PART 16 A

TEN LEPERS

While Yeshua was continuing to Yerushalayim He passed through the Galil and Shomron. As He entered a village ten men who were lepers met Him, but they stood far away. They loudly entreated Him "Yeshua, Rabbi, have mercy on us." "Go show yourselves to the Kohanim." He said. {For this is commanded in the Torah for lepers to do to be clean.} As they departed they were cleansed. When one of them, a man of Shomron, noticed he was healed he turned back to Yeshua. Falling down on his face at Yeshua's feet, he loudly glorified Elohim and thanked Yeshua. "Weren't there ten cleansed? So where are the other nine?" Yeshua asked him. "You are a stranger, yet the only one who returned to give glory to Elohim. Arise and go on your way. Your trust has made you completely whole."

LOOKING FOR THE KINGDOM

Yeshua requested the P'rushim {that were with Him} to tell Him when the Kingdom of Elohim was coming. Then He said to them, "The Kingdom of Elohim will not come by physical observation. No one will say, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!' Notice this: the Kingdom of Elohim is within you." Then He spoke to all the disciples, "The days will come when you will desire to see one of the days of the Son of man, but you will not see one. Some will tell you to, 'Look here!' or 'Look there!' Don't go to them or follow {their instruction}. Just like the lightning which lights up one part of the sky and shines to the other part of the sky, so will the Son of man be in His day. But first He must suffer many things and be rejected by this generation. As it was in the days of Noach, so it will be in the days of the Son of man. They ate, they drank, they married wives, they were given away in marriage, all until the very day which Noach entered into the ark. Then the flood came and destroyed them all. It was also the same in the days of Lot. They ate, they drank, they bought, they sold, they planted and they built. But the same day that Lot left Sodom it rained fire and brimstone from heaven and destroyed them all. This is the way it is going to be in the day when the Son of man is revealed. In that day, when a person is on the roof and his stuff is in the house, he should not come down to take it away and the person who is in the field should not return back to his house. Remember Lot's wife. Whoever will try to save his life will lose it and whoever will lose his life will preserve it. I tell you, on that night there will be two people asleep in one bed. One will be taken and the other will be left. Two people will be working together. One will be taken and the other left. Two people will be in the field. One will be taken and the other left." Then they asked Him, "Where, Adonai?" "Wherever the body is, there is where the eagles will be gathered together." Yeshua answered.

KINGDOM JUSTICE

So, He spoke a parable to them that people should always pray with patience. "There was in a city a judge who did not fear Elohim nor answer to anyone. There was also a widow in that city and she came to the judge and implored him, 'Give me justice against my adversary.' But for awhile he wouldn't respond. Eventually he thought, 'Though I do not fear Elohim nor answer to anyone, yet because this widow troubles me, I will give her justice or else she will make me weary by continually coming to me. Hear what this unrighteous judge said! Won't Elohim give justice to His own chosen ones who cry to Him day and night, though along with them He waits a long time? I tell you, He will give them swift justice. However, when the Son of man comes again, will He find faithfulness on the earth?”

PARABLE OF DOING T'SHUVAH

Yeshua spoke this parable to certain ones who trusted in their own righteousness and despised others. "Two men went up to the Mikdash to pray. One was a P'rush and the other one was a tax collector. The P'rush stood and prayed silently this way, 'Elohim, I thank you that I am not as other men who are extortionists, unrighteous, adulterers or even as this tax collector. I fast twice every week and I give tithes of all I possess.' But the tax collector, standing far away, would not even raise his eyes toward heaven. Instead, he beat his chest, saying, 'Elohim be merciful to me, a sinner.' I tell you, this man went down to his house more justified than the other. Because everyone who lifts up himself will be lowered, but the one who humbles himself will be exalted."

CONTROVERSY OF DIVORCE

Some P'rushim came to Yeshua to test Him. They asked, "Is it proper in Torah for a man to divorce his wife for any and every reason?" "Haven't you read," He replied, "that at the beginning the Creator made them male and female and said, 'For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife and the two will become one flesh'? So they are no longer two, but one. Therefore, what Elohim has joined together, no one should separate." "Why then," they asked, "did Moshe command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce {a get} and send her away?" Yeshua replied, "Moshe permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not originally this way. I tell you, whoever divorces his wife, except for infidelity and then marries another woman, commit adultery." "If this is what happens between a husband and wife, it is better not to marry," the disciples commented. Yeshua replied, "Not everyone can accept that instruction, but only those to whom it has been given. Some do not marry because they were born that way, others were made that way by men and still others have renounced marriage for purposes of the Kingdom of Heaven. The one who can accept this should accept it."

BLESSING ON LITTLE CHILDREN

Then some little children were brought to Yeshua for Him to place His hands on them and pray for them. But the disciples turned away those who brought them. Yeshua said, "Let the little children come to Me and do not keep them away, for the Kingdom of Heaven belongs to those who are like these." When He had placed His hands on them He went on from there.

SADNESS OF WEALTH


A man came up to Yeshua and asked, "Teacher, what good thing should I do to obtain eternal life?" "Why do you ask Me concerning what is good?" Yeshua replied. "There is only One who is good. If you want to enter {eternal} life, obey the commandments." "Which ones?" the man inquired. Yeshua replied, "Do not murder, do not commit adultery, do not steal, do not give false testimony, honour your father and mother and love your neighbour as yourself." "I have obeyed everyone one of those," the young man said. "Why am I still lacking?" Yeshua answered, "If you want to be fully mature, leave now and sell your possessions, then give to the poor. You will have treasure in Heaven. Then come follow Me." When the young man heard this he left with sadness, because he had a lot of wealth. Then Yeshua said to his disciples, "I tell you, remember this: it is hard for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Heaven. Also, I tell you, it is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for a rich man to enter the Kingdom of Elohim." When the disciples heard this they were greatly amazed and asked, "Then who can be saved?" Yeshua looked at them and said, "With man this is impossible, but with Elohim all things are possible." "We have left everything to follow you!" Kefa said. "What will there be for us then?" Yeshua said, "I tell you, remember this: at the full restoration of all things, when the Son of Man sits on his glorious throne, you who have followed Me will also sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve tribes of Yisrael. Every one of you who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or children or fields for My sake will receive a hundred times as much and will inherit eternal life. However, many who are first will be last and many who are last will be first."