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You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven. (Matthew 5:14–16)

If you grew up anything like I did, then this teaching of Yeshua is forever engrained into your psyche. When you grow up singing, “This Little Light of Mine,” and doing all of the hand motions associated with it, passages like these quickly embed themselves into your longterm memory. But as a child, I never fully understood what this passage meant. What is the light I am supposed to be shining, and how do I let other people see it?

When the wine ran out, the mother of Jesus said to him, "They have no wine." And Jesus said to her, "Woman, what does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come." (John 2:3-4)

In our culture, to begin a response to one's mother with "Woman," is extremely disrespectful. Why would Yeshua respond to his mother this way? In ancient Middle Eastern terms, this expression was not as harsh as it sounds to us today. It would actually have been an affectionate term of endearment. This is why several translations render it as "Dear woman" or simply as "Mother."

But what did Yeshua mean when he said, "What does this have to do with me? My hour has not yet come"? Didn't he come to reveal himself to the world? Didn't he begin doing miracles from this point forward? Why, then, did he seem to imply that he wasn't interested in helping out? Why did he say that his hour had not yet come?

Repentance, Prayer, & Tzedakah annul the evil decree.1

Yesterday began the month of Elul, the sixth month on the Biblical calendar. It is the month just prior to the onset of the High Holy Days of the Fall. Here are some ways to understand this holy month from a Messianic perspective.

Keys to the Kingdom, Part 4

"On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19)

Over the last few articles we have been exploring the implications of Yeshua's instruction to Peter in Matthew 16:18-19. In this passage, Yeshua tells Simon Peter he will given him the "keys of the kingdom of heaven." In order to understand what these keys are, we first need understand a bit about what the Kingdom is. What is the Kingdom? Is it heaven? Or is it something else?

Keys to the Kingdom, Part 3

"On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19)

Keys to the Kingdom, Part 1

"On this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven." (Matthew 16:18-19)

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Welcome to Emet HaTorah, where we connect disciples of Yeshua to the eternal Torah of God. We're blessed to have you here! We hope to be an online source for discipleship resources from a Messianic Jewish perspective. If you're new to Emet HaTorah have a look around and enjoy some of our online teaching resources and sign up for email updates. You'll be blessed!