YAH'SHUAH'S TEACHING
FOR BRETHREN
Avoid Committing Sin On Account Of Your Brethren
Matthew 5:21-26 reads,
5:21"You have heard that it was said to them of old time,
‘You shall not murder;’ and ‘Whoever shall murder shall be in danger of the
judgment.’ 5:22But I tell you, that everyone who is angry with his
brother without a cause shall be in danger of the judgment; and whoever
shall say to his brother, ‘Raca!’ shall be in danger of the council; and whoever shall say, ‘You fool!’ shall be in danger of
the fire of Gehenna.
5:23"If therefore you are offering your gift at the altar,
and there remember that your brother has anything against you, 5:24leave your gift
there before the altar, and go your way. First be reconciled to your brother,
and then come and offer your gift. 5:25Agree with your adversary quickly, while you are with him in the way; lest perhaps the
prosecutor deliver you to the judge, and the judge deliver you to the officer,
and you be cast into prison. 5:26Most assuredly I tell you, you shall by no means get out of
there, until you have paid the last penny.
Doesn't Yah'shuah show that sin is committed not only by outward physical action, but also in the heart? Isn't anger without a cause a condition of the heart? Shouldn't brethren avoid not only outwardly manifested sins, but also those of the heart?
Be Reconciled To Your
Brethren
Doesn't Yah'shuah teach us to be reconciled with our brethren in situations whereby our brethren hold things against us? Doesn't Yah'shuah teach that brethren should dwell together in peace and harmony, without holding things against one another? Doesn't Yah'shuah also show that so important it is for brethren to dwell together in peace and harmony that their offerings to Yahweh are not acceptable prior to their seeking reconciliation with their brethren? Doesn't this impress upon us the need to dwell in peace and harmony with our brethren?
Remove Your Own Major Sin
First
Matthew 7:1-5 reads,
7:1"Don’t judge, so that you won’t be judged. 7:2For with whatever
judgment you judge, you will be judged; and with whatever measure you measure,
it will be measured to you. 7:3Why do you see the speck that is in your brother’s eye, but
don’t consider the beam that is in your own eye? 7:4Or how will you tell
your brother, ‘Let me remove the speck from your eye;’ and behold, the beam is
in your own eye? 7:5You hypocrite! First remove the beam out of your own eye, and
then you can see clearly to remove the speck out of your brother’s eye.
Doesn't Yah'shuah show us that we should primarily be concerned with removing major sins out of our lives, than concerning ourselves with the minor sins of our brethren? Doesn't Yah'shuah show us that it is hypocrisy on our part to seek to remove the minor sins of our brethren when we have major sins of our own?
Doesn't Yah'shuah also show that all brethren should remove sin out of their lives, both major and minor sins? For doesn't Yah'shuah show that after the major sins have been removed, the minor sins should also be removed? Doesn't Yah'shuah therefore show that brethren should strive to live lives without sin? And didn't Yah'shuah acknowledge that sin still exists in the lives of brethren, explaining why it ought to be removed from their lives?
Brethren Will Deliver Up One
Another To Death
Matthew 10:16-23 reads,
10:16"Behold, I send you out as sheep in the midst of wolves.
Therefore be wise as serpents, and harmless as doves. 10:17But beware of men:
for they will deliver you up to councils, and in their synagogues they will
scourge you. 10:18Yes, and you will be brought before governors and kings for
my sake, for a testimony to them and to the Gentiles. 10:19But when they
deliver you up, don’t be anxious how or what you will say, for it will be given
you in that hour what you will say. 10:20For it is not you who speak, but the Spirit of your Father
who speaks in you.
10:21"Brother will deliver up brother to death, and
the father his child. Children will rise up against parents, and cause them to
be put to death. 10:22You will be hated by all men for my name’s sake, but he who
endures to the end, the same will be saved. 10:23But when they persecute you in
this city, flee into the next, for most assuredly I tell you, you will not have
gone through the cities of
Doesn't Yah'shuah show that on account of his name brethren will turn against each other, with some delivering others to death?
Those Who Are Yah'shuah's
Brethren
Matthew 12:46-50 reads,
12:46While
he was yet speaking to the multitudes, behold, his mother and his brothers
stood outside, seeking to speak to him. 12:47One
said to him, "Behold, your mother and your brothers stand outside, seeking
to speak to you."
12:48But
he answered him who told him, "Who is my mother? Who
are my brothers?" 12:49He
stretched out his hand towards his disciples, and said, "Behold, my mother and my brothers! 12:50For whoever does
the will of my Father who is in heaven, he is my brother, and sister, and
mother."
Doesn't Yah'shuah show that his brethren are those who do his Father's will?
When Brethren Sin Against One
Another
Matthew 18:15-20 reads,
18:15"If your brother sins against you, go, show him his
fault between you and him alone. If he listens to you, you have gained back
your brother. 18:16But if he doesn’t listen, take one or two more with you,
that at the mouth of two or three witnesses every word may be established. 18:17If he refuses to
listen to them, tell it to the assembly. If he refuses to hear the assembly
also, let him be to you as a Gentile or a tax collector. 18:18Most assuredly I tell you, whatever things you will bind
on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever things you will loose on earth
will be loosed in heaven. 18:19Again, assuredly I tell you, that if two of you will agree
on earth concerning anything that they will ask, it will be done for them by my
Father who is in heaven. 18:20For where two or three are gathered together in my name,
there I am in the midst of them."
Live In Peace And Harmony
With Your Brethren
Doesn't Yah'shuah teach that brethren should live together in a reconciled state, in peace and harmony with one another? Isn't the purpose of resolving differences among brethren to achieve reconciliation and the existence of peace and harmony among them?
Contentious People Should Be
Separated From Peaceful Brethren
Doesn't Yah'shuah show that those brethren who refuse to abide by the way of righteousness, even after having been given due opportunity for so abiding, must be removed from the company of brethren? Isn't this the remedy that Yah'shuah has given brethren for dealing with those who refuse to walk in the way of righteousness, which includes brethren dwelling together in peace and harmony?
Judgements Brethren Make In
Yah'shuah's Name Are Ratified In Heaven
Doesn't Yah'shuah show that the judgements brethren collectively reach for excluding from their number those who refuse to walk in the way of righteousness are ratified in heaven? Doesn't Yah'shuah also imply that when brethren receive back the repentant among those of their number who were cast out of them the matter is also ratified in heaven? Hasn't Yah'shuah therefore given brethren great authority when they are acting according to his word? Aren't they acting in Yah'shuah's authority when they so act?
Repeatedly Forgive Your
Brethren
Matthew 18:21-35 reads,
18:21Then
Peter came and said to him, "Lord, how often shall my brother sin
against me, and I forgive him? Until seven times?"
18:22Jesus
said to him, "I don’t tell you until seven
times, but, until seventy times seven. 18:23Therefore the
18:28"But that servant went out, and found one of his fellow
servants, who owed him one hundred denarii, and he grabbed him, and took him by the throat, saying,
‘Pay me what you owe!’
18:29"So his fellow servant fell down at his feet and begged
him, saying, ‘Have patience with me, and I will repay you.’ 18:30He would not, but
went and cast him into prison, until he should pay back that which was due. 18:31So when his fellow
servants saw what was done, they were exceedingly sorry, and came and told to
their lord all that was done. 18:32Then his lord called him in, and said to him, ‘You wicked
servant! I forgave you all that debt, because you begged me. 18:33Shouldn’t you also
have had mercy on your fellow servant, even as I had mercy on you?’ 18:34His lord was
angry, and delivered him to the tormentors, until he should pay all that was
due to him. 18:35So will my heavenly Father also do to you, if you don’t each
forgive his brother from your hearts for his misdeeds."
Doesn't Yah'shuah show us that we are to repeatedly forgive our brethren for their sins against us? Didn't Yah'shuah, by teaching us to repeatedly forgive our brethren for their sins against us, reveal that there would indeed be offences brethren commit against one another? Doesn't forgiveness from the heart facilitate brethren living together in peace and harmony, in a reconciled state?
Love Yah'shuah More Than You
Love Your Brethren
Matthew 19:27-29 reads,
19:27Then
Peter answered, "Behold, we have left everything, and followed you. What
then will we have?"
19:28Jesus
said to them, "Most assuredly I tell you, that you
who have followed me, in the regeneration when the Son of Man will sit on the
throne of his glory, you also will sit on twelve thrones, judging the twelve
tribes of
Shouldn't we be willing to leave our brethren for the sake of Yah'shuah's name? Won't we be rewarded greatly for manifesting a greater love for Yah'shuah than for our brethren? Shouldn't we therefore love Yah'shuah more than we love our brethren?
Don't Lord It Over Your
Brethren
Matthew 20:20-28 reads,
20:20Then
the mother of the sons of Zebedee came to him with her sons, kneeling and
asking a certain thing of him. 20:21He
said to her, "What do you want?"
She said to him, "Command that these, my
two sons, may sit, one on your right hand, and one on your left hand, in your
kingdom."
20:22But
Jesus answered, "You don’t know what you ask. Are
you able to drink the cup that I am about to drink, and be baptized with the
baptism that I am baptized with?"
They said to him, "We are able."
20:23He
said to them, "You will indeed drink my cup, and
be baptized with the baptism that I am baptized with, but to sit on my right
hand and on my left hand is not mine to give; but it is for whom it has been
prepared by my Father."
20:24When
the ten heard it, they were moved with indignation concerning the two brothers.
20:25But
Jesus summoned them, and said, "You know that
the rulers of the Gentiles lord it over them, and their great ones exercise
authority over them. 20:26It shall not be so among you, but whoever desires to become
great among you shall be your servant. 20:27Whoever desires to be first among you shall be your
bondservant, 20:28even as the Son of Man came not to be served, but to serve,
and to give his life as a ransom for many."
Shouldn't we follow Yah'shuah's example and serve our brethren rather than seek to be served by them? Shouldn't we refrain from lording it over our brethren and exercising great authority over them?
Abide By Judicial Rulings
Made On Moses' Authority
Matthew 23:1-12 reads,
23:1Then
Jesus spoke to the multitudes and to his disciples, 23:2saying, "The
scribes and the Pharisees sat on Moses’ seat. 23:3All things
therefore whatever they tell you to observe, observe and do, but don’t do their
works; for they say, and don’t do. 23:4For they bind heavy
burdens that are grievous to be borne, and lay them on men’s shoulders; but
they themselves will not lift a finger to help them. 23:5But all their works
they do to be seen by men. They make their phylacteries broad, enlarge the
fringes of their garments, 23:6and love the chief place at feasts, the chief seats in the
synagogues, 23:7the salutations in the marketplaces, and to be called ‘Rabbi,
Rabbi’ by men. 23:8But don’t you be called ‘Rabbi,’ for one is your teacher,
the Christ, and all of you are brothers. 23:9Call no man on the
earth your father, for one is your Father, he who is in heaven. 23:10Neither be called
masters, for one is your master, the Christ. 23:11But he who is
greatest among you will be your servant. 23:12Whoever will exalt himself will be humbled, and whoever will
humble himself will be exalted.
Doesn't Yah'shuah teach his disciples that they are to abide by Yahweh's words as given to Moses? Didn't Yah'shuah uphold Moses' authority, even teaching his disciples to abide by the rulings of those who exercised Moses' authority?
Doesn't Yah'shuah reiterate that brethren are to serve one another, rather than seeking to exalt themselves among their number? Shouldn't we humble ourselves in service, rather than exalting ourselves among our brethren?
Fulfil The Needs Of Your
Brethren
Matthew 25:31-46 reads,
25:31"But when the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all
the holy angels with him, then he will sit on the throne of his glory. 25:32Before him all the
nations will be gathered, and he will separate them one from another, as a
shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 25:33He will set the
sheep on his right hand, but the goats on the left. 25:34Then the King will
tell those on his right hand, ‘Come, blessed of my Father, inherit the kingdom
prepared for you from the foundation of the world; 25:35for I was hungry,
and you gave me food to eat; I was thirsty, and you gave me drink; I was a
stranger, and you took me in; 25:36naked, and you clothed me; I was sick, and you visited me; I
was in prison, and you came to me.’
25:37"Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord,
when did we see you hungry, and feed you; or thirsty, and give you a drink? 25:38When did we see
you as a stranger, and take you in; or naked, and clothe you? 25:39When did we see
you sick, or in prison, and come to you?’
25:40"The King will answer them, ‘Most assuredly I tell
you, inasmuch as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did
it to me.’ 25:41Then will he say also to those on the left hand, ‘Depart from
me, you cursed, into the eternal fire which is prepared for the devil and his
angels; 25:42for I was hungry, and you didn’t give me food to eat; I was
thirsty, and you gave me no drink; 25:43I was a stranger, and you didn’t take me in; naked, and you
didn’t clothe me; sick, and in prison, and you didn’t visit me.’
25:44"Then they will also answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did
we see you hungry, or thirsty, or a stranger, or naked, or sick, or in prison,
and did not help you?’
25:45"Then will he answer them, saying, ‘Most assuredly I
tell you, inasmuch as you didn’t do it to one of these least, you didn’t do it
to me.’ 25:46These will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous
into eternal life."
Doesn't Yah'shuah show us that we are to love our brethren, fulfilling their needs when it is in our power to do so?
Yahweh's Servants Are
Rejected By Their Own Brethren
Mark 6:1-6 reads,
6:1He
went out from there. He came into his own country, and his disciples
followed him. 6:2When the Sabbath
had come, he began to teach in the synagogue, and many hearing him were
astonished, saying, "Where did this man get these things?" and,
"What is the wisdom that is given to this man, that such mighty works come
about by his hands? 6:3Isn’t this
the carpenter, the son of Mary, and brother of James, Joses, Judas, and Simon?
Aren’t his sisters here with us?" They were offended by him.
6:4Jesus
said to them, "A prophet is not without honor, except
in his own country, and among his own relatives, and in his own house." 6:5He
could do no mighty work there, except that he laid his hands on a few sick
folk, and healed them. 6:6He
marveled because of their unbelief.
He went around the villages teaching.
Doesn't Yah'shuah show that Yahweh's servants are devoid of honour among their own brethren?
Sit At Yah'shuah's Feet And
Hear His Word
Luke 10:38-42 reads,
10:38It
happened as they went on their way, he entered into a certain village, and a
certain woman named Martha received him into her house. 10:39She had a sister called Mary, who also sat
at Jesus’ feet, and heard his word. 10:40But
Martha was distracted with much serving, and she came up to him, and said,
"Lord, don’t you care that my sister left me to serve alone? Ask her
therefore to help me."
10:41Jesus
answered her, "Martha, Martha, you are anxious
and troubled about many things, 10:42but one thing is needed. Mary has chosen the good part, which
will not be taken away from her."
Shouldn't we emulate Mary's example of choosing to sit at Yah'shuah's feet and hear his word? Shouldn't we then act upon Yah'shuah's word after we have heard it?
Yah'shuah Did Not Come To Sit
On Moses' Seat
Luke 12:13-15 reads,
12:13One
of the multitude said to him, "Teacher, tell my brother to divide the
inheritance with me."
12:14But
he said to him, "Man, who made me a judge or an
arbitrator over you?" 12:15He said to them, "Beware!
Keep yourselves from covetousness, for a man’s life doesn’t consist of the abundance
of the things which he possesses."
Doesn't Yah'shuah show that when he came he did not do so to act as judge or arbitrator over those to whom he was sent? Didn't he say in Matthew 23:1 that the scribes and Pharisees sat on Moses' seat and should therefore be listened to in their judgements according to Moses' authority? Didn't he imply by this that he did not come to alter the Mosaic authority structure, and that matters to be dealt with under the Mosaic authority structure should so continue to be dealt? Shouldn't his followers and brethren abide by his word and example?
Give To Those Who Are
Unlikely To Repay You
Luke 14:12-14 reads,
14:12He
also said to the one who had invited him, "When
you make a dinner or a supper, don’t call your friends, nor your
brothers, nor your kinsmen, nor rich neighbors, or perhaps they might
also return the favor, and pay you back. 14:13But when you make
a feast, ask the poor, the maimed, the lame, or the blind; 14:14and you will be
blessed, because they don’t have the resources to repay you. For you will be
repaid in the resurrection of the righteous."
Doesn't Yah'shuah show that there is a time not to invite some brethren for supper, on account of seeking a reward in the resurrection of the righteous?
Love Yah'shuah More Than You
Love Your Brethren
Luke 14:25-35 reads,
14:25Now
great multitudes went with him. He turned and said to them, 14:26"If anyone
comes to me, and doesn’t hate his own father, mother, wife, children, brothers,
and sisters, yes, and his own life also, he can’t be my disciple. 14:27Whoever doesn’t
bear his own cross, and come after me, can’t be my disciple. 14:28For which of you,
desiring to build a tower, doesn’t first sit down and count the cost, to see if
he has enough to complete it? 14:29Or perhaps, when he has laid a foundation, and is not able to
finish, everyone who sees begins to mock him, 14:30saying, ‘This man
began to build, and wasn’t able to finish.’ 14:31Or what king, as he goes to
encounter another king in war, will not sit down first and consider whether he
is able with ten thousand to meet him who comes against him with twenty
thousand? 14:32Or else, while the other is yet a great way off, he sends an
envoy, and asks for conditions of peace. 14:33So therefore whoever of you who doesn’t renounce all that
he has, he can’t be my disciple. 14:34Salt is good, but if the salt becomes flat and tasteless,
with what do you season it? 14:35It is fit neither for the soil nor for the manure pile. It is
thrown out. He who has ears to hear, let him hear."
Doesn't Yah'shuah teach us that we must renounce all that we have, including our brethren, in order to be his disciples?
It Is In Order To Celebrate
The Repentance Of Any Of Your Brethren
Luke 15:11-32 reads,
15:11He
said, "A certain man had two sons. 15:12The younger of
them said to his father, ‘Father, give me my share of your property.’ He
divided his living to them. 15:13Not many days after, the younger son gathered all of this
together and took his journey into a far country. There he wasted his property
with riotous living. 15:14When he had spent all of it, there arose a severe famine in
that country, and he began to be in need. 15:15He went and joined himself to one of the citizens of that
country, and he sent him into his fields to feed pigs. 15:16He wanted to fill
his belly with the husks that the pigs ate, but no one gave him any. 15:17But when he came
to himself he said, ‘How many hired servants of my father’s have bread enough
to spare, and I’m dying with hunger! 15:18I will get up and go to my father, and will tell him,
"Father, I have sinned against heaven, and in your sight. 15:19I am no more
worthy to be called your son. Make me as one of your hired servants."’
15:20"He arose, and came to his father. But while he was
still far off, his father saw him, and was moved with compassion, and ran, and
fell on his neck, and kissed him. 15:21The son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven,
and in your sight. I am no more worthy to be called your son.’
15:22"But the father said to his servants, ‘Bring out the
best robe, and put it on him. Put a ring on his hand, and shoes on his feet. 15:23Bring the fattened
calf, kill it, and let us eat, and celebrate; 15:24for this, my son,
was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’ They began to be
merry.
15:25"Now his elder son was in the field. As he came and drew
near to the house, he heard music and dancing. 15:26He called one of
the servants to him, and asked what was going on. 15:27He said to him,
‘Your brother has come, and your father has killed the fattened calf, because
he has received him safe and sound.’ 15:28But he was angry, and would not go in. Therefore his father
came out, and begged him. 15:29But he answered his father, ‘Behold, these many years I
served you, and I never disobeyed a commandment of yours, and you never gave me
a goat, that I might celebrate with my friends. 15:30But when this,
your son, came, who has devoured your living with prostitutes, you killed the
fattened calf for him.’
15:31"He said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and all
that is mine is yours. 15:32But it was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for this,
your brother, was dead, and is alive again. He was lost, and is found.’"
Doesn't Yah'shuah show us that it is appropriate to celebrate the repentance of any of our brethren, seeing that they were dead but have now been revived? Isn't repentance a resurrection from the dead?
Listen To Moses And The
Prophets To Avoid Going To The Place Of Torment
Luke 16:19-31 reads,
16:19"Now there was a certain rich man, and he was clothed in
purple and fine linen, living in luxury every day. 16:20A certain beggar,
named Lazarus, was laid at his gate, full of sores, 16:21and desiring to be
fed with the crumbs that fell from the rich man’s table. Yes, even the dogs
came and licked his sores. 16:22It happened that the beggar died, and that he was carried
away by the angels to Abraham’s bosom. The rich man also died, and was buried. 16:23In Hades, he
lifted up his eyes, being in torment, and saw Abraham far off, and Lazarus at
his bosom. 16:24He cried and said, ‘Father Abraham, have mercy on me, and
send Lazarus, that he may dip the tip of his finger in water, and cool my
tongue! For I am in anguish in this flame.’
16:25"But Abraham said, ‘Son, remember that you, in your
lifetime, received your good things, and Lazarus, in like manner, bad things.
But now here he is comforted and you are in anguish. 16:26Besides all this,
between us and you there is a great gulf fixed, that those who want to pass
from here to you are not able, and that none may cross over from there to us.’
16:27"He said, ‘I ask you therefore, father, that you
would send him to my father’s house; 16:28for I have five brothers, that he
may testify to them, lest they also come into this place of torment.’
16:29"But Abraham said to him, ‘They have Moses and the
prophets. Let them listen to them.’
16:30"He said, ‘No, father Abraham, but if one goes to
them from the dead, they will repent.’
16:31"He said to him, ‘If they don’t listen to Moses and
the prophets, neither will they be persuaded if one rises from the dead.’"
Doesn't Yah'shuah show that it is necessary to listen to Moses and the prophets in order to go to Abraham's bosom after death and avoid going to Hades, the place of torment? Shouldn't we listen to Moses and the prophets, learning from Yah'shuah?
Rebuke And Forgive Your
Brethren
Luke 17:1-4 reads,
17:1He
said to the disciples, "It is impossible that
occasions of stumbling should not come, but woe to him through whom they come! 17:2It would be better
for him if a millstone were hanged about his neck, and he were thrown into the
sea, rather than that he should cause one of these little ones to stumble. 17:3Be careful. If your
brother sins against you, rebuke him. If he repents, forgive him. 17:4If he sins against
you seven times in the day, and seven times turns again, saying, ‘I repent,’
you shall forgive him."
Luke 22:31-32 reads,
22:31The
Lord said, "Simon, Simon, behold, Satan asked
to have you, that he might sift you as wheat, 22:32but I prayed for
you, that your faith wouldn’t fail. You, when once you have turned again,
establish your brothers."
Shouldn't we follow Yah'shuah's example and pray for our brethren? Shouldn't we act to facilitate the establishment of our brethren in Yah'shuah's way?
Fellowship With Your
Brethren, Both Physical And Spiritual
John 2:12 reads,
2:12After
this, he went down to Capernaum, he, and his mother, his brothers, and his
disciples; and there they stayed not many days.
Doesn't Yah'shuah show us by his example that it proper to spend time in fellowship with our brethren, both physical and spiritual brethren?
Physical Brethren Disbelieve
Yahweh's Servants
John 7:1-8 reads,
7:1After
these things, Jesus walked in Galilee, for he would not walk in Judea, because
the Jews sought to kill him. 7:2Now
the feast of the Jews, the Feast of Booths, was at hand. 7:3His brothers therefore said to him,
"Depart from here, and go into Judea, that your disciples also may see
your works which you do. 7:4For no
one does anything in secret, and himself seeks to be known openly. If you do
these things, reveal yourself to the world." 7:5For
even his brothers didn’t believe in him.
7:6Jesus
therefore said to them, "My time has not yet come,
but your time is always ready. 7:7The world can’t hate you, but it hates me, because I testify
about it, that its works are evil. 7:8You go up to the
feast. I am not yet going up to this feast, because my time is not yet
fulfilled."
Isn't it the case that Yahweh's servants are not believed in even by their physical brethren? Seeing that Yah'shuah's physical brethren did not believe in him, isn't it the case that the physical brethren of his servants would likewise not believe in them?
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