Deep trust in the God of Israel by those new to that trust and separated from God by their former lives is the thread weaved through the accounts of the healing of the Capernaum centurion’s servant, the raising of the Nain widow’s only son, Yokhanan’s message of repentance and the woman who anointed Yeshua with her tears and expensive ointment.
“You are to be perfect, just as your Father is perfect” (Matt. 5:48) seems like an impossible goal until we understand the meaning of the word translated as “perfect.” Luke’s parallel — “be merciful” (Luke 6:36) — helps us understand perfect and shows us a deep meaning under the Festival of (Re)Dedication of the Temple, or Chanukah. To be mature believers, to be righteous, we must dedicate all of ourselves — devotion and weakness — to God.
Yeshua pointed to the actions He was doing through His Father’s power as evidence that He and the Father were “one,” that His “temple” — His body — was whole dedicated to God’s purpose (John 10:22–30). Our “temples” should be wholly dedicated to God as well.
“You have heard it said, but I say…” was a common rabbinic phrase used when a rabbi wanted to encourage yeshiva students to dissect and discuss a particular Torah principle. A “problematic” Torah edicts is “eye for eye, tooth for tooth,” etc. Many Christians and Jews are very uncomfortable with this “barbaric” “tit-for-tat” law.
Not coincidentally, Yeshua’s warning about taking oaths in Matthew 5 follows His reminder that God’s allowance for divorce is very narrow. Marriage vows are serious business, and oaths to or referencing God are even more grave.
Ecclesiastes is customarily read during Sukkot, the festival of Booths or Tabernacles, to pour a bucket of reality on the rejoicing of the promised time when God will dwell with mankind.
We look for an explanation for the misery and battle between good, bad and evil explored in the book of Ecclesiastes both from the beginning of history and the end. Revelation 21–22 assures us that God will wipe away all tears and there will be no death, mourning, pain or frustration. All those things will pass away. That is what we are all looking forward to when Yeshua will tabernacle with men forever.
Adultery and divorce are rampant problems in modern society, even among the body of believers in Yeshua (Jesus) as the Messiah. Rather than changing the words of Torah, Prophets and Writings on these two topics, Yeshua closes loopholes in interpretations of adultery laws and expands the meaning of adultery, in keeping with other teachings in the Scriptures.
The focus of Isaiah 61 is the status of the poor. Notice there are several similarities between that passage and Yeshua’s “happy are”/“woe to” discourse, commonly known as the Beatitudes.