Tag: Warning About Leaders

Yeshua’s Extensive Tour throughout Galil ~ Part 24

Our last post looked at The Faith of a Woman from Kena’an. This post explores the P’rushim Ask for a Sign, Warning About Leaders, and the Yeshua Heals a Blind Man Near Beit-Tzaidah.

P’rushin Ask for a Sign

¹ Then some P’rushim (Pharisees) and Tz’dukim (Sadducees) came to trap Yeshua by asking Him to show them a miraculous sign from Heaven.

Sign from Heaven. A triple wordplay: (1) the appearance of the sky (Heaven), which foretells the weather; (2) a sign from God (Heaven); and (3) “signs of the times” (v. 3), where “times” evokes both weather seasons and where we stand in the flow of history.

² But His response was, “When it is evening, you say, ‘Fair weather ahead,’ because the sky is red; ³ and in the morning you say, ‘Storm today!’ because the sky is red and overcast. You know how to read the appearance of the sky, but you can’t read the signs of the times! ⁴ A wicked and adulterous generation is asking for a sign? It will certainly not be given a sign – except the sign of Yonah! (Jonah)“ With that, He left them and went off. ^[1]

Warning About Leaders

⁵ The talmidim, in crossing to the other side of the lake, had forgotten to bring any bread. ⁶ So when Yeshua said to them, “Watch out! Guard yourselves against the hametz (leaven: usually a symbol of sin) of the P’rushim and Tz’dukim,” ⁷ they thought He said it because they hadn’t brought bread. ⁸ But Yeshua, aware of this, said, “Such little trust you have! Why are you talking with each other about not having bread?”

Alfred Edersheim, a nineteenth-century Hebrew Christian scholar, suggests that the talmidim thought Yeshua believed they had not brought bread to have Him do another bread-making miracle. This would have been the similar sign-fishing the P’rushim and Tz’dukim had been doing and would have been an indication of their having little trust. ^[2]

⁹ Don’t you understand yet? Don’t you remember the five loaves of the five thousand and how many baskets you filled? ¹⁰ Or the seven loaves of the four thousand and how many baskets you filled? ¹¹ How can you possibly think I was talking to you about bread? Guard yourselves from the hametz of the P’rushim and Tz’dukim!” ¹² Then they understood – they were to guard themselves not from yeast for bread but from the teaching of the P’rushim and Tz’dukim. ^[3]

Yeshua Heals a Blind Man Near Beit-Tzaidah

²² They came to Beit-Tzaidah. Some people brought Him a blind man and begged Yeshua to touch him. ²³ Taking the blind man’s hand, He led him outside the town. He spit in his eyes, put his hands on him, and asked him, “Do you see anything?“ ²⁴ He looked up and said, “I see people, but they look like walking trees.” ²⁵ Then, he put his hands on the blind man’s eyes again. He peered intently, and his eyesight was restored so that he could see everything distinctly. ²⁶ Yeshua sent him home with the words, “Don’t go into town.” ^[4]

This post concludes our examination of Yeshua’s Extensive Ministry Throughout the Galil. In our next post, we will begin to examine Yeshua’s Preparation of the Emissaries for the End.

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^[1] Mattitayahu 16:1–4 (see also Mark 8:11-13).
^[2] David H. Stern, Jewish New Testament Commentary.
^[3] Mattitayahu 16:5–12(see also Mark 8:14-21).
^[4] Mark 8:22–26.