Origins of the Gospels
LUKE 1
1. Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled among us,
2. just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word.
3. Therefore, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, it seemed good also to me to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus,
4. so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Vs. 1,2: It has been taught for a long time that Mark wrote his Gospel first, and Matthew and Luke copied from him and an earlier writing called “Q” (Quelle). Most Hebrew scholars now believe that Luke wrote his Gospel first. The eyewitnesses that he drew from were the disciples of Yeshua and the women that followed Him, especially Miriam, the mother of the Lord. It is a very real possibility that the earlier writing called “Q” was in fact the Hebrew Gospel of Matthew mentioned by the early church fathers such as Jerome (19 times in his writings).

Vs. 3,4: The name “Theophilus” means a “person loved by God.” Evidently Luke saw some significance in this as both his writings (Luke and Acts) embrace the message that the whole world, including the Gentiles, is loved by God.

There are at least three possibilities for the use of this name. First, it may very well have been generic, since Luke is writing to Jew and Gentile alike. Hebraically, it could have been a way to address his writing to everyone, and yet no one in particular. Using a part to symbolize the whole is known as a “hyperbole” and is very common in the Hebrew language.

Secondly, he may have had in mind some well known member of either Jewish or Roman society. The use of the adjective “your excellency” suggests this. It seems that possibly this man possessed an initial interest in the Gospel and that he was in need of being steered away from some misconceptions of the faith that he entertained.

The third possibility is a man with the Hebrew name of Yedidiah, which is translated in Greek “Theophilus.” Yedidiah was High Priest in Jerusalem from 37 to 41 C.E. The son of Hanan, the son of Seth, he was appointed by Vitellius, the Roman governor of Syria, in place of his brother Jonathan. He served in that office until removed by King Agrippa I. Mattathias, the son of Theophilus, was High Priest when the war against Rome broke out in 66 C.E. His position as High Priest could certainly justify the use of the term “your excellency.” Since most learned Judeo-Christian scholars today believe that the Gospels were written prior to the destruction of the Temple in 70 C.E., it is very possible that Luke is writing to this individual.

The Greek writers used a pieced-together text for their translations. Realizing this, other Greek writers came along and tried to put the fragments in some kind of order. These rearranged fragments are our Matthew, Mark and Luke Gospels of today. Each tells the same basic story, but in a different way and manner. It is the first four verses of Luke that tell us of this rearranging process that was taking place.

The Greek word used here for “order” means chronological order. Luke is the only Gospel writer that claims to put the life of the Messiah in true chronological order. The other Gospel writers were not that concerned about the chronological sequence of events. But, Luke is very much concerned with history, and so he is concerned with putting the life of Yeshua in chronological order. As we shall see later on, there are some possible problems with Luke’ chronological sequence also.

The Logos
JOHN1. In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.
2. He was with God in the Beginning.
3. Through Him all things were made; and without Him nothing was made that was made.
4. In Him was life, and that life was the light of men.
5. The light shines in the darkness, but the darkness has not understood it.
6. There came a man who was sent from God; his name was Yochanan.
7. He came as a witness to testify concerning the light, so that through him all men might believe.
8. He himself was not that light; he came only as a witness to the light.
9. The true light that gives light to every man was coming into the world.
10. He was in the world, and though the world was made through Him, the world did not recognize Him.
11. He came to that which was His own, but His own did not receive Him.
12. Yet to all who received Him, to those who believed in His name, He gave the right to become children of God --
13. Children not born of natural descent, or of human decision nor a husband’s will, but of God.
14. The Word became flesh and made His dwelling among us. We have seen His glory, the glory of the One and Only who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.
15. Yochanan testifies concerning Him. He cries out, saying, “This is He of who I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because He was before me.’”
16. From the fullness of His grace we have all received one blessing after another.
17. For the Law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Yeshua the Messiah.
18. For no one has ever seen God, but God the One and Only, who is at the Father’s side, has made Him known.


Introduction

Virtually all commentaries try to claim that Yochanan’s writing on the “Logos” was based on Greek philosophy. The “Logos” in Greek philosophy meant reason and speech. The commentators claim that what Yochanan was saying is that by reason Yeshua was the very idea of God, and by speech He was the very expression of God. These ideas sound good and may even have some merit. But, what they fail to realize is that Yochanan was not a Greek philosopher but a Jewish priest. What he had to say about the “Logos” was not so much about Greek philosophy, but Jewish theology.

While te Greek term behind the idea of “Word” is “Logos,” it is a reflection of a Rabbinic concept known as “Memra.” The Jewish theologians had six things to say about the “Memra” and they are all found in Yochanan’s prologue. What Yochanan is saying is that everything that the Rabbis taught about the “Memra” is true of Yeshua the Messiah.

Vs. 1: The first thing the Rabbis said about the Memra is that sometimes it was the same as God and sometimes distinct from God. Two passages from Isaiah demonstrate this concept: “By myself have I sworn, the Word has gone forth from my mouth in righteousness, it shall not return, that unto me every knee shall bow, every tongue swear” (Isaiah 45:23). “So that my Word be that goes forth from my mouth: it shall not return to me void, but it shall accomplish that which I please, it shall prosper in the thing whereto I sent it” (Isaiah 55:11).

Vs. 2: The “Word” of God is not named as such in Genesis, but it is immediately seen in action: “And God said” (Genesis 1:3,6,9,11,14,20,24,26). God gave man His Word in order to reveal Himself to man; for God and His Word are inseparable. Starting in Genesis and going throughout the Bible, God uses His Word to first create and then reveal to Himself to His creation. This is one of the two primary themes of the entire Bible. The other is His justice and mercy and their part in the salvation of mankind.

We learn in this verse that the Word was not a created being. Rabbinically speaking, if the Word was in the beginning with God, and there is but one God, then the Word is God. This attests to the deity of Yeshua the Messiah, the Incarnate Word. This verse was also used by the early church fathers to contradict a heresy called Arianism. Arius, a fourth century presbyter in Alexandria, Egypt, taught that the “Word,” or Son of God, was not eternal, but rather first of all creatures. The slogan, “There was a time when He (the Word) was not,” expressed Arius’ position in a nutshell. This same doctrine is taught by the Jehovah Witnesses today.

Vs. 3: Secondly, the Rabbis said the Memra was the agent of creation. All that was made was made by the Word. The book of Psalms says, “By the Word of YHVH were the heavens made; and all the host of them by the breath of His mouth” (Psalms 33:6).

Vs. 4,5: Isaiah the prophet wrote: “The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light” (Isaiah 9:1). The Lord said through Malachi, “But to you who hear My name the sun of righteousness will rise with healing in His wings” (Malachi 4:2). Both of these verses have to do with a great light and both are Messianic verses. The “light” used in this particular context in Yochanan is a direct reference to the Messiah.

To add force to this identity , the Jewish people know that light (fire) is one of the central elements of theophany, - a temporary physical manifestation of God to man. At the covenant with Abraham, “a smoking oven and a flaming torch passed between the halves of the animal” (Genesis 15:17). God appeared to Moses from a burning bush (Exod. 3:2). He went before Israel in a pillar of fire to guide them by night (Exod. 13:21,22, 14:24; Num. 9:15,16).

One of the most prominent images associated with the Shekhinah is that of light. All these things serve to remind the Jewish listener of the supernatural characteristics of the “Light.” This is not a reference to ordinary light, but Deity being revealed to mankind.

Vs. 6-9: The Yochanan named here is Yochanan the Immerser. He is the harbinger, the one who goes before the Messiah.

Vs. 10,11: These two verses together have probably been uses more than any other to build a case for the Jews rejecting Yeshua. In fact, nothing could be further from the truth. This subject will be dealt with at another time where the proper context can be established.

Vs. 12,13: Thirdly, the Rabbis taught that the Memra was the agent of salvation. This was based on Hosea 1:7 which says, “I, YHVH, will save them by the Word of YHVH.”

Vs. 14-16: Fourthly, the Memra was the means by which God became visible. The Rabbis referred to this Divine Presence in the O.T. as the Shekhinah Glory. And now this Word that was God took upon Himself flesh, and so He became visible.

Philo identified the Logos with an individual called the “Metatron.” The Metatron was a Rabbinical name for the angel of YHVH, that unique angel that crops up in the O.T. Philo says the Logos, or Memra, was the Metatron, but some Rabbis did not agree with this.

Vs. 17: Fifthly, the Memra was the means by which God sealed His covenants. “The Law was given by Moses” (Genesis 15) indicates the covenant was sealed by the Word given to Moses. “Grace and truth came by Yeshua the Messiah” indicates the New Covenant through Yeshua was sealed by His blood, showing that He was the covenant signer. Grace and truth are personal attributes of God which Yeshua not only revealed in a unique way during His brief earthly lifetime, but in His eternal capacity as the Word of God, has ben continually bestowing upon humanity since the dawn of creation Grace, truth, and the Torah are all from God, supreme expressions of who He is.

Vs. 18: Sixthly, according to Jewish theology, the Memra was the means of reveation, and God revealed Himself by means of the Memra. Many who saw the “angel of the Lord” saw God. Moreover, Moses saw “God’s back” (Exod. 33:19-23). Isaiah saw the Lord sitting on a throne “high and lifted up” (Isaiah 6:). The seventy elders of Israel “saw the God of Israel .... and ate and drank” (Exod.24:9-11). Therefore this passage must be taken to mean the ultimate glory and nature of God are hidden from sinful humanity. As the book of Exodus puts it: “And God said, ‘you cannot see My face, for no one can see Me and live’” (Exod. 33:20).

Genealogy 1
Introduction

Only two of the four Gospel writers give us anything about the early life of Yeshua, and that is Matthew and Luke. Mark and Yochanan skip this whole segment. Now, while both Matthew and Luke record it, they give us a different perspective. Matthew tells the story of the birth of Yeshua and the circumstance surrounding it from Joseph’s perspective, and so he also gives us Joseph’s genealogy. Miriam plays a very passive role in Matthew’s account. Luke, however, tells us the story from Miriam’s perspective, and so it is Miriam’s genealogy that we will be given. Joseph then plays a very passive role in Luke’s account.

Now we have two genealogies and there is a reason why we have the two. In the O.T. there were two main requirements for kingship. One was applicable to the Southern Kingdom of Judah with its capital in Jerusalem. This requirement for kingship is that the individual had to be of Davidic descent. No one that was not of Davidic descent could sit upon the throne in Israel. The second requirement for kingship was applicable to the Northern Kingdom of Israel, and that was Divine appointment or prophetic sanction. These two requirements together would insure that only one individual would sit upon the throne and rule the nation of Israel.

Matthew 1:1-17
1. The book of the genealogy of Yeshua the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham:
2. Abraham begot Isaac, Isaac begot Jacob, and Jacob begot Judah and his brothers.
3. Judah begot Perez and Zerah by Tamar, Perez begot Hezron, and Hezron begot Ram.
4. Ram begot Amminadab, Amminadab begot Nashon, and Nashon begot Salmon.
5. Salmon begot Boaz by Rahab, Boaz begot Obed by Ruth, and Obed begot Jesse.
6. And Jesse begot David the king. David the king begot Solomon by her who had been the wife of Uriah.
7. Solomon begot Rehoboam, Rehoboa begot Abijah, and Abijah begot Asa.
8. Asa begot Jehoshaphat, Jehoshaphat begot Joram, and Joram begot Uzziah.
9. Uzziah begot Jotham, Jotham begot Ahaz, and Ahaz begot Hezkiah.
10. Hezkiah begot Manaseh, Manaseh begot Amon, and Amon begot Josiah.
11. Josiah begot Jeconiah and his brothers about the time that they were carried away to Babylon.
12. And after they were brought to Babylon, Jeconah begot Shealtiel, and Shealtiel begot Zerubbabel.
13. Zerubbabel begot Abiud, Abiud begot Eliakim, and Eliakim begot Azor.
14. Azor begot Zadok, Zadok begot Achim, and Achim begot Eliud.
15. Eliud begot Eleazor, Eleazor begot Matthan, and Matthan begot Jacob.
16. And Jacob begot Joseph the husband of Miriam, of whom was born Yeshua who is called Messiah.
17. So all the generations from Abraham to David are fourteen generations, from David until the captivity in Babylon are fourteen generations, and from the captivity in Babylon until the Messiah are fourteen generations.

Vs. 1: Matthew introduces his account with these words: “A record of the genealogy of Yeshua the Messiah, the Son of David, the Son of Abraham.” To be cognizant of one’s past was essential for establishing confidence about the future. This is a verification of Yeshua’s lineage. The Mishnah speaks of how important this is as it lists 10 classes of definite genealogy that came from Babylon (Kiddushin 4:1-6).

Since the beginning, the people of God have stressed the importance of understanding their uniqueness, of knowing from who they have come. Roots were always important for Israel’s faith was deeply imbedded in history. Thus knowledge of beginnings is central to biblical thought. To a Jewish person in the time of Yeshua, reading the Holy Scriptures was like reading a family album. This is one of the reasons why the destruction of the Temple in 70 A.D. was so traumatic. All of the genealogy records were stored there and were burnt up in that fire, losing all of that precious information for ever.

Vs. 3-6: Matthew breaks Jewish custom in that he adds the names of women which was forbidden by Jewish custom for genealogies. In verse 3, he mentions Tamar, in verse 5 Rahab, in verse 6 Ruth, and also in verse 6, not by name, but the pronoun “her” refers to Bathshevah. All four women have one thing in common: they were Gentiles. Matthew is bringing out by this that although Yeshua’s primary mission is to the Jews, Gentiles will also benefit from His coming.

Another point that he brings out by the mention of these names in violation of Jewish custom is that He came to save sinners. Three of these four women were guilty of sexual sins. One was a prostitute, one was guilty of incest and one was guilty of adultery. For a more in-depth look, see the article “The Four Women of Matthew’s Genealogy.”

Vs. 12: One of the two main purposes of Matthew’s genealogy is to show how that if Joseph was Yeshua’s father, then He could not be the King of Israel. Matthew traces His genealogy beginning with Abraham, then to David, and then on to David’s son Solomon. He then continues to a man named Jechonias, which is very significant.

Jeremiah 22:24-30
“As I live,” says the Lord, “though Conia (Jechonia) the son of Jehoiakim, king of Judah, were the signet on My right hand, yet I would pluck you off; and I will give you into the hand of those who seek your life and into the hand of those who face you fear - the hand of Nebuchadnezzar king of Babylon and the hand of the Chaldeans. So I will cast you out, and your mother who bore you, into another country where you were not born; and there you shall die. But to the land to which they desire to return, there they shall not return. Is this man Coniah (Jechoniah) a despised broken idol? Is he a vessel in which there is no pleasure? Why are they cast out, he and his descendants, and cast into a land they do not know? O earth. O earth, hear the word of the Lord! “ Thus says the Lord, “Write this man down as childless, a man who shall not prosper in his days; for none of his descendants shall prosper, sitting on the throne of David, and ruling anymore in Judah.

Because of the kind of man that Jeconiah was, Jeremiah pronounced a curse upon him; that no descendants of Jeconia will ever have the right to sit upon the throne of Israel. Now, we are told by Matthew that Joseph was a direct descendant of Jeconiah. If Joseph was really Yeshua’s father, Yeshua could not be King. This is why he starts out by recounting the virgin birth. Matthew is telling us that Yeshua was not really born of Joseph and therefore could not be King.

Vs. 17: Matthew uses the numerical equivalent of names to identify Yeshua with King David. The numerical value of the three Hebrew letters of the name David (DVD) is fourteen. The letter”dalet” (D) has a value of four. The letter “vav” has a value of six. The final letter in David’s name is another “dalet” (D) with the value of four. Matthew records in detail that fourteen generations elapsed between Abraham and David, fourteen generations between David and the Babylonian Captivity, and fourteen generations between the Exile and Yeshua. This was a Jewish method of connecting Yeshua with King David, the anointed king who was prototype of the Messiah to come.

Genealogy 2
Luke 3:23-38
23. Now Yeshua Himself began His ministry at about thirty years of age, being (as was supposed) the son of Joseph, the son of Heli.
24. The son of Matthat, the son of Levi, the son of Melchi, the son of Janna, the son of Joseph.
25. The son of Mattathiah, the son of Amos, the son of Nahum the son of Esli, the son of Naggai,
26. The son of Maath, the son of Mattathiah, the son of Semei, the son of Joseph, the son of Judah,
27. The son of Joanas, the son of Rhesa, the son of Zerubbabel, the son of Shealtiel, the son of Neri,
28. The son of Melchi, the son of Addi, the son of Cosam, the son of Elmodam, the son of Er,
29. The son of Jos, the son of Eliezer, the son of Jorim, the son of Matthat, the son of Levi,
30. The son of Simeon, the son of Judah the son of Joseph, the son of Jona, the son of Eliakim,
31. The son of Melea, the son of Menan, the son of Maattathat, the son of Nathan, the son of David,
32. The son of Jesse, the son of Obed, the son of Boaz, the son of Salmon, the son of Nashon,
33. The son of Amminadab, the son of Ram, the son of Hezron, the son of Perez the son of Judah,
34. The son of Jacob, the son of Isaac, the son of Abraham, the son of Terah, the son of Nahor,
35. The son of Serug, the son of Ru, the son of Peleg, the son of Eber, the son of Shelah,
36. The son of Cainan, the son of Arphaxad, the son of Shem, the son of Noah, the son of Lamech,
37. The son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch, the son of Jared, the son of Mahalael, the son of Cainan,
38. The son of Enos, the son of Seth, the son of Adam, the son of God.

Introduction

Now we come to Luke’s genealogy. Luke follows strict Jewish Law. He mentions no women, not even Miriam, though it is her lineage he is tracing. He skips no names. He shows that Yeshua could still b King, because Yeshua is a descendant of the house of David, but apart from Jechonias. He has no problem with Jechonias, so he begins his Gospel with the virgin birth and then later deals with the genealogy to show that Yeshua descended from King David.

Vs. 23: Heli was Miriam’s father. It was no accident that in Jewish writings of the first and second centuries that Yeshua is referred to by the Rabbis as the son of Heli, because they recognized this. It was not unusual in the Jewish system of genealogy to trace a woman’s origin through her husband. You have two examples of this in the O.T. (Ezra 2:61 and Nehemiah 7:63) where a woman’s origin was not traced by her real lines but through her husband’s line. This was because of the strict Jewish Law concerning mentioning women in genealogy. So, Luke was following strict Jewish practice in the manner in which the Jews did it. He wants to trace Miriam’s line, but he can’t mention her name. So, he uses Joseph’s name. This is also in keeping with his entire Gospel, because it is the story from Miriam’s viewpoint, not Joseph’s.

Vs. 31: Now he traces the genealogy in reverse order. He begins with is own time and traces backward. He traces the genealogy back to David, but David had another son, and that is Nathan. While David’s line through Solomon ended with Jechonias and the curse, Yeshua, however, was the son of David through a different son. There was no blood of Jechonias in His veins. He was a member of the house of David apart from Jechonias and so He could be King.

But this does not solve the entire problem, for the simple reason that Yeshua was not the only descendant of David like this. At this point in Jewish history there were a number of descendants of David apart from Jechonias. Why Yeshua above the others? This is because of the second element which will be looked at later, and that is the element of Divine appointment.

Conclusion

Finally, there are four titles given to Yeshua in these genealogies which represent His basic states: (1) son of David; (2) son of Abraham; (3) son of Adam; and (4) Son of God). The “son of David means that He was a King. The “son of Abraham” means that He was a Jew. The “son of Adam” means that He was a man. The “Son of God” means that He was God.

Birth of Yochanan foretold


Luke 1:5-255. There was in the days of Herod, the king of Judea, a certain priest named Zacharias, of the division of Abijah. His wife was of the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth.
6. And they were both righteous before God, walking in all the commandments and ordinances of the Lord blameless.
7. But they had no child, because Elizabeth was barren, and they both were well advanced in years.
8. So it was, that while he was serving as priest before God in the order of his division,
9. According to the custom of the priesthood, his lot fell to burn incense when he went into the Temple of the Lord.
10. And the whole multitude of the people were praying outside at the hour of incense.
11. Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing on the right side of the altar of incense.
12. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled, and fear fell upon him.
13. But the angel said to him, “Do not be afraid, Zacharias, for your prayer is heard; and your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you shall call his name Yochanan.”
14. “And you will have joy, and many will rejoice at his birth.”
15. For he will be great in the sight of the Lord, and shall drink neither wine nor strong drink. He will Also be filled with the Holy Spirit, even from his mother’s womb.”
16. “And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God.”
17. “He will also go before Him in the spirit and power of Elijah, ‘to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.’”
18. And Zacharias said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is well advanced in years.”
19. And the angel answered and said unto him, “I am Gabriel, who stands in the presence of God, and was sent to speak to you and bring you these glad tidings.”
20. But behold, you will be mute and not able to speak until the day these things take place,
because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their own time.”
21. And the people waited for Zacharias, and marveled that he lingered so long in the Temple.
22. But when he came out, he could not spake to them; and they perceived that he had seen a vision in the Temple, for he beckoned to them and remained speechless.
23. And so it was, as soon as the days of his service were completed, that he departed to his own house.
24. Now after those days his wife Elizabeth conceived; and she hid herself five months, saying,
25. “Thus the Lord has dealt with me, in the days when He looked on me, to take away my reproach among men.”

Vs. 5: The principal duties of the priest were those connected with the sacrificial service of the Temple in Jerusalem, as well as teaching the people the instructions of Torah. In the course of time the number of priests increased to such an extent that it was necessary to divide them into twenty-four division (I Chronicles 24:1-17), serving in the Temple in rotation, each for a week. Each division (mishmar) was subdivided into several families who served one day a week. This gave every priest a opportunity to discharge his duties. At the three great annual festivals known as Pilgrimage Festivals (Passover, Pentecost, and Tabernacles), all twenty-four divisions are said to have officiated simultaneously (Sukk. 5:7).

The name Zacharias means “the Lord remembers.” The name Elizabeth means “oath or covenant of God.” Together they suggest “the Lord remembers His covenant.” Aaron was a common ancestor of both Zacharias and Elizabeth, meaning they were both from a priestly lineage.

Vs. 6: According to Jewish teachings, there are 613 commandments (348 positive, 265 negative) in the Torah. This verse does not mean that they were absolutely perfect, but they were in perfect obedience to those 613 commandments.

Vs. 7: In Israel, being childless was a reproach. Jewish people to this day regard barrenness as a major tragedy. In fact, sterility was an acceptable reason for divorce for raising a family is one of the main reasons for marrying. The wife who did not have children was thought to either not be loved by her husband or not looked upon with favor by God (Genesis 30:1,2). Barrenness was often considered the result of Divine judgment (I Samuel 1:6,7). There was a constant hope for the appearing of the Messiah and every woman cherished the hope of being the mother of the Promised Seed.

The story of Yeshua’s birth is preceded in Luke’s Gospel by the account of Yochanan the Immerser’s family and is miraculous birth. He also had a role to play. The episode in the Gospel of Luke indicates the manner in which God used the longing of an ordinary family like Elizabeth and Zacharias to fulfill Divine strategy. They wanted a baby. When thy prayed, God supernaturally intervened. Yochanan’s mission was to prepare the way for Yeshua. Amazingly, the personal anguish of a barren family for the birth of a child would be used for a higher purpose in God’s Divine plan to prepare the way for Yeshua.

Vs. 8,9: The Bible records the practice of casting lots as a means of arriving at a decision on a variety of problems. These may be grouped into two main categories: (1) the selection of one or more members from a group; and (2) the division of goods among th members of a group. This lot was used extensively during the Second Temple Period, and particularly in the Temple itself in order to determine the allocation of duties among the priests. The Mishnah records it being done this way: “When the captain of the president of the Temple came in the morning to the priests of the Higher Chamber he knocked. And upon receiving admittance said, ‘Let those who have washed cast lots for the cleansing of the altar.’ He on whom the lot fell discharged that service. This was the First Lot. The Second Lot was for slaughtering the lamb, sprinkling the blood, removing the ashes, and trimming the amps. The Third Lot was for the burning of incense. The manner in which the lots were drawn, the priests stood around the president of the Temple in a circle, and he fixing upon a certain number began to count it starting with the priest whose cap he took off. And he who the number terminated with was the person to attend to the service in question” (Tammid 6:3).

Vs. 10: The scene described here could have occurred in the morning or evening. The Jews regularly gathered for prayer in the Temple court when the incense was burned - at 9:00 a.m. and 3:00 p.m. Zacharias evidently had been signaled by a superior pries to begin burning the incense. As soon as the people saw the ascending smoke of the incense offering, which was a symbol of true consecration to God, they fell down before the Lord and spread out their hands in silent prayer. The Mishnah says that after the president had given the signal to burn the incense, the people withdrew to either the Court of the Israelites or the Court f the Women.

Vs. 11,12: While serving as priest Zacharias saw “an angel of the Lord standing on the right side of the incense altar. And when Zacharias saw him, he was troubled and fear fell upon him.” There was a Rabbinic tradition that if priest was going to die, that an angel would be standing on the right side of the altar of incense. Going into the Holy Place always carried with it a sense of danger, and to show the relief of making it out alive, the priest would prepare a feast for his friends the hour he came forth (Yoma 7:4). Knowing this makes it a little easier to understand why Zacharias was trembling with fear.

Vs. 13: The promise that Elizabeth would bear a son required a supernatural act of God. The baby was to be named Yochanan, which means “God is gracious.” Not only would Yahweh be gracious about removing the stigma of childlessness from the elderly couple, but He would also set in motion His plan of redemption through the Messiah. That the angel knew his name should have been enough to quite Zacharias’ fears. To hear that they would have a son was the answer to prayers that had been offered for many years.

Vs. 14,15: The Hebrew term “Nazir” signifies one who is dedicated to God by a vow involving abstinence from intoxicants and cutting one’s hair. The person who took the Nazarite Vow for a certain specified period of time (30 days was the minimum) did not become a hermit. He continued to live in human society without being necessarily an ascetic. He was under an obligation to abstain from wine and all other products of the vine, and to let his hair grow long. During the period of the vow, he was forbidden to touch dead body. From the time of the nomadic ancestors the vine was the symbol of the settled life and a culture removed from the ancient simplicity of manners, though quite right in themselves. The free growth of air represented the Nazarite’s consecration to God in the visible form. The hair was the glory (nezer) of the head. If the period of the vow was not specified, Rabbinic law fixed it at thirty days. At the end of the period the Nazarite appeared at the Temple before a priest, made certain prescribed offerings, shaved off his hair and burned it. Following this, he was again permitted to drink wine and to return to ordinary life.

Vs. 19: Gabriel is highly regarded in Jewish theology as a messenger from God. He is pictured in Rabbinic writings as standing before God’s throne. For Gabriel to be sent specifically to Zacharias means that he was major topic of discussion in the portals of heaven. This is an incredible thought.

Vs. 22: The Hebrew Bible (Tanach) contains descriptions of many visions, especially those of God and His angels. The idea developed at a very ancient period of Judaism was that God had no shape, and therefore, the appearance of God to the prophets was evidently understood by them as visions. At the beginning of the Second Temple Period visions were often interpreted to the prophets by an angel.

To put this in proper perspective, we must remember that no one in Israel had had a vision from God for about 400 years. For the crowd to learn that God was once again communicating with His people after so long a period of time must have been a source of great excitement and encouragement to them. Couple this with the Messianic Expectancy during this time, this had to be a tremendous event for them. It should have been a sign to the people that God was once again about to move through His people.

Birth of Yeshua foretold

26. Now in the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent by God to a city in Galilee named Nazareth.
27. To a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Yoseph, of the house of David. The virgin’s name was Miriam.
28. And having come in, the angel said to her, “Rejoice, highly favored one, the Lord is with you. Blessed are you among women!”
29. But when she waw him, she was troubled at his saying, and considered what manner of greeting this was.
30. Then the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Miriam, for you have found favor with God.”
31. “And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Yeshua.”
32. “He will be great, and will be called the Son of the Highest; and the Lord God will give Him the throne of His father David.”
33. “And He will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of His kingdom there shall be no end.”
34. Then Miriam said to the angel, “Howe can this be, since I do not know a man?”
35. And the angel answered and said to her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Highest will overshadow you; therefore, also, that Holy One who is to be born will be called the Son of God.
36. “Now indeed, Elizabeth your relative has also conceived a son in her old age; and this is now the sixth month for her who was called barren.”
37. “For with God nothing is impossible.”
38. Then Miriam said, “Behold the maidservant of the Lord! Let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

Vs. 27: The meaning of the name Miriam is obscure. The name was given, not because of its meaning, but because of the person it recalled - “Miriam” - Moses’ sister. A Jewish tradition says that Miriam means “bitterness” since the Miriam of the book of Exodus was born at the time the Egyptians began to persecute the children of Israel.

At the time of Gabriel’s visit to Miriam, we read that she was a “virgin” espoused to a man whose name was Yoseph. This was sealed by the use of a wedding contract (ketubah). Under Jewish law, a young man was considered ready for marriage at age 18, and a girl at age 12 and a day. The espousal or engagement was considered so binding that it was practically equivalent to marriage. An engagement could be broken only by means of a bill of divorcement (get).

Vs. 32,33: King David had been promised the throne rights, or rulership, to Israel’s kingdom forever. This promise assured David that members of his family would be kings of Israel. After Israel had been without a king for over 500 years, Miriam was told that God would fulfill His promise to David through her.

We know that Yeshua did fulfill the first O.T. requirement for kingship in that He was a member of the house of David apart from Jechonias. The problem is that He is not the only one, and that there were a good number of Jews living at this time who were descendants of David apart from Jechonias. And on that grounds alone any one of them had the right to claim David’s throne. Now we have the second element coming in that of Divine appointment. It is to this particular One that is given the Divine appointment - “and the Lord shall give unto Him the throne of His father David.”

Gabriel informs Miriam that she is to give birth to a Son and she is to call His name “Yeshua.” It should be remembered that when Gabriel was speaking to Miriam he was not speaking in English or Greek, but Hebrew. In Hebrew the name Jesus is pronounced “Yeshua,” which has for its root meaning “to save.”

Gabriel then points out several things concerning the Son of Miriam, which can be summarized in five points. First, the Incarnation would be in man. God is going to become man in the person of Yeshua. Secondly, as to his name, it was Yeshua (Salvation). Thirdly, as to His essential nature, He is to be Great. Fourthly, He would be the Son Of God by virtue of His unique relationship to God the Father. Fifthly, He would fulfill the Davidic covenant. God promised David four eternal things: an eternal house; an eternal throne; an eternal kingdom; and an eternal descendant. All four areas are brought out in this passage.

Vs. 34: Miriam also raises a question, but unlike Zacharias, her question does not arise out of unbelief, but merely a question of how.

Vs. 35: Gabriel gave the explanation that Yeshua would not have a natural father. He would be supernaturally conceived through the Holy Spirit. Only pure, untainted blood could be shed for the sins of man. Blood of the baby comes from the genes of the father and there was only one Father who was without sin.

The way theis is going to be accomplished is by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. Ultimately, it is not the birth of Yeshua that is a miracle, since He was born like any other baby. The miracle is the conception; and by the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit she is going to conceive. Because the conception comes by means of the Holy Spirit, two things will result: (1) the product will be sinless. He shall be Holy. And (2) Deity, He shall be called the Son of God.

A very common misconception has been made because of what is said here and needs to b dispelled. It was propagated in some circles that the reason for the necessity of the virgin birth was that this was the only possible way of keeping Yeshua from inheriting the sin nature. They go on to teach that the sin nature was transmitted through the male only. Since Yeshua did not have a huan father He was sinless. He only had a human mother and the sin nature is not transmitted through the mother. Actually, no where in the Bible does it say that the sin nature is transmitted through the male only. Sometimes, in fact, the Bible emphasizes the female side of it more than the male side.

What kept Yeshua from inheriting the sin nature was not the absence of the male seed, but the overshadowing of the Holy Spirit. We should remember that God, being God, was not suddenly stuck with only one way of doing things. If God wanted to, He could have produced a sinless being using both the male seed and the female egg. The reason for the virgin birth is that this is the way that God chose to do it, not because this was the only way. He chose to do it this way, and in doing so fulfilled prophecies that He stated in the O.T.

Vs. 36: A sign of confirmation was given to Miriam - the pregnancy of Elizabeth. Beyond the childbearing age, Elizabeth was now in her sixth month.

Vs. 38: The angel’s message and sign satisfied Miriam. But, she must have been very much aware of the ridicule she was going to open herself up to. It is to her credit that serving God was far more important than the accusations of men. At this point, Miriam totally submits herself to the will and care of God. And well she might in the light of three things. First, the O.T. penalty for a betrothed virgin suddenly found with child was execution by being stoned to death. Miriam had to trust God that when it became more and more apparent that she was with child and not yet married to Yoseph that God would protect her so that she would not be executed. Secondly, she had to trust God for the reaction of the community. She ad to believe God would protect her from being totally ostracized from the community, and, therefore, her chid being forever labeled illegitimate. Thirdly, she needed to trust God for her relationship with Yoseph. This was a truly great concern because he was in the process of divorcing Miriam from the betrothal relationship.

Miriam visits Elisheva


39. Now Miriam arose in those days and went into the hill country with haste, to a city of Judah,
40. And entered the house of Zacharias and greeted Elizabeth.
41. And it happened, when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Miriam, that the babe leaped in her womb; and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit.
42. Then she spoke with a loud voice and said, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb!”
43. “But why is this granted to me, that the mother of my Lord should come to me?”
44. “For indeed, as soon as the voice of your greeting sounded in my ears, the babe leaped in my womb for joy.”
45. “Blessed is she who believed, for there will be a fulfillment of those things which were told to her from the Lord.”


Vs. 39: Now we have the visit of Miriam to Elizabeth. The angel Gabriel in the previous segment also told Miriam that her cousin, Elizabeth, was pregnant. And for that reason Miriam now makes the trek from Galilee down to Judea to visit her cousin.

Vs. 41: Already then, the baby in the womb of Elizabeth is performing the function for which he is going to be born, that of being the herald of the King. With the leaping of the babe in the womb we are told next that Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. She is now controlled by the Holy Spirit and she gives forth a prophetic utterance in the subsequent verses.

Vs. 43: The degree of revelation that Elizabeth received in this prophetic utterance is seen in what she calls Miriam - “the mother of my Lord.”

Vs. 45: Also in this prophetic utterance of Elizabeth’s is a word of confirmation to Miriam. In it we are told the extent of her faith. She believed the message of the angel, and having believed, Elizabeth goes on to tell her that the promise of the angel will find its fulfillment.

The song of Miriam


46. And Miriam said, “My soul magnifies the Lord,”
47. “And my spirit has rejoiced in God my Messiah.”
48. “For He has regarded the lowly state of His maidservant; for behold, henceforth all generations will call me blessed.”
49. “For He who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is His name.”
50. “And His mercy in on those who fear Him from generation to generation.”
51. “He has shown strength with His arm; He has scattered the proud in the imagination of their hearts.”
52. “He has put down the mighty from their thrones, and exalted the lowly.”
53. “He has filled the hungry with good things, and the rich He has sent away empty.”
54. “He has helped His servant Israel, in remembrance of His mercy.”
55. “As He spoke to our fathers, to Abraham and to his seed forever.”
56. And Miriam remained with her about three months, and returned to her house.


Vs. 46-56: The “song of Miriam” is her response to the message God had given her. Miriam’s song can be divided into two main sections. In verses 46-50, she talks about what God did for her. In verses 51-56, she talks about what God will do for Israel. The song of Miriam shows the extent of her spirituality and her knowledge of Scripture. This is because many things stated here are very similar to Hannah’s Song in the book of I Samuel.

She makes two main points in her song. First, God is her Messiah. The kind of people that need a Messiah are sinners. By her own words, she contradicts the teaching of the Immaculate Conception that states that Miriam was born sinless. She is a sinner and needed a Messiah. Secondly, the One coming will fulfill the promises made to Abraham.

Birth of Yochanan

57. Now Elizabeth’s full time came for her to be delivered, and she brought forth a son.
58. When her neighbors and relatives heard how the Lord had shown great mercy on her, they
rejoiced with her. 59. Now so it was, on the eighth day, that they came to circumcise the child; and they would have called him by the name of his father, Zacharias.
60. And his mother answered and said, “No!; he shall be called Yochanan.”
61. But they said to her, “There is no one among your relatives who is called by this name.”
62. So they made signs to his father - what he would have called him.
63. And he asked for a writing tablet, and wrote, “His name is Yochanan.” And they all marveled.
64. Immediately his mouth was opened and his tongue was loosed and he spoke, praising God.
65. Then fear came upon all who dwelt around them; and all these sayings were discussed throughout all the hill country of Judea.
66. And all those who heard them kept them in their hearts, saying, “What kind of child will this be” And the hand of the Lord was with him.
67. Now his father Zacharias was filled with the Holy Spirit, and prophesied, saying:
68. “Blessed is the Lord God of Israel, for He has visited and redeemed His people,”
69. “And has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of His servant David,”
70. “As He spoke by the mouth of His holy prophets, who have been since the world began,”
71. “That we should be saved from our enemies, and from the hand of all who hate us,”
72. “To perform the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember His holy covenant,”
73. “The oath which He swore to our father Abraham:”
74. “To grant us that we, being delivered from the hand of our enemies, might serve Him without fear,”
75. “In holiness and righteousness before Him all the days of our life.”
76. “And you, child, will be called the prophet of the Highest; for you will go before the face of the Lord to prepare His ways,”
77. “To give knowledge of salvation to His people by the remission of sins,”
78. “Through the tender mercy of our God, with which the Dayspring from on high has visited us;”
79. “To give light to those who sit in darkness and the shadow of death, to guide our feet into the way of peace.”
80. So the child grew and became strong in spirit, and was in the deserts till the day of his manifestation to Israel.


Vs. 59: Yochanan the Immerser is born an it is time to name him. Of course, the angel had already instructed what the name would be. However, that raises a problem with the community. It was a Jewish custom to name a child on the day of his circumcision and to use the name of a relative.

“Brit Milah” (covenant of circumcision) is first mentioned in the book of Genesis as a divine commandment to Abraham. Circumcision is the characteristic symbol of Judaism, even tough it is known to the ancient world long before Abraham. It is also observed by the Muslims and other sects of our time. There are four participants: the child, the father, the “Mohel” (circumcisor), and the “Sandek” or the one who holds the child in his lap during the operation.

It is interesting to note that the ritual of “Pidyon haBin” (redemption of the firstborn) is not being performed and Yochanan is being named on the eighth day, instead of his thirty-first day. The reason is that both Elizabeth and Zacharias were descendants of the tribe of Levi, and this ritual does not apply.

Vs. 60: Yochanan the Immerser was a wonder-child, born to a priestly couple in their old age. For some years before his “manifestation to Israel,” Yochanan lived in the wilderness of Judea. Since the discovery of the Dead Sea Scrolls, it has been thought probable that is wilderness sojourn was not solitary. Perhaps he lived for a time (perhaps most of his adult life) in the community of Essenes at Qumran. Josephus, the first-century historian, wrote that the Essenes “adopted other men’s children and molded them according to their principles.” It is thought by some that Zacharias and Elizabeth allowed the Essenes to adopt their son at some late point in time and raise him, suspecting that their lives would soon end. If they both were “righteous before God, walking in all His commandments,” they would not fit into the Temple cult very well. To insure that their son was taught the principles that they believed in, the Essenes would be the closest group to do this.

Vs. 61: According to Jewish custom of that day, you named your child after a relative, whether living or dead. In modern Jewish tradition, you still do this to a degree, except it must always be a dead relative. However, neither Elizabeth’s side of the family, nor on Zacharias’ side, had ever had someone named Yochanan. Elizabeth’s response is probably due to Zacharias’ inability to speak, since according to custom it is the father’s responsibility to name the child.

Vs. 62: The neighbors do not seem to like what Elizabeth is doing, so they try to go over her head and go to her husband.

Vs. 63: Zacharias cannot speak out so he writes on a tablet that the name is to be Yochanan.

Vs. 64: When he exercises this ne act of obedience the judgment of dumbness is now removed and he is able to speak. No doubt when Zacharias could again speak he shared with them wat the angel had said concerning the prophecy in Malachi. The miracle of him getting his speech back was confirmation. Yochanan would some day lead the way for the coming of the Messiah that Israel had wanted for several hundred years.

Vs. 67: When Zacharias speaks he is now filled with the Holy Spirit and he issues a song found in verses 68-79. This song can be divided into two main segments: (1) verses 68-75 speak of the Messiah who is to come; and (2) verses 76-79 talk about his own son, Yochanan.

Vs. 69: Again we find him relating the coming of Messiah to the Jewish covenants. In this verse it is the Davidic Covenant.

Vs. 72: In this verse it is the Abrahamic Covenant.

Vs. 73: Also we find in these verses the play on words of the meaning of Zacharias, “God remembers,” and Elizabeth “oath or covenant of God,” the combined meaning “God remembers His covenants.” The last line of verse 72 and the first line of verse 73 give you the interplay. The oaths in particular are contained in the Jewish covenants, but now with the coming of Messiah, the covenants are to find their fulfillment.

Vs. 76: He will not merely be a forerunner, but he will have the office of a prophet. The Hebrew word for prophet is “Navi,” and it signifies a spokesman or one who speaks for a divine power to human beings. The idea of prophecy is based on a belief in a God on whom the destiny and the well-being of man depends.

Vs. 77: In this verse it is the New Covenant. So, three of the Jewish covenants are related here to the coming of Messiah.

Vs. 78: The word “Dayspring” means daystar, or the morning star. The morning star announces the coming of day. In that sense Yochanan is the dayspring. He is the morning star announcing the coming of the Sun of Righteousness of the book of Malachi.

Vs. 79: The two-fold ministry of the Sun of Righteousness is given in this verse, and notice th exchange of pronouns: “to give light to them (to shine upon them, the Gentiles) that sit in darkness and in the shadow of death, to guide our (the Jews) feet in the way of peace.” The contrast is between “them” and “our”, Gentile and Jew.

Vs. 80: Early in life, we are not sure of what age, but early in life he leaves the town in which he is born and goes into the wilderness of Judea. There he spends most of his life. But, this does one thing for Yochanan, it separates him from the Judaism of his day. When his message finally does come, it is going to be different than the Judaism of his day.

Birth of Yeshua 1

18. Now the birth of Yeshua the Messiah was as follows: After His mother Miriam was betrothed to Yoseph, before they came together, she was found with child of the Holy Spirit.
19. Then Yoseph her husband, being a just man, and not wanting to make her a public example, was minded to put her away secretly.
20. But while he thought about these things, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared to him in a dream, saying, “Yoseph, son of David, do not be afraid to take to you Miriam, for that which is conceived in her is of the Holy Spirit.”
21. “And she will bring forth a Son, and you shall call His name Yeshua, for He will save His people from their sins.”
22 . Now all this was done that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying:
23. “Behold, a virgin shall be with child, and bear a Son, and they shall call His name Immanuel,” which is translated “With us is God.”
24. Then Yoseph, being aroused from sleep, did as the angel of the Lord commanded him and took to him his wife.
25. And did not know her till she had brought forth her firstborn Son. And he called His name Yeshua.


Vs. 18: In this segment the emphasis is on the virgin birth. Remember, Matthew is trying to solve the problem of Jechonias, and for Matthew the solution to the problem is the virgin birth. So, three times he emphasizes it. We are now dealing with Matthew because he tells the story from Yoseph’s perspective.

Vs. 19: By Jewish law, to break a betrothal required a bill of divorcement (get). As Yoseph was thinking of breaking the betrothal, he would have to deal with a bill of divorcement. The Mishnah says, “Should a bridegroom have to complain of non-virginity on the part of the bride, he presents himself early the next morning to the Bet Din.” This was Yoseph’s first option at that point since his wife-to-be was pregnant, indicating that she was not a virgin. He could bring her before the Bet Din and get the divorce finalized. This procedure is called “Sotah.” According to the Mishnah the espoused wife may thus before the marriage be put away.

His second option, by Jewish custom, was to effect the divorce privately instead of bringing her before a public tribunal and expose her to public disgrace. This is exactly what Yoseph was contemplating when the angel told him to proceed with the marriage.

Vs. 20: The message of the angle to Yoseph can be summarized in three points. First, he is to fulfill the marriage vow to Miriam. Secondly, he is to believe and accept Miriam’s story. And thirdly, all is going according to plan.

Vs. 21: The fact that Yeshua was a Jew by birth is crucial for understanding the nature and person of Yeshua as being presented in the Synoptic Gospels. He was given the Hebrew name Yeshua. This name, derived from the Hebrew verb “yasha,” revealed the destiny He was to fulfill in His life and ministry on this earth.

Vs. 22: In quoting this verse in Isaiah, it tells us the way this verse was understood by the Jewish people of that day. They knew it was speaking of a virgin birth. That is the literal meaning of that verse

Vs. 24,25: Indeed, God did work out Miriam’s relationship with Yoseph. In this concluding segment two things must be noted. First, Yoseph, immediately obeyed the angel, being a righteous and spiritual man himself. He took Miriam to be his wife and followed through with the marriage ceremony. Secondly, it clearly says “he knew her not,” meaning he had no sexual relations with her until she brought for a Son. After the birth of Yeshua, they did have subsequent sexual relations and this falsifies the common claim that Miriam remained a virgin for the rest of her life. The teaching of the “perpetual virginity” of Miriam is not Scriptural. Not only did she not remain a virgin, but furthermore, she possibly gave birth to as many as six other children (Matt. 13:55, 56).

Birth of Yeshua 2

1. And it came to pass in those days that a decree went out from Caesar Augustus that all the world should be registered.
2. This first took place while Quirinius was governing Syria.
3. So all went to be registered, everyone to his own city.
4. And Yoseph also went up from Galilee, out of the city of Nazareth, into Judea, to the city of David, which is called Bethlehem, because he was of the house and lineage of David.
5. To be registered with Miriam, his betrothed wife, who was with child.
6. So it was, that while they were there, the days were completed for her to be delivered.
7. And she brought forth her firstborn Son, and wrapped Him in swaddling clothes, because there was no room for them in the inn.


Vs. 3: More than likely the Romans took advantage of the Pilgrimage Festivals (Shalosh Regalim) in order to get the people to go to their home towns. Passover (Pesach), Pentecost (Shavuot) and Tabernacles (Sukkoth) were the three festivals involved in this custom which required every adult male to travel (Exodus 23:14-17).

Vs. 4: The registration was a Roman law, but exercised under Jewish custom. The practical Romans normally had a census taken for taxation in one’s own city of residence. To keep peace with the Jews, however, the Romans allowed the Jews to return to their tribal cities to enroll and make payment of taxes. As descendants of David, Yoseph and Miriam were required to return to Bethlehem. When viewed from a human perspective, Yoseph and Miriam came to Bethlehem because it was required by the law. From the divine perspective, however, God was acting providentially to bring them to the place where Micah had prophesied that the Messiah would be born (Micah 5:2-5).

Vs. 5: At the birth of Yeshua, Miriam is still noted as Yoseph’s espoused wife because they still had not consummated the marriage through having sexual relations.

Vs. 6,7: This is a good time to discuss the year of Yeshua’s birth. Lets do it on several points. First, we know that Yeshua had to be born prior to the year 4 B.C., for the simple reason that in that year Herod the Great died. At the time of Yeshua’s birth, Herod was still living. This decree of Cyrenius came in the year 8 B.C. So, we can draw some conclusion in that the birth of Yeshua had to take place somewhere between 8 and 4 B.C. Fortunately we can draw even a firmer year because of some subsequent records that we have. One of these records is Josephus, a Jewish historian, that wrote roughly around 80-90 C.E. He tells us that Herod the Great left Jerusalem in the year 5 B.C. and went to Jericho. He remained there until his death. Since the wise men saw him in Jerusalem, that tells us that the birth of Yeshua would have to be moved back somewhere around the year 6 B.C. or earlier.

Josephus tells us something else. During the entire year of 8 B.C., Herod was outside of Jerusalem fighting a war. From this, we can conclude that Yeshua was born somewhere between 7 and 6 B.C.

The visitations

8. Now there were in the same country shepherds living out in the fields, keeping watch over t their flocks by night.
9. And behold, an angel of the Lord stood before them, and the glory of the Lord shone around them, and they were greatly afraid.
10. Then the angel said to them, “Do not be afraid, for behold I bring you tidings of great joy which shall be to all people.”
11. “For there is born to you this day in the city of David a Redeemer, who is the Messiah of the Lord.”
12. “And this will be a sign to you; You will find the babe wrapped in swaddling clothes, lying in a manger.”
13. And suddenly there was with the angel a multitude of heavenly host praising God and saying,
14. “Glory to God in the highest, and on earth peace, good will toward men.”
15. So it was, when the angels had gone away from them into heaven, that the shepherds said to one another, “Let us now go into Bethlehem and see this thing that has come to pass, which the Lord has made known to us.”
16. And they came with haste and found Miriam and Yoseph and the Babe lying in a manger.
17. Now when they had seen Him, they made widely known the saying which was told to them concerning this Child.
18. And all those who heard it marveled at those things which were told them by the shepherds.
19. But Miriam kept all these things and pondered them in her heart.
20. Then the shepherds returned, glorifying and praising God for all the things that they had heard and seen, as it was told to them.


Vs. 8: This one statement tells us nothing about the time of the year. So far we have only pinpointed the year as being somewhere between 7 and 6 B.C. This verse is often used as an argument against the month of December as being the time of Yeshua’s birth. Although the Lord was not born in December (see below), the reasoning used here is flawed. We are told there were shepherds and sheep out there, and since you don’t have shepherds and sheep out there in December, Yeshua could not have been born in December. The truth is that there are sheep all over the place around Bethlehem in December.
“The Birth of Yeshua During Sukkoth” By Joseph Good
“An easy to document, but not well known fact, is the date of the birth of Yeshua. This is done by establishing several things: (1) the date that Gabriel the angel tells Zacharias, the soon-to-be father of Yochanan, about his son’s birth. The birth date of Yochanan is then established by going forward nine months, the term of pregnancy; (2) the approximate date of Miriam’s conception; and (3) the date of Herod’s death.”
“The date that Gabriel the angel told Zacharias that he and Elizabeth were going to have Yochanan is established from the following. Luke 1:5 states that Zacharias is a priest of the course of Abijah. King David, according to I Chronicles 24, divided the priestly families into twenty-four groups. Each group was called a course (mishmar), and named after the head of that particular family. Each course served for one week in the first half of the year, and for another week in the second half of the year. This was in addition to the weeks of Hag haMatzah (Unleavened Bread), Shavuot (Pentecost), and Sukkoth (Tabernacles), when all the courses were required to be present (Deut. 16:16). Therefore, the first course served the first week of the year (Aviv), the second course the second week; then all the courses the third because it was Hag haMatzah, and so on. I Chronicles 24:10 lists the course of Abijah as the eighth course. This course would serve the tenth week of the first half of the year, allowing two weeks for Hag haMatzah and Shavuot. It is at this time that Zacharias receives the prophecy of Yochanan’s birth.”
“Due to the laws of separation (Lev. 12:5; 15:19,25), two additional weeks had to be counted. Allowing for this and going forward with a normal pregnancy, the time of Yochanan’s birth (if this is the first half of the year) would be approximately Pesach (Passover), when it is expected that Elijah would appear. (Remember, Yochanan came in the spirit of Elijah.) Six months following Elizabeth’s conception, the angel Gabriel is sent to Miriam, the cousin of Elizabeth.”
END OF QUOTATION
At the time of Yochanan’s birth (April), Miriam is three months pregnant. Going forward six months places the birth of Yeshua at late September or early October, the time of Sukkoth. Josephus records that Herod’s death came late in the fall. Since he was alive at Yeshua’s birth, this also confirms the time of the year.
Vs. 9,10: The glory of the Lord is the Shekhinah Glory, and this is the first appearance since the days of Ezekiel. Ezekiel the prophet records how the Shekhinah Glory (Holy Spirit) departed from Israel in four successive and reluctant stages, hoping for the people of Israel to repent. But, Israel did not repent, and so the Shekhinah disappears from Jewish history. Here the Shekhinah is used to announce the birth of a Jewish King to Jewish shepherds.
Vs. 11: Messiah means the “Anointed One.” According to Jewish thought of those days, He was to be a charismatically endowed descendant of King David, who the Jews of the Roman period believed would be raised up by God to break the yoke of the heathen and reign over a restored kingdom of Israel to which all Jews of the Exile would return. This thought is very prevalent in Zacharias’ prophecy.
Vs. 12: Such a momentous event required a sign. The sign was that the Babe would be wrapped in swaddling clothes and lying in a manger. One would expect a King to be lying in luxurious garments in a palace. This King laid aside His glory (Phil. 2:7). The fact that He is lying in a manger tells us that he is in a stable. In those days, stables were not normally made of wood and straw, but were actually caves. The exception is that this time of year, the people were actually required to build small booths (shelters or “sukkas”) for the celebration of Sukkoth, (which is also called the Feat of Booths). Another clue is that he is wrapped in swaddling clothes. Swaddling clothes her means “burial clothes.” They are not normal baby clothes. Probably they had to make do with what they could on such short notice and borrowed these from a nearby tomb. With the wrapping of swaddling or burial clothes, we are told the reason for the Baby’s birth. He is born to die and even will be buried in a borrowed tomb.
Vs. 13: It is important to grasp the incredible change in Israel’s relationship with God that was taking place here. During Israel’s history, angels had appeared to only a select few individuals. For the last 400 years Israel had not even heard form God. Suddenly, He is now speaking profusely to men and women in Israel. This in itself is a sign that something incredible was happening.
Vs. 16: Caught up in the excitement of the hour, the shepherds rush to see the Miracle Child. They find everything to be as the angel had said.
Vs. 19: Miriam pondered upon these things, but kept them inside. Years later, she would reveal them to the Gospel writer, Luke.

Brit-milah (circumcision) of Yeshua

21. And when eight days were completed for the circumcision of the Child, His name was called Yeshua, the name given by the angel before He was conceived in the womb.

Circumcision shows the faith of the parents, not the child. If the child were given the option, he would probably vote against it, since it is not always a pleasant experience. That is why circumcision was not fulfilled in baptism. An infant circumcision was no grounds for infant baptism, because baptism always shows the faith of the one bing baptized.

Circumcision was always on the eighth day, and also the time in the Jewish world for the official naming. Circumcision was inaugurated in two covenants, the Abrahamic Covenant and the Mosiac Covenant. EAch had a different purpose. Circumcision under the Abrahamic Covenant was a sign of Jewishness. Circumcision under the Mosiac Covenant was a sign of submission to the Law. It is still necessary under the Abrahamic Covenant because this was as eternal covenant.

Both Miriam and Yoseph were told on separate occasions that the Child was to be named Yeshua. The official naming of a child in the Jewish world then, as today, comes on the day of circumcision. Yeshua was circumcised and on this occasion was officially named in obedience to what the angel had told them.

Yeshua presented in the Temple

22. Now when the days of her purification according to the Law of Moses were completed, they brought Him to Jerusalem to present Him to the Lord.
23. As it is written, “Every male who opens the womb shall be called holy to the Lord” (Exodus 13: 2,12,15).
24. And to offer a sacrifice according to what is said in the Law of the Lord, “A pair of turtledoves or two young pigeons” (Leviticus 12:8).
25. And behold, there was a man in Jerusalem whose name was Simeon, and this man was just and devout, waiting for the Consolation of Israel, and the Holy Spirit was upon him.
26. And it had been revealed to him by the Holy Spirit that he would not see death before he had seen the Lord’s Messiah.
27. So he came by the Spirit into the Temple. And when the parents brought in the child Yeshua, to do for Him according to the custom of the Law,
28. He took Him up in his arms and blessed God and said,
29. “Lord, now You are letting Your servant depart in peace, according to Your word;”
30. “For my eyes have seen your salvation”
31. “Which You prepared before the face of all peoples,”
32. “A light to bring revelation to the Gentiles, and the glory of Your people Israel.”
33. And Yoseph and His mother marveled at those things which were spoken of Him.
34. Then Simeon blessed them, and said to Miriam His mother, “Behold, this Child is destined for the fall and rising of many in Israel, and for a sign which will be spoken against.
35. (Yes, a sword will pierce through your own soul also), that the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.
36. Now there was one Anna, a prophetess, the daughter of Phanuel, of the tribe of Asher. She was of great age, and had lived with a husband seven years from her virginity.
37. And this woman was a widow of about eighty-four years, who did not depart from the Temple, but served God with fastings and prayers night and day.
38. And coming in that instant, she gave thanks to the Lord, and spoke of Him to all those who looked for the redemption of Israel.

Vs. 22: Yeshua is now forty-one days old. The purpose of the ceremony here is the purification of the mother. The mother was reckoned unclean after giving birth to a son for forty-one days. She was reckoned unclean for eighty days if she gave birth to a girl. On the forty-first day she goes to the Temple for her purification. The other reason for going is for the Pidyon haBin (Redemption of the Firstborn) ceremony. Here again is evidence that both Yoseph and Miriam were righteous people, as shown by their obedience to the commandments of the Mosaic Law. Yeshua was being brought up by two people that were spiritual, righteous and obedient to the Law of Moses.

Vs. 23: Notice that the “Law of the Lord” is mentioned here, but it is called the “Law of Moses” in verse 22. This demonstrates that the Jewish believe rightfully so that God spoke through Moses and gave him His Law. The two terms are interchangeable. The Mishnah or Oral Law (commentary on the Written Law) carries this same authority.

Vs. 25: In this passage, we have mention of a man called Simeon. It may very well have been the famous Simeon of Talmudic literature, Rabban Simeon, who was the son of Hillel and the father of Gamaliel who Paul studied under. Whether or not it was this person, the timing would have been about right.

It says that he was looking for the “Consolation of Israel.” The Consolation of Israel was one of the titles of the Messianic Hope among the rabbis. One of the names of the Messiah in Rabbinic literature was “Menachem,” meaning”.“Comforter.” This is because He would be the Comforter or Consoler of Israel.

In the course of their stay that day, they have two encounters. Simeon, we are told, was a member of those who were looking for the Messiah. This man was righteous and devout, looking for the “Consolation of Israel.” Although he was fairly old, nevertheless, it was revealed to him that he would not die until his eyes beheld Messiah. When his eyes beheld the forty-one day old boy, he realizes the fulfillment of that promise in what he sees.

Vs. 27: Yoseph and Miriam had come to the Temple to offer sacrifice for Miriam’s cleansing and to perform the ceremony called Pidyon haBin. The ceremony of redeeming the firstborn on the thirty-third day following circumcision has it origin in the Torah (Num. 18:15,16). This precept was originally designed to counteract the heathen practice of sacrificing the firstborn son or beast to the Semitic gods. What an incredible thought it is that the Redeemer of mankind had to also be redeemed.

Vs. 29: Now Simeon says that he is ready to die because he has finally seen the Messiah. It should be remembered that he is not speaking English or Greek, but Hebrew. When he said, “My eyes have seen Your salvation,” he would have actually said, “my eyes have seen Your Yeshua.”

Vs. 30: The hope of the Jewish people was that someday God would send a Redeemer to them as promised in His word: “A Redeemer shall come to Zion” (Isaiah 59:20). The Redeemer is described as a King who shall reign and govern wisely. The principal features of this expectation are the recovery of independence, an era of peace and prosperity of faith in God and His Torah, of justice and brotherly love among men, and the Ingathering of the Exiles. The Jews were looking for an earthly Deliverer, and that is why they had difficulty in accepting the ministry of Yeshua. The two-fold element of the ministry of Yeshua is again brought out in this verse. The Gentiles are the ones, according to the previous segments, who “sit in darkness.” Upon them the Light is also to shine.

Vs. 32: In Judaism, the word “revelation” means an act whereby the hidden, unknown God shows Himself to man. The meaning of this verse is that God intended, through Israel, to show Himself to the entire world. It is worthwhile to note that both here, and in Zacharias’ prophecy, Israel believed that the Messiah was for the entire world, not just them.

Vs. 34,35: The sign spoken of here is Yeshua Himself and He spoke of that division that Simeon prophesied about. Many in Israel would fall because they rejected Him as Messiah. But, many would rise again in the glory of God that Israel had once because they accepted Him.

Simeon recognizes something else: that Yeshua would become a point of division in the Jewish world. He will be for some “a falling’ and for others “a rising.” He will be that sign that will be spoken against because He will cause a division in the Jewish world. The piercing of the soul of Miriam will come when she beholds her son hanging on the cross. But, through that death and subsequent resurrection, the thoughts of many hearts will be revealed.

Vs. 36: The second encounter is with a prophetess named Anna. She, we are told, is of the tribe of Asher. Now, there is a popular concept spreading in various churches and Christian groups about the “Ten Lost Tribes of Israel.” When Sargon came against the ten northern tribes and took them captive, it is a very real possibility that refugees from all ten tribes returned to Judah to escape capture. Wen the tribes of Benjamin and Judah were taken captive to Babylon, more than likely representatives from all twelve tribes were there. Here we find that Anna is a member of the tribe of Asher, one of the so-called “ten lost tribes,” and she is hardly lost. When the Jews returned from the Babylonian Captivity, it is very probable that they returned with members of all twelve tribes. If a member of one of the ten is present, it is a very real possibility that the other nine had representation there also.

The text further states that by this time she was of great age, having lived with a husband for only seven years before becoming widowed. After her husband’s death, she lived another eighty -four years, for a total of ninety-one years. She would have normally married at somewhere between the ages of twelve to fifteen. This means that she is approximately 103-105 years old. She is indeed a matriarch of Israel, a lady greatly respected in her community. Here we see the principle of “two witnesses” at work, and what two witnesses they are.

Vs. 38: Like Simeon, Anna also recognized this forty-one day old boy as being the Person of the Messiah and rejoiced greatly. She was finally free to leave the Temple compound and went out to tell everyone that the Messiah had been born and that she had seen Him.

The escape to Egypt

13. Now when they departed, behold the angel of the Lord appeared to Yoseph in a dream, saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, flee to Egypt, and stay there until I bring you word; for Herod will seek the young Child to destroy Him.”
14. When he arose, he took the young Child and His mother and departed for Egypt.
15. And was there until the death of Herod, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the Lord through the prophet, saying, “Out of Egypt I called My Son.”
16. Then Herod when he saw that he was deceived by the wise men, was exceedingly angry; and he sent forth and put to death all the male children who were in Bethlehem and in all its districts, from two years old and under according to the time which he had determined from the wide men.
17. Then was fulfilled what was spoken by Jeremiah the prophet, saying:
18. “A voice was heard in Ramah, lamentation, weeping and great mourning, Rachel weeping for her children, refusing to be comforted, because they were no more.”

Vs. 14: And just how could a family that was so poor that they could only afford young pigeons or doves for a sacrifice afford to travel to Egypt and live there? Again we see the providence of God through the gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh; gifts that would provide a living for the family during this period of time.

Vs. 15: The second type of the New Testament quoting the Original Testament is called “literal plus typical.” Hosea 11:1, which is quoted here is a reference to Israel’s exodus out of Egypt. This is an allusion to Exodus 4:22 where Israel became nationally the Son of God. The reference here in Matthew is a type of this.

Josephus, the Jewish historian, relates that Herod became very ill following an act of impiety against the priesthood, at which time an eclipse of the moon occurred. This eclipse, the only one mentioned by Josephus, happened on March 13th of the Julian Period, and the fourth year before the Common Era. Herod’s illness (probably syphilis) lasted for several months and it is documented in great detail as being painful and distressful. Many cures were sought and brought temporary relief. However, nothing prevented imminent death. According to Josephus’ calculations, Herod’s death occurred in about September-October, 4 B.C. Therefore with the knowledge that Herod’s death was in the autumn, within forty days of the birth of Yeshua, it is established that Yeshua was born during that time of the year.

Vs. 16: It was the custom in ancient Israel to count the years of one’s age from the date of conception. Therefore, Herod actually killed children one year old and younger, according to the way age is calculated today. When Herod killed the male children in Bethlehem, it was a satanic attempt to kill the “seed of the woman.” The Bible describes this attack in this matter: “and the dragon stood before the woman (Israel) who was ready to be delivered, to devour the Child (Yeshua) as son as He was born” (Rev. 12:4). But, forewarned by God, Yoseph and Miriam fled to Egypt with the Child.

Vs. 17,18: These two verses demonstrates the third way the New Testament quotes the Original Testament. This way is called “literal, plus application.” If we go back to the text of Jeremiah 31:15 and look at its original context, it is neither history nor prophecy, but something that was already presently happening. It was a present contemporary event of the prophet Jeremiah and is a reference to the Babylonian Captivity. In this account young Jewish men were being taken into captivity in Babylon. When they were taken away, they were taken by the town of Ramah, which is near the place where Rachel was buried. Rachel had become the symbol of Jewish motherhood. Rachel was a matriarch of Israel, wife of Jacob, and mother of Yoseph and Benjamin. She died in childbirth on the way from Bethel to Eprath. As she lay dying, she named her son “Ben Oni,” or “son of my suffering.” Yoseph always called him Benjamin. Jacob did not bury her in the ancestral patriarchal cave at Machpelah, but interred her at the place of her death and set up a monument over her grave. As the young men went by Ramah the mothers of the town came outside and were weeping for the sons of Israel that they would never see again. Jeremiah pictures this s Rachel (Jewish motherhood) weeping. When Herod ordered the male children to be killed, Jewish mothers were weeping again for sons that they would never see again.

The return to Natzeret

19. But when Herod was dead, behold, an angel of the Lord appeared in a dream to Yoseph in Egypt.
20. Saying, “Arise, take the young Child and His mother, and go to the land of Israel, for those who sought the young Child’s life are dead.”
21. Then he arose, took the young Child and His mother, and came into the Land of Israel.
22. But when he heard that Archelaus was reigning over Judea instead of his father Herod, he was afraid to go there. And being warned by God in a dream, he turned aside into the region of Galilee.
23. And he came and dwelt in a city called Nazareth, that it might be fulfilled which was spoken by the prophets, “He shall be called a Nazarene.”


Vs. 19: Notice that the family does not return to Jerusalem. The reason for the move was because the one that was appointed as head of Judea was Archelaus, the son of Herod the Great. He, as much as it may be hard to believe, was even worse than is father. He was so bad that he was eventually banished by Rome altogether. In order to avoid problems with Archelaus, who may have inherited the paranoia of his father, the family chose to move to Galilee which was outside of his jurisdiction. It was under the jurisdiction of Herod Antipas. Although Herod Antipas was also the son of Herod the Great, he was very different than Archelaus.

Vs. 23: The fourth category of how the New Testament quotes the Original Testament is called ”summation” or “summary.” In this vers the specific seeming quotation is “He should be called a Nazarene.” Try as you may, you will not find a single prophecy that states, “He should be called a Nazarene.” People have tried to connect this somehow with Isaiah 11:1, but that connection is very farfetched. Verse 23 uses the plural term “prophets,” but there is not even a single one that says this. The fourth category does not have a direct quotation from the O.T., but a summary of what the O.T. taught. The clue is when the word prophets” is used in the plural here. In the first three categories the word prophet is, in most cases, singular. In the fourth category, it is used in the plural. The author is not quoting but summarizing what the prophets said.

What is a Nazarene? A Nazarene is someone who was despised and rejected. This attitude is reflected in John 1:45,46. Nathaniel’s question, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” is reflecting the negative viewpoint people had of the Nazarenes. People who were Nazarenes were people who were despised and rejected. It is as if they told Nazarene jokes back in those days. And what did the prophets say about the Messiah? The prophets did predict that the Messiah would be a despised and rejected individual. The best way of labeling that is to call a person a Nazarene.

Yeshua's upbringing

40. And the Child grew and became strong in spirit, filled with wisdom; and the grace of God was upon Him.

With this one statement the development of Yeshua from the age of four until the age of twelve is summarized by stating that physically He waxed strong; mentally He was filled with wisdom; and spiritually the grace of God was upon Him. The question is: what kind of an upbringing did Yeshua have? Although the Bible des not give that much information concerning Yeshua’s early years, the Mishnah gives the breaking down of the ages of development of a Jewish child. “At five years of age, a child is put to the text of the Scripture; at age ten, to the Mishnah or traditions; at age thirteen, to the commandments(Bar Mitzvah); at age fifteen, for the study of Talmud; at age eighteen, for marriage; at age twenty, for pursuing a vocation; at the age of thirty, for entering into one’s full vigor.” Here we have in a nutshell the early life of any Jewish boy growing to manhood, including Yeshua. Textbooks were simply not available during this period of time. So all learning was done by memorization. This will come into evidence later on in the way Yeshua taught His disciples, using what is called in the Hebrew “remez,” which means “an alluding to.” This will be explained later in far greater detail.

However, there is some other indications that we can go by that tells us something about the nature of His education. One thing that we can refer to is the fact that He had a Jewish upbringing in a home with parents who were members of the believing Jewish remnant of that day. He lived in a spiritual home, a home where mother and father both were very much committed to God. He received a Jewish upbringing, learning much about the O.T. and the Jewish religion of that time. We are also given some information in the O.T. concerning His education (Isaiah 50:4-9). In verse four we are told that the nature of the training of the humanity of Yeshua was the fact that, “Morning after morning,” in the wee hours of the morning, God the Father would wake up God the Son and begin to instruct Him, to teach and train Him for the mission that He would have to conduct.

While in His deity, Yeshua had a mission and knew everything. But, in His humanity He had to undergo a learning process just like every other human being. For this kind of learning, He probably underwent a special training by God the Father, morning after morning, and He was awakened and taught like them who were taught. So that when the period of training was over with (verse 5), and when His mission finally began to be opened up in the course of His public ministry, He was not rebellious. When a time of suffering came (verse 6), because of the nature of this training He had, and that He understood that He was trained for that very suffering, He was not rebellious and willingly gave His cheeks to them that plucked out the hair.

It is no accident that Luke will tells us later when Yeshua begins to move towards Jerusalem for the final time, when He knows He will be crucified, we are told that He will set His face like a flint in order to go to Jerusalem for the purpose of fulfilling is mission. Verse 7 is the basis for what Luke will later use as the motif of the “flint.”

Yeshua in the Temple

41. His parents went to Jerusalem every year at the Feast of Passover.
42. And when He was twelve years old, they went up to Jerusalem according to the custom of the feast.
43. When they had finished the days, as they returned, the Boy Yeshua lingered behind in Jerusalem. And Yoseph and His mother did not know it.
44. But supposing Him to have been in the company , they went a day’s journey, and sought Him among their relatives and acquaintances.
45. So when they did not find Him, they returned to Jerusalem, seeking Him.
46. Now so it was that after three days they found him in the Temple, sitting in the midst of the teachers, both listening to them and asking them questions.
47. And all who heard Him were astonished at His understanding and answers.
48. So when they saw Him they were amazed; and His mother said to Him, “Son, why have You done this to us? Look, Your father and I have sought You anxiously.”
49. And He said to them, “Why is it that you sought Me? Did you not know that I must be about My Father’s business?”
50. But they did not understand the statement which He spoke to them.

Vs. 41: A term in Hebrew used for festival or feast is “mo’ed,” and it means a “set time” or an “appointed time.” God has appointed seasons during the year that He would require the men of Israel to be present in Jerusalem (Deut. 18). The implication here is that God has an appointment to perform something with Israel on those dates.

Another Hebrew word used in connection with the festivals is “mikrah,” which is translated as convocation in most Bibles. It literally means “rehearsal” or “recital.” The implication of this is that the festivals are times that Israel rehearses various aspects of the plan of God. This is good preparation for the time that the Lord fulfills the appointments He has set with Israel. As the pilgrims traveled year by year to Jerusalem for these festivals the Rabbis taught and speculated on the Messianic aspects of these appointments and rehearsals.

Vs. 42: Yeshua is taken at Pesach (Passover) time to Jerusalem when He is twelve years old, according to tradition. He is taken there in preparation for His Bar Mitzvah at thirteen years of age. It is also at age twelve that a son is officially apprenticed to his father. This is the probable meaning of Yeshua’s words, “I must go about My Father’s business.” At the age of thirteen the boy goes through a special ceremony. From that time on, he is under the Law and is responsible for his own sins. Up until this time, in Judaism, the parents are responsible for the sins of the child.

However, the Rabbis said, “The first Passover after the twelfth year, and then the preparation for Bar Mitzvah which will happen on the thirteenth year, the son is taken to Jerusalem.” And so in keeping with that Jewish tradition, the parents take Yeshua at the age of twelve to Jerusalem for the first Passover in that city, and in preparation for His Bar Mitzvah that will come at the age of thirteen.

Vs. 43: The events in this short segment cover a period of seven days. His parents take Him to Jerusalem, but because they were not traveling alone, but traveling with a group, when the group left Jerusalem the assumption they make is that He was with someone else in the group. Only after traveling a full day’s journey and making the first night of encampment, they discovered that He was not there.

Vs. 45-47: After they returned to Jerusalem, it takes three days to find Him. The place where they find him is the Temple compound, where we are told that He was “sitting in the midst of the teachers.” These were the experts and interpreters of the Mosaic Law. Yeshua was sitting among them, both “hearing” them, meaning He understood their in-depth teaching; but also He was answering their questions, the kind of questions that go beyond a normal twelve year old boy. All that heard Him were amazed at His understanding and His answers. And they were all the more amazed in the light of the fact that He was from Galilee, and even more significant that He was from the city of Nazareth.

Vs. 49: Another thing that we notice at age twelve, and the result of His training mentioned in Isaiah, is that He recognized His Sonship with God the Father. He reminds His mother who He is, and that rather than spending three days looking all over Jerusalem they should have known where He was because of who He is. The place where He would be found is in His Father’s house. And so, at the age of twelve, not only does He have an exorbitant amount of knowledge for His age, but He recognizes His Sonship with the Father. At this point in time, He also knows that He is the Messiah of Israel.

Yeshua's childhood

51. Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.
52. And Yeshua increased in wisdom and stature, and in favor with God and men.

Vs. 51: Again, Luke alone records this element because he is the one who has special interest in the humanity of Yeshua. These two verses summarize the development from the age of twelve until roughly the age of thirty. “Then He went down with them and came to Nazareth, and was subject to them, but His mother kept all these things in her heart.” This is one of the best verses to show that submission does not mean inferiority. Here we have not an equal in submission to another equal, but we have a superior (God Incarnate) subjecting Himself to inferiors, a sinful man and woman. Biblical submission does not mean inferiority. It means a point of order, a chain of command that God has ordained. When the Bible speaks of the wife being in submission to her husband, it is not a matter of inferiority, but simply the divine order that God wants.

Vs. 52: We are told that He developed in four areas: (1) wisdom (mental development); (2) stature (physical development); (3) in favor with God (spiritual); and (4) in favor with man (social).

Historical references

Mk. 1:1 The beginning of the Gospel of Yeshua the Messiah, the Son of God.
Lk. 3:1 Now in the fifteenth year of the reign of Tiberius Caesar, Pontius Pilate being governor of Judea, Herod being tetrarch of Galilee, his brother Philip tetrarch of Iturea and the region of Trachonitis, and Lysanias tetrarch of Abilene.
Lk. 3:2 Annas and Caiphas being High Priests, the word of God came to Yochanan the son of Zacharias in the wilderness.

Vs. 3:1 This verse establishes the year of the appearance of Yochanan the Immerser and hence the subsequent public ministry of Yeshua. Luke, writing to the Greeks who are historically minded, is very careful to date the material. The fifteenth year of Tiberius was 28/29, as he reigned for 22 years and some 5 to 6 months, from 14 to 37 C.E. Pontius Pilate was procurator from 26-36, and Caiphas was High Priest over almost the same period, 26-35 C.E. Herod Antipas ruled Galilee from 4 B.C.E. to 40 C.E., and Philip his assortment of lands from 4 B.C.E. to 34 C.E.

As to “Lysanias,” Luke is at variance with Josephus. Lysanias was killed by Marc Antony during the reign of Herod the Great. This small territory of Lysanias was leased by Zenodorus (or “Zeno,” Wars 1.20.4) and was later given by Caesar to Philip. After Philip’s death this little region that had belonged to Lysanias, along with other pieces of Philip’s territory, was given to Agrippa by the Emperor Claudius circa 40 C.E. This little territory never had a name. It was referred to familiarly, something like “that piece of land that used to belong to Lysanias.” This is the only way Josephus refers to the property throughout his works. There is no evidence of a ruler named Lysanias at the time Luke speaks about. In any case, the land is too small for anyone to bother identifying the ruler as a means of specifying a moment in history.

Two explanations present themselves. The more interesting of these is that Luke worked from a written source he did not quite understand. He could have read about the time “when Herod was tetrarch of Galilee, and his brother was tetrarch of the region of Iturea and Trachonitis, and Lysanias the tetrarch of Abilene.” He could have misinterpreted the last clause as identifying another ruler of the time, rather than continuing the list of Philip’s lands; particularly if the grammar had became a little garbled in transmission. This would indicate Luke did know enough about Judea to recognize that “the tetrarchy of Lysanias” was the way the local inhabitants referred to the little piece of land. The second, more mundane explanation is that Luke originally wrote the version we just surmised, but his text has become slightly corrupted during the transmission to us.

Yochanan the Immerser 1

Lk. 3:3 And he went into all the region around the Jordan, preaching a baptism of remission of sins. (Also Mt. 3:3; Mk. 1:4)
Mt. 3:2 And saying , “Repent, for the Kingdom of Heaven is at hand.”
Lk 3:4a As it is written in the book of the words of Isaiah the prophet, saying, (Mt. 3:4a and Mk 1:2a)
Mk. 1:2b “Behold, I send My messenger before your face, who will prepare Your way before You.”
Lk. 3:34b “The voice of one crying in the wilderness: prepare the way of the Lord, make His paths straight.” (Also Mt. 3:3b and Mk. 1:3).
Lk. 3:5 “Every valley shall be filled and every mountain and hill brought low; and the crooked places shall be made straight and the rough ways made smooth.”
Lk. 3:6 And all flesh shall see the salvation of God.”
Mt. 3:5 Then all Jerusalem, all Judea, and all the region around Jordan went out to him, (Also Mk. 1:5a)
Mt. 3:6 And were baptized by him in the Jordan, confessing their sins.
(Also Mk. 1:5b)
Mt. 3:4 And Yochanan himself was clothed in camel’s hair, with a leather belt around the waist; and his food was locusts and wild honey. (Also Mk. 1:6)

In this segment we have the Synoptic Gospels coming together for the first time. They are called Synoptic Gospels because they all tell basically the same story, though the wording of their story is based upon their particular theme. The reason that they tell basically the same story is that Matthew, Mark and Luke, unlike John, are far more interested in what Yeshua did than what He said. John’s Gospel does not fully parallel the other three because he is more interested in what Yeshua said and what the others left out. That is why in this commentary we are including all four Gospels so the story is complete.

Lk. 3:3 Our sources concerning Yochanan the Immerser are the New Testament and Josephus. Josephus’ interpretation of the significance of Yochanan’s baptism is almost identical to the theology of baptism in the Dead Sea Scrolls. It appears that there was indeed an infinity between Yochanan the Immerser and the Essenes, and scholars assume that Yochanan was once a member of the Essenes and had left for ideological reasons.

Baptism, for both Yochanan the Immerser and for the Essenes, had the same significance as the Jewish ritual immersion in a miveh (a special pool of rain water used for purification purposes). The Essenes and Yochanan following them, adopted the idea that immersion purified the body. But, they believed that a person’s body was defiled not only through contact with objects which were ritually unclean, but also through sin. When someone sinned, his body was defiled, and therefore, a man who had not repented before his immersion would not become pure. While the immersion might purify the body, it would immediately be defiled again through the person’s sins. This approach was adopted by Yochanan the Immerser. Numerous people flocked to him since he did not require them to abandon their usual way of life, to give away their property to a communal fund, or form a separate sect. They simply hoped to redeem their souls through confession and immersion. There were even some who believed mistakenly that immersion itself would purify them from their sins. These people did not grasp the idea that repentance purified a man from sin, and water only purified the body.

The Biblical concept of forgiveness presumes, in its oldest strata, that sin is a malefic force that adheres to the sinner and that forgiveness is the divine means for removing it. It is not enough to hope and pray for pardon. A man must humble himself , acknowledge his wrong, and resolve to depart from sin. The many symptoms for contrition testify to its primacy in the human effort to restore the desired relationship with God: seek the Lord (II Sam. 12:16; 21:1), search for Him (Amos 5:4), humble oneself before Him (Lev. 26:41), direct the heart to Him (I Sam. 7:3), and lay to heart (II Kings 22:19).

At the same time, inner contrition must be followed by outward acts. Remorse must be translated into deeds. Two substances are involved in this process. First, the negative one of ceasing to do evil, and then the positive one of doing good. This doctrine implies that man has been endowed by God with the power of “turning .” He can turn from evil and to good, and the very act of turning will activate God’s concern and lead to forgiveness.

Yochanan was preaching a baptism of repentance unto remission of sins. In essence, the word “baptism” means to identify and those who were baptized by Yochanan were identifying themselves with the “back to God” movement. The baptism of Yochanan is not the same as the baptism of the Messiah, although the mode was the same. That is why those who were baptized by Yochanan, and later received Yeshua as Messiah, had to be baptized all over again in Yeshua’s name.

Mt. 3:2 When you read this verse you get the felling that the Kingdom of heaven was getting pretty close. The Hebrew word used here actually means that it is actually here and you have a part in it.

Notice that this verse here uses the term “Kingdom of Heaven.” This same phrase is used all through Matthew’s Gospel. Yet, Mark and Luke use the phrase “Kingdom of God.” Why? Are there two different “kingdoms” being talked about in the Gospels? We must remember that Matthew was writing to the Jews. The Jews will not pronounce the name of God, so they use the term “Kingdom of Heaven.” The Greek word used here is “Theos,” which in itself is not a proper name. But, if you look further into your concordance you will see that the Hebrew word most often translated by “Theos” is Elohim, or “El” which is a shortened version of Elohim. Mark and Luke, being non-Jews, had no such compunction for using God’s name in their writings. It is the very same Kingdom that all three Gospels are talking about.

Some were possibly familiar with the ritual immersion done by the priests in the Temple, but this was far different from Yochanan’s teaching. What Yochanan was evidently patterning his teaching after was the practice called “tevilah.” When a proselyte converted to Judaism, he was required to perform this “tevilah” or ritual immersion as part of his “coming back to God.” It was required to be performed in some type of a natural spring (living water). Yochanan used the Jordan River. It was then said that the convert has experienced a “new birth.”

Scholars continue to debate the exact location along the Jordan River where Yochanan baptized Yeshua. The traditional site has come to be known as Bethabara, which means “house of the ford.” It is just north of the Dead Sea. Some scholars feel the real Bethabara was further up the Jordan River near Galilee. Regardless of the exact location, what is more interesting is the Aramaic verb “abar” found in Bethabara. Abar (eber in Hebrew) indicates a movement, “the thought that one person CAUSES or MOTIVATES another to move.”

Gilbert Sindon, in his article “John the Baptist, Jesus and the Jordan”, explains the concept of abar this way: “In concrete terms, John was challenging his fellow Jews to go across to the east bank of the Jordan, out of the land. This was an act of confession, admitting in this dramatic fashion that they had forfeited their right, not so much to live in the land, but to be God’s people. John then literally “turned them around, (shav in Hebrew, which is the root of the Hebrew word for repentance). John then led the people back through the river into the land. This is a dramatic example of God’s sure promise of restoration of our relationship with Him.”

Mk. 1:2b Luke and Matthew quote Isaiah 40:3 and Mark quotes Malachi 3:1. Both of these Original Testament passages predict that before the Messiah is made known, He will be preceded by a forerunner. A forerunner will come announcing the soon coming of the King. This literal prophecy was fulfilled in a literal way by Yochanan the Immerser. That is the reason for the quotation of these two verses.

Luke 3:5 This is one of the prime examples of how modern translations have erred. In this instance it is a simple little punctuation mark that makes all the difference. Two questions must be answered in order to open our understanding. First, why was Yochanan starting his ministry out in the wilderness instead of Jerusalem or some other heavily populated area? Secondly, why would people travel such a long distance to hear him? The answer to both of these questions is found in the correct translation of Isaiah 40:3. The Tanakh (Hebrew Bible) correctly reads: “A voice rings out: clear the desert road for the Lord. Level in the wilderness a highway for our God.” From this verse the Jewish people always expected that the first appearance of the Messiah to be in the desert regions where Yochanan was. This is also probably the reason for the establishment of the community at Qumran which is nearby. This is also another reason why scholars believe that Yochanan was raised by the Essenes. Yochanan was there announcing the fulfillment of prophecy, and the people went out fully expecting to see the Messiah. It would not be long until their expectations were realized.

If there is any doubt in someone’s mind as to who Yeshua is, this same verse in Isaiah explains it very well. In Judaism there are two primary names for God: “Elohim” for Creator; and “Yahweh” (YHVH”) for Covenant Maker. Again we quote the proper translation of Isaiah 40:3, putting in the correct Hebrew. “A voice rings out: clear in the desert a road for Yahweh (YHVH). Level in the wilderness a highway for Elohim.” Yeshua the Messiah was and is God. “For in Him dwells all the fullness of the Godhead bodily” (Col. 2:9).

Mt. 3:5 This verse points out the tremendous response Yochanan begins to receive from all around the country of Judea and there in Jerusalem. Keep in mind that there were no telephones, radios or televisions to spread the news. News traveled by word of mouth. Remembering that will put this thing more in perspective. Yochanan had a message that really got the people’s attention.

Mt. 3:6 Dr. David Flusser of the Hebrew University in Jerusalem said that Yochanan’s way of baptism was almost identical to that written in the Dead Sea Scrolls.

Mt. 3:4 “Sha’atnez” in Judaism is the prohibition of wearing clothing made of any combination of linen and wool. The reason for this prohibition was this type of cloth was reserved to make the garments of the priests for wearing in the Tabernacle and Temple. Camel’s hair (wool) was exempt from this prohibition and was likely the wool used to make the priests garments. Camels were bound to have been the most popular, and the most plentiful animals used during the Exodus.

The tribes of Israel wandered in nomadic fashion for 40 years in the wilderness, never staying long at any one place. Because of this it was very difficult for them to grow the grains needed to make flour used in baking, especially for such things as the Shewbread in the Tabernacle. According to the Encyclopedia Judaica, the most popular substance used in that day by the nomadic tribes was dried locusts ground into a fine meal. Water was also a scarce commodity in the desert, so wild honey was used in its place, especially in making the shewbread. To tie this all together, we need to take another look at Yochanan the Immerser. His clothes were made of camel’s hair (not skins), and his food was locusts and wild honey. Yochanan was of the priestly lineage (his father Zacharias was a priest). It is said that the priest represented God to the people and the people to God. He fit this role perfectly in his introduction of the Messiah. He may have had extremely long hair because of his Nazarite vow, but this was a sign of his consecration to God. In preparing himself for his assigned task, his clothing was made of the cloth reserved for the priest (he was of the lineage of Aaron), and his food was two of the principle ingredients of the shewbread which was the food of the priests. Yochanan was not the wild, hairy mountain man that so many have tried to picture him as.

Yochanan the Immerser 2

Mt. 3:7 But when he saw many of the Pharisees and Sadducees coming to his baptism, he said to them, “Brood of vipers! Who has warned you to flee the wrath that is to come?” (also Lk. 3:7)
Mt. 3:8 “Therefore bear fruits worthy of repentance.” (Also Lk. 3:8a)
Mt. 3:9 “And do not think to say to yourselves, ‘we have Abraham as our father:’ for I say to you that God is able to raise up children to Abraham from these stones.”
(Also Lk. 3:8b)
Mt. 3:10 “And even now the lax is laid to the root of the tree. Therefore every tree that does not bear good fruit is cut down and thrown into the fire.”
Lk. 3:10 So the people asked him, “What shall we do then?”
Lk. 3:11 He answered and said to them, “He who has two tunics, let im give to him that has none; an he that has food, let him do likewise.”
Lk. 3:12 The tax collectors also came to be baptized, and said to him, “What shall we do?”
Lk. 3:13 And he said to them, “Collect no more than what is appointed to you.”
Lk. 3:14 Likewise the soldiers asked him, “And what shall we do?” So he told them, “Do not intimidate anyone or accuse falsely, and be content with your wages.”

Mt. 3:7 First century Jewish sources provide no direct antecedent for or parallel to Yochanan’s baptism. Cleansing ceremonies using the waters of purification are prescribed in the Torah, and the priest-prophet Ezekiel declared that God at the end time will purify the people from their defilement with clean water and give them a new heart and a new spirit. The custom of baptizing Gentile converts to Judaism is close to Yochanan’s rite, although it cannot be proved that proselyte baptism antedates Yochanan. If the practice was current it is possible that Yochanan deliberately applied to the children of Abraham “a rite devised by them to benefit pagans, thus evidencing his conviction that the whole Jewish nation needed to be reconstituted as the people of God.

Yochanan further drove home his point when, upon seeing the Pharisees and Sadducees approaching him, called them snakes and vipers. They would have known about snake’s venom being compared to slanderous and evil talk, and that is something that they had probably accused the Gentiles of many times before.

Whenever there was any kind of Messianic movement of note, the Sanhedrin had a legitimate two-fold responsibility they had to carry out. In the previous paragraph Yochanan began preaching a message that the King and the Kingdom were near at hand. And so in that sense Yochanan was beginning a Messianic movement of some sort. Because he was creating such a great amount of attention, the Sanhedrin was obligated to do two things.

First, they were to send a group or the purpose of observing. This is called the “stage of observation.” Unlike the Luke account where the multitude did come to be baptized, the Pharisees and Sadducees merely “came to” the baptism to carry out the first element of observation. They were not allowed to ask any questions, but merely observe what was being said and done. After a period of observation this group would go back to Jerusalem and report to the Sanhedrin their conclusion as to whether this movement was significant or not. If the movement was judged insignificant the whole thing would be dropped right there. But, if the movement was significant, then the Sanhedrin would begin the second stage, the stage of investigation. A second delegation would be sent to investigate. They were to ask such questions as: (1) who are you?; (2) who do you claim to be?; (3) what do you plan to be doing?; and (4) why are you doing it?

Mt. 3:8,9 Yochanan’s eschatological message of imminent judgment closely resembles that held by the Dead Sea sect, but Yochanan’s rite of baptism differs in meaning from the “purifying waters” of the Essenes. Yochanan’s preaching was intensely eschatological. He heralded the imminent day of judgment; God’s retributive punishment would soon fall upon the apostasy of Israel. The merits of the patriarchs would provide no escape and descent from Abraham would offer no advantage. Only sincere repentance would avert the “wrath to come,” and this must lead to baptism. Moreover, those who confessed their sins and received Yochanan’s baptism as a sign of this repentance were commanded to “bear good fruit” following in “the way of righteousness” taught by Yochanan.

Yochanan warns the Pharisees and Sadducees about saying, “we have Abraham as our father.” This was a reflection on the Rabbinic teaching that all of Israel has a share in the world to come (Olam haBah.) found in Mishnah Sanhedrin 10:1. Some Rabbis taught that the Jews did not have to be concerned about losing out with God because of the merits of the fathers: Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Also Bereshith Raba 48:8 records, “In the hereafter Abraham was set at the gates of Hades and would not let any circumcised Israelite to descend into it.” Yochanan was contradicting this teaching.

Lk 3:10 It goes contrary to the nature of individuals to share their wealth. People who have extras tend to hoard those extras, not share them with others. And yet, Yochanan’s instructions to the multitude was to do just that.

Lk. 3:12,13 Publicans were Jews who bought the office of tax collector. This meant they were putting themselves in the position where they would be ostracized by the Jewish community because they would be reckoned as working for the enemy, and therefore, traitors. Why would Jews seek that office in light of the fact of the reaction of the community? The reason that people sold this office that paid only a very small salary was something that the Roman law allowed. If the Roman government determined that an individual owed 5 shekels, the publican would charge 10 shekels. He would then give Rome 5 shekels and keep 5 for himself. It was through this kind of extortion that the publicans became wealthy. Here Yochanan is telling them to do exactly contrary to the reason why they entered this office to begin with.

Lk. 3:14 Why did non-Romans want to enter the Roman army that was responsible for the defeat of their nation? The answer again lies in what the Roman government allowed. The soldiers in the army had the right to take the spoil of the subjugated people even after peace had come. This was the way they were able to gain wealth. Yochanan is telling these soldiers to go contrary to the reason why they entered the military to begin with.

Yochanan prepares the way

Lk. 3:15 Now as the people were in expectation, and all reasoned in their hearts about Yochanan, whether he was the Messiah or not.
Lk. 3:16a Yochanan answered, saying, “I indeed baptize you with water; but One mightier than I is coming, whose sandal strap I am not worthy to loose. (Also Mt. 3:11a, Mk. 1:7)
Lk. 3:16b “He will baptize you with the Holy Spirit and with fire.” (Also Mt. 3:11b; Mk. 1:8)
Lk. 3:17 “His winnowing fan is in His hand, and He will thoroughly purge His threshing floor, and gather the wheat into His barn; but the chaff He will burn with unquenchable fire. (Also Mt. 3:12)
Lk. 3:18 And with exhortations he preached to the people.

Lk. 3:15 The verse speaks of the expectation of the people. When they came to hear Yochanan they fully expected to see the long awaited Messiah. History records that in the period shortly before and for a brief time after the first century C.E. the Messianic expectation had reached its greatest peak. The prophet Daniel, over 400 years before the time of Yeshua, had foretold that the Messiah would appear in the midst of the fourth kingdom from the time of his prophecy. The Messiah, according to Daniel 7, would then establish His own Kingdom that would be without end. From the days of Daniel four kingdoms had successfully risen on the earth. They were Babylon, Medea-Persia, Greek and Roman Empires. In another prophecy (Dan. 9:24-27), Daniel had foretold the time of the Messiah’s coming as being approximately 400 years after the return of Nehemiah and Ezra. That time was here.

Lk. 3:16a When we look at the term “baptize with fire,” most people think Yeshua is talking about the baptism of the Holy Spirit. We associate this with the “cloven tongues of fire” on the Day of Shavuot (Pentecost). But the fire being spoken of here by Yochanan is the fire of judgment. People are going to be judged according to how they respond to the words of Yeshua. The consequences for those who ignore His words will be terrible.

B aptism of Yeshua

Mt. 3:13 Then Yeshua came from Galilee to Yochanan at the Jordan to be baptized by him. (Also Mk. 1:9; Lk. 3:21a)
Mt. 3:14 And Yochanan tried to prevent Him, saying, “I have need to be baptized by You, and You are coming to me?”
Mt. 3:15 Then Yeshua answered and said to him, “Permit it to be so now, for thus it is fitting for us to fulfill all righteousness.”
Mt. 3:16a Then Yeshua, when He had been baptized, came up immediately from the water; (Also Mk. 1:10a; Lk. 3:21b)
Mt. 3:16b And behold, the heavens opened to Him, and He saw the Spirit of God descending like a dove and alighting on Him. (Also Mk. 1:10b; Lk. 3:22a)
Mt. 3:17 And suddenly a voice from came from heaven, saying, “This is My beloved Son, in whom I am well pleased.” (Also Mk. 1:11; Lk. 3:22b)

Mt. 3:13 Messianic baptism is different because with it we are identifying ourselves with the death, burial and resurrection of the Messiah. The meaning of the act is identification. But the type of identification is determined on what kind of baptism it is. Proselyte baptism is identification with Judaism. Yochanan’s baptism was identification with his “back to God” movement. Yeshua’s baptism is still yet another identification. The basic meaning of the word is immersion. Any other kind of baptism is not Biblical baptism. Immersion was the Jewish mode and also the mode of the early church. Later in church history it was changed to pouring and then still later to sprinkling. These two modes are not Biblical. At the end of this segment we have included an article title, “The Jewish Background of Christian Baptism” by Dr. Ron Moseley. It is probably the best article I have ever seen on this subject.

The purpose of baptism (ritual immersion), according to Jewish Law even to this day, was for the forgiveness of sins and spiritual cleansing into a right relationship with God. Yeshua had a need to be baptized, but it was not because He had sin in His life. In Malachi 4:2 the Messiah is called the “sun of righteousness who would come with healing in His wings.” According to Ezekiel 34:11-16, the salvation that Messiah would bring was in four ways: (1) He would seek out the lost: (2) return them to the fold; (3) heal the sick; and (4) strengthen the weak. In other words, He would usher in the Kingdom of God. The reason that Yeshua was so insistent on being baptized was “to fulfill all righteousness” so that He might be the “sun of righteousness.” The importance of this will be demonstrated later on in another segment.

Mt.3:16b In Jewish literature the dove is a symbol of the Holy Spirit. The Babylonian Hag. 15a commentary on Genesis 1:2, where the Spirit of the Lord moved upon the waters, says the Spirit of God hovered like a dove over her young without touching them. The Babylonian Ber. 3b connects the Bat Kol from heaven with the Holy Spirit.

Mt. 3:17 In Rabbinic literature a reference is made to a voice from heaven called “Bat Kol.” which literally means a “daughter of a voice.” This is understood to be an oracle, a declaration of the Divine Will. These verses are used by many people to establish the doctrine of the Trinity, but this has absolutely nothing to do with that. Perhaps an over simplification of its description is to say that the Bat Kol is heaven’s public address system. It is important to remember that the people witnessing these events were Jews, and things were being done so that they would understand what was happening. It was not written for our Hellenistic mind set. If we want to understand these things, we have to learn to think like a first century Jew.

Temptation of Yeshua

Mt. 4:1 Then Yeshua was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. (See also Mk. 1:1; Lk. 4:1)
Mt. 4:2 And when He had fasted forty days and forty nights, afterwards He was hungry. See also Mk. 1:13a; Lk. 4:2)
Mt. 4:3 Now when the tempter came to Him, he said, “If you are the Son of God, command that these stones be made into bread.” (See also Lk. 4:3)
Mt. 4:4 But He answered and said, “It is written, ‘man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that proceeds from the mouth of God.’” (See also Lk. 4:4)
Mt. 4:5 Then the devil took Him up into the holy city, set Him on the pinnacle of the Temple,
Mt. 4:6 and said to Him, “If you are the Son of God, throw Yourself down. For it is written, ‘He shall give His angels charge concerning You,” and “In their hands they shall bear You up, lest You dash your foot against a stone.’” (See also Lk. 4:9-11)
Mt. 4:7 Yeshua said to him, “It is written, ‘You shall not tempt the Lord your God.’”
(See also Lk. 4:12)
Mt. 4:8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. (See also Lk. 4:5)
Mt. 4:9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.” (See also Lk. 4:7)
Mt. 4:10 Then Yeshua said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only will you serve.’” (See also Lk. 4:8)
Mt. 4:11 Then the devil left Him, and behold, angels came and ministered to Him.
(See also Mk. 1:13b; Lk. 4:13)

Mt. 4:1 The temptation of Yeshua follows the Spirit’s descent at His baptism. After the high spiritual experience at the waters of the Jordan River, Yeshua comes into direct conflict with the powers of evil. Satan dramatically appears on the scene and presents Yeshua with an opportunity to achieve the higher purpose of redemption without the pain of the cross.

Mt. 4:3 The first temptation denied God’s provision. God had sustained Yeshua during His fast. To accept Satan’s challenge would have been a confession that God’s provision was insufficient. Yeshua responded with Scripture: “Man shall not live by bread alone” (Deut. 8:3). Similar circumstances prevailed when the people of Israel wandered through the desert relying upon God to provide them with manna.

Mt. 4:5 Standing on the wing (kanaf) of the Temple the deceiver now quotes Scripture, attempting to entice Yeshua into accepting the easy way to success. “Wing of the Temple” more literally translates the more familiar term “pinnacle of the temple.” Christian legend locates the site of Yeshua’s second temptation upon the so-called pinnacle of the Temple on the southeastern corner of Herod’s retaining wall. This tradition is probably incorrect. In the mind’s of the Gospel writers, the wing of the Temple must have been more centrally locate. Perhaps Yeshua was situated upon the height of the Sanctuary, which would have provided greater visibility. While no archaeological evidence has suggested the point, some identifiable part of the architecture may have depicted the wings of the Divine Presence surrounding the Temple and protecting it. In all events, the visibility of the spot may have been greater if the temptation was staged in the Inner Sanctuary, which towered above the city some 150 feet. Also, the Jewish people never really accepted the Herodian retaining wall as part of the Temple.

Mt. 4:5 A Jewish Midrash - though of a later date - describes the activities of Messiah in the Temple. “Our teachers taught , at the time that King messiah would appear, He will come and stand on the roof of the Temple. He will proclaim to Israel and will say, ‘The time of your redemption has arrived. If you do not believe - behold My light which shines upon you’ (Pesikta Rabbati 36). If this tradition, or a similar one, was in place it would clarify the place and the and the nature of Satan’s test. It suggests that the temptation really centered on the nature of the Messianic task. Satan was asking Yeshua to reveal Himself as the Messiah in supernatural power in the Temple where all would recognize the nature and purpose of His mission. Jerusalem is called the “holy city” which is a common Rabbinic term for the city (Babylonian Baba Kamma 97b, Sanhedrin 107b).

Mt. 4:8 The third temptation involved the sovereignty of God. The devil showed Yeshua the kingdoms of the world. He promised to place them under Yeshua’s authority and give Him the glory of such power on the condition that Yeshua worshiped him. According to Daniel 7:13, only God has the authority over His creation. He alone is the King of the universe and the authority of Satan is limited (Job 1:9-12). According to the Jewish concept of God’s sovereignty, such a claim by Satan was based upon a false presupposition. Satan cannot give what belongs to God. Hence, the real nature of this test was to deny the Lordship of God and to enter into idolatrous worship of the devil.

Mt. 4:11 Another thing we should note in the temptations of Yeshua is that Yeshua plays a representative role in two ways. First, He plays a representative role with Israel. The aim here is to show that where Israel failed, Yeshua succeeds. Notice the similarities: (1) the mention of the Son of God; In Exodus 4:22,23 and Hosea 11:1, Israel is called the Son of God. Here Yeshua is called the Son of God. (2) Both were tested in the wilderness; Israel was tested in the wilderness according to I Corin. 10:1-13, and now Yeshua is being tested in the wilderness. (3) The figure 40; For Israel 40 years, for Yeshua 40 days. (4) The presence of the Holy Spirit; The Holy Spirit was present with Israel in the wilderness according to Isaiah 63:7-14. The presence of the Holy Spirit was made evident in the first verse of each of the Synoptic Gospels. (5) When Yeshua was with Satan, He quotes Scriptures and all the quotations are from the book of Deuteronomy.

Secondly, Yeshua plays a representative role of mankind. According to Hebrews 4:15, Yeshua was tempted in all points as we are, yet, without sin. This does not mean that He suffered every temptation that we do, anymore than we suffer every type of temptation that He did. The word “points” simply means areas, and H suffered temptation in all areas that we do. According to I John 2:16 there are three areas of temptation: (1) the lust of the flesh; (2) the lust of the eyes; and (3) the pride of life. When Yeshua was tempted to turn the stones into bread to satisfy His hunger, He was being tempted in the area of the lust of the flesh. When He was taken to the pinnacle of the Temple and asked to throw Himself down to prove that He was Messiah, this was a temptation in the area of pride of life. When He was shown visibly all the kingdoms of the world and offered authority over all of them, that was a temptation in the area of the lust of the eyes. Every temptation fits into one of these three categories.

Yochanan denies being the Mashiach

19. Now this is the testimony of Yochanan, when the Jews sent priests and Levites from Jerusalem to ask him, “Who are you?”
20. He confessed and did not deny, but confessed, “I am not the Messiah.”
21. And they asked him, “What then? Are you Elijah?” He said, “I am not.” “Are you the prophet?” And he answered, “No!”
22. Then they said to him, “Who are you, that we may give an answer to those who sent us? What do you say about yourself?”
23. He said, “I am ‘the voice of one crying in the wilderness: make straight the way of the Lord,’ as the prophet Isaiah said.”
24. Now those who were sent were from the Pharisees.
25. And they asked him, saying, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”
26. Yochanan answered them, saying, “I baptize with water, but there stands One among you whom you do not know.”
27. “It is He, who coming after me, is preferred before me, whose sandal strap i am not worthy to loose.”
28. These things were done in Bethabara beyond the Jordan, where Yochanan was baptizing.

Vs. 19: What we learn from this paragraph is that the first delegation from the Sanhedrin, when they returned to Jerusalem, told the Sanhedrin that this movement was significant. Because what we have in this paragraph is the beginning of the second stage, the stage of interrogation. They are an official delegation and have begun asking questions.

Vs. 20: This is the first, but not the last, time that we see the term “the Prophet.” In this context, it is a Messianic term based on Deut. 18:18. They were asking Yochanan if he was the Messiah.

Vs. 23: When they finally ask Yochanan simply who he is, he quotes Isaiah 40:3. He is the forerunner of the Messiah. It is because of this verse that the Essenes migrated to the wilderness, thinking the Messiah would first appear there around Qumran. They would not be disappointed.

Vs. 26: This verse tells us that Yeshua has returned from the wilderness temptation and is standing there in the crowd. But, the Pharisees did not know who he was. How many religious people attend church meetings today, but do not know that Yeshua is in their midst?

Yeshua the Lamb of God

29. The next day Yochanan saw Yeshua coming toward him, and said, “Behold! The Lamb of God who takes away the sin of the world!”
30. “This is He of who I said, ‘After me comes a Man who is preferred before me, for He was before me.’
31. “I did not know Him; but that He should be revealed to Israel, therefore I cam baptizing with water.”
32. And Yochanan bore witness, saying, I saw the Spirit descending from Heaven like a dove, and He remained upon Him.”
33. “I did not know Him, but He who sent me to baptize with water said to me, ‘Upon whom you see the Spirit descending , and remaining upon Him, this is He who baptizes with the Holy Spirit.’”
34. “And I have seen and testified that this is the Son of God.”

Vs. 29: One day later we have the first public identification of the Messiahship of Yeshua by Yochanan. With the expression “the Lam of God” Yochanan was identifying this person with three O.T. concepts. First was the Paschal Lamb of Exodus 12. Second was the Suffering Lamb of Isaiah 53. The third is a little more obscure to our way of thinking, but may have been very obvious to the Jewish people of that day. Genesis 22 contains the story of Abraham’s attempt to offer Isaac as a sacrifice. In verse 7 Isaac asks where the lamb is for the burnt offering. In verse 8 Abraham tells him that God will provide for Himself a lamb. As the story goes on an angel of the Lord prevents Abraham from slaying Isaac. Abraham then sees a ram (not a lamb) caught in the bushes and sacrifices it. Until this day God had not provided for Himself a lamb. With Yochanan’s words, he identifies Yeshua as the Lamb of Abraham, and the prophecy is fulfilled.

Vs. 30: Yeshua comes after Yochanan in that He is six months younger in His humanity. However, in His deity, Yeshua is pre-existent to Yochanan.

Vs. 31: If the thought line is true that Yochanan spent most of his years in the care of the Essenes, it is very possible that he did not recognize Yeshua as his cousin. However, the main point of this verse is that up until this point Yochanan did not know that Yeshua was the Messiah.

Vs. 32: The reason that Yochanan knows without a doubt that this is the Messiah is because while he was in the desert he received a revelation from God that the One whom Yochanan sees the Holy Spirit descending and resting on will be the One who will baptize with the Holy Spirit, a Messianic task.

Yeshua's first disciples

35. Again, the next day, Yochanan stood with two of his disciples.
36. And looking at Yeshua as He walked, he said, “Behold the Lamb of God!”
37. The two disciples heard him speak, and they followed Yeshua.
38. Then Yeshua turned, and seeing them following, said to them, “What do you seek?” They said to Him, “Rabbi, where are You staying?”
39. He said to them, “Come and see.” They came and saw where He was staying, and remained with Him that day (now it was about the tenth hour).
40. One of the two who heard Yochanan speak, and followed him, was Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother.
41. He first found is own brother Simon, and said to him, “We have found the Messiah.”
42. And he brought him to Yeshua. Now when Yeshua looked at him, He said, “You are Simon the son of Johan. You shall be called Cephas.”
43. The following day Yeshua wanted to go to Galilee, and He found Philip and said to him, “Follow Me.”
44. Now Philip was from Bethsaida, the city of Andrew and Peter.
45. Philip found Nathaniel and said to him, “We have found Him of who Moses in the Law, and also the prophets wrote - Yeshua of Nazareth, the son of Yoseph.
46. And Nathaniel said to im, “Can anything good come out of Nazareth?” Philip said to him, “Come and see.”
47. Yeshua saw Nathaniel coming toward Him, and said to him, “Behold, an Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile.”
48. Nathaniel said to Him, “How do You now me?” Yeshua answered and said to him, “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.”
49. Nathaniel answered and said to Him, “Rabbi, You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”
50. Yeshua answered and said to him, “Because I said to you, ‘I saw you under the fig tree, do you believe? You will see greater things than these!”
51. And He said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, hereafter you shall see heaven open, and the angels of God ascending and descending upon the Son of Man.”

Vs. 38: What we have here is the common way in which a person became a disciple of a Rabbi. They would normally follow him at a distance for some time until he acknowledged their presence by asking them, “Who do you seek?” Their response would be, “Rabbi, where do you live?”

Vs. 39: If the Rabbi rejected the potential disciple, he would say something to the effect, “It is none of your business.” If he accepted them as a disciple, is response would be, “Come and see.” Here, the Rabbi Yeshua accepts His first two disciple. This would also be a good time to bring out another point. The Hebrew word translated disciple is “talmid,” which would be far better translated “student.” It is an unfortunate fact that today we try to make disciples out of people who are not very good students. Discipleship, then and now, was not for everyone. It is from these disciples that came the Rabbis, teachers, and elders of the community. That is the way it should be now. Because we do not really understand the Biblical concept of discipleship, we can end up trying to put people in a position that causes only frustration for them because they are not called into it.

Vs. 40: In N.T. times the priesthood was in turmoil. The majority of the priestly families had formed the Sadducean Party, denying the doctrine of the resurrection and joining the wicked dynasty of King Herod. Only a few, such as Zachariah, remained zealous for God. Others left the Temple service entirely, withdrawing into the desert and becoming the Essenes. This was probably the case of Yochanan the Immerser and the Gospel writer, Yochanan the Priest, a disciple of the Immerser’s.

The Biblical account here gives us the name of only one of the “two disciples” mentioned, namely Andrew, Simon Peter’s brother. The other is left mysteriously anonymous, but with a little reading between the lines, we can assume that his identity is none other than Yochanan the Gospel writer, whom we could also call “Yochanan the Priest.” This is especially plausible since it is clear that the writer of Yochanan Gospel is characteristically humble and prefers not to refer to himself by name. He prefers the nomenclature “Dear Disciple” or “the disciple that Yeshua loved.” Anonymity, then, seems to be a key to understanding the priest known as Yochanan. In any case, the Gospel story makes it clear that this anonymous disciple of Yochanan the Immerser was a companion of Andrew and that both left the Immerser to follow Yeshua. Andrew, in turn, recruited Simon Peter who comes to the center stage in many of the subsequent Gospel stories. But, our anonymous disciple remains strangely in the shadows.

As the story of Yeshua’s life and ministry continues, Yochanan the Priest doesn’t appear as one of the main characters “on the scene,” such as the ever present Peter. Again, we shouldn’t confuse him with Yochanan, son of Zebedee, who was a member of Yeshua’s inner circle. Perhaps this was simply an aspect of Yochanan the Priest’s humility. He was quite content to stand on the sidelines as an intense observer, filtering out each event of Yeshua’s ministry through is own priestly perspective.

But, there is possibly another reason for Yeshua’s affection for the “Dear Disciple” - namely the simple fact that Yochanan was indeed a priest. As mentioned earlier, most of the priests were members of the wealthy and influential party of the Sadducees. To have such a person as a disciple would have been a great honor for Yeshua, giving His movement more credibility with the people. Moreover, if he had been as Essene, he would have been a seeker after God and the kind of spiritual walk that Yeshua offered.

Vs. 46: What was a Nazarene? A Nazarene was someone who was despised and rejected. Nathaniel’s question reflects the negative viewpoint people had for Nazarenes. People who were from Nazareth were people who were despised and rejected.

Vs. 47-49: When Yeshua sees Nathaniel coming, curiously He calls him an “Israelite in who there is no guile.” When Nathaniel hears this, he asks, “How do you know me?” Yeshua’s answer is a strange on: “Before Philip called you, when you were under the fig tree, I saw you.” What is going on here? In this story, there are several items of interest from a Jewish perspective. Nathaniel believed because Yeshua previously saw him under a fig tree meditating. He is now about to tell him other things to let Nathaniel know this is no ordinary Man he is dealing with. In Jewish literature it is recorded that one of the best places to meditate is under a fig tree. One example is Midrash Rabba 62:2 where it tells of Rabbi Akiba and his disciples being accustomed to sitting under a fig tree to study.

It wasn’t that he was merely sitting under a fig tree, but that Nathaniel was meditating upon Scripture. What impressed him about Yeshua is not only that he saw him under a fig tree, a supernatural feat, but that Yeshua also knew what Scripture he was meditating on. An Israelite in the O.T. in whom there was much guile, and was even famous for much guile, was Jacob. Jacob was also the first person to be called Israel. By calling him an Israelite and using the term “guile,” Yeshua was connecting Nathaniel with Jacob. Nathaniel recognized this because he happened to be meditating upon a special portion of Genesis which talked about Jacob.

Vs. 50,51: To further let Nathaniel know that Yeshua was actually reading his mind from a distance, a supernatural feat, Yeshua gives him another clue. The specific Scripture Nathaniel was meditating on was Genesis 28. In that Scripture, Jacob is forced to flee from the home of his father because of his guile. While he is spending the night in Bethel, his first stop, he has a dream. In this dream, he sees angels ascending and descending on a ladder from Heaven. So, Yeshua knew what was in the mind of Nathaniel. It is this recognition on the part of Nathaniel that causes his response, “You are the Son of God! You are the King of Israel!”

The Miracle at Cana

1. On the third day there was a wedding in Cana in Galilee, and the mother of Yeshua was there.
2. Now both Yeshua and His disciples were invited to the wedding.
3. And when they ran out of wine, the mother of Yeshua said to im, “They have no wine.”
4. Yeshua said to her, “Woman, what does your concern have to do with me? My hour has not yet come.”
5. His mother said to the servants, “Whatever He says to you, do it.”
6. Now there were set there six water pots of stone, according to the manner of purification of the Jews, containing twenty or thirty gallons apiece.
7. Yeshua said to them, “Fill the water pots with water.” And they filed them up to the brim.
8. And He said to them, “Draw some out now, and take it to the master of the feast.” And they took it.
9. When the master of the feast had tasted the water that was made wine, and did not know where it had come from (but the servants who had drawn the water knew), the master of the feast called the bridegroom.
10. And he said to him, “Every man at the beginning sets out the good wine, and when the guests have well drunk, then that which is inferior, but you have kept the good wine until now.”
11. This is the beginning of signs Yeshua did in Cana of Galilee, and manifested His glory; and His disciples believed in Him.

Vs. 1-3: Since Bible times the various holidays and rites of passage throughout life have provided particular opportunities for Jewish people to celebrate. The “Song of Songs” is an example of a passion-filled poem that openly celebrates the sensual purity of marital love.

In this segment, we have the first of Yochanan’s seven signs. Remember, Yochanan has seven signs, seven discourses, seven “I Am’s”. With this segment we also conclude the first full week of Yeshua’s public ministry.

At this point, they are in Galilee and they come to a wedding. The worst thing that could happen to a Jewish wedding is to run out of wine. At these weddings the feast would last for seven days. There were occasions where because of the seven day feast they did not plan for enough wine. Further more, the Jews weren’t stupid, an they had a way of knowing when to serve the expensive wine, and when to serve the cheap wine. They would serve the good wine first, and after the people had a few drinks it didn’t matter what came next. Then they would serve the cheap wine.

Verse 2 talks about the good wine and the lesser good, or bad, wine. The good wine is that which has mellowed with age. Mishnah Avot 4:20 says, “He who learns from aged men, what is he like? He who eats ripe grapes and drinks old wine. He who learns from younger men, to whom is he like? He who eats unripe grapes and drinks fresh wine from his wine vat.” In Judaism, the drinking of wine was a symbol of joy.

Vs. 4: By this one statement Yeshua conveys to His mother that she no longer has any authority over Him. He also makes the statement, “My hour has not yet come.” This is a Jewish term referring to an appointed time when something was to be done (Mishnah Eduyoth 1:1). Most of the time that this term is used it is a reference to is death. But here, it is a reference to is public miracles. While His public ministry has begun, this is not the time for His public miracles. This is to happen in Jerusalem, the capital of the nation, at the Feast of Passover.

Vs. 5: He will perform a miracle, just not in public yet. It will be performed in such a way that only a few know about it: the servants, His mother and His disciples. The Bible doesn’t go into detail, but this house and family must have been very familiar to Yeshua and His mother. Perhaps Miriam was even helping with the wedding arrangements. In any case, she doesn’t hesitate in giving orders to the servants.

Vs. 6: There are two mentions of the word “pots of stone.” These water pots of stone were after the purifying manner of the Jews. These were for ceremonial purification. Water pots of tone were in common use. Mishnah Yadaim 1:2 says, “From all kinds of vessels may they pour water on their hands, even from vessels of cow dung or vessels of stone and earth.”

Vs. 9,10: This wine is even superior to the wine served in the earlier part of the feast, and now the groom is commended for going contrary to custom in serving the better wine last, rather than first. The groom was probably scratching his head wondering what was going on. No host would ever be complimented for serving grape juice at a Jewish wedding. To make this word, which means wine, to read grape juice is to read into the text one’s own prejudice and one’s own presupposition. Both Hebrew and Greek have excellent words for “juice,” and if God wanted to say juice He could have used that word. He chose not to. What was served here was wine, not grape juice.

Vs. 11: We re clearly told that this is Yeshua’s first miracle. This one statement falsifies many of the other books that were written in the second century or so, that talked about the early childhood of Yeshua, and record Him doing many miracles as a small child and boy.

Yeshua in Capernaum

12. After this He went down to Capernaum, He, His mother, His brothers, and His disciples; and they did not stay there many days.

No particular reason is given in the bible for this trip. Perhaps it is to visit friends or relatives; perhaps it is an exploratory trip, since Capernaum would later become His headquarters. What is noticeable here is that He is traveling with His family. This would soon not be the case, as many believe that a rift develops between the Lord and His family, probably over His Messianic claims.

Yeshua clears the Temple

13. Now the Passover of the Jews was at hand, and Yeshua went up to Jerusalem.
14. And He found in the Temple those who sold oxen and sheep and doves, and the
moneychangers doing business. 15. When He had made a whip of cords, He drove them all out of the Temple, with the sheep and the oxen, and poured out the changer’s money and overturned the tables.
16. And He said to those who sold doves, “Take these things away! Do not make My Father’s house a house of merchandise!”
17. Then His disciples remembered that it was written, “Zeal for Your house has eaten Me up.”
18. So the Jews answered and said to Him, “What sign do You show to us, since You do these things?
19. Yeshua answered and said to them, “Destroy this Temple, and in three days I will raise it up.”
20. Then the Jews said, “It has taken forty-six years to build this Temple, and will You raise it up in three days?”
21. But He was speaking of the Temple of His body.
22. Therefore, when Hi had risen from the dead, His disciples remembered that He had told this to them; and they believed the Scripture and the word which Yeshua had said.

Vs. 13: He comes to Jerusalem at the Passover, and this is the first of four Passovers which will be mentioned in His ministry. It is by the mention of these four Passovers that we are able to date His public ministry as lasting approximately 3 ½ years.

Vs. 14: The cleansing of the Temple by Yeshua is steeped in Jewish background. Rabbinic sources tell us that this was a business venture of selling animals in the Temple area. It was called by the Pharisees “the bazaar of the sons of Annas.” This was the name used because the family of Annas, which were Sadducees, controlled the entire business venture in the Temple. Rabbi Shaul of Jerusalem said, “Annas was the High priest, his sons were the treasurers, and his sons-in-law were the assistant treasurers.” Josephus tells us that the sons of Annas were the holders of money, very rich, despoiling the common priests by open violence.

It is thought by some scholars that Yeshua’s action of cleansing the Temple of the moneychangers was aimed at the early Shammiaite view adhered to by the Zealot priests who refused many of the offerings of the Gentiles to the Temple. We know by Josephus that by the year 66 A.D. the Zealots refused all gifts of the Gentiles to the Temple. According to Mishnah Shekalim 1:5 only sacrifices which could be vowed or brought as free will offerings were accepted from Gentiles, giving the priests the option to accept gifts from non-Jews for Temple repairs or upkeep (Arakhim 6a, Maimonedes Matnot Arayim 8:8)

The Shammiaite priest’s ruling on vows would enable the Zealot priests to refuse and even pocket the money, since these offerings were not specifically marked for sacrifice. Many gifts were offered by the Gentiles. This was evident from Josephus (Wars 5:17), who records that the altar was “universally venerated by Greeks and barbarians.” We se how this would have angered Yeshua (Mt. 21:12,13; Mk. 11:15-17), since it was the priest’s job to accept all gifts and forward them to the intended purpose (Shekalim 6:5,6). It was at the moneychangers tables that the Zealot priests would have diverted the Gentile offerings. We can see this more in what Yeshua said to the moneychangers as He quoted them Isaiah 56:7 and Jeremiah 7:11. The Damascus Document gives more evidence of why those like the Essenes disliked the Temple in Jerusalem when it talks about “not defiling themselves by laying on hands which had been vowed or devoted to God or on the property of the Temple.”

According to the Mosaic Law you had to come to the Temple and bring a sacrifice. This sacrifice had to be without spot or blemish. It was the job of the ones who were in charge of the Temple to inspect the sacrifice to see if it was without spot or blemish. There was an inspection fee for having your animal checked and the money went into the pockets of Annas the High Priest. Invariably, if you did bring your won sacrifice, somehow they managed to find something wrong with it. So, if your sacrifice was disqualified, you had two options. First, if you lived in Jerusalem, you could go home and get another one. But, if you lived in the Galilee, a three day journey from Jerusalem, this was impossible. So you had to resort to the second option. This second option was rather convenient, because over in the corner of the Temple compound was a whole bunch of sheep that already ad the Sadducees “Good Housekeeping Seal of Approval.” They had already been inspected and certified to be without spot or blemish. All you needed to do was buy one. But, these sheep were sold at high inflated prices and the money also went into the pockets of Annas. Also, it was not unusual for an animal that was previously disqualified to end up among these after the previous owner had left. Amazingly the spot or blemish had disappeared.

Vs. 17: This is a quotation from Psalm 69:9, a Messianic Psalm. The Hebrew translation is more graphic: “The zeal for Your house will cause My destruction.” This will be literally fulfilled because of what Yeshua does here and again about three years later. He will have the whole group of Sadducees against Him and they will seek His death because of what He did in the Temple compound. It is important to emphasize here that it was a very small group of the Jew (Sadducees mostly) that caused His death. The bulk of the Jewish populace actually accepted Him as the Messiah, as we shall see later on.

Vs. 18: At this point the Sadducees demand a sign and He gives them a rather cryptic one. They understand Him to mean that he is threatening the physical Temple. The Temple He is speaking of, of course, is the Temple of His body. We are told later the Jewish populace did the same thing. Three years before the destruction of the Temple in 70 A., Josephus tells us that the populace of Jerusalem swept into the Temple compound, over threw the tables, and chased the animals out of the compound.

Yeshua teaches Nakdimon

23. Now when He was in Jerusalem at the Passover, during the feast, many believed in His name when they saw the signs that He did.
24. But Yeshua did not commit Himself to them, because He knew all men.
25. And had no need that anyone should testify of man, for He knew what was in man.
1. There was a man of the Pharisees named Nicodemus, a ruler of the Jews.
2. This man came to Yeshua by night and said to Him, “Rabbi, we know that You are a teacher come from God; for no one can do these signs that You do unless God is with him.
3. Yeshua answered and said to him, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born again, he cannot see the Kingdom of God.
4. Nicodemus said to Him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother’s womb and be born?”
5. Yeshua answered, “Most assuredly, I say to you, unless one is born of water and spirit, he cannot enter the Kingdom of God.”
6. “That which is born of the flesh is flesh, and that which is born of the Spirit is spirit.”
7. “Do not marvel that I said to you, ‘You must be born again.’”
8. The wind blows where it wishes, and you hear the sound of it, but cannot tell where it comes from and where it goes. So is everyone who is born of the Spirit.”
9. Nicodemus answered and said to Him, “How can these things be?”
10. Yeshua answered and said to him, “Are you the teacher of Israel, and do not know these things?”
11. “Most assuredly, I say to you, We speak what we know and testify what We have seen, and you do not receive Our witness.
12. “If I have told you earthly things and you do not believe, how will you believe if I tell you heavenly things?”
13. “No one has ascended to heaven but He who came down from heaven, that is, the Son of Man who is in heaven.
14. “And as Moses lifter up the serpent in the wilderness, even so must the Son of Man be lifted up.”
15. “That whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life.”
16. For God so loved the world that He gave His only begotten Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have everlasting life.
17. “For God dia not send His Son into the world to condemn the world, but that the world through Him might be saved.”
18. “He who believes in Him is not condemned, but he who does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believed in the name of the only begotten Son of God.”
19. “And this is the condemnation, that the light has come into the world, and men loved darkness rather than light, because his deeds were evil.”
20. “For everyone practicing evil hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his deeds be exposed.
21. “But he who does the truth comes to the light, that his deeds may be clearly seen, that they have been done in God.”

Vs. 23: It is at this point that His miracles go public. They are for the purpose of authenticating His person and His message. What is His person? He is the Messiah. What is His message? He is offering to Israel the Kingdom of God spoken of by the Old Testament prophets. These miracles serve as signs for the nation of Israel to come to a decision regarding His claims.

Vs. 1: One who has observed His miracles and is impressed by them is man by the name of Nicodemus. The first thing to notice about Nicodemus is that he is a Pharisee. What is about to happen will challenge one of the pivotal points of doctrine for the Pharisees. “All of Israel has a share in the world to come (Olam HaBah).” If you were born a Jew that is sufficient for entrance into the Kingdom (Malkut Shammayim). Another quotation from Pharisaic sources reads, “Abraham sits at the gates of Gehenna to snatch any Israelite consigned thereto.” If inadvertently some Jew was consigned to hell, not to worry, Abraham sits at the gates of Gehenna to prevent him from going on in. This teaching by the Pharisees will be contradicted by Yeshua to “the Teacher of Israel” this night. To be born a Jew, to be born physically, was spoken of figuratively in Rabbinic writing to be born of water. To be born of water was a figure of speech for physical birth. Baptism is not being spoken of here.

Vs. 2: Many Pharisees served God faithfully in genuine devotion. Where the Gospels charge the Pharisees with hypocrisy, this must not be viewed as a summary of the entire movement. Later, when Christianity left Judaism and became a Gentile religion, the word “Pharisee” became a negative term to those who did not realize both the good and the bad. In fact, Yeshua, believing all the Bible, would have aligned Himself with this group more than any other of His day. Like the fun fundamental groups that are most critical of each other, so Yeshua pointed out the errors of His own group.

Nicodemus is also mentioned in Rabbinic literature (Taan. 19b, 20h, 21c) as Nakdimon Ben Bonai. Nicodemus is the Greek rendering of the name. According to the Talmud he was one of three wealthy Jews of Jerusalem who helped accumulate stores for the siege by the Romans in 70 A.D. (Git. 56a). We know by this information four basic things about him. He was one of the wealthier men in Jerusalem. His real name was not Nicodemus, but Bonai. After he became a believer in Yeshua he and his family somehow lost their wealth. Rabbinic source Sanhedrin 43:1, using an altered name the Rabbis gave him, says Bonai was a disciple of Yeshua. And last, he made his living by digging wells around Jerusalem.

Vs. 3: Now the way that Nicodemus responded to Yeshua has been missed too many times. Notice what Nicodemus says: “How can a man be born again when he is old” Now, the way this text is expounded by so many preachers is that Nicodemus does not understand anything about what Yeshua says. That is not the problem that Nicodemus has. He does understand something about the expression “born again” because it is a very important expression in Rabbinic theology. His problem is: “How can a man be born again when he is old?” If the question was merely how can a man be born again, what difference does the age make? Nicodemus’ problem is not understanding what it is to be born again, but rather, how can it happen when one is old?

In Pharisaic Judaism there are six different ways a man could be born again. Nicodemus qualified for four of them and did not qualify for two of them. The first one he did not qualify for was when a Gentile converted to Judaism. Since Nicodemus was a Jew, this was not an option for him. The second way he did not qualify for was when a man was crowned king of Israel. Nothing in this text says anything about the membership of Nicodemus in the house of David, and if he was, it would have been significant enough to mention. And even supposing that he was a member of the house of David, with the Jews under Roman domination there was no possibility of him being crowned king. So, this was not an option to him either.

The four ways that were open to him he had already accomplished. When a Jew was Bar Mitzvah at the age of thirteen, he was said to be born again. Nicodemus was clearly well past the age of thirteen, and therefore, was already born again in that way. A second way that was open to him was when a Jew was married he was considered to be born again. Now, nothing was said about his wife, so how do we know that he was married? We are told that he was “ruler of the Jews” which meant that he was a member of the Sanhedrin. One of the prerequisites for membership in the Sanhedrin was that you had to be married. A single man could not be a member of the Sanhedrin. The third way that was available to him was when one was ordained as a Rabbi. Since he was a ruler of the Jews and a Pharisee, that tells us that at some point he was ordained a Rabbi. The last way that was available to him was to be appointed to the head of a Rabbinic academy. One who was merely a Rabbi was given the title “Rav”, meaning a teacher. One who was the head of a Rabbinic academy was given the title “haRav”, meaning “the teacher.” The fact that Yeshua calls him “the teacher of Israel” tells us that he was the head of a Rabbinic academy. So, Nicodemus had used up every way that he thought was available to him to be “born Again” according to his theology. That is the reason he phrased his question” “How can a man be born again when he is old?” It was not that he did not understand the term, but he simply felt that he ad already used up his options. Yeshua was about to add another option for him that would be available to everyone, regardless of race, gender or creed.

Vs. 14: He mentions here the serpent of brass. We have a reference to this in the Babylonian Talmud Rosh haShannah 3:8, “Is it possible for the serpent that killed to make alive? No! But, the case is that when the Israelites looked upward for help and subjected themselves to the will of their Father in Heaven, they were healed. When they did not, they perished.” Yeshua was using this example to let the people know that they could look to him for healing and salvation.

Vs. 17: It is significant to note that the New Testament writers stress that a Jew is to represent all of humanity. Yeshua would not have been chosen by vote or democratic process, but would be sent by God.

Vs. 21: The embodiment of the Torah in Yeshua created a major tension. Yeshua subordinated many central themes of Judaism to Himself, and the New Testament writers continued that subordination. Thus, Yeshua became the Temple (John 2:19-21), the atoning sacrifice (John 1:29), at Passover the matzah or unleavened bread represented in His body (Mark 14:22), likewise the lamb sacrificed at Passover symbolized His death (I Corin 5:7). In addition, Yeshua declared Himself Lord of the Sabbath (Mark 2:27,28). He also distinguished the ritually clean from the unclean (Mark 7:1-23). The overall effect was that the first-century Jewish community largely considered these teachings strange and anti-ritualistic, a threat to the religious beliefs of that day.

Yochanan's testimony

22. After these things Yeshua and His disciples came into the land of Judea, and there He remained with them and baptized.
23. Now Yochanan also was baptizing in Aenon near Salim, because there was much water there. And they came and were baptized.
24. For Yochanan had not yet been thrown into prison.
25. Then there arose a dispute between some of Yochanan’s disciples and the Jews about purification.
26. And they came to Yochanan and said to him, “Rabbi, He who was with you beyond the Jordan, to who you have testified - behold, He is baptizing and all are coming to Him!”
27. Yochanan answered and said, “A man can receive nothing unless it has been given to him from heaven.”
28. “You yourselves bear me witness, that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah,’ but, ‘I have been sent before Him.’”
29. “He who has the bride is the bridegroom; but the friend of the bridegroom, who stands and hears him, rejoices greatly because of the bridegroom’s voice. Therefore this joy of mine is fulfilled.”
30. “He must increase, but I must decrease.”
31. “He who comes from above is above all; he who is of the earth is earthly and speaks of the earth. He who comes from heaven is above all.”
32. “And what He has seen and heard, that He testifies; and no one receives His testimony.”
33. “He who received the testimony has certified that God is true.”
34. “For He whom God has sent speaks the words of God, for God does not give the Spirit by measure.”
35. “The Father loves the son, and has given all things into His hand.”
36. “He who believes in the Son has everlasting life; and he who does not believe the Son shall not see life, but the wrath of God abides on him.”

Vs. 23: “Bosom” is the Hebrew word that applies to the fold in the garment used as a pocket.

Vs. 26,27 It appears that the dispute is not necessarily about purification, but who is doing it. Yochanan very correctly tells the people that the blessing is not in the baptizer, but from heaven regardless who is baptizing. It does not take an ordained minister to do the baptizing, but a contrite heart in the candidate.

Vs. 28, 29: Among the Jews this was referred to as the “shoshevin.” These were especially selected friends of the bridegroom that took messages from the bridegroom to the bride and ministered to the joy of the occasion. Sometimes they conducted the bride from her father’s house to the house of the bridegroom (Ketuboth 4:5). The bride is always under the authority of her father until s is placed under the authority of her husband by marriage. But, if her father surrendered her to the emissaries, the friends of the bridegroom, she is under the authority of her husband already.

Yochanan uses a very vivid word picture to explain what is happening here. The bridegroom is a picture of the Messiah, and to Him goes the bride. Yochanan is pictured as the “friend of the bridegroom,” a servant to the Messiah.

Vs. 30,31: Yochanan very correctly knows that his time has come and now he must remove himself from the scene. But, he tells his disciples very forcefully who Yeshua is. He is no ordinary man like Yochanan, but He has come from heaven, God Incarnate.

Vs. 32-36: Yochanan also knows that a lot of people are not going to accept Yeshua as Messiah, even though He speaks the words of God. This is such a profound statement and you can almost detect a note of sadness in Yochanan’s voice. God has come to save His people and many will not listen. History is doomed to repeat itself over and over again as this same thing happens continually.