gave strict orders for no one to testify about the spiritual works. We're reading about this story today, and so it is evident this was not a permanent ordinance. It is also quite possible that He told people not to tell anyone about these occurrences fully understanding that such a request makes spreading the news irresistible. Nevertheless, at this point in His ministry, Yeshua was not ready for everyone to know about His power, because He still needed to arrange His crucifixion at the appointed time and nothing could distract from that goal. Everything He did had purpose. Following His resurrection, these testimonies help to further verify His identity as the One who came to save us all.

Yeshua taught on the Sabbath in the synagogue, and that is also what we ought to do. There will not always be agreement about the message of Truth at church, but we still ought to teach it. Sometimes we can be amazed by how little faith churchgoers actually have. We still must persist.

Yeshua sent out His disciples to free people from spiritual bondage and announce the freedom they can have in knowing the Messiah. This we ought to do. Sometimes it will lead to our destruction, as it did for John the Baptist and his ministry of righteousness, but we ought to preach righteousness without fear of the consequences. The ministry continues despite the threats of the enemy to take us out. Remember: The enemy even went after Job's wife, when he was at his weakest. Despite John the Baptist's death, Yeshua went out and fed 5,000 people and multiplied the ministry John had begun. He gave the opportunity for all to eat the bread of life. We ought to follow Yeshua out on to the water, doing impossible things from man's perspective that only God can do. We have to wait on the LORD and not expect Him to move immediately. He will do marvelous things at the appointed time.

Mark 7, Mark 8

Mark 7, along with Matthew 15, are strong rebukes against Rabbinical or oral law. There is no Torah commandment to wash hands before eating bread, but the Rabbis complained Yeshua's disciples weren't doing this. Yeshua said bread eaten with unwashed hands does not defile, but rather lawlessness defiles. He pointed out a few areas of hypocrisy in the Rabbinical code.

A pagan woman turned to Yeshua to heal his daughter of an evil Spirit and showed true faith as well as humility, acknowledging that her fathers' sins put her at a spiritual disadvantage for deliverance. Such repentance earned her healing that can only come from salvation. The LORD also opened the ears of one who was deaf on account of his faith, and He can help us hear His Word of Truth when we approach Him with similar humility. He can also help us see what He wants us to see when we fully trust in Him and beg Him to touch us in our lives.

The LORD can multiply what we don't see as enough to bring a multitude of blessing; all we need is complete faith. We also must beware of false teaching that can take us away from the Truth.

Peter saw Yeshua as the Messiah, the Son of God, and was blessed for it, but he also approached Yeshua's mission from a human perspective. If we make this same mistake, we will go off in the wrong direction, perhaps even toward death. We have to be willing to give up all in this world to follow Yeshua.

Mark 9, Mark 10

The LORD showed and told the apostles that He would die and then rise, and yet they couldn't see this because their expectations were something different. We must be careful not to get caught up in expectations that are not met, for the LORD will show us the full meaning of prophesy when it comes to pass, and we will know when we see it. Until then, we must endure in faithfulness by following Yeshua in every way.

The Spirit of Elijah calls for righteousness on account of faith, and a call to restore the people of God to the Torah will come before Yeshua returns, just like the first time.

There are some spiritual battles that require prayer and fasting, for we rely on Yeshua to free us from all bondage.

We must be servants to be leaders, to sacrifice our own will to God's and to care for those who are insulting us by showing them the love of God.

We must be like children who delight in obeying their fathers because we love and admire them. Those who harm children will receive the worst judgment of all, and so too must we who lead care for God's children. We must be agents of peace.

Some of God's laws were given out of mercy because the people could not keep first principles. If we stick with first principles, we don't need to worry about the details. When the LORD confronts us with our own shortcoming, we must surrender to Him and do things His way rather than go away sorrowful.

We ought to call out: "Yeshua, Son of David, Have pity on me!" People will scold us, make fun of us, and try to turn us back to the worldly system they adhere to, but we ought to cry out all the more: "Yeshua: Have pity on me! ... Help me to see!" Only such a man will ever lay eyes on the riches of God's kingdom.

Mark 11, Mark 12

We all cry out to the LORD, "Please! Deliver us! Blessed is He who comes in the name of the LORD." Do we want this deliverance now? In this life? Then we make the same mistake as the people of Jerusalem of AD 30, and yet many of them later came to receive the Holy Spirit and inherit eternal life by trusting in the risen Messiah. The deliverance the LORD brings is spiritual and it is meant to bring us into relationship with Him through his Spirit so we can learn to become like Him. If we can endure in this spiritual discipline until our fleshly death, He will then bring us into eternal union with Him in His Kingdom.

The LORD by His own authority completely abolished the Rabbinical order, and the fig tree analogy was meant to show this. So was the story of the vinyard. Yeshua is our Rabbi and there is no other. How could Man believe he could establish any authority outside of God? There is no other authority on the Earth. If we have faith, we can take any mountainous religious order or system of man and cast it down into the sea. God's Kingdom is greater than any order of men, and all it entails is faith in Yeshua and obedience to God's commandments. In this faith, we must have no doubting and then the LORD's will can become reality. We also must have mercy because God shows us mercy.

The LORD also explains the need for our hearts to trust in Him alone, rather than in any earthly system, for we will live with God for eternity if we do. He is the Messiah, the Son of God, and even David understood whom he was worshipping. We must truly give Yeshua our all.

Mark 13, Mark 14

We cannot marvel at the work of our own hands, for the LORD has made them as well as the talent that helps us to craft stones into mighty structures. There is only one structure that will stand, and its foundation is Messiah Yeshua.

Mark's version of Yeshua's prophesy is very similar to Matthew's version. The bottom line is that many things will happen that will stimulate fear, but we ought to keep our eyes on Yeshua and endure in our faith until He comes at the very end, on the Last Day. He will come after the sky has been rolled up; on the same day the elect have been resurrected and taken up and the same day the wicked will see God sitting plainly on His throne, ready to bring His wrath upon them. There won't be any mistaking this Last Day, and in the meantime, we ought to "watch" and do the work the LORD has given us to do for His Kingdom.

When all things foretold here occur, Yeshua will return, and we will know what season we're in because God's Word has foretold it; not just here, but all over the whole book.

The LORD celebrated Passover and asked His disciples to celebrate in memory of Him. He was crucified as the Passover Lamb and our Unleavened Bread, and raised up as our First Fruits. We celebrate because He commanded it as a memorial to His atoning sacrifice, but also as a prophetic sign pointing to the Marriage Supper of the Lamb at the Resurrection, when He will drink the cup of the king with all of His people. He said: "Yes! I tell you, I will not drink this ‘fruit of the vine’ again until the day I drink new wine in the Kingdom of God.”

Yeshua's disciples abandoned Him in His time of need, but they did not understand He would be crucified and raised. We do have this understanding. Let us not find ourselves abandoning Him as they did, for there will be no mercy for those who fall away from the Risen King!

Mark 15, Mark 16

Prophesy was fulfilled in so many ways in Yeshua's execution. Pay special attention to when Yeshua quotes from the Psalms in these moments, for He is pointing to the whole Psalm by simply stating its first words. In Hebraic understanding, a reading in Scripture is referred to by its first few words. That's what Yeshua was doing. There are hours of study here.

How was it that Yeshua gave up His spirit that Romans acknowledged He was the son of God? How was it that the women remained faithful to Him until the end, but all the men scattered, except for John? What made John different? What would you have done?

We can see summaries of the longer versions of Yeshua's resurrection story here in Mark. For example, He appeared to the two men walking into the country. We know this as the Road to Emmaus story in the Gospel of Luke. It is good to see this consistency. Mark concludes by establishing that we must have faith in Yeshua's death and resurrection for salvation, and those who don't believe will not be saved. That goes for Jew or Gentile alike. We have a moral imperative to reach all people with the good news.

Luke 1, Luke 2

In the same way 2 John is written "to the elect lady and her children," meaning the Church—the Ecclesia—the Body of believers in Yeshua and those discipled under them, Luke writes to Theophilus, (Θεόφιλε Theophile), which is from "theos (God)" and "philos (dear friend)," and the word literally means "Friend of God." It is unlikely either author's intended recipient is an individual person; rather, this Gospel was written to believers for their instruction per the commandment of Yeshua and by the Holy Spirit. It was written to those who are "friends of God" so they could learn to know salvation through Yeshua. Luke, a physician by trade, made it clear that he intended to provide "an accurate and ordered narrative" that was written only after he "carefully investigated" all of the oral tradition about Yeshua's ministry and spoke to many "eyewitnesses and proclaimers of the message." If we are all to believe that Luke's Gospel is the inspired Word of God, as I do, then we must also believe that it is intended to be factually correct and accurate and every small detail matters and ought to be considered.

Thus, it is relevant that Luke explained John the Baptist's conception and birth following John's father's priestly division in the order of Abijah or Aviyah. This order was put in place by King David, according to 1 Chronicles 24:7-9, and it pertains to a very specific time of year; namely, the 8th course in the 10th week of the year. Aviv/Abib/Nisan is the beginning of months according to Exodus 12:2, and all priests gathered during the weeks of Passover and Unleavened Bread, so the 8th course would have taken place in the 10th week. Thus, we know John was conceived in mid Sivan (May/June), born 40 weeks later on Nisan 15, the Passover—and the Spirit of Elijah is expected to come during this feast.

Yeshua was conceived by the Holy Spirit in the sixth month, but this does not refer to the sixth month of the year. Luke 1:26 reads: "Now in the sixth month Gabriel...," so we might imagine this refers to the sixth month, but verse 36 clarifies when Gabriel tells Mary: "this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren." Thus, Yeshua would have been conceived by the Holy Spirit in Kislev (Nov/Dec) around Hanukkah as "the light of the world." When you add normal gestation to this timeframe, Yeshua would have been born during Sukkot (the Feast of Tabernacles). He was laid in a manger (a feeding trough), but this was not inside of a barn. He was likely inside a sukkah (booth/tabernacle) during this season. We can deduce this by adding six months to John's birthday, which would put Yeshua's birth on the 15th day of the 7th month, Tishri, the first day of Sukkot. He is the Word who became flesh and tabernacled among us.

Luke explained how the Holy Spirit entered several people prior to the Pentecost/Shavuot outpouring of the Holy Spirit, and this is highly relevant since Luke also wrote the Book of Acts where the Pentecost story is told. The angel Gabriel told Zechariah that John would "also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb." The Holy Spirit came upon Mary to conceive Yeshua in her womb. Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit and prophesied about the child in Mary's womb. Zechariah prophesied by the Holy Spirit about his son John, who would announce the coming of the Messiah. Simeon saw Yeshua's coming by the Holy Spirit and then identified the Messiah in his prophesy. Anna the prophetess also identified Yeshua by the power of the Holy Spirit, giving thanks to the LORD. We know the Holy Spirit fell upon many other men and women in the Old Covenant prior to the Pentecost explained in Acts 2, thus the prophesies in Jeremiah 31 and Joel 2:28-29 speak about a time when the Holy Spirit would fall on all flesh rather than on only a select number of people, as He had in the past. Luke's Gospel gives significant evidence for the doctrine that the Holy Spirit was always given to God's people, but now is available to all people through faith in Messiah Yeshua. Romans 1:18-19 explains that there is no excuse for anyone to be ignorant of God, and it is because of this New Covenant reality.

Luke 3, Luke 4

John, in the Spirit of Elijah, exhorted the people to righteousness, calling on the people to produce fruit for the Kingdom of God. Those who don't produce the fruit of righteousness will be cut off from God's Kingdom, for righteousness is evidence that you are truly following Yeshua, and lawlessness is evidence that you are not. John told the people to share their excess, the tax collectors not to exhort, the soldiers not to intimidate and to appreciate what they were paid. He explained the Messiah was about to come, and He would bring the purifying fire of Truth and separate those who are His from those who are not, the righteous from the lawless. The Father testified the Son's identity upon His baptism. Luke's genealogy refers to the legal paternity of Joseph and refers to Joseph's family history to the very beginning.

When we face the evil one, he will make attempts to lead us away from God. He will entice us by trying to satisfy our flesh, but God provides everything we need and spiritual satisfaction is better. The enemy will try to entice us with power and worldly glory, but when we worship and serve God alone He will share with us His power and authority, which is unparalleled and gives Him glory. The enemy will try to entice us to rely on an ethereal faith in God that requires no action, but God has called us to act on our faith and courageously serve Him in the way He has instructed.

On Shabbat, Yeshua was in the synagogue (the meeting place) and that is also where we should be on each Saturday as we follow the example of our Master.

The place where Yeshua read in Isaiah continues from where the text ends, and this was Yeshua's way of teaching the people that He would come first as a suffering servant to provide a one-time atonement for sin, to call the humble to Himself to be His people, to release captives from spiritual bondage, to open the eyes of those who do not understand the Truth of God's Word, and to lift up those burdened by the commandments of men so they can experience the freedom of God's law, for God's grace has set us free to follow the law with all of our heart while removing the condemnation we deserve for our shortcomings. As the passage in Isaiah 61 continues, it speaks of the day of the LORD's vengeance, which would come upon all the unfaithful when Yeshua returns. Yeshua didn't read that part, for it is a prophesy yet to be fulfilled. When Yeshua returns, it will not be for grace but for judgment. Therefore, now is the time to believe and follow Yeshua by keeping the commandments of God. This testimony of two identifies God's saints.

Like our Master, we should not focus on ministering to one group of people, but we ought to be His witnesses in every field, no matter where we might go.

Luke 5, Luke 6

Simon Peter had a heart ready for the LORD to enter. He allowed the LORD to use his boat to teach, and didn't think twice about it. Next, he obeyed the LORD, even though the LORD's request that he lower his nets again defied logic. Finally, he spoke in fear of God, "Get away from me, sir, because I am a sinner." All of the prophets who got closest to God had this same humility. Isaiah, for example, said he was a man of unclean lips. Moses did not want to accept the calling of the LORD, considering himself unworthy. This is the type of man the LORD will use to show His glory, and the abundance of God's glory is beyond our understanding.

The LORD came to call sinners to repentance. We have to be careful to understand these lessons. He didn't eat with sinful men who continued to habitually sin after meeting with Him. He ate with men who immediately walked away from their old lifestyle and began to walk in righteousness with God. When we come to know Yeshua, we must go the other direction from where we were headed, drop everything and follow Him, to "walk the way He walked."

The Jewish leaders had grown hard hearted, much like many churchgoers today. They look down on those who are sinning and they also reject those who repent from depraved lives to follow the Holy Word of God. These people see Church as their own dominion, and they have no desire for God to dwell with them there. It's all about them. Our communities must be places where we humble ourselves, pastors and priests included, so God can be exalted. When Yeshua is among us, we are literally living in the midst of God's kingdom. We ought to make our lives a sacrifice of praise and thanksgiving to God so He will dwell among us.

The Rabbis have more rules about Shabbat than any other thing, and their rules are all contrived. Did God have Sabbath toilet paper in mind that you don't have to rip or refrigerators that don't light up when we open their doors? Hardly! He also didn't say we couldn't snack on nature's provision as we walk through a field. He actually did say that the Sabbath was a time for healing, but the Rabbis had perverted this Truth also. Yeshua came to set the record straight about the Sabbath, because He is the LORD of the Sabbath. He is the one we come in and sit with every Saturday, the one whose feet we sit by and learn from. He is the one we rest with. He is the one who rested on the Seventh Day and hallowed it. We ought to understand what God wants on the Sabbath and make sure to do it, for the day was made for us to enjoy with Him.

The humble, those hungry for God's Truth, those mourning, those persecuted for righteousness, all of these people will be blessed in the Kingdom of God. Those who look to worldly wealth and comfort, puff themselves up with knowledge, enjoy luxury at the expense of those in their care, and who enjoy praise and positions of power have hellfire and death in their future, without repentance. We must be careful to walk righteously ourselves before we point out any sins in others. It is likely that we will notice sins in others that we ourselves have committed. The blind cannot lead the blind, except toward death, and so we must look to Yeshua who helps us to see. We will know who knows Yeshua by the works that they do, and by this I do not mean works of charity. The lawless will fall away, because we cannot say "LORD, LORD," to Yeshua, but not do what He says. Everyone who declares faith in Yeshua ought to hear His Word and act on it. The obedient followers of Yeshua stand on solid ground, but those who give Jesus lip service but do not obey God's commandments will be burned up in the judgment.

Luke 7, Luke 8

Our faith is in not seeing, but believing, in the salvational power of Yeshua. In obeying, without the fleshly desire and in opposition to the false teachings of men, because we love our God who saved us by His blood. The Roman officer both loved Yeshua, trusted Him and loved the Jews and the Word they brought into the world. He was humble and full of trust. On account of this, Yeshua accepted him and healed his servant.

Yeshua can and does heal the sick or infirm, raise the dead, and forgive sins, and He also teaches the Truth and the Way to righteousness. He reaches out to those who are farther away from home and draws them back. How joyful we should be to be counted among His people Israel.

John's disciples didn't ask, as our translations imply, whether Yeshua was the Messiah or whether another Messiah would come. John already knew Yeshua was the Messiah and prophesied this very thing. If you look at the Greek, it becomes clear that John's disciples were asking whether there would be only one coming of the Messiah or two. Being in prison, John assuredly would have desired the conquering king to take His throne and release him from prison, but Yeshua has come as the suffering servant, and there would indeed be another coming. Yeshua answered the question by citing the prophesy concerning the suffering servant. He was indeed Messiah ben Yosef and He will be Messiah ben David upon his return.

The Rabbis are to be pitied, Yeshua said, for they nullified God's plan for themselves. They taught contrary to the Word of God, because they didn't know Him. The people were like sheep without a shepherd, but the Shepherd came for His people Israel, and more than one third of them were saved initially, and they are coming in to the faith in large numbers even today. Those who are not Jewish were grafted-in to Israel, and even though some natural branches were cut off, it is much easier to graft natural branches back in than it is to graft-in wild olive branches, and this will become more prevalent as the Last Days approach (Romans 11). To be a part of the Olive Tree, to be a part of the vine, we ought to do the things that He taught us to do, from Genesis to Revelation. The law of God is living and powerful, and sharper than any two-edged sword. It divides what is good from what is evil, and those who follow Yeshua are called to be righteous like Him. Our trust in Yeshua helps us to follow Him in this way. Some Rabbis trusted Yeshua, and those who fall at the feet of Yeshua will be saved.

The Parable of the Sower has some interesting details here that other versions don't have. The seeds along the path are sown in those who are not saved, because Satan prevents the seeds from sprouting in them through his work. But those who fell along the path or grew among thorns were saved Christians who later lost their salvation due to apostasy on account of fear and discouragement from tribulation or due to the cares of the world, the desires of the flesh or the pride of life. Only those who endure in faithfulness will produce fruit that will be collected in God's Kingdom.

We must be prepared to endure in faithfulness regardless of the pressures from our friends, family members or employers to walk away from it, for to be a member of Yeshua's family, we must put Him first. He is the one who speaks, "Peace, be still," and all the evils of this world cannot harm us. Though there are trials and tribulations, our hearts can rest in Him. He is the one who frees those enslaved to sin and death, and when we are freed, we are called to sit at our Master's feet to learn from Him, and then to go out and tell others what we have learned.

Luke 9, Luke 10

The LORD gave authority to the 12 first, and then the 70. The mission was the same—to expel demons, cure diseases, and proclaim the Kingdom, in order to bring in disciples for Yeshua—but it was first to the Jews and then to all of the outlying communities, which would have included all Israel and those grafted-in to her. We ought to go out with purpose, looking to find houses of peace that are willing to welcome the LORD and do His work. We ought to give the eternal bread and not bring anything else with us, for a worker is worthy of his wages. The houses of peace will provide what is needed. Those who reject the message will be judged by Yeshua. When we achieve spiritual victories for the LORD, we ought not marvel that by our hand we can cast out demons and cure disease, but rather we ought to marvel that God's Spirit has worked through us, giving Him the glory, and this is a sign that our names are written in His eternal Book of Life.

Yeshua said: “Whoever listens to you listens to me, also whoever rejects you rejects me, and whoever rejects me rejects the One who sent me.” This does not say that anything we might say as Christians is somehow Holy Spirit inspired. The Apostles, in particular, had a special calling to record the Truth of Yeshua's ministry, and they were given the authority to write Scripture and record the doctrine that we ought to follow to inherit life. Thus, when we teach the Truth of His Word from Genesis to Revelation according to the Apostles doctrine, those who listen and obey will inherit eternal life, but those who do not will be lost forever.

The LORD fed the crowds by multiplying bread just as He had done in the wilderness of Sinai, but this was not to show them that the LORD would provide bread and fish, but that He would be sufficient for everything we need. We must pursue Him and forsake our concerns about the needs of this life. Whatever it takes for us, Yeshua must be first, even before wife, children, parents and siblings. We have to be willing to drop our own priorities and take up His instead.

Luke's account shows us clearly what Yeshua meant when He said, "I tell you the truth, there are some people standing here who will not experience death until they see the Kingdom of God.” In Matthew's Gospel, there is an unnatural chapter break after this, confusing some. Here the story is congruent, showing us that when Yeshua was revealed in His glory, this was the Kingdom of God that He said they would see. The Kingdom of God is not some paradise where we get to run around doing whatever we want. The Kingdom of God is loving and knowing Yeshua and following Him in all of His ways. We ought to listen to and obey Him, for there is life in nothing else.

If we aren't experiencing First Century miracles in our lives, then we aren't following Yeshua the way we ought to. How much faith do we have? Yeshua, who has all authority in Heaven and on Earth, sent us out to be His ambassador's of reconciliation, to cast out demons and heal the sick, to change lives forever to follow after Him and live in the peace and joy of His living presence. He is not here in the flesh with us, but He has made us His temple so that through our flesh the Kingdom of God will prevail against the kingdom of darkness. We must humble ourselves before Him, confess our sins to one another, and then pray for the Spirit to lead us on the LORD's narrow way. If others aren't doing it quite the same way as we do, that's OK. If they are preaching the Truth of Yeshua from the Apostolic writings and the Tanakh, then they are part of the Body and we ought to consider them brothers and sisters. But no one can look back at their old lives with desire, or they aren't fit for the Kingdom.

If we love the LORD our God and love our neighbor as ourselves, this means we will be purposefully following the Torah and the Prophets according to the Apostolic doctrine. If we obey God, this is love and we will live. But in obeying God, we ought not seek glory for ourselves or some austere lifestyle that rejects those in need for fear of tainting our own so-called "holiness." We are only holy because of the blood of the Lamb, and we can only approach God on account of His grace. The LORD has instructed us to care for one another, especially those who are spiritually sick and seeking the healing power of the Holy Spirit. At the same time, the LORD has set aside times for us to sit at His feet and learn, and we ought to prepare ahead of time for these days so that we can rest before Him and not worry about the things of this world. The Kingdom is spiritual, not physical. We ought to care for the spiritual needs first before worrying about anything else.

Dad said: Jesus sent them out like sheep among the wolves.  I like to imagine The Lord’s Disciples traveling through the countryside, entering the cities of Israel. How wonderful it must have been to see them coming.

O Zion,
You who bring good tidings,
Get up into the high mountain;
O Jerusalem,
You who bring good tidings,
Lift up your voice with strength,
Lift it up, be not afraid;
Say to the cities of Judah, “Behold your God!”
Isaiah 40:9-23

Music helps me to visualize.  How Lovely Are The Messengers: https://youtu.be/Sor-oqjj1ig 

Luke 11, Luke 12

Yeshua gave us a model prayer, not to recite, but to use as an example for prayer: First, Praise God and call upon Him to bring His Kingdom into our lives. Ask not for bread for the belly, but bread for the soul, for the LORD said He would give us the food and clothing we need. Ask for forgiveness while also forgiving others. Pray for deliverance from the attacks of the evil one. Praise the LORD again for the victory He has accomplished in us.

We ought to persistently ask the LORD in prayer for the spiritual blessings He has promised to those who are faithful to His Word. If a man helps one who persistently and boldly asks, then certainly the LORD will provide spiritual healing and spiritual provision when we pray consistently to Him.

Those who call evil good and good evil had better beware. Those who call Yeshua's work evil and deny His salvational power cannot be saved. We cannot be divided, but must unite in our faith in Yeshua, and in this we will win souls for the Kingdom. We must trust in Yeshua and consequently obey Him, and then His Holy Spirit will fill the void left by any evil spirits that are cast off through faith. Without faith in the power of the Holy Spirit, spiritual bondage cannot be broken and we cannot be free nor victorious, but with such faith we can be free indeed.

A woman literally recited the words of a Catholic prayer, but Yeshua rebuked her and said, "Blessed are those who hear the Word of God and obey it!" Mary was one of those people who obeyed God's Word, and she ought to be remembered fondly, but she too sleeps in the grave until the Last Day. Our focus ought to be on serving the living God and applying His eternal Word to our lives rather than honoring any of the dead.

This generation, like Yeshua's generation, will see widespread destruction on account of disbelief and rebellion against God, but those who repent and trust in God like the people of Nineveh, a Gentile city, will be raised up to new life. The LORD seeks those who don't know Him, because He pities them in their ignorance. All will be given a chance to repent. We ought to be generous with our love, which is obedience to God for the benefit of others, and this is the very commission Yeshua gave to us. Our light must shine brightly in this way. Rather than seek worldly attention or acclaim, or follow the example of those who do, we rather ought to fall humbly before God and ask for His mercy. The crowds ought to beware of false teaching, for to fall into a popular faith is to fall into darkness. The Truth shines forth brighter in the midst of total darkness, and though we may not perceive its reception when we proclaim it, one day it will be proclaimed in all the land. In teaching Truth, we must not fear any worldly retribution, but rather understand that we save ourselves and maybe others through our boldness for Messiah Yeshua. We ought to be found doing this when our Master returns from the wedding feast.

Luke 13, Luke 14

Unless you turn to God from your sins, all will be lost.

A pastor ought to bear fruit in four years, and multiply in the fifth.

The Sabbath is meant for healing and blessing. It is the last remnant of the perfect Creation God made for us, which we will experience in the Kingdom of God to come. We have the opportunity to enjoy God's presence His way when we remember to keep Shabbat His way.

The Kingdom of God cannot be seen, but with faith it will grow to replace all else with its abundance.

The LORD will not admit the wicked into His Kingdom, but we must be like Abraham, Isaac, Jacob and the prophets to get in.

Yeshua acknowledged Herod would play a part in His death, but Yeshua would lay down His own life the way He intended, as the Passover Lamb. Those who sought to destroy Him would lose their connection to God.

Yeshua likened Shabbat to a wedding feast, during which we must humbly enter to give all glory to God. Those poor, disfigured, crippled and blind will come in and be healed, for they are humble, recognize and confess their sins, follow God's law, and see the path to repentance, while those proud, outwardly perfect, following man's law, and who believe they are righteous will be cast out. When the LORD calls us to gather on the Sabbath and Holy days, we ought to cleanse our conscience and come immediately rather than make excuses about work or family obligations. The LORD will find those willing to hear Him and bring them into His rest. We must put God first before all else, but in so doing, we had better make sure we can endure, or our end will be worse than if we had never been saved at all. The apostate will suffer the most—in this life and in the next.

Luke 15, Luke 16, Luke 17

This is the day the LORD has made to seek after sinners to bring them toward confession and repentance. He has enlisted you and me to do this, by fulfilling the Great Commission of Matthew 28:18-20. God forbid we fail in this, for it is our number one duty; namely, to be "ambassadors of reconciliation" for Messiah Yeshua, as Paul called us. If we look at the sinners who come in with humble and contrite hearts and show them scorn or distrust, we are like the Older Brother who shows no mercy, and only the merciful will be shown mercy. However, for those who have not repented and have not made themselves humble, the LORD also said we are not to cast our pearls before swine. We leave it up to Him to find that lost sheep and return him or her to the fold. Nevertheless, the LORD also said our mercy ought to outweigh all else: "If your brother sins, rebuke him; and if he repents, forgive him. Also, if seven times in one day he sins against you, and seven times he comes to you and says, ‘I repent,’ you are to forgive him.”

The parable of the shrewd manager made sense to me finally today. If we give away our excess resources from the corners of our "field," meaning the excess that we don't need, then we will be storing up treasures in Heaven for the day when the LORD returns for us. If we rather have an evil eye and do not give generously to the people of this world, then how can we expect any place in God's Kingdom where all will share together as one Body?

We must know the law and the prophets and keep the teachings of the LORD there in spirit and in truth in order to have any benefit from the resurrection. The LORD came to save the sinner and bring him or her to repentance. To repent means to live according to the Way of God, which He has articulated in the Law and the Prophets and exemplified in His living mission. If we aren't keeping the law and prophets as we follow Yeshua's example, can we truly say we have faith? The parable of the wealthy man and Lazarus shows that now is the time to serve the LORD; we cannot wait for another day. "If today you hear His voice, harden not your hearts."

Our faith and trust in the LORD is what helps us to endure in this world and to boldly serve the LORD when He calls us to do so. The LORD's parable of the slave who has come back from the field is a powerful reminder that we do not keep the law to earn salvation, but we ought to keep the law because our Master has commanded us to do so: "It’s the same with you — when you have done everything you were told to do, you should be saying, ‘We’re just ordinary slaves, we have only done our duty.’” We are debtors, Paul writes in Romans, and so we ought to do what we were told. Yet, we cannot repay our debt, and so we need the grace of God to bridge that gap. This grace does not excuse our duty to obey.

We ought to watch, for the LORD's return will come suddenly like lightening flashing across the sky when everything appears to be going on as it normally does in the world. Every day ought to be devoted to seeking Him on account of His grace and obeying His commandments because it is our duty to do so as debtors to our Master who saves us.

Luke 18, Luke 19

Luke 18 begins with the LORD telling a parable to impress on His disciples that they must keep praying and not lose heart. If even a judge delivers justice to a widow who pesters him, surely the LORD will answer the persistent prayers of the ones He loves! The chapter ended with the parable of a man who lived this out in the flesh, calling out to Yeshua to help him see, even when the people around him discouraged him. He persisted in prayer, despite this, and Yeshua stopped and healed him. How much more will He heal us and help us see when we persist in prayer?

We ought to be humble in prayer, for the LORD looks upon the humble and contrite and not those who proudly claim "grace, grace," while they continue in their sins.

We must be willing to give what we have to the LORD and make things right according to the Torah, just as the tax collector Zacchaeus did when he saw the mercy of the LORD available to him, and he welcomed the LORD joyfully. He obtained salvation through repentance, restitution according to the law, and faith in Yeshua. Those who humble themselves will be exalted! Don't we desire the LORD to come and dine with us? But if we cling to worldly riches above what the LORD offers, how can we expect Him to welcome us into His Kingdom? The LORD allows us to choose which Kingdom we prefer.

Yeshua is the king who left His servants with talents to do His will while He is away. When He returns, He will repay us according to our works. Those who have produced much fruit will have abundance, while those who have squandered their salvation and done nothing with it will be cast out and their salvation will be taken away. Those who did not desire the King at all will be destroyed.

The LORD came in from the East and was welcomed as the Messiah by those Jews who had come to know Him. Those who rebuked Him would have their authority removed and their seat of power destroyed in Jerusalem. We must recognize our opportunity for salvation when the LORD offers it, for destruction awaits those who doubt or delay. We do not know what hour the thief will return in the night—it could be any moment.

Luke 20, Luke 21

Yeshua's authority came from Heaven, from within Himself, for He is the Son of God, and John's authority also came from Heaven. Likewise, Paul wote that the elders chosen to lead over congregations are also appointed by the Holy Spirit. God's order is superior to the order of men; He has chosen to make the things of the wise and learned foolish and those who know God and His Word brilliant and life giving.

The field, the vinyard or the farm, regardless of the metaphor, was planted by God to bear fruit. He even told Adam: "Be fruitful and multiply." Yeshua said in His Great Commission, "Go and make disciples of all nations." Fruit that comes from this production ought to be given back to the Father, rather than kept selfishly for those who are tending the crops. It is designed to multiply, and the LORD will ensure His farmers are multiplying fruit, or they will be destroyed. The best farmers are broken by the Truth of God's Word so they can rely on His firm foundation for their house, while the selfish farmers are crushed when the rock falls on their pompous heads.

While we live in this world, there will be authorities that make demands upon us and we ought to let them keep their idolatrous trappings for themselves, but we ought to give God what belongs to Him, which is absolutely everything. Let us humble ourselves to put God's will before our own.

The Resurrection of the Dead occurs on the Last Day, and all will be raised up on that day, whether dead or alive. The next moment after our own death will be the judgment of God, but we may sleep in the grave for however long it may be until He comes—we won't be aware while we wait. And thus we will all stand before God at once. If we are worthy to enter in, we will live eternally with Him and there will be no need to reproduce children, because we will be children ourselves of the Most High.

What attachments do we have in this life and what are we willing to give up if God asks us? It's a different path for each of us, because God knows our hearts. When He calls on us to give up something we believe we may love, we ought to be willing to give it up. To obey God during these times brings greater riches than any material thing that leads to death.

It is not wrong for the apostles to marvel at the stones of the Temple, where God had been worshipped by truly faithful men, but Yeshua had come to build the eternal Temple, beginning with Himself as the corner stone. It would be a temple made of men and women who follow Him, and His Spirit would dwell within each member. This transition took 40 years to fully realize, from the time that Yeshua was crucified and resurrected in AD 30 to AD 70. And then in AD 132, some of the false Messiahs Yeshua spoke about came: Simon Bar Kopkha and Rabbi Akiva, and they began to rebuild the Temple and declare the time of the Great King. In AD 135, Rome surrounded Jerusalem and utterly destroyed all who dwelt there—more than a million. They banned Jews from living there and persecuted Judaism profoundly. Sadly, some followers of Yeshua also fell away during this time and from fear turned away from the faith that Yeshua taught them, abandoning things they called "Jewish" but were actually from God. And now the time of desolation—this time of the Gentiles—is upon us, until the Appointed Time when the LORD will restore all things. Blessed are those saints who keep the commandments of God and who keep the testimony of Yeshua, enduring until He comes.

In these Last Days, following the death and resurrection of Yeshua, our duty is to watch, which means to pray for the LORD's help so that we can endure in faith. We are in the Days of Noah, when "every thought and intent in the hearts of men is only evil continually," but God forbid we think more highly of ourselves. We ought to get down on our knees and pray, "Be merciful to me, a sinner; I do not deserve your grace." And God freely gives grace to the humble, but this is no excuse to go our own way and do our own things, for such is pride. We must rather submit ourselves to His command, because through His law God blesses His servants. This is why He warned: Do not be deceived. It is easy for Satan to convince men to follow their own way believing they're serving God. It is the oldest trick in the book of death. Those whose names are written in the Book of Life go the Way of Yeshua, who kept God's law flawlessly. And when we face tribulation, it is an opportunity to witness to the Truth of God's Word—let us endure in this Truth. Even parents, relatives and friends will betray and hate us for this. By standing firm we save our lives with God in His Kingdom. Heaven and Earth may even pass away, but the Word of God endures forever. Death is the end of our opportunity to serve God, so serve Him now and "stay alert, always praying that you have the strength to escape all the things that will happen and stand in the presence of the Son of Man."

Luke 22, Luke 23

Yeshua's Passover Seder was one of purpose, for Yeshua would be the Passover Lamb, but it certainly would NOT be the Last Supper. Indeed, Yeshua said, "I will not drink the ‘fruit of the vine’ until the Kingdom of God comes.” The Marriage Supper of the Lamb will be the next Passover fulfilled by Yeshua, but it has not yet come. And so we must "do this in memory of" Him, meaning to "keep the feast," for He is the Lamb who was slain for the atonement of our sin, and His blood was shed to bring in the New Covenant of promise. It was a betrothal to the bridegroom, and the wedding is yet to come. There is so much to celebrate in loving obedience to God!

We must serve in order to be a leader who follows Yeshua. The adversary will sift us as wheat, but we will still be brought into the barn if we endure the test of time.

Please LORD give us strength to testify to Your Name in the midst of hardship and to endure through whatever suffering we must endure until you come.

Pilate and Herod became friends the day they killed the Son of God, because evil ones congregate together to conspire against the faithful of God, and this we must also bear.

The thiefs on the cross represent the two positions we might take when confronted with suffering for our faith. Do we cry out for the LORD to deliver us from suffering or do we cry out for Him to help us endure through it for His glory? The one who endures until the end will be saved.

Yeshua said, “Daughters of Yerushalayim, don’t cry for me; cry for yourselves and your children! For the time is coming when people will say, ‘The childless women are the lucky ones — those whose wombs have never borne a child, whose breasts have never nursed a baby! Then They will begin to say to the mountains, ‘Fall on us!’ and to the hills, ‘Cover us!’ For if they do these things when the wood is green, what is going to happen when it’s dry?” > We are living in these days when women say blessed are those who's wombs have never borne a child or whose breasts have never nursed a baby, and thus the prophesy of the very end is upon us. When men start to cry to the Hills and mountains to cover them, the LORD will have unveiled Himself on His throne. What an awesome day!

The women (and all the faithful) rested on the Sabbath. Yeshua also rested in the grave.

Luke 21

Luke's resurrection story includes some details Mark only referenced, such as the Road to Emmaus story. What an amazing thing to have the LORD open up understanding of all His Torah and the prophets! The good news, according to 2 Corinthians 3, is that He does this for you and me when we come to trust in Him as our Savior and Messiah, the Son of the living God, and follow Him in all of His ways.

The doubts the men had are curious, but have we not all found ourselves in this place from time to time? The women were more attuned to the Holy Spirit, and we also ought to understand that our God-fearing wives (truly faithful) have this same sensitivity that we men ought to consider. The LORD keeps coming back and encouraging us, even though He has done so many powerful things for us in the past. Why do we forget them? We are sheep and we need our Shepherd to guide us home.

Luke's Gospel does not end here, but continues into Acts 1. The beginning of Acts is similar to the end of Matthew.

I love how the LORD gave the Priestly blessing from Numbers 6:22-27 to His Apostles before He left them, for He is our High Priest after the Order of Melchizedek.

John 1

John drops atomic bomb after atomic bomb professing that Yeshua is the Word of God who became flesh and tabernacled among us, and the Word IS God; He is the light of life and darkness flees before Him. It was not because of bloodline that we become adopted children of God through Him, but through faith in His identity as God and His power (what He accomplished and promises). He is full of grace and Truth; the mercy of God and the authority of His law, married together. He is the visible manifestation of God and Has been forever and will be forever. John bore witness to Him as the Son of God, but also as God's sacrificial Lamb, the one who would die on Passover—the First Day of Unleavened Bread—as our one-time sacrificial atonement, and never again will sacrifices be required. The Apostles knew, like babes who recognize Father, that Yeshua is the Messiah, and they followed Him without reservation. We must do the same.

John 2, John 3

As John continues, it's clear his Gospel is not chronological, but thematic. His point in writing is to teach the deeper Spiritual lessons that Yeshua taught.

The wine that comes the second time is better than the first at the wedding feast, for the first is of man and the second is from God. When we listen to Him, He brings out new wine for us to live on, which is His blood sacrifice for the atonement of sin and the celebration that will occur into eternity because of it.

The zeal for God's house consumed our LORD, and there is a time and a place to expel the darkness without mercy, just as He did.

The LORD would allow the temple made by men to be destroyed so He could build the third Temple, which would start with His Body, the cornerstone. The Apostles would fill out the foundation, and we would then be built upon that firm foundation.

When we give our life to Yeshua, His Holy Spirit will lead us where He wants, and we may not know where or when He comes or where He's leading, but we had better go with the LORD when He moves.

The LORD did not love the whole world. He loved the whole world in that He was willing to die for our sins, so that all who believe in Him might have eternal life. He "so" loved the world. In other words, this is the manner in which He loved the world.

Yeshua baptized people along with John and their disciples did ministry together. I had never seen that before.

Yeshua is the bridegroom and Israel is His bride. We had better accept what He said and did for us, speak and do God's words as He did, and trust in Him for eternal life. If we disobey God, we will be subject to His wrath.

John 4, John 5

The Messiah would provide living water welling up to eternal life to those who have faith in Him. It is this Spiritual water that brings forth Spiritual fruit in us.

In Yeshua, we no longer worship in Jerusalem or on Mt. Gerizim, but now we worship God wherever two or more are gathered in Spirit and in Truth in Yeshua's name, in a new Temple made without Human Hands. The Spirit comes from faith in Yeshua and the Truth is the Word of God, which is both the letter and the living example, a testimony of two.

We are nourished by doing the will of God.

When the people from Samaria came to see Yeshua based on the woman's word, they said, "we no longer have faith because of what you said, because we have heard for ourselves." Our faith comes from the Apostles' Doctrine in Scripture, but with faith comes the Holy Spirit and an authentic relationship that we can experience for ourselves with Yeshua. The Word becomes living and powerful and active in our lives when we trust in the living God. When we spread this Gospel, whether we reap or sow the seed in others, we rejoice in God.

Healing does not require our prayers directly in the vicinity of the sick, but with faith Yeshua can heal anyone from afar. Nevertheless, when the time is right, we ought to visit the sick.

The LORD healed a man trying to rely on pagan ritual so he could walk. It was his trust in Yeshua and abandonment of the pagan ritual that brought him to his feet.

Yeshua was accused of violating Shabbat, but truly He only violated the man-made oral tradition of the elders. Yeshua never violated the Spirit of Shabbat as God intended it to be remembered and kept in the law. Only in His perfection could Yeshua truly be the Son of God and atone for our sins.

Yeshua and the Father are One, and yet distinct. Many words are used here to show that the Father and the Son are One God.

In 2 Corinthians 3, Paul wrote that in Messiah the veil is removed when we read the Old Testament. Yeshua said the same thing here when He said, "You keep examining the Tanakh because you think that in it you have eternal life. Those very Scriptures bear witness to Me." Only when we come to Yeshua in faith can we inherit life, because He showed us how to truly keep the law properly with faith and love. At the same time, if we don't believe what Moses wrote, how can we believe Yeshua? We must be obedient to God's commands and have faith in Yeshua to be glorified in God.

John 6, John 7

The LORD had a crowd of 5000 men with women and children miraculously fed while listening to His Word. Yeshua didn't seek to keep all of them, but only those who knew Him by His Word. He explained they would have to eat His flesh and drink His blood to be saved, a repulsive idea to those who did not know Him, but He was speaking metaphorically and in Spiritual terms, which He made clear: "This is a trap for you? Suppose you were to see the Son of Man going back up to where he was before? It is the Spirit who gives life, the flesh is no help." Where was He before? He was at the right hand of God! God is Spirit and the Son of God was speaking spiritually. His flesh is His Word and His blood is His sacrifice for the atonement of our sins. We must accept His sacrifice for our atonement and obey His Word, making it a  part of who we are. When we do this, we will have eternal life with Him. It is a shame that some have imagined cannibalism was Yeshua's intent. They miss the Truth, just like the majority did then, but Yeshua was seeking a remnant and this is still what He seeks.

Yeshua went down to Sukkot, the feast of Tabernacles, only after the crowds had gone. It wasn't time for His crucifixion, but that was coming up at the next Passover. He went as required by the law and He spoke strategically to ensure His message would be lasting. He explained that the law of God was spiritual, and that it is not work to heal on the Sabbath. If the Rabbis were allowed to circumcise on the eighth day, even if it was Sabbath, can't a whole man be healed on the Sabbath also? This implies that the circumcision makes a man whole, and it truly does, for it represents the flesh being taken away from the heart, leaving what is Spiritual in nature, redeemed by the blood of Yeshua. Our circumcision is of the heart after we accept the blood of Yeshua for our atonement. He gives us living water to drink, which is the Holy Spirit, and this water will then flow out of us.

The Pharisees didn't know where He was from; not physically or spiritually. He was born in Bethlehem, just as foretold, and yet they thought He was from the Galilee. He was from the Father, born as the only begotten Son of God, but they supposed he was of the devil. Only those whom the Father drew to Himself could see Him for who He was, and each that was drawn would then have to choose to follow Him. Peter said, "Where else would we go, for you have the words of eternal life." This too I also say. The road is difficult to follow Yeshua, but what other road leads to life?

John 8, John 9

If the woman was caught in the very act of adultery, then where was the man? According to Torah, both ought to be stoned. How did the men know she was an adulteress? Did they sleep with her? All signs point to hypocrisy, and Yeshua forgave the woman who was visibly terrified of God. Yeshua, who forgives those who repent, said to the woman, "Go and sin no more."

Yeshua is the Light of the World, the Son of God, the Great I Am. Those trying to trap Him were of the devil, who is the accuser. The Children of Abraham are those who do the will of the Father, just as Abraham did, because of their faith. These blind guides weren't upset by the verbal sparring, but when He said "Ego Eimi," meaning I AM, they picked up stones to throw at Him. They knew He was calling Himself God, and so should we who trust in Him.

Yeshua healed those without sight, not just helping them see but also forgiving their sins, and through this process they received eternal life, but those who said they see and yet sinned were guilty of all they had done. There is none who is righteous, no not one. Without the healing grace of Yeshua, there is no hope for any of us. But once we are healed, we ought to remain humble and obey the God of righteousness. The man who was healed of blindness could see by Yeshua's works that the Messiah was and is God; for had any man before ever restored sight to the blind? Yes, this babe was wiser than the wise because he knew Yeshua.

 John 10, John 11

Do you want to hear the Voice of the LORD? Read His Word and do what it instructs. The LORD will speak to the sheep who hear His voice and follow Him.

Those who are wolves and seek to destroy the sheep attempt to discredit and dismiss the Word of God. Any who attempt to steal the Word also seek to kill and destroy those who would have listened to it.

Yeshua, in Jerusalem for Hanukkah, plainly said He is the light of the world; that He and the Father are one. The Jewish leaders didn't misunderstand what He said. They picked up stones to throw at Him because He, "being a Man, make Yourself God." He referred to Psalm 82, which describes the time when the pre-incarnate Yeshua ruled as LORD of the divine council that the principalities would die like men because the led the people of God astray. With this reference, Yeshua was similarly explaining to the Jewish leaders that they would be judged for leading the people astray.  

Yeshua rose Lazarus from the dead to show one more time that He had the power of God to raise the dead, for He is the resurrection and the life. Those who believed in Him would be saved, while those who ran off to conspire against Him would be lost. Caiaphas prophesied rightly that "one man should die for the people, and not that the whole nation should perish." Don't forget that Yeshua came for this purpose, to die so that we might be saved by His blood. As Passover approached, it was almost time to for the Lamb of God to be sacrificed to end all sacrifice.

John 12, John 13

The women heard Yeshua and believed Him. Martha knew that Yeshua would raise up her brother on the Last Day, for that is what He said. For Lazarus, Yeshua made an exception to show His resurrection power. He will call us by name, and we will rise. Does the LORD know our names? Are we written into His Book? Lazarus likely died again and awaits that Last Day resurrection, but for now he was a witness to Yeshua's divinity. Alive again, he sat at the table and watched his sister Mary douse Yeshua's feet with a years' wages worth of spikenard to anoint Him for burial. For Judas, this was the last straw. He was awaiting the Messiah who would restore Jerusalem to Israel and remove the Roman occupiers, and that Messiah could not die. Did Judas believe he could force Yeshua's hand? Did he believe that Yeshua would have to rise to the seat of power on account of his betrayal? Indeed, Yeshua did rise to the seat of power in Heaven, but at the expense of Judas's soul. Anyone who looks to build their kingdom in this world will be lost, for Yeshua said, "He who loves his life will lose it, and he who hates his life in this world will keep it for eternal life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me; and where I am, there My servant will be also. If anyone serves Me, him My Father will honor." We must hear these words and do them, for the Word will judge us on the Last Day.

Yeshua's ride on the colt into Jerusalem was done on the 10th of Aviv, or the 10th of Nisan, which was the day for the inspection of the Lamb. The 14th would be the Passover at sundown and the 15th, the First Day of Unleavened Bread, when Yeshua would be lifted up on the cross as the last sin offering to the LORD. In one of His last messages to His disciples, Yeshua washed their feet. Peter's dialogue is important, for it teaches the underling Truth. When we come together for the Passover Seder or any Sabbath celebration, we ought to wash one another's feet. While a literal practice of this might be good symbolism, blind practice of such a work is not what Yeshua intended. He ALWAYS taught in parables, and this was no exception. Note that Yeshua said Peter didn't need to wash his whole body, but if he didn't wash his feet, he could not inherit eternal life. Here's the meaning: We are cleansed of our sin through faith in Yeshua and obedience to His Word, but when we go out into the world, week-by-week, we pick up the sins of the world on our feet just by going about our business. We can't help it. Thus, when we come together, we must confess our sins to one another, for when we do this the LORD is faithful and just to forgive our sins and cleanse us from all unrighteousness. This is what it means to wash one another's feet.

John 14, John 15

John 14 and 15 are among the most powerful words recorded from our LORD, for they confirm several things:
Yeshua is the Way, the Truth and the Life, and no one gets to the Father except through faith in Him. That goes for Jew and it goes for Gentile. There is no difference. He is preparing a place for those who love Him and keep His commandments.
Yeshua is God. If we have seen Him, we have seen the Father. He sent the Spirit to all flesh after His death and resurrection, and it is Yeshua Himself who comes to us as the Spirit. We have One God who manifests Himself in three distinct ways.
If we love God (Father/Son/Spirt), we will keep his commandments. We will know that we are Yeshua's disciples if we bear fruit, which is obedience to God. We can only do this if we know Him, because He is the one who helps us. If we don't bear fruit we will be destroyed. If we don't know Him, we will not bear fruit.
We must love one another as Yeshua loved us, and that is how we will know we are His disciples. His example of how to keep Torah is how we love one another. We must follow our Master and do the same things that He did, even up to and including death for the Faith.

John 16, John 17

We can expect trial and tribulation as followers of Yeshua, and in fact, if we aren't experiencing it, this should lead us to question whether we are truly following Him.

The Second Covenant has come into being with the resurrection and ascension of Yeshua, and now the Holy Spirit has fallen upon all flesh. We are without excuse, and yet so many rebel against the Spirit and go their own way.

The Father, Son and Holy Spirit are One.

The LORD gave an analogy of a woman in childbirth to reflect the Last Day resurrection of the dead. We will know this day is coming by the labor pains increasing in intensity and frequency until that last push brings forth the joyful end! We will be with Him in His Kingdom forever more and will want nothing.

In the midst of our troubles, we ought to ask for the LORD's will to be done in us, and He will oblige, giving us complete peace.

The LORD prayed to the Father for His direct Apostles, whose Word we would believe by. His prayer is full of imagery that suggests the Oneness of the Father, Son and Spirit, and His desire for us to come into relationship in Oneness with Him as a bride with a bridegroom. He also prayed for those of us who would believe because of the Apostle's Doctrine, that we also would be One along with the direct Apostles. He DID NOT pray for the world, for it and all who cling to it will be destroyed. We don't belong here, and neither did Yeshua. We were made to be in union with God in His Kingdom, and thus we shall be if we endure in our faithfulness.

John 18, John 19

Judas knew Yeshua's most secret habits and used these to betray the LORD in the dark of night. Note when the Devil's co-conspirators answered the disciples' question, "Whom do you want?," with the response, "Yeshua from Nazareth," Yeshua did NOT answer with what you read in your English translations. He did not say "I am He." This is a bad translation. Instead, He said: "Ἐγώ εἰμι," which translates to "I AM." These are the same words that were used in Exodus 3:14 when YHVH said to Moses, "I AM," in the Greek Septuagint version of the Torah. It is not mistakenly written this way in the original Greek. It's intentional. It is no wonder then that in response to Yeshua's Word about Himself, "I AM," "they went backward from him and fell to the ground." Even those taking Him into captivity had to bow to the name of God. Every knee indeed will bow, even those who are among the enemy. And yet, they still carried out their evil plot, and the tempter thought he would be victorious. Little did he know, it would bring about his destruction. The most wonderful 3D chess game of all time had just been won by the Creator of Heaven and Earth and everything in it, because He gave Himself willingly and "death could not hold Him," the giver of life.

Pilate placed the sign, "The KING of the JEWS" above Yeshua's head on the cross in Hebrew, Greek and Latin, wanting to make sure all who passed by knew that rebels against the emperor would be ended. This is precisely how the Jewish Rabbis convinced Pilate to carry out the execution, saying, “If you set this man free, it means you’re not a ‘Friend of the Emperor’!" The Chief Priest also amazingly proclaimed, "We have no king but the Emperor," repeating the same mistake as the Jews in 1st Samuel who demanded a king like the nations had around them. The Jewish Rabbis had tried to change his writing to read: "He said, 'I am King of the Jews.'” It wasn't disputed in either case. Yeshua was indeed making this claim to be the King of the Jews. He was and still is the King of Israel, and we must be grafted-in to Israel through faith in Yeshua and obedience to the law of God to be counted among His people who will dwell in His Kingdom. He is also the King of the Universe. Anyone, Jew or Gentile, who chooses an earthly ruler in his or her heart above the King of kings and Lord of lords will not dwell in the eternal kingdom. Ps. 146:3-7 applies then and now: "Do not put your trust in princes, or in A son of man..." Only in THE Son of Man.

John 20, John 21

We will recognize the LORD when He calls our name, which is written in the Lamb's Book of Life, and from that point we ought to follow Him by the power of the Holy Spirit. How remarkable is it that the LORD has called to each of us? How have we answered His call? Do we follow Him with all our heart, soul, mind and strength? If not, then today, if you hear His voice, harden not your hearts as in the days of your rebellion.

The LORD had not yet waved Himself as the First Fruits offering before the Father in Heaven when He first saw Miriam. He went and did this, and then He appeared to the Apostles, but Thomas was not there and so he doubted. On the last day of the Feast of Unleavened Bread, He appeared to the Apostles again, including Thomas, who having seen Him in His resurrected body, believed and declared, "My LORD and my God!," a testimony to His faith in Yeshua. To Thomas, Yeshua gave this remarkable Word that applies to you and me: "How blessed are those who do not see, but believe!” When we believe that Yeshua is God, that He came in the flesh, died as our one-time atonement, and rose from the dead into new life, we will be saved and then we will also see.

Yeshua gave Peter a chance to atone for His sin of doubt and disbelief, asking Him three times whether He loved Him. In this dialogue, Yeshua allowed Peter to overcome his failure and be restored in faith. This faith came with responsibility to feed the sheep that belong to Yeshua, something that He also asked me to do using these same words. It was a humbling request for the creator of all things to ask of me, I can assure you. I pray, as I'm sure Peter did also, that the LORD gives me wisdom and discernment to properly shepherd His people until He calls me home. Regardless of the methodology, I look forward to that next step, also, according to His will.

The Gospels contain the works of Yeshua, but so does all of Scripture. And even in this great love letter that God has given His children, who are also the bride of Messiah Yeshua, the Bridegroom, there isn't enough room to contain all of His works. His works are infinite, and we will share in them when we trust in Yeshua and abide in His Word.

Acts 1, Acts, 2, Acts 3

Yeshua was seen for 40 days by 500 after He rose, and He spoke about the Kingdom of God. He foretold the coming of the Holy Spirit poured out on all flesh on Shavuot (Pentecost), and the feast would be remembered as the beginning of the New Covenant from that point forward. When the Spirt moves, He calls on God's people to repent and to lead others to repentance. The early disciples spoke in tongues, not aimlessly or without meaning, but so that others would hear the Gospel in their own language, and this brought many into the faith. Such should be the purpose of any manifestation of this gift.

Peter's first sermon was a powerful testimony that Yeshua had risen, just as prophesied by David, and that He also was One in being with God; both LORD and Messiah, seated at the right hand on the throne of God, now interceding through His Holy Spirit Who was available to all. Those hearing His testimony were cut to the heart, and 3000 were baptized and brought into the New Covenant Apostolic Judaism. By the time the early congregation was done, history reports that 1/3rd of Jerusalem had become Messianic. They celebrated openly and with great joy, voluntarily sharing all that they had with one another, living the way a good community should. They had respect from all of the people. The Truth had been adopted.

The early community of Jewish followers of the Way were soon to become too big for the Jewish leaders who were being replaced by them. Through faith, Peter healed a lame man as His master had done. The Spirit was moving and the LORD was giving many opportunities for His people to accept Him. Again, His message to those who believed on account of these miracles was "repent and turn to God, so that your sins may be erased, and so that times of refreshing may come from the LORD's presence, and so that Messiah Yeshua might return to restore all things." This message is the same today. Our death might come at any moment, and after that will come the judgment. The next thing anyone who dies will see is the return of Messiah Yeshua. Because we do not know the day or the hour, we must repent and believe, and consequently follow Him in all of His ways.

Acts 4, Acts 5, Acts 6

The boldness of faith and testimony that Peter and John shared in the ministry is something I so strongly desire. They were not afraid of offending. They were not afraid to raise up the disabled and to heal the sick. They were not afraid to speak the name of Yeshua, the Messiah, even though they were warned not to.

How many shy away from speaking His name today because they worry they might get fired? How many believe the power of the Holy Spirit was for another day?

The Spirit is alive and well, and God can and will protect His servants until the moment He's ready for us to come Home. We ought to go out and preach and heal as Peter and John did, for it is right to obey God and not man. Let us not fear man. What can man do to us? We ought to fear the one who can cast both body and soul into hell. Yes, God, we should fear and in Yeshua's name we ought to serve Him

We had better speak rightly before the Holy Spirit of God and not let our left hand know what our right hand is doing, lest we be struck dead for coveting the praise of men rather than God.

It is not right for teachers to wait tables, but there is a calling on some to do this. There is a role for everyone in the church, and we all ought to stand up and do it.

Acts 7, Acts 8

God called Abraham and promised an inheritance, but did not provide it in this world; it was meant for the next. When God called Joseph, his brothers resented him for his prophesies, mistaking them for pride, and sold him into slavery. But through their betrayal they were saved, and Joseph provided food for them and a place of rest, yet in a foreign land. When Moses sought to make peace among his brothers, he was cast out as a heretic, only to return many years later to set them free from bondage. Yet, when he gave the law that would bring freedom and blessing to the people, they rejected it, seeking instead to be slaves to their pagan ways. Likewise, Moses showed Israel a foreshadowing of God's kingdom in the Heavens through the tabernacle, a temporary dwelling for a temporary world, but Solomon built a temple feigning to make a home for God; yet God would only put His feet in this world for a short while. The people never understood that God's Kingdom was not of this world, that their inheritance would come upon its arrival, that their rejected messengers spoke Truth and Life to them, and that God alone should be worshipped and praised. We ought to pray, as we too are cast off: "Forgive them LORD; they don't know." Receive us.

God uses the enemy's acrimony and persecution to spread His message of love, and because it is an unreasonable love to most men, it causes some of them to ponder it, and a smaller few to accept it. The LORD has routinely used tribulation to spread His Word, as far back as Babel, and maybe even the Garden of Eden. He said, "go forth and multiply" then, and later He said, "go therefore, and spread the Good News..." At all times we disobey this command, but He causes us to do it anyway through judgment for disobedience. It's so much easier to assemble in comfort with those we love and get along with, but He wants us dealing with those who make us uncomfortable whom we don't get along with so He can save some of them.

As the Apostles spread, they went into Samaria, the next place after Judah that Yeshua had sent them, and then from there they began to head toward the edges of the world. They converted a warlock, who once proud later begged for forgiveness to be counted worthy among the brethren. Then they began to reach the Gentiles, first with the Eunuch who would spread the Messianic faith into the Ethiopian empire. They taught from the Old Testament and Baptized new converts, who then received the Holy Spirit.

Acts 9, Acts 10

The LORD took Paul with a murderous heart and brought him to a point of surrender to the One he was persecuting while believing he was serving Him. Do we ever believe we serve God with harsh judgment against others when it is God who judges, and He will indeed judge us first—we who call upon His name. Let us have the same heart of repentance as Paul, to turn as quickly upon the LORD's conviction. And then let us also have the heart of Barnabas, the encourager, who welcomed the changed man without reservation and brought him in among them all. They didn't welcome him in unchanged, but changed, and then they sent him out to do what God had called him to do.

Peter continued on serving his Jewish brethren, healing and raising the dead in the name of the LORD, but God had a different path for him. No longer would he serve only the Jews, but he would do what God commanded him before His ascension: make disciples in Judea, in Sameria, and to the edge of the world. God told Cornelius, a God-fearer, that Peter was coming, and then God showed Peter that he must welcome three Gentiles with a vision of unclean animals lowered three times before him. God was not telling Peter to eat unclean food, but to welcome Gentiles into the faith, for before this time Jews saw Gentiles as unclean. The Word confirms this interpretation, particularly here, where Peter said: “You are well aware that for a man who is a Jew to have close association with someone who belongs to another people, or to come and visit him, is something that just isn’t done. But God has shown me not to call any person common or unclean; so when I was summoned, I came without raising any questions." And subsequently the Gentiles believed and received the Holy Spirit, and then they were baptized—they were grafted-in to Israel by the name of Yeshua.

Acts 11, Acts 12, Acts 13

The believing Jews were upset with Peter for eating with Gentiles, because the oral tradition restricted this and they were accustomed to these rules of men. But the Tanakh did not command such a thing; rather it was clear that God would bring His grace to all the nations of the whole world who repented and turned to Yeshua, starting with the Jews. Peter broke the impasse by explaining his vision, wherein God lowered three cloths with unclean animals and said "rise and eat"—He meant for Peter to "take in" the three Gentiles at his door. This was prophesied in Isaiah 43:19-21. Peter never ate unclean food. This was a test of God, very similar to the test of Ezekiel in Ezekiel 4. Read it. In God's test, the LORD showed both Peter and Ezekiel a new thing: "That the children of Israel would eat their defiled bread among the Gentiles." The Bread of Life (Yeshua) wasn't truly defiled—only according to the eyes of unbelievers. When the Gentiles believed in Yeshua and received the Holy Spirit, God showed the fulfillment of prophesy; that the Spirit would fall on all flesh. The objectors, upon hearing Peter's testimony, stopped objecting and recognized that the Nations could indeed repent and have life in Messiah Yeshua among them.

Saul's persecution of Jerusalem was bearing fruit toward the end of the account in Acts 11. We read:  "Now those who had been scattered because of the persecution which had arisen over Stephen went as far as Phoenicia, Cyprus and Antioch; they spoke God’s word, but only to Jews. However, some of these, men from Cyprus and Cyrene, when they arrived at Antioch, began speaking to the Greeks too, proclaiming the Good News of the Lord Yeshua. The hand of the Lord was with them, and a great number of people trusted and turned to the Lord." Again, I believe very strongly, that God allows persecution to push us toward obedience of His Word when we are hesitant to obey. Now the fleeing Jewish believers would spread the Gospel, not just to Jews, but also the Greeks. The converted Paul would come into this scene in Antioch to teach this congregation according to his significant knowledge of Torah, and Barnabas was there to help as an encourager and Mark as a scribe. This community in turn blessed the Jewish believers in Jerusalem with provisions during a famine.  

This expansion of the believing community from only Jews to the Gentiles also angered the unbelieving Jews, because they did not accept the fulfillment of prophesy through Yeshua. They murdered James and attempted to take out Peter, but God set him free because it was not yet his time. This is evidence that we are invincible in this life to spread the Good News of Yeshua and to teach the freedom that comes from the law interpreted with the Spirit until the moment that God calls us home. Until He is ready for us, we ought to march on with boldness and serve the King Yeshua. What can man do to us? God delivers us from every evil, every temptation, every single attack of the enemy until He is ready to call us Home, and then what reward we will have to finally be with Him forever! Meanwhile, men who did not know Yeshua continued to seek glory for themselves, and while this may have temporarily benefited them, ultimately it will end in their destruction. I find it interesting that the disobedient are condemned in Isaiah with the words, "their worm will not die," and Herod was taken out by worms who literally ate him alive. Did he eat pork against the law of God?

Paul and Barnabas continued in Antioch with Simeon, Lucius and Manean until the Spirit led them out to continue the mission of bringing the Gospel to the Gentiles. It's important that we recognize when the Spirit tells us to stay, doing the work in one spot, and when the Spirit tells us to move, to take the work on the road. I think of John 3, when Yeshua told Nicodemus: "The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.” I also think of when the cloud by day and fire by night stayed over the tabernacle and when it moved and called for the people to move with it. This is the same dynamic as when we read in Acts 13: "One time when they were worshipping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said to them, 'Set aside for me Barnabas and Paul for the work to which I have called them.'” Then the whole community laid hands on them and prayed for them and sent them off to do the work. We ought to be receptive to hear from the Spirit and then lay holy hands on those God is sending out so they can do His will. Note how they then went out and spread the Gospel. This was written as an example for us. This is how it's done.

Acts 14, Acts 15

Both Jews and Gentiles were coming to trust in Yeshua, but then unbelieving Jews came in to stymie the faith of some. Today, perhaps, unbelievers in general work to drag people away who are new to their faith. It's almost as if they cannot bear others' faith and must crush it when it develops to preserve their own doubt. The anti-missionaries approach in two ways: The legalists say you must follow all manner of men's traditions that are foolish and not from God, while the lawless say you can do whatever you desire and nothing will come of it—both are heresies from Hell. God desires our love and obedience to His will, articulated by the Word, interpreted through the Holy Spirit.

The Spirit led Paul to heal those who had visible faith and this caught the attention of many, but notice how most observers did not turn to God through Yeshua but instead sought to honor God through their old pagan ways, even bringing cows and wreaths they used in their worship of Zeus and Hermes. Paul wasn't having it, saying, "Men! Why are you doing this? ... We are announcing Good News to you—turn from these worthless things to the living God who made heaven and earth and the sea and everything in them!" We must do likewise. Any pagan tradition that is still a part of the so-called "Christian" faith must be cast off, because it is not from God but from men—or worse. We must follow Yeshua, who commanded us to worship God according to His Word.

As Paul, a Pharisee, taught both Jews and Gentiles about Yeshua and the faith that saves, some of his believing colleagues sought to hold on to the old ways they were taught by their Pharisaical Masters. These taught that pagan Gentile men who had received Yeshua were required to be circumcised in order to be saved. Not even Abraham had to be circumcised to be saved; His salvation came from faith followed by obedience. This idea about circumcision as an act of conversion was from men and not from God. Not even many of the believing Jews had followed the oral tradition of the Pharisees, according to Peter, so why should anyone else? We know this because in Matthew 18, the Pharisees accused Yeshua's disciples of eating bread without washing their hands, a law of men. Here James, the Head of the Messianic Council/Sanhedrin, ruled that Gentiles just coming into the faith had to keep their bodies undefiled from unclean food and sexual immorality so they would remain a suitable temple for the Holy Sprit. Following their turn from such pagan ways, they would attend the synagogues each Sabbath and hear the law of Moses, which would convict them, and by the Holy Spirit they would be further sanctified to walk closer with God.

Acts 16, Acts 17

I'm finding it amazing to see how Paul is sent by the Holy Spirit to teach the Truth of God's Word and the testimony of Yeshua, and time after time some believe and others, who don't believe, cannot rest in their unbelief but then strive to destroy those who have brought them the Truth. It's not enough to simply say, "I'm not with you," and walk away. They must crush the Truth so that others don't believe it either. There is certainly a time and place to cast out wolves who are attempting to steal, kill and destroy the Truth of God's Word, but most of the time opening the Scriptures and examining what God has said addresses disagreement. For those who fail to see it, they should be content to appreciate that others do, but they are not. Satan is with those who don't believe; he literally has them captive. He doesn't want to let them go. He will fight tooth and nail when our Savior releases the prisoners. The ones who endure in the freedom by which Yeshua sets us free will not fall again into the slavery of sin and death that comes from ignorance or disbelief.

The faith in Yeshua is disruptive. It makes us change everything about what we're doing so we can do things His way instead. If our lives have not dramatically changed on account of our faith in the Way we can see explained here in Acts, it is time to examine our faith. We should be experiencing these things if we're truly walking with God. Can people say this about us: "These men who have turned the whole world upside down have come here too!" They ought to. Our faith does indeed turn the world upside down, because it is not of this world. It is time for men everywhere to repent, to turn away from their family traditions or even the traditions of men passed down through the so-called "church," and to turn instead toward God and His way, which He has plainly explained from the very beginning until now in His Holy Word. We understand the application of His Word by the power of His Holy Spirit, which we can only grasp when we know Yeshua. To know Yeshua is not just to believe that He is and that He died for us and rose, but also to walk the way in which He walked, to do what He did, to say what He said. He is the King of the Universe and everything in it who came in the flesh to show us how to obey. He is the Way into His Kingdom.

Acts 18, Acts 19, Acts 20

The ministry of Paul was one of adventure and intrigue. Oh, to be a part of his ministry! How many today are upset when confronted with the Truth of God's Word, that pagan idol worship leads to death? That we must turn away from sin to be saved? How many cling to these ways not willing to fully turn to God? How sad it is to watch people fail to achieve freedom by surrendering to Yeshua and His Narrow Path to eternal life!

In Paul's own words, we can see that His ministry was the same for Jews and Greeks. We read: "I taught you both in public and from house to house, declaring with utmost seriousness the same message to Jews and Greeks alike: turn from sin to God; and put your trust in our Lord, Yeshua the Messiah." Sin is defined by God's Old Testament Law, and "sin is lawlessness." We must turn away from lawlessness in order to walk with Yeshua, and we are saved by trusting in His Name. We receive the Holy Spirit through faith in Yeshua, but not so we can keep on sinning, but so we can walk instead according to the Old Testament law the way Yeshua showed us. The Spirit had fallen on certain people prior to Yeshua, but now because of Yeshua it would fall on ALL flesh, both Jews and Gentiles alike, when they trust in Him. This is what was new about the New Covenant. Even John the Baptist received the Holy Spirit while he was still in his mother's womb. Salvation is through faith in Yeshua and we are brought into God's Kingdom when we endure in obedience to God through this faith until the end.

We also pray for the Holy Spirit to come upon the faithful by laying hands on them and praying for them in the name of Yeshua. By doing this, we practice one of the elementary principles of the faith, according to Hebrews 6.

When the Jews no longer tolerated the Gospel in their synagogues, Paul taught in nearby schools. We ought to find a way to reach those with ears to hear, no matter where we have to go.

It takes true faith in Yeshua to cast off demons. His name is not a magic talisman. We actually have to believe and obey in order to receive the power and authority that He gives freely to His servants.

When people come into true faith, they understand the urgency of destroying idols and any other thing that distracts from the God who saves. I destroyed toys, statutes, and many other things upon coming into the Faith. We cannot mix the holy with the profane, but we must turn fully toward God.

Remember that a Biblical day goes from sundown to sundown. When Paul was in Troas, he had gathered with the believers on the Sabbath, and this gathering continued into the evening after the sun had gone down prior to his departure from the city on Sunday morning. They ate a meal together and enjoyed each other's company, staying up all night listening to Paul preach. I have experienced Sabbath celebrations like this that went on well past sunset into early Sunday morning. It is a remarkable thing to be with people who are truly seeking the LORD.

Paul explained that we must teach the whole counsel of God, from Genesis to Revelation, for every bit applies to those of us who are grafted-in to Israel through faith in Messiah Yeshua. We must watch out for wolves in sheep's clothing who attempt to destroy the flock by dismissing the Old Testament law of God, which is eternal, and gather disciples after themselves and their own ways instead of pointing them to God, His Word, and His ways.

Acts 21, Acts 22, Acts 23

Acts has so many facets that I see coming alive in the modern day, even within the walls of my own church, that I can't help but learn new things with every sentence, with every dialogue and with every episode. I'd so love to take the time to study each episode in more detail.

From today, it's important to note that Paul was being charged of violating Torah, but he had done no such thing. In his attempt to show this to the unbelieving Jews, they found some an occasion to oppose him anyway. He wasn't violating Torah; he was preaching Christ crucified and then risen, and this was not something that would be tolerated by the Jews seeking to preserve their Rabbinical authority as supreme above the law of God.  In all of this, God's Word was preached and practiced by Paul, without fear of man, and we can see that his persecution brought the Gospel to the far reaches of the world. Lines were drawn. The sheep were separated from the goats. And Paul would be preserved to do the will of God until God was ready for him.

Acts 24, Acts 25, Acts 26

Consider Paul's own words, for he is the one who taught the Gentiles and the Jews: "But this I do admit to you: I worship the God of our fathers in accordance with the Way (which they call a sect). I continue to believe everything that accords with the Torah and everything written in the Prophets. And I continue to have a hope in God — which they too accept — that there will be a resurrection of both the righteous and the unrighteous. Indeed, it is because of this that I make a point of always having a clear conscience in the sight of both God and man." This is the Christian faith in a nut shell, and when we understand that Yeshua is God, it all makes sense.

Paul got to preach before governors, kings and all their subjects. How many of them believed? None of them found fault in him, but did they gain an understanding of righteousness in Messiah Yeshua?

Paul added: “I have committed no offense — not against the Torah to which the Jews hold, not against the Temple, and not against the Emperor. ... How ironic it is that I stand on trial here because of my hope in the promise made to our fathers!" How ironic indeed! We ought to be careful not to fall into the same trap and miss the Truth when confronted by it.

Paul's gave his testimony a third time in Acts 26. How many times did he give it that weren't recorded. This is an example for us on how we ought to spread the Gospel. What did Yeshua do for you?

Yeshua said to Paul: "I am sending you to open their eyes; so that they will turn from darkness to light, from the power of the Adversary to God, and thus receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who have been separated for holiness by putting their trust in me.’" Let us be used for this purpose!

Agrippa said to Paul: “In this short time, you’re trying to convince me to become Messianic?” The answer is "yes," but also, however long it takes. We must endure in our faithfulness to spread the Gospel, even when it is not in our best interest.

Acts 27 & Acts 28

I can relate to Paul who gave advice to the guards and shipmates regarding their voyage, but they ignored him. I imagine them saying, "What does he know? He's not a sailor." The appeal to authority and expertise seems to always lead to a fall, but people keep doing it all around me everywhere. It drives me nuts. We must trust in God, not man. Paul was right, because the prophesy had come from the LORD, but God used all things for good and saved many on the Island of Malta. I wonder how much breadth he was able to give them regarding the faith and how much bad pagan tradition was allowed to persist in the faith because he was only there a short while. He corrected them. Did they listen?

For some reason, the plan missed Acts 28. I enjoyed how the Jews in Rome were open-minded enough to want to hear from Paul himself about Yeshua and the Way. Some believed, others didn't, which was the pattern everywhere. God said it would be that way. Paul persisted in teaching, despite many difficulties. May the LORD empower us to do the same.