And immediately Jesus stretched forth his hand, and caught him, and said unto him, O thou of little faith, wherefore didst thou doubt?
Matthew 14:31 (KJV)
Doubt – In ancient Hebrew, the word “doubt” did not exist. Jesus, speaking Hebrew as He did with His apostles, would not have asked Peter why he doubted. In fact, Sefaria.org notes:
Continue reading “Why Did You Stop?”Safek (doubt) is a term of Rabbinic origin—it doesn’t appear in the whole of the Bible.
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: For thine is the kingdom, and the power, and the glory, for ever. Amen.
Matthew 6:13 (KJV)
And lead us not into temptation, but deliver us from evil: – Although Yeshua gave profound insight and offered a depth of knowledge, He enforced a simplicity in worship. Just take a look at the Lord’s Prayer.
Continue reading “A Prayer for Little Children”For where your treasure is, there will your heart be also.
Matthew 6:21 (KJV)
Your – The word in Greek is hymōn which finds its root in hymeis, the plural form of this possessive pronoun. It is the word most often used in the Epistles and Gospels when addressing people. English translations of the Bible do not pick this up because they lack the differentiation between your (plural) and your (singular).
Continue reading “It’s About Community”19 Lay not up for yourselves treasures upon earth, where moth and rust doth corrupt, and where thieves break through and steal:
Matthew 6:19-20 (KJV)
20 But lay up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where neither moth nor rust doth corrupt, and where thieves do not break through nor steal:
Treasures – We discovered in another post that laying up treasures was diligently adhering to the righteousness of God. It had everything to do with what you did. And the work that one did was defined by the works of the Torah.
Continue reading “Laying Up Treasures”And said, Verily I say unto you, Except ye be converted, and become as little children, ye shall not enter into the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 18:3 (KJV)
Converted – It took our study group 1.5 hours to get through 8 verses in Matthew 18. I had read these verses time and again, but never actually dug into them. The results of our conversations last night left me in deep thought about something most of us merely pass by.
Continue reading “Become as Little Children”And as he sat upon the mount of Olives, the disciples came unto him privately, saying, Tell us, when shall these things be? and what shall be the sign of thy coming, and of the end of the world?
Matthew 24:3 (KJV)
Sign of the end – In Matthew 24, the disciples of Yeshua approach him asking about the signs of his second coming and the end of the world. Yeshua begins to break it down for them in a way that is vividly familiar to every Jew. He lists several signs that we should watch for. Each of these signs
For where two or three are gathered together in my name, there am I in the midst of them.
Matthew 18:20 (KJV)
Two or three – When two or more people gather together in the name of Yeshua, He is there among them. I’ve heard this verse used always in reference to two or more people praying together. It carries such a strong, beautiful picture of unity and community. Unfortunately, it’s not quite that accurate.
Continue reading “Where 2 or 3 are Gathered”35 For I was an hungred, and ye gave me meat: I was thirsty, and ye gave me drink: I was a stranger, and ye took me in:
36 Naked, and ye clothed me: I was sick, and ye visited me: I was in prison, and ye came unto me.
37 Then shall the righteous answer him, saying, Lord, when saw we thee an hungred, and fed thee? or thirsty, and gave thee drink?
38 When saw we thee a stranger, and took thee in? or naked, and clothed thee?
39 Or when saw we thee sick, or in prison, and came unto thee?
40 And the King shall answer and say unto them, Verily I say unto you, Inasmuch as ye have done it unto one of the least of these my brethren, ye have done it unto me.Matthew 25: 35-40 (KJV)
A couple weeks ago, I showed how Apostle Paul taught from the Talmud, the Jewish Oral Law. I explained that these Jewish men were whole-heartedly Jews to the core, and practiced both Oral and Written Torah. They were products of their culture. Today, we’ll see that Yeshua was as well. Continue reading “Yeshua Teaches the Talmud”
But I say unto you, That whosoever is angry with his brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment: and whosoever shall say to his brother, Raca, shall be in danger of the council: but whosoever shall say, Thou fool, shall be in danger of hell fire.
Matthew5:22 (KJV)
Fool – What is the difference between “raca” and “fool” in this context? Why does one result in a different punishment from the other? Can you ascertain the difference from just reading the text in English? Of course not. You have to go further. It requires study. What is Yeshua really saying here? Continue reading “Relationship, Relationship, Relationship”
But he answered and said, I am not sent but unto the lost sheep of the house of Israel.
Matthew 15:24 (KJV)
Lost sheep of the house of Israel – This is what it’s all about. If we don’t understand this, then we don’t understand why Yeshua was sent. Despite the claims of anyone else, Yeshua Himself states that He was only sent for the lost sheep of the house of Israel. No one else. Continue reading “What It’s All About”
