Matthew
23 seems to reproach both Paul’s fatherhood and his Church
First, consider 1 Corinthians 4:15 CJB, “For
even if you have ten thousand trainers in connection with the Messiah, you do
not have many fathers; for in connection with the Messiah Yeshua it was I who
became your father by means of the Good News”, vs NIV, “Even if you had ten
thousand guardians in Christ, you do not have many fathers, for in Christ Jesus
I became your father through the gospel.”
Paul repressed
both Messiah and Yeshua by imposing Christ. I am not a Christian, because Paul
is not my father. Matthew 23 seems to reproach Paul’s Church.
Guide:
CJB New Testament emphasis in bold (CJB online) or Old
Testament OJB, text I emphasize in green; NIV in magenta; footnotes to CJB in superscript sky blue and OJB; Nomads*
discussion in yellow; and my comments in gray. I may use endnotes to cite outside literature or
extensive comment.
*Participative
Sunday-school-class at UBC led by Ken Tipton. Ken seems to consider answers in
a continuous search for ineluctable truth. My evolving statement about Genesis
1:26-28, now from OJB, is at the end of this post.
Note: beginning a series
to celebrate the life of long-cherished Nomads class and UBC member, Bubba
Henry. The series started with Micah 6, then Matthew Chapters 23, 9, and 5,
respectively. A video from Yale completes the series.
Chief concerns and possible insights:
1. This chapter of Matthew seems to re-iterate
Paul’s message in early letters to his churches yet rebuke some Pauline
principles.
a.
John Parks preached on
trust-and-commitment. I trust neither Paul nor Matthew nor other NT writers but
commit to Yeshua’s influence.
2. Yet V 9 seems to refute 1 Corinthians 4:15, “. .
. in Christ Jesus I [Paul] became your father . . .”.
a.
Matthew further decries
Paul, as leader, in V 10.
3. In V 10, Matthew suppresses Yeshua’s civic,
civil, and spiritual influence, by drawing attention to the expected Messiah.
a.
Who can accept a man when they are looking for The God?
b.
I accept the mystery of
The God and pursue Yeshua’s influences (civic, civil, and intentional).
c.
CJB calls Yeshua
“leader”, compared to NIV’s “instructor”. I think “guide” (leaving the
individual to choose) is more accurate, precise, and deep.
4. V 22, in NIV, with lower case “god”, refutes
that The Trinity is The One.
5. V 23 focusing justice, mercy, and trust in church denies
humankind, refuting Genesis 1:26-28, 31 as well as Micah 6s humility.
6. Matthew may have been published 45 years after local people
executed Yeshua and 29 years after Paul’s letter to the Galatians – plenty of
time for scholarly spiritualism.
What the text seems to say:
1. V 1-7. Accept the Torah, as presented by its
scholars, but do not mimic their behaviors. They are hypocrites.
2. V 8-12. Your Father is in heaven, and your
leader is the Messiah.
a.
Therefore, fellow
members are equally mutual-servants.
b.
Be humble to the Torah.
c.
Don’t let anyone call
you leader or such.
3. V 13- 32. The hypocrites
a.
Prevent people from the
goodness they intend.
b.
Take advantage of
widows.
c.
Coach people to proselytize
evil.
d.
Promote and emphasize wealth
rather than goodness.
e.
Encourage oaths to altar
or church rather than to The God.
f.
Promote wealth-offering
rather than justice, mercy, and trust.
g.
Promote appearance more
than substance.
h.
Mourn the sins of
ancestors yet maintain evil behavior.
i.
V 23s justice, mercy,
trust competes with Micah 6s justice, mercy, and humility.
4. V 33-36. I am sending you wise men, but you will
kill them.
a.
You will be held
responsible for blood that is shed.
5.
V 37-39. You’ve had your
chance with me and can only hope for reprise.
a.
CJB
has Adonai
instead of NIV’s “the Lord”.
The
CJB text with comments follows:
23:1 Then Yeshua addressed
the crowds and his talmidim disciples: 2 “The Torah-teachers
and the P’rushim Pharisees,” he said, “sit in the seat of Moshe. 3 So
whatever they tell you, take care to do it. But don’t do what they do, because
they talk but don’t act! [Hypocrites
contradict personal beliefs.] 4 They tie
heavy loads onto people’s shoulders but won’t lift a finger to help carry
them. 5 Everything they do is done to be seen by
others; for they make their t’fillin phylacteries broad and their tzitziyot tassels long, 6 they
love the place of honor at banquets and the best seats in the synagogues, 7 and
they love being greeted deferentially in the marketplaces and being called
‘Rabbi.’
8 “But you are not to let yourselves be called
‘Rabbi’; because you have one Rabbi Teacher, and you are all each other’s brothers. 9 And
do not call anyone on earth ‘Father.’ father because you have one Father, and he is in heaven. 10 Nor
are you to let yourselves be called ‘leaders,’ instructors because you have one Leader, and he is the Messiah the Messiah! [I prefer
Yeshua.] 11 The greatest among you must be your servant, 12 for
whoever promotes himself will be humbled, and whoever humbles himself will be
promoted exalted.
13 “But woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers
and P’rushim! For you are shutting the Kingdom of Heaven in
people’s faces, neither entering yourselves nor allowing those who wish to
enter to do so. 14 Some manuscripts include verse 14: Woe to you
hypocritical Torah-teachers and P’rushim! For you
swallow up widow’s houses while making a show of davvening [Rabbinic praying] at
great length. Because of this your punishment will be all the worse!
15 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers
and P’rushim! You go about over land and sea to make one proselyte;
and when you succeed, you make him twice as fit for Gei-Hinnom hell as you are!
16 “Woe to you, you blind guides! You say, ‘If
someone swears by the Temple, he is not bound by his oath it means nothing; but
if he swears by the gold in the Temple, he is bound by the oath.’ 17 You
blind fools! Which is more important? the gold? or the Temple which makes the
gold holy? 18 And you say, ‘If someone swears by
the altar, he is not bound by his oath; but if he swears by the offering on the
altar, he is bound.’ 19 Blind men! Which is more
important? the sacrifice? or the altar which makes the sacrifice holy? 20 So
someone who swears by the altar swears by it and everything on it. 21 And
someone who swears by the Temple swears by it and the One one who lives in it. [Elohim or Hashem lives in the
temple.] 22 And someone who swears by heaven
swears by God’s throne and the One one who sits on it. [By not capitalizing “One”, the NIV scholars express that they do not
believe that The Trinity is One.]
23 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers
and P’rushim! You pay your tithes of mint, dill and cumin; but you
have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah — justice, mercy, trust. [Justice, mercy, and trust in a
church usually neglects integrity to humankind. But a church can pursue comfort
and hope without denying Genesis 1:26-28. Also, trust replaced humility from
Micah 6.] These are the things you should have attended to — without
neglecting the others! 24 Blind guides! — straining
out a gnat, meanwhile swallowing a camel!
25 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers
and P’rushim! You clean the outside of the cup and the dish, but
inside they are full of robbery and self-indulgence. 26 Blind Parush!
First clean the inside of the cup, so that the outside may be clean too.
27 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers
and P’rushim! You are like whitewashed tombs, which look fine on
the outside but inside are full of dead people’s bones and all kinds of
rottenness. 28 Likewise, you appear to people from
the outside to be good and honest righteous, but inwardly you are full of hypocrisy and far from Torah
wickedness.
29 “Woe to you hypocritical Torah-teachers
and P’rushim! You build tombs for the prophets and decorate the
graves of the tsaddikim righteous, 30 and you say, ‘Had
we lived when our fathers did, we would never have taken part in killing shedding the blood of
the prophets.’ 31 In this you testify against
yourselves that you are worthy descendants of those who murdered the prophets. 32 Go
ahead then, finish what your fathers started!
33 “You snakes! Sons of snakes! How can you escape
being condemned to Gei-Hinnom? 34 Therefore I am
sending you prophets and sages and Torah-teachers — some of them
you will kill, indeed, you will have them executed on stakes as criminals; some
you will flog in your synagogues and pursue from town to town. 35 And
so, on you will fall the guilt for all the innocent righteous blood that has ever been shed
on earth, from the blood of innocent Hevel Abel to the blood of Z’kharyah Ben-Berekhyah Zechariah son of Berekiah, whom you murdered between the Temple and the
altar. 36 Yes! I tell you that all this will fall
on this generation! [It
seems Matthew was written in 78 CE about Yeshua, who was executed in 33 CE –
plenty of time to opinionate on actual reality.]
37 “Yerushalayim! Yerushalayim! You kill the
prophets! You stone those who are sent to you! How often I wanted to gather
your children, just as a hen gathers her chickens under her wings, but you refused!
[NIV ruins this poetry
with a run-on sentence.] 38 Look! God
is abandoning your house to you, leaving it desolate Your house is left to you desolate, [Jeremiah 22:5, “But if ye will not hear
these devarim, I swear a shevuah by Myself, saith Hashem, that this Bais shall
become a desolation.”] 39 For I tell you,
from now on, you will not see me again until you say, ‘Blessed is he
who comes in the name of Adonai the Lord.’” [Psalm 118:26, “Baruch habah b’Shem
Hashem; we have blessed you from the Beis Hashem.” ]
[Genesis
1:26-28, 31 OJB:
I
read to consider and apply perhaps 5500 year old Sumerian political philosophy,
religiously referenced by Semite (pre-Israel) scribes of 3900 years ago, in
Genesis 1:26-28, in my paraphrase and extension to law:
Female-and-male-human-being may and can
choose to practice the power, authority, and responsibility
to pursue necessary goodness and constrain evil on earth. Civic
citizens may and can use the rule of law to develop statutory justice.
Political
and religious philosopher Yeshua affirmed Genesis 1:26-28, 31, contributing
ideas in each Matthew 18:18 (no peace-power above humankind), Matthew 19:3-8
(mutual spousal loyalty), Matthew 5:48 (pursue your personal perfection, which
also affirms Deuteronomy 18:13), 19:4-6 (don’t divide/lessen goodness), John
10:34 (non-evil humans are gods -- facing death, as in Psalm 82:1,6-7), and in
other direct dialogue, such as “go and sin no more”. Psalm 82 says nothing
about resurrection.
Discussion
I think Genesis 1:26-28 informs humankind to flourish in
necessary goodness rather than accommodate badness and allow evil.
Quoting OJB below,
And G-d said, Let Us make
man in Our tzelem, after Our demut: and let them have dominion over the fish of
the sea, and over the fowl of the air, and over the cattle, and over all the
earth, and over every creeping thing that creepeth upon ha’aretz (the earth).
So G-d created humankind in
His own tzelem, in the tzelem Elohim (image of G-d) created He him; zachar
(male) and nekevah (female) created He them.
And G-d blessed them, and
G-d said unto them, Be fruitful, and multiply, and fill the earth, and subdue
it: and have dominion over the fish of the sea, and over the fowl of the air,
and over every living thing that moveth upon the earth. See note, below.
Accepting
the power, authority, and responsibility to rule on earth is human
being (verb). Reliable human-beings choose necessary goodness to actual
reality. The God affirms the goodness in V 31:
And G-d saw every thing that He had made, and, behold, it
was tov me’od (very good).
Note: OJB uses “Elohim” in Genesis 1 and 2,
excepting “G-d” in 1:24-31. V 27 seems to equate the two entities. Septuagint uses “ὁ θεὸς”, or God throughout
Genesis 1. I use “The God, or whatever constrains human choice”, hoping to
express humility.
Since monotheism is a human
construct, I use the phrase, “The God, whatever it may be”, to express
objection to any doctrinal God yet reserve humility to ineluctable evidence and
remaining unknowns about what constrains human choices.]
Ken listed other scripture that commends
humility: 2 Chronicles Chapter 7,
Psalms Chapter 25, Daniel Chapter 10, Luke Chapter 14, Romans Chapter 12,
Ephesians Chapter 4, Philippians Chapter 2, and James Chapter 4.
2
Chronicles 7 OJB
7:1 Now when
Sh’lomo had made an end of davening prayer, the eish fire came down from Shomayim heaven, and consumed the olah offerings and the
zevakhim sacrifices;
and the kavod glory of
Hashem filled HaBeis the
temple.
2 And the
Kohanim priests could
not enter into the Beis Hashem, because the kavod Hashem had filled the Beis
Hashem.
3 And when
all the Bnei Yisroel people
saw how the eish came down, and the kavod Hashem upon HaBeis, they bowed
themselves with their faces to the ground upon the ritzpah (floor, pavement)
and worshiped, and gave thanks to Hashem, saying, Ki tov ki l’olam chasdo (For
He is good; for His mercy endureth forever).
4 Then
HaMelech and kol HaAm offered zevach before Hashem.
5 And
HaMelech Sh’lomo offered zevach of 22,000 bakar, and 120,000 tzon; so HaMelech
and kol HaAm dedicated the Beis HaElohim.
6 And the
Kohanim stood at their mishmerot (watches); the Levi’im also with kelei shir
Hashem, (musical instruments of Hashem) which Dovid HaMelech had made to give
thanks to Hashem‖ki l’oham chasdo (for His mercy endureth forever)‖whenever
Dovid praised by their means; and the Kohanim sounded khatzotzrot (trumpets)
opposite them, and kol Yisroel stood.
7 Moreover
Sh’lomo set apart as kodesh the toch hekhatzer (center of the courtyard) that
was in front of the Beis Hashem; for there he offered HaOlot and the chelvei
hashelamim (fat of peace offerings), because the Mizbe’ach hanechoshet which
Sh’lomo had made was not able to receive the Olot, and the Mincha, and
HaChalavim (the fats).
8 Also at
the same time Sh’lomo kept the Chag (see v. 9) shivat yamim, and kol
Yisroel with him, a Kahal Gadol Me’od, from the Levo (Approach) Chamat unto the
Wadi Mitzrayim.
9 And on
the Yom HaShemini they held an Atzeret (solemn assembly); for they kept the
chanukat HaMizbe’ach (dedication of the altar, i.e., the Beis Hamikdash)
shivat yamim, and the chag [Sukkot] shivat yamim.
10 And on
the three and twentieth day of the seventh month he sent HaAm away into their
ohalim joyful and tovei lev for the goodness that Hashem had showed unto Dovid,
and to Sh’lomo, and to Yisroel His Am.
11 Thus
Sh’lomo finished the Beis Hashem, and the Beis HaMelech; and all that came into
the lev Sh’lomo to do in the Beis Hashem, and in his own palace, he
prosperously effected.
12 And
Hashem appeared to Sh’lomo balailah, and said unto him, I have heard thy
tefillah, and have chosen this makom for Myself for a Beis Zevach.
13 When I
shut up Shomayim that there be no matar, or when I command the locusts to
devour HaAretz, or when I send dever among Ami (My People)
14 If Ami,
which are called by Shmi, shall humble themselves, and daven, and seek my face,
and turn from their derakhim hara’im (wicked ways), then will I hear from
Shomayim, and will forgive their chattat, and will heal their land.
15 Now Mine
eyes shall be open, and Mine ears attentive unto the tefillah that is made in
Makom HaZeh.
16 For now
have I chosen and set apart as kodesh HaBeis HaZeh, that Shmi may be there ad
olam, and Mine eyes and Mine lev shall be there kol hayamim.
17 And as
for thee, if thou wilt walk before Me, as Dovid Avicha walked, and do according
to all that I have commanded thee, and shalt observe My chukkot and My mishpatim;
18 Then
will I establish the kisse of thy Malchut, just as I have covenanted with Dovid
Avicha, saying, Lo yikaret lecha ish moshel b’Yisroel.
19 But if
ye turn away, and forsake My chukkot and My mitzvot, which I have set before
you, and shall go and serve elohim acherim, and worship them,
20 Then
will I uproot them out of My Adamah which I have given them; and HaBeis HaZeh,
which I have set apart as kodesh for Shmi, will I cast out of My sight, and
will make it to be a Mashal (byword) and an object of ridicule among Kol
haAmim.
21 And
HaBeis HaZeh, which is elyon, shall be an astonishment to every one that
passeth by it; so that he shall say, Why hath Hashem done thus unto HaAretz
HaZot, and unto HaBeis Hazeh?
22 And it
shall be answered, Because they forsook Hashem Elohei Avoteihem, Who brought
them forth out of Eretz Mitzrayim, and they laid hold on elohim acherim, and
worshiped them, and served them; therefore hath He brought all this ra’ah upon
them.
Psalm 2 OJB
25:1 (Of
Dovid) [Aleph] Unto Thee, Hashem, do I lift up my nefesh.
2 [Bais] O
Elohai, I trust in Thee: let me not be ashamed, let not mine oyevim triumph
over me.
3 [Gimel]
Yea, let none that wait [hoping in] Thee be ashamed; let them be ashamed
which transgress without cause.
4 [Dalet]
Show me Thy ways, Hashem; teach me Thy paths.
5 [Heh
Vav] Lead me in Thy emes, and teach me; for Thou art the Elohei of my
Salvation; on Thee do I wait kol hayom.
6 [Zayin]
Remember, Hashem, Thy rachamim and Thy lovingkindnesses; for they have ever
been of old.
7 [Chet]
Remember not the chattot of my youth, nor my peysha’im; according to Thy chesed
remember Thou me for the sake of Thy goodness, Hashem.
8 [Tet]
Tov and yashar is Hashem; therefore will He teach chatta’im in the Derech.
9 [Yod]
The meek will He guide in mishpat; and the aniyim will He teach His way.
10 [Kaph]
All the paths of Hashem are chesed and emes unto such as keep His Brit
(covenant) and His Edot (covenant demands, urgings, reminders, testimonies).
11 [Lamed]
For the sake of Thy Shem, Hashem, pardon mine iniquity; for it is great.
12 [Mem]
What man is he that feareth Hashem? Him shall He teach in the Derech that he
shall choose.
13 [Nun]
His nefesh (soul) shall dwell in prosperity; and his zera shall inherit the
earth.
14 [Samech]
The secret of Hashem is with them that fear Him; and He will show them His Brit
(covenant).
15 [Ayin]
Mine eyes are ever toward Hashem; for He shall pluck my feet out of the reshet
(net).
16 [Peh]
Turn Thee unto me, and be gracious unto me; for I am yachid (alone, lonely) and
afflicted.
17 [Tzade]
The tzoros of my lev are multiplied; O bring Thou me forth out of my
distresses.
18 [Resh]
Look upon mine affliction and my pain; and take away all my chattot.
19 Resh]
Look upon mine enemies; for they are increased; and they hate me with sinas
chamas.
20 Shin] Be
shomer over my nefesh, and deliver me; let me not be ashamed; for I take refuge
in Thee.
21 [Tav]
Let tohm (integrity, guilelessness) and uprightness preserve me; for I wait on
Thee.
22 Redeem
Yisroel, O Elohim, out of all his tzoros.
Daniel 10 OJB
10 In the
shnat shlosh of Koresh (Cyrus) melech Paras (Persia) a davar (word) was
revealed unto Daniel, shmo (his name) called Beltshatzar; and emes was the
davar, and of a tzava gadol (great conflict, affliction); and he understood the
davar, and had binah of the vision.
2 In those
days I Daniel was mourning a full shloshah shavu’im (three weeks).
3 Choice
lechem I did not eat, neither came basar nor yayin into my mouth, neither did I
anoint myself at all, until the completing of the full shloshet shavu’im.
4 And in
the four and twentieth yom of the chodesh harishon (first month), as I was on
the bank of the nahar hagadol (the great river) which is the Tigris;
5 Then I
lifted up mine eyes, and looked, and, hinei, there before me was as an ish
clothed in linen, around whose waist was a belt of the finest gold of Uphaz.
6 His
geviyah (body) also was like the chrysolite, and his face like the appearance
of lightning, and his eyes like torches of eish, and his zero’ot (arms) and his
raglayim (feet) like in color to polished bronze, and the sound of his words
like the kol hamon (voice of a multitude).
7 And I
Daniel alone saw the vision, for the anashim that were with me saw not the
vision; but a charadah gedolah (great terror) fell upon them, and they fled,
for they hid themselves.
8 Therefore
I was left alone, and saw this great vision, and there remained no ko’ach
(strength) in me, for my hod (comeliness) was changed upon me into
disfigurement, and I retained no ko’ach.
9 Then I
heard the kol (voice) of his words, and when I heard the kol of his words, then
I was in a deep sleep on my face, and my face was on the ground.
10 And,
hinei, a yad (hand) touched me, and raised me, trembling, upon my knees and
upon the palms of my hands.
11 And he
said unto me, O Daniel, ish chamudot (man greatly valued, beloved), understand
the devarim that I speak unto thee, and stand upright, for unto thee now
shulachti (I was sent). And when he had spoken the davar hazeh (this word) unto
me, I stood trembling.
12 Then
said he unto me, Al tirah (fear not), Daniel, for from the yom harishon (first
day) that thou didst set thine lev to understand, oolehitannot (and to afflict,
humble thyself) before Eloheicha, thy words were heard, and I am come because
of thy words.
13 But the
Sar Malchut Paras (Prince of the Kingdom of Persia) was standing before me 21
yamim; but, hinei, Micha’el, one of the Sarim HaRishonim came to help me; and I
was detained there with the Melachim Paras.
14 Now I am
come to give thee binah (understanding) of what shall befall thy People in the
acharit hayamim ([Messianic] latter days); for there is still a chazon
(vision) for [those] yamim (days).
15 And
while he was speaking such devarim unto me, I bowed my face toward the ground,
and I became unable to speak.
16 And,
hinei, one with the likeness of the bnei adam touched my lips; then I opened my
mouth, and spoke, and said unto him that stood before me, Adoni, because of the
vision my pangs have overcome me, and I have retained no ko’ach.
17 For how
is the eved adoni here able to speak with such as adoni? For as for me, now no
ko’ach remains in me, neither is there neshamah (breath) left in me.
18 Then
there came again and touched me one like the appearance of a man, v’yechazkeini
(and he strengthened me),
19 And
said, Al tira, ish chamudot (fear not, O man greatly valued, beloved); Shalom
to you; chazak (be strong), yea, chazak. And when he had spoken unto me, I felt
myself strengthened, and said, Let adoni speak; for thou hast strengthened me.
20 Then
said he, Knowest thou why I have come unto thee? And now I shall return to
fight against the Sar Paras (Prince of Persia); and when I am gone forth,
hinei! The Sar Yavan (Prince of Greece) comes.
21 But I
shall make known to thee that which is inscribed in the Writing of Emes; and
there is no one mitchazak (putting forth strength) with me in these things, but
Micha’el your Sar.
Luke 14 CJB
14 One Shabbat Yeshua
went to eat in the home of one of the leading P’rushim, and they
were watching him closely. 2 In front of him was a
man whose body was swollen with fluid. 3 Yeshua
spoke up and asked the Torah experts and P’rushim,
“Does the Torah allow healing on Shabbat or
not?” 4 But they said nothing. So, taking hold of
him, he healed him and sent him away. 5 To them he
said, “Which of you, if a son or an ox falls into a well, will hesitate to haul
him out on Shabbat?” 6 And to these
things they could give no answer.
7 When
Yeshua noticed how the guests were choosing for themselves the best seats at
the table, he told them this parable: 8 “When you
are invited by someone to a wedding feast, don’t sit down in the best seat;
because if there is someone more important than you who has been invited, 9 the
person who invited both of you might come and say to you, ‘Give this man your
place.’ Then you will be humiliated as you go to take the least important
place. 10 Instead, when you are invited, go and sit
in the least important place; so that when the one who invited you comes, he
will say to you, ‘Go on up to a better seat.’ Then you will be honored in front
of everyone sitting with you. 11 Because everyone
who exalts himself will be humbled, but everyone who humbles himself will be exalted.”
12 Yeshua
also said to the one who had invited him, “When you give a lunch or a dinner,
don’t invite your friends, brothers, relatives or rich neighbors; for they may
well invite you in return, and that will be your repayment. 13 Instead,
when you have a party, invite poor people, disfigured people, the crippled, the
blind! 14 How blessed you will be that they have
nothing with which to repay you! For you will be repaid at the resurrection of
the righteous.”
15 On
hearing this, one of the people at the table with Yeshua said to him, “How
blessed are those who eat bread in the Kingdom of God!” 16 But
he replied, “Once a man gave a banquet and invited many people. 17 When
the time came for the banquet, he sent his slave to tell those who had been
invited, ‘Come! Everything is ready!’ 18 But they
responded with a chorus of excuses. The first said to him, ‘I’ve just bought a
field, and I have to go out and see it. Please accept my apologies.’ 19 Another
said, ‘I’ve just bought five yoke of oxen, and I’m on my way to test them out.
Please accept my apologies.’ 20 Still another said,
‘I have just gotten married, so I can’t come.’ 21 The
slave came and reported these things to his master.
“Then
the owner of the house, in a rage, told his slave, ‘Quick, go out into the
streets and alleys of the city; and bring in the poor, the disfigured, the
blind and the crippled!’ 22 The slave said, ‘Sir,
what you ordered has been done, and there is still room.’ 23 The
master said to the slave, ‘Go out to the country roads and boundary walls, and
insistently persuade people to come in, so that my house will be full. 24 I
tell you, not one of those who were invited will get a taste of my banquet!’”
25 Large
crowds were traveling along with Yeshua. Turning, he said to them, 26 “If
anyone comes to me and does not hate his father, his mother, his wife, his
children, his brothers and his sisters, yes, and his own life besides, he
cannot be my talmid. 27 Whoever does
not carry his own execution-stake and come after me cannot be my talmid.
28 “Suppose
one of you wants to build a tower. Don’t you sit down and estimate the cost, to
see if you have enough capital to complete it? 29 If
you don’t, then when you have laid the foundation but can’t finish, all the
onlookers start making fun of you 30 and say, ‘This
is the man who began to build, but couldn’t finish!’
31 “Or
again, suppose one king is going out to wage war with another king. Doesn’t he
first sit down and consider whether he, with his ten thousand troops, has
enough strength to meet the other one, who is coming against him with twenty
thousand? 32 If he hasn’t, then while the other is
still far away, he sends a delegation to inquire about terms for peace.
33 “So
every one of you who doesn’t renounce all that he has cannot be my talmid. 34 Salt
is excellent. But if even the salt becomes tasteless, what can be used to
season it? 35 It is fit for neither soil nor manure
— people throw it out. Those who have ears that can hear, let them hear!”
Romans 12 CJB
12 I exhort
you, therefore, brothers, in view of God’s mercies, to offer yourselves as a
sacrifice, living and set apart for God. This will please him; it is the
logical “Temple worship” for you. 2 In other words,
do not let yourselves be conformed to the standards of the ‘olam hazeh.
Instead, keep letting yourselves be transformed by the renewing of your minds;
so that you will know what God wants and will agree that what he wants is good,
satisfying and able to succeed. 3 For I am telling
every single one of you, through the grace that has been given to me, not to
have exaggerated ideas about your own importance. Instead, develop a sober
estimate of yourself based on the standard which God has given to each of you,
namely, trust. 4 For just as there are many parts
that compose one body, but the parts don’t all have the same function; 5 so
there are many of us, and in union with the Messiah we comprise one body, with
each of us belonging to the others. 6 But we have
gifts that differ and which are meant to be used according to the grace that
has been given to us. If your gift is prophecy, use it to the extent of your
trust; 7 if it is serving, use it to serve; if you
are a teacher, use your gift in teaching; 8 if you
are a counselor, use your gift to comfort and exhort; if you are someone who
gives, do it simply and generously; if you are in a position of leadership,
lead with diligence and zeal; if you are one who does acts of mercy, do them
cheerfully.
9 Don’t
let love be a mere outward show. Recoil from what is evil, and cling to what is
good. 10 Love each other devotedly and with
brotherly love; and set examples for each other in showing respect. 11 Don’t
be lazy when hard work is needed, but serve the Lord with spiritual
fervor. 12 Rejoice in your hope, be patient in your
troubles, and continue steadfastly in prayer. 13 Share
what you have with God’s people, and practice hospitality.
14 Bless
those who persecute you — bless them, don’t curse them! 15 Rejoice
with those who rejoice, and weep with those who weep. 16 Be
sensitive to each other’s needs — don’t think yourselves better than others,
but make humble people your friends. Don’t be conceited. 17 Repay
no one evil for evil, but try to do what everyone regards as good. 18 If
possible, and to the extent that it depends on you, live in peace with all
people. 19 Never seek revenge, my friends; instead,
leave that to God’s anger; for in the Tanakh it is written,
“Adonai says,
‘Vengeance is my responsibility; I will repay.’”[a]
20 On the
contrary,
“If
your enemy is hungry, feed him;
if he is thirsty, give him something to drink.
For by doing this, you will heap
fiery coals [of shame] on his head.”[b]
21 Do not
be conquered by evil, but conquer evil with good.
Footnotes
- Romans 12:19
- Romans 12:20
Ephesians 4 CJB
4 Therefore
I, the prisoner united with the Lord, beg you to lead a life worthy of the
calling to which you have been called.
2 Always
be humble, gentle and patient, bearing with one another in love, 3 and
making every effort to preserve the unity the Spirit gives through the binding
power of shalom. 4 There is one body
and one Spirit, just as when you were called you were called to one hope. 5 And
there is one Lord, one trust, one immersion, 6 and
one God, the Father of all, who rules over all, works through all and is in
all.
7 Each one
of us, however, has been given grace to be measured by the Messiah’s
bounty. 8 This is why it says,
“After he went
up into the heights,
he led captivity captive
and he gave gifts to mankind.”[a]
9 Now this
phrase, “he went up,” what can it mean if not that he first went down
into the lower parts, that is, the earth? 10 The
one who went down is himself the one who also went up, far above
all of heaven, in order to fill all things. 11 Furthermore, he
gave some people as emissaries, some as prophets, some as proclaimers
of the Good News, and some as shepherds and teachers. 12 Their
task is to equip God’s people for the work of service that builds the body of
the Messiah, 13 until we all arrive at the unity
implied by trusting and knowing the Son of God, at full manhood, at the
standard of maturity set by the Messiah’s perfection.
14 We will
then no longer be infants tossed about by the waves and blown along by every
wind of teaching, at the mercy of people clever in devising ways to
deceive. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we
will in every respect grow up into him who is the head, the Messiah. 16 Under
his control, the whole body is being fitted and held together by the support of
every joint, with each part working to fulfill its function; this is how the
body grows and builds itself up in love.
17 Therefore
I say this — indeed, in union with the Lord I insist on it: do not live any
longer as the pagans live, with their sterile ways of thinking. 18 Their
intelligence has been shrouded in darkness, and they are estranged from the
life of God, because of the ignorance in them, which in turn comes from
resisting God’s will. 19 They have lost all
feeling, so they have abandoned themselves to sensuality, practicing any kind
of impurity and always greedy for more. 20 But this
is not the lesson you learned from the Messiah! 21 If
you really listened to him and were instructed about him, then you learned that
since what is in Yeshua is truth, 22 then, so far
as your former way of life is concerned, you must strip off your old nature,
because your old nature is thoroughly rotted by its deceptive desires; 23 and
you must let your spirits and minds keep being renewed, 24 and
clothe yourselves with the new nature created to be godly, which expresses
itself in the righteousness and holiness that flow from the truth.
25 Therefore,
stripping off falsehood, let everyone speak truth with his neighbor,[b] because
we are intimately related to each other as parts of a body. 26 Be
angry, but don’t sin[c] — don’t let the sun go down before you
have dealt with the cause of your anger; 27 otherwise
you leave room for the Adversary.
28 The
thief must stop stealing; instead, he should make an honest living by his own
efforts. This way he will be able to share with those in need.
29 Let no
harmful language come from your mouth, only good words that are helpful in
meeting the need, words that will benefit those who hear them. 30 Don’t
cause grief to God’s Ruach HaKodesh, for he has stamped you as his
property until the day of final redemption. 31 Get
rid of all bitterness, rage, anger, violent assertiveness and slander, along
with all spitefulness. 32 Instead, be kind to each
other, tenderhearted; and forgive each other, just as in the Messiah God has
also forgiven you.
Footnotes
- Ephesians 4:8
- Ephesians 4:25
- Ephesians 4:26
Philippians 2 CJB
2 Therefore,
if you have any encouragement for me from your being in union with the Messiah,
any comfort flowing from love, any fellowship with me in the Spirit, or any
compassion and sympathy, 2 then complete my joy by
having a common purpose and a common love, by being one in heart and
mind. 3 Do nothing out of rivalry or vanity; but,
in humility, regard each other as better than yourselves — 4 look
out for each other’s interests and not just for your own.
5 Let your
attitude toward one another be governed by your being in union with the Messiah
Yeshua:
6 Though
he was in the form of God,
he did not regard equality with God
something to be possessed by force.
7 On the contrary, he emptied himself,
in that he took the form of a slave
by becoming like human beings are.
And when
he appeared as a human being,
8 he humbled himself still more
by becoming obedient even to death —
death on a stake as a criminal!
9 Therefore God raised him to the
highest place
and gave him the name above every name;
10 that in
honor of the name given Yeshua,
every knee will bow —
in heaven, on earth and under the earth —
11 and every tongue will acknowledge[a]
that Yeshua the Messiah is Adonai —
to the glory of God the Father.
12 So, my
dear friends, just as you have always obeyed when I was with you, it is even
more important that you obey now when I am away from you: keep working out your
deliverance with fear and trembling,[b] 13 for God is
the one working among you both the willing and the working for what pleases
him. 14 Do everything without kvetching or
arguing, 15 so that you may be blameless and pure
children of God, without defect in the midst of a twisted and perverted
generation,[c] among whom you shine like stars in the
sky, 16 as you hold on to the Word of Life. If you
do this, I will be able to boast, when the Day of the Messiah comes, that I did
not run or toil for nothing. 17 Indeed, even if my
lifeblood is poured out as a drink offering over the sacrifice and service of
your faith, I will still be glad and rejoice with you all. 18 Likewise,
you too should be glad and rejoice with me.
19 But I
hope in the Lord Yeshua to send Timothy to you shortly, so that I too may be
cheered by knowing how you are doing. 20 I have no
one who compares with him, who will care so sincerely for your welfare — 21 people
all put their own interests ahead of the Messiah Yeshua’s. 22 But
you know his character, that like a child with his father he slaved with me to
advance the Good News. 23 So I hope to send him
just as soon as I see how things will go with me, 24 and
I am confident in the Lord that before long I myself will come too.
25 Also I
considered it necessary to send you Epaphroditus, my brother, fellow-worker and
fellow-soldier, the emissary whom you sent to take care of my needs; 26 since
he has been longing for you all and has been distressed because you heard he
was ill. 27 Indeed he was ill, close to death; but
God had mercy on him — and not only on him, but also on me — otherwise I would
have had sorrow piled on sorrow. 28 Therefore, I am
all the more eager to send him, so that you may rejoice when you see him again;
and I, for my part, may be less sad. 29 So give him
a joyful welcome in the Lord; honor such people. 30 For
he risked his life and nearly died working for the Messiah, in order to give me
the help you were not in a position to give.
Footnotes
- Philippians
2:11
- Philippians
2:12
- Philippians
2:15
James 4 CJB
4 What is
causing all the quarrels and fights among you? Isn’t it your desires battling
inside you? 2 You desire things and don’t have
them. You kill, and you are jealous, and you still can’t get them. So you fight
and quarrel. The reason you don’t have is that you don’t pray! 3 Or
you pray and don’t receive, because you pray with the wrong motive, that of
wanting to indulge your own desires.
4 You
unfaithful wives! Don’t you know that loving the world is hating God? Whoever
chooses to be the world’s friend makes himself God’s enemy! 5 Or
do you suppose the Scripture speaks in vain when it says that there is a spirit
in us which longs to envy? 6 But the grace he gives
is greater, which is why it says,
“God
opposes the arrogant,
but to the humble he gives grace.”[a]
7 Therefore,
submit to God. Moreover, take a stand against the Adversary, and he will flee
from you. 8 Come close to God, and he will come
close to you. Clean your hands, sinners; and purify your hearts, you
double-minded people! 9 Wail, mourn, sob! Let your
laughter be turned into mourning and your joy into gloom! 10 Humble
yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.
11 Brothers,
stop speaking against each other! Whoever speaks against a brother or judges a
brother is speaking against Torah and judging Torah.
And if you judge Torah, you are not a doer of what Torah says,
but a judge. 12 There is but one Giver of Torah;
he is also the Judge, with the power to deliver and to destroy. Who do you
think you are, judging your fellow human being?
13 Now
listen, you who say, “Today or tomorrow we will go to such-and-such a city,
stay there a year trading and make a profit”! 14 You
don’t even know if you will be alive tomorrow! For all you are is a mist that
appears for a little while and then disappears. 15 Instead,
you ought to say, “If Adonai wants
it to happen, we will live” to do this or that. 16 But
as it is, in your arrogance you boast. All such boasting is evil. 17 So
then, anyone who knows the right thing to do and fails to do it is committing a
sin.
Footnotes
- James 4:6
