There was a time…

It is Friday, June 2, 2023.

oxeye daisy

While I love writing and this blog keeps me reading God’s word and asking questions, I’m considering switching my writing format. I’ve written a book (don’t get excited – it’s maybe 150 pages) and I need to tidy it up a bit. So, this blog is suffering from lack of attention. God is leading. I just am unsure exactly where we are going!

fleabane daisies

The Hebrew Gospel of Matthew, chapter thirteen

Heavenly Father, I promised to write for you, but I also do as you lead. Reveal to us the meanings in your word, I ask. In the wonderful name of Yeshua, I pray. Amen.

The setting of chapter thirteen was Capernaum, the village where Yeshua lived. He taught as many as would listen and obey. Then, he began teaching in parables, stories, that were comparisons to everyday life. He likened the spiritual realm to the earthly realm. He taught in a manner that confused those who had their hearts set against him. Then, in private, he revealed his meaning to his disciples.

And there was another parable before them – he said, “The heavenly kingdom is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while the men were sleeping, his enemies came and sowed thistles upon it – among the wheat – and went away. And when the plants grew up and produced fruit – then the thistles were seen among the wheat.

So the servants came and said to the master, ‘Did you yourself not sow good wheat in your field? If so, who sowed thistles upon it?’

And he said to them, ‘The enemy-man did this thing.’

So the servants said, ‘Do you want that we should go and gather it?’

But he said: ‘No, that you do not root up the wheat with the thistles. Leave everything until the harvest. And at the time of the harvest, I will say to the reapers, ‘First gather the thistles, and bind them in burdens and burn them, but gather the wheat into my granary.’”

from hebrewgospels.com, Matityahu, page 43, translation by the Van Rensburg family

You might have noted that this translation uses the word thistles instead of tares. I’ve got to say that I think Yeshua meant tares. Thistles were a general description of weeds or unwanted weedy plants.

But what strikes me about the stories in this gospel of Matityahu, Matthew, is that it is so clear that once Yeshua, Jesus, tested the hearts of his listeners, he made firm decisions about each one. He knew which ones would obey, and which ones were dead set to be trouble makers among the disciples.

He did not waste a lot of time going after those who heard the truth and plainly rejected it. He does still go after sinners when there is but a tiny glimmer of hope.

sneeze weeds

Life in the hollow, Friday

This spring, starting a few days before Passover, I have had visions and dreams frequently.

I see a being whom I associate with a spiritual image of Yeshua, Jesus. He is a quiet angel. He is tall and strong and wears a white robe with a wide gold belt. He is gold and white. He usually keeps the back hem of his garment tucked into the front of the belt, making the robe look more like pants. When needed, he becomes a dark-haired, bearded, man in colorful clothes who teaches. And sometimes he dresses like a laborer – cotton pants and loose white shirt.

At 6:30 this morning, he was an angel. He dissolved into my physical body, and came back out with a little spirit girl. In the flesh, I was lying down and very, very still. I saw through the little spirit girl’s eyes. He hid the little spirit girl inside of himself, inside his chest, where it looked like a misty room. He carried her to the throne of God, and presented her/me to God our Father. God the Father was so very kind. I saw just a fleeting glimpse of a face, if it was indeed his face, I saw it and not very well, but I knew he had a beard. He took me, the little spirit girl, into his arms and sat me on his lap. He spoke some words I cannot remember, I only remember that I love him a lot and that I was in awe the whole time. He touched me on my forehead, saying that he was giving me something. I did not see anything around him because it was all misty.

Yeshua took me, the little spirit girl and carried her back to my cabin. Here, four angels took charge of the little spirit girl. They carried me upwards, to a place where they washed me from head to toe in light that looked like water. Then they made a bridal gown appear on me and carried me back to Yeshua. Yeshua was not waiting for me but he was seated on a throne. I seemed to believe that Yeshua was busy judging, and sentencing or rewarding all life. I watched him take one day to do the work of judgment that it would have taken an ordinary man several lifetimes to do.

As I wrote the above in my journal, I heard his voice say, “Abba and I are making decisions now.”

I was then taken to a house in an arid place. Yeshua, the man, was carried to me by the angels. He appeared to be physically and emotionally drained by the work of judgment. He was troubled and in deep thought. He collapsed onto a bed-like pallet on the floor. For two weeks, he needed my assistance to stay hydrated, to move about, and to eat a little. I stayed there, praying for him and assisting him however he asked. Such was the emotional trauma of passing judgment on those he called his “children”.

After two weeks, in the vision, he raised up and moved about and ate and drank on his own. During the time when he rested, the earth became a place filled with God’s glory.

At the end of the vision, I stepped out of that house into a glorious world. The air was so fresh that breathing it healed me. Plants and trees had been growing. Animals grazed. Birds sang loudly.

I walked back to my cabin and laid down inside my flesh body.

I have no interpretation for the vision.

God bless you dear reader.

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Three Reasons for Ineffectiveness

Raspberry cane blooms. Blooms and leaves make a good tea.

8:30 a.m. Tuesday May 23, 2023. 60F/15C.

Cool. The propane heater came on in the early morning. With windows thrown wide open, its thermostat lit the fire bricks. Two raccoons had been in the bird feeder, one precariously clinging to bark halfway up the tree trunk, attempting to jostle the feeder empty, the other happily cleaning up seeds that fell down below. A few words shouted from the window, encouraged them to leave. Now sunlight filters through the tree leaves, creating patterns on the ground. There is an odd odor in the hollow. Several deep breaths are taken under one certain gum tree. The air there is more fresh than elsewhere, with that wonderful bitter green scent of the tree. Small birds are busy tweeting out short songs. The air is cool.

Oxeye daisies. A bit bitter, boiling with other vegetables helps.

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter thirteen

Heavenly Father, grant us your meanings in your word as we read. Love us and let us dwell in your peace. In the name of Yeshua, I pray. Amen.

The setting was Capernaum, near the sea of Galilee. Yeshua, Jesus, had just finished preaching a sermon that left many pondering, asking, “What did that mean?”. Yeshua later explained to his disciples the meanings of his parable. He was done with teaching many of the people who had come to Capernaum to watch him. They had already made up their minds to follow him or to reject him. They were there to simply enjoy the show. Teaching in parables allowed Yeshua to speak to the disciples on a subject, and speak only to those who would understand the code.

“Therefore you must hear the parable of him who sows. He who sows is the preacher. And the seed is the word of YHWH.

“He who hears the word of YHWH but does not understand it – ha-satan comes and uproots it from his heart. And this is the seed that fell close to the road.

“And that which fell between the stones is he who hears the word of YHWH and receives it with joy, however, he does not have a root and dries up quickly, for through indignant speech they are immediately confused.

“That which fell between the thorns, is he who hears the word of YHWH, but he has sighings about this world – to gather, and it strangles some of the word of YHWH which was sown in his heart, and it does not produce fruit.

“But that which fell in the good ground, is he who understands the word of YHWH, and obeys it, and produces fruit and good works, one has a hundred, and one fifty, and one thirty.”

hebrewgospels.com Matthew, page 52, translation by the Van Rensburg family

• hear = in Hebrew this word meant “hear and act” or “hear and understand” or “hear and obey”
• parable = a story that is a comparison to life, Yeshua sometimes called these stories “comparisons”
• YHWH = Might be the proper name Yahweh, the proper name of God
• ha-satan = literally “the accuser”, God’s enemies
• indignant speech = cussing
• sighings = anxiety
• sighings to gather = worries about earning an income, or gathering food, shelter, and clothing

A certain man went out to sow his seed. He who sowed was the preacher, Yeshua, Jesus. The seed was the word of YHWH.

Some seeds fell by the road and then some of the birds came and ate them. Those seeds were the people who did not understand God’s word and had no intention of ever understanding God’s word. They were not seeking God. The birds were demons who reinforced their lack of desire to seek God by simply telling them that what they were told was not so.

Some seeds fell in a place of stones where there was not much soil. They sprouted immediately, but when the sun shone upon them, they withered right down to the exposed root. The reason these plants, the word of God, did not survive in those hearts that loved the word? Indignant speech. People who do not use their own mouths to speak productively, do not produce. Boom! Produce gone.

Other seeds fell between thorns. Thorns grow as tall as four, five, or six feet tall. As fast growers, they keep the nearby plants from receiving sunlight and nutrients from the soil. This is the person who hears and obeys, but lets the worries of daily living take precedence over God’s word. Only half of God’s word took root, which is not enough to produce fruit.

Other seeds fell on good ground. The seeds grew into plants that produced fruit of varying amounts, according to the plant producing. Those were the people who heard and understood and acted upon God’s word when they heard it.

There are three reasons, Jesus, Yeshua said, that God’s word can be ineffective in a person’s life:

1. The word of God was not believed or understood in the first place

2. The person believed, but cursed himself

3. The person believed, but let daily activities of living took a higher priority than God’s word

And even for those who did hear, understand, believe, the produce was not exactly the same. People simply produce fruit when they hear and act upon the truth of our Lord.

Spiderwort. Tradescantia. Tastes like asparagus and spinach when cooked. I stopped eating them because the oxalic acid gave me sore throats.

Life in the hollow, Tuesday

Indignant speech.

I’ve stopped listening to several modern prophets, teachers, and preachers because I am trying to stop myself from something I call “soft cussing”, and many Christian public figures have not stopped the soft cussing. First reason, I don’t want them influencing me to start up cussing again and second reason, I don’t want to consume the word of God and human feces in the same spoonful. I’m talking about words that refer to human feces being used as spoken alternatives to expressing one’s true emotions.

I call words that refer to human feces soft cussing. Regular cussing is all them words that refer to random sexual relations and random condemnations. Hard cussing would be calling the judgment of God or the judgment of man down on another person.

It doesn’t matter which form of cussing someone uses, that person is not as effective as he/she could be.

Sighings about this world.

I got up this morning and did half my prayers, washed laundry so that I could hang it out in the sun as soon as the sun rose, and then intended to finish my prayers, which I did. However, I stopped halfway through prayers and asked our heavenly Father if it was OK with him that I already did it that way.

His voice was polite, but no, it wasn’t OK to put my relationship with him anywhere but first. And then I read the above scripture. Right. Should have read that first. But I didn’t do that because I was busy with the sighings of life.

If I don’t produce fruit, I truly know why.

That is what repentance is for.

The IN Crowd

Tiny yellow flowers of stonecrop. Tangy. Good on a sandwich.

9:30 a.m. Tuesday May 16, 2023. 70F/21C.

In. The golden feral cat announced his return at 6 a.m. this morning with repeated yowls and banging on the cabin door. He is thinner and his claws seem sharper. His appetite has never waned. No further sleep could be had while he crunched loudly before the tray of dry food and followed that by complaining that he ate too fast. Tractors are now running off to the west, across the creek. Deer are missing. The herd left wild edibles to grow. A large bird calls out, “Whee-eet. Wheet-wheet-wheet.” The air is bitter green and healing. Winter is out. Spring is in.

Prunella vulgaris, common prunella, heal-all, makes a good tasting tea

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter thirteen

Heavenly Father, you are so good. Please guide as we read the Bible. In the name of your precious son Yeshua, I pray. Amen.

Yeshua/Jesus had just taught a mass of people who gathered around him, so many that he went out on the Galilee to teach from a boat on the water. The water carried his voice perfectly to each one, but many did not understand what he said.

The talmidim/disciples came to him and asked why he was teaching in comparisons.

Yeshua had already made it clear that all those of Capernaum who were going to follow him, had made their decision. It was no longer necessary to speak clearly, but it was necessary to speak confidentially. How does one speak confidentially with a whole crowd of eavesdroppers? He taught in parables.

And because of this, one speaks in comparisons: in order that seeing they will not see, and hearing they will not hear, and not understand. In order that the prophecy of Yeshayah should be fulfilled in them – saying, ‘You will hear but not understand, and you will see, but not perceive. For the heart of this people is fat, and its ear is heavy, and their eyes have been shut on account of this: that they may not see and not hear, and not understand with their heart, and not repent that he would heal him.’ But your eyes are blessed, for they see; and your ears, for they hear. For in truth I say unto you that many prophets and many scribes longed to see what you see, but did not see it, and to hear what you hear, but did not hear it.

Hebrewgospels.com, Matthew 13, translation by the Van Rensburg family

• Comparison = parable
• Yeshayah = Isaiah

Yeshua told his followers that in speaking parables, he was fulfilling the prophecy of Isaiah.

Let’s take a dive into Isaiah…

The setting of Isaiah 6 was the temple. Isaiah was probably a teenager, attending a service at the temple that probably had to do with the close death of king Uziah. It is unclear why, but Isaiah entered the temple alone and saw God. I’m of the opinion that Isaiah was a royal, and entered the temple on a task that had to do with the transfer of rulership.

A ritual cleansing by angel was performed on Isaiah’s lips, leaving him burned, but not burned so badly to keep him from speaking. He heard God ruminating, “Who shall I send?” Like a kid wanting a chance at being on the baseball team, Isaiah shouted out, “Look over here at me! Send me!”

God’s task was NOT a message about a wonderful new king. Isaiah was to prophesy, to speak, that there would be a large core of Judaean people who would not listen to or obey God.

“And he said, Go, and tell this people, Hear ye indeed, but understand not; and see ye indeed, but perceive not. Make the heart of this people fat, and make their ears heavy, and shut their eyes; lest they see with their eyes, and hear with their ears, and understand with their heart, and convert, and be healed.”

Isaiah 6:9-10, KJV

God was telling Isaiah to go speak the people’s ears shut, so that they would not hear. Go speak their hearts fat, so that they had no ability to do acts of worship.

God was that discouraged with the intentions of the core people, the elite, in Jerusalem. His goodness would stop as soon as Isaiah spoke, and the wealthy elite would not be healed while they were oppressing the sick and disabled. As soon as Isaiah spoke, God’s blessings would be withheld from the double-minded who kept God’s feasts while they sacrificed their own children to idols.

Yeshua, Jesus, by remembering Isaiah, was also speaking the ears, eyes, and hearts shut. He warned the people, openly and in parables, that their fate would not be much different from the residents of Jerusalem during the siege of Babylonia. A few years after Yeshua warned, in 70 AD, over a million Jews perished in Jerusalem during the Roman siege.

God was that discouraged with the intentions of the core people, the elite, in Jerusalem. I would like to say that only the bad people died, but men, women, children, slaves, everyone in Jerusalem died.

Their only warning was Yeshua saying that when they saw the armies surrounding, they should run.

Yum! Boil it, add some salt. My favorite vegetable. dock.

Life in the hollow, Tuesday

…and there is a woodtick crawling over my wrist.

Got it! My technique?

If it is stuck on my skin, it gets a drop of cedarwood oil rubbed on its back with a cotton swab. That makes it easier to pull off with a pair of tweezers. Once the tick is in the tweezers, it is still alive. Ticks don’t die easily. The tick is wrapped in a piece of packaging tape, which crushes it, and prevents it from crawling out of the trash can.

If it is not stuck to skin, it gets picked up between thumb and forefinger, where it will quickly get loose if not held tightly. Then the tick is wrapped with a piece of tape, which crushes it, and prevents it from crawling out of the trash can.

Yes! The cat is back, sleeping in my chair, bringing in critters on his fur.

I like him.

God loves those who love him too. Through Yeshua, God will heal his bride, but he will crush the nations.

Code Talking

Incoming rain created a mist on Wednesday morning

1 p.m. Thursday May 11, 2023. 66F/19C.

Heavy rain. It is rare that wind blows at ground level in the hollow, especially while the trees are so densely green. The wind chimes on the porch move whenever animals hit against a low-hanging metal disc at the center of the chimes. Depending upon how playful the animals are, the melodies can go on all night. The golden feral cat has been missing for several days again. He does this about once a month. His tiny gray friend came to the door to beg for his portion of food. She hit the outer door with all her five-pound might, and waited. Both cats have human traits and habits well memorized. She ate half of the food she was offered and is now at the edge of the forest, crying out for her friend. The rain is tolerable under a rain hood. The air is just right for deep breathing. Under the gum tree is still the very best spot to inhale the bitter green scent of the forest and to watch it rain.

Ragwort. Colorful. Plentiful.

The Gospel of Matthew

Heavenly Father, please remind us of your glory and power as we read these verses about your son Yeshua. Amen.

Yeshua/Jesus, the next morning after a day of being confronted by pharisees, scribes, followers of John the baptizer, and sadducees, went out to the shore of the sea of Galilee. When the crowd of followers around him became large, he went into a boat and taught from there. But he taught in parables. He stopped teaching the people of Capernaum in plain language. It was his sign that he had already reached every human who was ready to hear and put his words into actions.

Then some talmidim came near unto him and said to him, “Why do you speak in comparisons?” And he answered them saying, “To you is given to understand the confidential counsels of the kingdom of the heavens, but not to them. Whosoever has, let him give to man, and let him give abundantly. And whosoever does not have, this little that he has a man will rob from him.

hebrewgospels.com, Matthew, page 41, translation by the Van Rensburg family

• talmidim = disciples
• comparisons = parables, stories that illustrate a point
• confidential counsels = private guidance, advice for specific individuals
• kingdom of the heavens = anyplace where a ruler of heaven was present

This was among the hardest things I tried to understand about Yeshua when I first started taking the Bible seriously.

Why did Yeshua purposefully hide the meanings of his teaching from certain people?

I guess a good many answers came when I read the book of Ezekiel. (That book answered a whole lot of questions. I highly recommend it.) Ezekiel became quite the celebrity among the ancient (586 BC) exiles in Babylon. Ezekiel opened his mouth, and some God voice came out of him and spoke to the people. He insulted some. He rewarded others. Everyone wanted to gather around whenever mute Ezekiel miraculously spoke.

One memorable conversation between Ezekiel and God was the time Ezekiel excitedly related to God that people were actually listening to his sermons! God essentially answered him, “Son of Man, don’t get too excited. You are a circus freak show to them. A majority of the hearts of your listeners have not changed.”

Like Ezekiel, Yeshua called himself Son of Man. Yeshua also knew that every heart in Capernaum that was going to accept him and his righteousness, had already done so. To the rest of his audience, he was simply entertainment. He would move on in his ministry, after he covertly explained his motivations to his disciples.

Whichever one of his disciples understood the covert guidance from heaven, would need to freely advise others who needed to know. Whoever did not understand heaven’s counseling, could be talked out of what little knowledge he did have the next time a deceiver advised him.

It was time to speak in code.

Wild comfrey. A huge plant with a fragile tiny blue flower.

Life in the hollow, Thursday

I used to follow several Youtube channels who used the hashtag #WFS. It took about a year to figure out that it meant “We Fly Soon”, a reference to their belief that a worldwide, saints flying into the air, rapture would soon take place.

They spoke in code, to keep from being kicked off of Youtube. (and, yes, I do follow 17, but not the anons.)

Holy Spirit changed my opinion from that end of time scenario. I don’t exactly understand how God is going to pull it off, but the prophecy of Ezekiel 46, the reformed Israel under the prince’s rule, has got to take place before the earth is destroyed and a new earth set up for the believers to dwell with God.

Holy Spirit says that the rapture will eventually happen, but it will not be in a manner that anyone has predicted. The marriage supper of the lamb will happen, but again, nobody is ready for how that will happen.

I wouldn’t advise anyone to speak of the destruction of old governments, and the implementation of God’s government too openly. It would not be expedient for successful delivery of the message.

We might have to learn some good code talk to freely spread that good news.

What was the question?

6 p.m. Friday May 5, 2023. 64F/18C.

Lush forest green. A few of the tall trees are still growing their new leaves. It has been raining, and the forest is green. Wasps are busy. The woodpecker is working on a tree trunk down by the forest floor. He hops about nervously, looking both ways for a visit from some predator soon. Tractors growl and whine off to the north where a neighbor is clearing some land. As soon as one patch is cleared, the forest grows over an already cleared site. The scent is green and fresh. The brush is dense and lush.

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter thirteen

Abba Father, you are amazing. Please reveal your goodness to any who read here and reveal your meanings in your word, the Bible. In the name of your word, Yeshua, I pray. Amen.

And that day Yeshua went out of the house and went to the sea and sat by its shore. And many people gathered there. Because of this he went up into a boat and sat, and all the people stood on the shore of the sea. Then he told them many parables. And he said, “A certain man went out to sow his seed, and while he was sowing, some kernels fell by the road. Then some of the birds came and ate them. And some fell in a place of stones where there was not much soil, and they sprouted immediately, for they did not have deep soil. But when the sun heated them, they dried up for they did not have a root. The others fell between the thorns. The thorns grew up and strangled them. The others fell in good ground, and produced much fruit, in one – a hundred, in one – fifty, in one – thirty. Whosoever has ears, hear!”

hebrewgospels.com Matthew 13, page 50, translation by the Van Rensburg family

• Yeshua = Jesus
• the sea = the sea of Galilee, but “the sea” also had a double meaning. It meant the non-Jewish nations. Yeshua would “sit” or judge, over the gentile nations, while the Jews would “stand” before him.

Here is an oddity I’ve noticed about Yeshua: He tended to answer questions before they were asked. And then he would say something along the lines of, “if you have ears, hear and obey.” That only left people wondering what they should obey!

As the day’s story unfolded, each listener’s assignment became more and more clear.

He was about to travel outward from the sea of Galilee to preach, and he was telling his faithful followers why that would happen. They would not understand until some time later.

Don’t miss the setting! “The sea” is prophetic language for “the nations”. Yeshua sat like a judge over the nations while the Jewish people stood before him. Even the setting was a bold statement of his ruling authority!

Did you catch also the timing? “And that day”? It certainly was not the same day as chapter twelve. He spent most of chapter twelve proving that he could heal and help the political factions of the day. After so much work for heaven, there was none of that day left.

So, why did Matthew write, “And that day” and follow it with a description of the setting? Perhaps he was hinting that the day that Yeshua sat over the sea, he also had ruling authority of heaven! You may draw your own conclusions there.

A certain man went out to sow his seed. Yeshua was that certain man. The seed he sowed was the truth he was pouring into his followers from his heavenly Father.

In the next few verses, Yeshua would explain what each situation represented. The readers would not be totally unaware of his meanings, but close your eyes and imagine for a short moment, the frustration that must have come over those people listening, who wanted dearly to follow. Some of them knew in their hearts that Yeshua was Son of God. Some of them were there for the entertainment. Some of them thought they had found a permanent kind of theater in their own home town. They had an unusual preacher who drew a crowd. Inns would need to be built and market booths opened. Yes, Yeshua drew quite a crowd!

The crowds wanted him to be a permanent attraction in Capernaum. He was putting a halt to that expectation.

Of note: The Hebrew word for “hear” is an action word. It means pay attention and act accordingly.

If you can hear Yeshua, then act accordingly.

Life in the hollow, Friday

Yes, Yeshua does frequently give the answer before the question is asked. I suppose that is how heaven operates most of the time. Heaven knows the ending of our stories before we live them. It gets revealed slowly, puzzle piece by puzzle piece.

Even my chaotic past is beginning to make sense.

Holy Spirit has told me bits and pieces about the future. Nobody expects this next era that we are about to walk into. Nobody has interpreted the Biblical prophecies quite correctly. Nobody. It will be wilder and better than we ever imagined.

Stick close to Yeshua, pray, read, and obey his commands. Getting to the next era will take some standing with him.

It will be worth it.

Be family

violet of the violaceae family

1:30 p.m. Tuesday May 2, 2023. 68F/20C.

Just hot enough for the bugs to know that summer has arrived. Flies are everywhere. The heat of the sun feels good on old shoulders, but it doesn’t take long for the flies to land. Most of the walk will be spent brushing them off. Flowers in gold and white and green dot the grasses on the edge of the forest. The sound of a truck arrives from out on the road. Takes a good five minutes for it round the last curve and be seen. The white pickup truck slows and the driver hollers out, “Need a new burn barrel? Randy down thar got a bunch of ‘em. Yers is all rusted out.” Five minutes of spreading news from three miles down the road, and the pickup truck pulls away. Bare branches of the trees all have at least small leaf buds. The road smells of dust and cigarette smoke. Raspberry canes bend toward the road, loaded down with blossoms. It’s a good day for walking, not too cool, just hot enough.

wood sorrel, member of the oxalidaceae family. The original sweet-tart.

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter twelve

Abba Father, I loose and shake off anything in me that is not of your will. I ask your guidance in revealing the meanings of your word, your Bible, and your Son. Amen.

At the end of chapter twelve, Matthew told a story of Yeshua using even small life situations to make a point about who he was and who his Father was.

And while he spoke unto the people, his mother and his relatives stood outside and wanted to speak with him. Then a certain man said to him, “Your mother and your relatives are standing outside and are asking for you.” So Yeshua answered and said to him, “Who is my mother? And who is my brother or my relative? Everyone who does the will of my Father who is in the heavens – he is my brother and my sister and my mother.”

hebrewgospels.com, Matthew, page 50, translation by the Van Rensburg family

• Yeshua = Jesus

Yeshua’s family came to see him. His popularity as a teacher and healer caused a mass of people to follow after him. Not even his mother was able to squeeze through the crowds to speak with him.

The setting was a house in Capernaum. Yeshua was teaching. Yeshua had just dealt with Perushim (Pharisees), sages (Sadducees), scribes (those who copied the Torah scrolls), and the followers of Yochanan the dipper (John the baptizer). All those groups were tugging at him, or entrapping him, to take sides, either with them or against them. Instead of taking sides in the political and religious arguments of the day, he let them know that he could heal them, even heal their hearts.

The final group to show up that day was his own family. Would he halt classes for the day so he could talk to Mom? No. Instead he invited every individual who would do the will of our heavenly Father to consider themselves as much his family as his mother, brother, and sister.

All who do the will of God our Father, by faith in Yeshua, are one in God.

Pedicularis canadensis, member of the orobanchacea family

Life in the hollow, Tuesday

My front yard, as much as you could call it a yard, is totally covered with a plant that would make an old hippie proud. It’s called pedicularis canadensis. Common names for it are lousewort and wood betony (not stachys).

For the past two days, I have had cramping to the point where I didn’t want to get out of bed. Finally Holy Spirit suggested I go pick some of the edible weed called pedicularis. I knew that native Americans used it like spinach. So I did a quick check of the plant on the internet and found that some people smoke it like weed to get relaxation. I will not smoke anything.

“Make a tea,” Holy Spirit suggested. Let me tell you, that stuff works. I boiled it five minutes and drank the water. The leaves don’t even come close to spinach. They are very bitter and hairy. But the tea? No more cramping. Legs, arms, stomach, are all calm now. Wow.

Many times, in my experience, doing the will of the Holy Spirit leads to something very pleasant. Doing the will of Yeshua’s Father makes us his family.

And I’m happy to be part of it.

God bless you all.

God’s next covenant

Waiting. The rain looks like it should be here in an hour or so. The western skies are misty, foggy, and gray. Two feral cats are no where to be seen. Apparently the hunting in the forest is better than the dry cat food on the porch. Feeding trays are picked up and carried indoors. The air is full of the scent of sourdough bread. Electric lights are switched on as the sun sets on the forest that is slowly turning all green. Waiting.

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter twelve

Abba Father, treat my nation as a person and let me claim her for salvation by you, my well-loved Father, by repentance of sin, by acceptance of Yeshua, and by the indwelling of your Holy Spirit. Guide and reveal as we read your word. Amen.

Yeshua’s audience was a mix of political and religious sects, plus some followers and curious people. He had been confronted multiple times by those attempting to entrap him with wrong doctrine, or press him into duty as a warrior king. He went on healing and teaching instead.

“Now, when the satan goes out of a man he walks by difficult places, seeking rest, and he does not find it. Then he says in himself: ‘I will return unto my house that I went out of.’ And when he comes, he finds it cleansed and pure of all divinations. Then he goes and takes seven spirits more evil than himself, and they enter there and stay there. And at the end of that man, they will be more evil than at the beginning. And his last works more evil than the first ones. Something just like this is about to come to this evil nation.”

Matthew 12, hebrewgospels.com, page 50, translation by the Van Rensburg family

* the satan = the adversary, a demon

It was both a teaching and a prophecy. If a man who was demon possessed gets rid of his demons, it is not enough to simply clean up.

It is interesting that Yeshua did not tell this particular audience how to prevent a re-infestation of the demonic! He just said that it happens.

On a side note, I would certainly recommend that the freed person put themselves in line with God’s will after getting rid of a demon. They should fill that empty space in their souls by doing God’s will and accepting his Son, so that nothing else can easily fit in.

But it was also a prophecy. The Romans of Yeshua’s day occupied Jerusalem. The First Jewish Revolt would be seen a few years down the road. The Romans would be held back by the Jews for almost four years. Yeshua warned his own followers to run when they saw certain signs of the approaching Roman army. Many paid attention to him and did run, spreading the gospel all over the countryside with them.

When the Romans re-entered Jerusalem in 70 AD, they slaughtered every human being in sight, tore down the temple, and left no stone stacked in place in the whole city.

In essence, Yeshua was announcing that the Judaean nation would not be saved by removing the Romans. It could only be saved by doing God’s will and accepting Yeshua as messiah, but he didn’t say that. No, he knew their hearts would not be swayed. He just prophesied the worst.

Life in the hollow, Tuesday

A storm approaches and the two feral cats are both gone. There are no more mice or skink lizards on the porch anyway. I don’t put out enough dry food to keep them fat. They need to hunt.

God’s Spirit has revealed a little bit to me about the future, so I will not lose hope. We are not at the end of time, but we certainly are in a transitional era. God’s enemies are fighting back against God’s plan.

I’m praying for this nation to accept a new covenant with God instead of fighting in all directions.

We’ll see what the people do. God’s hand is certainly moving on behalf of those who love him.

God bless you all.

Confrontations

This is my Father’s world,

And to my listening ears

All nature sings, and round me rings

The music of the spheres.

This is my Father’s world:

I rest me in the thought

Of rocks and trees, of skies and seas–

His hand the wonders wrought

This is my Father’s world:

The birds their carols raise,

The morning light, the lily white,

Declare their Maker’s praise.

This is my Father’s world:

He shines in all that’s fair;

In the rustling grass I hear Him pass,

He speaks to me everywhere.

This is my Father’s world:

O let me ne’er forget

That though the wrong seems oft so strong,

God is the Ruler yet.

This is my Father’s world:

Why should my heart be sad?

The Lord is King: let the heavens ring!

God reigns; let earth be glad!

Words to the song by Maltbie D. Babcock, 1899

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter twelve

Abba Father, Let your kingdom come. Let your will be done. Please reveal your meanings in your word, the Bible. Amen.

I’m very much reminded of the book of Ezekiel when reading this chapter of Matthew. Pilgrims went to Ezekiel in the camp of the exiles in Babylonia. The pilgrims were from Jerusalem, from among people who got to stay behind, people who decided that they were God’s elite. Ezekiel was mute unless God spoke through him. The pilgrims were on a tour of prophets for entertainment. Ezekiel obediently opened his mouth, and God hollered out, “WHO ARE YOU TO ENQUIRE OF ME?” Many of the pilgrims had actually just come from performing sacrifices of children to idols. God knew their hearts.

Son of man, speak unto the elders of Israel, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord God; Are ye come to enquire of me? As I live, saith the Lord God, I will not be enquired of by you.

Ezekiel 20:3, KJV

You can see that the same God was speaking through Yeshua, when he was approached by the elders of Israel, enquiring of him.

Then some of the wise ones knowing literature and the Perushim answered him saying, “Rabbi, we want to see some sign from you.”

But Yeshua answered them, “O evil nation – no sign will be given to you except the sign of Yonah the prophet. For just like Yonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights, so will the Son of the virgin be in the heart of the earth, three days and three nights.

The nobles of Nineweh will stand up for the day of judgment with this nation, and they will punish it, for they performed repentance at the preaching of Yonah, and here is one greater than Yonah. And the queen of Sheva will stand up for the day of judgment with this nation and will punish it, for she came from the end of the world to hear the wisdom of Shelomoh, and here is one wiser than Shelomoh.

Matthew 12, hebrewgospels.com page 49, translation by the Van Rensburg family

• Wise ones = sages, scribes, temple elite
• Perushim = Pharisees
• Rabbi = teacher, Jesus, Yeshua
• Yonah = Jonah
• Son of the virgin = Jesus, Yeshua
• Nineweh = Nineveh, the evil city that Jonah preached to
• queen of Sheva = Queen of Sheba, an Ethiopian queen who traveled to marvel at the wisdom of king Solomon
• Shelomoh = Solomon

The end of a day of confrontations drew near. The Pharisees tried to trap Yeshua into “working” on the Sabbath. John the Baptizer’s disciples decided to feign coming from John with a question, which was really a confrontation. Toward evening, the scribes and the sages pounced on the confrontation wagon.

Yeshua would not be enquired of by any of them.

But he did drop a hint, which his disciples would need to remember later. He spoke a prophecy about his death and resurrection. He would be in the belly of the earth – in a grave – for three days and three nights.

And he was. Don’t worry about the technicalities. The ancients calculated time in a different manner than we do today. A baby was called a one-year-old on the day of its birth. The very minute that Yeshua was placed in the grave, he was said to have been in the grave one whole day, or even one whole year, by those calculations. They didn’t use a number zero.

I imagine the sages and Pharisees smirked and skipped over repenting. The wicked of Nineveh repented at the preaching of Jonah. Still the Pharisees smirked at a prophet greater than Jonah. Pagan Queen of Sheba repented at the wisdom of king Solomon. Still the sages smirked at a descendant of Solomon who was even wiser than he.

In his mercy God gave them one more chance at repentance. They could have been covered by the blood of the crucified Yeshua. It was a personal choice only each one could make.

Life in the hollow, Monday

The inevitable is about to happen. I took in one feral cat from the woods. He found a friend that he shares his food with. His friend is starting to look awfully fat, around the middle, about where a female would carry kittens.

No, I won’t trap them and haul them off to a vet for “fixing”. At first, it was Holy Spirit who opposed my plan for neutering them, when I prayed over it. Now, it is me who is opposed to it. I’m so tired of the death agenda in our culture. It seems like every modern invention of the last fifty years was made to kill, halt pregnancies, or sicken something. Nope. I’ll follow the Holy Spirit’s guidance. Let the kittens take their chances in the forest, just like their parents did. Some of them will die by owl or coyote. Some of them will live. Just like all the other wild animals.

I’ll pray over them all the same.

God bless you.

Thank you for reading.

Because of mere words

5:30 p.m. Sunday April 23, 2023. 67F/20C.

Evening. The sky glows in a metallic blue. All the trees have at least small leaf buds, all the way to their tops. Age and illness makes the walk to the creek slow and tedious, but dogged will makes it successful. Three gooseberry bushes may be seen growing in the rocky bank of the creek. Two sprigs of grass are seen along the path back to the cabin. With bulbous forms at the top, it is a sign that the wild onion may be about ready to bloom and collect. Small violet and yellow blooms mark the places where low clumps of green might be harvested for salads. The deer have moved on, giving the rest of the woods’ residents a chance at the food. The path is absolutely full of the bitter green scent of trees. After a long winter’s nap, that scent still heals. Back at the cabin, it is evening, and the sun pours over the porch.

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter twelve

Abba Father, thank you for all you do for me, your healing, your guidance, your Son. May you reign over us forever. Please continue to guide as we read the Bible. Amen.

Matthew spent two chapters (11 and 12) dealing with the political and religious groups that confronted Yeshua.

As a side note, I don’t always get a warning or a complete explanation when I have a vision. But the spiritual image of Yeshua, dressed in a rabbi’s robe, walked into the cabin several nights ago and announced, “You can ask Mark about how angry I was,” and he left. Well, I know of nobody named Mark, so it made no sense. It made no sense until I began reading Matthew. I prayed over why Yeshua’s reactions to people were so severe in chapters 11 and 12. Then I checked the Gospel according to Mark. Sure enough, there was Mark’s record of the same people, making Yeshua very angry.

And when he had looked round about on them with anger, being grieved for the hardness of their hearts…

Mark 3:5, KJV

Then Yeshua said to them, “Should a man do good on the Feast day, or evil? Save? Or let a man perish?” And behold, they were quiet. So Yeshua became angry because of their works, while they were looking on.

Mark 3:4-5, hebrewgospels.com, page 27, translation by the Van Rensburg family

I can just hear him getting louder and louder, but all the while maintaining his compassion for the sake of the man whose hand was withered, and for the honor of his heavenly Father.

Some of Pharisees left to form a council, others stayed with Yeshua, to collect more evidence against him. There were also representatives of John the Baptizer’s followers, and a group of sages and scribes. They were so busy looking to pick fights among believers over whose interpretation of the scriptures was most right, that they all missed God.

Every good tree produces good fruit, and a bad tree produces bad fruit. Therefore man recognizes the tree by the fruit. Genealogy of serpents! How are you able to speak good while you are evil? The mouth speaks of the abundance of the heart. A good man gives good things a from his treasure, but the evil man from an evil treasure gives evil.

Because of this I say to you that for every weighty speech that is spoken among the men, a man will have to give a report to El in the day of judgment. You will either be saved because of your words, or you will be utterly destroyed because of your words.”

hebrewgospels.com Matthew, page 49, translation by the Van Rensburg family

• Genealogy of serpents = You sons of vipers! Sons of satan!
• weighty speech = KJV uses “idle speech”, it means curses, or cuss words against a person or situation
• El = God

Yeshua very carefully leveled his charges against the Pharisees, the scribes, the sages, and the other religious groups. Not only did the groups understand, but especially the people that they oppressed would have understood as well.

Trees are named by the fruit they bear. Men are also named by the fruit they bear. He used one of John the Baptizer’s favorite insults for the groups, “You generation of vipers!” They bore the fruit of oppression against people. What followed that insult were rhetorical questions. “What evil person can speak good?” Well, the answer would have been “none”.

And here is a gem. For every argument those people made against the members of some other religious group, every curse they spoke, every insult that left their lips, they would be accountable to God almighty. Yeshua was saying that their rules requiring over-compliance to the law was not going to save them when they were laying traps for their own relatives.

On the ancient manuscript, the scribe made extra bold the letters which read, “because of your words.”

Because of mere words, men’s hearts were known.

The evening sun setting over the creek

Life in the hollow, Sunday

Over the past couple weeks, I’ve been also reading the Exodus. And I asked God why the people complained against Moses. I mean, they had everything they needed!

Well, then I got a toothache. It was one of those toothaches that hurt all over my head.

And I complained. Repeatedly.

And then I got to read in Matthew about how important our words are. And I’m trying out some different words.

I am grateful to God for healing.

I thank God for the healing.

I will be cautious about judging others.

I suppose God was trying to make a point. I’ll figure out what that point is at about 3 a.m. tomorrow morning.

God bless you all! Thank you for reading!

They tested God

potato dandelion! Root bulb is said to be edible after cooking. I do NOT call it edible. So fibrous that you have to spit most of it out.

4 p.m. Thursday April 20, 2023. 70F/21C.

In an unusually bold display of color, one lone iris blooms near the creek. Its tone is deep radiant purple, not the pale violet of its brothers and sisters, higher up on the bank. It will be watched to see if any others pop up with the same color. It is quite unique in its beauty and solitude. The green scent of trees is here to stay for the summer. The air is full of pollen, but a long inhale of the leaf aroma still heals the lungs. The creek water is cold and a little more murky than last week. It is receding back to being only a narrow stream. Upon returning to the cabin, a large black spider raced in as soon as the aluminum door squeaked open. That prompted a search involving moving much furniture, and eventual success. Spiders are simply not allowed indoors! It is a day when the forest seems to speak, “Hope is here.”

This one little flower stood out as royal, dressed in purple, on the plain earth.

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter twelve

Heavenly Father, keep us in your will. In this age on humanity’s timeline, remind us of your commandments as expressed through Yeshua, and through your prophets, and through your Bible. Please reveal your meanings in the book of Matthew. Amen.

The parallels between the physical events and the supernatural events in this next narrative could have been feed for dozens of jokes on Yeshua’s part, but he was intent upon either saving the individuals among the Pharisees/Perushim, or letting them go on to their eternal destinies. He was, according to Mark’s Gospel, very angry.

It’s not really smart to make God angry. Everything Yeshua saw and heard, God saw and heard. Everything Yeshua said, God said first.

And then they sent a satan-possessed one to him, blind and dumb, and he healed him in such a way that he spoke and saw. And all the people were astonished and looked and said, “How could this not be the Son of Dawid?”

But when the Perushim heard this they said, “This man does not drive out the demons except by the power of [a certain demon], the prince of the demons.”

So Yeshua, who knew their thoughts said, “Every kingdom that is divided in itself will be desolated, and every city or house that is divided will not stand. Thus, if one demon drives out the other, they are divided among themselves – so how will their kingdom be prolonged? If I drive out the demons by the power of [a certain demon] – your sons, by what power do they drive them out? And because of this they will be your judges.

But if I by the Ruach of El drive out the demons – if so, did not the heavenly kingdom come among you?

And how will one be able to enter into the house of the strong and mighty man – and to break it if he does not first bind him by power? And afterwards he can rob him of his house.

Whosoever is not with me is against me. And whosoever does not gather with me, scatters against me. And in this respect I say to you that an iniquity of a curse will be atoned for the men, except whosoever says a curse against Ruach Ha-Qodesh. For whosoever speaks against Ruach Ha-Qodesh will not have atonement in this world or in the coming world.

hebrewgospels.com, Matthew, page 48, translation by the Van Rensburg family

• Son of Dawid = Son of David, of the family line of king David
• Perushim = Pharisees
• Yeshua = Jesus
• your sons = sons had the power of their father, implied was that the Pharisees were sons of a demon, and their sons were as well
• Ruach of El = Spirit of God
• the heavenly kingdom = anyplace where there is the presence of a heavenly ruler
• house of the strong and mighty man = the cultish organization of Pharisees
• Ruach Ha-Qodesh = Spirit of Holiness

You could say that the Pharisees were essentially accusing God of their own sins, but it had an evil twist.

Yeshua had previously healed a man who was mute and and demon possessed as a demonstration before the Pharisees. The Pharisees would not allow the name of God to be spoken, but they freely allowed the names of demons! The man was a demonstration because the whole Pharisetical organization that was mute and demon possessed!

After such an insult, the Pharisees still kept at it! In the above verses, the Pharisees brought a man who was blind, mute, and demon possessed. Again, the entire organization of Pharisees were blind to God’s Son. They were mute about speaking God’s name. And they were profoundly demon possessed.

“Every kingdom that is divided in itself will be desolated,” was a common teaching of rabbis. Yeshua turned the Pharisees’ teaching on themselves. By their own logic, the Pharisees taught that a demon-possessed man could not persist in driving out demons, he would fail.

Were they against Yeshua or for him? If they were against Yeshua, then their sons, who also ministered by driving out demons, were just announced as demon-possessed men.

When would they finally admit that a ruler of heaven was walking among them? He then implied that the house of the Pharisees was strong among the Jews. He also implied that among his intentions was one to overpower the master of the house of the Pharisees and release their victims to freedom.

After that lengthy group of verses, note the very last paragraph. It was a prophecy spoken by Yeshua. As background, it was a curse to be killed by hanging on a tree. A curse was coming, Yeshua prophesied, that would atone for men. How could a curse make sinful men right with God? To those who had never heard of the cross, it was a riddle. To us, we know that a righteous man on a tree atoned for all our sins.

If they missed their chances to align with God through Yeshua, while he walked the earth, they still had a chance at salvation. They could repent and accept him, after the crucifixion. But if they cursed God’s Spirit, if they called upon supernatural demonic powers to halt God’s Holy Spirit, their destiny in eternal torment was sealed.

Yeshua issued that warning to the Pharisees – a hint that something evil was happening in the dark underbelly of their organization.

Raindrops were just starting to hit the surface of the water

Life in the hollow, Thursday

While thunder and lightning raged all around the cabin – I feel so tiny when that happens – the Holy Spirit allowed me to walk to the edge of hatred and consider how demonic many of the Pharisees had become. This spiritual image of Yeshua that I see? More than once during my asking about this incident, he appeared to say firmly and slowly, “I … was … angry”.

Something interesting happened in the hollow. An entire flock (maybe a half dozen) turkeys all flew halfway up the tall trees and roosted, one turkey per tree. Then they gobbled, or pinged, or whatever you wish to call that sound they make, at one another. It was twenty minutes of a sort of turkey roll-call.

They roosted up high for a lightning storm. Does that make sense to you?

They are turkeys.

My thanks to God’s Holy Spirit, who I keep pestering with questions, and who helps me understand the verses.

God bless you all.

The satisfaction of rest in Yeshua

Corn salad, lamb’s lettuce, mmm.

4 p.m. Wednesday April 19, 2023. 82F/28C.

Excitement. That healing bitter green scent of the trees grows stronger every day. A few bubbles rise from under a rock in the creek water. Crawdads. The wet meadow is checked slowly. Cloudy skies make the search a little tedious. Two new thistles. Lots of yellow-white and toxic, but lovely, false garlic. Many starts of spleenwort fern. Many purple violets. No wild onions, but there it is! The forest is offering one delicacy that has been eagerly anticipated: Lamb’s lettuce! Yes! Close to the ground, its leaves form cups around four white blossom stalks. No trip to town is needed this week! One half leaf of lamb’s lettuce is tested, and the mildly sweet green melts in the mouth. It grows abundantly in patches. Olive oil, vinegar, honey, and salt: mm-mmm-m. The thistles will be left for shaving and dicing into a later salad, but today is for the lamb’s lettuce. Excited.

Wild iris. They seem to like partial shade.

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter twelve

Heavenly Father, thank you for the provisions. I know you left that there for me. Even the deer missed it. Please guide as we read the Bible. I ask in the name of Yeshua. Amen.

The Pharisees, a cult-ish group of religious law enforcement officers, “caught” Yeshua healing on the Sabbath. They determined that his healing was a public display of Torah law breaking of the Sabbath law, and called a council to determine how to kill Yeshua.

Now, the Torah does allow for stoning of a person who willfully breaks Sabbath law.

Sort of.

The one person who was stoned to death knew his work was sin, and sinned anyway. The person was doing his daily work of a precise type that had been specifically forbidden in the law. Did he offer to repent? That’s not recorded. Was Moses cautious about giving the word to stone him? You bet he was! Moses presented the case to the Lord before he made any such decision.

It was the Lord who searched the man’s heart and motives. It was the Lord who made the deciding judgment.

Healing on Sabbath was not forbidden by the Torah. Doing good was not forbidden. But doing specific types of ordinary work was forbidden.

And mercy was required of everyone.

And then the Perushim went out and held a council against him – by what means they would be able to kill him.

When Yeshua knew this, he departed from them and many peoples went after him, and he healed them – all of them. And he commanded that they should not publish it, so that what was said by Yeshayah the prophet should be fulfilled, saying, “See you my Son whom I chose, and my beloved, who is exceedingly pleasing to my nephesh. I will place my Ruach on him, and I will make righteousness known among the peoples. He will not argue nor cry out, nor will any man hear his voice in the street. A crushed reed he will not break, the smoking wood he will not quench, until they go forth to the mighty judgment, and in his name the islands will hope.”

hebrewgospels.com, Matthew, page 37, translation by the Van Rensburg family

• Perushim = Pharisees
• Yeshua = Jesus
• publish it = talk or tell others about it
• Yeshayah = Isaiah 42:1-4
• See you = Behold!
• Nephesh = soul
• Ruach = spirit
• smoking wood = kindling stick used to light fires, a old form of a match

So, Yeshua left that community, but before he left, he showed mercy and healed all the sick – all of them. The ancient text emphasized “all of them” with very large letters. Isaiah’s prophecy about Yeshua reads like this:

Behold my servant, whom I uphold; mine elect, in whom my soul delighteth; I have put my spirit upon him: he shall bring forth judgment to the Gentiles.

He shall not cry, nor lift up, nor cause his voice to be heard in the street.

A bruised reed shall he not break, and the smoking flax shall he not quench: he shall bring forth judgment unto truth.

He shall not fail nor be discouraged, till he have set judgment in the earth: and the isles shall wait for his law.

from Isaiah 42, KJV

In that first portion of Yeshua’s ministry, he would be very tender hearted, according to Isaiah. He would be the kind of person who wouldn’t even crush a weed that had already bent over. He was so tender that he wouldn’t even blow out a match.

He would not trouble a soul, up until the day of judgment in the earth. After that, he was prophesied to rule with harsh judgment.

The water is a little low. Might catch a crawdad. We’ll see.

Life in the hollow, Wednesday

The feral cat returned from his multi-day trip into the forest, unharmed. He was, as usual, hungry for everything he could beg from me.

Echad. There is that Hebrew word again, being tossed about in my mind. It still means one, unity, first, and sometimes, holy. The ordinary believer can be echad with Yeshua. He desires this. He desires to hear such a request from those who believe on him.

We must be echad, one, with Yeshua before we can be echad, one, with one another. He set it up that way. He prayed over it in John 17.

That they all may be one; as thou, Father, art in me, and I in thee, that they also may be one in us:

While echad appears to be a spiritual exercise that brings dreams, visions, and other spiritual gifts, it also has an application in real life. We must be in agreement with all that God decreed and commanded in his word. Once we achieve that level of agreement, of one-ness, in both our divinely given spirit and in our earthly soul, we can be echad, one, with other believers.

Heavenly Father, I request to be echad in and with my spirit with your son Yeshua. And in his name I pray. Amen.

Set aside ten to twenty minutes to simply watch what happens.

I’m a little like the feral cat when it comes to being echad with Yeshua. It is food for the heart.

Restored

It’s called lousewort. I’ve heard it is edible if you cook it first. I might research it before giving it a try.

7:30 p.m. Tuesday April 18, 2023. 72F/22C.

Green. That color fills the soul like a hearty meal. Violet iris bloom on the path to the creek. Bright yellow asters stand like tall dandelions in the wet meadow. The lovely white may apple blossom sits sheltered below its umbrella-like leaf. Birds were all active today. Coyote are actively yelping tonight. There has been an eerie sounding predator hunting in the dark. All cat food is removed from the porch, to keep the animals safe. The golden feral cat has been missing for a few days now. He is greatly missed, but his dark gray friend remains on the porch. She has caught every mouse and lizard that once threatened the plants. That wonderful scent has returned to the forest. It can best be appreciated under the gum tree. It is healing and it is green.

I think it is some kind of an aster. Might be a golden ragwort. Lots growing this year.

The Gospel of Matthew, chapter twelve

Our heavenly Father, please guide in this study of your word, the Bible. In the name of Yeshua your son, I pray. Amen.

The Pharisees had just confronted Yeshua on why he allowed his disciples to pick and eat wheat from the edge of a field – on the sabbath day. He won the argument with those rule-makers who laid heavy burdens on the people. And then they all headed off to attend services at the local synagogue.

And when he had passed on a further, he came to their house of assembly. And there was a man with the hand dried out. And they asked him if it was proper to cleanse him on the Shabbat, in order that they could slander [him]. But he said to them, “Who is there of you who has a sheep, if it falls into a pit on the Shabbat does not take it out? How much better is the man than the sheep?! And in this respect it is proper to do good on the Shabbat.” And then he said to the man, “Stretch out your hand” – and it was stretched out. It was restored to him with health like the other. And then the Perushim went out and held a council against him – by what means they would be able to kill him.

Hebrewgospels.com Matthew page 37, translation by the Van Rensburg family

• house of assembly = synagogue
• Shabbat = Sabbath, a holy day of rest, Saturday
• Perushim = Pharisees, a group of self-appointed religious overseers who confronted breakers of Torah law

It wasn’t the first time that Yeshua attempted to sway the Pharisees to do what was right. The Old Testament prophets repeatedly told the people that God desired mercy more than sacrifice. God’s desire for men to show mercy was no secret.

I’ll guess that the Pharisees were getting kickbacks from the temple elite, either as prestige or as money. After all, every person they caught breaking the law had to go and offer sacrifice for their sins. The sacrifice needed to be purchased at the temple courtyard. Everybody made money.

So, these Pharisees “caught” Yeshua in a public act of healing on the Sabbath. They totally missed the man’s hand restored, and they zeroed in on the “sin” of healing on Sabbath.

Of course, Yeshua had mercy on the Sabbath. He argued that even the Pharisees would also show mercy to an animal that had fallen into a pit on Sabbath. And he asked, “How much more valuable is the man?” It was a rhetorical question, but the Pharisees actually saw no value in the man.

I’ve read all the way through Leviticus and no place did I see a law against healing on Sabbath. They boasted of a man made addition to the law of Moses.

The plot to kill Yeshua began with the Pharisees.

The entire may apple plant is poisonous, except for the fruit, which grows after this flower drops off. I may try it this year.

Life in the Hollow, Tuesday

The golden feral cat is gone. I’ll give him several days to show up and beg for food before I mourn him. I don’t know if he was eaten by a coyote or simply joined the pack. There are no birds circling nearby. His mate is dutifully keeping all small varmints out of my house, thank you.

The visions and dreams I had are calming a bit. If you ever can call an older autistic individual by the word “normal”, I believe I have returned to that.

God bless you all.