PART 5

HEALING OF OFFICER'S SON

Yeshua continued to travel throughout the Galil in the power of the Ruach of Elohim. Many people of the Galil received Him, having been to the Feast of Pesach in Yerushalayim {and seeing how He cleansed the Mikdash}. So, His fame become great in the whole region as He taught in their synagogues, being honoured by many. He eventually returned to Kana of the Galil, where He had made the water into wine. There was an officer of the king whose son was in K'far-Nachum. The son was sick and close to death. He went to Yeshua and begged Him to come to K'far-Nachum and heal his son. Then Yeshua said to him, "Unless you see signs and wonders you will not trust Me." The royal officer said, "Please Adonai, come back with me or my child will die." "You may return home now, your son will live," said Yeshua. The man trusted the word that Yeshua gave to him and went on his way. As the man was returning, his servants met him and reported, "Your son is alive!" Then he inquired as to what hour it was when his son began to get well. They said, "Yesterday at one o'clock in the afternoon the fever left him.” So the royal officer knew that it was at the same time when Yeshua said to him, "Your son will live." Then he trusted in who Yeshua was and so did his entire family.

REJECTION IN NATZERET

Yeshua went from there and came into His own country and His disciples followed Him. And when Shabbat came He began to teach in the local synagogue. Many who heard Him were astonished, saying, "Where does this man get these ideas? What sort of wisdom is this? How can he perform such powerful acts?" Some people, becoming offended with Yeshua, said, "Isn't he the son of the carpenter, the son of
Miryam, the brother of Ya'akov, Yosef, Yehudah and Shimon? And are not his sisters here with us?" Then Yeshua said to those people, "A prophet is not without honour, except in his own country and among his own relatives and in his own house." So, He did not do many great works there, except He did lay His hands on a few sick people and healed them. He was amazed at the lack of trust there was as He went around into the villages teaching.

ANNOUNCEMENT OF HIS MINISTRY

He came to Natzeret, where He had been brought up and as He always did, He went into the synagogue on Shabbat and stood up to read. They handed Him the scripture scroll of the Prophet Yesha'yahu. After opening the scroll, He found the place where it was written and He read aloud, "The Ruach of YHVH is upon me, because He has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me to heal the broken-hearted, to announce freedom to the captives and the restoration of sight to the blind, to set free those who are bruised, to announce the acceptable year of YHVH." He closed the scroll and handed it back to the Shamash [Torah servant] and sat down. The eyes of all those in the synagogue were staring at Him. Then He said to them, "This very day this scripture is fulfilled as you hear it." Everyone who heard was intrigued by the words of authority with which He spoke. Then someone said, "Isn't this Yosef's son?" Yeshua answered, "You will surely tell Me this proverb, 'Physician, heal yourself. We have heard what you did in K'far-Nachum, now do it here again in your own country.' Amen, amen! I tell you, no prophet is accepted in his own country. But I remind you, many widows were in Yisrael in the days of Eliyahu, when the heavens were closed for three years and six months and great famine was throughout all the land. But Eliyahu was not sent to any of them. Instead, he went to a widow woman in Serapat, a town of Sidon. Also, there were many lepers in Yisrael at the time of Elisha the prophet and none of them were cleansed, but Na'aman the Syrian was cleansed." {By this Yeshua was saying not all of Elohim's blessings were reserved for those who considered themselves His covenant people. It is trust in Elohim that brings forth the blessing.} When they heard these things some of those in the synagogue were offended. They rose up and forced Yeshua out of the town, taking Him to a cliff near their town, in order to throw Him down. But He passed through their midst and went on His way. Yeshua learned that Yochanan was arrested and put into prison by Herod Antipas. Then He left Natzeret and decided to make His home in K'far-Nachum, which is upon the coast of Lake Kinneret, within the borders of Zevulun and Naftali. Which fulfilled what was spoken by the prophet Yesha'yahu, "The land of Zevulun and the land of Naftali, by the coast of the sea, beyond the Yarden, Galil of the Gentiles. The people who sat in darkness saw a great Light, and to them which sat in the region and shadow of death the Light are arisen."

DECEPTIVE SPIRIT CAST OUT

On Shabbat, Yeshua entered into the synagogue and taught. The people were amazed with His doctrine, for He taught as one who had authority and not in the style of the Soferim. In the synagogue there was a man with an deceptive unclean spirit and he cried out, "Leave us alone! What do we want from you, Yeshua HaNatzeret? Did you come here to destroy us? I know who you are: the Holy One of Elohim!" Yeshua rebuked him, "Be quiet and come out of him." Then the deceiving unclean spirit ripped through him, threw him down and cried with a loud voice as it left him unhurt. Those watching were all amazed and questioned among themselves, "What is happening? What new doctrine is this? With authority He commands the unclean spirits and they obey him." With this event Yeshua's fame spread even more throughout all the region of the Galil.

SHIMON'S HOUSE

Next, Yeshua left the synagogue and visited Shimon's home. Shimon's mother-in-law had a high fever and they asked Yeshua to heal her. As He stood over her He rebuked the fever and it left her immediately, so she got up and served them. When the sun set and the Shabbat had ended, those who had sick people with various diseases brought them to Him. He laid His hands on every one of them and healed them. Deceiving spirits also came out of many, yelling out, "You are the Moshiach, the Son of Elohim!" They knew He was the Moshiach. Therefore, He strongly commanded them to keep quiet, so that they could not speak.

CATCH OF FISH

In the morning, He left Shimon's house and went into a desert place. Yet, the people sought Him out and found Him and stayed near Him, so that He could not get away from them. Then they crowded Him as He stood by Lake Kinneret. Seeing two fishing boats anchored there, which the fishermen had left in order to wash and mend their nets, Yeshua climbed into the one which belonged to Shimon, who was also called Kefa and requested that he would push out a little from the land. Shimon complied and Yeshua sat down to teach the people out of the boat. When He had finished His lesson He said to Shimon, "Sail out father into the deep water, then let your nets go down for a catch." "Rabbi, we have worked hard all night and have caught nothing," Shimon objected, then reconsidered, "But because You ask me I will let down the nets." When they had reached the deep waters they put the nets down. Quickly the nets began to fill with a huge catch of fish, so many that the nets began to break. So Shimon beckoned his partners in the other boat to come and help; then both boats became so full that they began to sink. When Shimon Kefa saw it, he fell down at Yeshua's knees and cried, "Adonai, depart from me, for I am a sinful man." He was overcome with excitement, along with his brother Andrew and his partners Ya'akov and Yochanan, the sons of Zavdai. Then Yeshua comforted Shimon and said to them all, "Do not be afraid, rather come now and follow me, because from now on I will form you into fishers of men." So when they all had brought their boats to land, they left everything and followed Yeshua. And He said to them, "Let's go from here into other towns, so I can preach there also, because I was sent for this reason."

LEPER CLEANSED

Yeshua went through all the Galil teaching in the synagogues and announcing the joyful report of the Kingdom. He was healing all kinds of sickness and all varieties of diseases, as well as casting out deceptive spirits among the people. In one instance, a leper came to Yeshua, kneeling down before Him and imploring Him, "If you will it, you can make me clean." Yeshua was moved with compassion and touched the leper with His hand. Then He said, "Yes, I do will it. Be clean." As soon as He said it the leprosy was gone and the man was cleansed. Then Yeshua gave him strict instructions, "See to it you say nothing about this to anyone, but go show yourself to the Kohen, then offer the sacrifice for your cleansing which Moshe commanded in the Torah. This should be enough of a testimony to them." However, the man left and began to passionately talk about what had happened to him everywhere he went. Because of it Yeshua could no more openly enter a town. So He stayed out in the deserted places and prayed, but the people found Him and came from every quarter to see Him.

YESHUA AT HOME

Then Yeshua entered into a boat and crossed over Lake Kinneret and came again to His own town of K'far-Nachum and the news spread that He was at His home. And the P'rushim and Soferim came out of every town of the Galil, Yehudah and Yerushalayim to hear Him. So many people came that there was no more room in His house and the door was blocked. Yet, He taught them the Word and the power of YHVH was present to heal. Men came carrying a man in a bed who was afflicted with palsy. They tried to bring him in and to lay him before Yeshua. But they could not get him through the crowd of people. So, they went up on the roof and let him down with his bed through the roof tiles into the middle of the room where Yeshua was. When Yeshua saw their trust, He said to the sick man, "Your sins are forgiven." Hearing this, some Soferim and P'rushim began to reason to themselves, "Who is this who speaks blasphemies? For whom else has authority to forgive sins other than Elohim?" When Yeshua perceived their thoughts, He said, "Why do you question this in your hearts? Which is it easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven' or 'Rise up and walk?' However, so that you realize the Son of man has the authority on earth to forgive sins. . ." Yeshua turned to the man with the palsy, "Get up, fold up your bed and go to your house." That moment the man got up, picked up his bed, glorified Elohim and went home. All were amazed and glorified Elohim. They were filled with fear and said, "We have seen strange things today, which we have never seen before." Then Yeshua left His home to walk again by Lake Kinneret and all the crowds went along with Him, so He taught them. As He passed by He saw {Mattiyahu the} Levi, the son of Chalfai, sitting at the customs counter. Yeshua said to him, "Follow me." {Mattiyahu the} Levi arose and followed Him. He then went to the house of {Mattiyahu the} Levi to eat. Many tax collectors and sinners also sat and ate with Yeshua and His disciples. There were many who followed Him. When certain Soferim and P'rushim saw Him eat with tax collectors and sinners, they said to His followers, "Why does he eat and drink with tax collectors and sinners?" When Yeshua heard them address His followers, He said to them, "Those who are healthy have no use for a physician, but those who are sick do. I did not come to call the righteous, but sinners to do t'shuvah." Some of the disciples of Yochanan and those of the P'rushim were fasting from food, so they asked Yeshua, "Why do the disciples of Yochanan and the P'rushim fast, but your disciples do not?" Yeshua answered, "Can the attendants of the bridal house fast, while the bridegroom is with them? As long as they have the bridegroom with them, they cannot fast. But the days will come when the bridegroom will be taken away from them. In those days they will fast. Also, no one sews a piece of new cloth onto an old garment, because the new piece will shrink and pull apart from the old part, then the tear is made worse. And no one pours new wine into old skins, because the new wine will burst the skins and the wine will spill and the skins will be ruined. But new wine must be put into new skins." {By this Yeshua instructed that the righteous must be patient with those new to righteousness.}