BIBLE STUDY --- THE GOOD SHEPHERD
UNREPENTANT CITIES
From Matthew 11:20-30
Yeshua had some strong words for the three towns in which He had performed most of His miracles, for these towns had still not turned to Him. [You will be sorry, Chorazin! And you will be sorry, too, Bethsaida! If Tyre and Sidon had seen the miracles that you have seen, they would have put on sackcloth and ashes and turned to YHVH. On the Judgment Day, YHVH will show more mercy to these cities than to you! [Capernaum, you wanted to lift yourself up to heaven. You will be brought down to hell. If Sodom had seen the miracles that you have seen, it would still be standing today. Let Me tell you, then, that YHVH will show more mercy to Sodom on the Judgment Day than to you.] Then Yeshua prayed, [Abba, Adonai of heaven and earth, I thank You for revealing the truth to the ordinary people when even the wise and learned fail to see it. This is the way You have chosen. Turning to those around Him, Yeshua said, [My Father has placed everything in My trust, for He alone knows Me completely. And I am the only one Who knows Him, except those to whom I have revealed Him. Come to me, all of you who struggle with heavy burdens, and I will give you rest. Put My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble, and you will find rest for your souls, for My yoke is easy to wear and the work I give will seem light.]
TEARS FOR YESHUA’S FEET
From Luke 7:36-50
One day a Pharisee named Simon invited Yeshua to dinner. Yeshua went to Simon’s house and ate with him at his table. In the same town there was a woman who did not have a good reputation. When she learned that Yeshua was at Simon’s house, she went to see Him, bringing with her an alabaster flask filled with expensive perfumed oil. With tears in her eyes, the woman stood behind Yeshua at His feet. She began to wash His feet with her tears and to dry them with her hair. Then she kissed His feet again and again and poured the expensive perfumed oil on them. Simon the Pharisee began to have doubts about Yeshua when he saw this. He said to himself, [If Yeshua really were a prophet, He would know what a bad reputation this woman has and would not let her touch Him.] Yeshua knew Simon’s thoughts and spoke to him. [I have something to tell you,] He said. [Please tell me what You have to say,] Simon answered. Then Yeshua told Simon a parable. [There was a man who loaned money to two people. To the one he loaned five hundred days’ wages. To the other he loaned fifty days’ wages. Neither man could pay him back, so he told them both to forget the debt. Which man do you think would love him most, Simon?] [I suppose the man who owed him most,] Simon answered. [You are right!] said Yeshua. Then Yeshua turned toward the woman. [Look at this woman!] He said. [When I came into your house, you gave Me no water to wash My feet, but she has washed My feet with her own tears and dried them with her hair. You would not give Me the usual courtesy of a kiss of greeting, but she has been kissing My feet since I came. You did not even give Me olive oil to put on My head. But she has poured out her expensive perfumed oil on My feet. Let Me tell you this: because she has loved Me much, I forgive all her sins, even though they are many. But the one who shows Me little love, receives little forgiveness.] Then Yeshua spoke to the woman, [Your sins are forgiven.] Others at the table began to question this saying, [Who does He think that He is, telling others that He forgives their sins?] But Yeshua told the woman, [It is your faith which has saved you. Go in peace.]
COMMENTARY
THREE TOWNS THAT NEVER REBUILT
During the time of Yeshua, three important towns dotted the northern side of the Sea of Galilee. Bethsaida, which meant [House of Fishing] may have been the fishing district for Capernaum, possibly adjoining the town along the sea. But nobody can be sure, for the location of Bethsaida has been lost. There is not even a trace of the town today. Chorazin, about two miles north of Capernaum, has left a little more for us -- a pile of stone ruins. Little is known about this town, however, except that it once was important, and along with Bethsaida ignored Yeshua and what He said. Capernaum was privileged to be the home of Yeshua after Nazareth rejected Him. But even though Capernaum offered Yeshua a home, it refused to accept what He said, or believe in Him as the Moshiach. These three towns had something in common. They saw the miracles and heard the teachings of Yeshua personally. But they refused to heed them. They had something else in common. In early believer’s history, each one ceased to exist and has never been rebuilt, just as Yeshua prophesied.
BIBLE STUDY --- HARO’EH HATOV {THE GOOD SHEPHERD}
THE GREATEST FAITH IN ISRAEL
From Luke 7:1-10
When Yeshua finished His sermon, He returned home to Capernaum. A Roman army officer heard that Yeshua was back and sent some important Jews to talk with Him about a very dear servant who was dying. Through them, the officer begged Yeshua to heal his servant. [This man loves our people,] the Jewish leaders said. [He has even built our synagogue.] Then they urged Yeshua to come to the officer’s house and heal his servant. Yeshua went with these men toward the officer’s house. But along the way some of the officer’s friends came with a message from him. [Don’t go to all this trouble,] the officer told Yeshua. [I am not worthy for You to come to my house. Just say that it is so and my servant will be well. I understand these things, for I have superior officers whom I must obey, and I have soldiers under me who must obey me. When I tell one to go, he goes! When I tell another to come, he comes! When I tell a servant to do something, he does it!] When Yeshua heard what the man had said, He was amazed. Turning to the crowd that had followed, He said, [I have not found such great faith anywhere, not even among you people of Israel.] When the messengers returned to the officer’s house, they found that his servant was already well.
A WIDOW’S ONLY SON
From Luke 7:11-17
On the next day, Yeshua went with His disciples to a town called Nain. A great crowd followed Him as usual. As they came near the gate of the town, they met a funeral procession coming out. The dead man was a widow’s only son. With her, there was a large crowd of mourners. When Yeshua saw the widow, He was filled with pity for her. [Don’t cry!] He told her. Then He walked up to the bier and touched it and the men who carried it stopped. Yeshua spoke to the dead man. [Young man, get up now!] The man got up and began to talk, and Yeshua gave him back to his mother. A deep sense of awe came over the crowd and they quietly began to praise YHVH. [A great prophet has come among us,] they said. [YHVH has come to His people.] The news of what Yeshua did went all over Judea and even beyond into the surrounding country.
A QUESTION FROM JOHN THE BAPTIST
From Luke 7:18-35
The disciples of John the Baptist heard about Yeshua’ miracles and reported them to John in prison. John then sent two of his disciples to ask Yeshua a question. [Are You really the Moshiach, or are we still to look for Him?] John asked. That is the question the men passed on to Yeshua. [John wants to know if You are really the Moshiach, or must we continue to look for Him?] The messengers happened to come when Yeshua was healing many people of their diseases, removing evil spirits, and giving sight to the blind. Yeshua told these men, [Go back to John and tell him what you have seen and heard. The blind has their sight restored, lame people walk again, lepers are cured, the deaf hear, dead people are raised to life, and the Good News is preached to the poor. Happy is the one who does not doubt Me.] When the messengers had left, Yeshua talked to the crowds about John. [When you went out to listen to John preach in the wilderness, what did you expect to find? A weak man, bent by every little wind like a blade of grass? Of course not! Well, then did you go out to find a man dressed in rich clothing? No, not that either, for men with rich clothing live in kings’ palaces. What then did you go out to see? A prophet? Yes, you did, and you found more than a prophet. John is so important that he was mentioned in Scripture, ‘I will send My messenger before you, to prepare the way for you.’ Let Me tell you something. There is not a greater man on earth than John. And yet, in YHVH’s Kingdom, the least important person is greater than John.] Everyone who heard this, even the tax collectors, praised YHVH and agreed that He was just and right, for they had accepted John’s baptism. However, the Pharisees and teachers of the Law did not agree. They had rejected John’s baptism and YHVH’s purpose for them. Yeshua had this to say about these men: [How can I describe you? You are like little children who play in the streets. When some pretend there’s a wedding, the others want to pretend that there’s a funeral. Or, when some pretend there’s a funeral, the others want to pretend that there’s a wedding. When John the Baptist came, he wouldn’t eat bread or drink wine. What did you say about that? ‘He has a demon!’ When I came, I ate bread and drank wine. What did you say about that? ‘He’s a glutton and drunkard, a friend of tax collectors and sinners.’ Of course, the truth becomes obvious to those who accept it.]
COMMENTARY
FUNERALS IN BIBLE TIMES
During Bible times when someone died, a loud wail went up from those in the house. Friends and neighbours joined the family as soon as they could to express their sympathy. To show their sorrow, they tore their clothes and walked barefoot, beating their chests. As the immediate family mourned, others prepared the body for burial. The women of the family washed and wrapped it from head to toe with strips of linen layered with spices. The face was covered with a linen napkin. The body was then placed on an open bier. The funeral followed soon after the death, often on the same day. Professional mourners were hired to lead the procession. Professional musicians played mournful music. Close friends and relatives took turns carrying the bier, while the rest of the mourners followed behind. As they wound through the town, the people they passed joined the procession as a sign of sympathy and respect. Taken to the burial ground, the body was placed in a cave or a shallow grave, which was then sealed with rocks.
Thought for Today: Wednesday November 19
Observe carefully the prayer life of Yeshua, and notice the earnestness with which He prayed. In Gethsemane He cried out in a loud voice, and in the intensity of His supplication He fell headlong on the damp ground and pleaded before His Father until “His sweat was like drops of blood falling to the ground” {Luke 22:44}. Too often – and in very sharp contrast – we use petty petitions, oratorical exercises, and the same words we have used for years rather than the cries of our inmost being. Also, too often when we pray, our thoughts roam. We insult YHVH by speaking to Him with our lips while our minds and hearts are far from Him. And too often when we pray, we already expect Father to give us the answer what we want to hear.
“I praise our LORD Jesus Christ for supporting the good work of our brother Isaac Santiago and upholding our religious liberty to openly preach and teach the Truth of God’s Word to those who need to hear it,” said Andrew Manuse, lead pastor of First Fruits Ministries in Manchester, N.H. “I support Mr. Santiago’s message to First Parish Church in Dover, which was a loving call for errant leaders and members to turn away from their sins of affirming LGBTQ and repent to live in the righteousness and grace of Jesus Christ. More Christians need to stand firm in their faith as he has done.”
https://www.nhcornerstone.org/....new-hampshire-court-
The "Matthean Absolute Posteriority Hypothesis" by "Garth Grenache"
aka MAP, MAPH,
and the ‘Big Brain Hypothesis’ You heard of it first here on 2025:11:18.
https://youtube.com/shorts/ctt....Nurb7S6Q?si=k0uusszA
(0. Apostle Mattai’s simple Semitic record)
1. Helpful Mark’s raw record (Greek translation?)
2. Physician Luke’s inclusive expansion
3. Apostle John’s supplementary witness
4. Scribe Mattai’s ultimate Matthew gospel
111825 /26th day of the 8th month 5786
WORD FOR TODAY “do you forget the LORD”: Hos 13:5 I cared for you in the wilderness, In the land of drought. Hos 13:6 As they had their pasture, they became satisfied, And being satisfied, their heart became proud; Therefore they forgot Me.
WISDOM FOR TODAY: Pro 20:7 A righteous man who walks in his integrity—How blessed are his sons after him.
Ask the LORD how you can serve HIM better
www.BGMCTV.org
BIBLE STUDY – TALMUD, MISHNA, GEMARA AND MIDRASH
ORAL LAW
THE TALMUD
The word Talmud means “to study,” “to learn.” The Talmud is a body of literature in Hebrew and Aramaic, covering meanings and interpretations of legal portions of the Old Testament, as well as wise sayings from many rabbinical sources. It spans a time period from shortly after Ezra, about 400 B.C., until approximately the A.D. 500s.
ORIGIN AND DEVELOPMENT OF THE ORAL LAW
Traditional Jews believe that a second Law was given to Moses in addition to the first or written Word; this second one was given orally, and handed down from generation to generation in Oral form. The Talmud itself makes this claim for an early origin, and Pirke Aboth 1:1 state that it is attributed to Moses. Other scholars do not agree on this origin of the Oral Law and insist that it had its beginning and development after Ezra. For example, before the Israelite exile to Babylon, there is no mention by the prophets concerning a lapse from the Oral Law. Yet the messages of the prophets are full of warnings to not abandon the written revelation given to Moses, thereby indicating the absence of a body of Oral tradition prior to the Babylonian exile. In the period following Ezra {“a scribe skilled in the Law of Moses,” Ezra 7:6}, teacher succeeded teacher in synagogues and schools, and their understanding of the Old Testament was treasured and memorized. Across the centuries, many memorizing devices were employed to learn and remember the growing mass of opinions and interpretation. But eventually not even the best memory could retain all the available materials. It was finally necessary to compile a summary of all the essential teachings of preceding generations, and also to make a way for future generations to have access to the immense treasure of thought, religious feeling, and wisdom for guidance and inspiration. The compilation is known as the Talmud, the basic repository of the Oral Law. Jewish people regard it as second to the Scriptures. The Talmud is a piece of literature recognized as the ultimate national and religious creation, and it continues to have a deep influence upon the development of the Jewish worldview.
REASONS FOR AN ORAL LAW
With the end of prophets after the return from exile in Babylon, and with the continual growth of the complexity of life in Israel and its relationships to the outer world, there arose a need to explain more of the Laws of the Torah. The Oral Law at first, was intended to be helpful so that people could obey the written Word of YHVH. The Oral Law contained in the Talmud has two functions:
First, it provides an interpretation of the written Law -- explaining what it means. According to the rabbis, this is necessary since the Oral Law makes it possible to actually live out the written Law. Without the former, it would be impossible to observe the latter. A good example is the concept of not working on the Shabbat, as Commanded by the biblical Shabbat Law. Everyone knew that work was not to be done on the Shabbat. The rabbis contend however, that it took the Oral Law to define what was meant by “work.”
The second aspect of the Oral Law is that it modifies and seeks to adapt the written Law to fit new conditions and circumstances. The Oral Law is supposed to make the written Law a usable, up-to-date document from generation to generation. Without this Oral Law, the written Law would become out of date. Therefore, the Oral Law is necessary for knowing what not to do as well as for stressing what is good Jewish devotion and loyalty.
It is true that every generation must face new social, political, and economic conditions, which make necessary a different application of the Word of YHVH. But the Word of YHVH itself cannot be changed in order to accommodate personal desires or interpret new problems in different ages. Something of this problem is clear in the first century A.D., when Yeshua challenged the Jewish leaders for having set aside the Word of YHVH for their own traditions {Mark 7:9-13}.
WHAT LED UP TO THE TALMUD
One of the earliest ways of teaching Oral Law was a running commentary, or Midrash {“to expound”}, of the biblical text. If the teaching handled the legal portions {the Law} of the Old Testament, then it was referred to as Midrash Halakah {this focused on the way one walks or lives}. When treating nonlegal, ethical, or devotional portions of the Old Testament, then the opinions and understanding were called Midrash Haggadah {“narration”}. In 444 B.C. when the wall of Jerusalem was completed, Ezra and his trained associates were using the method of Midrash when they “explained the Law to the people while the people remained in their place. They read from the book, from the Law of YHVH, translating to give the sense so that they understood the reading” {Nehemiah 8:7-8}. This kind of Oral Midrash is the method followed by generations of teachers after Ezra, when the religious leaders were known as Sopherim {“bookmen” or “scribes”}, until about 200 B.C. Sometimes referred to as the “Great Synagogue,” these scholars provided teaching to “hedge” and protect the revealed moral and ceremonial Word so that Israel would never stray into idolatry or ignorance again. The Sopherim were succeeded by the Hasidim {“pious ones”}, who tried to maintain a high level of religious devotion. In turn, the Hasidim were succeeded by the Pharisees {“separated ones”} at about 128 B.C. Each of these groups contributed to the Midrash method. This material continued to increase and was passed on orally. Succeeding generations learned these materials through continuous repetition. Therefore, the new method was called Mishnah {“repetition”}, and the teachers of the Mishnah were known as Tannaim {“those who handed down orally”}. Both Midrash and Mishnah existed side by side in following generations. There came a time however, when it was necessary to organize and codify the Oral Law covered by Mishnah, since this became cumbersome to learn as a body of material. Eventually, this material was put into writing; it came to be known as Gemara {“completion”}. The combination of Gemara and Mishnah make up the Talmud.
MISHNAH
These are written interpretations of the meaning of the Law. According to Jewish tradition, they were given when Moses received the Law from YHVH on Mount Sinai, and they were to be passed down in Oral form. This “Oral tradition” was the “Law” to which Yeshua referred for example, in Matthew 15:1-9. By about AD 200, under Rabbi Judah’s leadership, the transcribing work begun earlier by Rabbi Akiba around A.D. 120 was completed, and the oral tradition was finally written down. This written material is called the Mishnah. The word is taken from a verb that reflects the way the material had been repeated orally from teacher to disciple for many generations. The Mishnah is divided into six “orders”; each order is divided into sections called “tractates,” which in turn are divided into chapters. The orders give explanations for specific areas of legal concerns as follows:
1 -- Seeds is concerned with agricultural Laws, and is introduced with a tractate dealing with daily prayers.
2 -- Festivals deal with feasts, fast days, and Shabbat regulations.
3 -- Women records marriage and family Laws.
4 -- Injuries deal with civil / criminal Law and ethical standards.
5 -- Holy Things concerns the ritual Laws and the activities of the priesthood.
6 -- Purifications elaborate the Laws of ritual purity.
The Mishnah, which is essentially a commentary on the Old Testament Law, forms the basis for the Gemara and the Talmud.
GEMARA
The Gemara is a summary and commentary on the important points of the Mishnah {Jewish Oral Tradition}. The Gemara and Mishnah together form the Talmud {Jewish Law}. Many Jews consider the Talmud as the authority for their faith. In Aramaic, Gemara means “acquired learning.” That meaning reflects the teaching method of the rabbis. They passed on the Gemara by committing it to memory rather than writing it down. The word’s Hebrew root means “to complete.” Since the Gemara takes the form of a running commentary on the Mishnah, it serves to add to it and complete it. Pages of the Talmud are arranged with the Mishnah in the middle and the Gemara in blocks of print on the side. The Gemara does not necessarily quote the same sources twice when dealing with similar passages from the Mishnah on the same problem. It also doesn’t always contain commentary on the Mishnah. The Gemara also includes folklore, astronomy, astrology, medicine, parables for preaching, and examples from great rabbis’ lives.
MIDRASH
This transliteration into English of a Hebrew word occurs twice in 2 Chronicles. 2 Chronicles 13:22 refers to the literary source used for recording the reign of King Abijah of Judah (913-910 BC) as the “midrash” of the prophet Iddo. 2 Chronicles 24:27 mentions, in connection with the reign of King Joash of Judah (835-796 BC), the “midrash” of the book of the kings. Although these are the only times that midrash is mentioned in Chronicles, they do fall into a pattern of references to outside literary sources. For instance, Chronicles often cites The Book of the Kings of Israel and Judah or something similar (2 Chronicles 16:11). It is probable that the title in 2 Chronicles 24:27 incorporating the term “midrash” is just a variation of a main source title. Again, Chronicles often alludes to various prophetic sources; the otherwise unknown prophet Iddo features also in a work called The Visions of Iddo the Seer in connection with the reign of Jeroboam I of Israel (930-909 BC; 2 Chronicles 9:29), and also The Record of Shemaiah the Prophet, with reference to King Rehoboam of Judah (930-913 BC; 2 Chronicles 12:15). Here too, it is probable that a single prophetic work is labelled with different names. But what did the term “midrash” mean precisely, to the author of Chronicles? The ancient Greek version translated it simply as “book, writing,” and it is likely that it meant nothing more than that. The underlying Hebrew verb means to inquire or study, and accordingly the noun could signify “a result of research, a study.” Alternatively, it may mean “commentary” in the sense of a presentation of history from a certain perspective. Apart from these instances in Chronicles, the other usage of importance for the Old Testament is its meaning as a procedure or product of interpretation of the biblical text, which was eventually incorporated into the Jewish commentaries called Midrashim. In the literature of Qumran, midrash appears in the general sense of “interpretation of the Law.” But in later rabbinic literature it became a technical term for a collection of traditional teachings of the rabbis arranged in order of chapter and verse of biblical books. The overall aim of these studies was to apply the ancient text to contemporary circumstances in a variety of ways.
https://blog.messiahslove.com/....2025/07/17/what-is-s
When referring to the devil, many call him Satan. Or in Hebrew, HaSatan. However, that’s not his name. That’s his role. It means adversary. When you enter a court room in Yisrael the prosecuting attorney is referred to as HaSatan. It’s a role. It means adversary.
Many people think the devil’s name is Lucifer. However, that’s not true.
In the King James Version of the Bible, the translators took the word from the Latin Vulgate which translated הֵילֵל by the Latin word Lucifer. I’d rather take it from the Hebrew which I know is more accurate.
The rendering of the Hebrew word הֵילֵל transliterated is hêylêl; pronunced: hay-lale In Isaiah (Isaiah 14:12)
Yeshayah (Isaiah) 14:12 TS2009 [12] “How you have fallen from the heavens, O Hĕlĕl, son of the morning! You have been cut down to the ground, you who laid low the nations!
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