2 p.m. Sunday March 26, 2023. 71F/21C.
Along the path to the creek, twenty feet from the banks, is a large stack of leaf debris and pine needles. It is a sign of how far the water wandered from the bed two days ago. The cabin was on an island in the midst of storm waters. Sand and gravel swirl in majestic patterns on the ground. Erosion took most of the gravel from the driveway and carried it to the creek. Several good sized trees fell into the waters, and most were carried down the mountain. The splashing of water on rocks is extra loud. Small birds chirp and inspect the leaves, finding ample forage there. Redbud trees have just begun to bloom, lending a violet pink cast to the brushy area. Any tree standing in the shade is casting a pale green shadow. Hope and spring have arrived.
The Gospel of Matthew, chapter ten
Heavenly Father, gather your people to your son. Not that I need to push the season, but it feels like time. Thank you for hearing my plea. Please remind us of your power and glory. Amen.
The setting was Capernaum. Yeshua was sending out twelve disciples, two at a time, to preach in the cities of the Jews, ahead of his arrival. His speech began as simple instructions, but quickly seemed to evolve into a prophecy over the disciples.
Moreover Yeshua Mashiach said to his talmidim, “Do not think that I myself came to set shalom on the earth, but certainly I myself came to separate the father from the son, and the daughter from the mother, and a daughter-in-law from her mother-in-law, and the people – acquainted ones from their acquaintances. Whosoever loves his father or his mother more than me is not worthy of me. Whosoever loves his nephesh will lose the life which is by me, but whosoever loses it because of me, will be saved. And whosoever receives me receives him who sent me. Whosoever receives a prophet in the name of a prophet, will have a reward. And whosoever receives a righteous one in the name of a righteous one, will have a reward. Every man who will give one of these small ones a cup of cold water to drink in the name of my talmid – truth I say to you, he will not lose his wages.” And when Yeshua Mashiach completed these words he charged his talmidim that they go beside him to preach in the cities.
hebrewgospels.com, Matthew chapter ten, translation by the Van Rensburg family
- Yeshua Mashiach = Jesus the anointed one
- talmidim = disciples (plural)
- shalom = peace
- nephesh = soul, the life package that accompanies our bodies, breath, emotions, and thoughts
- talmid = disciple (singular)
The same Yeshua who spoke peace into his followers in John 14:27, made it clear in those instructions that it was not world-wide peace that he brought to the Jewish people and then to the gentiles. It was not a state of worldly satisfaction that he brought.
Peace I leave with you; my peace I give to you. Not as the world gives do I give to you. Let not your hearts be troubled, neither let them be afraid.
John 14:27, ESV
Yeshua’s gift of peace was not what the world expected to have him bring with him from heaven. Jews who followed the “wisdom” of the pharisees would hate their family members that believed in Yeshua. Friends would leave behind friends over their belief in the Son of God.
It kind of sounds like our era, doesn’t it? It makes me ponder what Yeshua is currently up to!
This same Yeshua who loved the Torah, began to say things that almost, almost, challenged the law. He challenged the letter of the law, but not the heart of the law. The law instructed the people to honor their mother and father. Yeshua did not question that, but challenged his followers to understand that as the Son of God, they were to hold his commandments in greater esteem than any interpretation of the law as understood by their families. They were to behave toward Yeshua, in the same manner they behaved toward God.
Note that when Yeshua spoke of whosoever loses his life, he added, “which is by me”. In other words, he created mankind. If he asked a follower to give up his life, it was his careful decision. Any follower who chose to give up his life for Yeshua would be eternally saved.
Then he explained the way the flow of power from heaven would work. God’s power would flow into Yeshua, and then into his disciples. So great was this flow of heavenly power, that one human extending concern toward another, even a cup of cold water, in the name of Peter or Andrew, or another disciple, would be rewarded as though he extended kindness toward almighty God.
And then the clincher came. Yeshua told them to go alongside of him to the cities and preach.
He was actually not sending them out alone.
Life in the hollow, Sunday
I’m still pondering this spiritual image of Yeshua and all the things he explained to me. He has cleared up a lot of Bible verses that I did not understand. Sometimes the language that he uses seems unusual to me. He said that he was the angel of the Lord in the Old Testament. He said that his appearance was due to a garment that his spirit wore.
You know me, I won’t pass by an opportunity to “interview” the Son of the living God.
What did you look like in the pillar of fire, your appearance in the Old Testament?
“I looked like fire.”
What did you look like in the pillar of smoke?
“I looked like smoke.”
Were those appearances “garments”?
“They were indeed.”
When you want to talk, do you ever send thoughts or notions to communicate with others?
“Thoughts, words, pictures, people, events. All these do I use to communicate.”
How did you sanctify yourself, as you spoke in the prayer in John 17?
“With truth. Truth is a living oil. You can be anointed in it.”
Yeshua, do you have a favorite color?
He gave me an image of a field of flowers – blooming in every color imaginable, but he did eventually show me a pale – somewhat blue, violet, or purple – very delicate and pale flower. I would say that he likes any color in a blooming flower!
I saw a man’s face. He had brown curly hair and beard. Two lines of letters appeared on his forehead, but as soon as I saw the letters, and they were foreign to me, the letters disappeared.
He wants his people to recognize him. He wants to talk to others. He will not leave us to be alone as we do his will.
Enter My Peace 