September 24, 2024

Are we part of Yeshua’s “family” as implied above… do we “do” the will of Yahweh? What do you think Yeshua means, “by doing” His Father’s will? Here is the context of this series of verses…

”While He was still talking to the multitudes, behold, His mother and brothers stood outside, seeking to speak with Him. 47 Then one said to Him, “Look, Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, seeking to speak with You.” 48 But He answered and said to the one who told Him, “Who is My mother and who are My brothers?” 49 And He stretched out His hand toward His disciples and said, “Here are My mother and My brothers! 50 For whoever does the will of My Father in heaven is My brother and sister and mother.” mat 12:46-50 nkjv

These are not trivial words… Mark 3:31-35  also records this moment in Yeshua’s ministry. I have often read these verses and they always make me take pause. I am prompted to ask myself, “am I doing the will of His Father in heaven?” Being honest, as the Holy Spirit is watching… I can’t dismiss my faults, and I know I need to do better when confronted with simple truths and realities as these. It is easy to coast along casually, and even get careless with our relationship to Yahweh… We must be honest with the “mirror” of the Word when it reflects the real “us” in its examination of our lives. The Torah is a safety fence around our lives… are we yielding to its “correction” or trying to evade its “inconvenience.” I truly believe people who choose to live in sin, most of them, know they are wrong and that is why they push back at believers that they see as objects of Yahweh’s disapproval of their lifestyles. They kick at the visible objects of truth that remind them of their own foul nature.

The troublesome times we live in are working contrary to our faith and faithfulness to be good stewards of the “garden of life” that Yahweh has placed us in… we are no different than Adam, who’s purpose was written as:

”Then the Lord God took the man [Adam] and put him in the garden of Eden to tend and keep it. 16 And the Lord God commanded the man, saying, “Of every tree of the garden you may freely eat; 17 but of the tree of the knowledge of good and evil you shall not eat, for in the day that you eat of it you shall surely die.” gen 2:15-17 nkjv

When we come to new life in Yeshua, as a repent sinner, saved by His Grace… could it be that like Adam, He puts us in our “garden of life,” to tend and keep it… and that we are not to do similar things [as Adam did] to spoil our garments of salvation? Yeshua pointed to his disciples as “family,” because they were doing the will of His Father in heaven… does that same principle apply to us? I think the bible narratives reveal that the answer is yes it does. The question is, how diligently and faithfully are we following the truth in front of us.

Recently I lost something that I had misplaced, and finally I found if “hidden in plain sight.” Judy said that I should mention that simple principle in one of my devotionals… Well, when something is “in plain sight,” why do we not see it? Perhaps our “mind” vision is not “seeing” our “eye” vision. Consider what Yeshua said that Isaiah said, when he talked about teaching them in parables, although He said the disciples were “given” to know the meaning of the parable:

“He answered and said to them, “Because it has been given to you to know the mysteries of the kingdom of heaven, but to them it has not been given. 12 For whoever has, to him more will be given, and he will have abundance; but whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken away from him. 13 Therefore I speak to them in parables, because seeing they do not see, and hearing they do not hear, nor do they understand. 14 And in them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled, which says:

“Hearing you will hear and shall not understand, And seeing you will see and not perceive; 15 For the hearts of this people have grown dull. Their ears are hard of hearing, And their eyes they have closed, Lest they should see with their eyes and hear with their ears, Lest they should understand with their hearts and turn, So that I should heal them.” mat 13:11-15 nkjv

In the constant turbulence of our modern culture and immoral society, which nowadays is not unlike the days of Noah or Sodom, we must have daily bread [Yahweh’s Word] infused into our hearts and minds [ears and eyes of our souls] or we, like them, can have our hearts grow dull, and simply not see what is hidden in plain sight [unless we search for it with all our hearts]… a tragic condition we would succumb to. So, may we allow the “mirror” of Yahweh’s Word and the empowering presence of His Holy Spirit to keep us dutifully working in the garden of life that is our portion… and our spirit eyes can see the Tree of Life.

Shalom, John