PART 20 A

BETRAYAL AND ARREST

Yehudah Kir'yot knew that Yeshua often withdrew with His disciples to the garden, which was {eastward} beyond the brook Kidron. A mob and officers from the chief Kohanim, P'rushim and
Zakenim, were led there by Yehudah with lanterns, torches and weapons. Then he went ahead and came up to Yeshua and kissed Him, saying "Hello, Rabbi." For Yehudah had told the officers to arrest whomever he kissed; that one would be Yeshua. "Friend," Yeshua responded to him, "you have finished what you came to do." Yeshua knew all the things that would happen to Him. So, He went forward and said to the mob, "Who are you seeking?" "Yeshua HaNatzeret," they answered. "I AM," He said. They all fell backwards onto the ground. Then asked He them again, "Who are you seeking?" They said, "Yeshua HaNatzeret." Yeshua said, "I have told you that I AM. If you seek Me, let the others go on their way." Then Shimon Kefa drew his sword and struck Melekh the Kohen Gadol's servant, cutting off his right ear. "Put your sword back into the sheath!" commanded Yeshua. "For all who use the sword will die by the sword. Shall I not drink the cup which Avi has given to Me? Allow it to be. For don't you consider that I could request Avi and He would at this moment send Me more than twelve thousand messengers {from Heaven}! But then, how would the scriptures be fulfilled? Thus, it must be this way." Then Yeshua reached out and healed Melekh's ear. "Have you come out here to arrest Me like you would a robber, with swords and spears?" Yeshua said to the mob. "I was sitting every day in the Mikdash teaching and you didn't arrest Me, but this is the time for you and the power of darkness. All this is being done so that the scriptures of the Prophets are fulfilled." Then the disciples ran swiftly away and left Yeshua standing alone, except for one young man covered in a tallit. The mob with {leadership from} the captain of the officers arrested Yeshua and they took hold of the young man, but he got free and left the tallit as he ran away. So they tied Yeshua's hands and led Him away.

TRIAL BEFORE RELIGIOUS LEADERS

They took Him to Chanan and Chaiyafa, because Chanan was the father-in-law to Chaiyafa, who was the Kohen Gadol that year. {They shared the office of Kohen Gadol.} {Remember,} it was Chaiyafa, who counselled the leaders of the Yehudim, that it was best for one man to die for the people. With him were assembled the chief Kohanim, Zakenim and Soferim. It was early in the morning. From a distance Shimon Kefa followed Yeshua and also another disciple {Yochanan}, who was known to the Kohen Gadol, so he went in with Yeshua into the palace of the Kohen Gadol. Kefa stood outside by the door. Then the other disciple, who was known by the Kohen Gadol, spoke to the doorkeeper woman and he brought in Kefa. Then the doorkeeper woman said to Kefa, "Aren't you one of this man's disciples?" "I am not," he said {denying Yeshua the first time). The servants and officers who stood there made a fire of coals, because it was cold and they warmed themselves. So Kefa stood with them and warmed himself. The Kohen Gadol asked Yeshua about His disciples and His doctrine. Yeshua answered him, "I spoke openly to the world. I always was teaching in the synagogue and in the Mikdash; wherever our people are. I have not spoken secretly. Why ask Me? Ask those who heard Me, as to what I've said to them. They know what I said." Then one of the officers who stood there struck Yeshua with the palm of his hand saying, "Do you dare answer the Kohen Gadol that way?” "If I have spoken evil, then testify to that evil," Yeshua answered. "But if {I speak} correctly, why do you hit me?" Then the chief Kohenim and all the council sought for a witness against Yeshua {in order to find cause} to put him to death, but could not find any. Many gave a false witness against Him, but their reports did not agree. Some gave a false witness against Him, saying, "We heard him say, I will destroy this Mikdash which is made with hands and within three days I will build another one made without hands." But their testimony was inconsistent. The Kohen Gadol stood up among them and asked Yeshua, "Will you not answer this? What is it that these are saying against you?" But Yeshua kept silent. Again the Kohen Gadol asked Him, "Are you the Moshiach, the Son of the Blessed One?" "If I tell you, you will not trust Me. Also, if I ask you, you will not answer Me, nor free Me." Yeshua said. "I command You by the living Elohim! Are You or are You not the Moshiach?" he demanded. "I AM, as you have said and you will see the Son of man sitting at the right hand of power and coming in the clouds of Heaven." Yeshua answered. Then the Kohen Gadol tore his clothes and said {to the council}, "You have heard the blasphemy from His own mouth! What do you think?" The council answered, "What further witness do we need?" They all judged Him to be guilty of blasphemy and condemned Him to death. Some began to spit on Him. They covered His face and beat Him, then commanded Him, "Prophesy! You Moshiach! Which one of us struck you?" Then, as the officers took Him into custody, they hit Him with their hands.

KEFA'S DENIAL

One of the maids of the Kohen Gadol who saw Kefa warming himself, said to him, "You also were with Yeshua of Natzeret." He denied Him {the second time), saying, "I don't know or understand what you are saying." He went out into the porch and the rooster crowed. Another maid saw him and told those standing there, "This is one of them." A little later, those who standing there said to Kefa, "Surely you are one of them, for you are from the Galil. Your speech gives you away!" Then a relative of Melekh, whose ear Kefa had cut off, said, "Didn't I see you in the garden with him?" Then Kefa began to curse and swear, "I do not know this man you are talking about." {Denying Yeshua the third time.} The rooster crowed once again. Then Kefa remembered the word that Yeshua gave him, "Before the rooster crows three times, you will deny me three times." Thinking about what he had done, he went out and cried bitter tears.

YEHUDAH'S REMORSE

When Yehudah, who had betrayed Yeshua, saw that He had been condemned, he was sorry for himself. He brought the thirty pieces of silver to the chief Kohenim and Zakenim and said, "I have sinned, because I have betrayed innocent blood." "What is that to us? Take care of it yourself!" they replied. Then he threw down the pieces of silver in the Mikdash and departed and went and hanged himself. The chief Kohenim took the silver pieces and said, "It is not proper Torah to put them into the treasury, because it is the price of blood." So, they counselled to buy a potter's field with them to bury strangers in. Therefore that field is called to this day, Acheldahma, Field of Blood. Then what was spoken by the Prophet Yirmi'yahu was fulfilled which says, "They took the thirty pieces of silver, the price for which He was valued, whom those from the children of Yisrael had valued and gave them for the potter's field, as YHVH appointed me."

TRIAL BEFORE THE ROMANS

Then the chief Kohenim held a consultation with Zakenim, Soferim and the council and led Yeshua way bound to the judgement hall of Pilate {the Roman governor}. They themselves did not go into the judgment hall, for fear they would be defiled and they were attempting to continue to celebrate the Pesach Feast. Pilate went out to them and said, "What accusation do you bring against this man?" They answered him, "If he was not a criminal, we would not have brought him to you." Then Pilate said, "You take him and judge him according to your law." "According to your law we are not allowed to put any man to death," they replied. "We found this man corrupting our nation, forbidding giving taxes to Caesar and proclaiming that He is Moshiach, a king." Then Pilate entered into his palace and called Yeshua to him and asked, "Are you the King of the Yehudim?" Yeshua answered, "Do you ask this about Me because of your own knowledge or did someone tell it to you?" "Am I a Yehudah?" Pilate said. "Your own nation and the chief Kohenim have brought you to me. What have you done?" Yeshua answered, "My Kingdom is not from this world. If My Kingdom was from this world, then My servants would fight for Me and I would not be arrested by the leaders of the Yehudim, but as of now My Kingdom is not from here." "Are you a king then?" Pilate asked. Yeshua answered, "You say that I am a king. I was born for that end. But I came into the world for this reason: that I would testify to the Remembrance. Everyone who belongs to the remembrance hears My voice." Pilate said to Him, "What is the remembrance?" But Yeshua no longer answered Him. Pilate asked again, "Do You not hear how many charges they bring against You?" Yeshua spoke nothing. Not one word. So Pilate was amazed and he went out again to the leaders of the Yehudim and said, "I do not find He has committed any crime." They became more insistent, saying, "He stirs up the people by teaching throughout all the Yehudim, beginning from the Galil to this here."

TRIAL BEFORE HEROD

When Pilate heard 'the Galil,' he asked whether the man was from the Galil. As soon as he learned that Yeshua belonged in Herod's jurisdiction, he sent Him to Herod, who was also in Yerushalayim at that time. Herod was very happy to see Yeshua. He had wanted to see Him for a long time, because he heard many things about Him and he hoped to see some miracle performed by Him. So Herod questioned Yeshua with many words, but Yeshua gave him no answer. The chief Kohenim and Soferim stood there and strongly accused Him. So Herod, along with his men of war, viewed Yeshua as nothing and mocked Him and arrayed Him in a majestic robe, then sent Him back to Pilate.

PART 19

THE FAREWELL DISCOURSE

"Do not allow your heart to become troubled," Yeshua said. "You trust in Elohim, so trust in Me the same way. In Avi's house are many places to dwell. I would have told you if there was not. I go to prepare a place for you all. Since I go and prepare a place for you, I will come again and bring you to Me, so that you will be there where I am. You know now where I am going and the path there you know." T'oma said to Him, "Adonai, we do not know where You are going, so then how can we know the path to get there?" "I am the Light on the path, the Remembrance and Life itself. No one {ever} comes to Abba, except through Me. If you had known Me, you would have known Avi, but from now on you know Him and have seen Him," Yeshua answered. Philip said to Him, "Adonai, show us Abba and it will be enough for us." "Have I been with you such a long time and yet, you have not known Me, Philip?" Yeshua said. "The one who has seen Me has seen Abba! Why do you say, 'Show us Abba?' Do you not trust that I am in Abba and Abba is in Me? The words which I speak to you I do not speak on My own. Abba who indwells Me does the works. Trust Me that I am in Abba and Abba is in Me. At least trust Me because of the works. Amen, amen! I tell you, the one who trusts in Me will also do the works that I do. Also, he will do even more than these because I go to Avi. I will do whatever you will ask in My Name, so that Abba may be glorified in the Son. If you will ask any thing in My Name, I will do it. If you love Me, obey My Commandments {for they are permanent from the beginning of time}. Then I will ask Abba and He will give you another Helper and He will abide with you forever. {He is} the Ruach of Remembrance, whom the world cannot accept, because it does not see Him, nor knows Him. However, you do know Him, because He remains with you and will be in you. I will not leave you as orphans. I will come to you. Yet, in a little while the world will no longer see Me, but you will see Me. Because I live, you will live also. On that day you will understand that I am in Avi and you are in Me and I am in you. The one who has My Commandments {which are permanent from the beginning of time} and obeys them, he is the one who loves Me. The one who loves Me will be loved by Avi and I will love him and will reveal Myself to him." {The other disciple named} Yehudah, who was not from Kir'yot, said, "Adonai, why will you reveal Yourself to us, but not to the world?" Yeshua answered, "If a person loves Me, he will obey My Word and Avi will love him and we will come to him and make our dwelling in him. The one who does not love Me does not obey My instructions. The Word which you shema is not Mine, but Abba's who sent Me. These things I spoke to you because I am present with you. But the Helper, Ruach HaKodesh, whom Avi will send in My Name, He will teach you everything and bring everything to your remembrance. That is: whatever I have said to you. Shalom I leave with you. My Shalom I impart to you. I do not give you the kind the world gives. Do not allow your heart to be troubled, nor allow it to be afraid. You have heard Me tell you that I am going away and will come back to you. If you loved Me you would rejoice because I said, 'I am going to Avi,' for Avi is more than me. I have predicted to you what will happen, so that when it happens you will trust. After this I will not talk much with you, for the prince of this world is coming and owns no part of Me. But so the world may know that I love Abba, I do exactly as Abba commands Me. Now get up, let us go over here." {Yeshua and the twelve went to a place on the Mount of Olives where there was a vineyard.} "I am the true vine and Avi is the Farmer. Every branch which is in Me that does not grow fruit He removes and every one which grows fruit He prunes, so that it can grow more fruit. Now you are clean through the Word which I have spoken to you. Remain in Me and I will be in you. Since the branch cannot grow fruit on its own unless it remains in the vine, you can't either unless you remain in Me. I am the vine, you are the branches. The one who remains in Me and I am in him, that one grows abundant fruit. Without Me you can do nothing. If a person does not remain in Me, he is thrown away like a branch which has withered and men gather them and throw them into the fire and they are burned. If you remain in Me and My Word remains in you, you may ask for whatever you seek and it will be accomplished for you. In this way Avi is glorified because you grow abundant fruit.

So you will be My disciples. As Abba has loved Me, so I have loved you. Continue in My love. If you obey My commandments you will remain in My love, just as I have obeyed Avi's commandments and remain in His love. These things I have spoken to you, so that My joy will remain in you and you will be full of joy. This is a commandment of mine: you love one another, as I have loved you. No one has more love than this: when one sacrifices his life for his friends. You are My friends, if you do whatever commandment I gave you. From now on I will not call you My servants, for the servant does not know what Adonai is doing. I have called you My friends, for all things which I have heard from Avi I have made known to you. You have not chosen Me, but I have chosen you and ordained you, for you to go and grow fruit and for your fruit to remain. Then, whatever you ask from Abba in My Name, He will give it to you. This commandment I give to you: you shall love one another. If the world hates you, you know that it hated Me before you. If you were {a part} of the world, the world would love its own. But because you are not {a part} of the world and I have chosen you out of the world, therefore the world hates you. Remember the Word I told you, 'The servant is not greater than Adonai.' If they persecuted Me, they will also persecute you. If they have obeyed My sayings, they will also obey yours. All these things they will do to you on account of My Name, because they do not know the One who sent Me. If I had not come and spoken to them, they would not have had sin. But now, they have no kippur [covering] for their sin. The one who hates Me hates Avi also. If I had not performed the works among them which no other man has done, they would not have had sin. Now they have both seen and hated both Avi and Me, that the Word might be fulfilled which is written in the Torah, 'They hated Me without a cause.' When the Helper has come, whom I will send to you from Abba, the Ruach of Remembrance who proceeds from Abba, He will testify concerning Me. You also will be a witness, because you have been with Me from the start. These things I have spoken to you, so that you would not fall away. They shall put you out of the councils. Yes, the time comes, that whoever kills you will think that he serves Elohim. They will do this to you, because they have not known Abba, nor Me. But I have I told you this, so that when the time comes you will remember that I told you about them. I didn't tell you this from the start, because I was with you. But now I go on My path to Him who sent Me. Yet, none of you asks Me, 'Where are you going?' For since I said these things to you, your heart is filled with sadness. Still, I tell you, remember. It is best for you now that I depart, for if I do not depart the Helper will not come to you. But if I depart, I will send Him to you. When He comes He will convict the world of sin, of righteousness and of judgment. {He will prove the world to have} sin, because they do not trust in Me. {He will prove to the world what is} righteousness, because I go to Avi and no longer will I be here for an example {of righteousness}. {He will prepare the world for} judgment, because the prince of this world has been judged. There are yet many things I would like to say to you, but you cannot handle them now. However, when He who is the Ruach of Remembrance comes, He will guide you to remember all things. He will not speak about who He is, but whatever He hears is what He will speak. Then He will show you the things to come. He will glorify Me, because He will receive what is Mine and reveal it to you. All things that Abba has are Mine also. For this reason I told you that He will take what is Mine and reveal it to you. Because I go to Abba in a little while, you will not see Me. Then a little while more and you will see Me once again." Then some of the disciples wondered among themselves, "What is He trying to tell us? What does He mean by 'a little while'? We cannot understand what He is talking about." Yeshua knew they wanted to ask Him about it, so He said, "Do you inquire among yourselves because I said, 'A little while and you will not see Me, then a little while more and you will see Me again?' Amen, amen! I tell you, you will cry and grieve, but the world will celebrate. You will be very sad, but your sadness will be changed to joy. When a woman is in travail she has sorrow, because her time {for giving birth} has come, but as soon as she delivers the child, she loses the memory of the anguish, because of the joy that her child has been born into the world. Therefore, you are sorrowful, but I will see you again, then your heart will rejoice and no one will take your joy from you. At that time you will not ask Me for anything. Amen, amen! I tell you, whatever you will ask Abba in My Name, He will give you. To this point you have not asked for anything in My Name. Ask and you will receive, so your joy may be full. These things have I taught you in proverbs. But the time is coming when I will not anymore speak to you in proverbs. Instead, I will show you clearly from Abba. At that time you will ask in My Name and I do not tell you that I will pray to Abba for you. For Abba Himself loves you, because you have loved Me and have trusted that I came out from Elohim. I came out from Abba and came into the world. Now, I leave the world and go to Abba." His disciples said to Him, "We are taking note! You are speaking clearly and not using a proverb. Now we are sure that You know everything, because You do not need for anyone to ask You {before You tell them}. By this we trust that You came out from Elohim." "Now you have trust?" Yeshua said. "Watch, the time is coming, yes; it is now here, for you to be dispersed. Everyone will go to his own {house} and will leave Me alone. Yet I am not alone, because Abba is with Me. I have told you these things so that you can have Shalom in Me. In the world you will have pressures, but have courage. I have won the victory over the world." Once Yeshua said this, He raised His eyes to Heaven and said, "Abba, the time has come! Glorify Your Son, that also Your Son may glorify You. You have given Him power over all humans, so that He can impart eternal life to as many as You have given to Him. This is eternal life: To know You, the only remembered Elohim and Yeshua HaMoshiach, whom You sent. I have glorified you on the Earth. I have finished the work you gave Me to do. So now, Oh Abba, You glorify Me along with Yourself, with the same glory I had with You before the existence of the world. I have revealed Your Name to the men whom you gave Me out of the world. They were Yours; You gave them to Me. They have obeyed Your Word. They have known that everything You have given Me is Yours. For I have given to them the words which You gave Me and they have received and known surely that I came out from You. They have trusted that You did send Me. I pray for them. I do not pray for the world, but for those who You have given Me, for they are Yours. All mine is Yours and Yours are Mine and I am glorified in them. Now I am not going to be in the world, but these are in the world. I come to You, Holy Abba. With Your own Name guard those whom You have given Me, that they may be one, as are we. While I was with them in the world, in Your Name I guarded them. Those whom You gave to Me I have safely guarded, so none of them are lost except the ruined child, in order to complete the scripture. Now I am coming to You. These things I speak in the world, so they can have My joy filling up their being. I have given them Your Word and the world has despised them, because they do not belong to the world, even as I do not belong to the world. I do not pray for You to take them out of the world, but instead, that You would guard them from the evil one. They do not belong to this world, the same as I do not belong to this world. Make them holy through Your Remembrance. Your Word is the Remembrance. As You have sent Me into the world, I also have sent them into the world, in like manner. For their sakes I make Myself holy, that they also might be made holy through the Remembrance. I do not pray this only for these, but also for those who will trust in Me through their communication. In this way, may they all be one. As You, Abba, are in Me and I am in You, may they also be one in Us, that the world may trust that You have sent Me. The glory which You gave Me I have given to them, that they may be one, even as We are One. I in them and You in Me, that this way they may become as one upon completion. That through this the world may know that You have sent Me and You have loved them, as You have loved Me. Abba, It is My will that those whom You have given to Me would also be with Me where I am. That they may look upon My glory, which You have given to Me. For You loved Me before the conception of the world. Oh Righteous Abba, the world has not known You, but I have known You and these here have known that You did send Me. I have declared to them Your Name and will certify it {in this way}: That the love with which You have loved Me will be in them and I in them.”

AGONY IN GETHSEMENE

While in Gethsemane, Yeshua said to the disciples, "You sit here, while I go and pray over there." He took along with Him Kefa and the two sons of Zavdai {Yochanan and Ya'akov} and began to be heavy hearted and full of sadness. So He says to them, "My soul is grieving extremely, even to the point of death. You wait right here and watch with Me. Pray you will not enter into temptation." He went about a stone's throw away and fell on His face and prayed, "Oh Avi, all things are possible for You. If You will do it, allow this cup to be removed from Me. Yet, no matter what My desire is, You do as You require." Yeshua came to the disciples and found them asleep. So He says to Kefa, "What! Couldn't you watch with Me for one hour? Watch and pray now. That way you will not enter temptation. Surely, the spirit is willing, but the body is weak." He went away the second time and prayed, "Oh Avi, if this cup cannot be removed from Me and I must drink it, Your will be done." Then a messenger from Heaven appeared to Him and strengthened Him. Yeshua came back and found them asleep again, because their eyes were heavy. They did not know what excuse to give Him. He left them and went away the third time and prayed the same words. While He was praying, He became more intensely in anguish and His sweat turned into large drops of blood falling to the ground. Finally, Yeshua came to His disciples and said, "Go ahead and sleep; get your rest. But, notice now, the time is near when the Son of man is to be betrayed into the hands of sinners." {After a while longer Yeshua awoke them saying,} "Get up now and let us be going. Look, the one who betrays Me is nearby."

Philosophy is partially defined as, the study of the fundamental nature of knowledge. However there has become a philosophical tangent concerning the Bible. In 1828 Noah Webster wrote, “True religion and true philosophy must ultimately arrive at the same principle.” In the past Philosophy began with the premise that the Bible was true, but the new tangent rejects that premise and attempts to establish the Bible as false. This removes any search for knowledge or truth because en the search for truth, one must consider all of the information and not only what is convenient.

"We know that whosoever is born of God sinneth not; but he that is begotten of God keepeth himself, and that wicked one toucheth him not."

1J 5

Thought for Today: Tuesday March 25

When you go through trials and tribulations and everything goes against you today, until it seems as though you could endure no longer, do not give up. This might be just the place and time that things will turn for the better.

Every person ever conceived has some role to play in God's creation. As members of the body of Christ, we, more than anyone else, whether Jew or Gentile, have a divine commission to act in some unique capacity as a functioning organ in that body. Nobody is without purpose, without a role to play.

Just as in a physical human body, no two parts are identical. The right hand is not the left. A foot is not an ear. A skin cell is not a neuron. If any one of these tries to play the part of some other, it cripples the body to some degree.

A hand can perform the function of a foot if necessary, but it will never be a good foot. The body functions best when every part plays its own role and doesn't compete with any other part.