Kingdom Parables – 13th Nissan Evening

Please read Matthew 24:32 – 25:46, Mark 13:28-37
& Luke 21:30 – 36

13th Nissan Evening …continued

Yeshua continued teaching His talmidim on the Mount of Olives.

“Now learn the parable from the fig tree. When its branch becomes tender and puts forth leaves, you know that summer is near.  So also, when you see all these things, know that it is near, at the door.  Amen, I tell you, this generation will not pass away until all these things happen.  Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.  But of that day and hour no one knows, not even the angels of heaven nor the Son, except the Father alone. Matthew 24:32-36 TLV

 “From the fig tree learn its lesson: as soon as its branch becomes tender and puts out its leaves, you know that summer is near.  So also, when you see these things taking place, you know that he is near, at the very gates. Truly, I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all these things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but my words will not pass away.
 But concerning that day or that hour, no one knows, not even the angels in heaven, nor the Son, but only the Father.  Be on guard, keep awake. For you do not know when the time will come.   Mark 13:28-33 ESV

Then He told them a parable: “Behold the fig tree and all the trees; as soon as they put forth leaves and you see it for yourselves, know that summer is now near. So you also, when you see these things happening, know that the kingdom of God is near. Truly I say to you, this generation will not pass away until all things take place. Heaven and earth will pass away, but My words will never pass away.
“But be on guard, so that your hearts will not be overcome with dissipation and drunkenness and the worries of life, and that day will not come on you suddenly like a trap; for it will come upon all those who inhabit the face of all the earth. But keep on the alert at all times, praying earnestly that you may have strength to escape all these things that are about to take place, and to stand before the Son of Man.”

Luke 21:30-36 LSB

Yeshua expects us to notice the signs of the times and know when His kingdom is near. “This generation“, the one Yeshua was talking to, did not pass away before the fulfilment of all His predictions regarding the Roman abomination that causes desolation destroyed Jerusalem and left not one stone upon another in the Temple – it took place less than 40 years after He gave this teaching. We are still waiting for that day which will suddenly “come upon all those who inhabit the face of all the earth” and are exhorted to keep alert, diligent and in prayer as we await it.

 “For just as the days of Noah were, so will be the coming of the Son of Man.  For in those days before the flood, they were eating and drinking, marrying and giving in marriage, until the day Noah entered the ark.  And they did not understand until the flood came and swept them all away. 
So shall it be at the coming of the Son of Man.  Then two men will be in the field, one taken and one left.  Two women will be grinding at the mill, one taken and one left.  Therefore stay alert; for you do not know what day your Lord is coming.  
But know this, that if the master of the house had known what time the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and not let his house be broken into.  So you also must be ready, for the Son of Man is coming at an hour you do not expect.”
Matthew 24:37-44 TLV

Here’s what the scriptures say about the days of Noah:

When man began to multiply on the face of the land and daughters were born to them, the sons of God saw that the daughters of man were attractive. And they took as their wives any they chose. Then the Lord said, “My Spirit shall not abide in man forever, for he is flesh: his days shall be 120 years.” The Nephilim were on the earth in those days, and also afterward, when the sons of God came in to the daughters of man and they bore children to them. These were the mighty men who were of old, the men of renown. The Lord saw that the wickedness of man was great in the earth, and that every intention of the thoughts of his heart was only evil continually. …  Now the earth was corrupt in God’s sight, and the earth was filled with violence. 12 And God saw the earth, and behold, it was corrupt, for all flesh had corrupted their way on the earth. ...
And rain fell upon the earth forty days and forty nights. 13 On the very same day Noah and his sons, Shem and Ham and Japheth, and Noah’s wife and the three wives of his sons with them entered the ark. Genesis 6:1-5, 11-12 & 7:12-13 ESV

Just as it was in the days of Noah, so will it be in the days of the Son of Man.  They were eating and drinking and marrying and being given in marriage, until the day when Noah entered the ark, and the flood came and destroyed them all.  Likewise, just as it was in the days of Lot – they were eating and drinking, buying and selling, planting and building, but on the day when Lot went out from Sodom, fire and sulfur rained from heaven and destroyed them all – so will it be on the day when the Son of Man is revealed.  Luke 17:26-30 ESV

For if God did not spare angels when they sinned, but cast them into hell and committed them to chains of gloomy darkness to be kept until the judgment; if he did not spare the ancient world, but preserved Noah, a herald of righteousness, with seven others, when he brought a flood upon the world of the ungodly; if by turning the cities of Sodom and Gomorrah to ashes he condemned them to extinction, making them an example of what is going to happen to the ungodly; and if he rescued righteous Lot, greatly distressed by the sensual conduct of the wicked  (for as that righteous man lived among them day after day, he was tormenting his righteous soul over their lawless deeds that he saw and heard);  then the Lord knows how to rescue the godly from trials, and to keep the unrighteous under punishment until the day of judgment,  and especially those who indulge in the lust of defiling passion and despise authority. 2 Peter 2:4-10 ESV

 And the angels who did not stay within their own position of authority, but left their proper dwelling, he has kept in eternal chains under gloomy darkness until the judgment of the great day – just as Sodom and Gomorrah and the surrounding cities, which likewise indulged in sexual immorality and pursued unnatural desire, serve as an example by undergoing a punishment of eternal fire. Jude 6-7 ESV

God delayed His judgment for 120 years before bringing the flood, and during that time Noah both built the ark and preached righteousness to the people. They heard the warnings and call to repentance; they saw the ark being built and would have noticed when it was being finished but still they paid no attention and kept living as though nothing would happen. All the signs were there, and the building progress on the ark indicated the timeline, but the wicked were blind to it and did not understand that all would be destroyed by the coming flood until it was happening. In His mercy God delays His judgment, often for a very long time, but it will most certainly come and those who are looking for the signs and obeying God’s voice as Noah did, will notice when the day of judgment is drawing near.

 “Who then is the faithful and wise servant, whom the master put in charge of his household to give them food at the proper time?  Blessed is that servant whose master finds him so doing when he comes.  Amen, I tell you, his master will put him in charge of all his possessions. 
But if that wicked servant says in his heart, ‘My master is taking a long time,’ and he begins to beat his fellow servants, and he eats and drinks with drunkards, the master of that servant will come on a day when he does not expect him and at an hour he does not know. And he will cut him in two and assign his place with the hypocrites, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”
Matthew 24:45-51 TLV

It is like a man going on a journey, when he leaves home and puts his servants in charge, each with his work, and commands the doorkeeper to stay awake.  Therefore stay awake – for you do not know when the master of the house will come, in the evening, or at midnight, or when the rooster crows, or in the morning – lest he come suddenly and find you asleep.  And what I say to you I say to all: Stay awake.”
Mark 13:34-37 ESV

Now Yeshua shifts their attention to focus on those He places in charge of His household, as they would be after His resurrection. Notice, first, that He calls them “servants”, not “masters”. He is the only master; we are all fellow servants. Matthew records the work of the servant placed in charge as being to give everyone in the household their food at the proper time, whereas Mark notes that each is charged with a different task and then focuses on the doorkeeper who must stay awake to be ready to welcome the Master when He returns. Note how Yeshua describes those who do not care for His household as He does and instead serve their own desires.

“Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went out to meet the bridegroom.  Five of them were foolish, and five were wise.  For when the foolish ones took their lamps, they took no oil with them. But the wise ones took oil in jars along with their lamps.
“Now while the bridegroom was taking a long time, they all got drowsy and started falling asleep.  But in the middle of the night there was a shout, ‘Look, the bridegroom! Come out to meet him!’  

Then all those virgins got up and trimmed their lamps.  
Now the foolish ones said to the wise, ‘Give us some of your oil, since our lamps are going out.’  
But the wise ones replied, ‘No, there won’t be enough for us and for you. Instead, go to those who sell, and buy some for yourselves.’
“But while they were going off to buy, the bridegroom came. And those who were ready went in with him to the wedding feast, and the door was shut.  Now later, the other virgins came, saying, ‘Sir, Sir, open up for us!’
“But he replied, ‘Amen, I tell you, I do not know you.’  Therefore stay alert, for you know neither the day nor the hour.”
Matthew 25:1-13 TLV

Yeshua continued His admonishment to be prepared and alert for His return. This time the metaphor He used was virgins waiting for the bridegroom. There were no harlots in this group of ten, each of them was pure, but only five of them were wise enough to take jars of oil along with their lamps. Their lamps had to be lit to go with the bridegroom into the wedding feast and without the extra oil the lamps of the foolish were going out as the bridegroom came. They weren’t ready for Him at the time of His arrival, so they weren’t known by Him.

 For it is like a man about to go on a journey. He called his own servants and handed over his possessions to them.  To one he gave five talents, to another two, and to another one, each according to his own ability. Then he went on his journey.
“Immediately the one who had received the five talents went and traded with them and gained five more.  In the same way, the one with two gained two more.  But the one who received one went off and dug a hole in the ground and hid his master’s money.
“Now after a long time, the master of those servants came and settled accounts with them.  
The one who had received the five talents came up and brought another five talents, saying, ‘Master, you handed me five talents. Look, I’ve gained five more.’  
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a little, so I’ll put you in charge of much. Enter into your master’s joy!’
“The one who had received the two talents also came up and said, ‘Master, you handed me two talents. Look, I’ve gained two more.’  
His master said to him, ‘Well done, good and faithful servant! You were faithful with a little, so I’ll put you in charge of much. Enter into your master’s joy!’
 “Then the one who had received the one talent also came up and said, ‘Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn’t sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.  So I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground. See, you have what is yours.’
“But his master responded, ‘You wicked, lazy servant! You knew that I reap where I didn’t sow and gather where I scattered no seed?  Then you should have brought my money to the brokers, and when I came I would have received it back with interest.  Therefore take the talent away from him, and give it to the one who has the ten talents.  For to the one who has, more shall be given, and he shall have an abundance. But from the one who does not have, even what he does have shall be taken away. Throw the worthless servant out, into the outer darkness where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.’”
Matthew 25:14-30 TLV

 “Talent” was the heaviest or largest biblical unit of measurement for weight, equal to about 75 pounds or 35 kilograms. “Talent“, from the Greek word tálanton, also referred to the largest unit of currency at the time of Christ, equal to 6,000 drachmas or denarii, the Greek and Roman silver coins. Denarii were the standard silver Roman coins and equal to a day’s wages. So, a talent was about nineteen years’ worth of daily wages for a six-day workweek. It was a LOT of money that this master gave to each of his three servants when he handed over his possessions to them. And yet, when he returned, his words to the first two servants were: “you have been faithful with little, so I’ll put you in charge of much.” What the faithful will receive when Christ returns will make everything in this current age appear “little” in comparison.

The third servant believed a lie about the nature and character of his master, just as Eve believed a lie about God and so ate the fruit, and this lie became lord over his actions instead of his master being lord over how he used the talent: “Master, I knew that you are a hard man, reaping where you didn’t sow and gathering where you scattered no seed.  So I was afraid, and I went off and hid your talent in the ground.” This lie produced wicked, lazy and worthless behaviour that had the third servant thrown out of the kingdom.

 “Now when the Son of Man comes in His glory, and all the angels with Him, then He will sit on His glorious throne.  All the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate them from one another, just as the shepherd separates the sheep from the goats.  And He will put the sheep on His right, but the goats on His left.  Then the King will say to those on His right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by My Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world.  For I was hungry and you gave Me something to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me something to drink; I was a stranger and you invited Me in; I was naked and you clothed Me; I was sick and you visited Me; I was in prison and you came to Me.’
“Then the righteous will answer Him, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry and feed You? Or thirsty and give You something to drink?  And when did we see You a stranger and invite You in? Or naked and clothe You?  When did we see You sick, or in prison, and come to You?’
“And answering, the King will say to them, ‘Amen, I tell you, whatever you did to one of the least of these My brethren, you did it to Me.’  Then He will also say to those on the left, ‘Go away from Me, you cursed ones, into the everlasting fire which has been prepared for the devil and his angels.  For I was hungry and you gave Me nothing to eat; I was thirsty and you gave Me nothing to drink;  I was a stranger and you did not invite Me in; naked and you did not clothe Me; sick and in prison and you did not visit Me.’
“Then they too will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see You hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not care for You?’  Then He will answer them, saying, ‘Amen, I tell you, whatever you did not do for one of the least of these, you did not do for Me.’  These shall go off to everlasting punishment, but the righteous into everlasting life.”
Matthew 25:31-46 TLV

“I was watching in the night visions. Behold, One like a Son of Man, coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days, and was brought into His presence. Dominion, glory and sovereignty were given to Him that all peoples, nations, and languages should serve Him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will never pass away, and His kingdom is one that will not be destroyed.”
Daniel 7:13-14 TLV

“I will seek the lost, bring back the stray, bind up the broken and strengthen the sick. But the fat and the strong I will destroy – I will tend them with justice.  As for you, My flock” – thus says Adonai Elohim – “behold, I will judge between sheep and sheep, between rams and male goats.  Was it too little for you that you were feeding in the good pasture? Must you trample down the rest of your pastures with your feet? You were drinking clear water. Must you muddy the rest with your feet?  Yet My sheep must eat what you have trampled with your feet and drink what you have muddied with your feet!”
Therefore thus says Adonai Elohim to them: “Behold, I Myself will judge between the fat sheep and the lean sheep.  Because you thrust with your side and with shoulder and gore all the weak with your horns, until you have scattered them all over,  I will save My flock. They will no longer be prey. I will judge between sheep and sheep.  So I will set up One Shepherd over them, My servant David – He will tend them, He will feed them Himself and be their shepherd.  I, Adonai, will be their God, and My servant David will be Prince among them. I, Adonai, have spoken.
Ezekiel 34:16-24 TLV

“Is not this the fast I choose: to release the bonds of wickedness, to untie the cords of the yoke, to let the oppressed go free, and to tear off every yoke?
 Is it not to share your bread with the hungry, to bring the homeless poor into your house? When you see the naked, to cover him, and not hide yourself from your own flesh and blood?
Isaiah 58:6-7 TLV

at that time your people – everyone who is found written in the book – will be delivered. Multitudes who sleep in the dust of the earth will awake – some to everlasting life, and others to shame and everlasting contempt. Daniel 12:1b-2 TLV

Yeshua finished His teaching on the Mount of Olives with a magnificent description of Him coming in glory and judging the nations, even as Daniel had prophesied. Just as Psalm 82 described the judgment of the gods (spiritual principalities and powers) over the nations for failing to govern according to His precepts so Yeshua now describes judgment of the people of the nations.

Psalm 82
God has taken his place in the divine council;
    in the midst of the gods he holds judgment:
“How long will you judge unjustly
    and show partiality to the wicked? Selah
Give justice to the weak and the fatherless;
    maintain the right of the afflicted and the destitute.
Rescue the weak and the needy;
    deliver them from the hand of the wicked.”
They have neither knowledge nor understanding,
    they walk about in darkness;
    all the foundations of the earth are shaken.
I said, “You are gods,
    sons of the Most High, all of you;
nevertheless, like men you shall die,
    and fall like any prince.”
Arise, O God, judge the earth;
  for You shall inherit all the nations!

The Son of Man’s judgment was based, not upon creed or liturgy, but upon our treatment of the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned. The King of Glory identifies with the poorest and most needy of us. How we treat the least of these is how we are treating Yeshua whom we claim to love.

Reference List

1. HELPS Ministries. The Discovery Bible. [Online] https://thediscoverybible.com/.
2. Stern, David H. Complete Jewish Bible (CJB). 1998.
3. Holy Bible. New International Version. s.l. : Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.
4. —. New American Standard Bible. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, 2020.
5. Messianic Jewish and Christian scholars. Holy Scriptures Tree of Life Version (TLV). s.l. : Baker Books.
6. Translation Committee. The Legacy Standard Bible (LSB). LSB. [Online] https://read.lsbible.org/.
7. Bible Commentaries. John 12:1. Bible Hub. [Online] [Cited: October 21st, 2023.] https://biblehub.com/commentaries/john/12-1.htm.
8. Abbott, Shari. Jesus’ Last Days Timeline: the Cross and the Resurrection. Reasons for Hope* Jesus. [Online] [Cited: October 20th, 2023.] https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/jesus-last-days-timeline/.
9. —. Was Jesus Crucified on Wednesday, Thursday, or Friday? Reasons for Hope* Jesus. [Online] [Cited: October 20th, 2023.] https://reasonsforhopejesus.com/crucified/.
10. Bible Study Webmaster. Last Days of Jesus Timeline. Bible Study. [Online] [Cited: October 20th, 2023.] https://www.biblestudy.org/maps/last-days-of-jesus-timeline.html.
11. Jews for Jesus. Jesus’ Last Week Leading Up to Passover: A Day-by-Day Look. Jews for Jesus. [Online] March 09, 2011. https://jewsforjesus.org/learn/jesus-last-week-leading-up-to-passover-a-day-by-day-look.
r12. Köstenberger, Andreas. April 3, AD 33: Why We Believe We Can Know the Exact Date Jesus Died. Centre for Biblical Studies. [Online] April 8th, 2020. https://cbs.mbts.edu/2020/04/08/april-3-ad-33-why-we-believe-we-can-know-the-exact-date-jesus-died/.
13. Hunt, Michal E. Jesus’ Last Week in Jerusalem. Agape Bible Study. [Online] [Cited: October 20th, 2023.] https://www.agapebiblestudy.com/documents/Jesus%20Last%20Week%20in%20Jerusalem.htm.
14. Bond, Helen K. All you ever wanted to know about Jesus’ last week on earth. Brainstorm. [Online] April 9th, 2020. https://www.rte.ie/brainstorm/2020/0408/950906-all-you-ever-wanted-to-know-about-jesus-last-week-on-earth/#:~:text=The%20evangelist%20says%20that%20Jesus,disciples%20(Monday%2FTuesday).
15. Forbes, Peter. The Last Week Of Jesus’ Life. Bible Study Manuals. [Online] May 1999. https://www.biblestudymanuals.net/last_week_of_Jesus_life.htm.
16. Blue Letter Bible Minister. Christ :: The Three Days and the Three Nights. Blue Letter Bible. [Online] [Cited: October 20th, 2023.] https://www.blueletterbible.org/faq/crux.cfm.
17. Bible Info staff. Was Jesus in the tomb for three days and three nights? Bible Info. [Online] [Cited: October 20th, 2023.] https://www.bibleinfo.com/en/questions/jesus-in-tomb-for-three-days-nights#.
18. ‘Dating the Death of Jesus’: Memory and the Religious Imagination. Bond, Helen. 04, s.l. : New Testament Studies, 2013, Vol. 59. 461-475doii: 10.1017/S0028688513000131.
19. Bookman, Doug. A time line and chronology of the Easter Passion Week that includes Gregorian dates, First Century Jewish day/night cycles, and Galilean Jew cycles. Christianity. [Online] June 19th, 2023. https://www.christianity.com/wiki/holidays/a-time-line-of-the-passion-week.html.
20. Brannan, Rick. The Last Week of Jesus’ Life on Earth: a Closer Look. Logos. [Online] April 3rd, 2012. https://www.logos.com/grow/jesus-final-week-a-closer-look/.
21. Lacey, Troy. How Many Times Was Jesus Anointed? Answers in Genesis. [Online] May 14th, 2019. https://answersingenesis.org/contradictions-in-the-bible/how-many-times-was-jesus-anointed/.
22. Wilson, Larry W. Chronology of the Crucifixion Week. Wake Up Am erica Seminars. [Online] March 14th, 2000. https://wake-up.org/time-periods/passover-week-chronology.html.
23. Smith, Pete. Chronology & Synopsis of the Passion Week. Bible.org. [Online] February 25th, 2013. https://bible.org/article/chronology-synopsis-passion-week.
24. Renan, Ernest. Last Week of Jesus. The Life of Jesus. [Online] [Cited: October 21st, 32023.] https://biblehub.com/library/renan/the_life_of_jesus/chapter_xxiii_last_week_of.htm#1.
25. Farr, Stan. The Passover Lamb. Rabbi Yeshua. [Online] 2016. [Cited: October 21st, 2023.] https://rabbiyeshua.com/articles/passover-lamb.
26. MDiv, Rick Lanser. THE HEBREW CALENDAR OF THE SECOND TEMPLE ERA. The Shiloh Excavations. [Online] March 17th, 2023. https://biblearchaeology.org/abr-projects/the-daniel-9-24-27-project-2/5035-the-hebrew-calendar-of-the-second-temple-era.
27. Hunter, Ellen. What is a denarii worth in ancient rome? Lear Ancient Rome. [Online] April 8th, 2023. https://www.learnancientrome.com/what-is-a-denarii-worth-in-ancient-rome/.
28. Soldaat, Ben. How Much Was a Biblical Talent Worth? Grand Rapids Coins. [Online] September 28th, 2020. https://www.grandrapidscoins.com/how-much-was-a-biblical-talent-worth/.
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In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

* What is the lesson of the fig tree?
* How do you think the coming of the Son of Man will be like the days of Noah?
* What do we learn from Jesus’ parable about the man who went on a journey and put his servants in charge of his household while he was away?
* Why do you think Jesus included a parable centered on women, ten virgins, in the middle of His two journey parables?
* What do we learn from the parable of the talents (large amounts of money)?
* What is the significance of Jesus judging the nations on the basis of how they treated the hungry, thirsty, stranger, naked, sick and imprisoned?

Repent or Perish

Please read Luke 13

Now at that same time there were some present who were reporting to Him about the Galileans whose blood Pilate had mixed with their sacrifices. And Jesus answered and said to them, “Do you think that these Galileans were greater sinners than all other Galileans because they suffered these things? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish. Or do you think that those eighteen on whom the tower in Siloam fell and killed them were worse offenders than all the men who live in Jerusalem? I tell you, no, but unless you repent, you will all likewise perish.” Luke 13:1-5 LSB

Yeshua countered the popular narrative concerning these terrible events – they were not God’s punishment on the individuals involved for their personal sins, but they were a warning to all that apart from repentance we will perish.

And He was telling this parable: “A man had a fig tree which had been planted in his vineyard; and he came seeking fruit on it and did not find any. And he said to the vineyard-keeper, ‘Behold, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree without finding any. Cut it down! Why does it even use up the ground?’ And he answered and said to him, ‘Let it alone, sir, for this year too, until I dig around it and put in manure, and if it bears fruit next year, fine, but if not, cut it down.’” Luke 13:6-9 LSB

Repentance bears fruit. John the baptizer had warned them before: “The ax is already at the root of the trees, and every tree that does not produce good fruit will be cut down and thrown into the fire.” (Matthew 3:10 NIV). During this the third year of His ministry, Yeshua now bemoans: Behold, for three years I have come seeking fruit on this fig tree without finding any. God’s goodness is to lead men to repentance, the nation of Israel were experiencing His goodness in all Christ was doing and teaching, yet there had been no national repentance.

Shabbat Teaching in a Synagogue

The next time we read of Yeshua, He’s no longer with the innumerable multitude but in a synagogue on shabbat, teaching the people.

And He was teaching in one of the synagogues on the Sabbath. And behold, there was a woman who for eighteen years had a sickness caused by a spirit, and she was bent double, and could not straighten up at all. But when Jesus 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.

But the synagogue official, indignant because Jesus healed on the Sabbath, answered and was saying to the crowd, “There are six days in which work should be done; so come during them and get healed, and not on the Sabbath day.”
But the Lord answered him and said, “You hypocrites, does not each of you on the Sabbath release his ox or his donkey from the stall and lead it away to water it? And this woman, being a daughter of Abraham, whom Satan has bound for—behold—eighteen years, should she not have been released from this bond on the Sabbath day?”
And as He said this, all His opponents were being put to shame; and the entire crowd was rejoicing over all the glorious things being done by Him. Luke 13:10-17 LSB

Once again the gentle love and purity of Yeshua’s actions generates conflict instead of peace in the community. His enacting of the kingdom rule of God is in stark parallel with the opposition that the coming of the kingdom provokes. Satan, the accuser, had bound this humble woman for eighteen cruel years but lost his hold immediately Yeshua spoke to her. She was set free and began glorifying God. But the proud synagogue official allied with the accuser in seeking to denigrate her for being healed on Shabbat. Yeshua replaced the woman’s shame with honour by referring to her as “a daughter of Abraham” and is so doing placed the shame where it belonged – on the accuser.

The synagogue official’s offence lay in his interpretation of Deuteronomy 5: 12-14: Observe the Sabbath day by keeping it holy, as the LORD your God has commanded you.  Six days you shall labor and do all your work,  but the seventh day is a sabbath to the LORD your God. On it you shall not do any work. Yeshua’s interpretative strategy involved reading on, and more fully, to expound the theological principle of Sabbath observance rather than offering a mere surface reading. His response simply continues reading Deuteronomy 5 into its immediate context (Vs 14-15): On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your ox, your donkey or any of your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns, so that your male and female servants may rest, as you do.  Remember that you were slaves in Egypt and that the LORD your God brought you out of there with a mighty hand and an outstretched arm. Therefore the LORD your God has commanded you to observe the Sabbath day.

Sabbath means rest and liberation, not only for God’s people but also for the ‘ox and the donkey’ that Yeshua mentions. He again employs the first of Hillel’s rabbinic rules of exegesis – qal wahomer, “light to heavy.” Essentially this rule posits that what applies in a less important case (the “light”) will also apply in a more important case (the “heavy”), often using the phrase “how much more” to draw a conclusion. Here Yeshua argues, if you are prepared to offer Sabbath rest to your animals, surely you cannot withhold this from a precious daughter of Abraham? The Sabbath itself is a reminder of the release from captivity that God effected – if they thus release their animals to water them on Shabbat how much more should this child of Abraham be released from the bondage of disease on Shabbat! Setting people free is not only not a breach of Shabbat but provides a perfect illustration of the meaning and purpose of Shabbat.

It is worth noting that the cause of this woman’s ailment is attributed to a spirit, and Yeshua’s healing released her whom ‘Satan has kept bound’, but it is not described as demonic, nor does her … there is no sense in which this is described as exorcism from demon possession; the language of ‘demon’ or ‘unclean spirit’, and the actions of ‘possession’ and ‘expelling’, found in other gospel accounts of exorcism, and are all absent here. Rather, the physical and the spiritual are seen as inextricably interlinked; it is striking that when she is physically able to stand and look up, this woman immediately breaks into praise to God (surely the purpose of Shabbat). The cause of physical ailments is cosmological disorder and healing is an act of liberation from satanic bondage, it involves direct engagement in cosmic conflict, in the kingdom of God expanding and being manifest on the earth, overthrowing the rule of darkness.

Therefore, He was saying, “What is the kingdom of God like, and to what shall I compare it? It 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.”
And again He said, “To what shall I compare the kingdom of God? It is like leaven, which a woman took and hid in three sata of flour until it was all leavened.”
Luke 13:18-21 LSB

Having displayed the kingdom of God in healing the woman, Yeshua reiterated (Matthew 13 and Mark 4) two parables teaching on this kingdom. They are two parables by which Christ foretells the great success of the gospel, despite the present small appearance of the efficacy of it, like the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands in Daniel 2, that grew to fill the whole earth.

Proceeding on His way to Jerusalem

And He was passing through from one city and village to another, teaching, and proceeding on His way to Jerusalem. Luke 13:22 LSB

The point here is that Yeshua was teaching everywhere He could as He proceeded in determination toward His crucifixion in Jerusalem. Everything is leading towards that fateful day when He paid the price for our sins.

And someone said to Him, “Lord, are there just a few who are being saved?” 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. 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.’ Then you will begin to say, ‘We ate and drank in Your presence, and You taught in our streets.’ And He will say, ‘I tell you, I do not know where you are from; depart from Me, all you workers of unrighteousness.’ 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, but yourselves being cast out. 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.” Luke 13:23-30 LSB

We are to consider the question of salvation with reference to ourselves, not with reference to others. It is not “do they qualify to be saved”, but “do I qualify to be saved?” Have we entered through the narrow door or are we relying on knowing about Jesus or seeing His works, or our religious heritage to earn a place in the kingdom of God?

Just at that time some Pharisees approached, saying to Him, “Leave and go from here, for Herod wants to kill You.”
And He said to them, “Go and tell that fox, ‘Behold, I cast out demons and perform cures today and tomorrow, and on the third day I finish.’ Nevertheless I must journey on today and tomorrow and the next day, for it is not possible that a prophet would perish outside of Jerusalem. 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 did not want it! Behold, your house is left to you desolate, 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!’” Luke 13:31-35 LSB

There is some evidence that Yeshua was during this time ministering in the towns and cities of the Peræan area “beyond the Jordan”, and thus His journeys may have brought Him near Machærus, where John the baptizer had been imprisoned and murdered, and in which was one of Herod’s most stately palaces. Thence the Pharisees may have come with a threat, in which we may possibly trace the hand of Herodias, and which, at least, reminds us of the message sent by Jezebel to Elijah (1Kings 19:2). Yeshua was not perturbed, this threat aroused no fear in Him, He knew the Father’s will and sovereignty, neither Herod nor anyone else could take Him before it was His time to lay His life down for us all and that would not happen here, for Jerusalem was the appointed place and Passover the appointed time. He would not enter Jerusalem again until the triumphal entry when the people cried out: “Blessed is He who comes in the name of the Lord!”

References

1. HELPS Ministries. The Discovery Bible. [Online] https://thediscoverybible.com/.
2. Stern, David H. Complete Jewish Bible (CJB). 1998.
3. Holy Bible. New International Version. s.l. : Zondervan Publishing House, 1984.
4. —. New American Standard Bible. LaHabra, CA : The Lockman Foundation, 1995, 2020.
5. The Lockman Foundation. The Legacy Standard Bible. [Online] https://lsbible.org/.
6. Bible Commentaries. Luke 12:5. Bible Hub. [Online] [Cited: December 27th, 2022.] https://biblehub.com/commentaries/luke/12-5.htm.
7. Verse-by-Verse Bible Commentary. Luke 12:1. Study Light. [Online] [Cited: December 28th, 2022.] https://www.studylight.org/commentary/luke/12-1.html.
8. Paul, Ian. The many layers of the story of the women bent double in Luke 13. Psephizo. scholarship. serving. ministry. [Online] August 21st, 2019. https://www.psephizo.com/biblical-studies/the-many-layers-of-the-story-of-the-women-bent-double-in-luke-13/.
9. Burer, Michael H. Qal wahomer: light to heavy. Exegesis for Christ, the Gospel, and the Church. [Online] July 11th, 2012. https://michaelhburer.wordpress.com/2012/07/11/qal-wahomer-light-to-heavy/.

In the comments section below share your thoughts on what you have read and answer some of the following questions…

* What are the warnings Jesus gave us in this chapter?
* What do we learn from the woman’s healing in the synagogue on the Sabbath?
* What do we learn about the kingdom of God from this chapter in Luke’s gospel?