them twelve to be known as emissaries : Shim ‛ on , whom he named Kefa ; Andrew , his brother ; Ya ‛ akov ; Yochanan ; Philip ; Bar-Talmai ; Mattityahu ; T ’ oma ; Ya ‛ akov Ben-Halfai ; Shim ‛ on , the one called the Zealot ; Y ’ hudah Ben-Ya ‛ akov ; and Y ’ hudah from K ’ riot , who turned traitor .”
Prior to Yeshua choosing His talmidim ( disciples ), we see how Yeshua was pressured and challenged by the Pharisees . They attempted to “ pressure ” Him with regard to accusations that He and His followers were in violation of the Sabbath . First , they questioned Yeshua because His disciples were picking grain and secondly for healing on the Shabbat . The issue at hand was the following - what was lawful and acceptable on the Shabbat ?
The Pharisees in the Gospel of Luke were more focused on pressuring Yeshua and picking a “ fight ” with Him than the minutia of the disciples picking grain . This was a kal v˒chomer argument – meaning a “ how much more ” argument for acceptable for the guardians of the Temple , how much more for one greater than the Temple- Yeshua the Son of Man – the Lord of Shabbat ?
In response , Yeshua uses this same argument , in asking if one should be concerned for a sheep and in retrospect , how much more should we be concerned for a person ? In this passage , Yeshua exposes His opponents ' understanding of the Torah by revealing the inconsistency of their interpretation of biblical Sabbath laws . Likewise , as Messianic believers , we often can find ourselves under the same kind of pressures when people question our loyalty to the Messiah in our Messianic Jewish context and lens .
Pressures come in all kinds of sizes and seasons and there are so many pressures for us today as we seek to foster healthy righteous marriages , raise Godly children , as we seek to be faithful leaders , in raising grandchildren , serve our communities and in helping the needy . Yet , all of us face pressures in this life , some more than others , but in Messiah we have a hope that God will always provide a way out ,
But are we following Yeshua ’ s example ?
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