#3 – The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees – Matthew 23

Mat 23:1-4 Then Yahshua spoke to the crowds and to His taught ones, saying, “The scribes and the Pharisees sit on the seat of Mosheh. Therefore, whatever they say to you to guard, guard and do. But do not do according to their works, for they say, and do not do.”

The Master is explaining that as long as the scribes and Pharisees are instructing strictly from what is written in The Torah, guard and do it. But do not follow their example. Their hypocrisy (acting) reveals who they really are.

Mat 23:4 “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but with their finger they do not wish to move them.”

The Master categorizes what these burden consist of throughout the remainder of the chapter. Some today would try and convince folks that the “burden” referred to here is The Torah / Commandments of Yahweh. But John has a different understanding. Consider;

1Jn 5:3 For this is the love for Elohim, that we guard His commands, and His commands are not heavy,”

Mat 23:5-8 “And they do all their works to be seen by men, and they make their t’fillen wide and lengthen the tzitzit of their garments, and they love the best place at feasts, and the best seats in the congregations, and the greetings in the market-places, and to be called by men, ‘Rabbi, Rabbi.’ But you, do not be called ‘Rabbi,’ for One is your Teacher, the Messiah, and you are all brothers.”

Those who are already wrapped up in the outward appearance (in the world), will easily transition into the (religious) mindset of the scribes and Pharisees. They are all about drawing attention to themselves, their appearance, perks, notoriety, position, etc…They especially loved being revered as the teaching authority on The Scriptures. But those who receive The Spirit in the New Covenant will shy away from these outward expressions, being more conscious of “the inner man”, the “hidden man” reflective of Messiah’s presence in and through them. (also see Eph 3:16, 6:6, 1Pet 3:4)

Mat 23:9-12 “And do not call anyone on earth your father, for One is your Father, He who is in the heavens. Neither be called leaders, for One is your Leader, the Messiah. But the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”

The Master is not forbidding us to refer to our earthly parents as father or mother. Torah teaches that we are to “honor” our parents. The context of the verse dictates that He is forbidding HIS followers to specifically revere another as their highest spiritual “Rabbi, teacher, father, leader.” Ephesians 4:11-12 confirms ministry gifts given by The Master “for the perfecting of the set-apart ones…” However, Revelation 2:6, 2:15 condemns“the deeds” and “the doctrine” of the Nicolaites.” These are leaders / teachers that are continuing the error of Balaam in putting stumbling blocks before professing believers by upholding the liberty of eating things sacrificed to idols as well as committing (literal & spiritual) fornication. (See articles: “The Parable of The Bride & The Whore” and “Christian Holi-Days”)

Mat 23:11-12“But the greatest among you shall be your servant. And whoever exalts himself shall be humbled, and whoever humbles himself shall be exalted.”

Contrary to the prideful, lofty, me first mindset of the scribes and the Pharisees, The Master establishes the proper expression of those who will gain entrance into HIS Kingdom; Humility:The attitude of “others first.”

Php 2:3 “…doing none at all through selfishness or self-conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves.”

Mat 23:13 “But woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you shut up the reign of the heavens before men, for you do not go in, nor do you allow those who are entering to go in.”

The following 2 verses explains The Master’s meaning.

Luk 11:52 “Woe to you learned in the Torah, because you took away the key of knowledge. You did not enter in yourselves, and those who were entering in you hindered.”

Joh 9:22 His parents said this because they were afraid of the Yehudi for the Yehudi had already agreed that if anyone confessed that He was Messiah, he should be put out of the congregation.”

These same two indictments apply today. Those who are learned (in the Scriptures), but not learned in Messiah, are teaching what they do not understand and have taken away knowledge and understanding from their hearers. And those same teachers forbid their hearers to consider the truths of the True Messiah; That HE was not Greek and does not have a Greek name. HE did not come to start a new religious movement but came to complete what began with the First Covenant. HE did not put an end to The Commandments for HIS followers. HIS Favor (grace) is not a license for his supposed followers to live in sin…and so on.

Mat 23:14 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you eat up widows’ houses, and for a show make long prayers. Because of this you shall receive greater judgment.”

An interesting article on Religious Televangelists some years back stated that their “target audience in America is comprised of older, female rural women.” The article went on to say that most of these older women are generous financial donors. I’m left wondering how many of these older women were also widows…

2Ti 3:6 For among them are those who creep into households and captivate silly women loaded down with sins, led away by various lusts…

Mat 23:15 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you go about the land and the sea to win one convert, and when he is won, you make him a son of Gehenna twofold more than yourselves.”

The Master doesn’t seem too pleased with their missionary efforts. Why? How can HE be pleased with the efforts of people who are rejecting HIM for who HE truly is? They may have zeal but any effort based on misconceptions will not have HIS blessing nor can it convey a valid eternal message. Again, the problem today is no different. This is why The Master says they were making people “twofold more than themselves.”

Mat 23:16-22 “Woe to you, blind guides, who say, ‘Whoever swears by the Dwelling Place, it does not matter, but whoever swears by the gold of the Dwelling Place, is bound by oath. Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gold or the Dwelling Place that sets the gold apart? And, ‘Whoever swears by the altar, it does not matter, but whoever swears by the gift that is on it, is bound by oath. Fools and blind! For which is greater, the gift or the altar that sets the gift apart? He, then, who swears by the altar, swears by it and by all that is upon it. And he who swears by the Dwelling Place, swears by it and by Him who is dwelling in it. And he who swears by the heaven, swears by the throne of Elohim and by Him who is sitting upon it.”

The blind guides had their emphasis upon the earthly, the temporal. The Master uses the contrast between the eternal; “Dwelling Place” and the temporal; “the gold” to illustrate their blindness. Consider;

Rom 8:5-6 “For those who live according to the flesh set their minds on the matters of the flesh, but those who live according to the Spirit, the matters of the Spirit. For the mind of the flesh is death, but the mind of the Spirit is life and peace.”

Little did they know, but their fleshly mindset caused such blindness that it kept them from seeing the very “Dwelling Place” of Yahweh standing right in front of them! The same is the case for those who encounter the Dwelling Place of Yah today as HE lives in and through those who have received HIS Spirit! (also see 1Cor 3:16, 2Cor 6:16)

Mat 23:23-24 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you tithe the mint and the anise and the cumin, and have neglected the weightier matters of the Torah: the right-ruling and the compassion and the belief. These need to have been done, without neglecting the others. Blind guides – straining out a gnat and swallowing a camel!”

The scribes and Pharisees placed great emphasis on one aspect of Torah (tithing), while they neglected the other important aspects reflecting the true spirit of Torah (right-ruling, compassion and belief). Their rigidity reflects “dotting every I and crossing every T” even at the expense of the living. This type of lopsided rigidity results in volumes of man-made dogma containing commentary, commandments, rules, regulations, ordinances, traditions, etc…

Mat 23:25-28 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you clean the outside of the cup and dish, but inside they are filled with plunder and unrighteousness. Blind Pharisee, first clean the inside of the cup and dish, so that the outside of them becomes clean too. Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you are like whitewashed tombs which outwardly indeed look well, but inside are filled with dead men’s bones and all uncleanness. So you too outwardly indeed appear righteous to men, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness. For a detail look; See Article “Cleaned Up – But Not Filled

Mat 23:29-33 “Woe to you, scribes and Pharisees, hypocrites! Because you build the tombs of the prophets and decorate the monuments of the righteous, and say, ‘If we had lived in the days of our fathers, we would not have taken part with them in the blood of the prophets.” Thus you bear witness against yourselves that you are sons of those who did murder the prophets – and you fill up the measure of your fathers! Serpents, brood of adders! How would you escape the judgment of Gehenna?”

The Master knows that these actors are of the same murderous spirit (the devil – John 8) that put the prophets to death in previous generations. HE also knows that they will be instrumental in putting HIM to death. Because they are blind to the truth they try to convince themselves (and one another) that they would NEVER do such evil deeds to the righteous by building tombs and decorating their monuments. I have witnessed for years the same outward show from the guilty and unrepentant, as they give money and get behind church building programs to try and convince themselves (and others) of their supposed piety… Yahshua is not fooled by their folly…we shouldn’t be either.

Family Matters: IN Adam? OR IN Yahshua?

Though we did not have a choice regarding the (biological / Adamic) family that we were first birthed into, we do have a choice as to whether we become a member of the Family of YAH. To join HIS Family you must first be born from above. One cannot become a part of the Family of Yah any other way. Evidence of being born of His Spirit is the strong desire to “Do The Will / Desire of Yahweh.”

A few of the largest hurdles that I have seen for one who has chosen to follow The Messiah Yahshua begins with what Luke records in his account of The Master’s Words;

Luke 8:19-21 And His (biological / Adamic) mother and brothers came to Him, and were unable to get to Him because of the crowd. And it was reported to Him, saying, “Your mother and Your brothers are standing outside, wishing to see You.” And He answering, said to them, “My mother and My brothers are those who are hearing the Word of Elohim and doing it.”

These same statements are also recorded in Matthew12:46-50 and Mark 3:31-35. However, Luke gives further clarity of what is meant by doing the desire of Yahweh when he says “those who are hearing the Word of Elohim and doing it.” James, the half-brother of The Master echoes that sentiment later in his life after becoming a follower of Yahshua!

James 1:21-22 Therefore put away all filthiness and overflow of evil, and receive with meekness the implanted Word, which is able to save your lives. And become doers of the Word, and not hearers only, deceiving yourselves.”

Merely attending a Word teaching / preaching church only supplies evidence against you UNLESS you DO what you hear!

But John (one of the 12) says it best in 1John 2:15-17;

Do not love the world nor that which is in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. Because all that is in the world – the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life – is not of the Father but is of the world. And the world passes away, and the lust of it, but the one doing the desire of Elohim remains forever.”

Again, The Master makes it very clear that to follow HIM means forsaking all!

Matthew 19:29 “And everyone who has left houses or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for My Name’s sake, shall receive a hundredfold, and shall inherit everlasting life.”

Mark 10:28-30 And Kepha (Peter) began to say to Him, “See, we have left all and we have followed You.” Yahshua said, “Truly, I say to you, there is no one who has left house or brothers or sisters or father or mother or wife or children or lands, for the sake of Me and the Good News, who shall not receive a hundredfold now in this time, houses and brothers and sisters and mothers and children and lands, with persecutions, and in the age to come, everlasting life.”

John 12:25-26 “He who loves his life shall lose it, and he who hates his life in this world shall preserve it for everlasting life. If anyone serves Me, let him follow Me. And where I am, there My servant also shall be. If anyone serves Me, the Father shall value him.”

Hating one’s own life is not a commandment to inflict sadistic punishment upon one’s own flesh. It’s simply the mindset of self-denial. Just as The Master walked…

Every relationship must be measured by our relationship with The Master.

The Marriage relationship;

1Corinthians 7:29-31 “And this I say, brothers, the time is short, so that from now on even those who have wives should be as though they had none, and those who weep as though they did not weep, and those who rejoice as though they did not rejoice, and those who buy as though they did not possess, and those who use this world as not misusing it. For the scene of this world is passing away.”

All Yoking relationships;

2Corinthians 6:14 Do not become unevenly yoked with unbelievers. For what partnership have righteousness and lawlessness? And what fellowship has light with darkness?”

Relationships with the World;

James 4:4 Adulterers and adulteresses! Do you not know that friendship with the world is enmity with Elohim? Whoever therefore intends to be a friend of the world makes himself an enemy of Elohim.”

Adamic (biological) Family Relationships

I have witnessed these to be the most difficult. Most often our biological family members cannot understand nor embrace how true believers live. Even the Adamic family of Yahshua had a tough time with HIM doing the desire of HIS Father in heaven;

Mark 3:21 And when His relatives heard about this, they went out to seize Him, for they said, “He is out of His mind.” They called Him literally; insane, bewitched!? Can you relate?

John 7:3-5 So His (Adamic) brothers said to Him, ‘Get away from here and go into Yehudah so that Your taught ones also see the works that You are doing. For no one acts in secret while he himself seeks to be known openly. If You do these works, show Yourself to the world.” For even His (Adamic) brothers did not believe in Him.

The prophet, Micah even spoke about how intense Adamic relationships can be;

Micah 7:5-6 “Trust no friend, rely on no companion, guard the doors of your mouth from her who lies in your bosom. For son is despising father, daughter rises up against her mother, daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law, the enemies of a man are the men of his own house.”

Words later echoed by The Master to those who were unable to discern HIS true mission;

Matthew 10:34-37 “Do not think that I have come to bring peace on earth. I did not come to bring peace but a sword, for I have come to bring division, a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, and a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law – and a man’s enemies are those of his own household. He who loves father or mother more than Me is not worthy of Me, and he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worthy of Me.

Luke 12:49-53 “I came to send fire on the earth, and how I wish it were already kindled! But I have an immersion to be immersed with, and how distressed I am until it is accomplished! Do you think that I came to give peace on earth? I say to you, no, but rather division. For from now on five in one house shall be divided, three against two, and two against three – father shall be divided against son, and son against father, mother against daughter, and daughter against mother, mother-in-law against her daughter-in-law, and daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law.”

Luke 14:26-28 “If anyone comes to Me and does not hate (or to have less love for) his father and mother, and wife, and children, and brothers, and sisters, and his own life too, he is unable to be My taught one. And whoever does not bear his stake and come after Me is unable to be My taught one. “For who of you, wishing to build a tower, does not sit down first and count the cost, whether he has enough to complete it?”

The application of “hate” is pertaining to how much influence our earthly, biological, Adamic family should have on us as we follow The Master. The concept of bearing our “stake”, or reckoning ourselves dead (to the world and to Adamic pursuits) comes with the exhortation to “count the cost”, or consider the seriousness of what it will take to follow HIM, doing the desire of our Father in Heaven, even as Yahshua did and does…

So, what’s it going to be, dear believer? Are you born from above? Do you have the inner drive to do The Father’s desire in and through your life now? Are you willing to cease pursuit of that which is worldly and temporal? Will you limit the influences of your Adamic family and friends when they oppose the desire of your Father in heaven? Have you counted the cost of following The Master on HIS terms?

These are valid questions when pondering who’s desire is more important… Yours? Or HIS?

My prayer is that you are empowered and led by HIS Spirit to accomplish the desire of your Father in Heaven!

#2 – The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees – Healing Not Allowed?

Mat 12:9-10 And having left there, He went into their congregation. And see, there was a man having a withered hand. And they asked Him, saying, “Is it right to heal on the Sabbath?” – so as to accuse Him.

There is NO Commandment in Torah that forbids healing on Sabbath! Notice the real reason for them asking; “so as to accuse Him.” Those motivated by “the accuser” can pretend their religious piety for only so long.

Consider;

Rev 12:10 And I heard a loud voice saying in the heaven, “Now have come the deliverance and the power and the reign of our Elohim, and the authority of His Messiah, for the accuser of our brothers, who accused them before our Elohim day and night, has been thrown down.

The Pharisees and rulers, in their lawlessness could not determine right from wrong. They taught that healing on the Sabbath constituted work. The Scriptures do not support their hypocrisy.

Consider;

Luke 13:14 But the ruler of the congregation, responding, much displeased that Yahusha had healed on the Sabbath, said to the crowd, “There are six days on which men should work, so come and be healed on them, and not on the Sabbath day.”

So, the Master confronted their hypocrisy by asking what they would do if something happened to one of their livestock on the Sabbath…

Mat 12:11-12 And He said to them, “What man is there among you who has one sheep, and if it falls into a pit on the Sabbath, shall not take hold of it and lift it out? “How much more worth is a man than a sheep! So it is right to do good on the Sabbath.”

Doing good on the Sabbath has always been Yahweh’s desire, allowing man to rest, enjoy, be refreshed and appreciate the Creator and HIS Sabbath! It was never meant to be burdensome, binding or a time to endure!

Mat 12:13 Then He said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” And he stretched it out, and it was restored, as healthy as the other.

If the Pharisees and rulers were right in not allowing healing on the Sabbath, then we should never anoint and pray for the sick on Sabbath? How absurd!


Mat 12:14 But the Pharisees went out and took counsel against Him, so as to destroy Him.

Those who do the desires of the devil prove by their lives who their father is!

Consider;

John 8:44 “You are of your father the devil, and the desires of your father you wish to do. He was a murderer from the beginning, and has not stood in the truth, because there is no truth in him. When he speaks the lie, he speaks of his own, for he is a liar and the father of it.”

Mat 12:15-21 But Yahshua knowing it, withdrew from there. And large crowds followed Him, and He healed them all, and warned them not to make Him known, in order that what was spoken by Yeshayah the prophet, might be filled, saying, “See, My Servant whom I have chosen, My Beloved in whom My being did delight. I shall put My Spirit upon Him, and He shall declare right-ruling to the nations. He shall not strive nor cry out, nor shall anyone hear His voice in the streets. A crushed reed He shall not break, and smoking flax He shall not quench, till He brings forth right-ruling forever.“And the nations shall trust in His Name.”

It’s worth noting that the Pharisees (and anyone diseased in their families) were not healed. Hatred of the Truth and a lack of humility have prohibited many from experiencing HIS goodness!

It’s also worth noting that Yahshua’s method of drawing “large crowds” was quite different than that of today’s methods. HE didn’t need the internet, social media, news media, television, radio, etc… My reason for using this platform is to inform, not draw crowds. Consider Yahshua’s “keys to evangelism”;>)

John 4:23-24 “But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father also does seek such to worship Him. “Elohim is Spirit, and those who worship Him need to worship in spirit and truth.”

John 6:44-45 “No one is able to come to Me unless the Father who sent Me draws him. And I shall raise him up in the last day. It has been written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught by Yahweh. Everyone, then, who has heard from the Father, and learned, comes to Me.”

Joh 13:35 “By this shall all know that you are My taught ones, if you have love for one another.”

May you have a love for Truth (John 17:17) and hear HIS voice (John 10:27) and follow HIM!

The Hypocrisy of the Pharisees – Matthew 12

Mat 12:1-2 At that time Yahshua went through the grain fields on the Sabbath. And His taught ones were hungry, and began to pluck heads of grain, to eat. And when the Pharisees saw it, they said to Him, “Look, Your taught ones are doing what is not right to do on the Sabbath!”

The Pharisees were a very rigid sect of Judaism. The Messiah Yahshua warned His followers to beware of them. Consider His words later in Matthew;

Mat 23:4 “For they bind heavy burdens, hard to bear, and lay them on men’s shoulders, but with their finger they do not wish to move them.”

In the text from Matt. 12, the Pharisees are accusing Yahshua of being lawless by accusing Him of breaking the Commandments through their misapplication of the Commandment to not harvest on the Sabbath;

Exo 34:21 “Six days you work, but on the seventh day you rest – in plowing time and in harvest you rest.

There is no Scripture to support the Pharisees. The followers of Yahshua were not harvesting. They were simply gleaning that which was intentionally left by the owner of the field for those in need as stated in the following;

Lev 23:22 ‘And when you reap the harvest of your land do not completely reap the corners of your field when you reap, and do not gather any gleaning from your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I am Yahweh your Elohim.’ ”
The Pharisees were one of the sects of Yehudism guilty of adding to / subtracting from Yahweh’s Commandments. Much like Christianity today.

Mat 12:3-4 But He said to them, “Have you not read what David did when he was hungry, he and those who were with him: how he went into the House of Elohim and ate the showbread which was not right for him to eat, nor for those who were with him, but only for the priests?

The Master legitimizes the eating of the showbread rather than letting King David and his men go hungry. The priests had a better understanding of the Spirit of the Commandment than the Pharisees did. I personally believe this to be in support of the “Sovereignty & Priesthood” pronounced upon the true believers in Messiah Yahshua. (Rev. 5:10, Rev. 20:6; Exo. 19:6; Isa. 61:6; Rom. 12:1; 1Pet. 2:5-9)

Mat 12:5 “Or did you not read in the Torah that on the Sabbath the priests in the Set-apart Place profane the Sabbath, and are blameless?”

Priests continue to work on the Sabbath through offering sacrifice, offerings and circumcision. The Pharisaical mindset would prohibit such “work”

Consider;

John 7:22 “Because of this Mosheh has given you the circumcision – though it is not from Mosheh, but from the fathers – and you circumcise a man on the Sabbath.”

The Master addresses the issue of “doing good on the Sabbath” later in Matthew 12:12.

Mat 12:6-8 “But I say to you that in this place there is One greater than the Set-apart Place. And if you had known what this means, ‘I desire compassion and not offering, you would not have condemned the blameless. For the Son of Adam is Master of the Sabbath.”

The Pharisees would say that they honor the Set-apart Place, but their hypocrisy betrays them. Yahshua clearly states that HE, the One that the earthly Set-apart Place was constructed to represent, is greater than the copy of the Heavenly Set-Apart Place. HE points out the Pharisees’ lack of understanding pertaining to Yah’s reason and purpose for offering, which is the expression of HIS compassion through providing a means for sinful man to be restored to a relationship with Yah. It was never meant to be a means of exclusion, but inclusion! The Pharisees and those guilty of lawlessness cannot understand the true heart of Yahweh. But David did.

Consider;

Psa The slaughterings of Elohim are a broken spirit, A heart broken and crushed, O Elohim, These You do not despise.”

Consider these verses as references to sacrifice and offering acceptable to Yahweh in The New Covenant;

Rom 12:1-2 “I call upon you, therefore, brothers, through the compassion of Elohim, to present your bodies a living offering – set-apart, well-pleasing to Elohim – your reasonable worship. And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you prove what is that good and well-pleasing and perfect desire of Elohim.”

( Also; Rom. 15:16, Psa. 19:14, Eph. 5:10, Php. 4:18, 1Tim. 2:3; 5:4, Heb. 13:15-16, 1Pe. 2:5, 2:20)

The Summer Feasts of Yahweh

This is article #2 in The Feast of Yahweh series. Article #1 covered The 7th Day Sabbath and those appointments known as Spring Feasts of “Passover, Unleavened Bread and First-Fruits.” If you haven’t read that, please do so prior to reading this article so that you are up to speed with terms and definitions that also apply to this article. May you be blessed as a “lover of Truth” as you enjoy!

This is a straight forward look at Leviticus 23. We are picking up the commentary on verses 15-21 as they reveal Yahweh’s 4th Feast known as the summer Feast of Pentecost / Weeks / Shavuot

Verses 15 – 21And from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths. Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days, then you shall bring a new grain offering to Yahweh. Bring from your dwellings for a wave offering two loaves of bread, of two-tenths of an of fine flour they are, baked with leaven, first-fruits to Yahweh. And besides the bread, you shall bring seven lambs a year old, perfect ones, and one young bull and two rams. They are a burnt offering to Yahweh, with their grain offering and their drink offerings, an offering made by fire for a sweet fragrance to Yahweh. And you shall offer one male goat as a sin offering, and two male lambs a year old, as a peace offering. And the priest shall wave them, besides the bread of the first-fruits, as a wave offering before Yahweh, besides the two lambs. They are set-apart to Yahweh for the priest. And on this same day you shall proclaim a set-apart gathering for yourselves, you do no servile work on it – a law forever in all your dwellings throughout your generations.

The beginning day of counting is critical.

And from the morrow after the Sabbath, from the day that you brought the sheaf of the wave offering, you shall count for yourselves: seven completed Sabbaths. Until the morrow after the seventh Sabbath you count fifty days”

This reference to “the morrow after the Sabbath” cannot be referring to the weekly Sabbath (in the middle of Unleavened Bread observance), which occurred three days after The Messiah’s impalement on the fourth day of that week because of verse 14;

And you do not eat bread or roasted grain or fresh grain until the same day that you have brought an offering to your Elohim – a law forever throughout your generations in all your dwellings.”

Otherwise there would contradiction of verse 6;

And on the fifteenth day of this month is the Festival of Unleavened Bread to Yahweh – seven days you eat unleavened bread.”

So, this must be referring to the Sabbath AFTER the observance of the seven days of Unleavened Bread for us to begin counting seven completed Sabbaths (7X7 = 49 + 1 = 50 days).

Do you see why? In Leviticus 23:6 we are commanded for “seven days you eat unleavened bread.” In verse 14, we are commanded NOT to eat bread! Yahweh would not contradict Himself in His commands, so we must conclude that the day to begin counting, that we would also refer to as “First-Fruits”, has to be the first First Day after the conclusion of Unleavened Bread!

This also lines up with two other very important events!

In Leviticus 8-9:1 we see the anointing AND ordination of Aaron and his sons as priests. (Pay particular attention to the length of time, (esp “8th day”), the anointing of the altar, the ordination of them into the priesthood and even them being “waved” as referenced in “First-Fruits!”

This event serves as an earthly “type” of what Yahshua, our Great High Priest actually did in “the true tabernacle” in heaven! Consider;

At the tomb after His resurrection in Joh 20:17 “Yahshua said to her, “Do not hold on to Me, for I have not yet ascended to My Father. But go to My brothers and say to them, ‘I am ascending to My Father and your Father, and to My Elohim and your Elohim.’ ”

See also Joh 20:19-23 where Yahshua reveals Himself to His taught ones later that day…

Then eight days pass without Him being seen until Joh 20:26 And after eight days His taught ones were again inside, and T’oma with them. Yahshua came, the doors having been shut, and He stood in the midst, and said, “Peace to you!”

I believe that HE took His own blood and did in the “true tent” (Heb. 8:2) what Moshe did to Aaron and his sons for them to serve as types of The True!

Now back to Shavuot…

This Feast is known by several names; Pentecost, Feast of Weeks, Shavuot. Historically it was during this one day observance when Moshe received The Law / Torah of Yahweh and upon bringing them down from the mountain found the children of Yisrael worshiping and dancing before the golden calf. He subsequently threw the stone tablets containing the Commandments of Yahweh to the ground in disgust. The result; Commandments broken, 3000 people were slain for their rebellious idolatry. (Exodus 32)

For us in The New Covenant this Feast was the day when The Set-Apart Spirit was poured out upon the 120 taught ones in the upper room who were waiting obediently to The Master’s Command to “wait for the Promise of The Father” and having received the infilling of the Set-Apart Spirit, their testimony caused no small stir on the streets of Yerushalyim and as Peter spoke in answer to the crowd’s question as to what it meant for the 120 to be supernaturally speaking in numerous languages the wonders and blessings of Yahweh, subsequently 3000 people were added to HIS Kingdom!

Luk 24:49 “And see, I am sending the Promise of My Father upon you, but you are to remain in the city of Yerushalayim until you are clothed with power from on high.”

Joh 14:15-17 “If you love Me, you shall guard My commands. And I shall ask the Father, and He shall give you another Helper, to stay with you forever the Spirit of the Truth, whom the world is unable to receive, because it does not see Him or know Him. But you know Him, for He stays with you and shall be in you.” (See article on “Comparing The Old and New Covenant”)

Joh 14:26 “But the Helper, the Set-apart Spirit, whom the Father shall send in My Name, He shall teach you all, and remind you of all that I said to you.”

Act 1:4 And meeting with them, He (Yahshua) commanded them not to leave Yerushalayim, but to wait for the Promise of the Father, “which you have heard from Me…”

Act 2:1-8 “And when the Day of the Festival of Weeks had come, they were all with one mind in one place. And suddenly there came a sound from the heaven, as of a rushing mighty wind, and it filled all the house where they were sitting. And there appeared to them divided tongues, as of fire, and settled on each one of them. And they were all filled with the Set-apart Spirit and began to speak with other tongues, as the Spirit gave them to speak. Now in Yerushalayim there were dwelling Yehudah dedicated men from every nation under the heaven. And when this sound came to be, the crowd came together, and were confused, because everyone heard them speak in his own language. And they were all amazed and marveled, saying to each other, Look, are not all these who speak Galileans?
And how do we hear, each one in our own language in which we were born?”

Act 2:41 Then those, indeed, who gladly received his word, were immersed. And on that day about three thousand beings were added to them.”

This day and culminating events are also significant because of The New Covenant that was promised in the following prophetic passages;

Yermiyah (Jeremiah) 31:31-37, Hezekiel (Ezekiel) 36:24-28

Lev 23:22 ‘And when you reap the harvest of your land do not completely reap the corners of your field when you reap, and do not gather any gleaning from your harvest. Leave them for the poor and for the stranger. I am Yahweh your Elohim.’ ”

Again proving that Yahweh’s heart has always been that of “inclusion” and not “exclusion!” The poor and those who were not Yisra’el, but were of the nations and tender towards the things of Yahweh, HE will not exclude from His Kingdom any who are lovers of Truth and believe!

May you be a lover of Truth and may you be walking in belief! As Yahweh gives revelation, we plan to have the 3rd article on the Fall Feasts posted soon!

Matthew 5:17

Matthew 5:17 – 18 ” “Do not think that I came to destroy the Torah or the Prophets.1 I did not come to destroy but to complete. Footnote: 1The Law and the Prophets is a term used for the pre-Messianic Scriptures.
For truly, I say to you, till the heaven and the earth pass away, one jot or one tittle shall by no means pass from the Torah till all be done.”

Why did YAHSHUA have to address false assumptions? Evidently there were rumors that HE was discontinuing the Law…and possibly even the Prophets of the Scriptures. Why do we have to address this question? Because the same false assumptions exist today!

Verse 17a “Do not think that I came to destroy the Law or the Prophets”

“destroy”: Strong’s Hebrew & Greek Dictionaries

G2647 “kataluo”

From G2596 and G3089; to loosen down (disintegrate), that is, (by
implication) to demolish (literally or figuratively); specifically (compare G2646)
to halt for the night:—destroy, dissolve, be guest, lodge, come to nought,
overthrow, throw down.

Notice the context: It appears that HE is referring to BOTH the Law AND the Prophets. The context seems to suggest that whatever HIS intention is for EITHER, is HIS intention for BOTH. Has HE done away with the Prophets?

Verse 17b “I did not come to destroy but to fulfill.”

“fulfill”: Strong’s Hebrew & Greek Dictionaries

G4137 “pleroo” play roo o

From G4134; to make replete, that is, (literally) to cram (a net), level up (a
hollow), or (figuratively) to furnish (or imbue, diffuse, influence), satisfy, execute
(an office), finish (a period or task), verify (or coincide with a prediction), etc.:—
accomplish, X after, (be) complete, end, expire, fill (up), fulfil, (be, make) full
(come), fully preach, perfect, supply.

The following verses use the same Greek word “pleroo”;
Matthew 3:15 “But Yahshua answering, said to him, “Permit it now, for thus it is fitting for us to fill all righteousness.”
– Is YAHSHuA saying here “to do away with or discontinue all righteousness?”
Philippians 2:2 “…make my joy complete by being of the same mind, having the same love, one in being and of purpose…”
– Is Paul saying here “to do away with or discontinue his joy?”
Colossians 1:25 “…of which I became a servant according to the administration of Elohim which was given to me for you, to fill the word of Elohim…”
– Is he saying here “to do away with or discontinue the Word of YAH?”
2Thess 1:11 To this end we always pray for you that our Elohim would count you worthy of this calling, and complete all the good pleasure of goodness, and the work of belief with power…”
– Is he saying here “to do away with or discontinue HIS good pleasure?”

Proponents of the belief that YAHSHUA “fulfilled” the law from this point on in this chapter, thus “discontinuing” or “doing away with law altogether”, also say that HE intends to now introduce a “new standard or set of laws” state that HE now proceeds to negate the “Old Testament Law” throughout the remainder of this chapter. These people became known as “Antinomianists” during the 2nd / 3rd centuries. This word came from the Greek word for “lawlessness” found throughout the New Testament. (See References on page 2)

Here is what the Holman’s Bible Dictionary says about this early movement:

ANTINOMIANISM (an tih noh’ mih an ihsm) The false teaching that since faith alone is necessary for salvation, one is free from the moral obligations of the law. The word antinomianism is not used in the Bible, but the idea is spoken of. Paul appears to have been accused of being an antinomian (see Rom. 3:8; 6:1, 15). While it is true that obedience to the law will never earn salvation for anyone (Eph. 2:8-9), it is equally true that those who are saved are expected to live a life full of good works (see, for example, Matt. 7:16-20; Eph. 2:10; Col. 1:10; Jas. 2:14-26). Since we have been freed from the dominion of sin through belief in YAHSHUA, we have also been freed to practice the righteousness demanded by YAH (Rom. 6:12-22).

In Legge’s “Forerunner’s and Rivals of Christianity a work on the history of the Early Church, he states”

(in the late 2nd to early 3rd centuries) “Some well-known Church Fathers who came from Gnosticism were Epiphanius, who had been a Nicolaitan, Ambrose of Milan, who had been a Valentinian, and Augustine, who had been a Manichean for 9 years before joining the Catholic Church. All these Gnostic sects were distinguished by their rejection of the Old Testament Law, some of them even rejecting the Mighty One of the Old Testament, and some of them even equated the Mighty One of the Old Testament with the Evil One! In their rejection of the Old Testament Law, the Valentinian Gnostics even rejected all moral laws, leading to scandalous living.

The Marcionites were later on refuted, but they also contributed toward the aversion to, and even rejection of, the Old Testament. Manes and his followers, the Manicheans, from among whom Augustine came, “looked on Judaism with horror, rejected the Old Testament entirely…”

“LAWLESSNESS”

G458

From G459; illegality, that is, violation of law or (generally) wickedness:
iniquity, X transgress (-ion of) the law, unrighteousness.

References to “lawlessness” in the New Testament:

Matthew 7:23 – And then I will declare to them, ‘I never knew you; depart from Me, you who practice lawlessness!’

Matthew 13:41-42 – ““The Son of Aḏam shall send out His messengers, and they shall gather out of His reign all the stumbling-blocks, and those doing lawlessness, and shall throw them into the furnace of fire – there shall be wailing and gnashing of teeth.”

Matthew 23:38 – ““So you too outwardly indeed appear righteous to men, but inside you are filled with hypocrisy and lawlessness.”

Matthew 24:12 – ““And because of the increase in lawlessness, the love of many shall become cold.” 

Romans 6:19 – ” I speak as a man, because of the weakness of your flesh. For even as you did present your members as servants of uncleanness, and of lawlessness resulting in lawlessness, so now present your members as servants of righteousness resulting in set-apartness.”

2Corinthians 6:14 – Do not be unequally yoked together with unbelievers. For what fellowship has righteousness with lawlessness? And what communion has light with darkness?

2Thessalonians 2:7 – For the mystery of lawlessness is already at work;

Hebrews 1:9 – (quoting from numerous Psalms & Prophets)You have loved righteousness and hated lawlessness

1John 3:4 – Whoever commits sin also commits lawlessness, and sin is lawlessness.

Please notice that the consistent use of this word “lawlessness” in these verses, contextually is describing some very serious consequences!

  • In light of these verses is it safe for anyone to say that YAHSHUA is saying in Matthew 5, that HE has “done away with ALL Old Testament Law?”
  • When does YAHSHUA say that this will be accomplished?

Matthew 5:18 – “For assuredly, I say to you, till heaven and earth pass away, one jot or one tittle will by no means pass from the law till all is fulfilled.”

When is that going to happen? Sometime in the future according to these verses:
2Peter 3:10 – But the day of the Master will come as a thief in the night, in which the heavens will pass away with a great noise, and the elements will melt with fervent heat; both the earth and the works that are in it will be burned up.
Rev 20:11 – Then I saw a great white throne and Him who sat on it, from whose face the earth and the heaven fled away. And there was found no place for them.
Rev 21:1 – Now I saw a new heaven and a new earth, for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away. Also there was no more sea.

Again, in light of what the Scriptures say, is it wise to say that YAHSHUA in Matthew 5:17 is suggesting that The LAW of YAH is NOT relevant any longer?

You decide. I pray that you make your decision based on what the Scriptures are saying instead of what lawless men are saying…