Chapter Nine
That same day Yeshua went out of the house and sat by the lake shore. Great crowds gathered around Him, so He went into a boat and sat down while the whole multitude stood on the shore.
He taught them many things using parables. He began by saying, "Shema! [Hear!] A sower went out to sow, and when he sowed, some seeds fell on the walk way, so the birds came and ate the seed. Some seed fell among stones, where there was not much soil. They sprang up quickly, because there was no depth to the soil. While the sun was up, they were burnt and because their root could not find moisture they withered away. And some seed fell among thorns. When the thorns came up they choked them, so no fruit was produced. But other seed sank into good soil and produced fruit; some a hundred times, some sixty time, and some thirty times. Whoever has ears to shema, let him understand it."
Then His disciples came and asked Him in private, "Why do you speak to them using parables?"
"Because, it is given to you to know the mysteries of the Kingdom of Heaven, but to them it is not given," answered Yeshua. "But to those who are outside the Kingdom, all things are taught in parables. For whoever has, more shall be given to him, and he will have an abundance, but whoever does not have, he will also lose what he has. Therefore, I speak to them using parables. Though they see, they do not really see, and though they hear, they do not really shema, because they do not understand.
"In them is the fullfillment of the prophecy of Yesha'yahu, which says, 'By hearing you shall hear, and shall not understand; and by seeing you shall see, and shall not perceive.' For this population's heart has become grossly weighed down, and their ears of understanding are too dull to shema, and they have closed their eyes, in case they might be able to see with their eyes and shema with their ears, and should understand with their heart, and should do t'shuvah, so that I can forgive them and cure them.
"However, blessed are your eyes because they see, and your ears because they shema. Amen! I tell you, many prophets and righteous people have desired to see those things which you now are seeing, but they did not see them. They wanted to shema those things which you now shema, but they did not understand them.
"Do you not understand this parable? If not, how will you understand any parable? So then, shema the explanation and understand the parable of the sower. When people hear the Word of the Kingdom, but do not grasp it, the evil-one comes and snatches away the Word that was sown in their heart. The Deceiver does this so they will not trust and be saved. This is what happened to those who received the seed on the walk way."
"But those who received the seed in a stony place, they shema the Word and joyously receives it immediately. Yet, they do not have any root within, so it endures only a short time. For when they are tested with tribulation or persecution because of the Word, they feel trapped and stumble away.
"Others received seed among thorns. These have heard the Word, but the cares of this world, along with the deceitful security of riches and lust for pleasure, choke the Word. So they produce no fully ripened fruit.
"But those who received seed into good ground, they shema the Word and comprehend it. They hold on to it within a beautiful and good heart, so that it bears fruit through cheerful endurance. Some produce thirty times, some sixty times, and some a hundred times."
Yeshua continued to teach the crowds, "No man lights a lamp and then covers it with a basket or puts it under a bed. Rather, it is put on a stand so those who enter may see the light! So, there is nothing hidden, except for the purpose of eventually being brightly revealed. There is nothing kept a secret, except for the purpose of becoming known at the proper time.
"If anyone has ears to shema, let him understand. But, listen carefully to what you hear, for it is measured to you in proportion to the measure you have given out. You who shema will be given even more. Because he who has heard is given more, and he who does not shema will have what he has heard taken from him."
Yeshua taught another parable to them, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. But while he slept a hateful one came and sowed false grain among the wheat and went his way. Then when the blade had sprung up and produced fruit, the false grain also appeared. So the servants of the head of the house came to him and said, 'Adonai, didn't you sow good seed in your field? Where did this false grain come from?' 'A hateful one has done this,' he replied. The servants asked, 'Do you wish for us to go now and pull out the false grain?' But he said, 'No, because pulling out the false grain at this time may prematurely pull up the wheat with them. Let both grow together for now until the harvest. When it is time for the harvest I will tell the reapers to gather together the false grain first and bind them in bundles to burn them, then gather the wheat into my barn.' "
Yeshua said, "The Kingdom of Elohim is like when a man sows seed into the soil. At night he goes to sleep and awakes every morning. Eventually the seed springs up and grows, but he does not know how this happens. For the earth produces the fruit automatically. First the blade, then the stalk, after that the full kernel on the stalk. Then when the fruit is ready to surrender itself, immediately he puts in the sickle, because the harvest is standing tall."
Another parable Yeshua shared with them was, "The Kingdom of Heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and sowed in his field. Indeed, this seed is the smallest of all seeds, but when it is grown it is the largest among the herbs and becomes a tree. It is so large that the birds of the sky come to nest in the branches of it.
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a woman who took some yeast and concealed it in three measures of meal until all of it was leavened."
Yeshua spoke to the crowds only in parables about all these things. In this way the message was provided just as the prophet said, "I will open my mouth in parables. I will speak things which have been kept secret from the foundation of creation."
Then Yeshua sent the crowds away and went into the house. His disciples came to Him, and requested of Him, "Explain to us the parable of the false grain sown in the field."
Yeshua told them, "The one who sows the good seed is the Son of man. The field is the world. The good seed are the Children of the Kingdom, but the false grain is the children of the evil-one. The hateful one who sowed them is the Deceiver. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are the messengers of Heaven. Just as the false grain is gathered and burned in the fire, so will it happen at the end of this age. The Son of man will send out his heavenly messengers, and they will gather out of his Kingdom all things that cause a trap, and those who transgress the Torah. The heavenly messengers will throw the transgressors into a furnace of fire, where there will be wailing and teeth grating. Then those who are righteous will radiate brightness like the sun in the Kingdom of their Abba. Whoever has ears to shema, let him understand.
"The Kingdom of Heaven is also like a treasure which was buried in a field, and when a man happened to find it, he buried it there again. Then delighted, he goes and sells everything he owns to buy that field.
"The Kingdom of Heaven is also like a merchant man, seeking to buy quality pearls. When he found one extremely valuable pearl, he went and sold all the others he had and bought it.
"The Kingdom of Heaven is like a net thrown into the sea which caught fish of every kind. When it was full, the fishermen drew it to shore, sat down, and separated the good fish into containers, but threw the bad away. So it will be at the end of the age. Messengers will come from the separated place, and separate the evil ones from among the righteous ones. They will throw them into the furnace of fire, and there shall be wailing and teeth grating.
"Have you understood all these things?" Yeshua asked His followers.
"Yes, Adonai," they answered.
He replied, "Then you should know that every one who learns Torah, and also is instructed in the Kingdom of Heaven as you have been, is like a man that is head of a house and produces out of his treasure things old and new."
When Yeshua had finished these parables He departed from there.
That same day in the evening, Yeshua directed the disciples, "Let's go over to the other side of the lake." So, they took Him in a large boat, and there were also other smaller boats with Him. There arose a huge whirlwind on the lake. The waves beat against the boat and filled it up.
Yeshua was in the stern of the boat, sound asleep on a pillow. So they woke Him, and cried out, "Rabbi, don't you care that we are perishing? Save us, Adonai!"
He got up and rebuked the wind and the waves, and commanded the sea, "Hush! Be quiet!" And the wind stopped, and there was a great shalom. Yeshua turned to them, "Why are you so timid? How can you not trust?"
But they were terrified, and said one to another, "Who, no doubt, is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!"
They came safely over to the east side of Lake Kinneret into the area of the Gadara. When Yeshua came out of the boat, there immediately met Him a man possessed with deceiving spirits who had come out of the tombs. The man lived among the tombstones and no one could keep him bound, not even with chains. He had been tied up often with foot shackles and chains, but he simply broke them off into pieces. So, he could not be tamed. Unceasingly, night and day, he was in the mountains and among the graves, howling and cutting himself with sharp stones. But when the man saw Yeshua from a distance, he ran to Him and worshiped Him. Then the man howled with a loud voice.
"Come out of the man, you unclean spirit!" Yeshua commanded.
"What have I to do with You, Yeshua, Son of Ha'Elyon Elohim? I sincerely request You by Elohim, that You do not torment me," he retorted.
Yeshua asked him, "What are you called?"
The answer came back, "My name is Legion, because we are many. Please do not send us out into the empty expanse." Near to the hills a large herd of swine was feeding, and all the deceiving spirits began to beg Yeshua, "Send us into the hogs, so we can enter into them."
Yeshua gave them permission, and instantly the unclean spirits went out of the man, and entered into the herd of hogs. Suddenly, the entire herd ran and plunged down a cliff into the lake. About two thousand hogs were drowned in the lake. {Pork is unclean and not proper to eat for food, therefore the unclean spirits were allowed to go into the hogs.}
Those responsible for feeding the hogs ran away and reported in the town and around the region what had happened. Because of this the people went out to see what was going on. They came to Yeshua and saw the one who was possessed with deceiving spirits called Legion, sitting fully clothed and sober at Yeshua's feet.
Those who saw the deliverance told the people what had happened to the man who was possessed with the deceiving spirits. They also told what happened to the hogs. So, the people were afraid and began to beg Yeshua to depart from their boundary.
Yeshua returned to the boat, and the man who had been possessed with the deceiving spirits pleaded to go with Yeshua. Yet, Yeshua did not allow him, but instead commanded him, "Go home to your friends, and tell them what wonderful things YHVH Elohim has done for you, because there was compassion for you."
Then the man departed and began to preach in the ten city region of Syria what wonderful things Yeshua had done for him, and all the people were amazed.
When Yeshua crossed over to the other side of Lake Kinneret again, many people gathered to Him once again near the sea shore. And while He spoke one of the rulers of the synagogue, Yairyah by name, came to Yeshua, and when Yairyah saw Him he fell at His feet.
"My little daughter is at death's door," he said. "I beg you please, come to my house and lay your hands on her, then she will be healed and live." It was the man's only child and she was twelve. Yeshua went with him and many people followed and were crowding Him.
A woman was there who had an issue of blood for twelve years, and she had suffered many things from many physicians. She had spent all the money she had on them and was no better because of it, but rather she became more seriously ill. When she had heard about Yeshua, she came into the crowd from behind Him and touched the tzitzit of His talit. {Tzitzit is the border fringe of the talit, the Jewish prayershawl. The talit is the arba-kanfot [four-cornered] garment which Torah commands to be worn by all Israel.}
For she said to herself, "If I can touch His talit, I will be healed."
Immediately, upon touching His talit the flow of her blood stopped, and she felt in her body that she was no longer being hurt by the disease.
Then Yeshua, knowing instantly that power had gone out of Him, turned around in the crowd and inquired, "Who touched my talit?"
When all denied it, Kefa and the disciples said to Him, "Rabbi, you see the people crowding around you. Why do you ask who touched you?"
Yet Yeshua continued to look around to find the one who had done this. Then the woman, with fear and trembling, and knowing what had happened to her, came and fell down before Him. She told Him in front of everyone the truth of why she had touched Him and that she was now healed.
He said to her, "Daughter, be happy! Your trust has healed you! Go in shalom and remain healed from the hurting."
While Yeshua was still speaking there came from the ruler of the synagogue's house certain person's which said to Yairyah, "Your daughter is dead. Why bother the Rabbi any further?"
As soon as Yeshua heard those words He said to Yairyah, "Do not be afraid, just continue to trust."
Yeshua did not allow anyone to follow Him to Yairyah' house, except for Kefa and the two brothers, Ya'akov and Yochanan. Coming into the house of Yairyah, He saw the upset and those who wept and wailed loudly.
After coming in He said to them, "Why all this fussing and weeping? The girl is not dead. She is only sleeping."
The mourners, with mockery, laughed at Him. But when He had ultimately put them all out, He took the father and mother of the girl and the disciples that were with Him, and entered the room where she was lying.
Then He took her hand and said to her, "Yaladah, talita cumi." The interpretation is, "Young girl, arise to my talit." {Talit is Hebrew for lamb or fresh thing, as well as the traditional Jewish name for the arba kanfot, the four-cornered garment with fringes/tzitzit commanded to be worn in the Torah.}
Her spirit returned to her, and she arose immediately and walked. Those watching were awestruck. Yeshua strictly instructed them to tell no one and commanded that something should be given to her to eat.
TWO BLIND MEN AND A SPEECHLESS MAN
When Yeshua departed from there two blind men followed Him and cried out, "Oh, son of David, have mercy toward us."
When He came into the house the blind men came to Him, so Yeshua asked them, "Do you trust that I am able to cure you?"
They said "Yes, Adonai."
Then He touched their eyes and said, "Then let it happen to you according to your trust."
Their eyes were opened, and Yeshua strictly instructed them, saying, "Make sure that no one knows about this." However, after they departed they reported what He had done for them throughout the whole region.
As Yeshua and His disciples left the house, someone brought to Him a speechless man possessed with a deceiving spirit. When the deceiving spirit was cast out, the speechless man spoke and the crowds were excited, saying, "This has never been seen before in Yisrael."
But some of the P'rushim said, "He removes deceiving spirits through the prince of the deceiving spirits."