Is God to blame for Evil?
A Talmidi friend recently asked me, "How do we cope with the presence of evil in our world, and not fall into a state of mind whereby we blame God for allowing evil and heinous things to happen?" Let's approach this problem from the extreme position. Sometimes,...
SY Passage 17: The plank in one’s own eye – Religious Hypocrisy
The seventeenth passage of the Sefer Yeshua is based on Mt 7:3-5 and Lk 6:41-42. The likely origin of the pericope is the Q-gospel. 17. 1There were some who were hypocrites, and judged others without examining their own actions first. 2And Yeshua said to them, ‘Why do...
SY Passage 16: The Parable of the Prideful and the Humble in the Temple
The sixteenth passage of the Sefer Yeshua is based on Luke18:9-14, which is the sole source of this pericope. It could have come from the Q-gospel, but that would mean that the author of Matthew chose not to use it for some reason. The Jesus Seminar assigned it the...
Commentary on SY passage 15: A kingdom divided against itself will be laid waste
The fifteenth passage of the Sefer Yeshua is based on Mk 3:24-25, Mt 12.25, Lk 11:17. The differences between the saying in Mark, compared with the one in Matthew and Luke (which are more similar to each other), are sufficient to conclude that the version in Matthew...
SY Commentary passage 14: The old wine is good enough
The fourteenth passage of the Sefer Yeshua is based on Mk 2:22, Mt 9:17, Lk 5:37-39, and Thomas 47:3-4. As with SY passage 13, the main source of this saying is from Mark (Matthew and Luke both borrow from Mark, and so they both place the saying where Mark places it)....
Experiencing the Living Name of God for yourself
I’m taking this opportunity to talk about some of my personal experiences, and hopefully, you will be encouraged to draw something meaningful from them for yourself. I recall someone I worked with in London in the early 2000’s. She was a young girl in her late teens,...
SY Commentary passage 13: Sewing new cloth onto old
The thirteenth passage of the Sefer Yeshua is based on Mk 2:21, Mt 9:16, Lk 5:36, and Thomas 47:5. The main source of this saying is from Mark (Matthew and Luke both borrow from Mark, and so they both place the saying where Mark places it; and Luke makes quite a few...
SY Commentary passage 12: John was the promised prophet like Elijah
The twelfth passage of the Sefer Yeshua is based on Mt 11:7-15, Lk 7:24-28a (a reed in the wind, a man in fancy clothes, prophet to be sent before the Day of YHVH, prophet like Elijah, no one greater than John); Lk 10:23 (‘those who have ears to hear’). The likely...
SY Commentary on passage 11: ‘Fortunate is the one who is not offended by me’
The eleventh passage of the Sefer Yeshua is based on Mt 11:2, Lk 7:20 (John sends his apostles to Yeshua to question him); Mt 11:6, Lk 7:23 (‘fortunate is the one who isn’t scandalised’), Lk 10:23 (‘his eyes see’). The likely source of the words in both Mt and Lk is...
SY Commentary Passage 10: ‘The Children of the Bridechamber will fast‘
The tenth passage of the Sefer Yeshua is based on Mk 2:18-20, Mt 9:14-15, Lk 5:33-35, and Th 104:3 (the primary source-passage in the NT gospels is that of Mark). 10. 1People were saying to Yeshua`, ‘The followers of Yochanan and the followers of the Pharisees are...