Frequently asked questions and answers:

Question 296: What Is Meant By Hating Father And Mother For Yeshua’ Sake?

Answer:

In Luke 14:26 our Saviour asserts His claim to our most loyal service and our supreme affection. In taking up one's cross to follow Him, we must be prepared for trials for His sake and to break even the nearest and dearest ties, if need be. He must have the first place in our hearts. It may come to choosing between Moshiach and our nearest relations. Compare Matthew 10:37 with the passage in Luke 14. "Hate" is not the preferable word, as the passage in Matthew shows. The passage in Luke obscures the true form of the expression and invests it with harshness while Matthew makes the true meaning clear, that we are to love Him better than all else, even those who are nearest and dearest to us and that this love must assert itself loyally at the crisis, no matter what it may cost us. A loyal soldier will give up all to serve his country; so we too must be prepared to give up all if need be, to serve Moshiach.

Question 295: What Did Yeshua Mean By: “Take No Thought For Your Life, What Ye Shall Eat, Neither For Your Body What Ye Shall Put On?”

Answer:

This was a part of the "Sermon on the Mount," and Luke 12:19-34 is intended to illustrate heavenly-mindedness and confidence in YHVH's providence. The particular passage quoted admonishes the believer not to be too anxiously concerned or worried about things that are purely temporal. It is right to make due provision for our own needs and the needs of those dependent upon us; but when we have done so, we should not fret and doubt and make ourselves and others miserable because of our fears of coming trouble. This applies to our food, our clothing and our worldly affairs generally. All such doubts and worries spring from unbelief and are after the manner of the world. If we really believe and trust our heavenly Father, He will provide all we need. This promise however, does not relieve us from the natural duty of making reasonable provision, though there are some people who mistakenly think so. The whole passage broadly interpreted, means that we are to do our work here properly and cheerfully and to trust the Father for the rest and never worry, always keeping in view the greater duty of "seeking first the Kingdom," beside which all other things are insignificant. Worry in the sense involved in the passage is a sin against YHVH since it shows absolute lack of faith in His promised providential care.

Question 294: Why Did Yeshua Allow Evil Spirits To Entre The Herd Of Swine?

Answer:

According to the Law, swine (pigs) were unclean and any Jew owning them or using them as food violated this Law. The destruction of the herd (Luke 8:26, 36) and the question of the destination of the evil spirits has been well explained by Trench in his famous book on Miracles. He wrote: "A man is of more value than many swine" and added that it is not necessary to suppose that our Saviour sent the devils into the swine, but merely permitted them to go, adding further that if those Gadarene villagers who owned the swine were Jews as may be supposed, they were properly punished by the loss of that which they ought not to have had at all. As for the evil spirits, it is reasonable to conclude that they found a congenial refuge somewhere else. With regard to their recognition of Yeshua as divine, we have Scripture assurance that "the devils believe and tremble."

Question 293: How Are We To Understand “Whosoever Hath, To Him Shall Be Given?”

Answer:

This expression (Luke 8:18) occurs in a number of New Testament passages, Matthew 13:12, Mark 4:25, etc. Its meaning is most evident in Matthew 25:29 and Luke 19:26, in connection with the parable of the talents or pounds. Moshiach is stating in these words two laws which are universal. First, a man must have something to start with before he can do any work. Second, if he does not make good use of what is given he loses it In other words: something never comes from nothing; neglect means loss. Every man is given something to start with for working out his life plan. If he neglects to use what he has he loses it. It cannot be said that YHVH takes it away from him; the man simply lets it slip through his fingers. Helen Keller had very little to begin with, but she made such amazingly faithful use of that, that she gained much more. She used and developed the sense of touch until it has become almost equal to sight and hearing. But a sense or a muscle unused becomes useless. A man has only to stop walking and he will soon lose the power to walk. It is ridiculous to say that there is anything cruel about this. It is simply the law of life. And the law works no hardship to anyone who has a desire to make good use of life. In the passage (Luke 8:18) the law is applied to hearing. When a man hears a truth he must follow it and apply it quickly. If he does not he will forget it, or cease to believe it or lose it in some other way.

Question 292: What Was The Special Value And Object Of Yeshua’ Parables?

Answer:

"But unto others in parables that seeing they might not see and hearing they might not understand" Luke 8:10. Dean Farrar says on this passage: "Saviour Bacon says, 'a parable has a double use; it tends to veil and it tends to illustrate a truth; in the latter case it seems designed to teach, in the former to conceal.' Our Saviour wished the multitude to understand, but the result and profit depended solely on the degree of their faithfulness. The parables resembled the Pillar of Fire, which was to the Egyptians a Pillar of Cloud." The truth veiled in the form of parable was withheld from the people because their minds had grown too gross to receive it. "Had the parable of the mustard seed, for instance," says Dr Whedon, "been explained to the Pharisees as indicating that the Gospel would yet fill the earth, it would only have excited their additional hostility and hastened their purpose of accusing Him as intending to subvert the existing government." They themselves, as we learn from Matthew 13:15, had wilfully closed their eyes to the Gospel and so it’s real principles must be withheld from them. To some this may have been a mercy, preventing them from using the truth to evil purposes. To others it may have been simply the penalty due them for having insulted the truth and become unworthy of it. While however, the parable veiled the truth from cavillers, it unveiled it to the disciples (Matthew 13:11). The unreceptive people, "seeing" the narrative, saw "not" the doctrine embodied; "hearing" the literal parable, they understood "not" the secret meaning. "The whole Gospel is a parable to Him whose heart has not the key." This solemn teaching is found also in the law and the prophets. Deuteronomy 29:3, 4; Isaiah 6-9; Jeremiah 5:21; Ezekiel 12:2.

Frequently asked questions and answers

Question 291: Why Did Yeshua Say Of John “He That Is Least In The Kingdom Is Greater Than He”?

Answer:

The passage in Luke 7:28 is frequently misunderstood, as being spoken in derogation of John, because of the doubt His messengers had implied in their question (verse 20). The true meaning, as Weiss and other commentators believe, is that Yeshua was speaking of the differences in the success of the Baptist with certain classes. The common people and the publicans, who had repented under John's ministry and had been baptized by him, understood the meaning of Yeshua and were glad (verse 29), but the Pharisees and Scribes - the very class who should have been models of righteousness, had rejected and despised John. That Yeshua spoke with this contrast in view is made clear in verses 30 to 35 inclusive. He was speaking of the advancement of the Kingdom in the hearts of men.

Thought for Today: Friday February 07

The Bible teaches us to find our hope in YHVH – not in our circumstances, our family or friends – but from YHVH. You may ask; how is this possible? It happens only when we realize how much YHVH loves us – a love so deep that His Son was willing to give His life for us. It also happens that when we realize that this life we live is not all but ahead of us is eternal life if we know and accepted our Moshiach. Is your hope in Him today?