I have wondered how it came to be that there are so many people that reject the good news of the Kingdom of God. After all, practically everyone that believes in the Abrahamic faith is supposedly waiting for YHVH to establish his kingdom on earth. Those that aren’t awaiting that blessed event are usually folks with such a vague understanding that they think they will be floating around on clouds playing harps in some future afterlife. It’s quite hilarious in some ways but actually sad that some folks are that ignorant of the scriptures. I suppose it can be attributed to popular culture and a lack of preaching from the pulpits of the true message. But, the prophets long ago predicted that people would be dull of hearing the truth.
Isaiah 30:10 Who have said to seers, “Do not see, And to prophets, Do not prophesy to us straightforward things, Speak to us smooth things, prophesy deceits”.
Jeremiah 6:10 To whom can I speak and give warning? Who will listen to me? Their ears are closed so they cannot hear. The word of YHVH is offensive to them; they find no pleasure in it.
Yeshua likewise predicted that there would be few that would follow the right path. He also predicted that many would follow false teachers. Let’s look at that.
The Parable of the Seeds
Matthew 13:1 On that day after Jesus went out of the house, he sat by the lake. 2 And such a large crowd gathered around him that he got into a boat to sit while the whole crowd stood on the shore. 3 He told them many things in parables, saying: “Listen! A sower went out to sow. 4 And as he sowed, some seeds fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured them. 5 Other seeds fell on rocky ground where they did not have much soil. They sprang up quickly because the soil was not deep. 6 But when the sun came up, they were scorched, and because they did not have sufficient root, they withered. 7 Other seeds fell among the thorns, and they grew up and choked them. 8But other seeds fell on good soil and produced grain, some a hundred times as much, some sixty, and some thirty. 9 The one who has ears had better listen!”
10 Then the disciples came to him and said, “Why do you speak to them in parables?” 11 He replied, “You have been given the opportunity to know the secrets of the kingdom of heaven, but they have not. 12 For whoever has will be given more, and will have an abundance. But whoever does not have, even what he has will be taken from him. 13 For this reason I speak to them in parables: Although they see they do not see, and although they hear they do not hear nor do they understand. 14 And concerning them the prophecy of Isaiah is fulfilled that says:
‘You will listen carefully yet will never understand,
you will look closely yet will never comprehend.
15 For the heart of this people has become dull;
they are hard of hearing,
and they have shut their eyes,
so that they would not see with their eyes
and hear with their ears
and understand with their hearts
and turn, and I would heal them.’
16 “But your eyes are blessed because they see, and your ears because they hear. 17 For I tell you the truth, many prophets and righteous people longed to see what you see but did not see it, and to hear what you hear but did not hear it.
18 “So listen to the parable of the sower: 19 When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; this is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed sown on rocky ground is the person who hears the word and immediately receives it with joy. 21 But he has no root in himself and does not endure; when trouble or persecution comes because of the word, immediately he falls away. 22 The seed sown among thorns is the person who hears the word, but worldly cares and the seductiveness of wealth choke the word, so it produces nothing. 23 But as for the seed sown on good soil, this is the person who hears the word and understands. He bears fruit, yielding a hundred, sixty, or thirty times what was sown.”
The Parable of the Weeds
24 He presented them with another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a person who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, an enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat and went away. 26 When the plants sprouted and bore grain, then the weeds also appeared. 27 So the slaves of the owner came and said to him, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Then where did the weeds come from?’ 28 He said, ‘An enemy has done this.’ So the slaves replied, ‘Do you want us to go and gather them?’ 29 But he said, ‘No, since in gathering the weeds you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At harvest time I will tell the reapers, “First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned, but then gather the wheat into my barn.”’
Explanation for the Disciples
36 Then he left the crowds and went into the house. And his disciples came to him saying, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.” 37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world and the good seed are the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the reapers are angels. 40 As the weeds are collected and burned with fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send his angels, and they will gather from his kingdom everything that causes sin as well as all lawbreakers. 42 They will throw them into the fiery furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. The one who has ears had better listen!
Having read this I want to say a few words about human nature. We humans are without a doubt inclined to take an easy way over a difficult one. We have invented many labor saving devices to make our lives less laborious. This inclination has spilled over into our spiritual lives. Instead of studying the scriptures we watch television or spend time on our phones and computers. I will not pretend that I am innocent of doing this also. A certain amount of downtime and relaxation is necessary and healthy. But, many have chosen a path that no longer includes God in their lives. Yet, they think they have salvation. This is because of the prevailing doctrine that all that is required is for one to say a “sinner’s prayer” once in their life and that somehow miraculously Yeshua’s righteousness will be accounted to them. The popular teaching is that Yeshua was a sacrifice. It is taught that his blood satisfied the Creator’s need for blood to answer for sin. I’m sorry to have to inform you, it doesn’t’t work that way. How many times in scripture does YHVH tell us to repent from our sins and follow the commandments and He will forgive us? There is no mention of blood in any of these instructions. YHVH is not a psychotic despot that requires suffering and death to forgive. He says over and over that He is waiting for us to repent and return to him. I think it must be some sort of blasphemy to accuse YHVH of wanting suffering on His behalf in order to forgive. Some people act as though He is some spite filled pagan deity that delights in causing his creation pain and anguish. I refuse to believe that.
If He is not like I just described and He isn’t out for blood, then the whole Yeshua as sacrifice is wrong. Read another parable of Yeshua.
The Parable of the Compassionate Father
11 Then Jesus said, “A man had two sons. 12 The younger of them said to his father, ‘Father, give me the share of the estate that will belong to me.’ So he divided his assets between them. 13 After a few days, the younger son gathered together all he had and left on a journey to a distant country, and there he squandered his wealth with a wild lifestyle. 14 Then after he had spent everything, a severe famine took place in that country, and he began to be in need. 15 So he went and worked for one of the citizens of that country, who sent him to his fields to feed pigs. 16 He was longing to eat the carob pods the pigs were eating, but no one gave him anything. 17 But when he came to his senses he said, ‘How many of my father’s hired workers have food enough to spare, but here I am dying from hunger! 18 I will get up and go to my father and say to him, “Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; treat me like one of your hired workers.”’ 20 So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way from home his father saw him, and his heart went out to him; he ran and hugged his son and kissed him. 21 Then his son said to him, ‘Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you; I am no longer worthy to be called your son.’ 22 But the father said to his slaves, ‘Hurry! Bring the best robe, and put it on him! Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet! 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it! Let us eat and celebrate, 24because this son of mine was dead, and is alive again – he was lost and is found!’ So they began to celebrate.
25 “Now his older son was in the field. As he came and approached the house, he heard music and dancing. 26 So he called one of the slaves and asked what was happening. 27 The slave replied, ‘Your brother has returned, and your father has killed the fattened calf because he got his son back safe and sound.’ 28 But the older son became angry and refused to go in. His father came out and appealed to him, 29 but he answered his father, ‘Look! These many years I have worked like a slave for you, and I never disobeyed your commands. Yet you never gave me even a goat so that I could celebrate with my friends! 30 But when this son of yours came back, who has devoured your assets with prostitutes, you killed the fattened calf for him!’ 31 Then the father said to him, ‘Son, you are always with me, and everything that belongs to me is yours. 32 It was appropriate to celebrate and be glad, for your brother was dead, and is alive; he was lost and is found.’”
Does this sound like an evil, spiteful, unloving Father? All that YHVH wants from us is for us to repent from our sins, follow His Commands and love one another. Yet we want an even easier way. We want someone else to do it for us so that we don’t even have to obey our Father. We follow doctrine taught by Paul that requires no effort on our part at all so that we can go on living like the younger son squandering our inheritance on our selfish lifestyle. Paul was the agent of the devil that planted the weeds among the good seeds. He is the one that taught the doctrine of the blood atonement, not Yeshua. He is the one that said the law was nailed to the cross and is no longer necessary. Yeshua never said any of those things. People claim to follow Yeshua yet they only listen to Paul because he makes it easy, too easy. Yeshua told us that the path would not be very easy and that not many would find it.
Matthew 7:13 “Enter through the narrow gate; for the gate is wide and the way is broad that leads to destruction, and there are many who enter through it. 14 For the gate is narrow and the way is constricted that leads to life, and there are few who find it.
“When anyone hears the word about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches what was sown in his heart; this is the seed sown along the path”.
He who has ears to hear, let him hear!
Christianity from a Jesus Words only perspective 