Matthew Chapters 10 and 11

Matthew Chapters 10 and 11 - 2011-06-03

[Scriptures for Charles Giuliani, who was the subject of the pre-program discussion:]

Hebrews 3:12 Take heed, brethren, lest there be in any of you an evil heart of unbelief, in departing from the living God.

Proverbs 14:12 There is a way which seemeth right unto a man, but the end thereof are the ways of death.

Last week discussing Matthew chapter 8 where Christ is recorded as having said “11 I say to you that many shall come from east and west and they shall recline with Abraham and Isaak and Jakob in the kingdom of the heavens, 12 but the sons of the kingdom shall be cast out into the outermost darkness. And there shall be weeping and gnashing of teeth!” I first quoted Psalm 107 verses 1-3, which I will read again here: “1 O give thanks unto the LORD, for he is good: for his mercy endureth for ever. 2 Let the redeemed of the LORD say so, whom he hath redeemed from the hand of the enemy; 3 And gathered them out of the lands, from the east, and from the west, from the north, and from the south.” As we see in Luke, at 1:71, part of the purpose of Christ was to bring us “preservation from our enemies and from the hand of all those who hate us”, just as we see it professed in Psalm 107. I also quoted Psalm 112: “10 The wicked shall see it, and be grieved; he shall gnash with his teeth, and melt away: the desire of the wicked shall perish.” We need to be bought back from the enemy, because it is clearly evident that in our sin, they rule over us! It is they who shall be gnashing their teeth. Therefore I remarked last week that “the 'sons of the kingdom' are those who pretend to have the law and the prophets, those in the seats of authority in Jerusalem, but they are not necessarily Israelites. Actually, many of them are not Israelites, they are usurpers. And that is why they would be put out. This passage should be cross-referenced to Revelation 2:9 and 3:9, which describe those who claim to be Judaeans, but are not, they are of the assembly of the adversary.”

I have been questioned for that assessment, but here I will offer several further Scriptures to support my position. First, at Luke chapter 4 Christ makes no contrary remark when the devil claims that all of the kingdoms of the earth are under his control, and he would offer them to Christ if Christ would worship him. Christ merely responds that “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.” Paul mentions the “prince of this world” at Ephesians 2:2. Christ also mentioned that same thing where he said “Hereafter I will not talk much with you: for the prince of this world cometh, and hath nothing in me”, at John 14:30. Therefore it is evident, that the “sons of the kingdom”, meaning those who are in control of that worldly kingdom, are not necessarily the children of Yahweh, and are more likely the children of the devil. Here are two statements by Christ which fully support this interpretation of Matthew 8:11-12: John 12:31: “Now is the judgment of this world: now shall the prince of this world be cast out.” John 16:11: “Of judgment, because the prince of this world is judged.” It should be perfectly clear, the “prince of this world” who is being cast out in John 12, is the “sons of the kingdom” being cast out in Matthew 8. The phrase “prince of this world” is a collective epithet for those Kenite bastards who have infiltrated and usurped every White nation in history until this very time.

X 1 And summoning twelve of His students, He had given to them authority over unclean spirits so as to cast them out and to heal every disease and every weakness. 2 Now these are the names of the twelve ambassadors: first Simon who is called Petros and Andreas his brother, and Iakobos the son of Zebedaios and Iohannes his brother, 3 Philippos and Bartholomaios, Thomas and Maththaios the tax-collector, Iakobos the son of Alphaios and Thaddaios, 4 Simon the Kananaean, and Ioudas Iskarioth who also betrays Him.

Simon is not, as the King James Version has him, a Canaanite. However the Greek manuscripts of Matthew were indeed divided on the issue at an early time. The almost equally ancient codices Sinaiticus and Vaticanus have Canaanite and Cananaean respectively, and they each have roughly equal support from manuscripts which are nearly as old. However in Mark 3:18 where this same list occurs, all of the ancient codices have Simon as a Cananaean, except the Codex Alexandrinus which has Canaanite (and which is wanting most of Matthew's gospel). Let it be said that in both Matthew and in Mark, the Codex Ephraemi Syri, which usually agrees with the Alexandrinus, has Simon as a Cananaean, and so even the Alexandrian tradition is split on this matter. One thing is clear, however, and that is that the manuscripts which the King James Version has followed are quite close to the Alexandrian tradition, which the passage in Mark demonstrates. Something else which is quite certain is that the corruption of texts upon which the New Testament is based was attempted at the earliest time, whether purposely or not. Here the preponderance of the evidence, considering both Matthew and Mark, is that Simon was a Cananaean.

Luke calls Simon “the zealot”, which many errant commentators take that as a meaning of the word “Canaanite”, however this is highly unlikely. The Hebrew word, according to Strong, comes from a verb meaning to humiliate. It is much more plausible that Simon was from the city Cana, where Yahshua attended the wedding described in the opening chapters of John's gospel, and was therefore a Cananaean, and that “zealot” was just a nickname. In John's gospel at 21:2 there is a Nathanael of Cana in Galilee, who is also mentioned by John 5 times in chapter 1, at verses 45-49. But Nathanael is not mentioned at all in the other gospels, and this is that man of whom Christ had said “Look! An Israelite indeed, in whom there is no guile!”. It is therefore certain that these two men were one and the same, Simon Nathanael, the zealot of Cana. (It must be mentioned that some commentators believe Nathanael to be Bartholomew instead, which has no corroboration.)

5 These twelve Yahshua sent out, commanding to them saying: “You should not depart into the way of the heathens [or nations], and you should not enter into a city of Samaritans. 6 But rather you must go to the lost sheep of the house of Israel.

Here is one of the most misunderstood verses in Scripture, even among Christian Identity pastors. Many think that the command not to go unto the nations conflicts with the idea that the nations of the oikoumenê descended mostly from ancient Israel. But it does not.

Firstly, Christ was not yet crucified, and therefore He was not yet reconciled to a “divorced” Israel, so the message of the Gospel was not yet prepared for them. This is the ministry of reconciliation which Paul describes in 2 Corinthians chapter 5 and elsewhere.

Secondly, Yahshua is talking to the apostles on terms that they would understand, and at this time they understood “Israel” to include the circumcision only. The proof of that lies in Acts Chapter 10 and Peter's need for the vision which he later received from God. The apostles, being unlearned in literature, were not aware of the identity of the long-ago-dispersed Israelites, which was the entire reason for the later ministry of Paul of Tarsus.

7 And going you proclaim, saying that ‘the kingdom of the heavens has neared!’ 8 Heal the sick, raise the dead, cleanse lepers, cast out demons. Freely you have received, freely you must give. 9 Do not procure gold nor silver nor copper for your belts, 10 nor a bag for the way, nor two cloaks nor sandals, nor a staff. For the workman is worthy of his provisions. 11 And into whatever city or town you should enter, scrutinize whether anyone in it is worthy, and there abide until when you would depart.

The gospel of the kingdom is the restoration of Israel to the favor and polity of God, and the return to obedience to His Word by all Adamic people.

This ability which was imparted to the apostles is what John was describing in his Gospel, where in the first chapter at verse 12 he wrote “But as many who received Him, He gave to them the authority which the children of Yahweh are to attain, to those believing in His Name”.

“Freely you have received, freely you must give.” When the prophet Elisha healed Naaman, the captain of the host of the King of Syria of his leprosy by telling him to wash himself in the Jordan seven times, Naaman returned and tried to give him a gift. The prophet responded “As the LORD liveth, before whom I stand, I will receive none.” All Elisha did was pass the instructions which God gave him on to Naaman. Elisha received them freely, and therefore could not take anything for them in return.

Yet “the workman is worthy of his provisions,” just as the Levites (for example at Numbers chapter 18, verse 31) ate from the sacrifices of the people, the apostles were told to anticipate their sustenance from the good people of the community.

These instructions were for the apostles during the ministry of Christ. They did not apply afterwards, of their later missions, where at Luke 22:35-36 it is recorded that “35 He said to them: 'When I sent you without purse and wallet and sandals, did you have want of anything?' And they said 'Nothing.' 36 Then He said to them: 'But now he having a purse must take it, and likewise a wallet, and he not having a sword must sell his garment and buy one.” This goes hand-in-hand with the foreknowledge that Christians would be persecuted, and would most often have to fend for and defend themselves. So we see that common sense must prevail in our quest for the kingdom.

12 But going into the house you shall greet it, 13 and indeed if the house should be worthy, let your peace come upon it, but if it should not be worthy, your peace must return to you. 14 And whoever would not receive you nor hear your words, going out of that house or city shake off the dust from your feet.

Christians are not expected to extend warmth and kindness to merely anybody, as so many of us have been wrongly led to believe. If one does not listen to and receive your Christian profession, you should have nothing to do with him, period! Christ has no agreement with Belial, nor does light with darkness.

15 Truly I say to you, it shall be better for the land of Sodom and Gomorra in the day of judgment than for that city!

This does not mean that the Canaanites of Sodom and Gomorra are going to be resurrected and judged. Firstly, it cannot even be established that the residents of those cities at the time of Abraham and Lot were even all Canaanites. Rather, it states that for those who reject the Gospel of the Kingdom, it will be worse for them in the judgement than it was for Sodom and Gommora.

“16 Behold, I send you off as sheep in the midst of wolves. Therefore be wise as serpents and pure as doves!

This warning is every bit as profound today as it was then. The White Adamite has long played the part of the sheep. Regardless of the false claims of the jew, we have been a relatively passive and non-reactionary people throughout most of our history. Today, just as it was in first century Judaea, the wolves most often have the advantage. We should not be trying to convert the wolves – that is futile. Rather, we should be seeking the sheep out from among the wolves, while being aware of the tactics of the wolves. Pure as doves, the word also intones pureness of heart. Christians should be straightforward and without guile, while also giving the wolves no reason for accusation.

Matthew 7: “15 Beware of false prophets, which come to you in sheep's clothing, but inwardly they are ravening wolves. 16 Ye shall know them by their fruits. Do men gather grapes of thorns, or figs of thistles?” Sheep cannot be wolves, and neither can wolves be sheep. Do not attempt to gather sheep form wolves – it does not work. In fact, at Acts chapter 20 Paul distinguished between wolves and false sheep-teachers, where he says: “29 For I know this, that after my departing shall grievous wolves enter in among you, not sparing the flock. 30 Also of your own selves shall men arise, speaking perverse things, to draw away disciples after them.”

17 But take heed on account of men, for they shall hand you over to councils and they shall whip you in their assembly halls 18 and you shall be brought before governors and even kings because of Me for a testimony to them and to the Nations.

This was fulfilled with the early Christian martyrs. For 300 years Christians were persecuted at the instigation of the jews. They were indeed dragged before kings, governors, and judges. Little things like this in the gospels, which are hardly noticed or which are taken for granted by nearly all Christians, indeed prove that Christianity is true – how could Christ make such a statement, and we see that it all came true, with such bold confidence? How was He so confident that thousands would follow Him to their death, for a mere profession of their faith? Only because He knew that it was true – and only God could know such things so far ahead of time.

19 And when they should hand you over, you should not have care for how or what you should speak. For it shall be given to you at that hour what you should speak. 20 For it is not you who are speaking but the Spirit of your Father which is speaking in you.

In your time of calamity, you will be empowered to say the things that God wants you to say. If you feel as though you have failed to say something, be not ashamed: for perhaps God did not want you to say it!

“21 For brother shall hand over brother unto death, and father child, and children shall rise up against parents and shall slay them. 22 And you shall be hated by all on account of My Name, but he abiding to the end shall be saved.

Do not expect to be loved if you are adhering to the truth of the gospel. The truth of the gospel divides even families against one another, and thus it was in the pagan Roman world when in many cases these things actually did happen. They serve as an example for us today.

“23 And when they should persecute you in this city, flee to another. For truly I say to you, by no means should you exhaust the cities of Israel until when the Son of Man should come!

Christians are still being persecuted by the children of Satan, merely for being Christians. The proofs of this lie in the 30 Years' War, the destruction of Christian Russia, the destruction of Christian Germany, and many other events in our history. While the tactics of the jew change with time, and while he often is forced to lie-in-wait even for centuries, his warfare against Christian society never ceases, and the evidence is all around us today: an endless trail of the cities of Israel lie in ruins. That we see this battle of the jew against Christianity at this very time, by itself is full proof that our Christianity is true, and everything else is a lie.

“24 There is not a student above the teacher nor a servant above his master. 25 It is enough for a student that he may be as his teacher and a servant as his master. If they have called the master of the house ‘Beelzeboul’, how much more those of his house!

Of course no Christian should seek to exalt himself above Christ, but we all should seek to be like Him. Yet if the enemies of God persecuted and murdered Him, and if they slandered and blasphemed Him, then we should expect nothing but the same from them. Therefore, there should never be any fellowship between Christians and jews! There should never be any outreach of Christians to jews! Why don't the so-called “judeo-Christians” understand the simple and plain meaning of these words? The very phrase “judeo-Christian” is an obvious oxymoron!

“26 Therefore you should not fear them. For nothing is hidden which shall not be revealed and secret which shall not be made known. 27 That which I say to you in the darkness you speak in the light, and that which you hear in the ear proclaim upon the houses!

How can a Christian ever be afraid to speak the truth? If you are persecuted for speaking the truth, then be proud of it – your reward is great in heaven!

“28 And do not fear from those killing the body, but are not able to kill the soul. But rather fear He who is able also to slay soul and body in Gehenna!

Christians should have no fear of jew nor beast. We should only have fear of God. If we deny or conceal the truth before our fellows, what shall our God think of us when we stand before Him? From Brenton's Septuagint 4 Maccabees 13:12-17, which while we may or may not accept the book as canon, it nevertheless reflects the attitudes that Christ also professes here: “12 And another, Remember of what stock ye are; and by the hand of our father Isaac endured to be slain for the sake of piety. 13 And one and all, looking on each other serene and confident, said, Let us sacrifice with all our heart our souls to God who gave them, and employ our bodies for the keeping of the law. 14 Let us not fear him who thinketh he killeth; 15 for great is the trial of soul and danger of eternal torment laid up for those who transgress the commandment of God. 16 Let us arm ourselves, therefore, in the abnegation of the divine reasoning. 17 If we suffer thus, Abraham, and Isaac, and Jacob will receive us, and all the fathers will commend us.” The book, 4 Maccabees, is a moral one, about the power of faith over fleshly desire, and the story here is about seven brethren and their father who chose death over violation of the law at the command of Antiochus, the Greek ruler of Syria.

29 Are not two sparrows sold for an assarion? And one of these does not fall upon the earth without consent of your Father. 30 But of you even the hairs of the head are all counted. 31 Therefore do not fear, you are worthy more than many sparrows.

Sparrows are, in other words, cheap, yet Yahweh cares even for them. Therefore he has much greater care for us. (I only hope that the hairs of my head were counted as they were at age 40, and not at 50!)

“32 Therefore each who shall agree with Me before men, I shall also agree with him before My Father who is in the heavens. 33 But he who should deny Me before men, I shall also deny him before My Father who is in the heavens.

We can never deny the truth of the gospel before men – or we shall indeed suffer for it in the much greater judgement to come. Many take this to mean denying Christ Himself outright. I would think that it means something much deeper – for while many of us profess Christ with our lips, we deny Him in one word or another, because we pick-and-choose which Scriptures we want to accept, and which we want to reject. In essence, denying any part of the Gospel, is a denial of Him. At 1 Samuel 2:30 Yahweh said “... them that honour me I will honour, and they that despise me shall be lightly esteemed”.

“34 You should not suppose that I have come to put peace upon the earth. I have not come to put peace, but a sword! 35 For I have come to divide a man against his father and a daughter against her mother and a bride against her mother-in-law, 36 and a man’s enemies are those of his house!

And we in Christian Identity today can imagine just what it was like for Christians in ancient pagan Rome. We are often shunned and excoriated by our own families, because we refuse to accept the universal religion of the empire. Yes, there is little difference between modern ecumenism and the universal paganism of old Rome, where just about anything became acceptable so long as one worshipped Caesar. Today we are for the most part merely shunned, but in the first few centuries of the Christian era, our forebears were often reported, arrested, and martyred merely for professing Christ.

Christianity is not about our own sick ideas of “peace”, sick because they usually include placating aliens and sinners. As we have seen here while covering Matthew chapter 5, a true peace-maker is one who is willing to obey the laws of God, and reprove his fellows when they do not obey. Contrary to the profession of the phony “judeo-Christians”, Christ is not about peace, but rather about obedience to God, love for our own kind, and the consequences of violating those precepts.

Here Christ quotes Micah 7:6, which reads: “For the son dishonoureth the father, the daughter riseth up against her mother, the daughter in law against her mother-in-law; a man's enemies are the men of his own house.”

“37 He loving father or mother above Me is not worthy of Me, and he loving son or daughter above Me is not worthy of Me. 38 And he who does not take his cross and follow behind Me is not worthy of Me. 39 He seeking his life shall lose it, and he losing his life because of Me shall find it.

Those who ignore the advice which Yahshua gives in these verses may indeed find themselves to be unworthy of Him. As the prophet Daniel said, “... thy people shall be delivered, every one that shall be found written in the book. And many of them that sleep in the dust of the earth shall awake, some to everlasting life, and some to shame and everlasting contempt.” One who seeks to preserve his life here above all else shall lose it anyway, and may well have no reward in the next. One disregarding his own life here on behalf of Christ shall have a great reward in the next. Christ told us above all to keep His commandments, and to love our brethren. Everything else is basically immaterial. If we do those few things, then we devote our life to our race, and not to our bellies or to our own safety and well-being.

“40 He receiving you receives Me, and he receiving Me receives He who has sent Me.

Paul of Tarsus has often been criticized for saying at Galatians 4:14: “and of my trial in my flesh you did not despise or loathe, but as a messenger of Yahweh you accepted me, like Yahshua Christ.” People accuse Paul of claiming to be “like Christ”, but that is not what Paul was saying at all. Rather, Paul was commending the Galatians, that in spite of Paul's fleshly trials – in this case his very poor eyesight – they nevertheless received him as a messenger of Christ, and they received him as they would have received Christ Himself. In other words, the Galatians were fulfilling these very words which Christ uttered to His followers here in Matthew 10:40, and Paul was recognizing that on their behalf! This is understood further once one realizes the importance which Greek culture placed upon physical perfection. Paul's poor eyesight was a great reproach to him, and a burden placed upon one claiming to be a messenger of God. We often bear this same prejudice today, even though it is not spoken of openly.

41 He receiving a prophet in the name of a prophet gains reward of the prophet, and he receiving a righteous man in the name of a righteous man gains reward of the righteous man.

In 1 Kings chapter 17, the widow of Zarephath received and sustained the prophet Elijah, and she was rewarded with sustenance in return, for the grain and oil did not fail in a time of famine. Then her son fell ill, but she also received the life of her son, even though it was at first through trial. In 2 Kings chapter 4 the woman who made a place of rest for the prophet Elisha, not knowing for certain but only perceiving that he was a man of God, was also rewarded by conceiving a son although she had been barren. That child too, nearly died, and was delivered through his mother's abidance in the faith. Here we have those same promises if we continue to exhibit that same faith. Yet there is a common theme here, for we see that in each instance a single act of kindness was not sufficient: rather we must continue in faith without failure.

42 And he who would give one of these little ones a single cup of cold water to drink in the name of a student, truly I say to you, by no means should he lose his reward.”

At Mark 9:41 it is recorded that Christ said: “For whosoever shall give you a cup of water to drink in my name, because ye belong to Christ, verily I say unto you, he shall not lose his reward.” A cup of cold water was valued in the hot dry climate of Palestine, and was a sign in itself of the restoration of life, as Christ described Himself as living water to the Samaritan woman at the well in John chapter 4. We take care of the sheep. And we are rewarded accordingly. But we have absolutely no responsibility to care for wolves, dogs and swine. And if we do, then we are neglecting sheep, and we shall suffer as much for it.

XI 1 And it came to pass that when Yahshua had finished appointing His twelve students, He passed over from there for which to teach and to proclaim in their cities. 2 Then Iohannes, hearing in the prison the works of Christ, sending through his students 3 said to Him: “Are You He who is coming, or do we expect another?” 4 And responding Yahshua said to them: “Going report to Iohannes the things which you hear and see: ‘the blind see again and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf-mutes hear, and the dead are raised and the poor have the good message announced’. 6 And blessed is he who would not be offended by Me!”

In spite of his own Spirit-inspired profession when he had baptized Christ, here we see that John was still unsure of whether or not He was the promised Messiah. This may be seen as an inconsistency by many, but we need not see it that way. The apostles themselves expected the Messiah to deliver the Kingdom of Heaven on earth to the children of Israel immediately, for which see Acts 1:6 which states “When they therefore were come together, they asked of him, saying, Lord, wilt thou at this time restore again the kingdom to Israel?” John, who had been in prison for some time already, had surely hoped for deliverance in this same manner, and therefore was certainly confused concerning the purpose of Christ. For that same reason, there was much dispute concerning Him after His ascension.

7 And upon their going Yahshua began to speak to the crowds concerning Iohannes: “What have you come out into the desert to see? A reed being shaken by the wind? 8 Rather, what have you come out to see? A man clothed in soft things? Behold, those wearing soft things are in the houses of the kings! 9 Rather, what have you come out to see? A prophet? Yeah, I say to you, and more extraordinary than a prophet! 10 This is he concerning whom it is written: ‘Behold, I shall send My messenger before Your face, who shall prepare Your way before You!’

Yahshua appeals to Malachi 3:1, and in that manner He again proclaims Himself to be that coming one – the Messiah. Here he also tells people who John is, and what the purpose of his ministry was.

“11 Truly I say to you, there has not arisen among those born of women a greater than Iohannes the Baptist, but he who is least in the kingdom of the heavens is greater than he!

This verse demonstrates that those of us appointed by Yahweh for a special purpose are not any better than any of our brethren who are given no such gifts or office. Therefore no matter our purpose in life, we must always be humble – or indeed we shall be humbled.

12 And from the days of Iohannes the Baptist until now the kingdom of the heavens suffers violence, and the violent ones plunder it! 13 For all the prophets and the law have prophesied until Iohannes, 14 and if you wish to receive it, he is Elijah who is going to come. 15 He having an ear to hear must hear!

The reference to John as Elijah is mentioned again at Matthew 17:12. This does not mean that John was Elijah personally. Rather, in Matthew chapter 17 we see that Elijah appeared in the transfiguration on the Mount, and he was not recognized as John the Baptist, therefore he must be separate individual! The prophecy of John the Baptist at Luke 1:17 reads: “And he shall go before him in the spirit and power of Elias, 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 Yahweh.”

The prophecy that Elijah would come – or that the spirit of Elijah would come – before the coming of the Messiah is a dual prophecy. We see the prophecy in Malachi chapter 3 of John, but we also see it in Malachi chapter 4 of the coming of Elijah “before the coming of the great and dreadful day of Yahweh”. I believe, while Clifton Emahiser uttered it before me, that at the present time the spirit of Elijah is indeed here with us again, in this Christian Israel Identity message. For we are the only sect of Christianity where it can be said, as it was of Elijah in Malachi chapter 4, that “he shall turn the heart of the fathers to the children, and the heart of the children to their fathers, lest I come and smite the earth with a curse.”

Here we are warned that “the kingdom of the heavens suffers violence, and the violent ones plunder it”. In Luke at chapter 16 a similar statement, made to a different audience, reads a little differently: “The law and the prophets were until Iohannes. From then the Kingdom of Yahweh is proclaimed and all force their way into it.” Those infiltrators, who have forced their way through treachery and bribery into every Saxon nation, and who once they get in open the floodgates to aliens and every mean creature, they are going to fail. Those who think that they can somehow convert themselves into Christians and share in the blessings promised to the children of Jacob, they too are going to fail. Yahweh has chosen Israel, and the aliens are not going to prosper. These statements are an assurance of that by Christ Himself.

“16 But to what shall I compare this race? It is like children sitting in the markets calling out to others things which 17 say ‘We piped for you and you did not dance. We sang dirges and you did not mourn!’

I believe that this saying demonstrates the general apathy of the people under any and all circumstances. And today we see that whether we pronounce the doom and gloom of inevitable judgement, or a coming prosperity at the return of Yahshua Christ, it does not matter, the people do not want to hear the truth: they prefer the world and the status quo.

18 For Iohannes had come neither eating nor drinking, and they say: ‘He has a demon!’ 19 The Son of Man has come eating and drinking, and they say: ‘Behold, the man is a glutton and a wine-drinker, a friend of tax-collectors and wrongdoers!’ And Wisdom is justified by her works!”

In refusing to hear the truth, they shall despise the messenger, no matter how they perceive him. They find fault simply because it is convenient for them to find fault. They would rather find fault with the messenger, and that gives them an excuse and a justification for ignoring the truth!

20 Then He began to upbraid the cities in which the greatest number of His works of power were done, because they did not repent: 21 “Woe to you, Chorazin! Woe to you, Bethsaïda! Because if there happened in Turos and Sidon the feats which took place among you, long ago they would have repented in sackcloth and ashes! 22 But I say to you, in Turos and Sidon it shall be better in the day of judgment than for you! 23 And you, Kapharnaoum, shall you be exalted unto heaven? Unto Hades shall you descend! Because if in Sodom there had taken place the feats which took place in you, it would have abided until today. 24 But I say to you that for the land of Sodom it shall be better in the day of judgment than for you!”

Think about the fate of all of those people who stayed behind in the lands where Christ was rejected. They were overrun with arabs, and today they are a living hell-hole. If the Christians in those lands had believed their gospel, they should have long ago fled! Rather, today they too have been overcome and mixed in with the blood of His enemies. We today face that same fate, lest we repent! It is difficult to conceive that anyone could actually witness the mighty works of God firsthand, and still not believe Him unto repentance and obedience, but we have so many witnesses in Scripture that it actually happened in that manner.

25 At that time Yahshua responding said: “I gratefully acknowledge to You, Father, Sovereign of heaven and earth, that You have hidden these things from the wise and understanding and have revealed them to babes! 26 Yeah, Father, because thusly was it pleasing before You. 27 All things have been handed over to Me by My Father, and no one knows the Son if not the Father, nor does anyone know the Father if not the Son, and to whom the Son may wish to reveal Him.

He revealed the hidden truths to babes – His “unschooled” followers – while they were kept hidden from the academics, the priests and the scribes and those in positions of worldly authority. So it is today, it is no different. An education in the world is a sure sign that one shall be prevented from finding the truth – because proper education has been appropriated for the purposes of indoctrination by the princes of this world. Those who have, understand, and accept the truth of the Bible only have it by the will of Yahweh who imparts understanding.

“28 Come to Me, all those who are toiling and being burdened, and I shall give you rest. 29 Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me, because I am meek and humble in heart, and you shall find rest for your souls. 30 For My yoke is kind and My burden is light!”

Christians only have peace in Christ, and His yoke is a lot lighter than the burdens which worldly desires and rewards place upon us. Desire for worldly rewards cause us to put ourselves under the yoke of the princes of this world, which is a state of slavery.

In closing tonight, I would like to read parts of the Wisdom of Sirach, chapter 51, and we shall again see some of the ideas which we have just seen Christ express in Matthew: “1 I will thank thee, O Lord and King, and praise thee, O God my Saviour: I do give praise unto thy name: 2 For thou art my defender and helper, and has preserved my body from destruction, and from the snare of the slanderous tongue, and from the lips that forge lies, and has been mine helper against mine adversaries: 3 And hast delivered me, according to the multitude of thy mercies and greatness of thy name, from the teeth of them that were ready to devour me, and out of the hands of such as sought after my life, and from the manifold afflictions which I had; 4 From the choking of fire on every side, and from the midst of the fire which I kindled not; 5 From the depth of the belly of hell, from an unclean tongue, and from lying words. 6 By an accusation to the king from an unrighteous tongue my soul drew near even unto death, my life was near to the hell beneath. 7 They compassed me on every side, and there was no man to help me: I looked for the succour of men, but there was none. 8 Then thought I upon thy mercy, O Lord, and upon thy acts of old, how thou deliverest such as wait for thee, and savest them out of the hands of the enemies. 9 Then lifted I up my supplications from the earth, and prayed for deliverance from death. 10 I called upon the Lord, the Father of my Lord, that he would not leave me in the days of my trouble, and in the time of the proud, when there was no help. 11 I will praise thy name continually, and will sing praises with thanksgiving; and so my prayer was heard: 12 For thou savedst me from destruction, and deliveredst me from the evil time: therefore will I give thanks, and praise thee, and bless they name, O Lord.... 22 The Lord hath given me a tongue for my reward, and I will praise him therewith. 23 Draw near unto me, ye unlearned, and dwell in the house of learning. 24 Wherefore are ye slow, and what say ye to these things, seeing your souls are very thirsty? 25 I opened my mouth, and said, Buy her for yourselves without money. 26 Put your neck under the yoke, and let your soul receive instruction: she is hard at hand to find. 27 Behold with your eyes, how that I have but little labour, and have gotten unto me much rest. 28 Get learning with a great sum of money, and get much gold by her. 29 Let your soul rejoice in his mercy, and be not ashamed of his praise. 30 Work your work betimes, and in his time he will give you your reward.”