Matthew 11
John the Baptist needs reassurance
Matthew does not give us the results of the journey that he sent the twelve on. This could be because Yeshua was still preparing the disciples for the journey. Luke gives a report of the results of the journey (Lk 9:1-11). It is noted that Herod is greatly perplexed and wonders if John the Baptist has risen from the dead since they seem to be carrying out his work (Luke 9:7-9). Since this is recorded it appears that Yeshua is still preparing the disciples for their journey. Jesus had finished giving instructions to them and then traveled to their home towns in order to teach (Matt 11:1).
John was thrown in prison for condemning Herod the king for speaking out against his sin (Matthew 14:3-5, Luke 3:18-20). It is understandable that John had developed doubts. He earlier had proclaimed Yeshua as the promised one to come, the Messiah (Matt 3:11, 17; Jn 1:27-29). Stern makes the observation that John was hoping that Yeshua would usher in His earthly kingdom in order to spring him from prison.[1] You can imagine the doubts that John was having. He knew Yeshua his entire life and was excited that He had begun to claim His identity as Messiah.
It is very interesting that John “heard the works of Christ” which if translated properly would be “heard the works of Messiah” and then sent a message to Jesus. He recognized that Yeshua was the Messiah because he was hearing the works that were associated with the Messiah. But he was having second thoughts since Yeshua did not take over and liberate the Jewish people from the Romans (Isa 35:4). His question is revealing since John asked if Jesus was “the expected one” or “the coming one” which is a direct reference to Messiah. Isaiah gave the impression that the Messiah would come not only performing great works of miracles but also giving freedom to the Jewish people (Isa 35:4, 9; 61:1-2). Jesus did not berate him, He did not correct John’s understanding of the mission of Messiah; but rather sent the word back with John’s disciples the evidence that verified that Jesus was the Messiah. Stern noted that John was asking in code to be freed from prison.
Matthew 11:1–6 (NASB95) 1 When Jesus had finished giving instructions to His twelve disciples, He departed from there to teach and preach in their cities. 2 Now when John, while imprisoned, heard of the works of Christ, he sent word by his disciples 3 and said to Him, “Are You the Expected One, or shall we look for someone else?” 4 Jesus answered and said to them, “Go and report to John what you hear and see: 5 the blind receive sight and the lame walk, the lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, the dead are raised up, and the poor have the gospel preached to them. 6 “And blessed is he who does not take offense at Me.”
Isaiah 35:5–10 (NASB95) 5 Then the eyes of the blind will be opened And the ears of the deaf will be unstopped. 6 Then the lame will leap like a deer, And the tongue of the mute will shout for joy. For waters will break forth in the wilderness And streams in the Arabah. 7 The scorched land will become a pool And the thirsty ground springs of water; In the haunt of jackals, its resting place, Grass becomes reeds and rushes. 8 A highway will be there, a roadway, And it will be called the Highway of Holiness. The unclean will not travel on it, But it will be for him who walks that way, And fools will not wander on it. 9 No lion will be there, Nor will any vicious beast go up on it; These will not be found there. But the redeemed will walk there, 10 And the ransomed of the Lord will return And come with joyful shouting to Zion, With everlasting joy upon their heads. They will find gladness and joy, And sorrow and sighing will flee away.
Stern remarked that the reply to John gave him the assurance that Jesus is the Messiah and gently removes the hope of release from prison:
“Yeshua’s answer is also in code. He refers to prophecies in the book of Isaiah of six signs which the Messiah will give when he comes: he will make the blind see (Isaiah 29:18, 35:5), make the lame walk (Isaiah 35:6, 61:1), cleanse lepers (Isaiah 61:1), make the deaf hear (Isaiah 29:18, 35:5), raise the dead (implied in Isaiah 11:1–2 but not made specific), and evangelize the poor (Isaiah 61:1–2 in the light of 4:23N above). Since he has done all these things (chapters 8–9), the message should be clear: Yeshua is the one; Yochanan need not look for another. See 8:1–4N.
“But his answer avoids mentioning the Messianic sign of “proclaiming liberty to the captives” (Isaiah 61:1). Added to his remark, “How blessed is anyone not offended by me,” Yeshua seems to be saying delicately that even though he is the Messiah, Yochanan will not be set free—as proves to be the case (below, 14:1–12).” [2]
The last phrase of the passage, referring to a stone of stumbling is a clear messianic prophecy that is speaking about the coming Messiah (Matt 11:6). Yeshua sent the word that He is the Messiah for certain and John could put his mind to rest. Jesus does not send hope for deliverance from prison. I am certain that John was aware of the context of the following passage:
Isaiah 8:12–17 (NLT)
12 “Don’t call everything a conspiracy, like they do, and don’t live in dread of what frightens them. 13 Make the Lord of Heaven’s Armies holy in your life. He is the one you should fear. He is the one who should make you tremble. 14 He will keep you safe. But to Israel and Judah he will be a stone that makes people stumble, a rock that makes them fall. And for the people of Jerusalem he will be a trap and a snare. 15 Many will stumble and fall, never to rise again. They will be snared and captured.” 16 Preserve the teaching of God; entrust his instructions to those who follow me. 17 I will wait for the Lord, who has turned away from the descendants of Jacob. I will put my hope in him.
Yeshua taught Torah. He expected John to decipher the encrypted message that He replied with so that John could realize that Jesus is certainly the Messiah. To reiterate the messianic evidence: Isaiah 35:5-6; 29:18, the blind see, Isa 35:6, “the lame walk”, 2 Kings 5:7, 14, “the lepers are cleansed”, Isaiah 29:18-19, 42:18, 43:8, “the deaf hear”, Isa 26:19, “the dead are raised up”, Isa 61:1, “the poor have the gospel preached to them” and “stumbling block” Isaiah 8:14-15.
John the Baptist, the spirit of Elijah:
At every Passover Seder, to date, the Jewish people make the table with an extra place setting. It is complete with a cup of wine. During the meal a small child or the youngest present is sent to the door to see if Elijah is at the door. This is because the Jewish people expect Elijah to come at Passover. Let’s look at the passage we are dealing with today and then we will discuss who John actually was:
Matthew 11:7–15 (NLT) 7 As John’s disciples were leaving, Jesus began talking about him to the crowds. “What kind of man did you go into the wilderness to see? Was he a weak reed, swayed by every breath of wind? 8 Or were you expecting to see a man dressed in expensive clothes? No, people with expensive clothes live in palaces. 9 Were you looking for a prophet? Yes, and he is more than a prophet. 10 John is the man to whom the Scriptures refer when they say, ‘Look, I am sending my messenger ahead of you, and he will prepare your way before you.’ 11 “I tell you the truth, of all who have ever lived, none is greater than John the Baptist. Yet even the least person in the Kingdom of Heaven is greater than he is! 12 And from the time John the Baptist began preaching until now, the Kingdom of Heaven has been forcefully advancing, and violent people are attacking it. 13 For before John came, all the prophets and the law of Moses looked forward to this present time. 14 And if you are willing to accept what I say, he is Elijah, the one the prophets said would come. 15 Anyone with ears to hear should listen and understand!
The Jewish people have deducted that Elijah will come at the Passover Seder. Zechariah, John’s father was of the priestly division of Abijah (Luke 1:5). A careful search of the Jewish Mishnah demonstrates that the division of Abiah begins their round of temple service on the Jewish month of Sivan 9, which translates into June 4th. After serving his course in the Temple, he would have returned home somewhere around June 11th after 1 week of service.[3] John was selected to enter the Holy of Holies where he encountered Angel Gabriel. He was informed that his wife would bear John the Baptist. She became pregnant after he returned home (Luke 1:24). If you count forward nine months, John was born somewhere around Passover, which always lands on Nisan 15. The Gregorian calendar places his birth on April 1st, nine months after his temple service ended. History tells us from some pretty significant sources that John the Baptist was born on Passover.
We know from the scriptures that six months later Mary was informed that she was pregnant with Yeshua (Luke 1:28). Gary Turner, who I am drawing the technical information from made the following statement on his website:
The angel Gabriel made his announcement to Mary (Miriam in Hebrew) “in the sixth month” of Elizabeth’s pregnancy (Lk. 1:26, 36), i.e. any time between 5 and 6 months after June 25th, 7 BC – let’s guess at December 11th (Kislev 22, 3755 AM). The message was “you shall conceive” (Lk. 1:31), so again, it would be reasonable to assume that Mary became pregnant some time during the following month – let’s guess at December 25th (Teveth 6) – if only because that would be remarkably appropriate day! Jesus would then have been born some nine months later – say September 25th, 6 BC (Tishri 15, 3756 AM), which just happens to be the date of the Feast of Tabernacles![4]
Even though birthdays are not important in the Bible, we are given rock solid evidence of the birth date of both Jesus and John the Baptist. The Jewish people were looking for Elijah to show up at Passover, almost like a reverse rapture. Instead God elected to send Elijah as a child in the person of John the Baptist. Jesus was not born on Christmas! He was born during the Feast of Booths (Jewish Feast of Sukkot). We have the evidence that bears witness to the truth. It is time we start using it!
In the Matthew passage we are studying, Yeshua quotes from Malachi regarding the identity of John the Baptist as Elijah (Mal 3:1). Luke also quotes from Malachi with the words of Angel Gabriel who identifies John as having the spirit and power of Elijah (Lu 1:17; Mal 4:4-6). Matthew also stated that John was the voice calling in the wilderness (Matt 3:3; Isa 40:3). Let’s look at those verses:
Malachi 3:1 (NLT) 1 “Look! I am sending my messenger, and he will prepare the way before me. Then the Lord you are seeking will suddenly come to his Temple. The messenger of the covenant, whom you look for so eagerly, is surely coming,” says the Lord of Heaven’s Armies.
Malachi 4:5–6 (NLT) 5 “Look, I am sending you the prophet Elijah before the great and dreadful day of the Lord arrives. 6 His preaching will turn the hearts of fathers to their children, and the hearts of children to their fathers. Otherwise I will come and strike the land with a curse.”
Isaiah 40:3 (NASB95) 3 A voice is calling, “Clear the way for the Lord in the wilderness; Make smooth in the desert a highway for our God.
John the Baptist was a pretty colorful character. He dressed in rough clothes and made a diet of locust and wild honey (Matt 3:1-4). John drew people to repentance because he was a prophet who drew people to return to Torah. His diet gives us a very good clue that he was following the dietary laws. It is also clear that the religious authorities did not shut him down. From prophecy we know that Elijah was preaching a return to Torah which is indicated by the Isaiah passage. Jesus gave us further evidence that we will discuss later that John the Baptist was certainly Elijah (Matt 17:3-12).
Yeshua referred to violent men who have taken the kingdom by force (Matt 11:12). This is an extremely difficult verse to translate. The implication of the violent ones is not referring to men since “men” are not mentioned in the Greek. Therefore, we are looking at violent powers who have taken the kingdom of heaven by force. This simple switch in translation changes the meaning of the entire verse. We are now looking at the satanic dominion over the kingdom of God. We are not looking at the corruption that existed in the Temple. It is clear that Yeshua came to redeem the kingdom of God through His blood. This is a simple statement that confuses the translators but looks forward to the redemption of man.
The prophets and Torah looked forward to the coming of the Messiah (Matt 11:13-15). We know this because Jesus identified John as the forerunner to the Messiah. Remember, context always rules.
The last verse in this section refers directly to the sh’ma that every Hebrew person still recites faithfully:
Matthew 11:15 (NASB95) 15 “He who has ears to hear, let him hear.
Deuteronomy 6:4–5 (NASB95) 4 “Hear, O Israel! The Lord is our God, the Lord is one! 5 “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your might.
The spirit of the Sh’ma is to listen and put what you hear into action. Nike’s slogan captures it best, “Just do it”. Yeshua was saying to the Jewish people that if they hear what He is teaching, it is time to put it into action.
A little preaching: Most Christians still keep December 25th as the birth of Christ when clear historical evidence demonstrates that he was more likely conceived at that time and born in September-October. All you have to do to get His current birthday is to do a google search on the dates of Sukkot. John the Baptist was Elijah that was prophesied to prepare the way of the Messiah. Why is it that today Christians who do Passover and Messianic Christians, both Jew and Gentile still set a place for Elijah at the Passover Seder? We are taking teaching opportunities in both situations and throwing them aside. We know when Jesus was born and we know that Elijah has already come. If we are going to be teaching our people to follow Torah, it is high time that we both acknowledge what we have learned and put it into action. Christmas belongs in the trash can because our Messiah was not born on Christmas, the Sun god was born on Christmas. Elijah needs to be removed from Passover Seder’s because he has already come. Some believe that Elijah is one of the two witnesses that we have in Revelation (Rev 11:3). However, we have no evidence for that.
If we as Christians will cast off the fairy tales and return to the truth of the Bible, our credibility will greatly increase! By taking a firm stand and rejecting Christmas we will be able to teach the Jewish festival of Sukkot and give a much deeper understanding of the birth of Messiah. If we ditch the tradition that demands that Elijah will show up at the Passover Seder we will have the opportunity to teach the truth about John the Baptist. Our Messiah will then be taught according to the prophets of old. It is time that we quit dancing with traditions of men and embrace the truth of God. Back to the scriptures:
Children’s games
Matthew 11:16–19 (NLT) 16 “To what can I compare this generation? It is like children playing a game in the public square. They complain to their friends, 17 ‘We played wedding songs, and you didn’t dance, so we played funeral songs, and you didn’t mourn.’ 18 For John didn’t spend his time eating and drinking, and you say, ‘He’s possessed by a demon.’ 19 The Son of Man, on the other hand, feasts and drinks, and you say, ‘He’s a glutton and a drunkard, and a friend of tax collectors and other sinners!’ But wisdom is shown to be right by its results.”
As I was saying in my preaching section above, it is time that we quit playing games with the truth that God has revealed to us. Yeshua gave an illustration that the generation that He came to acted like little children. Impetuous children who would never be satisfied regardless of the outcome. John was considered bad because he followed Torah, and Jesus was considered bad because He did not follow the Torah according to expectations.
What it boils down to is simple. When religious people hear something that disagrees with their stand, they either ignore it or complain that the person who is trying to rock the boat is wrong by default. That person becomes a target of criticism. It is certainly time for all Christians, Jew and Gentile to cast off the worthless traditions of man to take on the truth of Messiah. When we do we will enter into the company of John the Baptist and our Messiah because we will certainly be persecuted by well-meaning believers. The question that this section begs is this: Are we willing to put into action the truth of the scriptures?
Sodom and Gomorrah will judge nations:
Yeshua goes through denouncing several cities with judgment because they did not repent after seeing the miracles that He performed in them. This is one of the proofs that Yeshua is actually the YHVH of the Old Testament. Nowhere in the Tanakh (Old Testament) will you find a general prophet condemning entire cities. You do find God speaking through the prophets as “thus says the Lord” speaking condemnation on peoples and cities. One excellent example of this is found in Jeremiah 48 where the YHVH Sabaot prophesies judgment on quite a few nations. The name Sabaot indicates YHVH with the attribute of a warring God who rules over armies. Yeshua did not say “thus says the Lord” but rather proclaimed condemnation on them from His own authority. When Sodom and Gomorrah was judged, Abraham stood in the gap pleading for God to have mercy on them. Abraham did not bring judgment, God did (Gen 18-19). Jonah was sent to Nineveh to proclaim judgment on them to deliver the word of YHVH, not his own; as a result, Nineveh repented (Jonah 3:3 and entire book). According to the indications of the Tanakh, only God has the authority to bring judgments on entire nations of people. We see this start in Torah with the worldwide flood. The judgment that Yeshua put on the cities from His own authority carries a judgment that only God can make. Let’s look at the passage with that in mind:
Matthew 11:20–24 (NLT) 20 Then Jesus began to denounce the towns where he had done so many of his miracles, because they hadn’t repented of their sins and turned to God. 21 “What sorrow awaits you, Korazin and Bethsaida! For if the miracles I did in you had been done in wicked Tyre and Sidon, their people would have repented of their sins long ago, clothing themselves in burlap and throwing ashes on their heads to show their remorse. 22 I tell you, Tyre and Sidon will be better off on judgment day than you. 23 “And you people of Capernaum, will you be honored in heaven? No, you will go down to the place of the dead. For if the miracles I did for you had been done in wicked Sodom, it would still be here today. 24 I tell you, even Sodom will be better off on judgment day than you.”
Of the three cities mentioned, (Chorazin, Bethsadia and Capernaum), none remain today, they are all in ruins. They were compared to wicked gentile cities, even to Sodom. The city is referred to as an entity in and of itself. It is spoken of as having a personality. In essence, the personality is a sum of all the attitudes of the people living in the city. This is puzzling to us today because we see cities as groups of people, not as a place having a personality. Yet, cities do have personality. Major cities across the world have personalities that people associate with them. Some cities have good personalities; some have evil ones. For the sake of not offending anyone, I will leave it up to you to make the application.
Sodom: Sodom and Gomorrah was an interesting case because they were utterly destroyed. There are several arguments as to why they were not given a chance to repent. One argument I heard recently is that they returned to a pre-flood philosophy of life which included all of the abominations that were present prior to the flood (Matt 24:37-38). The best argument is that their sin was a blatant deviation from God’s way of doing things (Torah). At the time God had established worldwide oral Torah that He expected the world to comply with. Remember, God delivered Noah and family from the flood and the entire world’s population was derived from this group of people. Everyone on earth descended from Noah and therefore everyone was under the instructions of God. Here is where Sodom went wrong:
Ezekiel 16:49–50 (NASB95) 49 “Behold, this was the guilt of your sister Sodom: she and her daughters had arrogance, abundant food and careless ease, but she did not help the poor and needy. 50 “Thus they were haughty and committed abominations before Me. Therefore I removed them when I saw it.
Sodom and Gomorrah was not destroyed for the sin of homosexuality or sodomy. They were destroyed because they abandoned God’s way of doing things (oral Torah). America certainly stands on the edge of judgment according to Ezekiel. We have embraced these sins and revel in them.
Sodom was not given an opportunity to repent of their sin. Rather, God brought out Lot and his family and then utterly destroyed the entire region. The cities Yeshua condemned had the opportunity to repent because they witnessed His miracles.
Tyre and Sidon: God gave ample warning to these cities were going to be destroyed by the prophets. They had many years to repent from their evil ways and turn to God. Stern notes: “The wickedness of Tyre and Sidon and the predictions of judgment against them are detailed in Isaiah 23:1–8, Ezekiel 26–28, Joel 3:4–8, Amos 1:9–10 and Zechariah 9:2–4.” [5] Tyre and Sidon had the opportunity to repent and a warning from the prophets. They did not repent and suffered the judgment of God.
Yeshua was saying that if they saw the miracles that He performed they would have surely repented and turned to God. Yeshua knew the personalities of the cities and declared that they would have repented if they were exposed to His personal teaching.
Hades: We do not understand the concept of God judging entire cities on the day of judgment. This is a mystery that is beyond our comprehension. We are taught that God will certainly judge every individual that has ever existed on a personal basis. People who are judged to hell are sent to Gehenna until the time of judgment (Matt 5:22,29,30; 10:28; 18:9; 23:15, 33; Mk 9:43, 45,47; Lk 12:5). Cities are a mystery because we do not consider them to be entities of themselves. Yet, Yeshua said that they will be sent to Hades. That’s pretty serious. Hades is a much deeper part of hell that is indicative of much worse judgment (Matt 11:23; 16:8; Lk 10:15; 16:23; Ac 2:27, 31; Rev 1:18; 6:8; 20:13-14). While Gehenna is an unclean place of waiting for judgment; Hades is a place that incurs immediate judgment at the most extreme level. This is a mystery that is simply not addressed today. Was Yeshua teaching that cities have souls and are subject to judgment? It certainly seems that way.
Contrasting Prayer for Repentance:
Yeshua starts this prayer in a manner that almost all Jewish Prayers are formatted. Barukh ata Adonai Eloheinu, melekh ha’olam… or Blessed are You, LORD our God, King of the universe… followed by the prayer (1 Ch 29:13; Da 2:23; Gen 14:19, 22; 2 Ki 19:15). Jesus prayed in the way that is indicated in Torah:
Matthew 11:25–30 (NASB95) 25 At that time Jesus said, “I praise You, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and intelligent and have revealed them to infants. 26 “Yes, Father, for this way was well-pleasing in Your sight. 27 “All things have been handed over to Me by My Father; and no one knows the Son except the Father; nor does anyone know the Father except the Son, and anyone to whom the Son wills to reveal Him. 28 “Come to Me, all who are weary and heavy-laden, and I will give you rest. 29 “Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 “For My yoke is easy and My burden is light.”
We receive some incredible insight into Yeshua through this prayer. First, He is praying according to the scriptures (Ps 8; Matt 11:25). Second, Yeshua is revealing that the judgment of the cities above is well pleasing to the Father. This demonstrates that Yeshua knows the Father’s will and acts according to it.
Third: The Omnipresence and omnipotence of Yeshua: The only being that is omnipresent or present everywhere at once is God. Jesus claimed authority over all things, nothing excepted. This is a second attribute that is only associated with God: Omnipotence, all powerful. “All things have been handed over”. He also made the statement that no person comes to know the Father unless he is drawn by Yeshua (Matt 11:27). Simply stated, Jesus has to be omnipresent for this to happen. Yeshua refers to this relationship to the Father in many Gospel passages. Yeshua stated that He and the Father are one (John 10:30). The implication of this points directly to the sh’ma that our God is one (Deut 6:4). It is only through Yeshua that eternal life is given (John 6:46-51; 17:2).
Recently some have stepped forward to argue that Jesus is not God. If He is not God, then He made statements in this prayer that make Himself out to be God. Even to the point of self-proclaimed humility (Matt 11:29). When a normal man makes the claim of humility, he stops being humble, pride has set in. If Yeshua was wrong in these statements, then He was sinning on a major scale. So if you place your salvation in Yeshua as the unblemished sacrificial lamb that was slain for the entire world, then He must have been telling the truth in these statements.
Rest for souls: Jesus said that if we come to Him we will have rest for our souls. That rest is found in following His instructions that He gave through Torah. Look at the verses that Yeshua quoted from Jeremiah (Matt 11:29):
Jeremiah 31:25 (NASB95) 25 “For I satisfy the weary ones and refresh everyone who languishes.”
Jeremiah 31:31–34 (NASB95) 31 “Behold, days are coming,” declares the Lord, “when I will make a new covenant with the house of Israel and with the house of Judah, 32 not like the covenant which I made with their fathers in the day I took them by the hand to bring them out of the land of Egypt, My covenant which they broke, although I was a husband to them,” declares the Lord. 33 “But this is the covenant which I will make with the house of Israel after those days,” declares the Lord, “I will put My law within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people. 34 “They will not teach again, each man his neighbor and each man his brother, saying, ‘Know the Lord,’ for they will all know Me, from the least of them to the greatest of them,” declares the Lord, “for I will forgive their iniquity, and their sin I will remember no more.”
Jeremiah 6:16 (NASB95) 16 Thus says the Lord, “Stand by the ways and see and ask for the ancient paths, Where the good way is, and walk in it; And you will find rest for your souls. But they said, ‘We will not walk in it.’
When Yeshua made the promises in this section that reflect the “thus says the Lord” and applied those promises to himself, He was claiming to be God. He was taking the very words of God and making them His words.
Torah is not meant to be a bunch of rules and regulations that burden the people. The idea behind Torah is that it is instructions that lead us on the easy paths in life. By following God’s path, we will bring on ourselves great blessings, peace and security. We will certainly live a life that is restful to the soul because our souls will be working in conjunction with the perfect will of God. The ancient paths that Jeremiah speaks of are the ways of Torah that were abandoned during his time. The New Covenant is not the New Testament view! It is an ancient covenant prophesying returning or turning to Torah. If I may interject in Jeremiah’s words above the Hebrew word Torah that is mistranslated as “law”: Jer 31:33b “…I will put My Torah within them and on their heart I will write it; and I will be their God, and they shall be My people…” When Yeshua said “learn from me” he was echoing the words of Jeremiah that stated God’s promise. Yeshua was claiming that promise as His word of truth…
One last thought on this. Today many Christians hold to “easy grace” which indicates that once they come to know Yeshua as Savior, they don’t really have to do anything else. It is a matter of living out life with the assurance of salvation and the commitment to themselves. They do not consider God’s word important enough to stake their lives on. Church is not necessary, and fellowship is optional. God taught that the easy way is to turn to Torah that He has written on the hearts of men. I remind you of the Sh’ma once again, hear and obey (Deut 6:1-9). As Nike puts it, “just do it”. “Easy grace” does not exist because the sheer definition of the New Covenant that we have been grafted into is a covenant of obedience to our God. This means yes, we are saved by grace and yes, we will put our faith into action. Enough said on this for now…
Note: Perhaps you are wondering at the focus that I had in this passage on the fact that Yeshua is God. One of the members of this study is struggling with this concept on a major scale. The Jewish people recognize Yeshua as a prophet, those who recognize His existence. Some Messianic Jews hold that Yeshua is the “angel of the Lord” and yet deny that he is part of the Godhead. I cannot explain how the Trinity works. Every explanation that we have falls short. All I can say is that we serve one God. God the Father, God the Son (Yeshua) and God the Holy Spirit are all one single God. They are different faces of the same person. As I think of different scenarios to explain this, each one has a gaping error. The only thing that I can say is that Jesus blatantly claims to be God in this passage by claiming the attributes that are associated only with God to be His attributes.
Father, as we consider Your word, draw each of us to Your salvation and to the rest of following You.
On Yeshua’s journey,
Joe Turner.
[1] David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary : A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament, electronic ed. (Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1996), Mt 11:3.
[2] David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary : A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament, electronic ed. (Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1996), Mt 11:3.
[3] http://homepage.ntlworld.com/gary.h.turner/XmasSept/xmas08.htm, Accessed 3/2/16.
[4] Ibid.
[5] David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary : A Companion Volume to the Jewish New Testament, electronic ed. (Clarksville: Jewish New Testament Publications, 1996), Mt 11:21.