Chapters 5 to 7 of the Gospel of Matthew contain the Emancipation
Proclamation of Jesus.
If ever you should be remaining in My word, you are truly My disciples, and you will know the truth, and the truth will be making you free. (John 8:31b-32 CV)
This emancipation is yet to come. The truth referred to here
is the truth concerning Jesus and the establishment of the New Covenant consecrated
by the sprinkling of His blood (see Heb.
The Sinatic Covenant, as a result of the worship of the golden
calf, became a covenant of death.
In chapter 9 of this literary journey, the Emancipation Proclamation of Jesus had been introduced. Jesus had characterized the people of the new kingdom, the restored Davidic Kingdom (Matt. 5:3-10). The judges of this new kingdom become the subject of Matthew 5:11-7:23. Ascending the mountain, being seated among His disciples with the throng listening at a distance, Jesus had begun His Emancipation Proclamation by instructing His disciples concerning the characteristics of the people of His impending kingdom. In verse 11 of chapter 5, having completed His characterization of the people of His kingdom, He begins to teach His disciples (the throng still listening at a distance) concerning their role as judges in His kingdom.
The transition from the characterization of the people of the kingdom to the role of judges is indicated by Jesus’ use of the pronoun you. He declares to His disciples,
Happy [Honored] are you whenever they [the sons of the apostate nation/kingdom] should be reproaching and persecuting you and, falsifying, saying every wicked [malignant] thing against you, on My account. Rejoice and exult, for your wages are vast in [the interest of] the heavens. For thus they persecuted the prophets before you. (Matthew 5:11-12 CV)
Implied in this statement are the two nations, the two
kingdoms directly referred to by Jesus in Matthew 24:7, “For roused shall be a nation [the apostate Israel] against a nation [the Israel of Yahweh], and a kingdom [of The Adversary] against a kingdom [the restored Davidic
Kingdom of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David], . . .” (CV). The disciples of Jesus are to be the judges governing
the
These righteous judges of the kingdom of Jesus the Messiah are
to enthusiastically rejoice in this persecution by the apostate judges, the
false shepherds, for their service to the people of Yahweh will be richly
rewarded by Messiah Jesus, their Lord and King. Their service in the interest
of the heavens, the interest of the
When Jesus ascends the throne of His father David, the nation
of
Jesus continues,
You are the salt of the earth [the land,
The disciples as judges in
Before the death, resurrection, and ascension of Jesus, the
disciples function as the salt of the land in association with the Sinatic
Covenant. However, after His death, resurrection, and ascension, the disciples
are the salt cleansing, fertilizing, and preserving the children of
Only the teaching (the exposition of the intent and application of the Law of Moses) of Jesus has the power to continually cleanse, fertilize, and preserve the people of His kingdom (the restored Davidic Kingdom) to the end of the age. The disciples as judges expounding and applying righteously the spiritual intent of Yahweh’s Law, Yahweh’s word, Yahweh’s instruction revealed in the Law and the Prophets remain the salt of the land, the salt of the nation, the salt of the people of Yahweh. This is their function in the Kingdom of Jesus the Messiah, in the Israel of Yahweh, in the according-to-spirit elect nation of Yahweh among the elect people of Yahweh in need of purification, fertilization, and preservation, in need of righteous judgment and instruction. These judges are not to become insipid as the apostate judges, for the apostate judges had lost their power to provide purification, fertilization, and preservation according to the righteousness of the Mosaic Law.
The salt as represented by the judges of the apostate nation had become insipid. It became useless. It could not provide purification, fertilization, and preservation of the people of Yahweh. These judges had diluted the Mosaic Law with their own traditions and commandments. Thus, the people of Yahweh were sitting in the darkness brought on by these ingenuous shepherds, these misguided, unrighteous apostate judges. Jesus and His disciples represent the pure salt of genuine shepherds, righteous judges disseminating the life-giving instruction and application of the righteous judgments of the Mosaic Law.
The disciples of Jesus, however, do not fully understand the
significance and meaning of this teaching of Jesus at the present time. They
participate as salt only indirectly, secondarily. Only Jesus is able to administer
the healthy life-enhancing qualities of the Mosaic Law to the people of Yahweh.
He applies the word, the testimony, the instruction of the Law and the Prophets
in such a way as to make efficacious its power to cleanse, to fertilize, to
preserve the covenantal life and health of Yahweh’s people. This He is in the
process of doing in opposition to the insipid (useless, unrighteous) judges of
the people who are unable to purify and heal the covenantal condition of the
sick nation. These ingenuous shepherds are not seeking to gather the lost sheep
of
Having referred to His disciples as the salt of the
You are the light of the world [Mosaic world-order]. A city located upon a mountain can not be
hid. Neither are they burning a lamp and placing it under a peck measure [a grain receptacle], but on a
lampstand, and it is shining to all those in the house [of
Light is another symbol that represents the manifesting affect of the word of Yahweh as revealed in the Law and the Prophets. Jesus and His disciples as Yahweh’s righteous judges manifest the light of Yahweh’s word, making clear the righteous path of Yahweh’s Law upon which the people of Yahweh are to walk, each producing in his daily life what is right in the eyes of Yahweh. Those righteous judges are to guide the elect nation in her faithful obedience to all the requirements of the Law of Moses.
Jesus refers to the elect Israel of Yahweh as a city located
upon a mountain. Those hearing this metaphoric parable do not presently
understand the specific significance of “A
city located upon a mountain.” The general meaning of this metaphor is
clear. The specific meaning is presently hidden, but will be revealed in the
near future. His disciples understand that they, as judges, are to publicly
proclaim the Gospel of the Kingdom, and, in association with Jesus, instruct
the people of Yahweh in the righteous judgments and exposition of the Law of
Moses. They are to act as beams of light immersing
Jesus has come to build His Ecclesia (Matt.
This metaphoric city is located upon the mountain of the Law
and the Prophets, for it manifests the light of the Law and the Prophets. It
fulfills in its commission the Law and the Prophets. The
That this mountain represents the Law and the Prophets is
substantiated by Jesus’ warning to His disciples not to infer from the ideal
acts required of them that He has come to demolish the Law and the Prophets. He
has come, not to demolish, but to fulfill the Law and the Prophets (Matt.
For verily, I am saying to you [His disciples], Till heaven and earth [of the Sinatic Covenant] should be passing by, one iota or one serif may by no means be passing by from the law till all should be occurring. (Matthew 5:18 CV)
The consummation of the Sinatic Covenant and the Mosaic Eon, both of which were at hand, would not be reached apart from the occurrence of all things written in the Law and the Prophets. The complete fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets means the accurate teaching and righteous practice of all contained within its writings. The Israel of Yahweh representing the last generation of the Mosaic Eon would righteously obey all the requirements of the Mosaic Law as no other previous generation had done. This holy nation would righteously carry out the responsibilities of a kingdom of priests, glorifying the name of Yahweh by faithfully producing the righteousness of the law and achieving the promises He made to Abraham. Thus, the new Jerusalem would be located upon the mountain of the Law and the Prophets because it would represent the crowning achievement of the Law and the Prophets.
Jesus then turns from the analogy of the city (the holy nation
as a corporate whole) to the analogy of the lamp and the lampstand (the judges
of the holy nation). As the holy nation cannot be hidden because it is highly
exalted in the heaven of the New Covenant, being perched upon the glorious
height of the Law and the Prophets, which glorious light the city manifests
upon the Mosaic world-order, so also the judges of the holy nation are to
manifest the light of the Law and the Prophets. They are depicted as lamps
securely placed upon lampstands. Each judge appointed by Jesus is a lamp
securely resting upon the lampstand of the Law and the Prophets as expounded
and applied by Jesus the Messiah. They are to manifest the light of the Law and
the Prophets (as expounded and applied by Jesus) in their judgments and
instructions and their ideal, righteous activities and behavior as beheld by
the men of
Later, this teaching would be extended to the house of
Jesus makes clear to His disciples that as judges of Yahweh’s people they are to obey all the requirements found in the Law and the Prophets. They are to obey the teachings of Moses as He has expounded, revealed the meaning and the intent of the writings of Moses and the prophets. He exhorts,
Whosoever, then, should be annulling one of the least
of these precepts [commandments], and
should be teaching the men [of
His disciples appointed as judges over His people are not to annul even the least of the commandments recorded in the Law of Moses. Their judgments must righteously reflect the intent and purpose of Yahweh’s covenantal word. Their teaching must righteously interpret Yahweh’s intended meaning in order that the elect, holy Israel of Yahweh fulfill, as Yahweh intends, all her covenantal obligations, thus, glorifying the name of Yahweh her Elohim. Those annulling even one commandment of Yahweh will be accounted least in the interest of the Kingdom of the Heavens.
Hence, the judges of Jesus the New Davidic Warrior-King bear a heavy responsibility. Their judgeship will be evaluated and rewarded accordingly. Their service should be to the interest of the Kingdom of the Heavens, that is, the Kingdom of Yahweh, which Kingdom will arrive when the Davidic Kingdom of Jesus the Son of David conquers the enemies of Yahweh and Jesus the Messiah.
This
Those judges producing and teaching the word of Yahweh as
revealed in the Law and the Prophets and as explained and applied by Jesus and
later by His spirit, the spirit of Yahweh poured out at Pentecost, will be
accounted great in the interest of the coming Kingdom of the Heavens, the
Kingdom of Yahweh. The coming of this Kingdom of Yahweh is described by Paul as
“whenever He [Jesus the Messiah] may be giving up the kingdom [His own
Davidic Kingdom] to His God and Father, . . . for He [Jesus the Messiah] must be reigning until He should be placing
all His enemies under His feet” (1 Cor. 15:24-25 CV). These judges
appointed by Jesus are required to produce in their own behavior, judicial
judgments, and teaching a righteousness far exceeding the righteousness of the
scribes and Pharisees representing the present insipid, defected rulers of
These judges appointed by Jesus will enter the Davidic Kingdom
of Jesus the Messiah. Within this kingdom they will judge
Jesus now begins a sample exposition of the Law of Moses, a manifesto revealing the intent of Yahweh in relation to specific requirements of covenantal law. He first takes up the law’s prohibition against murder. Instructing His disciples, He proclaims,
You heard that it was declared to the ancients, “You shall not murder.” Yet whoever should be murdering shall be liable to the judging. Yet I am saying to you that everyone who is angry with his brother shall be liable to the judging. Yet whoever may be saying to his brother, “Raka!” shall be liable to the Sanhedrin. Yet whoever may be saying, “Stupid!” shall be liable to the Gehenna of fire. (Matthew 5:21-22 CV)
Moses had declared to the first and second generations coming
out of
The judges appointed by Jesus must seek the covenantal health and welfare of all Israelites. They must administer righteous judgment, mercy, and faithfulness to the welfare of each Israelite during the eschatological days of the Mosaic Eon. Anger against a brother or neighbor is equivalent, in these last days of the graciousness of Yahweh, to murder in previous days. Any follower of Jesus giving vent to such anger against a brother or neighbor is to come under the judgment of the Apostles, the Supreme Court of the New Davidic Kingdom of Jesus. The judges and people of Messiah Jesus must be prepared to endure on account of Jesus and the hunger and thirst for righteousness even the persecution coming from their brothers and neighbors.
Malicious anger is forbidden, for it does not manifest the commandment
to lay down one’s life for the brethren. Such anger manifested as the
contemporary insult Raca! shall make
the offender liable to the judgment of the new Sanhedrin (see Acts 15:6), the
higher court of the New Davidic Kingdom of Jesus. The even greater insult, stupid, manifests such deep,
penetrating, malicious anger against one’s brother or neighbor as to qualify
the perpetrator for the coming indignation of Yahweh against the apostate
nation, metaphorically depicted as being cast into Gehenna, the garbage dump
outside
The two words raca and stupid are most likely first century Jewish cultural examples of expressions of insult arousing such passionate emotions as to release pent-up hatred of one’s brother or neighbor. Both the Sinatic Covenant and the New Davidic Covenant required not only love of one’s neighbor, but love of one’s enemy, for one’s neighbor or brother could possibly be one’s enemy. Since both the restored Davidic Kingdom of Jesus and the Kingdom of Yahweh were near at hand, such anger as here described by Jesus is to be accounted as equivalent to murder. The Law and the Prophets were about to be fulfilled by a nation worthy to be called the nation of Yahweh. Such a nation demanded righteous judges and righteous citizens. The display of such anger (especially by judges) during the eschatological end of the Mosaic Age is a display of hatred toward the brother or neighbor, and such hatred revealed a wicked, malignant, murderous heart, judged severely by Jesus because of the generous, compassionate, glorious graciousness of Yahweh being then extended to His blind and ignorant elect nation.
Yahweh’s word has been manifested in flesh. His light has been
directly reflected upon all
The judges and the people of this kingdom would be the
peacemakers hungering and thirsting for righteousness in order to glorify the
name of Yahweh by reconciling all Israelites to their God, Yahweh Elohim, and
to one another. Anger concealing hatred is unacceptable. Such an attitude seeks
to kill the brother as unrighteous Cain sought to kill righteous Abel. Such
malicious anger seeks its own revenge, thus disregarding the word of Moses
concerning Yahweh, “To Me belongeth
vengeance, and recompense; . . .” (Deut. 32:35). Paul, quoting this
passage, exhorts the faithful ones in Christ, “To no one render evil for evil . . . Being at peace with all
mankind, you are not avenging yourselves, beloved, but be giving place to His
indignation, for it is written, Mine is vengeance! I will repay! the Lord is
saying” (Rom.
The righteous judges of the
Serpents! Progeny of vipers! How may you be fleeing
from the judging of Gehenna [the Second
Death, the curse of the law, the destruction of
Jesus then proceeds to illustrate this teaching. Referring to any one of His judges (thus, implying the same for all those following Him) offering an approach present on the altar of burnt offering, He declares,
If, then, you [singular] should be offering your approach present on the altar, and there you should be reminded that your brother has anything against you, leave your approach present there, in front of the altar, and go away. First be placated toward your brother, and then, coming, be offering your approach present. (Matthew 5:23-24 CV)
Such an approach present sought to maintain or restore one’s covenantal relationship with Yahweh. This meant peace between Yahweh and the offerer. The offer sought the covenantal remembrance of Yahweh, the fellowship which secured the blessings of Yahweh. The offerer sought to maintain or restore the faithful contractual bond between himself and Yahweh, securing for both parties the covenantal benefits. If one is to have such a relationship to Yahweh, one has to have such a relationship with his brothers.
Loving Yahweh means loving one’s brother, one’s neighbor. Cultic sacrifice apart from a loving, peaceful relationship to one’s brothers, one’s neighbors is contaminated by an impure, unclean heart of malicious anger, rendering the sacrifice unacceptable in the eyes of Yahweh. Thus, if in the process of offering an approach present to Yahweh, one is stimulated to acknowledge malicious anger in one’s heart toward a brother or neighbor, then the offering of the approach present must be postponed until the malicious anger is disposed of by establishing reconciliation with the offended person, thus restoring a loving, peaceful relationship.
The righteous, clean, pure heart loves one’s brother or neighbor as one loves oneself and as one loves Yahweh his Elohim. A righteous, peaceful relationship with Yahweh requires a righteous, peaceful relationship with one’s brother or neighbor. A righteous, loving, peaceful relationship between oneself and one’s brother or neighbor is a prerequisite of acceptable sacrifice and offering. Therefore, the Law of Moses requires a righteous, clean, pure, peaceful, loving heart in order to maintain a faithful, loving, covenantal relationship with Yahweh. Jesus is, thus, upholding the holy intent of the law given by Yahweh to Moses for the welfare of the elect nation. The people of the New Davidic Kingdom of Jesus would keep Yahweh’s Law according to its original, superior, righteous, intended expectation.
In like fashion, if and when a righteous judge (or follower) of Jesus, through his malicious, anger-produced misconduct, inflicts a brother or neighbor with excessive pain causing in his brother or neighbor an eruption of righteous anger resulting in his intention to file a lawsuit, the offending judge (or follower) of Jesus is to immediately seek reconciliation by restoring a peaceful, righteous, loving relationship, thereby expelling, disowning one’s malicious anger, making suitable restoration and/or retribution while there is still time to avoid a public or civil lawsuit. Such rectification of unrighteous harm should take place quickly before one’s plaintiff becomes unwilling to accept mere correction of the injustice, becoming content with nothing less than judicial punishment. Such immediate rectification manifests the word of Yahweh written on the heart. It manifests the love of Yahweh with one’s whole heart, soul, and spiritual intensity (see Deut. 6:5-6). This is the intention of the Mosaic Law.
If the offending judge (or follower) of Jesus refuses to acknowledge and rectify his guilt due to his harboring of malicious anger, thereby choosing in his pride his malicious, malignant heart over his best interests and over what is right in the eyes of Yahweh, he will very likely be delivered up to the civic judge who will turn him over to the deputy to be imprisoned. Having been imprisoned, he will not be released until he has paid the ultimate monetary fine. For the appointed judge (or follower) of Jesus, such unrighteous behavior amounts to rebellion against Yahweh, Who, as his judge, will cast him into the judgment of Gehenna at the end of the Mosaic Eon. It is a fearful thing to fall into the hands of the living God, Yahweh. In this judgment, Jesus once again reaffirms the teaching of the Law of Moses (see Prov. 25:8-10).
Having explained that a heart harboring malicious anger is equivalent to murder in the eyes of Yahweh, Jesus now delves into the depths of adultery:
You heard that it was declared, “You shall not be committing adultery.” Yet I am saying to you that every man looking at a woman to lust for her already commits adultery with her in his heart. (Matthew 5:27-28 CV)
It is not the casual, spontaneous admiration or attraction to a woman’s endowments that Jesus here refers. It is the persistent, penetrating stare of willful desire, an intentional commitment to lustfully possess, experience a woman’s physical endowments that Jesus qualifies as adultery. Again, it is a matter of the heart. It is the intent of the heart and mind that Jesus is concerned about. The actual commitment of the physical act of adultery is the result of an adulterous heart, a heart harboring, nourishing desires which rebel against the God-designed boundaries of the natural, wholesome desires which contribute to human health, purpose, and pleasure. So, even if the physical act is not committed, the persistent purposing, desiring of the heart corrupts, defiles, contaminates the individual so lusting.
Thus Jesus condemns a persistent, sustained, premeditated reconnaissance, a penetrating staring having lust as its designed purpose. Lust is defined as desiring, coveting someone or something outside the parameters of what is right in the eyes of Yahweh, coveting someone or something forbidden by the boundaries set by Yahweh’s Law, thus, desiring, coveting that which a person has no right to. In the case of unrighteously coveting a woman, the woman becomes only an object of self-gratification. Thus the lusting man is mentally exploiting the woman, treating her merely as a thing, an it rather than a living thou to be protected from such violation.
Meekness is the characteristic necessary to control the natural desires so as to keep them within the boundaries set by Yahweh. Meekness is the harnessing together of the soul (the five senses), the heart (the emotions), and the mind (the thoughts) so as to fulfill the Law of Yahweh by harmoniously working them together in order to produce that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh without breaking the vitality of the spirit. Jesus has this in mind as He continues His teaching on adultery,
Now, if your right eye is snaring you, wrench it out and cast it from you, for it is expedient for you that one of your members should perish and not your whole body be cast into Gehenna. And if your right hand is snaring you, strike it off and cast it from you, for it is expedient for you that one of your members should perish and not your whole body pass away into Gehenna. (Matthew 5:29-30 CV)
Jesus is here speaking figuratively, not literally. The desires must be controlled. Such control is associated with the members of the body through which all desires are implemented. Once one surrenders one’s control to one’s inordinate desires, one becomes the slave of those inordinate desires.
Thus, figuratively speaking, if your right eye is a threat to your freedom to serve Yahweh in accord with your own welfare and in accord with that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh, pluck it out and cast it away, that is, do not yield this or any member of your body to the evil desire which seeks to implement itself through this or any other member. Your will has the power and the authority to control the members of your body so as not to allow these members to become instruments through which evil desires can implement themselves. This power would be soon aided, strengthened under the impending New Covenant by the pouring out of the spirit of Yahweh upon all those believing into Jesus. It is the will which chooses to serve or not to serve Yahweh. The choice of the will determines who or what one serves.
The mind contains the informational program the will implements through the members of the body. Thus, one’s knowledge, one’s understanding, one’s wisdom is vital to the implementation of the will of Yahweh through the members of the body. Yahweh’s word (His statutes, judgments, instructions, testimonies) provides the informational pool of knowledge necessary to harness and direct harmoniously the soul, the heart, and the mind in the righteous execution of Yahweh’s Law through the members of one’s physical body. Thus Paul speaks of the renewing of the mind in relation to the use of the members of the body:
I am entreating you, then, brethren, . . . to present your bodies a sacrifice, living, holy, well pleasing to God, your logical divine service, and not to be configured to this eon [the eon of the distorted Law of Moses by the apostate rulers/teachers of Israel], but to be transformed by the renewing of your mind [by the spirit of Yahweh through the teaching of Jesus, “the type of teaching to which you were given over,” Rom. 6:17b CV], for you to be testing what is the will of God, good and well pleasing and perfect. (Romans 12:1-2 CV)
The teaching of Jesus the Messiah carried on by His Apostles and disciples as guided by His spirit provides the knowledge, the understanding, and the wisdom necessary for the renewing of the mind. This renewing would soon become the updated program implemented by the will committed to Christ through the members of the body presented as a living, holy, well-pleasing sacrifice to Yahweh. Earlier in his Letter to the Romans, Paul wrote of this implementation through the members of the body: “For even as you presented your members as slaves to Uncleanness and to Lawlessness for lawlessness, thus now present your members as slaves to Righteousness for holiness” (Rom. 6:19b CV). It is this presenting, this yielding that Jesus is intending to convey in Matthew 5:29-30.
Figuratively speaking, it is more advantageous eschatologically to destroy a member of one’s body which has been used (by The Law of Sin and Death operating within the body of Adamic man) to traitorously betray the body by going over to the enemy (The Law of Sin and Death), rather than allowing this renegade member the opportunity to cause the defection of many other members of the body, resulting in the entire body being cast into the judgment of Gehenna. The judges (and followers) of Jesus must will to control renegade, evil desires, forbidding them access to the members of the body through which alone these desires can be implemented, eventually, if given access, disqualifying the judge or follower of Jesus from entering into the impending hope of the Celestial Allotment promised to Abraham and his faithful seed.
Failing to control evil desires results in being cut off,
exterminated (Acts
The theme of adultery is now followed by the closely related
theme of divorce. Jesus’ teaching concerning divorce is a prime example of what
He means by a righteousness superabounding that of the Pharisees and scribes. Jesus
now speaks as the prophet like unto Moses, the prophet greater than Moses, the
prophet in whose mouth Yahweh puts His words, the prophet speaking the words of
Yahweh which if unheeded will result in Yahweh’s requirement of one’s blood
(Deut. 18:18-19). It had been made clear to
Concerning divorce, Jesus says,
Now it was declared, Whoever should be dismissing his wife, let him be giving her a divorce. Yet I am saying to you that everyone dismissing his wife (outside of a case of prostitution) is making her commit adultery, and whosoever should be marrying her who has been dismissed is committing adultery. (Matthew 5:31-32 CV)
Moses allowed a bill of divorcement. This was a concession
granted because of
Did you not read that the Maker from the beginning makes them male and female, and He [Yahweh Elohim] said, “On this account a man shall be leaving father and mother and shall be joined to his wife, and the two shall be one flesh”? So that no longer are they two, but one flesh. What God, then, yokes together, let not man be separating. (Matthew 19:4-6 CV)
His answer to their question goes back to Yahweh’s intention in the beginning. Adam and Eve were yoked together by Yahweh Himself. Yahweh intends this union to be permanent for Adamic mankind. He acknowledged the two as one flesh. In Yahweh’s eyes Adam as husband and Eve as wife were bound together for life. Each complemented the other. This, from the beginning, is the pattern for all marriages between a man and a woman. There was to be no divorce. Adam understood this when he ate of the fruit from the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil given him by his wife-for-life, Eve. She had already eaten. Yahweh’s judgment of death was upon her. The two being one, Adam, loving his wife, ate also, thus maintaining their unity even unto death. What Yahweh unites, let not man separate. Yahweh’s intention is that each man should be joined together with one woman only, the two becoming one in His eyes.
As a result of death and sin entering into the order of human society and individual relationships, divorce became a necessary accommodation which the Mosaic Law conceded. But, from the beginning, the ideal marriage binds the man and the woman for life. In spite of the entrance of death and sin, Adam and Eve successfully maintained this ideal, proving it is neither impractical nor impossible.
The Pharisees then ask Jesus, “Why, then, does Moses direct to give a scroll of divorce and to dismiss her?” (Matt. 19:7 CV). Jesus answers, “Moses, in view of your hardheartedness, permits you to dismiss your wives. Yet from the beginning it has not come to be thus” (Matt. 19:8 CV). This is the background upon which Jesus paints His picture of marriage. The righteousness exceeding that of the Pharisees and scribes allows no divorce except for prostitution. For prostitution breaks, defiles, annuls the marital bond, cracking, severing the oneness, thus creating a defect irreparably damaging the original oneness.
Any man dismissing, divorcing his wife apart from the cause of prostitution is making her commit adultery. Only prostitution can nullify or negate the marriage bond, for prostitution defiles the union, destroying the oneness which is its essence. The union having been essentially broken now makes possible and permissible remarriage without the taint of adultery. However, any dismissal, divorcement of a wife on any other grounds than prostitution makes her an adulteress when she remarries, since the marital bond of oneness has not been broken, defiled, damaged, annulled, negated. The man she marries also becomes guilty of adultery, since he sleeps with the legitimate wife of another man, thus defiling the oneness which had not yet been broken. Her legal husband also becomes an adulterer if and when he remarries.
This standard of marriage espoused by Jesus becomes the rule
for the judges and followers of Jesus in His impending Davidic Kingdom. This judgment of Jesus exemplifies His
authority as the Prophet in whose mouth Yahweh places His own words: “I will put My words in his mouth.” In
the case of marriage and divorce, Jesus clearly speaks the words of Yahweh’s
scriptural intention. These words, referring
The judgment of Jesus concerning oaths is His response to the trivialization of the righteous intention of the use of an oath. An oath is intended to solemnize a statement, especially in legal matters, such as testimony in a trial. Under the Mosaic Law, an oath is taken in the presence of Yahweh. One swearing an oath was doing so before Yahweh his Elohim, thus placing himself under the curse of Yahweh if he swears falsely. Swearing an oath is intended to inhibit false testimony, false promises, false accusations, and false information intended to deceive with the intent to harm.
However, the populace of
Again, you heard that it was declared to the ancients [the two first generations coming out of
Jesus, therefore, did not forbid judicial oaths or cultic oaths (vows) made to Yahweh. He opposed the use of the common swearing of empty, deceptive words intended to impress the hearer, reinforce one’s public image, and clothe one’s lies with the garment of socially clever words of repetitive oaths.
In every day affairs, the judges (and followers) of Jesus are to respond with a clear and simple “Yes” or “No.” Their word should be their bond of honor. Their straight forward word should be their badge of integrity. A simple “Yes” should guarantee the faithful fulfillment of an agreement. A simple “No” should make clear one’s righteously firm rejection of a proposal. It is most important that the judges appointed by Jesus act in their judiciary role in accord with this rule in their judicial decisions. Their “Yes” and “No” decisions should be impartial, straightforward, clear, just. Such honor and integrity would bring much glory to Yahweh. Such honor and integrity would manifest the holy people of Yahweh, Yahweh’s elect nation, thus contributing to the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets in the last days of the Mosaic Eon, the last days of the waning Sinatic Covenant. Such honor and integrity between one’s word and one’s deed would act as Yahweh’s reproof of all insincere, frivolous, vain, hypocritical, and deceitful oath-taking then prevalent among the children of Cain, the children of The Adversary, those conforming to the world-order of the apostate nation, the world-order of a distorted, contaminated Mosaic Covenant.
It cannot be emphasized enough that the judgments of Jesus expressed in His Emancipation Proclamation have to do with His exposition of the Mosaic Law and the Prophets (the whole of the Hebraic Scriptures) as these writings related to the last days of the Mosaic Eon, the last generation under the Sinatic Covenant, the impending judgment of Yahweh against the historic Cainite nation of Israel, the apostate nation, the nation characterized from the beginning of its history as a rebellious and stiff-necked people. Thus, the context of the prophetic ministry of Jesus is analogous to the ministries of both Moses and Jeremiah.
Moses led an exodus out of Egyptian bondage; Jesus leads an
exodus out of Sinatic bondage. Moses taught the first generation of Israel
Yahweh’s covenantal law and prophetically warned the nation concerning its
rebellious and stiff-necked tendency; Jesus teaches the last generation of
Jeremiah was commissioned to prophesy to a Cainish nation
which had forsaken Yahweh: “The sin of
You can not hear My word. You are of your father, the Adversary [Satan as representing the seed of Cain], and the desires of your father [Cain] you are wanting to do. (John 8:43b-44a CV)
You are of that which is below; I am of that
which is above. You are of this world [the
order of Adam after his sin and the order of Moses after
Jeremiah was sent to a nation under the judgment of Yahweh. He
prophetically warned
Jesus, like Jeremiah, sees the enemy not as the foreign yoke
(of
Thus saith the Lord God [Yahweh Elohim] of Israel; Behold, I will turn back the weapons of war that are in your hands, wherewith ye fight against the king of Babylon, and against the Chaldeans, which besiege you without the walls, and I will assemble them into the midst of this city. And I myself will fight against you with an outstretched hand and with a strong arm, even in anger, and in fury, and in great wrath. And I will smite the inhabitants of this city, both man and beast: they shall die of a great pestilence. (Jeremiah 21:4-6 KJV)
Now whenever you may be perceiving
The reference of Jesus to “the
eras of the nations” alludes to the four empires destined by Yahweh to rule
over
In their days [the days determined by Yahweh for these four empires, the eras of the nations], that is, of these kings, the Alue of the heavens [Yahweh Elohim] will set up a kingdom [the new, restored Davidic Kingdom] that for the eons shall not come to harm. His Kingdom [the Kingdom of Yahweh when Christ, after subjecting His enemies, hands up His Davidic Kingdom to His God and Father, see 1 Cor. 15:23-28] shall not be left to another people [there will be no other world-empire taking its place]. It will pulverize and terminate all these kingdoms [world empires], and it shall be confirmed for the eons. (Daniel 2:44 CV)
Keeping this historic, covenantal context in mind, the purpose
of the ministry of Jesus and His Emancipation Proclamation becomes clear. He is
not primarily concerned about teaching universal truth. He is occupied
primarily with His concern for His people,
Within this context, Jesus declares,
You heard that it was declared, “An eye for an eye,” and “A tooth for a tooth.” Yet I am saying to you not to withstand [resist, oppose] a wicked [malignant] person, but anyone who slaps you on your right cheek, turn to him the other also. And he who wants to sue you and obtain your tunic, leave him your cloak also. And anyone who conscripts you one mile, go with him two. To him who requests you, give; and from him who wants to borrow from you, you may not turn. (Matthew 5:38-42 CV)
This provision (an eye for an eye) of the Mosaic Law was meant to be carried out by the authorized courts of the nation’s judicial system. Its purpose was to avoid or eliminate unjust private revenge which often implemented excessive punishment and could lead to chaotic feuds between families, communities, and tribes. This law placed just controls on personal or group vengeance. The obligation of the courts was to assure that wrongdoings were punished and vindictiveness and cruelty were eliminated by demanding that the punishment of an offense or crime suit, rather than exceed, the offense or crime. Thus this Mosaic Law put a restraint on human vindictiveness by placing judgment in the hands of legally established courts which exacted punishment no greater than the physical injury actually received or no greater than the monetary loss deserved.
The execution of an eye for an eye or a tooth for a tooth was not intended to be applied to superficial or temporary bodily injuries. This law was meant to deal with extreme, violent, brutish cases of permanent disfigurement intentionally and maliciously inflicted. It is common to all Near Eastern societies. The introduction of this law into the code of Hammurabi provided protection to members belonging to groups of inferior social standing. Prior to this addition, the wealthy were able to inflict permanent physical injury upon members of an inferior social class, escaping just, equitable, suitable punishment by merely paying a monetary fine.
Thus the incorporation of this law into the legal system of ancient societies marked a substantial advance in the history of law. This law was not a barbaric practice of a primitive age. Its literal practice in relation to specific cases of malicious intent and cruel infliction of inhumane pain and permanent deformity secured a suitable punishment and practical deterrence. The essence of this law, therefore, sought to establish just and suitable compensation for physical injury while establishing an effective deterrence of such crimes.
The disciples of Jesus, shortly to be appointed as judges of
Yahweh over His people and as those to be suffering persecution on account of
the righteousness of the restored Davidic Kingdom of Jesus, are neither to render,
during these last days, the literal judgment of an eye for an eye in cases
warranting such severe punishment, nor are they to seek suitably just judgment
against those who offer insult, or unjustly persecute them on account of Jesus
and His Kingdom. The end of the Mosaic Eon is near. The final, ultimate judgment of Yahweh against the Cainite,
apostate nation is impending. Vengeance
belongs to Yahweh (Deut. 32:35; Rom.
the faithful ones residing in
As to the evangel, indeed, they are enemies because of you [the faithful ones from among the nations], yet, as to choice [the election], they are beloved because of the fathers. . . . For even as you once were stubborn toward God, yet now were shown mercy at their stubbornness, thus these also are now stubborn to this mercy of yours, that now they also may be shown mercy. For God locks up the all [the faithful seed of Abraham, circumcised and uncircumcised] together in stubbornness, that He should be merciful to the all. (Romans 11:28-32 CV)
The disciples of Jesus, the circumcised faithful ones of Yahweh, the Saints, are to be vessels of mercy. They are to be healers, peacemakers. They are to be the salt of the land (Israel), eventually the salt of the earth (the nations), the light of the Sinatic/Mosaic world-order. They are to be ready to lay down their lives for their brethren, their neighbors. They are to demonstrate the truth of the principle behind the statement, I am my brother’s keeper. Upon their generation Yahweh will avenge “the blood of all the prophets . . . from the blood of Abel to the blood of Zechariah, . . . It will be exacted from this generation!” (Lk. 11:50-51 CV).
Jesus instructs His disciples not to withstand, not to resist the wicked or malignant one who persecutes or opposes on account of the Gospel of Christ. Yahweh’s people are not to insist on their rights when the enemies of the Gospel misuse the judicial system to inflict injustice upon them, in this case represented by the insulting slap of the accuser or the judiciary judge. Such a private, public, or judiciary slap of injustice eschatologically demands the turning of the other cheek, thus manifesting a refusal to trade insults or blows which most likely would inflame the situation, negating the obligation to be the salt, the light, the healer, the peacemaker.
In turning the other cheek in response to judicial injustice,
the disciple is both rendering due legal respect of the authorized judiciary
courts of Yahweh’s nation while at the same time condemning its lawlessness by
enduring even more of its unjust infliction. Paul elaborates on this teaching
of Jesus: “But ‘If your enemy should be
hungering, give him the morsel; if he should be thirsting, give him to drink;
for in doing this you will be heaping embers of fire on his head.’ Be not
conquered by evil; but conquer evil with good” (Rom.
The Mosaic Law of Yahweh demands mercy, justice, and faithfulness; it seeks the welfare of all within its jurisdiction. By turning one’s cheek, by offering even one’s cloak (the outer garment which according to the law [Ex. 22:26-27; Deut. 24:12-13] could not be taken as a pledge in a legal suit because it is also used as a sleeping blanket protecting one from the elements) in addition to the tunic (inner or undergarment) taken as legal pledge in a judicial case, the disciple of Jesus is testifying to the unrighteousness of the persecutor who in reality opposes the word and will of Yahweh to his own detriment, possibly even to his own covenantal destruction.
The nearness of eschatological judgment demanded this
righteous, merciful, compassionate behavior on behalf of the welfare of the
unjust persecutor. Such behavior fulfills the law’s demand for mercy, justice,
and faithfulness. The contemporary generation of Jesus is in the midst of the
ultimate crisis of
Moses had exhorted all
Today I call the heavens and the earth [figuratively representing the exaltation of the Sinatic Covenant] to testify against you: Life and death [Hebrew: the life, the death, referring to covenantal life and death] I have put before you, the blessing and the malediction [cursing]. Now choose life that you may live, you and your seed, by loving Yahweh your Elohim, hearkening to His voice and clinging to Him . . . (Deuteronomy 30:19‑20a CV)
Likewise, Jesus is exhorting all Israel, figuratively camped at the border of the Kingdom of Yahweh, to prepare themselves for entrance into their Celestial Allotment by believing into Him and believing His teaching, thereby loving Yahweh their Elohim and thereby hearkening to His voice and clinging to Him so as to enjoy the life and allotment of the New Covenant rather than endure the death of the old and decrepit Sinatic Covenant which is near at hand (see Heb. 8:13).
The disciple of Jesus is to forego his rights when it is a
matter involving the persecution on account of the righteousness of the Kingdom
of the Heavens, the
Both Jesus and the Mosaic Law acknowledge the continual presence
of the poor due to a variety of causes. This includes the various occurrences
of misfortune due to chance or accident which a person has no control over, or
due to incompetence in technical skill and/or intellectual judgment, or
wickedness, all of which a person has greater or lesser control over. Moses
declares, “For the poor shall never cease
out of the land: therefore I command thee, saying, Thou shalt open thine hand
wide unto thy brother, to thy poor, and to thy needy, in thy land” (Deut.
Under the Sinatic Covenant,
Those who became poor or needy as a result of their own
wickedness were still to partake of the national abundance. If their wickedness
comes to light, they are to be judged by the courts and penalized
appropriately—the punishment must suit the offense or crime, nothing more than
justice is to be exacted. If their wickedness does not come to light or cannot
be proven in court, they are to be left to the vengeance of Yahweh Himself. Within
this context, Jesus instructs His disciples, “To him who requests you, give; and from him who wants to borrow from
you, you may not turn” (Matt.
Thus, the Psalmist writes,
Happy [Honorable, honored] is the man who fears Yahweh;
In His instructions he very much delights.
His seed shall become masterful in the land;
The generation of the upright, it shall be blessed.
Wealth and riches are in his house,
And his righteousness is standing into the future.
In the darkness he radiates as a light for the upright ones;
He is gracious, compassionate and righteous.
It is good when a man is gracious and obliging;
He shall sustain his affairs with right judgment.
Truly he shall not slip for the eon;
The righteous one shall become an eonian remembrance.
He shall not fear an evil report;
His heart is established, trusting in Yahweh.
His heart is stalwart; he shall not fear,
Since he shall see the fate of his foes.
He disperses; he gives to the needy;
His righteousness is standing into the future;
His horn shall be exalted in glory.
The wicked one, he shall see and be vexed;
He shall gnash his teeth and melt away.
The yearning of the wicked shall perish. (Psalms 112:1-12 CV)
The fear of Yahweh is the beginning of wisdom according to the Hebrew Scriptures. The wise man delights in Yahweh’s instructions. The disciples of Jesus consist of those who fear Yahweh and delight in His instructions as communicated by Jesus His Only-Begotten Son. They fulfill the Law of Moses as Yahweh originally intended it to be fulfilled. Therefore, in the last days of the Mosaic Eon, during which time they shall suffer persecution on behalf of Jesus the Messiah and His kingdom, it is vital that those who Yahweh prospers give cheerfully to the poor and needy of Yahweh’s people (see 1 Cor. 9:5-7). Paul explains how this teaching is to operate, “For I do not mean that others should be eased and you burdened; but by an equality, that now at this time your abundance may supply their lack, that their abundance also may supply your lack . . .” (2 Cor. 8:13-14a NKJV)
As the Psalmist quoted above declares, the generation of the upright shall be blessed. This is most true of the last faithful generation of Jesus’ contemporaries. Their righteousness will stand firm into the coming eon. In the midst of the then present apostate darkness, they radiate as a light for the unrighteous, circumcised-in-heart ones who would be led by this light into participation in the exodus led by Jesus.
Those faithful disciples of Jesus shall be gracious and compassionate sustaining their affairs with right judgment, judgment conforming to that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh as expounded by Jesus. As a result of such judgment, they shall not slip for the eon, that is, they shall remain faithful to the end of the Mosaic Eon. They shall obey the voice of Yahweh, fearlessly disregarding the evil report spread by their enemies.
Trusting in Yahweh their Elohim Who has commissioned Jesus His Son, their hearts are established, having His law written on fleshly tablets in contrast to that law engraven on stone tablets. Leaving vengeance to Yahweh, their hearts courageously stand stalwart, knowing they shall see the just fate of their foes, the apostate rulers and people of the Israel according to flesh who oppose Yahweh and His kingdom, who oppose the Davidic Kingdom of Jesus which is neither according to the Adamic world-order nor the Sinatic/Mosaic world-order.
These faithful ones of Jesus shall be giving cheerfully to the needy, vexing the opposing wicked ones with love directed toward the welfare of their neighbors and good works performed even in the midst of unrighteous persecution. The feverish yearning of these wicked ones shall perish as the gnashing of their teeth is silenced in the figurative fires of Gehenna, while the righteous sons of Yahweh are gloriously exalted, entering into their Celestial Allotment, the promised hope of the faithful seed of Abraham.
The enemies of the ministry of Jesus and the ministry of the
Apostles after His death, resurrection, and ascension are not to be sought
outside the confines of
These Cainite usurpers of power and authority have contributed
to the blindness and ignorance of the nation through the teaching of their own
traditions and commandments. Such teaching even affected many righteous rulers
and teachers whose hearts were circumcised but whose eyes were blind, such as
Nicodemus. These were drawn to Jesus, but perceiving only through the
spectacles of the traditions and commandments taught them, they could not
understand many of the teachings of Jesus. These men and many of the people of
Thus, there are two types of enemies within the ranks of Jews
in
However, many among the
This is how Jesus Himself interprets this predictive declaration: “What, then, is this that is written, ‘The stone which is rejected by the builders, This came to be for the head of the corner’? Everyone falling on that stone shall be shattered, yet on whomever it should be falling, it will be scattering him like chaff” (Lk. 20:17-18 CV). For those falling on the stone whose hearts are circumcised, first, comes the shattering of the illusions created by the traditions and commandments of men, then, in Yahweh’s appointed time, follows the standing up with Jesus the Messiah, the Son of Yahweh. Paul takes up this interpretation in his argument written in chapters 9-11 of his letter to the faithful ones at Rome:
I say then, Hath God cast away his people? God forbid. For I also am an Israelite, of the seed of Abraham, of the tribe of Benjamin. God hath not cast away his people . . . I say then, Have they stumbled [in order] that they should fall? God forbid: but rather through their fall [Greek = paraptomati: offense, deviation, not fall] salvation is come unto the Gentiles [nations], for to provoke them [the many Jews falling (shattered) on the stone and rising (standing up as a result of believing into the crucified, resurrected, and ascended Messiah at their appointed time) righteous Israelites, like Paul himself, who first stumble in opposition, acting as enemies, only thereafter to experience the shattering of their illusions held during the period of their unbelief and ignorance, in like manner as Saul on the road to Damascus] to jealousy [resulting in their (those circumcised-in-heart Jews falling on the stone) salvation, their believing into Jesus, their standing up in faithfulness]. (Romans 11:1, 2a, 11 KJV)
In contrast to these many righteous-in-heart though ignorant-in-unbelief Israelites, Simeon continues concerning Jesus, “And for a sign contradicted” (Lk. 2:34b CV), denoting the unrighteous, rebellious, stiff-necked, stubborn children of Cain, the Israelites according to flesh upon whom the stone falls shattering them like chaff. Peter, interpreting Simeon’s prophetic declaration, describes the contrasting effect of this stone on the righteous and the unrighteous, on the children of just Abel and the children of unjust Cain:
Because of this [tasting that Yahweh is kind and so becoming living stones being built up a spiritual house] it is included in the scripture: Lo! I am laying in Zion a corner capstone, chosen, held in honor, and he who is believing on it [those having their false illusions shattered and thereafter standing up, believing into Jesus] may by no means be disgraced. To you, then, who are believing, is the honor, yet to the unbelieving [the children of Cain, the ones contradicting and opposing the sign of Yahweh out of an uncircumcised heart]: “A Stone which is rejected by the builders, this came to be for the head of the corner,” and a stumbling stone and a snare rock [scattering like chaff]; who are stumbling also at the word, being stubborn, to which they were appointed also [as unrighteous, rebellious, stiff-necked, stubborn children of Cain opposing Yahweh out of an uncircumcised heart of hatred]. (1 Peter 2:6-8 CV)
Thus, many enemies of Jesus among the Israel according to flesh are children of just Abel, children of deceived Eve, ignorantly opposing Jesus and Yahweh in their unbelief resulting from the traditions and commandments taught them by their apostate rulers and hireling shepherds (see Ezekiel, chapter 34). They are blind. Drawn to Jesus as a result of a circumcised heart, they are simultaneously anxiously puzzled, baffled, and sometimes even offended by the teaching of Jesus as the result of a distorted mindset, a warped conception of the holy scriptures originally handed down to them by the righteous and wise ancients of their people. Therefore, Jesus instructs His disciples, His appointed judges,
You heard that it was declared, “You shall be loving your associate” and you shall be hating your enemy. Yet I am saying to you, Love your enemies, and pray for those who are persecuting you, so that you may become sons of your Father Who is in [the interest of] the heavens [the Kingdom of the Heavens, the Kingdom of God], for He causes His sun to rise on the wicked and the good, and makes it rain on the just and the unjust. For if ever you should love those who are loving you, what wages have you? Are not the tribute collectors also doing the same? And if ever you should greet your brothers only, what are you doing that is excessive? Are not those of the nations also doing the same? You, then, shall be perfect as your heavenly Father is perfect. (Matthew 5:43-48 CV)
Many among the contemporaries of Jesus thought it just to hate
the Romans. The zealots in particular perceived the Romans as enemies of
Jesus reveals His kingdom to be of a qualitatively different
order. From the perspective of His kingdom,
Yahweh would once again become the God of the nations. The nations under this new rule of Yahweh would be led out of the darkness of the then current world-order. The Adamic race, then to be headed up by Christ (thus becoming in the eyes of Yahweh the Jesuic race) and His Complement, His Body, His Ecclesia, would eventually be exalted to the spiritual maturity of racial adulthood, thereby reflecting the glory of Yahweh corporately as a Son in His image and likeness.
The disciples of Jesus are to love their enemies and pray for their persecutors, for many of their enemies persecuting them are the elect of Yahweh, not yet having their eyes opened by Yahweh. Their salvation is near at hand, at which time they no longer will be enemies or persecutors, but lost sheep returned to the flock of Yahweh. The Apostles themselves, seated upon twelve thrones as judging princes of the new nation (Lk. 22:28-30), are commissioned to feed the sheep of Jesus (see Jn. 21:15-17; Acts 20:28). Thus, they are to seek the lost sheep as ideal shepherds loving and caring for the welfare of these lost sheep. They are to pray for those lost sheep who are still persecuting them (the ideal shepherds) in ignorant unbelief due to their (the lost circumcised-in-heart sheep’s) blindness. For when Yahweh opens their eyes, they will recognize and follow the ideal shepherds of Yahweh back to the safety and security of the one redeemed flock of Jesus.
By loving their enemies and praying for those who persecute them, they will be becoming sons of Yahweh, rather than remaining immature children. As the Father graciously, compassionately causes His sun to rise and shine over the wicked and the good, so also his sons are to graciously, compassionately cause their love to rise and shine over their enemies as well as their friends, leaving the wicked to the just vengeance of Yahweh in Yahweh’s appointed time. As the Father in the interest of His rule over all humanity is metaphorically in the heavens graciously, mercifully causing His rain to fall on the just and the unjust, so also His sons are to graciously, mercifully pray for those persecuting them, trusting in Yahweh’s judgment to deliver the deceived sheep and punish equitably the deceiving, hireling shepherds in Yahweh’s appointed time.
The disciples and judges of Jesus, dwelling covenantally/metaphorically
in the heavens as the Israel of Yahweh, the Ecclesia of Jesus the Messiah, are
to manifest the light of Yahweh’s word and love to all in the house of Israel. By
loving their enemies and praying for those who persecute them, they will be
practicing a righteousness superabounding, greatly exceeding the righteousness
of the Pharisees and scribes: “And if
ever you should greet your brothers only [in like manner as the Pharisees
and scribes], what are you doing that is
excessive?” (Matt. 5:47a CV)? As their heavenly Father (the Father of the
exalting covenant) is perfect, causing His sun and rain to fall beneficently
upon both the wicked and the good in Israel, the just and the unjust in Israel,
so also His sons (exalted sons of the New Covenant) are to be perfect, causing
their sun (the light of Yahweh’s word of proclamation) and their rain (the good
works generated by their love) to fall upon both the wicked (their real
enemies, the Cainites) and the good (their faithful brethren, the Abelites) in
Israel, the just (those Jews believing the Gospel) and the unjust (those Jews
opposing the Gospel) in Israel. The disciples of Jesus are to exclude none in
Later, the disciples of Jesus would be instructed as to how and why this teaching should be extended to all among the nations. In the present context of Jesus’ Emancipation Proclamation, Jesus instructs His disciples as Israelites bearing a responsibility to their elect nation, the nation under the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. Concealed in His teaching at this time is the impending Gospel of the Uncircumcision later to be revealed to His disciples, His Saints, His circumcised faithful ones, by His shared spirit, the spirit of Yahweh.
It must be remembered that the terrestrial ministry of Jesus
is limited to the circumcision (
I am the Shepherd ideal, and I know Mine and Mine know
Me, according as the Father knows Me, and I know the Father. And My soul am I
laying down for the sake of the sheep. And other sheep have I [the sheep of the
Jesus is here alluding to the fulfillment of two prophecies recorded in Ezekiel. The first is that prophesied in Ezekiel, chapter 34:
And the word of the Lord [Yahweh] came unto me, saying, Son of man, . . . prophesy, and say unto them, Thus saith the Lord GOD [Yahweh Elohim] unto the shepherds; Woe be to the shepherds of Israel that do feed themselves! should not the shepherds feed the flocks? Ye eat the fat, and ye clothe you with the wool, ye kill them that are fed: but ye feed not the flock. The diseased have ye not strengthened, neither have ye healed that which was sick, neither have ye bound up that which was broken, neither have ye brought again that which was driven away, neither have ye sought that which was lost; but with force and with cruelty have ye ruled them. . . . Therefore, O ye shepherds, hear the word of the Lord [Yahweh]; . . . Behold, I am against the shepherd; and I will require my flock at their hand, and cause them to cease from feeding the flock; neither shall the shepherds feed themselves any more; for I will deliver my flock from their mouth, that they may not be meat for them. . . . I will feed my flock, and I will cause them to lie down, . . . I will seek that which was lost, . . . Therefore will I save my flock; . . . And I will set up one shepherd over them, and he shall feed them, even my servant David; he shall feed them, and he shall be their shepherd. (Ezekiel 34:1-4, 9, 10b, 15, 16a, 22a, 23 KJV)
The second is recorded in Ezekiel, chapter 37:
Moreover, thou son of man, take thee one stick, and
write upon it, For Judah, . . . then take another stick, and write upon it, For
Joseph, the stick of Ephraim . . . Behold, I will take the stick of Joseph, . .
. with the stick of
The fulfillment of these two prophecies is substantiated by James in relation to the work of the spirit of Yahweh established through Peter and Paul,
Brethren! Hear me! Simon unfolds how God first visits
the nations, to obtain out of them a people for His name [the
The preresurrection ministry of Jesus is limited to the
circumcision in the
After His resurrection, with the salvation (in the land) of the uncircumcised, God-fearer Cornelius (through the preaching of Peter) and the salvation of members of the nations (the uncircumcised) outside the Land of Promise (through the preaching of the Gospel of the Uncircumcision committed to Paul), the new celestial ministry of Jesus, carried out after His resurrection by His Apostles, also seeks out the lost sheep of the Northern Lo-Ammi Kingdom of Israel. With the revelation given to Peter, “What God cleanses, do not you count contaminating” (Acts 10:15b CV) and the revelation and authorization of the Gospel of the Uncircumcision committed to Paul, the lost Lo-Ammi (not My people, thus becoming gentiles, becoming uncircumcised) sheep of the Northern Kingdom of Israel are no longer considered Lo-Ammi by Yahweh, but rather are now acknowledged by Yahweh as Ammi, My People.
Yahweh had begun to visit the nations, “to obtain out of them a people for His name” (Acts 15:14b CV), thus taking the stick of Joseph/Ephraim (the nations, the uncircumcised) and the stick of Judah (the nation, the circumcised) and making them one people, one flock, one nation, one kingdom; thus fulfilling the Law and the Prophets concerning the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom.
Matthew 5:43-48 concludes Jesus’ Manifesto of the righteous
intentions and motives of the
Again, one must be reminded that Jesus is primarily instructing His disciples in righteous judicial judgment. In His kingdom they shall be judges ruling over the Israel of Yahweh. They are to model, exemplify the righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and the Pharisees and are to apply that righteousness in rendering just judicial decisions. Thus, their righteousness shall be an example to be imitated by all the faithful followers of Jesus. They bear a heavy and vital responsibility. They are Yahweh’s commissioned shepherds under the authority of Yahweh’s One Chief, Ideal Shepherd. They are to care for all the needs of the sheep of the flock in contrast to the rejected, hireling shepherds. They, therefore, must teach and practice the superabounding righteousness of Yahweh’s Law taught and practiced by Jesus the Chief, Ideal Shepherd, their Lord, their Master, their King.
In the literary structure of the Emancipation Proclamation of Jesus, Matthew 6:1-21 (see Appendix 4, d. 5:11-7:23, f2 6:1-21) corresponds thematically to Matthew 5:17-20. In 5:17-20 (see Appendix 4, d. 5:11-7:23, f1 5:17-20). Jesus teaches that He has come to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, not demolish them. He then demands that His disciples maintain a righteousness superabounding, exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees, the disqualified, hireling shepherds who care for themselves at the expense of Yahweh’s sheep. In 6:1-21, Jesus warns His disciples not to be producing a righteousness which seeks the glory, the approval, the praise, the accolades, the conventional certification of men whose hearts are not set on producing that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh. In 6:1, He instructs them concerning the righteousness aimed or directed toward the Father:
Yet take heed not to be doing [producing] your righteousness in front of the men [Israelites, the rulers and teachers of the nation], in order to be gazed at by them [honored, praised, commended, approved and rewarded by those disapproved by Yahweh], otherwise surely you have no wages with your Father Who is in [the interest of] the heavens. (CV)
The righteousness exceeding that of the scribes and Pharisees is aimed or directed at the approval, the praise, the honor coming from Yahweh. Such righteousness seeks the glory of Yahweh by producing that which is right in His eyes. Such righteousness seeks the welfare of the sheep and the welfare even of one’s enemies, even at the expense of one’s personal rights. Such righteousness is prepared to lay down one’s life for one’s neighbor, whether wicked or good, whether just or unjust. Such righteousness seeks its wages, its rewards from Yahweh, not men. Such righteousness produces treasures in the interest of the heavens of the New Covenant of Yahweh (see 6:19-21, the corresponding member to 6:1 in the literary structure of 6:1‑21 of Appendix 5, f2 6:1-21).
In the heavens is
metaphorical. The Father, Yahweh, is not literally in the heavens (the
atmosphere over the earth, the sky); but, figuratively, Yahweh’s throne is in
the heavens of His Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant, and soon to be in the heavens of
His New Davidic Covenant, while the earth is His figurative footstool (see Isa.
66:1; Ps. 132:7; Acts 7:49; Matt. 5:34-35). The Father, metaphorically speaking,
has the interest of His covenant with
Those who keep His covenant store up treasures in heaven, metaphorically speaking, which treasures will be received at the consummation of the Parousia of Jesus the Messiah when the faithful ones will be led by Jesus into their literal Celestial Allotment. This is why Jesus exhorts His disciples,
Do not hoard for yourselves treasures on earth [treasures, wages, rewards given by the men, the rulers or hireling shepherds disapproved by Yahweh], where moth and corrosion are causing them to disappear [the decrepit condition of the Sinatic Covenant about to be terminated], and where thieves [the apostate rulers and hireling shepherds] are tunneling and stealing [by their teaching of their own traditions and commandments]. Yet hoard for yourselves treasures in heaven [in the interest of the exceeding righteousness of the New Covenant, in the interest of the wages given by Yahweh], where neither moth nor corrosion are causing them to disappear [the righteous, healthy condition of the New Covenant about to be consecrated and implemented], and where thieves are not tunneling nor stealing; for wherever your treasure is [with Yahweh or the men, in the interest of the heavens or the interest of the earth], there will your heart be also. (Matthew 6:19-21 CV)
The end of the Mosaic Eon is at hand. The termination of the Sinatic Covenant, having reached its old-age and about to complete its purpose, is shortly to be commemorated and honorably eulogized at its funeral ceremony (the pouring out of the promised spirit at Pentecost) and appreciatively mourned for during Yahweh’s appointed season of mourning, the 40 years culminating in 70 a.d. with the fiery destruction of the Temple and the city built by the hands of men.
At the time of this instruction, however, the disciples of Jesus do not understand all that is implied in the teaching of Jesus. Their understanding would be briefly expanded during the 40 days occurring from the time of His descending from the Father after His resurrection ascension to His final ascending to the Father recorded in Acts 1:9-11. Extensively, their understanding would be perfected over the period beginning at the pouring out of the promised spirit of Yahweh at Pentecost and ending at the arrival of the Parousia of Jesus the Messiah.
Alms-giving is associated with providing for the poor and
needy. The Mosaic Law makes it clear how such giving is right in the eyes of
Yahweh. The disciples of Jesus are to be liberal with their alms-giving. The new
judges of
Thus, alms-giving should be performed unpretentiously,
modestly, unassumingly, inconspicuously, seeking only the welfare of the
recipient and the glory of Yahweh. It should not be performed in order to
receive the glory, the admiration, the recognition, the praise of the men of
Whenever, then, you may be doing alms, you should not be trumpeting in front of you, even as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, so that they should be glorified by the men. Verily, I am saying to you, They are collecting their wages! Yet you, doing alms, let not your left hand know what your right is doing, so that your alms may be in hiding [secret], and your Father, Who is observing in hiding, will be paying you. (Matthew 6:2-4 CV)
Those men practicing alms-giving for the purpose of gaining the admiration and praise of other men are already collecting or receiving their wages, but not from Yahweh. Such wages are treasures stored up on earth. They are temporary, easily diminished or lost due to the fickleness and capriciousness of men and events. Gained by deception, such glory, such honor is discerningly gilded, counterfeit, shallow, hollow and can be quickly and swiftly withdrawn by the very men who bestow the glory, the honor.
Men acting in pretense of concern for the poor and needy while secretly desiring the admiration and influence of other prestigious and influential men of conventional Jewish society, when receiving the desired treasure, store up only pretentious, shallow, vain, vaporous accolades of pretentious men like themselves. Deceitfulness and mendacity breed mistrust, contempt, hatred, and emptiness. Such treasure neither satisfies nor lasts, especially in the last days of the Mosaic Eon, as illustrated in the parable of Jesus concerning the wealthy Jew who spent his life storing up the goods of the earth, the treasures of men, reasoning, “What shall I be doing, seeing that I have no where to gather my fruits? . . . I will pull down my barns, and greater ones will I build, and I will gather there all my grain and my good things. And I will be declaring to my soul, ‘Soul, many good things have you laid up for many years. Rest, eat, drink, make merry.’” (Lk. 12:17-19 CV). This reasoning is destructive. It is the reasoning of the men who love the glory of men rather than the glory of Yahweh. It is the reasoning of the uncircumcised heart, the reasoning of the children of Cain. This parable of Jesus concludes,
Yet God said to him, “Imprudent one! To the interest of this very night [the night of his reasoned decision] your soul are they [neuter, his good things, his honor and glory bestowed by the men of like-mind] demanding from you. . . .” Thus [concludes Jesus] is he who is hoarding for himself and is not rich for God. (Luke 12:20-21 CV modified)
Commitment to earthly, terrestrial treasure only (wealth and admiration received from those who keep the traditions and commandments of men rather than the statutes, judgments, and commandments of Yahweh) results in the slavery of one’s soul to these impermanent goods and ephemeral glory received as a result of human greed and human glory. Such bondage is difficult to escape.
The contemporaries of Jesus have little time left to escape the bondage of the apostate nation, rulers, and hireling shepherds, described by Jesus as, “You are those who are justifying yourselves in the sight of the men [of contemporary Israel], yet God [Yahweh] knows your hearts, for what is high among these men is an abomination in the sight of God” (Lk. 16:15 CV). The disciples of Jesus are instructed, especially in view of the present eschatological activity of Yahweh in the midst of His people, to practice alms-giving to the poor and needy inconspicuously, genuinely concerned for the welfare of the poor and needy. Their motivation should be the sincere desire to do that which is right in the eyes of Yahweh out of a heart generating love for Yahweh and neighbor. This inconspicuous righteousness will be inconspicuously observed by Yahweh and accounted toward one’s future wages bestowed by Yahweh in the interest of the heavens.
Corresponding to the theme of righteous alms-giving is the theme of righteous fasting taken up in Matthew 6:16-18 (see Appendix 5, f2 6:1-21, B1 and B2). Jesus again refers to the hypocrites and their wages. When fasting, He instructs His disciples to
become not, as the hypocrites, of a sad countenance,
for they disguise their faces so that they may appear to the men [of
Fasting often accompanies prayer as an indication of the
seriousness with which the prayer is offered. Prayer and fasting during the era
of eschatological crisis are to be practiced in view of the serious nature of
the choice placed before Israel—salvation or judgment. Time is short. The end
of the Mosaic Age is at hand. One’s hope for eonian life (life in the coming
age, entrance into the
The disciples of Jesus (especially the judges, the ideal
shepherds) concerned for the eonian welfare of the people of Israel will
faithfully proclaim the Gospel of Christ on behalf of their brethren, receiving
in return much persecution on account of their righteous love of Yahweh and
neighbor. The serious purpose behind their prayers and fasting calls for a pure
and holy fasting, thus necessitating that this fasting be hidden from the men
of Israel, avoiding their admiration and applause, since the disciples’ prayers
and fastings are directed to Yahweh on behalf of their brethren and for the
glory of Yahweh. To make their fasting visible to the men of
The prayers and fasting of the disciples of Jesus are acts of
faithfulness to Yahweh. They indicate true sorrow and hope on behalf of the
people of Yahweh. They indicate the intercession of genuine love for their
brethren and their enemies. Such prayer and fasting reveals to the Father the
heart-generated desire to do that which is right in His eyes. The hypocrites
seeking the glory of the men of
The central member of the literary structure of Matthew 6:1-21
is concerned with righteous prayer (see Appendix 5, f2 6:1-21, C
6:5-15). Again, Jesus contrasts the behavior of His disciples with that of the
hypocrite who prays publicly in order to receive the esteem, the admiration,
the favor of the men of
He instructs His disciples to pray in private, seeking
Yahweh’s praise, not the praise of men based upon an outward appearance only. Prayer
must be sanctified, set apart for Yahweh’s glory. It must always be practiced
humbly and piously, even when one performs publicly in the synagogue or
Righteous prayer is a holy act, set apart for Yahweh only. Like alms-giving and fasting, it should be offered to Yahweh inconspicuously, its praise and honor coming only from Yahweh. Righteous prayer offered inconspicuously to Yahweh will be heard inconspicuously by Yahweh. The service of such prayer will not go unrewarded. Yahweh remembers. Yahweh will provide just and equitable wages stored up in the interest of the heavens, in the interest of the New Covenant, in the interest of His coming kingdom. His wages will not lose their value due to inflation or bankruptcy, neither will his wages be stolen by wicked men, hireling shepherds desperately and fiercely opposing Yahweh’s Way, Truth, and Life. Jesus and His righteous kingdom will conquer the enemies of Yahweh and His people.
Jesus now turns from
Yahweh Elohim of Israel is not such a god. He is neither
capricious nor unrighteous. He is neither deaf nor dumb. He is a covenant
Elohim. He is faithful to the terms of His covenant. He is neither fickle nor
capricious in keeping His word. Unlike the nations,
Therefore, there is no need, instructs Jesus, to “use useless repetitions even as those of the nations” (Matt. 6:7 CV) when praying to Yahweh. Jesus continues, “For they are supposing that they will be hearkened to in their loquacity [multitude of words]. Do not, then, be like them, for aware is God [Yahweh], your Father, of what you have need before you request Him” (Matt. 6:7b-8 CV). As the faithful God of the covenant, Yahweh is responsible for meeting all the needs of His people. He does not have to be coaxed, manipulated, mesmerized, tricked, or seduced into performing His covenantal obligations. His desire is to provide the needs of His people. He longs to bless rather than curse. He is compassionate, merciful, and longsuffering. He eagerly seeks to pour out His blessings upon His people if only they choose to obey His law with their hearts, their souls, their minds.
He even has provided the means to cleanse their pollutions, cover
their sins and trespasses. He mercifully responds to their weaknesses and shortcomings.
He does not demand sinlessness, but a heart committed to keeping His law of
love, a mind and body committed to doing what is right in His eyes. All these
advantages belong to
The bottom-line requirement of Yahweh is a man after His own
heart (see 1 Samuel
Prayer is
Therefore, prayer is an essential element of worship. Communication with Yahweh is simple, not complex and frustrating like the nations’ communication with their gods. Yahweh’s eyes are always upon His people, and His ears are always attuned to their needs.
Jesus, having reminded His disciples of this covenantal
reality, now teaches them an eschatological prayer to serve as an example of
the essential themes of request directed to Yahweh during the last days of the Mosaic
Eon. Thus the context within which this prayer is to be understood and applied
is that of the impending
This prayer is not to be offered up repetitiously. It is not
meant to be memorized and repeated word for word. It is a type, a sample, a
model illustrating the vital needs of Yahweh’s people for the accomplishment of
the goal of their calling, their mission. The purpose of this last faithful
generation of the Mosaic Eon is to bring about the fulfillment of the last
remnants of those things written in the Law and the Prophets, which, when
accomplished, would usher in the
The prayer Jesus offers as a type (a sample to be creatively
used as a guide to prayer in relation to the varying circumstances of the
faithful service of His disciples, the saints) begins “Our Father Who art in [the interest of] the heavens” (Matt. 6:9b CV modified, see Appendix 6, C 6:5-15, (2)
6:9-15 PRAYER PROPER: THY KINGDOM COME). The prayer is to be directed to Yahweh
the Elohim of Israel. Yahweh is metaphorically in the sphere of the interest of
the heavens. The plural “heavens” is
used to designate the air-space associated with the nation
Metaphorically, the heaven of
The interest of Yahweh extends over the heavens representing
the nations because of His promise given to Abraham that his seed would be a
blessing to all the families of the earth (Gen. 12:3), to all the nations of
the earth (Gen. 18:18).
This seed is characterized by the faith of Abraham. It is an elect seed which excludes many human beings, for only those coming in contact with the light of Yahweh’s Law and the light of the Gospel of Christ have the possibility of being blessed. In addition, this election was only possible from the time of Abraham to the time of the contemporary generation of Jesus. The promise given to Abraham is not for all humanity, but to an elect portion during an elect period of time.
However, Yahweh has provided for the blessing of all humanity, every single individual of the human race, excluding none. That blessing is in association with Adam, rather than Abraham. That blessing will be investigated in detail when Paul’s Letter to the Romans is examined.
The ministry of the Apostles of Jesus, the princes judging the twelve tribes of Israel under the Davidic Kingship of Jesus the Messiah, will initiate the restoration of the Davidic Kingdom (the reuniting of the Southern and Northern Kingdoms of Israel) and the final fulfillment of the promises made to the elect, faithful seed of Abraham (the faithful circumcised seed called out from among the Israel according to flesh, as well as the faithful uncircumcised seed called out from among the nations). The proclamation of the Gospel of Christ by the Apostles would successfully accomplish its purpose, its goal, during the course of the contemporary generation of Jesus. There would be no need to either pass on the office of an apostle or continue to proclaim the Gospel of Christ. The office is given by Jesus to the twelve and to Paul. The proclamation of the Gospel is completed by the faithful disciples of Messiah Jesus and returns to Yahweh having successfully accomplished its purpose. This is the testimony of the Greek Scriptures.
Thus, Jesus instructs His disciples to pray to Yahweh their Father Who is concerned with the elect seed of Abraham which is to be called out of Israel and the nations (“Our Father Who art in the interest of the heavens,” Matt. 6:9a my translation). His disciples understand the nations are to be blessed. However, at this time the manner by which this is to be accomplished is concealed from them. When it is revealed, they will be both astonished and puzzled. Jesus continues His sample prayer, “hallowed be Thy name” (Matt. 6:9b CV). Yahweh’s name is associated with His glory, His honor, His faithfulness. The disciples of Jesus are to hallow, sanctify, set apart Yahweh’s name from the names of the gods of the nations. Yahweh Elohim of Israel is the One and Only living Elohim in contrast to the elohim of the nations which are illusory projections cast upon the heavens by the deluded, distorted, disapproved minds of men wandering blindly in the darkness of their ignorance.
The prayer continues: “Thy
kingdom come. Thy will be done, as in [the interest of] heaven [
The prayer is to remind the disciples of Jesus that their task is to pave the way for the coming of Yahweh’s Kingdom. They are to remember that Yahweh’s will is being done already in His faithfulness to them (as in the interest of heaven, the interest of the Israel of Yahweh), and they are to faithfully serve Him in order that His will be done also among the nations. Yahweh’s will is also in the interest of the nations (upon the interest of the earth) waiting to be blessed, illuminated by the light of the Gospel of Christ manifested by the new Jerusalem, the Born-From-Above Israel of Yahweh, the Bride of the Lamb. The foundation of this new Jerusalem not made with hands stands upon the mountain, the rock of the testimony of the Law and the Prophets perfectly represented and reflected in THE ROCK: Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham, the Son of Adam, the Son of Yahweh (see again Matt. 5:14-16).
In this service, the disciples of Jesus are to request of Yahweh only what they need in the present day, “Our bread, our dole, be giving us today” (Matt. 6:11 CV), trusting in the faithfulness of Yahweh to provide whatever is necessary to accomplish His purpose in whatever time He has allotted to its being accomplished. They are not to concern themselves with long-range needs. The time is short. The end of the eon is near. The day of Yahweh is fast approaching. The current season is ominous.
A crucial turning point is approaching. A social, religious, political, and economic storm is brewing, creating a national crisis. The disciples of Jesus are to understand they are living in the ultimate day of Yahweh’s visitation. The extraordinary nature of the season demands an extraordinary daily strategic conduct of life: “And Jesus said unto him, No man, having put his hand to the plough, and looking back, is fit for the kingdom of God” (Lk. 9:62 KJV), as Jesus later in His Emancipation Proclamation says,
You, then, should not be worrying, saying, “What may we be eating?” or “What may we be drinking?” or “With what may we be clothed?” For for all these the nations are seeking. For aware is your heavenly Father [the Father of the New Covenant] that you need all of these. Yet seek first the kingdom and its righteousness, and these all shall be added to you. You should not, then, be worrying about the morrow, for the morrow will be worrying of itself. Sufficient for the day is its own evil. (Matthew 6:31-34 CV)
This advice is appropriate, suitable, and expedient only for the coming eschatological tornado stirred up by the proclamation of the Gospel of Christ.
The model prayer constructed by Jesus as a pattern to be creatively implemented by His disciples during the stormy days of their mission concludes,
And remit to us our debts, as we also remit those of our debtors. And mayest Thou not be bringing us into trial, but rescue us from the wicked one. (Matthew 6:12-13 CV)
The disciples of Jesus are to request that Yahweh refrain from exacting the penalty due their debts, that is, unjust insult, harm, or pain inflicted upon both Yahweh and their neighbor unintentionally (and even intentionally due to weakness or ignorance) by their words or behavior, even as they themselves refrain from exacting the penalty deserved by those who cause them unjust insult, harm, or pain by unintentional or intentional words or behavior. This refusal to exact one’s rights pertains to the persecution Jesus’ disciples would soon receive at the hands of their Jewish enemies as a result of their commitment to Jesus and His kingdom.
His disciples are also to request that Yahweh refrain from bringing them into trial due to the unfaithful rebellious words and actions of counterfeit disciples seeking their own glory and seeking the allegiance of faithful, innocent disciples. Such temptation into rebelliousness instigated by the sons of Cain, the seed planted into the field belonging to Yahweh (the Israel of Yahweh) by The Adversary, Satan (see Matt. 13:36-43) is to be overcome by watchfulness and continuance in prayer to Yahweh.
Jesus, just prior to His hour, finding His disciples sleeping, warns them, “Is it thus: you [plural, all of you] are not strong enough to watch one hour with Me? Watch and pray, lest you [all of you] may be entering into trial. The spirit, indeed, is eager; yet the flesh is infirm” (Matt. 26:40b-41 CV). The disciples are to be alert to the works, the strategies of the wicked one who seeks to lead them astray into unfaithfulness to Yahweh. They are to anticipate the strategies of The Adversary (Satan inspiring the thought, behavior, and strategy of the sons of Cain: the apostate rulers, hireling shepherds of Apostate Israel, and the counterfeit messianics), thus recognizing the Adversary’s words and actions as temptations disguised as righteous commitment to Yahweh.
Paul reminds the faithful ones in
Now these things [their words and actions and Yahweh’s response] became types of us, for us not to be lusters after evil things, according as they also lusted. Nor yet be becoming idolaters, according as some of them, . . . Nor yet may we be committing prostitution, according as some of them . . . Nor yet may we be putting the Lord [Yahweh] on trial, according as some of them put Him on trial, and perished by serpents . . . Now all this befalls them typically. Yet it was written for our admonition, to whom the consummations of the eons have attained. So that, let him who is supposing he stands beware that he should not be falling. (1 Corinthians 10:6-12 CV)
It is when Yahweh is put on trial by mistrust and unrighteous demands based upon a distortion, a corruption, of Yahweh’s word that one is brought into trial by Yahweh for one’s rebelliousness. Yahweh does not tempt the people. But He does judge them justly, when, after He endures much longsuffering on their behalf, they continue to speak and act rebelliously. Yahweh, under such conditions, will bring the unfaithful into trial.
The disciples of Jesus are warned to be alert to the temptations devised by their enemies (the apostate Jews, both those disguised as sheep and those undisguised). They are to remain in constant prayer to Yahweh, continually requesting that He rescue them from the deceitful temptations of the wicked one by aiding them in the recognition of these temptations so as not to be deceived by them into speaking and acting in opposition to what is right in Yahweh’s eyes. With the pouring out of the spirit of Yahweh after the resurrection and ascension of Jesus, the disciples of Jesus are provided the power to strengthen the infirmity of the flesh:
For without power [disabled, made impotent] is this law [The Law of Sin and Death]. In the interest of this [due to the following]: It [The Law of Sin and Death] began to be weak through the flesh; God His own Son sending, in the interest of a likeness of sinful flesh, and concerning Sin, condemned this Sin [The Law of Sin] in the interest of the flesh, in order that the just requirement of the law [of Christ] might be fulfilled in us, the ones not walking in accord with flesh, but in accord with spirit. (Romans 8:3-4 my translation)
Having presented the prayer, Jesus now comments on the importance of remitting debts,
For if you should be forgiving the men [Jews] their offenses [deviations], your heavenly Father also will be forgiving you. Yet if you should not be forgiving the men [Jews] their offenses [deviations], neither will your Father be forgiving your offenses [deviations]. (Matthew 6:14-15 CV)
Since it is not possible for the disciples to read what is in
the heart of the men of
Adam never rebels against Yahweh. His sin (harmartia) is the result of his ignorance and his love for Eve. He knows and understands the consequences of eating of the fruit of the Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil. He knows Eve has already eaten. He cannot change the consequence which she already has come under. This sin, therefore, is a deviation, a slipping aside, not out of a rebellion or opposition to Yahweh, but out of ignorance, the inability to properly solve the problem already existing for Eve. Adam believes Yahweh. Eve is under the judgment of death. Thus Adam is not an apostate, an unbeliever, as Cain will be.
Jesus instructs His disciples to forgive the deviations of
their kinsmen after the flesh (circumcised Jews), giving all Jews the benefit
of the doubt as to the cause of their opposition to Him, His ministry, His Gospel.
Many Jews are enemies of the Gospel, but not necessarily apostates, sons of
Cain, children of The Adversary, Satan, characterized by an uncircumcised
heart, and intentional, cognizant, rebellious opposition to Yahweh, His Law,
His Son, His Gospel, His Kingdom. Many Jews are like Nicodemus and Saul of
Tarsus, possessing circumcised hearts but distorted, ignorant minds due to the
deception caused by the teaching of the traditions and commandments of the men
(the rulers and teachers of
Thus, a deviation is a sin, a missing of the mark due to ignorance, blindness, not outright rebellion, defiant opposition. The disciples of Jesus are to love their enemies and forgive them their deviations (paraptoma, slipping aside due to ignorance, blindness). The real enemies of Yahweh, Jesus, and His Ecclesia do not commit deviations. They hear aside (disobey), opposing Yahweh’s word; they step-aside (trespass) as intentionally committed enemies of Yahweh, and thus sin (miss the mark set by Yahweh) defiantly, full well understanding their opposition to Yahweh, their intended rebellion against Yahweh’s The Way, the Truth, and the Life (Jn. 14:6 CV).
A deviation offends, insults, and dishonors Yahweh, but does so unintentionally. Yahweh is longsuffering in relation to such sins. He mercifully and compassionately bears such offenses, insults, and dishonor, patiently awaiting repentance and providing the time necessary for this inevitable repentance, for Yahweh knows what is in the heart of men.
Among the men and women of the contemporary generation of
Jesus, Yahweh knows those who are blind and those who are not. He knows those
Jews who are children or sons of Cain and those Jews who are children or sons
of Abel. He knows those who upon having their eyes opened will believe the Gospel,
believe into Jesus, returning repentantly to Yahweh their Elohim feeling much,
deep sorrow, regret for their offenses, their insults, their dishonoring of the
very One Whom they have always loved with all their heart, soul, and mind. If
the disciples of Jesus make it a practice to forgive their kinsmen after the
flesh the deviations they commit against the Gospel, against the
Within the literary structure of Matthew (see Appendix 4, d.
5:11-7:23, e1 and e2), this section of the Emancipation
Proclamation of Jesus corresponds to 5:14-16, You are the light of the world. The Ecclesia of Jesus, the Israel
of Yahweh according to spirit (thus, Yahweh’s legitimate people, those
authentically possessing a circumcised, enlightened heart) was declared by
Jesus to be figuratively a city located on a mountain, thus alluding to what is
later metaphorically called the
Jesus had also referred to the individual citizen within this
city. Figuratively, each citizen is described as a burning lamp placed upon a
lampstand in order to enlighten the entire house of
Jesus exhorts His disciples, His judges to let their light
shine and illuminate the space around the men of
In the present section, Matthew 6:22-23, Jesus uses another
analogy to describe the faithfulness which illuminates the sons of Yahweh
making them a beacon of light illuminating the entire house of
The lamp of the body is your eye. If, then, your eye should be single [pure, single-sighted], your whole body will be luminous. Yet if your eye should be wicked [malignant, double-visioned, mixed, contaminated], your whole body will be dark. If, then, the light that is in you is darkness, how dense is the darkness! (Matthew 6:22-23 CV)
Jesus means to communicate the truth that a healthy eye is evidence of a mind and heart ignited by the holy flame of Yahweh’s word, the Law and the Prophets.
The eye of the body is likened to a lamp. As the lamp allows the light within to illuminate the area or space around it, so the eye allows the light within the individual to manifest itself to one’s neighbors. In the ancient world the inner light (the inner emotions of the heart and the inner enlightenment of the mind) is revealed in a person’s eyes: “Who is like the wise man? And who knows the interpretation of a thing? A man’s wisdom makes his face to shine, and the hardness of his countenance is changed” (Eccl. 8:1 RSV). If an Israelite’s eyes are healthy, that is, pure, single-sighted, uncontaminated, sincere, generous, it is evidence of a loving heart and wise mind. It is, thus, evidence of an Israelite’s integrity and honor. If an Israelite’s eyes are malignant, that is, impure, double-visioned, mixed, contaminated, insincere, greedy, it is evidence of a hard heart and foolish mind. It is, thus, evidence of an Israelite’s lack of integrity and lack of honor.
For Jesus, the eye figuratively represents the conduit through
which a man’s character is manifested. The eye reveals, illuminates, a man’s
inner character. The twelve disciples of Jesus (the future judges of
If a man’s mind/heart is healthy, is ignited with the flame of
Yahweh’s word as expounded and revealed in the words and conduct of Jesus the Messiah,
the Son of Yahweh, the man’s whole life (consisting of his words, his thoughts,
his intentions, his deeds) will be covenantally luminous. However, if a man’s
mind/heart is malignant, is ignited with the flame of the traditions and
commandments of the apostate men of
The Israelites according to flesh, those having the traditions and commandments of the apostate men as the light within them, have within themselves, indeed, dense darkness. They should have been manifesting the light of Yahweh’s Law, but their light is, covenantally speaking, darkness. They dishonor Yahweh with their double-sightedness, their double-vision, combining the pure word of Yahweh with the impure word of men (the traditions and commandments of the apostate fathers).
Instead of writing upon their hearts the Law of Yahweh and instructing their minds in the knowledge and wisdom of Yahweh, they have written upon their hearts the traditions and commandments of the apostate men, scorching their minds with the knowledge and wisdom of foolish, divided, contaminated men. In Yahweh’s eyes, their light is dense darkness. Thus, they walk in darkness themselves and invite others (even the nations) to walk together with them in their darkness. Their eyes being malignant (double-visioned, mixed, contaminated from within), they do what is right in their own eyes, rather than what is right in the eyes of Yahweh.
The disciples of Jesus are to be the light of the world-order
of
If the eye is single-sighted, committed to the covenantal word
of Yahweh, it is impossible for a disciple, a judge appointed by Jesus, to
serve two masters. When Jesus says, “Now
no one can be slaving for two lords [masters]” (Matt. 6:24a CV), He is referring only to those under the Mosaic
Covenant. It was not only acceptable for others outside
Therefore, Jesus informs His disciples, the impending judges of
Now no one can be slaving for two lords [masters], for either he will be hating [insulting, offending, dishonoring] the one and loving [honoring, glorifying, praising] the other [of a different kind], or will be upholding one and despising the other [of a different kind]. You can not be slaving for God [Yahweh] and mammon. (Matthew 6:24 CV)
A covenant relationship to Yahweh necessitates an exclusive allegiance and obligation to Yahweh. All other claimants (whether foreign gods or terrestrial enticements) are apostate. To place any god, any person, any terrestrial enticement above one’s allegiance and obligation to Yahweh is to hate, insult, offend, dishonor Yahweh, transferring one’s worship and service from Yahweh to the god, the person, the place, the thing being given priority. Commitment to the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant binds one to serve Yahweh alone, on His exclusive terms alone.
Teaching and practicing the traditions and commandments of the
apostate men of
The gravity of this covenantal reality, this covenantal commandment, “You can not [it is totally unacceptable to] be slaving for God [Yahweh] and Mammon,” especially in relation to the present eschatological generation, necessitates the continuing commentary of Jesus,
Therefore I am saying to you, Do not worry about your soul [the experience acquired through the five senses], what you may be eating, or what you may be drinking, nor yet about your body [the outward form], what you should be putting on. Is not the soul more than nourishment, and the body than apparel? (Matthew 6:25 CV)
The basic needs of a servant or slave are provided by the master. The servants, the warrior-sons of Yahweh are to be provided for by Yahweh their Master, their Elohim, their Father. Paul states the obligation concisely, “Who is warring at any time supplying his own rations?” (1 Cor. 9:7a CV).
The disciples of Jesus are in the service and warfare of Yahweh. He is obligated to provide all the needs necessary to successfully perform the appointed service and victoriously conquer the enemy in the holy war of Yahweh against His enemies. The disciples of Jesus are commissioned for Holy War,
Stand, then, girded about your loins with truth, with the cuirass of righteousness put on, and your feet sandaled with the readiness of the evangel of peace; with all taking up the large shield of faith, by which you will be able to extinguish all the fiery arrows of the wicked one. And receive the helmet of salvation and the sword of the spirit, which is a declaration of God. (Ephesians 6:14-17 CV)
This war is covenantal and spiritual; nevertheless, it is Holy War. The disciples of Jesus are holy, warrior-sons of Yahweh, faithfully following and obeying the orders of their Warrior-King, Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David (Rev. 19:11-16).
This entire section of Jesus’ Emancipation Proclamation,
6:24-7:20 You Can Not Serve Two Masters—Seek
First the Kingdom of God and His Righteousness, corresponds to 5:13 You Are The Salt of the Land—Do Not Become
Insipid (see Appendix 4, d. 5:11-7:23, f1 and f2). The salt (the warrior) of the
The teachings of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant cannot be mixed with the teachings of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant,
Neither are they draining fresh wine into old wine skins; otherwise, surely the wine skins are bursting, and the wine is spilling, and the wine skins perish. But they are draining fresh wine into new wine skins, and both are preserved. (Matthew 9:17 CV)
The wine of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant (the Law and the Prophets) is to be preserved, fulfilled, by the wine of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant (the Gospel of Christ). The teachings of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant are not to be mixed with the teachings of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. The wine of the Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant (the blood of Christ) is not to be drained into the wineskins (covenantal stipulations) of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant, thus, mixing with the wine (the blood of animals) of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant and contaminating both.
The wine of each covenant is to be preserved (fulfilled, complementing one another) by maintaining their separation, each, thus remaining whole, pure, unmixed, uncontaminated. The mixing of the two wines (covenants) produces another concoction of the traditions and commandments of men. This will later be exemplified by the teaching of false brethren (disguised sons of Cain, wolves in sheep’s clothing, false prophets) demanding the circumcision of uncircumcised faithful ones (see Gal. 2:3-5).
Under the Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant, the faithful ones are no
longer under the jurisdiction of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant, but in a new and
proper relation to it. Paul declares, “Law
then are we cutting down through the faith? May it not be coming to that! But
law we are standing in its proper place” (Rom. 3:31 my translation). Thus,
in Christ, the faithful ones are not under the law (the Sinatic/Mosaic
Covenant) but under the grace of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant (Rom.
The salt of the land capable of preserving, purifying,
fertilizing the people of Yahweh is represented by the disciples of Jesus
worshiping and serving Yahweh alone under the terms, the stipulations of the
new Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant established, consecrated by the blood of Christ.
These disciples of Jesus become insipid, worthless as preservers, purifiers,
fertilizers, as soon as they either return to the traditions and commandments
of the apostate men of Israel according to flesh or they attempt as wolves in
sheep’s clothing to produce a new concoction of traditions and commandments of
men by mixing the pure wine of the Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant with the pure
wine of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant. Becoming insipid is therefore equated with
not seeking first and foremost the
Jesus then asks His disciples to observe “the flying creatures of the heaven” (Matt. 6:26a CV). His
disciples, like those flying creatures, dwell metaphorically in the covenantal
heaven of the New Davidic Covenant. As Yahweh provides for these flying
creatures which do not sow, reap, or gather into barns, so Yahweh will provide
the nourishment necessary for His covenantal servants to accomplish their
heavenly task (6:26). His disciples, at the present time of this proclamation,
are characterized as “O ye of little
faith” (
Jesus concludes that His disciples need to be strong in faith,
trusting in the faithfulness of Yahweh their Elohim. Unlike
As presented in the literary structure of Matthew (see
Appendix 7, d2 6:24-7:20 and Appendix 8, A1 6:24),
Matthew 6:24 Yahweh’s Judges—Service:
Yahweh Not Mammon is concerned with serving Yahweh only. Matthew 6:25-34,
of the same literary structure, is concerned with the dynamic principle
directing this service, Yahweh’s Judges—Central
Principle: Seek First the
The fruit of such faithful service will be the fruit of the spirit of Yahweh and Christ (see Gal. 5:22‑26). The fruit of the judges appointed by Jesus (as well as all disciples, faithful ones) must be ideal. The apostate rulers and teachers of Israel according to flesh, and later the counterfeit judges and disciples wandering deceitfully among the Israel of Yahweh according to spirit, can produce only poisonous fruit, because their hearts are uncircumcised, responding only according to the distorted mind of the flesh.
Jesus now begins to contrast His faithful judges with the
unfaithful judges of the traditions and commandments of the men. The scribes
and Pharisees (representing these impure, spotted, contaminated judges whose
judgments [fruit] are poisonous, contributing to
The judgments of the Pharisees and scribes, on the whole, symptomatically are unrighteous, unwholesome, poisonous, causing those on trial before them much undeserved pain and sorrow. These doctors should have been applying the healing balm of the Law and the Prophets. Any prescription causing pain or sorrow should have been prescribed to restore health, in their case, covenantal health, not inflict covenantal sickness. But that restoration of health is precisely what the Pharisees and scribes did not achieve.
They practiced their art according to the covenantal manual of the traditions and commandments of the men. They too quickly misdiagnosed their patients as a result of their preconceived judgments and harsh attitude. They did not examine impartially and unbiasedly. In short, they did not administer justice with mercy and compassion.
Their harsh prescriptions were not prescribed out of a heart filled with the love of Yahweh and neighbor. Such judgment on the part of Israel’s rulers and teachers resulted in social, political, economic, and religious injustice, inequity, destructive division, and exclusion which dishonored Yahweh by distorting, contaminating the intent of His covenant. Thus, like the sons of Samuel, they corrupted the administration of Yahweh’s covenantal requirements. They administered Yahweh’s judgments with a hard, cold heart and disapproved mind. Therefore, Jesus exhorts His judges,
Do not judge [as the Pharisees and scribes], lest you may be judged [condemned by Yahweh], for with what judgment you are judging [either Yahweh’s or the men’s], shall you be judged [by Yahweh], and with what measure you are measuring [either Yahweh’s just law or the unjust traditions and commandments of the men], shall it be measured to you. (Matthew 7:1-2 CV)
The judges of the impending kingdom of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, must not be administering judgment as the Pharisees and scribes. Their righteousness, their judgments, must superexceed that of the Pharisees and scribes. They must administer Yahweh’s judgment according to a circumcised heart having Yahweh’s Law written upon it, thereby issuing impartial, just judgments, verdicts motivated by the love of Yahweh and neighbor. They must practice Yahweh’s Law as doctors seeking the covenantal health and welfare of the nation as a corporate entity. The individual must always be judged in the context of his relationship to Yahweh and Yahweh’s elect, holy nation.
Jesus, then, using hyperbole, offers His disciples a parable to illustrate His exhortation:
Now why are you observing [scrupulously] the mote [splinter, chip, speck] that is in your brother's eye, yet the beam in your eye you are not considering? Or how will you be declaring to your brother, “Brother, let me extract the mote out of your eye,” and lo! the beam is in your eye? Hypocrite! Extract first the beam out of your eye, and then you will be keen-sighted to be extracting the mote out of your brother's eye. (Matthew 7:3‑5 CV)
In this parable mote represents a minor or civil defect while beam represents a major moral or civil defect. The judge who scrupulously observes and magnifies a minor defect in the person on trial while possessing a major defect in himself is a hypocrite. His judgment is unjust, unmerciful, and partial. He is an offense to both the one being judged and Yahweh. He is also dangerous to the one being judged, since the beam in his own eye hinders him from removing the mote in the eye of the other without inflicting damage to that eye.
Thus, the judge possessing a major defect in his character is most likely to issue an unjust verdict, decision, judgment inflicting harm on the one being judged. Such partial, defective, unjust judgment inflicts harm also on the corporate nation. The individual’s covenantal condition of health affects the nation’s covenantal condition of health. The covenantal condition of each member of the corporate body affects, determines, the covenantal condition of the entire corporate body.
As the covenantal health of the individual and the nation
deteriorates, so also the glory and honor of Yahweh diminishes. Unrighteous,
contaminated, corrupted judgment on the part of the Aaronic and Levitical
priesthoods, the rulers, judges, and teachers of
The contemporary generation of Jesus is faced with this
crisis. The nation according to flesh, the apostate nation covenantally sick
unto death, is about to be covenantally extinguished. The execution,
termination of the Sinatic Covenant is impending.
Yahweh is calling His people out of the diseased, cancerous, covenantal,
contemporary spiritual
The judges of Jesus are not to judge hypocritically, as the
Pharisees and scribes who, while blind to their own major defects, attempt to
judge, remove, the minor defects of their kinsmen, resulting in the blind
leading the blind, “Let them alone [says
Jesus]: they be blind leaders of the
blind. And if the blind lead the blind, both shall fall into the ditch”
(Matt.
Ye hypocrites, well did Esaias [Isaiah] prophesy of you, saying, This people draweth nigh unto me with their mouth, and honoureth me with their lips; but their heart is far from me. But in vain they do worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men. (Matthew 15:7-9 KJV)
The judges of Jesus are first and foremost to consciously observe their own major and minor defects, thereby judging themselves as in the presence of Yahweh, manifesting heart-motivated repentance. This results in cleansing themselves covenantally, restoring the keen-sightedness necessary to righteously, impartially judge their brothers to the glory and honor of Yahweh and to the covenantal health of the people of Yahweh as an elective, covenantal nation.
The inclination of the Pharisees and scribes to ignore their own defects while arrogantly pointing out these same defects in others is reminiscent of the arrogant judgment of David against the rich man, who in the parable of Nathan, had greedily taken, stolen the poor man’s only lamb. David was swift to bring down just judgment upon the greedy head of the offending rich man, while blind to that very same sin in his own relation to Uriah and Bathsheba (2 Sam. 12:1-15). David, however, repented after Nathan accused him of being the rich man in the parable.
David maintained a circumcised heart. When his eyes are opened
by Yahweh’s prophet, he immediately is crushed in spirit by the sight of his
sin, acknowledging his guilt with a broken heart and a contrite spirit. Yahweh
extended to him what came to be known as “the
sure mercies of David” (Acts 13:34 KJV, see also 2 Chr.
Righteous judging, pleasing to the eyes of Yahweh, also demands the spiritual wisdom to wisely recognize and avoid the destructive maneuvers of the enemies within and the enemies without. Jesus, therefore, warns His judges,
You may not be giving that which is holy to the curs, nor yet should you be casting your pearls in front of the hogs [swine], lest at some time they shall be trampling them with their feet and, turning, they should be tearing you [supplanting your authority and the New Davidic Covenant]. (Matthew 7:6 CV modified)
Curs are wild dogs viciously roaming around seeking to devour
whatever suitable food is available. Moses wrote, “You shall not bring the fee of a prostitute or the price of a cur into
the house of Yahweh your Elohim for any vow offering, for they are an abhorrence
to Yahweh your Elohim, indeed both of them” (Deut.
The judges in the New Covenantal House of Yahweh are wisely to avoid handing over the holy Gospel of Yahweh to these wild, roaming curs (counterfeit, covenantally vicious brethren seeking to prostitute the faithful ones and supplant the authority of the appointed judges of Jesus). For surely they shall mischievously mishandle, distort, contaminate the Gospel of Yahweh by the unholy mixing of it with the traditions and commandments of the men or the unholy mixing of the blood of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant with the Blood of the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant. These curs are counterfeit, false, circumcised brethren, wolves, dogs, curs disguised as sheep. They deceivingly attempt to abuse, supplant the Gospel of Christ by misusing it in order to return the faithful sheep to the rule, the authority of the Sinatic/Mosaic Covenant, thereby also negating the New Davidic/Abrahamic Covenant and the efficacy of the blood of the Messiah.
Paul would later refer to such curs as “false brethren who were smuggled in, who came in by the way to spy out
our freedom which we have in Christ Jesus, that they shall be enslaving us”
(Gal. 2:4 CV). The freedom these curs sought to destroy is the same freedom
Jesus spoke of when He said to the Jews, “If
ever, then, the Son should be making you free, you will be really free”
(Jn.
Paul faithfully obeyed the voice of his Master recorded in Matthew 7:6 when he declared of the curs, “to whom, not even for an hour do we simulate by subjection, [in order] that the truth of the evangel [Gospel] should be continuing with you” (Gal. 2:5 CV). Paul, by the wisdom of the spirit of Yahweh and Jesus, recognized these infiltrating curs, these counterfeit brethren, and refused to hand over, to relinquish to them, the holy Gospel of Christ, thereby denying them the opportunity to abuse, supplant, annul the Gospel of Christ. He prevented their trampling of the Gospel and their tearing of the authority of Jesus the Messiah from His appointed, commissioned Apostles and judges, even preventing their covenantal devouring of the faithful ones belonging to Yahweh and His Messiah, His Only-Begotten Son. In his Letter to the Philippians, Paul refers to those enemies within using the same word as Jesus, “Beware of curs, beware of evil workers. Beware of the maimcision [the mutilators], for we are the circumcision who are offering divine service in the spirit of God [Yahweh], and are glorying in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in flesh [the Sinatic Covenant, but not the essential Law of Moses as expounded by Jesus the Messiah]” (Phil. 3:2-3 CV).
The curs are circumcised Jews within the new community of Jesus the Messiah (His Ecclesia) who disguise themselves as believers in Jesus. They infiltrate the ranks of the faithful ones. They mischievously attempt to thwart the construction of the new spiritual House of Yahweh, the Temple and City not made with hands, the new Israel of Yahweh bound covenantally to Yahweh and Jesus His Messiah by the newly established, contracted Davidic Covenant consecrated, dedicated, sealed with the blood of Jesus the Messiah. Their ultimate goal is the demolition of what to them is a covenantal abomination. They are spies seeking the information necessary to overthrow this new, blasphemous sect in the midst of their holy nation, or seeking, through the input of false teaching, deceptive advice, and peer-pressure from prestigiously educated men of conventional repute, the internal breakdown, collapse, disintegration of this social and religious cancer.
These curs, the maimcision, the mutilators of the New Davidic Covenant, operate in association with the swine, those circumcised Jews who stand firmly outside the new sect, poised in battle array, ready to strike the enemy camp whenever and wherever it is advantageous. The curs and the swine have a common genealogical father. Both are metaphorically spiritual sons of Cain the wicked or malignant one. Both receive their orders from The Adversary, Satan, the chief commander directing the antagonistic forces of the apostate nation.
Thus, the swine represent the apostate rulers and teachers of
the
The current eschatological crisis of
When Solomon was anointed king, Yahweh praised and honored him
as a result of his requesting and seeking the wisdom of Yahweh he would need if
he were to rule over
In
As a result of this request, “God gave Solomon wisdom and understanding exceeding much, and largeness of heart, even as the sand that is on the sea shore. . . . and his fame was in all nations round about” (1 Kings 4:29-31 KJV).
The judges of the newly inaugurated
Request and it shall be given you. Seek and you shall find. Knock and it shall be opened to you. For everyone who is requesting is obtaining, and who is seeking is finding, and to him who is knocking it shall be opened. (Matthew 7:7-8 CV)
The judges of Jesus are to be continually requesting and seeking the wisdom of Yahweh in order to guide the people of Yahweh in the Way, the Truth, and the Life which would fulfill all things promised by Yahweh in the Law and the Prophets. Their generation is to be the faithful generation. Their nation is to become the righteous nation which will successfully carry out the original intention of Yahweh for His elect nation:
Now therefore, if ye will obey my voice indeed, and keep my covenant, then ye shall be a peculiar treasure unto me above all people: for all the earth is mine: and ye shall be unto me a kingdom of priests, and an holy nation. (Exodus 19:5-6a KJV)
The Apostle Peter testifies to this reality: “ye also, as lively [living] stones, are built up a spiritual house, an holy priesthood, . . . But ye are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, an holy nation, a peculiar people” (1 Pe. 2:5a, 9a KJV). The Apostle John also confirms this reality: “To Him Who is loving us and looses us from our sins by His blood and makes us a kingdom and priests to His God and Father, . . .” (Rev. 1:5b-6a CV).
After His resurrection, Jesus ascends to the right hand of Yahweh where He is seated on the throne of David, thus inaugurating His kingdom: a spiritual House, a holy nation, a royal priesthood, a chosen generation, a peculiar people. The twelve Judges seated upon the twelve thrones of the Supreme Court of this holy nation (as well as the judges serving in the lower courts) are serving under the call of Yahweh and the appointment of His elect and beloved Warrior-King, Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Yahweh. They, thus, serve under the charge of Yahweh Who is covenantally obligated to meet their needs necessary to accomplish successfully their orders as Judges and Royal-Warriors.
What is their obligation?! They are to continually make their requests known to their High Commander and Warrior-King! They are to be actively seeking the wisdom and understanding of Yahweh. They are to be actively requesting through prayer the needs unfolding in the course of their daily supervision over the evolving supreme issues of the nation and the needs developing in the spiritual warfare being conducted against the enemies of Yahweh and Jesus. The enemies are those Jews committed to Apostate Israel whose High Commander is The Adversary, Satan, directing spiritually the decisions and maneuvers of the apostate Israel of flesh led by the current Chief Priest, the past chief priests, the priests, the rulers and teachers (all together represented in the convening of the Sanhedrin).
Jesus reminds His Judges and faithful disciples that Yahweh
cannot and does not fail to meet legitimate incoming requests. James, writing
to the twelve tribes in the dispersion, confirms this, “Now if anyone of you is lacking wisdom, let him be requesting it from
God, Who is giving to all generously and is not reproaching, and it shall be
given to him” (James 1:5 CV). Even the common man among them will be
provided the legitimate, essential needs of life requested by a son (Matt.
7:9-10). If the men of Israel (including His disciples), being covenantally
malignant, know how to give good (essential) gifts to their children, how much
more shall Yahweh their Elohim and their Father Who is directly concerned with
the affairs related to the newly inaugurated Davidic Covenant and Kingdom (“Your Father Who is in the heavens”) be
giving the essentials of covenantal life and warfare to His sons making request
(James 1:6). Because Yahweh faithfully meets all legitimate and essential
requests made by His sons (legitimate and essential being the elementary needs
for food, drink, clothes, and shelter; and the covenantal needs associated with
the fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets: wisdom, understanding, the fruit
of the spirit), Jesus concludes, “All,
then, whatever you should be wanting that men [of Israel] should be doing to you, thus you, also, be
doing to them, for this is the law and the prophets” (Matt.
Jesus’ judges and faithful disciples are to do what is right
in the eyes of Yahweh simply because it is the right thing to do in the eyes of
Yahweh. If that means suffering and persecution on account of performing the
righteousness of Yahweh, so be it! The time is short. The
In order to fulfill the Law and the Prophets, one must endure
to the end the suffering and persecution on account of the righteousness
associated with the
Jesus, thus, encourages His Judges and faithful disciples to enter THE CRAMPED GATE (see Structure 22).
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a) Enter
Through THE CRAMPED GATE |
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b)
For BROAD is The Gate and SPACIOUS is the Way |
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c) Which is
Leading Away |
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d) Into THE DESTRUCTION, |
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e) and MANY
are Those Entering Through It. |
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a) [Enter
Through THE CRAMPED GATE], (by ellipsis) |
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b)
yet what A CRAMPED GATE AND NARROWED WAY |
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c) is THE
ONE LEADING AWAY |
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d) Into THE LIFE, |
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e) And FEW
are THOSE Who Are FINDING IT. |
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(Return to List of Structures)
The cramped gate through which His disciples are encouraged to
pass is the gate one must go through in order to enter the
The way leading to the gate through which one entered into the
Now may it not be mine to be boasting [glorying], except in the cross of our Lord Jesus Christ, through which a world [the world-order of Adam and Moses] has been crucified to me, and I to a world [the world-order of Adam and Moses]. (Galatians 6:14 CV modified)
Those disciples faithful to the end, those disciples enduring
the hardships to the end, reaching the cramped gate will be admitted through
this gate, thus entering into the
For this we are saying to you by the word of the Lord, that we, the living, who are surviving to the presence [Parousia] of the Lord, should by no means outstrip those who are put to repose [physically dead], . . . So that, console one another with these words. (1 Thessalonians 4:15, 18 CV)
Those enduring the sufferings on account of the cross of
Christ while faithfully traveling along the narrow way of the Gospel, having
arrived at the cramped gate will be meeting all those having faithfully
traveled along that way to their death. This gate leading to the
Though Jesus encourages His Judges and disciples to enter
through the Cramped Gate, He also
warns them about the Broad Gate and
the
The strategies of the enemies of the cross of Christ should
not be taken lightly. These strategies, these counter-arguments, counter-gospels,
counter-teachings, counter-practices would be potent, necessitating thorough
and competent training in the deep things of the Gospel of Christ. The
treasures hidden in Jesus the Messiah must be accessed and practically applied
in this spiritual warfare against the enemies of Yahweh and Jesus. This warfare
would demand strength of heart, strength of mind, strength of soul. It would
demand the expenditure of one’s entire life. Faithfulness to Jesus the Messiah
to the end would demand the endurance of extreme spiritual, social, and
religious affliction; for some, even extreme political and economic affliction.
Jesus would remind those who were inclined to follow Him to count the cost (see
Lk.
The way of the apostate nation and its apostate rulers and teachers is spacious. It allows much room for the practicing of doctrines alien to the Law of Yahweh. It allows much room for the numerous behavior patterns which contradict the conduct required by the Law and the Prophets. It allows much room for the unrighteousness of men who oppose the righteousness of the Law of Moses. Thus, it is spaciously conducive to the many who seek what is right in their own eyes. It is a comfortable, secure super-highway allowing ample space for swift movement as one travels along it towards the Broad Gate providing smooth, comfortable, pleasurable passage into the covenantal destruction which awaits all those passing through it.
This Broad Gate
represents the Sinatic Covenant broken from the beginning. The destruction
awaiting those who place their confidence and trust in it is the execution of
the covenantal verdict of death pronounced upon it by Yahweh at
In comparison to the many entering through this Broad Gate, those entering through the Cramped Gate of the New Davidic Covenant are depicted as few, though in reality, according to the testimony of the Book of Acts, their actual number is great. The Israel of Yahweh boasted, gloried in a citizenship of numerous thousands. Yahweh was the Elohim of and Jesus was the Savior-King of a vast multitude of the sons of righteous Abel and faithful Abraham who have long ago (70 a.d.) entered into their Celestial Allotment.
However, as it is possible for one to cross over from the way of the cross to the way of the apostate nation, so also it is possible, through repentance, to return to Yahweh, believing into Jesus the Messiah. This would mean leaving the way of the Sinatic Covenant to begin a New Covenantal walk along the narrow way of the Gospel of Christ, the way of the cross of Christ, the way of the superexceeding righteousness of the Law and the Prophets, the way of the salvation of Israel, the way of the New Davidic Covenant of Jesus the Messiah, the Son of David, the way of great cost, the way of the Kingdom of Yahweh. This would be in accord with the testimony of the Law and the Prophets as represented by the word of Yahweh given to Ezekiel:
When a righteous man turneth away from his righteousness, and committeth iniquity, and dieth in them; for his iniquity that he hath done shall he die. Again, when the wicked man turneth away from his wickedness that he hath committed, and doeth that which is lawful and right, he shall save his soul alive. Because he considereth, and turneth away from all his transgressions that he hath committed, he shall surely live, he shall not die. (Ezekiel 18:26-28 KJV)
This principle would apply to those within the Ecclesia of Christ, who, turning from the truth of the Gospel, return to the teaching of the traditions and commandments of the apostate men of apostate Israel, thus, coming under the judgment of Hebrews 10:28-31:
Anyone repudiating Moses’ law is dying without pity on the testimony of two or three witnesses. Of how much worse punishment, are you supposing, will he be counted worthy who tramples on the Son of God, and deems the blood of the covenant [the New Covenant] by which he is hallowed contaminating, and outrages the spirit of grace? For we are acquainted with Him Who is saying, Mine is vengeance! I will repay! the Lord is saying, and again, “The Lord will be judging His people.” Fearful is it to be falling [under these conditions] into the hands of the living God! (CV)
These traitors are guilty of “crucifying for themselves the Son of God again and holding Him up to infamy” (Heb. 6:6b CV).
However, the testimony of Ezekiel would also hold true for
those who, while blind, opposed Jesus the Messiah, but after having their eyes
opened by Yahweh turned from their sins, believing into Jesus the Messiah and
walking along the narrow way leading to the
Jesus now warns His Judges and disciples about the false
prophets who would infiltrate their ranks, deceptively seeking to divert the
feet of the sheep (the disciples) from walking along the narrow way of the
Gospel to walking along the spacious way of the traditions and commandments of
the men. This spacious way stands the Sinatic Covenant containing the Law of
Moses in an improper, unauthorized place in the eyes of Yahweh. This
misplacement amounts to mixing the wine (the covenantal nourishment) of the
Sinatic Covenant with the wine (the covenantal nourishment) of the New Davidic
Covenant of Jesus the Messiah (Matt.
Demanding the circumcision of the nations would be an example of this mixing of the wines and bursting of the Sinatic skins. Under the Sinatic Covenant, covenantal citizenship required circumcision for both an Israelite and an individual from among the nations. Under the New Davidic Covenant, covenantal citizenship would require circumcision of the Israelite but not of an individual from among the nations. Under the Sinatic Covenant, covenantal citizenship required all citizens to follow Yahweh’s judgments concerning various offerings, His judgments concerning sacrifice for sin and guilt, His judgments concerning cleansing rituals, and the statutes concerning holy days and festivals. Under the New Davidic Covenant, covenantal citizenship would not require any of these laws either for the circumcised or uncircumcised faithful one. But these laws would be kept by the circumcised faithful ones in honor of the still standing and functioning Sinatic Covenant. The Sinatic Covenant would be given the honor befitting an old, venerable, holy man of Yahweh. The Sinatic Covenant would be revered, respected, honored by the circumcised faithful ones through the fulfillment of all that was required by the Law and the Prophets.
This faithful fulfillment of the Law and the Prophets would be
done as a loving testimony to the glory of Yahweh their Father. For Yahweh had
declared that His holy nation, His holy people would be faithful to the Law and
the Prophets. The uncircumcised faithful ones would honor and respect the
Sinatic Covenant by obeying its laws concerning those individuals from among
the nations living in the midst of
Under the Sinatic Covenant, covenantal citizenship prohibited mixed marriages and mixed table-fellowship. Under the New Davidic Covenant, covenantal citizenship would permit mixed marriages and mixed table-fellowship with uncircumcised faithful ones, for, “What God cleanses, do not you count contaminating!” (Acts 10:15b CV). In this way, the Sinatic Covenant was to be stood in its proper place as determined by Yahweh. In this way, the Sinatic Covenant containing the Law of Moses was to be kept, honored, respected, venerated in its old age, the last days of its eonian-long life. In this way, the skins and wine of the old Sinatic Covenant would be preserved together with the skins and wine of the New Davidic Covenant, each complementing the other to the glory of Yahweh and His Anointed Son, His Only-Begotten Son.
Thus, the circumcised faithful ones would practice the laws of the Sinatic Covenant even though no longer under that covenant for covenantal citizenship in the people of Yahweh. No longer would the faithful ones be under the Law of Moses, the heart of the Sinatic Covenant, rather they would be under the Law of Christ, the heart of the New Davidic Covenant. Instead of being under the law of the Sinatic Covenant, they would be in the sphere of its interest (see Rom. 3:19 NGEINT; Gal. 3:11, 23; 4:21-31; 5:18). They would be standing along side it as righteous sons in Christ.
Instead of being unrighteous slaves of the Sin of Adam,
serving Yahweh under the law of the Sinatic Covenant, they would be righteous,
justified sons of the Righteous Act (obedient
unto death) of Jesus the Messiah, serving Yahweh under the grace of the New
Davidic Covenant. Instead of being children, minors, serving Yahweh under the
tutoring of the law of the Sinatic Covenant, they would become full-fledged Sons, manifesting the character of
Yahweh their Father as Adult Sons no
longer needing the tutors of childhood (Gal. 4:1-7). For they will have learned
of their Father’s ways, having the Father’s ways (His wisdom, knowledge, and
love) written on their hearts and programmed in their minds (
The false prophets, on the other hand, would be disguised as
sheep (Matt.
How shall they be recognized, detected? Jesus reveals, “From their fruits you shall be recognizing
them” (Matt.
The fruit of the Sinatic Covenant should have been love, peace, joy, meekness, faithfulness—each bringing glory to Yahweh. In contrast, the fruit yielded by these apostate, false prophets; the fruit of the contaminated, distorted, polluted Sinatic Covenant, contains within it the poison of hatred, severity, intolerance, impatience, unrighteous judgment (partiality), enmity, resentment, pride, rebellion—each bringing shame to Yahweh. These false prophets on the surface appear to be faithful ones, disciples of Jesus, but behind the outward apparel lurk their actual attitudes, motives, characteristics. The Judges of Jesus must not naively judge according to the outward, surface appearance. They must wisely penetrate through the outward surface to diagnose the poisonous content (the attitudes, motives, characteristics) of the counterfeit, outward appearance of the fruit of those contaminated, distorted, polluted grapevines and fig trees (see Acts 20:28-32). Careful observation will detect the corrupt, false teachings of the unnatural, outward thorns and thistles. The actual attitudes and characteristics (fruits, counterfeit grapes and figs) of these false prophets will be detectable in the projected or deduced consequences of their teaching, their recommendations, and their deeds.
Such consequences will ultimately demonstrate the nature of the tree. Jesus now turns to the analogy of the two types of trees (see Structure 23).
Thus
Every GOOD [skillful] TREE
IDEAL FRUIT is PRODUCING,
yet The
ROTTEN TREE
NOXIOUS FRUIT is PRODUCING.
A GOOD
[skillful] TREE
CAN NOT BEAR NOXIOUS FRUIT,
neither
is a ROTTEN TREE
PRODUCING IDEAL FRUIT.
Every
Tree
Not producing ideal fruit
Is HEWN DOWN and
CAST INTO A FIRE.
(Return to List of Structures)
The teaching, the deeds, the behavior of these false prophets will reveal their actual identity. There are only two possible trees under these eschatological circumstances. The Good or skillful tree is that tree which produces the ideal or intended fruit of the Sinatic Covenant as designed by Yahweh, the composer of the Sinatic Covenant. Such ideal, skillful fruit will be produced by those trees rooted in the ground of the New Davidic Covenant.
The fruit is good or skillful because it is a manifestation of the requirements of the Law and the Prophets; it is a manifestation of the righteousness superexceeding that of the Pharisees and scribes; it is a manifestation of authentic obedience to the Sinatic Covenant. The fruit of the Good tree is the fruit of the spirit. It is the fruit manifesting the healthiness of the tree rooted in the ground of the New Davidic Covenant.
The Rotten tree is
that tree which produces the noxious or poisonous fruit of the distorted,
contaminated, polluted Sinatic Covenant. This tree is covenantally diseased. It
produces the fruit of the glory of men rather than the fruit of the glory of
Yahweh. It is rooted in the ground of the traditions and commandments of the
men of the apostate nation. Its fruit is poisonous to the faithful ones rooted
in the ground of the New Davidic Covenant. Its fruit is poisonous because it is
a manifestation of the requirements of a contaminated Sinatic Covenant; it is a
manifestation of the righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes; it is a
manifestation of a hypocritical obedience to the Sinatic Covenant. The fruit of
the Rotten tree is of the flesh. It
is the fruit manifesting the unrighteousness of the tree rooted in the ground
of the polluted, defiled Sinatic Covenant (the traditions and commandments of
the apostate men of
The Good tree represents the faithful son of Yahweh who would be identified with the death and resurrection of Jesus the Messiah. The Rotten tree represents the rebellious son of The Adversary identified with the rebellious heart and murderous deed of Cain the malignant one. The Good tree (the faithful disciple of Jesus the Messiah) cannot yield or produce covenantally poisonous fruit. The Rotten tree (the son of Cain disguised as a disciple of Jesus) cannot yield or produce covenantally ideal, nutritious fruit. Every tree not producing covenantally nutritious fruit (the sons of Cain, apostate Israelites/Jews) is to be cut down and cast into the covenantal fire of Gehenna, the judgment of the Second Death, the termination of the Sinatic Covenant, as previously announced by John the Baptist,
Progeny of vipers! Who intimates to you to be fleeing from the impending indignation? Produce, then, fruit worthy of repentance. And you should not be presuming to be saying among yourselves, “For a father we have Abraham,” for I am saying to you that able is God [Yahweh], out of these stones to rouse children to Abraham. Yet already the ax is lying at the root of the trees. Every tree, then, which is not producing ideal fruit is hewn down and cast into the fire. (Matthew 3:7b-10 CV)
Contained in the proclamation of the Baptist is a concrete example of the poisonous fruit of an apostate Israelite, one who is in danger of being cast into the fire of Yahweh’s judgment. John warns the hypocritical vipers of the poisonous pride of presumptuous confidence in one’s genealogical relationship to Abraham. Such an understanding of what the Law and the Prophets mean when referring to the children of Abraham is a distortion of the commandments and traditions of Yahweh. The children of Abraham are those who practice and manifest the faithfulness of Abraham in response to the voice of Yahweh.
Biological descendancy from Abraham through Isaac and Jacob
does not guarantee that Yahweh will count one a child of Abraham: “not all those out of
Jesus concludes this section of His proclamation by repeating the importance of recognizing the two types of trees and the two types of fruit.
Consequently, from their fruits you shall surely be recognizing them. (Matthew 7:20 CV)
His Judges and disciples are to take heed. They are to be constantly alert to the possible infiltration of false prophets. They must be carefully, diligently scouting out the signs of the rotten tree. They must faithfully observe, inspect each tree, searching for the outward signs (thorns and thistles) identifying the uncircumcised heart hidden behind a person’s words and apparent deeds. The thorns and thistles refer to unconcealed, false, distorted teaching.
Peter and Barnabas in
If the judges and disciples of Jesus are to remain the salt of
the
The New Davidic Covenant supersedes the Sinatic Covenant, fulfilling it in the process. The Law of Christ supersedes the Law of Moses, raising it beyond the weak realm of the bondage of Adam’s sin to the transcendent powerful realm of the freedom of Christ’s superior act of obedience (see Rom. 8:1-4 my translation, see chapter 24 of this literary journey). The Law of Christ raises worship of Yahweh from the realm of the elements of the world-order to the realm of spirit and truth, thus transcending religious, cultic worship of Yahweh through the elements (earth, fire, water, air) of the world-order: tabernacles, altars, temples, arks, scrolls; burnt offerings; drink offerings, blood sprinkling, water cleansings; scent offerings rising through the air to Yahweh’s nostrils (see Gal. 4:1-4).
If the Judges and disciples of Jesus are to remain the salt of the land of Israel, they are to seek first and foremost the Kingdom of God and its righteousness (Matt. 6:27-34), trusting in Yahweh to provide the necessities of life needed to fulfill their covenantal responsibilities (Matt. 6:25). In practicing the righteousness of Yahweh superexceeding the righteousness of the Pharisees and scribes, they would fulfill the Law and the Prophets, thereby glorifying and honoring Yahweh their Elohim.
If the judges and disciples of Jesus are to remain the salt of the land of Israel, they must remain faithful to the end, responsibly maintaining and honoring their metaphorical covenantal position in the heavens (Matt. 6:26), manifesting the light of the Gospel of Christ over Israel and the nations. They must remain to the end good, skillful trees, bearing the ideal, nutritious fruit of the newly consecrated Davidic Covenant of Jesus the Anointed Son of Yahweh and David (Matt. 7:15-20).
Remaining faithful to the end demands diligent alertness in the identification and acknowledgment of the rotten trees of false prophets and teachers (Matt. 7:15-16, 20). Such prophets and teachers are to be exposed, thereby protecting the sheep from the deception which would turn the sheep from the narrow way leading to the cramped gate through which they would enter the Kingdom of Yahweh to the spacious way leading to the broad gate through which they would enter the fiery judgment of Yahweh (Matt. 7:13-14).
In order to fulfill faithfully their covenantal obligations during the eschatological spiritual warfare of their generation, they are to continually request of Yahweh the wisdom making them wise as serpents and harmless as doves (Matt. 7:7-12; 10:16). Thus, they must persistently seek and knock after wisdom. According to James, Yahweh gives such wisdom generously without reproach (James 1:5 CV). But one must sincerely, genuinely seek and knock for such wisdom with persistence, thereby revealing it to be a treasured desire of one’s heart.
Jesus is aware of these false brethren who will be participating in the powers of the age to come (see Heb. 6:4-8), yet falling away when confronted with reproach and persecution on account of His kingdom and the righteousness associated with it. Jesus declares to His Judges and disciples,
Not everyone saying to Me “Lord! Lord!” will be entering into the kingdom of the heavens, but he who is doing the will of My Father Who is in [the interest of] the heavens. (Matthew 7:21 CV)
Merely confessing Jesus and participating in the power
unleashed by the spirit does not guarantee one’s entrance into the
Lord! Lord! Was it not in Your name that we prophesied, and in Your name cast out demons, and in Your name did many powerful deeds? (Matthew 7:22 CV modified)
But they will be rejected by Jesus. He will answer them,
I never knew you! Depart from Me, workers of lawlessness! (Matthew 7:23 CV)
In the literary structure of this Emancipation Proclamation of Jesus, this section (Matt. 7:21-23) corresponds to Matthew 5:11-12 (see Appendix 4, d. 5:11-7:23, c1 and c2):
Happy [Honorable] are you [plural, the disciples] whenever they should be reproaching and persecuting you and, falsifying, saying every wicked thing against you, on My account. Rejoice and exult, for your wages are vast in [the interest of] the heavens. For thus they persecuted the prophets before you. (CV)
Those denied by Jesus are those refusing to suffer the reproach and persecution associated with Him. They rejoice and pride themselves in the work they perform through the power of the spirit of Christ. But when faced with the reproach and persecution which follows such work, they turn back to the Sinatic Covenant as distorted and contaminated by the traditions and commandments of the men, mixing the two covenants, attempting to simultaneously serve two masters, Yahweh and The Adversary, Christ and Moses, in order to avoid suffering on behalf of the cross of Christ.
As a result, Jesus calls them workers of lawlessness. They are apostate disciples whose hearts
are uncircumcised. They are exposed by Jesus as rebellious sons of Cain the
malignant one. They worship and serve Yahweh with their lips and with the
prestigious works of the spirit of Yahweh, but not with their heart. They are Rotten Trees producing the poisonous
fruit of lawlessness. As they deny Jesus when confronted by reproach and
persecution, so also Jesus denies them when they appeal to Him for entrance
into the
I never knew you! Depart from Me, workers of lawlessness! (Matthew 7:23b CV)
They never had belonged to Him. From the beginning of their commitment to Jesus, they had been hypocrites. They had been children of The Adversary, children of rebellious Cain, who mixed Yahweh’s will with their own, accepting and rejecting according to that which was right in their own eyes. As the writer of Hebrews declares,
For it is impossible for those once enlightened, besides tasting the celestial gratuity and becoming partakers of holy spirit, and tasting the ideal declaration of God, besides the powerful deeds of the impending eon, and falling aside, to be renewing them again to repentance while crucifying for themselves the Son of God again and holding Him up to infamy. For land which is drinking the shower coming often on it, and bringing forth herbage fit for those because of whom it is being farmed also, is partaking of blessing from God; yet, bringing forth thorns and star thistles, it is disqualified and near a curse, whose consummation is burning. (Hebrews 6:4-8 CV)
Having made clear that not all those claiming discipleship
will enter the
The Parable of the House Upon the Rock and the House Upon the Sand, the concluding parable (Matt. 7:24-27), corresponds structurally with the characteristics of the people of the New Davidic Kingdom presented in Matthew 5:3-10 (see Appendix 2), thus forming a very appropriate literary closure of His Emancipation Proclamation. The literary structure (Structure 24) is as follows:
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A1
5:1-2 Introduction—the setting: the mountain, throngs, disciples |
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B
5:3-7:27 The Teaching: Proclamation of Emancipation |
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c1 5:3-10 The people of the new Kingdom:
Characteristics |
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d
5:11-7:23 The emancipated Judges and disciples of the new Kingdom: |
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c2
7:24-27 The people of the new and old Kingdoms: Works |
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A2
7:28-29 Conclusion—the setting: the mountain, throngs, disciples |
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(Return to List of Structures)
The Parable of the House Upon the Rock and the House Upon the Sand vividly clarifies the two possible choices remaining for all Israelites during the last days of the Mosaic Eon. The day of Yahweh’s visitation has begun. The day of salvation has arrived. The choice is salvation (emancipation) or judgment (covenantal death). The acceptable year of Yahweh spoken of by Isaiah has arrived, even as Jesus testifies when, after reading from Isaiah 61:1-2a in the synagogue of Nazareth, He declares, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your ears” (Lk. 4:21b CV).
The parable is thus a crucial warning to both His disciples
sitting around Him and the throng hearing at a distance His instruction.
Yahweh’s nation,
This contemporary generation of Jesus is to be the final generation of the Mosaic Eon, the final generation under the Sinatic Covenant. This specific generation would experience the final prophetic harvest, the final covenantal fulfillment of the holy festivals of Israel: Passover/Unleavened Bread (Death, Resurrection, Ascension of Jesus); Pentecost/Firstfruits (pouring out of the spirit of Yahweh); Trumpets (final war between the Israel of Yahweh and the apostate nation, a.d. 66-70, Jewish revolt, the Book of Revelation); Propitiatory-Shelter or Atonement (Parousia of Christ as High Priest departing the Holy of Holies and presenting Himself to His people, assuring them of Yahweh’s acceptance of His sacrifice; Rom. 11:26-27: all Israel shall be saved, arriving out of Zion shall be the Rescuer; the conclusion [sunteleia] of the eon, Matt. 13:36-42); Tabernacles (the final harvest, entrance into the Celestial Allotment, Jn. 14:1-4; the consummation, end [telos] of the eon, Matt. 24:14).
The parable is a foreshadowing of civil war, covenantal war, a
nation against a nation, a kingdom against a kingdom (Matt. 24:7-8). The
proclamation of the Gospel of the
According to the parable, the faithful Jews are
likened to a prudent man who builds his house on the rock. And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blow and they lunge at that house, and it does not fall, for it had been founded on the rock. (Matthew 7:24b-25 CV)
The prudent man (individual Israelites, Messianic Jews;
collective
The prudent Jewish Israelite faithfully endures to the end the reproach and persecution on account of Jesus. He weathers the storm of covenantal battle as a valiant warrior under the command of his Majestic Warrior-King, Jesus the Messiah, the Son of the warrior-king David, the Son of the Warrior-Elohim, Yahweh. He follows Jesus his lionhearted Warrior-King (the Lion of the House of Judah) courageously into battle against the enemy nation, the enemy kingdom which is in rebellion against the One Living Elohim of Israel, Yahweh, the Elohim of Abraham, Isaac, Jacob, Joseph, David, and Jesus the Only-Begotten Anointed Son of Yahweh (see Rev. 19:11-16).
Following his Warrior-King, he takes up the sword of the
spirit (the word of Yahweh and Jesus, the word of the Gospel of Christ: Eph.
The rock, of course, refers to Yahweh represented by His Son
commissioned as The Word made flesh.
Moses referred to Yahweh as The Rock:
“For the name of Yahweh am I proclaiming:
Grant greatness to our Elohim! The Rock—flawless is His contrivance, For all
his ways are righteous judgment. The El of faithfulness and without iniquity; Just
and upright is He” (Deut. 32:3-4 CV). Speaking prophetically of
Those who rebelliously reject the teaching of Jesus, refusing to hear and do that which Jesus proclaims and teaches, represent the contemporary Yeshurun of Moses’ prophetic pronouncement. By rejecting Jesus, they reject Yahweh and disgrace the Rock of their salvation, bringing upon themselves covenantal destruction. Rejecting Yahweh’s contrivance (Deut. 32:4a CV), His contrived Way of salvation; they choose their own contrivance, the tradition and commandments of men, thus meriting Yahweh’s alternate contrivance, His way of judgment, the fires of Gehenna (metaphorically), the Second Death (covenantally), the destruction of Jerusalem and the fiery conflagration of the Temple in 70 a.d. (literal/historical).
According to the parable, these defiled Israelites are
likened to a stupid [moronic] man who builds his house on sand. And the rain descended, and the rivers came, and the winds blow and they dash against that house, and it falls: and the fall of it was great. (Matthew 7:26b-27 CV)
The stupid or moronic man (individual apostate Jews,
collective apostate
This parable depicts both the house (covenantal life) of the
individual Israelite as well as the house (covenantal life) of corporate
This prophetic announcement is apocalyptically echoed by the celestial messenger of Revelation, chapter 18,
It falls! It falls!
Thus, the Emancipation Proclamation of Jesus is an announcement of national crisis. It is an announcement of necessary, inevitable eschatological decision. The ax has already been laid at the root of the rotten trees. The time for repentance is short. The civil and covenantal war is close at hand. The Judges and disciples of Jesus must make proper preparation as warrior-saints in the army of the divinely appointed Davidic King, Jesus the Anointed One of Yahweh. The choice is clear: either swear allegiance to Yahweh’s appointed King, Jesus the Messiah, or come under the great and final judgment of Yahweh the Elohim of Israel.
Here is no ordinary rabbi! Here is no ordinary prophet! Here is one Who teaches and acts as one having the ear of Yahweh! Here is one in Whose mouth Yahweh places His words! Here is THE ONE greater than Moses! For as Jesus finishes His proclamation of emancipation, “the throngs were astonished at His teaching, for He was teaching them as One having authority, and not as their scribes” (Matt. 7:28b‑29 CV).