PART 4

FIRST CLEANSING OF THE MIKDASH

Yeshua went to Yerushalayim to celebrate the holy Feast of Pesach, as the scripture instructs. While there He entered the courtyard of the Mikdash. He saw the ones who sold oxen, sheep and doves and those who exchanged money for the sacrifices. {At that time the people were not permitted to sacrifice an animal, unless the corrupt religious leaders had put their seal on it. They raised the price of these specially approved animals so much, that it became a burden on the people to sacrifice as they had been commanded in the Torah. Thus, these unlawful Kohanim were desecrating the Mikdash by extorting money from the worshipers. As mentioned, the rightful Kohenim, the sons of Tzadok, had been exiled from serving the Holy Altar.} Yeshua was enraged with indignation {at the monopolistic merchandising of worship, which transgressed the holy purpose of the House of YHVH}. So, He made a whip out of cords and with it He drove all the merchants, along with all the sheep and oxen, from the Mikdash. Then
Yeshua poured out the money bags and overturned the tables of those who took the money and the seats of the dove peddlers. He commanded them, "take these things out of here! For it is written, 'My House shall be called a House of prayer for all the nations,' but you have made it a den for robbers. Do not make Avi's House a house of merchandise!" Someone in charge questioned Him, "What sign do you show to us to prove your right to do this?" "Destroy this Mikdash and in three days I will raise it up," Yeshua quickly answered, {speaking of His own physical body}. Some of the chief Kohanim and the Torah teachers were listening to Him and began to seek a way to destroy Him, because they were afraid of Him and jealous that all the people were awed at His teaching. So some mocked Him, saying, "This Mikdash took forty-six years to build and you will raise it up in three days!" They did not perceive He was speaking of His own body. However, many others at this Feast of Pesach trusted that Yeshua was true, because they saw the things He did and considered them significant. Yet, He did not trust them, for He knew the true motives of all mankind.

NICODEMUS

That night a P'rush named Nicodemus, a religious leader, came to Yeshua and said, "Rabbi, we know you are teacher who has come from Elohim, for no man could do the signs you do unless Elohim is with him." Yeshua responded, "Amen, amen! I tell you then, no man can look at or understand the Kingdom of Elohim unless He has been reborn." Nicodemus was confused and asked, "How can a man be reborn when he is old? Can he enter the second time into his mother's womb to be born once again?" Yeshua answered, "Amen, amen! What I am telling you is that no man can enter into the things of the Kingdom of Elohim unless he has been born first physically, by way of water, then secondly born spiritually, through the Ruach of YHVH. Because that which is born through the flesh is flesh, but that which is born through the Ruach of YHVH is spiritual. So, do not be confused because I said you must be reborn. For the Ruach of YHVH blows where it is appointed and you can Shema its voice, but not know how or where it came from, or even where it is going. This is what will happen to everyone who is born of the Ruach of YHVH." Nicodemus responded, "How can this happen?" "Are you a teacher of Yisrael and yet you cannot understand this?" Yeshua answered him, "Amen, amen! I tell you, We have spoken about what We know to be fact and witnessed what We have seen take place in Yisrael and you still do not receive Our witness. Therefore, if I have demonstrated things on Earth to you, and you do not believe it, how will you come to believe the things of Heaven I am telling you now? The fact is: no man will ascend to enter Heaven, except through Him who descended from Heaven, that One being the Son of man. "{So, I will illustrate the heavenly with the earthly:} Moshe raised the serpent in the wilderness and people who trusted enough to look at it were healed in their flesh. In the same way, the Son of man must be raised up, then whoever trusts in Him will live forever. You see, Elohim cared for the world so much, that He has provided the world with the only Son of His direct issue, and whoever in the world puts their trust in Him will not be destroyed, but instead will live forever. "Elohim did not send His Son into the world to be its judge at this time, but rather, to offer the world salvation through Him. Therefore, the one who trusts in Him will not be judged, but the one who does not trust has already been judged, because he has not trusted the authority of the only Son of Elohim's direct issue. This is their judgment, that even though the Light has come into the world, mankind loved to dwell in the darkness, rather than have the Light, because their works were evil. Every person who performs evil deeds hates the Light, and will not come to the Light because His works will be revealed. But the person who does remember righteousness comes to the Light, that His works may be seen to have originated with Elohim."

YOCHANAN ANSWERS A DISPUTE

Then Yeshua and His followers went from Yerushalayim into {the province of} Yehudah and He stayed with them there, where they were officiating the mikveh. Yochanan also was officiating mikveh in Einayim near Shalem because there was plenty of water there. There arose a dispute between some of Yochanan's disciples and some of the religious leaders about the purification of mikveh. So they came to Yochanan and said, "Rabbi, he that was with you beyond the Yarden, the one to whom you bore witness, well, that same person is officiating the mikveh, and many people are coming to him." Yochanan said, "A person can receive nothing, unless it is given to him from Heaven. You yourselves heard me say 'I am not the Moshiach,' rather that I am sent to go before Him. He that has the bride is the bridegroom, but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears Him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom's voice. This is my joy and it is now fulfilled. He must increase, but I must decrease. He that comes from above is above all; he that is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the Earth. He that comes from Heaven is above all. He testifies about what He has seen and heard and few men receive His testimony. He who receives His testimony has secured the seal that YHVH is remembered. For He whom Elohim has sent speaks the words of Elohim, and YHVH does not measure His Ruach to Him. Abba loves the Son, and has given all things into His hands. The person that trusts the Son will live forever, but the person that does not trust the Son will not see life. Instead, the wrath of YHVH resides on him." The P'rushim learned Yeshua was making more followers and officiating more mikvehs than Yochanan (though Yeshua Himself did not officiate, but His disciples did). When Yeshua found out they knew, He left Yehudah and departed again into the Galil. To do this, it was necessary to travel through Shomron.

WOMAN AT THE WELL

Thus, they came to a town of Shomron, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that the patriarch Ya'akov gave to his son, Yosef. Ya'akov's well was there. Therefore Yeshua, being weary because of the journey, sat at the well about the noon hour, and His disciples went into town to purchase food. While He rested, a woman of Shomron came to draw water, and Yeshua asked her, "Will you give me a drink?" The woman, startled by His request, asked, "Why is it that you, being a Yehudah, would ask a drink from me, because I am both a woman and from Shomron? For the Yehudim have no dealings with the citizens of Shomron." Yeshua answered, "If you realized the gift of Elohim that is here and who it is that asks you for a drink of water, you would have asked from me and I would have given you living water." "Sir," the woman responded with bewilderment, "You have nothing to draw with and the well is deep, so from where do you get that living water? Are you greater than our father Ya'akov, who gave us this well, and drank from it himself, along with his children and his cattle?" "Whoever drinks of the water of this well will thirst again. But whoever drinks of the water that I can give him will never be thirsty. Because the water that I can give him will be in him like a fountain springing up into eternal life," said Yeshua. She implored Him, "Sir, give me this kind of water, so that I do not get thirsty, nor have to come here to get water anymore." Yeshua said, "Go get your husband and return here." The woman answered, "I do not have a husband." "You are correct when you say you have no husband at this time, but you have had five husbands," He said and added, "The one whom you now have is really not your husband." "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet," she said. "Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, but you Yehudim say that only Yerushalayim is the place where mankind should go to worship." Yeshua responded with patience, "Woman, trust me, the time is coming when you will not worship Abba in this mountain nor in Yerushalayim. Furthermore, you people do not really know how to worship the proper way. We know how we should worship, for salvation is given through the Yehudim. But the hour is coming and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship Abba by the Ruach of YHVH and in faithful remembrance. For Abba seeks such to worship Him. YHVH is the Ruach of Life and they who worship Him must also worship Him through His Ruach and in the remembrance He ordained." "I know that Moshiach is coming," she allowed. "The One who is Anointed. When He comes He will tell us everything we need to know." Then Yeshua {pointed to Himself and} said, "I am the One you are talking about." While Yeshua said this His disciples returned and were amazed that He talked with the woman. Yet, none of them would ask Him what He was doing or why He talked to her.

SHOMRON ACCEPTS YESHUA

Then she left her water pot and went into the town. She told the men, "Come and see a man who told me all the things I have done. Isn't He the Moshiach?" Many of the Shomron citizens of that town trusted Him, just because of what the woman had said when she testified, "He told me all I ever did." So, they left the town and began to go out to find Yeshua. In the mean time His followers implored Him, "Rabbi, please eat." But He said to His disciples, "I have food to eat that you do not know about." Therefore the disciples asked each other, "Has someone else brought Him something to eat?" "My food is to do the will of Him who sent me, and to finish His work," Yeshua explained. "Do not say, 'In another four months the harvest will come.' Be attentive, I tell you! Lift your eyes up and look on the fields, for they are white and all ready for harvest." {He said this to point out that the citizens of Shomron was coming out to them.} He further taught, "The harvester receives wages and gathers fruit that will live forever. In this way both the one who sows and the one who harvests will rejoice together. This way the saying is confirmed, 'One sows then a different one harvests.' I sent you to harvest that which you did not labour to receive. Other men laboured {the righteous who went before}, but you have received because of their labours." When the citizens of Shomron came to Yeshua, they implored Him to stay with them, so He stayed there two days. Then many more trusted Him because of His own words. Those who trusted said to the woman, "Now we believe, not because of what you said, but rather because we have heard Him ourselves, and we know that Yeshua is surely the Moshiach, the Saviour of the world."

FROM THIS WEEK’S TORAH PORTION – SH’MYNY:

“And Naḏav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon, each took his fire holder and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and brought strange fire before YHWH, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from YHWH and consumed them, and they died before YHWH.”

“Strange fire?” What was it that Nadav and Avihu did to incur the wrath of YHWH to such an extent that He took their lives? Quite simply, these two brothers conspired to do service to YHWH in their own way, according to their own desires, instead of in the way which He had commanded them.

Does this sound familiar? Too often, we who claim to be Torah-observant (or not) may be observant to a point (or not), yet we insist upon doing things just a little (or a lot) differently than the way in which the Most-High has prescribed them. When we do this, we prove ourselves to be rebellious against the commands of YHWH. How many times have we heard others say (or have said ourselves), ‘I know what the Torah says, but I say...’ or ‘that was true in Moshe’s day, but since Yeshua’s resurrection…?’ It is that ‘but’ which always gets us into trouble. When we reject the clear commands of the Torah and replace them with a ‘but,’ we are in rebellion against YHWH and become worthy of the same punishment that killed Nadav and Avihu. We claim the scriptures as our foundation, yet we refuse to do the expressed will of YHWH in the way He has clearly prescribed it. We do it our own way – as seems “right in our own eyes.”

How can we claim to be observant when we toss out dozens of chapters of the Torah in order to make it conform to our own favorite doctrines? What arrogance on our part! Why not just do what YHWH says to do, and leave it at that? Doesn’t He truly know best? Do we really think we know better than He? Would His own son think so?

"Be ye not unequally yoked together with unbelievers: for what fellowship hath righteousness with unrighteousness? and what communion hath light with darkness? and what concord hath Christ with Belial? or what part hath he that believeth with an unbeliever?"

2Cor 6

Have some individual churches become too reliant on the overeducating of pastors? Leaders certainly need to have the knowledge to lead and for a church they need to have Biblical knowledge as well. The problem has developed for many denominations that pastors are far more educated with the administrative details of the church as a business rather than being trained to teach Biblical authority and principle. Acts 4:13, “When they saw the boldness of Peter and John and realized that they were unschooled, ordinary men, they marveled and took note that these men had been with Jesus.” Peter and John had no formal education, but they had the ability to amaze the Sanhedrin with their knowledge.

Thought for Today: Wednesday March 19

If you should ask people their opinion why they are not attracted to the Christian faith, most will answer that it is because of believers they know. Some believers repel them by their self-righteousness, others show no love or compassion, and there are many believers that show little or no concern for the world and its problems. In reality, many believers do not get along with each other because of different denominations. Thus, stop forcing yourself on people by words but attract them through action by following Yeshua’s example. People’s lives matter, not possessions or who knows best!

Seeing the astronaunts brought home was a nice feel good American moment. ?

FROM THIS WEEK’S TORAH PORTION – SH’MYNY:

“And Naḏav and Avihu, the sons of Aharon, each took his fire holder and put fire in it, and put incense on it, and brought strange fire before YHWH, which He had not commanded them. And fire came out from YHWH and consumed them, and they died before YHWH.”

“Strange fire?” What was it that Nadav and Avihu did to incur the wrath of YHWH to such an extent that He took their lives? Quite simply, these two brothers conspired to do service to YHWH in their own way, according to their own desires, instead of in the way which He had commanded them.

Does this sound familiar? Too often, we who claim to be Torah-observant (or not) may be observant to a point (or not), yet we insist upon doing things just a little (or a lot) differently than the way in which the Most-High has prescribed them. When we do this, we prove ourselves to be rebellious against the commands of YHWH. How many times have we heard others say (or have said ourselves), ‘I know what the Torah says, but I say...’ or ‘that was true in Moshe’s day, but since Yeshua’s resurrection…?’ It is that ‘but’ which always gets us into trouble. When we reject the clear commands of the Torah and replace them with a ‘but,’ we are in rebellion against YHWH and become worthy of the same punishment that killed Nadav and Avihu. We claim the scriptures as our foundation, yet we refuse to do the expressed will of YHWH in the way He has clearly prescribed it. We do it our own way – as seems “right in our own eyes.”

How can we claim to be observant when we toss out dozens of chapters of the Torah in order to make it conform to our own favorite doctrines? What arrogance on our part! Why not just do what YHWH says to do, and leave it at that? Doesn’t He truly know best? Do we really think we know better than He? Would His own son think so?

THIS COMING SHABBATH IS SHABBATH PARAH:

Shabbath Parah is the “Sabbath of the Red Heifer.” It occurs on the Sabbath prior to Shabbath Hachodesh of the month of Aviv. It is a reminder to the people of Yisrael that they must be purified in order to eat the soon coming Pesach. In ancient times, a public announcement was made to that effect immediately before Rosh Chodesh Aviv.

The scripture readings are: B’midbar 19:1-22 and Yechezqel 36:16-38.

And YHWH spoke to Moshe and to Aharon, saying, “This is a law of the Torah which YHWH has commanded, saying, ‘Speak to the children of Yisra’el, that they bring you a red heifer, a perfect one, in which there is no blemish and on which a yoke has never come. And you shall give it to El’azar the priest, and he shall bring it outside the camp, and shall slay it before him. And El’azar the priest shall take some of its blood with his finger, and sprinkle some of its blood seven times toward the front of the Tent of Appointment. And the heifer shall be burned before his eyes – he burns its hide, and its flesh, and its blood, and its dung. And the priest shall take cedar wood and hyssop and scarlet, and throw them into the midst of the fire burning the heifer. The priest shall then wash his garments, and shall bathe his body in water, and afterward come into the camp, but the priest is unclean until evening. And he who is burning it washes his garments in water, and shall bathe his body in water, and is unclean until evening. And a clean man shall gather up the ashes of the heifer, and shall place them outside the camp in a clean place. And they shall be kept for the congregation of the children of Yisra’el for the water for uncleanness, it is for cleansing from sin. And he who gathers the ashes of the heifer shall wash his garments, and is unclean until evening. And it shall be a law forever to the children of Yisra’el and to the stranger who sojourns in their midst. He who touches the dead of any human being is unclean for seven days. He is to cleanse himself with the water on the third day, and on the seventh day he is clean. But if he does not cleanse himself on the third day, then on the seventh day he is not clean. Anyone who touches the dead of a human being, and does not cleanse himself, defiles the Dwelling Place of YHWH. And that being shall be cut off from Yisra’el. He is unclean, for the water for uncleanness was not sprinkled on him, his uncleanness is still upon him.’”

And the word of YHWH came to me, saying, “Son of man, when the house of Yisra’el dwelt in their own land, they defiled it by their own ways and deeds. To Me their way was like the uncleanness of a woman in her monthly period. So I poured out My wrath on them for the blood they had shed on the land, and for their idols they defiled it. And I scattered them among the nations, and they were dispersed throughout the lands. I have judged them according to their ways and their deeds. And when they came to the nations, wherever they went, they profaned My set-apart Name for it was said of them, These are the people of YHWH, and yet they have gone out of His land. But I had compassion on My set-apart Name, which the house of Yisra’el had profaned among the nations wherever they went. Therefore say to the house of Yisra’el, Thus said Adonai YHWH, I do not do this for your sake, O house of Yisra’el, but for My set-apart Name’s sake, which you have profaned among the nations wherever you went. And I shall set apart My great Name, which has been profaned among the nations, which you have profaned in their midst. And the nations shall know that I am YHWH, declares Adonai YHWH, when I am set-apart in you before their eyes. And I shall take you from among the nations, and I shall gather you out of all lands, and I shall bring you into your own land. And I shall sprinkle clean water on you, and you shall be clean – from all your filthiness and from all your idols I cleanse you. And I shall give you a new heart and put a new Spirit within you. And I shall take the heart of stone out of your flesh, and I shall give you a heart of flesh, and put My Spirit within you. And I shall cause you to walk in My laws and guard My judgments and shall do them. And you shall dwell in the land that I gave to your fathers. And you shall be My people, and I shall be your Elohim. And I shall save you from all your uncleannesses. And I shall call for the grain and increase it, and I shall bring no scarcity of food upon you. And I shall increase the fruit of your trees and the increase of your fields, so that you need never again bear the reproach of scarcity of food among the nations. And you shall remember your evil ways and your deeds that were not excellent. And you shall loathe yourselves in your own eyes, for your crookednesses and your abominations. Not for your sake am I acting, declares Adonai YHWH, let it be known to you. Be ashamed and blush for your ways, O house of Yisra’el! Thus said Adonai YHWH, On the day that I cleanse you from all your crookednesses, I shall cause the cities to be inhabited, and the ruined places shall be rebuilt, and the land that was laid waste tilled instead of being a ruin before the eyes of all who pass by. And they shall say, This land that was laid waste has become like the garden of Ěden. And the wasted, the deserted, and the destroyed cities are now walled and inhabited. Then the nations which are left all around you shall know that I, YHWH, have rebuilt the destroyed places and planted what was laid waste. I, YHWH, have spoken it, and I shall do it.”

The Sabbath Keepers Fellowship Passover Package Assembly Party

Part 1 was finished for this year by a lovely bunch of friends and volunteers on 3/16/2025. We had work and food, music and prayer, along with great fun and fellowship. Blessings upon all those who came, and all those who will come to finish next weekend on the 24th with part 2!

3,000 Sabbath-keeping prison inmates will be blessed to observe the Passover this year by your efforts, those of our donors, and the grace and mercy of the Most-High. Thank you to all of these!

The Sabbath Keepers Fellowship Passover Package Assembly Party

Part 1 was finished for this year by a lovely bunch of friends and volunteers on 3/16/2025. We had work and food, music and prayer, along with great fun and fellowship. Blessings upon all those who came, and all those who will come to finish next weekend on the 24th with part 2!

3,000 Sabbath-keeping prison inmates will be blessed to observe the Passover this year by your efforts, those of our donors, and the grace and mercy of the Most-High. Thank you to all of these!