We live in a fallen, sinful world that is in a state of rebellion against the great Three-In-One God of Heaven. Humanity has joined forces with very real and deadly entities – the god of this world – HaSatan – the Adversary, and his fallen angels.
Even though we are allied with them in a great rebellion against the good King of the universe, these dark, evil, malevolent forces control us and oppress us. They try to keep us far from God, distant from the truth that will set us free, and cut off from restoration to spiritual health. They have spiritually crippled us. They can even, on occasion, make some of us physically sick.
To overcome these very real and deadly and destructive forces of Satan, sin and death, our great and loving Heavenly Father sent His dearly loved and unique Son into this world. Mighty Immanuel really came among us! The eternal Son of God came to Earth! Yeshua really is the Messiah! That is the most fantastic news!
The world is far from God and salvation and eternal life. Tragically, throughout our long history, the majority of the Chosen People have been far from Him too. One might think that things would be different because Immanuel actually came among us, and the coming of the Messiah would bring the world back to God. But, even though the Savior and Healer of the world visited this planet, the majority of the world has continued to reject the God of Israel. And sadly, even though the Messiah has really arrived, the majority of the Chosen People have continued to reject Yeshua too.
We need to have enough faith in God, enough confidence in Messiah, enough trust in the Holy Scriptures, enough love for one another to go against the majority of the Jewish people and the majority of the Messiah-rejecting world.
The Holy Spirit, teaching us through His servant Luke, gives us yet another incident of God the Father using Messiah His Son to bring healing to one of the Chosen People – and the controversy it caused, followed by teachings to encourage us to be part of the faithful remnant minority.
And Yeshua was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. Many nations have had leaders who were ignoramuses. Yeshua is Israel’s King, as well as our Supreme Rabbi. His teaching is true and authoritative and beneficial.
The Messiah often taught in the synagogues of God’s Special Nation. What a blessing to us that was! What profound teaching! What clarity He brought! And, we are privileged to have some of those same teachings faithfully recorded for us in the New Covenant Scriptures! To have such a great leader like Yeshua, who is the Supreme Scholar, is a fantastic blessing!
Yeshua did more than teaching in that particular synagogue. God used Him to bring miraculous healing to a woman who very much needed it.
And there was a woman who for eighteen years had had a sickness caused by a spirit; and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all.
Not all sickness is caused by demonic activity, but this particular sickness of this particular woman was. Humanity is like this woman – plagued by fallen angels, sick for a long time, unable to stand up straight, unable to function the way we were designed to function by the good Creator, and desperately in need of healing.
Thank God that the Messiah, who has love and compassion for crippled humanity, and through whom God can heal all of our diseases, was right there in that synagogue!
When Yeshua saw her, He called her over and said to her, “Woman, you are freed from your sickness”. And He laid His hands on her; and immediately she was made erect again and began glorifying God.
The Spirit of God wants us to understand that the Same One whom God used to heal this woman, will one day heal all of humanity who know Messiah and trust Him. If He only lays His hands on us – and makes contact with us, and we make contact with Him by coming to know who Yeshua really is, and committing ourselves to Him, eventually He will heal us body, soul and spirit!
He will heal all who were made in the image of God but have been damaged by the Fall, so we can stand up straight and fully serve the eternal God. Praise the Lord!
But, not everyone understood this message that God was trying to communicate though this sign-miracle. In fact, it was someone who should have understood the most clearly that this miracle pointed us to the truth that Messiah Yeshua is the Great Healer of Humanity – who rejected Rabbi Yeshua the most!
But the synagogue official, indignant because Yeshua had healed on the Sabbath, began saying to the crowd in response, “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day”.
According to many of the theologians of that day, healing was a kind of work, and since work was forbidden on the Sabbath, healing was forbidden to be done on the Sabbath. But, that understanding of healing on the Sabbath was wrong, and Yeshua knew it.
Bad theology is destructive. It does not bring honor to God nor bring help to people. False teaching is ruinous, and must not go unchallenged. Rabbi Yeshua had the wisdom and the courage to correct that harmful error.
When faced with serious theological error, Yeshua did not remain silent. Even though it would bring Him into more conflict with the majority of the religious leaders, Israel’s Messiah was willing to endure conflict in order to stand for the truth.
But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath untie his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead him away to water him? And this woman, a daughter of Abraham as she is, whom Satan has bound for eighteen long years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”
Here is the Rabbi’s argument: If, on the Sabbath, human beings are willing to do some work to meet the needs of their animals, and prevent them from suffering; and since human beings are more valuable than animals, Messiah is willing to be used by God to meet the needs of human beings for healing. The human need for healing is more important to God than a legalistic observance of the Sabbath.
Yeshua’s argument was simple, wise and true. Everyone could understand it. And, God approved of it as well, since the Father enabled this woman to be healed when Yeshua made physical contact with her.
This incident demonstrated that the young Rabbi from Nazareth was close to God, wise and very courageous. It took courage to publically correct the majority of the religious leaders of Israel, right in their own synagogues, and let everyone know that they were hypocrites; that they were inconsistent; that even though they claimed to really know God and understand the Torah best of all, they did not really know God they way they needed to, and they did not really understand Torah the way they should.
The religious leaders no doubt resented Yeshua for disagreeing with them, and correcting them, but the ordinary people loved what He was saying and doing!
As He said this, all His opponents were being humiliated; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him.
Before we leave this world, we need to understand that Yeshua is Messiah, Lord, Savior and King. We need to trust this Ultimate Healer Of Body And Soul and Spirit. We need to have the faith to identify with Him, and go against the God-rejecting, Messiah-dishonoring world. We need to have the holy courage to go against the majority of the nation of Israel. Do you? We need to be willing to be part of the faithful remnant, which is often a persecuted minority. Yeshua was willing and able to do that. Are you?
Throughout history, the Lord has not worked through the majority, but rather through the small, faithful, courageous minority – the remnant. He consistently has used the few to overcome the many, the weak to overcome the strong. Many are called, but few are chosen. Knowing this should encourage us, and help us be patient, and full of hope, and be more able to endure life in this fallen world.
So He was saying, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? Yeshua asks: How does God operate? What are some of the principles the Creator uses in this fallen world to extend His domain over more human beings?
Messiah answers His own question, and His answer comes from nature. The way that God has designed certain things in the physical realm are similar to the way He operates in the spiritual realm: The way that God extends His dominion over men and women who are part of a world in rebellion against Him is like a mustard seed, which a man took and threw into his own garden; and it grew and became a tree, and the birds of the air nested in its branches.”
A mustard seed is very small. Yet, from this seemingly insignificant beginning, a tree that is thousands of times bigger than the original seed will develop. That tree is big enough to house creatures that are also thousands of times bigger than the original little seed! That little, seemingly insignificant mustard seed is amazing! It has so much potential for growth and for doing great things!
And, that is how the King of the universe is operating in this fallen, rebellious, satanically controlled world. He is bringing more and more men and women, Jews and Gentiles, out from under the control of Satan, sin and death, and making them part of His everlasting kingdom. But, that process starts off small and seemingly insignificant.
Are you willing to be part of what God is doing, even if it means being part of something small and insignificant to the world? Do you have the faith and patience to wait until God is finished, and what is seemingly inconsequential fills the universe with importance?
To further strengthen us to have the kind of thinking, the kind of faith that will endure the rejection of the majority, Yeshua gave another comparison. And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in a larger amount of flour – about half a bushel of flour – until it was all leavened”.
The way that the Creator increases His influence over human beings in this satanically-controlled world is comparable to a little lump of leavened dough. The leaven is small, unseen, seemingly irrelevant, yet able to expand and grow and become a much larger amount of flour. Messiah’s people – Messianic Jews and born again Christians, will, from a small and humble beginning, grow and influence others, until a whole new world is filled with us! But, until that happens, we must patiently endure being like that small, little lump of leaven. Are you?
The Holy Spirit, communicating through Luke, based on the wisdom of the Messiah, again teaches us that we need to be willing to be part of the faithful remnant minority.
And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” This is a very good question. This is an important question, that many of us have also asked. And the answer is yes. It is just a few who are being saved, and so we need to go against the majority and identify with the few.
And He said to them, “Strive to enter through the narrow door; for many, I tell you, will seek to enter and will not be able.
In contrast to many today who teach that the door to Heaven is wide, because there are many ways to God, and many will successfully go through the wider door and experience eternal life – Mankind’s Supreme Religious Authority declares that the door to Heaven is actually quite narrow.
In contrast to the wide door that the majority will try to enter, and fail to get through, the minority who will be saved are to have another kind of thinking altogether. They are to strive, to make special efforts to go through another door, the narrow door, and not go along with the erroneous thinking of the majority.
Why the narrow door? Because we must come to God on His terms, not on our terms, and His terms are salvation by grace through faith in Messiah Yeshua, based on genuine repentance. And, we must demonstrate that the repentance and faith are genuine by right living as given in the Holy Writings!
Don’t attempt to gain salvation any other way, and don’t wait too long. Time is limited. Don’t wait until it is too late! And, for some, they will wait until it is too late!
Once the head of the house gets up and shuts the door, and you begin to stand outside and knock on the door, saying, ‘Lord, open up to us!’ then He will answer and say to you, ‘I do not know where you are from.’
There is a limited time to be reconciled to God; there is a limited amount of time given to you to turn to God, and recognize that Yeshua is the Messiah and accept the One God sent to be the only Savior of mankind.
Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets’. Casual familiarity with God and Messiah is not enough. A full commitment, a complete turning to God, to Messiah, to the will of God, to the ways of God are required of each one of us.
And He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from me, all you evildoers.’
The majority of human beings, including those who consider themselves to be very religious, are going to be shocked at who is welcomed into Heaven and who is rejected. Make sure you are not one of those who are unpleasantly surprised!
In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth when you see Abraham and Isaac and Jacob and all the prophets in the kingdom of God (the small mustard-seed-like faithful remnant of Israel, often persecuted by the faithless majority in their generation), but yourselves being thrown out.
The religious leaders in Yeshua’s day were not striving to enter through the narrow door – which included recognition of Yeshua as the Messiah. They were not being faithful to God and His revelation like the Fathers and the Prophets were in their generation. A day was coming, Yeshua warned, when they would deeply regret it.
And, they would be further embarrassed. Messiah prophesies that a new group of people – non-Jews, the uncircumcized who were generally looked down upon, would be willing to humble themselves and welcome the Jewish Messiah, and these Gentile Christians would be welcomed into God’s Kingdom, while the Yeshua-rejecting Jewish people would be excluded.
And they will come from east and west and from north and south, and will recline at the table in the kingdom of God. And behold, some are last who will be first and some are first who will be last”.
Gentiles who recognize that Yeshua is the Jewish Messiah will be saved, and enjoy the pleasures of the New Jerusalem, but not the most religious of the Jewish people who reject Messiah.
And, I tell you that many who today, claim to be religious and spiritual people – Muslims; Hindus; New Agers; and many who call themselves Christians, but who are Christians in name only, who have contempt for God and Messiah and the Scriptures that is caused by a casual but uncommited familiarity; and Jewish people who persist in their rejection of Yeshua; and some who call themselves Messianic Jews – will also be rejected. Make absolutely sure that you are not one of them! Nothing is more important!
What Messiah taught, He lived. He was willing to go against the majority. He was willing to go against the religious leaders who were teaching serious error. Trusting in God, and God’s plan for His life, even if it meant His death, He was willing to stand up against corrupt political leaders.
Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Go away, leave here, for Herod wants to kill You”.
Not all of the Pharisees opposed Yeshua. A remnant were sympathetic to Him and warned Him to protect Himself from a plot by Herod to kill Yeshua.
But, Yeshua knew God’s plan for His life, and Herod’s rejection would not deter Him from His responsibilities.
And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and the third day I reach My goal.’ Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day; for it cannot be that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem.
Humanity’s Great Healer would continue healing people physically and spiritually. But, His time was now very limited. He would only do that for a short period of time. Then He would travel to Jerusalem, where He would experience ultimate rejection by Israel’s religious and political leaders. Ironically, the Prince of Peace, and Israel’s Greatest Prophet, knew that He would die in the center of the world, and be killed in the City of Peace, where so many of Israel’s prophets had died before Him.
Yeshua was a man who was willing to endure the rejection of the representatives of the nation. Yeshua was willing to be rejected by the majority in this life, and suffer in this life, knowing that He would be welcomed accepted by God in God’s eternal kingdom. How about you?
You can go with the majority now, and perhaps not suffer as much now, but suffer much greater loss later; or you can go against the majority now, and perhaps suffer more now, but be welcomed into the kingdom of God. Which do you choose?
There are terrible consequences for rejecting God’s Son, who is the only Savior and Redeemer and Healer of humanity – and Yeshua knew it. He understood what would befall the capital city of the Chosen People whose majority rejected Him. And yet, still loving His erring nation and foreknowing the devastation that would befall the Messiah-rejecting majority, Yeshua lamented:
O Jerusalem, Jerusalem, the city that kills the prophets and stones those sent to her! How often I wanted to gather your children together, just as a hen gathers her brood under her wings, and you would not have it! Behold, your house is left to you desolate.
And, just as Messiah predicted, 40 years later, Jerusalem was destroyed, the nation was devastated, and many exiled among the nations for almost 2,000 years. Even though there has been a partial restoration to the Land, without recognizing that Yeshua is King Messiah, we are still in a state of spiritual desolation.
But, the God of Israel is merciful, and compassionate, and will end our long desolation by bringing us to the place where we will welcome Messiah Yeshua!
And I say to you, you will not see Me until the time comes when you say, ‘Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord’”!
Connected to Messiah’s Second Coming, the majority of Israel will recognize that Yeshua is indeed the Messiah, and we will welcome Him and bless Him and be blessed by Him!
Until that happens, be like Yeshua, and go with Yeshua, outside the camp, where He is. Be part of the faithful, sometimes suffering minority. Tell others – Jews and Gentiles, about Him, and the narrow door. Teach others the truth. Where they are in error, correct them. Don’t be intimidated by religious and political leaders. Endure!
If you do, you will be part of few who are being saved; you will be part of the amazing growth of the mustard-seed-like kingdom of God, and the good leaven that will grow and grow; you will be among the prophets and the faithful fathers, and the apostles, and the Lord Himself! And, you will be welcomed into the everlasting kingdom! And, everything you have endured will have been more than worth it!