Matthew
9: Yeshua affirms The God’s compassion toward errant people.
Updated
on June 14, 2025
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, 31 now from OJB, is at the end of this post.
Note: This session continued
the intended celebration of the life of long-cherished Nomads-class-at-UBC-member,
Bubba Henry.
Connections with Micah 6
1. V 13, Yeshua quotes Elohim, “I want compassion
rather than [blood].” NIV has “mercy
not sacrifice”.
2. V 13, Yeshua adds that he came for “sinners”
rather than the “righteous”.
Chief concerns and possible insights:
1. Matthew 9 seems to portray Yeshua as miracle worker
rather than master of necessary goodness.
2. I disagree with Matthew.
What the text seems to say:
1. V 6 Yeshua has atonement authority on earth.
2. V 8 Yeshua was a man.
3. V 13 Yeshua offers compassion rather than blood.
4. V 36 people dependent sheep rather than gods
facing death (Psalm 82).
The
CJB text:
9:1 So he stepped into a
boat, crossed the lake again and came to his own town. 2 Some
people brought him a paralyzed man lying on a mattress. When Yeshua saw their
trust, he said to the paralyzed man, “Courage, son! Your sins are
forgiven.” 3 On seeing this, some of the Torah-teachers
said among themselves, “This man is blaspheming!” 4 Yeshua,
knowing what they were thinking, said, “Why are you entertaining evil thoughts
in your hearts? 5 Tell me, which is easier to say —
‘Your sins are forgiven’ or ‘Get up and walk’? 6 But
look! I will prove to you that the
Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins.” He then said to the
paralyzed man, “Get up, pick up your mattress, and go home!” 7 And
the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowds saw
this, they were awestruck and said a b’rakhah [prayer of awe/appreciation]
to God the Giver of such authority to human beings man.
9 As Yeshua passed on from there he spotted a
tax-collector named Mattityahu sitting in his collection booth. He said to him,
“Follow me!” and he got up and followed him.
10 While Yeshua was in the house eating, many
tax-collectors and sinners came and joined him and his talmidim at
the meal. 11 When the P’rushim saw
this, they said to his talmidim, “Why does your rabbi eat with
tax-collectors and sinners?” 12 But Yeshua heard
the question and answered, “The ones who need a doctor aren’t the healthy but
the sick. 13 As for you, go and learn what this
means: ‘I want compassion rather than animal-sacrifices I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ [Hosea 6:6. For I desired chesed, and not zevach; and
the da’as Elohim more than olot (burnt offerings). [Mt 9:13 OJBC] For I desire mercy, not sacrifice, and
acknowledgment of God rather than burnt offerings.] For I didn’t come to call the ‘righteous,’ but sinners!”
[From Yeshua’s
perspective, the ‘righteous’ seem on their own.]
14 Next, Yochanan’s talmidim came
to him and asked, “Why is it that we and the P’rushim fast
frequently, but your talmidim don’t fast at all?” 15 Yeshua
said to them, “Can wedding guests mourn while the bridegroom is still with
them? But the time will come when the bridegroom is taken away from them; then
they will fast. 16 No one patches an old coat with
a piece of unshrunk cloth, because the patch tears away from the coat and
leaves a worse hole. 17 Nor do people put new wine
in old wineskins; if they do, the skins burst, the wine spills and the
wineskins are ruined. No, they pour new wine into freshly prepared wineskins,
and in this way both are preserved.”
18 While he was talking, an official came in,
kneeled down in front of him and said, “My daughter has just died. But if you
come and lay your hand on her, she will live.” 19 Yeshua,
with his talmidim, got up and followed him.
20 A woman who had had a hemorrhage for twelve
years approached him from behind and touched the tzitzit on
his robe. 21 For she said to herself, “If I can
only touch his robe, I will be healed.” 22 Yeshua
turned, saw her and said, “Courage, daughter! Your trust has healed you.” And
she was instantly healed.
23 When Yeshua arrived at the official’s house and
saw the flute-players, and the crowd in an uproar, 24 he
said, “Everybody out! The girl isn’t dead, she’s only sleeping!” And they
jeered at him. 25 But after the people had been put
outside, he entered and took hold of the girl’s hand, and she got up. 26 News
of this spread through all that region.
27 As Yeshua went on from there, two blind men
began following him, shouting, “Son of David! Take pity on us!” 28 When
he entered the house, the blind men came up, and Yeshua said to them, “Do you
believe that I have the power to do this?” They replied, “Yes, sir.” 29 Then
he touched their eyes and said, “Let it happen to you according to your trust faith”; 30 and
their sight was restored. Yeshua warned them severely, “See that no one knows
about it.” 31 But instead, they went away and
talked about him throughout that district.
32 As they were going, a man controlled by a demon
and unable to speak was brought to Yeshua. 33 After
the demon was expelled the man who had been mute spoke, and the crowds were
amazed. “Nothing like this has ever been seen in Isra’el,” they said. 34 But
the P’rushim said, “It is through the ruler of the demons that
he expels demons.”
35 Yeshua went about all the towns and villages,
teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the Good News of the Kingdom, and
healing every kind of disease and weakness. 36 When
he saw the crowds, he had
compassion on them because they were harried and helpless, like sheep without a
shepherd. 37 Then he said to his talmidim,
“The harvest is rich, but the workers are few. 38 Pray
that the Lord of the harvest will send out workers to gather in his harvest.”
[Genesis
1:26-28, 31:
I
read to consider and apply perhaps 5500 year old Sumerian political philosophy,
religiously referenced by Semite scribes of 3900 years ago, in Genesis 1:26-28;
in my paraphrase:
Female-and-male-human-being may and can
choose to practice the power, authority, and responsibility
to pursue necessary goodness and constrain evil. Civic citizens may
and can use the rule of law to develop statutory justice.
Political
and religious philosopher Yeshua affirmed Genesis 1:26-28, contributing ideas
in each Matthew 18:18 (no earthly 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), and in
other direct dialogue, such as “go and sin no more”.
Discussion
I think Genesis 1:26-28, 31 informs humankind to flourish in
necessary goodness rather than accommodate badness and allow evil.
Quoting, below,
Then God said, “Let us make
mankind in our image, in our
likeness, so that
they may rule over
the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all
the wild animals, and over all the creatures that move along the ground.”
So God
created mankind in his own image, in the image of
God he created them; male and female he created them.
God blessed them and said to them, “Be
fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in
the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on
the ground. See notes, below.
Accepting
the power, authority, and responsibility to rule on earth is human
being (verb). Reliable human-beings pursue necessary goodness to actual
reality.
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. “Ineluctable” means, together, not to be avoided, changed,
or resisted.]
Ken
Tipton suggested other scripture to explore “mercy”, including those listed
below:
Lamentations Chapter 3 OJB
3:1 I am the
gever [hero] that
hath seen affliction by the rod of His wrath.
2 He hath driven me away, and
brought me into choshech [darkness],
but not into ohr [light].
3 Surely
against me is He turned; He turneth His yad [hand] against me kol hayom [in continuous devotion].
4 My basar
[flesh] and my ohr
(skin) hath He made old; He hath broken my atzmot [bones].
5 He hath
set up seigeworks against me, and surrounded me with bitterness and hardship.
6 He hath
set me in dark places, like the mesei olam (long dead).
7 He hath
hedged me about, that I cannot escape; He hath made my chain heavy.
8 Also
when I cry and call out, He shutteth out my tefillah.
9 He hath
barred my ways with hewn stone, He hath made my paths crooked.
10 He was
unto me like a dov (bear) lying in wait, and like an aryeh in mistarim (hiding
places).
11 He hath
turned aside the darkhei of mine, and pulled me in pieces; He hath made me
desolate.
12 He hath
bent His keshet, and set me as a target for the khetz (arrow).
13 He hath
caused the arrows of His quiver to enter into my organs.
14 I was a
derision to kol ami; and their [mocking] song kol hayom.
15 He hath
filled me with merorim (bitter herbs); He hath made me drunk with suffering.
16 He hath
also broken my teeth with gravel, He hath covered me with aphar.
17 And Thou
hast removed my nefesh far off from shalom; I forgot tovah (prosperity).
18 And I
said, My strength and my hope is perished from Hashem;
19 Remember
mine oni (affliction) and my misery, the sorrow and the trouble.
20 My
nefesh hath them still in remembrance, and is downcast in me.
21 This I
recall to my lev [chest,
heart, mind, will, opinions, spirit, understanding, discernment], therefore have I hope:
22 Because
of the chasdei Hashem we are not consumed, for His rachamim fail not.
23 They are
chadashim every boker; great is Thy faithfulness.
24 Hashem
is my chelek, saith my nefesh; therefore in hope will I wait for Him.
25 Hashem
is tov unto them that wait for Him, to the nefesh that seeketh Him.
26 It is
good that a man should both hope and quietly wait for the Teshu’at Hashem.
27 It is
tov for a gever that he bear the ol (yoke) from his youth.
28 He
sitteth alone and keepeth silence, because He hath laid it upon him.
29 He
putteth his mouth in the aphar; there may yet be tikvah.
30 He
offereth his lekhi (cheek) to him that striketh him; he is filled full with
reproach [Isa 50:6].
31 For Adonoi will not cast off
l’olam (forever);
32 But
though He cause grief, yet will He have compassion according to the rov
chasadav (the multitude of His mercies).
33 For He
doth not afflict willingly nor bring grief to Bnei Ish.
34 To crush
under His feet kol asirei eretz (all the prisoners of the earth),
35 To turn
aside the mishpat gever (the right of a man) before the face of Elyon,
36 To
subvert a man in his cause, Adonoi approveth not.
37 Who is
he that saith, and it cometh to pass, when Adonoi commandeth it not?
38 Out of
the mouth of Elyon proceedeth not hara’ot (the woe) and hatov (the good)?
39 Why doth
an adam chai (any man alive) complain, a gever for the punishment of his sins?
40 Let us
search and test derakheinu (our ways), and let us turn again to Hashem.
41 Let us
lift up levavenu (our heart) with our hands unto El baShomayim.
42 We have
transgressed and have rebelled; Atah lo salachta (Thou hast not pardoned,
forgiven).
43 Thou hast covered with af
(anger), and pursued us; Thou hast slain, Thou hast not pitied.
44 Thou
hast covered Thyself with an anan, that our tefillah not pass through.
45 Thou
hast made us as the offscouring and refuse among the amim.
46 Kol
oyveinu (all our enemies) have opened their mouths against us.
47 Pachad
(terror) and a snare is come upon us, ruin and destruction.
48 Mine eye
runneth down with streams of mayim for the destruction of Bat Ami.
49 Mine eye
will flow down, and ceaseth not, without any intermission
50 Till
Hashem look down, and behold from Shomayim.
51 Mine eye
affecteth mine nefesh because of all the banot of my city.
52 Mine
enemies hunted me down, like a tzippor (bird), without cause.
53 They
have cut off my life in the bor (pit) and cast an even (stone) upon me.
54 Mayim
flowed over mine rosh; then I said, I am cut off.
55 I called
upon Thy Shem, Hashem, out of the lowest pit.
56 Thou
hast heard my voice; close not thine ear at my sighing, at my cry.
57 Thou
drewest near on the Yom that I called upon Thee; Thou saidst, Fear not.
58 Adonoi, Thou hast pleaded the
causes of my nefesh; Thou hast redeemed my life.
59 Hashem, Thou hast seen my
wrong; uphold my cause.
60 Thou
hast seen all their vengeance and all their machsh’vot against me.
61 Thou
hast heard their reproach, Hashem, and all their machsh’vot against me;
62 The
whisperings of those that rose up against me, and their muttering against me
kol hayom.
63 Behold
their sitting down, and their rising up; Ani (I) am their mocking song.
64 Render
unto them a gemul (recompence), Hashem, according to the work of their hands.
65 Give
them hardness of lev as thy curse unto them.
66 Pursue
in anger and destroy them from under HaShomayim of Hashem.
Psalms Chapter 23 OJB
23:1 (Mizmor
of Dovid). Hashem is my Ro’eh (Shepherd); I shall not lack.
2 He
maketh me to lie down in green pastures; He leadeth me beside the mei menuchot
(tranquil waters).
3 He
restoreth my nefesh; He guideth me in the paths of tzedek l’ma’an Shmo
(righteousness for the sake of His Name).
4 Yea,
though I walk through the Gey Tzalmavet (Valley of the Shadow of Death), I will
fear no rah (evil); for Thou art with me; Thy shevet (rod) and Thy staff they
comfort me.
5 Thou
preparest a shulchan before me in the presence of mine enemies: Thou anointest
my head with shemen (olive oil); my kos runneth over.
6 Surely
tov and chesed shall follow me kol y’mei chaiyyai (all the days of my life):
and I will dwell in the Bais Hashem l’orech yamim (for length of days, whole
life
Psalms Chapter 25 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.
Psalms Chapter 103 OJB
103:1 (Of
Dovid). Barachi (Bless) Hashem, O my nefesh; and all that is within me, bless
His Shem kodesh.
2 Barachi
Hashem, O my nefesh, and forget not all His gmulim (benefits);
3 Who
forgiveth all thine avonim (iniquities); Who healeth all thy diseases;
4 Who is
the Go’el (Redeemer) of thy life from shachat (corruption, pit, grave); Who
crowneth thee with chesed and rachamim;
5 Who
satisfieth thy mouth with tov; so that thy ne’urim is made chadash like the
nesher.
6 Hashem
executeth tzedakot and mishpatim for all that are oppressed.
7 He made
known His drakhim unto Moshe, His deeds unto the Bnei Yisroel.
8 Hashem
is rachum and channun, slow to anger, and plenteous in chesed.
9 He will
not strive l’netzach; neither will He keep His anger l’olam.
10 He hath
not dealt with us according to chata’einu (our sins); nor repaid us according
to avonoteinu (our iniquities).
11 For as
Shomayim is high above ha’aretz, so great is His chesed toward them that fear
Him.
12 As far
as the mizrach (east) is from the ma’arav (west), so far hath He removed
peysha’einu (our transgressions) from us.
13 As an av
has compassion on banim so Hashem has compassion on them that fear Him.
14 For He
has da’as of yitzreinu (our nature); He remembereth that aphar anachnu (dust we
are).
15 As for
enosh (mankind), his yamim are like khatzir (green grass, herbage); like tzitz
hasadeh (a flower of the field), so he flourisheth.
16 For the
ruach (wind) passeth over it, and it is gone; and the place thereof shall
remember it no more.
17 But the
chesed Hashem is me’olam v’ad olam (from everlasting to everlasting) upon them
that fear Him, and His tzedakah unto bnei banim;
18 To such
as are shomer over His Brit, and to those that remember His precepts to do
them.
19 Hashem
hath established His kisse (throne) in Shomayim; and His malchut ruleth over
all.
20 Barachu
Hashem, ye His malachim, gibborei ko’ach (mighty ones of power), that do His
bidding, paying heed unto the voice of His Davar.
21 Barachu
Hashem, all ye His Tzivos; ye mesharetim (ministers) of His, that do His ratzon
(will).
22 Barachu
Hashem, all His ma’asim in all places of His memshalet (dominion); Barachi
Hashem, O my nefesh.
Hebrews Chapter 4 CJB
4:1 Therefore,
let us be terrified of the possibility that, even though the promise of
entering his rest remains, any one of you might be judged to have fallen short
of it; 2 for Good News has also been proclaimed to
us, just as it was to them. But the message they heard didn’t do them any good,
because those who heard it did not combine it with trust. 3 For
it is we who have trusted who enter the rest.
It is just as he said,
“And
in my anger, I swore
that they would not enter my rest.”[a]
He swore
this even though his works have been in existence since the
founding of the universe. 4 For there is a place
where it is said, concerning the seventh day,
“And
God rested on the seventh day from all his works.”[b]
5 And once
more, our present text says,
“They
will not enter my rest.”[c]
6 Therefore,
since it still remains for some to enter it, and those who
received the Good News earlier did not enter, 7 he
again fixes a certain day, “Today,” saying through David, so long
afterwards, in the text already given,
“Today,
if you hear God’s voice, don’t harden your hearts.”[d]
8 For if
Y’hoshua had given them rest, God would not have spoken later of another “day.”
9 So there
remains a Shabbat-keeping for God’s people. 10 For
the one who has entered God’s rest has also rested
from his own works, as God did from his. 11 Therefore,
let us do our best to enter that rest; so that no
one will fall short because of the same kind of disobedience.
12 See, the
Word of God is alive! It is at work and is sharper than any double-edged sword
— it cuts right through to where soul meets spirit and joints meet marrow, and
it is quick to judge the inner reflections and attitudes of the heart. 13 Before
God, nothing created is hidden, but all things are naked and open to the eyes
of him to whom we must render an account.
14 Therefore,
since we have a great cohen gadol [high priest] who has passed through to the
highest heaven, Yeshua, the Son of God, let us hold firmly to what we
acknowledge as true. 15 For we do not have a cohen
gadol unable to empathize with our weaknesses; since in every respect
he was tempted just as we are, the only difference being that he did not
sin. 16 Therefore, let us confidently approach the
throne from which God gives grace, so that we may receive mercy and find grace in our time of need.
Footnotes
- Hebrews 4:3 Psalm 95:11
- Hebrews 4:4 Genesis 2:2
- Hebrews 4:5 Psalm 95:11
- Hebrews 4:7 Psalm 95:7–8
1 Peter Chapter 1 CJB
1:1 From:
Kefa, an emissary of Yeshua the Messiah
To: God’s chosen people, living as aliens in the Diaspora — in
Pontus, Galatia, Cappadocia, the province of Asia, and Bythinia — 2 chosen
according to the foreknowledge of God the Father and set apart by the Spirit
for obeying Yeshua the Messiah and for sprinkling with his blood:
Grace and shalom be yours in full measure.
3 Praised
be God, Father of our Lord Yeshua the Messiah, who, in keeping with his great mercy, has caused
us, through the resurrection of Yeshua the Messiah from the dead, to be born
again to a living hope, 4 to an inheritance that
cannot decay, spoil or fade, kept safe for you in heaven. 5 Meanwhile,
through trusting faith,
you are being protected by God’s power for a deliverance ready to be revealed
at the Last Time. 6 Rejoice in this, even though
for a little while you may have to experience grief in various trials. 7 Even
gold is tested for genuineness by fire. The purpose of these trials is so that your trust’s faith’s genuineness,
which is far more valuable than perishable gold, will be judged worthy of
praise, glory and honor at the revealing of Yeshua the Messiah.
8 Without
having seen him, you love him. Without seeing him now, but trusting in him, you
continue to be full of joy that is glorious beyond words. 9 And
you are receiving what your trust is aiming at, namely, your deliverance.
10 The
prophets, who prophesied about this gift of deliverance that was meant for you,
pondered and inquired diligently about it. 11 They
were trying to find out the time and circumstances to which the Spirit of the
Messiah in them was referring in predicting the Messiah’s sufferings and the
glorious things to follow. 12 It was revealed to
them that their service when they spoke about these things was not for their
own benefit, but for yours. And these same things have now been proclaimed to
you by those who communicated the Good News to you through the Ruach
HaKodesh sent from heaven. Even angels long to look into these things!
13 Therefore,
get your minds ready for work, keep yourselves under control, and fix your
hopes fully on the gift you will receive when Yeshua the Messiah is
revealed. 14 As people who obey God, do not let
yourselves be shaped by the evil desires you used to have when you were still
ignorant. 15 On the contrary, following the Holy
One who called you, become holy yourselves in your entire way of life; 16 since
the Tanakh says,
“You are to be holy
because I am holy.”[a]
17 Also, if
you are addressing as Father the
one who judges impartially according to each person’s actions, you
should live out your temporary stay on earth in fear. 18 You
should be aware that the ransom paid to free you from the worthless way of life
which your fathers passed on to you did not consist of anything perishable like
silver or gold; 19 on the contrary, it was the costly
bloody sacrificial death of the Messiah, as of a lamb without defect or
spot. 20 God knew him before the founding of the
universe, but revealed him in the acharit-hayamim [end of days] for your
sakes. 21 Through him you trust in God, who raised
him from the dead and gave him glory; so that your trust and hope are in God.
22 Now that
you have purified yourselves by obeying the truth, so that you have a sincere
love for your brothers, love each other deeply, with all your heart. 23 You
have been born again not from some seed that will decay, but from one that
cannot decay, through the living Word of God that lasts
forever. 24 For
all
humanity is like grass,
all its glory is like a wildflower —
the grass withers, and the flower falls off;
25 but the Word of Adonai lasts forever.[b]
Moreover,
this Word is the Good News which has been proclaimed to you.
Footnotes
- 1 Peter 1:16 Leviticus 11:44, 45; 19:2; 20:7
- 1 Peter 1:25 Isaiah 40:6–8
1 John Chapter 1 CJB
1:1 The
Word, which gives life!
He
existed from the beginning.
We have heard him,
we have
seen him with our eyes,
we have contemplated him,
we have
touched him with our hands!
2 The life
appeared,
and we
have seen it.
We are testifying to it
and
announcing it to you —
eternal life!
He was
with the Father,
and he
appeared to us.
3 What we have seen and heard,
we are
proclaiming to you;
so that you too
may have
fellowship with us.
Our fellowship is with the Father
and with
his Son, Yeshua the Messiah.
4 We are writing these things
so that our joy may be complete.
5 And this
is the message which we have heard from him and proclaim to you: God is light,
and there is no darkness in him — none!
6 If we
claim to have fellowship with him while we are walking in the darkness, we are
lying and not living out the truth. 7 But if we are
walking in the light, as he is in the light, then we have fellowship with each
other, and the blood of
his Son Yeshua purifies us from all sin.
8 If we
claim not to have sin, we are deceiving ourselves, and the truth is not in
us. 9 If we acknowledge our sins, then, since he is
trustworthy and just, he will forgive them and purify us from all wrongdoing.
10 If we
claim we have not been sinning, we are making him out to be a liar, and his
Word is not in us.
James Chapter 2. CJB
2:1 My
brothers, practice the faith of our Lord Yeshua, the glorious Messiah, without
showing favoritism. 2 Suppose a man comes into your
synagogue wearing gold rings and fancy clothes, and also a poor man comes in
dressed in rags. 3 If you show more respect to the
man wearing the fancy clothes and say to him, “Have this good seat here,” while
to the poor man you say, “You, stand over there,” or, “Sit down on the floor by
my feet,” 4 then aren’t you creating distinctions
among yourselves, and haven’t you made yourselves into judges with evil
motives?
5 Listen,
my dear brothers, hasn’t God chosen the poor of the world to be rich in faith
and to receive the Kingdom which he promised to those who love him? 6 But
you despise the poor! Aren’t the rich the ones who oppress you and drag you
into court? 7 Aren’t they the ones who insult the
good name of Him to whom you belong? 8 If you truly
attain the goal of Kingdom Torah, in conformity with the passage
that says, “Love your neighbor as yourself,”[a] you
are doing well. 9 But if you show favoritism, your
actions constitute sin, since you are convicted under the Torah as
transgressors.
10 For a
person who keeps the whole Torah, yet stumbles at one point, has
become guilty of breaking them all. 11 For the One
who said, “Don’t commit adultery,”[b] also
said, “Don’t murder.”[c] Now,
if you don’t commit adultery but do murder, you have become a transgressor of
the Torah.
12 Keep
speaking and acting like people who will be judged by a Torah which
gives freedom. 13 For judgment will be without
mercy toward one who doesn’t show mercy; but mercy wins out over judgment. [Paul, again, expresses folly,
pretending to judge The God’s judgement.]
14 What
good is it, my brothers, if someone claims to have faith but has no actions to
prove it? Is such “faith” able to save him? 15 Suppose
a brother or sister is without clothes and daily food, 16 and
someone says to him, “Shalom! Keep warm and eat hearty!” without giving
him what he needs, what good does it do? 17 Thus,
faith by itself, unaccompanied by actions, is dead.
18 But
someone will say that you have faith and I have actions. Show me this faith of
yours without the actions, and I will show you my faith by my actions! 19 You
believe that “God is one”?[d] Good
for you! The demons believe it too — the thought makes them shudder with fear!
20 But,
foolish fellow, do you want to be shown that such “faith” apart from actions is
barren? 21 Wasn’t Avraham avinu declared
righteous because of actions when he offered up his son Yitz’chak on the
altar? 22 You see that his faith worked with his
actions; by the actions the faith was made complete; 23 and
the passage of the Tanakh was fulfilled which says, “Avraham
had faith in God, and it was credited to his account as righteousness.”[e] He
was even called God’s friend.[f] 24 You
see that a person is declared righteous because of actions and not because of
faith alone.
25 Likewise,
wasn’t Rachav the prostitute also declared righteous because of actions when
she welcomed the messengers and sent them out by another route? 26 Indeed,
just as the body without a spirit is dead, so too faith without actions is
dead.
Footnotes
- James 2:8 Leviticus 19:18
- James 2:11 Exodus 20:13(14); Deuteronomy 5:17(18)
- James 2:11 Exodus 20:13; Deuteronomy 5:17
- James 2:19 Deuteronomy 6:4
- James 2:23 Genesis 15:6
- James 2:23 Isaiah 41:8; 2 Chronicles 20:7
No comments:
Post a Comment