Post by alon on Jan 21, 2018 17:43:53 GMT -8
Matthew 11:2-6 (ESV) Now when John heard in prison about the deeds of the Christ, he sent word by his disciples and said to him, “Are you the one who is to come, or shall we look for another?” And Jesus answered them, “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
There were many miracle workers in the time of Yeshua. One was Choni ha’M’agel, a well known and pious man as well as a scholar who lived 1 to 2 generations just prior to Yeshua. Once when there was no rain well into the rainy season (winter), Honi drew a circle in the dust, stood inside it, and told God he would not move until it rained. It began to drizzle, and Honi, in typical Jewish fashion told his Elohim that he was not satisfied and expected more. Then it began to pour, so he explained that he wanted a calm rain, at which point the rain began to calmly fall. He was almost put to cherem (excommunicated) for this because he showed dishonor to El Elyon. But Shimon ben Shetach, brother of Queen Shlomtzion (Salome of Alexandria, last woman to rule an independent Judea) said that he had a special relationship with God, so he was excused.
In the Mishnah (AD 200) we hear of R Hanina ben Dosa, whose ministry was a couple of decades after Yeshua. He is said to be “the last of the ‘men of deed,’” a reference to miracles. It also tells us this: When he would pray for the sick he would say “This one shall have life” or This one shall die.” They said to him How do you know?” He said to them “If my prayer is fluent, then I know the prayer is accepted and the person will live. But if not, I know that it is rejected and the person will die.”
Once the son of Gamaliel the 2nd (randson of Rav Sh’ul’s Rabbi) became seriously ill, so a messenger was sent to R ben’Dosa. He prayed, then told the messenger the boy had been healed. The messenger, doubting the Rabbi wrote down the time. When he returned he found the boy had been healed at exactly that time.
Note that R Gam’liel trusted R ben’Dosa, and R Gam’liel had seriouse ties to the Nots’rim. Acts 5:33-39 tells us Gam’liel the 1st saved Peter and some other Nots’rim. R ben’Dosa was also related to R Eliezer who was quoted in the Talmud more than any other Rabbi. Yet he was put to cherem for being a believer in Yeshua. So this makes us wonder how many of these men were themselves believers.
There were many men working miracles in the times surroounding Yeshua. However there are some things that set Him apart. First off, the miracles performed by these other men all happened as a result of their prayers. Yeshua on the other hand simply spoke with authority and it was done. For example in John ch 11 Yeshua simply says “Lazarus, come forth” and a man dead for four days. It was believed that while other prophets had raised people from the dead, only the Messiah could revive someone after three days. Yeshua, without praying did just that.
Godly men could also heal the blind, but not someone blind from birth. Yeshua did just that (John 9). They could heal diseases, but not leprosy. Only the Messiah, Yeshua could do and did just that (Mat 8, Mark 1). They could cast out demons, but not from a mute man because they had to learn the demons name. Yeshua HaMoshiach did just that (Luke 11). Yeshua also healed the lame (Mat 9, John 5) and the deaf (Mark 7).
So these things are what Yeshua was referencing when He said “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Dan C
Excerpted from a teaching by Rav S and embellished by me
There were many miracle workers in the time of Yeshua. One was Choni ha’M’agel, a well known and pious man as well as a scholar who lived 1 to 2 generations just prior to Yeshua. Once when there was no rain well into the rainy season (winter), Honi drew a circle in the dust, stood inside it, and told God he would not move until it rained. It began to drizzle, and Honi, in typical Jewish fashion told his Elohim that he was not satisfied and expected more. Then it began to pour, so he explained that he wanted a calm rain, at which point the rain began to calmly fall. He was almost put to cherem (excommunicated) for this because he showed dishonor to El Elyon. But Shimon ben Shetach, brother of Queen Shlomtzion (Salome of Alexandria, last woman to rule an independent Judea) said that he had a special relationship with God, so he was excused.
In the Mishnah (AD 200) we hear of R Hanina ben Dosa, whose ministry was a couple of decades after Yeshua. He is said to be “the last of the ‘men of deed,’” a reference to miracles. It also tells us this: When he would pray for the sick he would say “This one shall have life” or This one shall die.” They said to him How do you know?” He said to them “If my prayer is fluent, then I know the prayer is accepted and the person will live. But if not, I know that it is rejected and the person will die.”
Once the son of Gamaliel the 2nd (randson of Rav Sh’ul’s Rabbi) became seriously ill, so a messenger was sent to R ben’Dosa. He prayed, then told the messenger the boy had been healed. The messenger, doubting the Rabbi wrote down the time. When he returned he found the boy had been healed at exactly that time.
Note that R Gam’liel trusted R ben’Dosa, and R Gam’liel had seriouse ties to the Nots’rim. Acts 5:33-39 tells us Gam’liel the 1st saved Peter and some other Nots’rim. R ben’Dosa was also related to R Eliezer who was quoted in the Talmud more than any other Rabbi. Yet he was put to cherem for being a believer in Yeshua. So this makes us wonder how many of these men were themselves believers.
There were many men working miracles in the times surroounding Yeshua. However there are some things that set Him apart. First off, the miracles performed by these other men all happened as a result of their prayers. Yeshua on the other hand simply spoke with authority and it was done. For example in John ch 11 Yeshua simply says “Lazarus, come forth” and a man dead for four days. It was believed that while other prophets had raised people from the dead, only the Messiah could revive someone after three days. Yeshua, without praying did just that.
Godly men could also heal the blind, but not someone blind from birth. Yeshua did just that (John 9). They could heal diseases, but not leprosy. Only the Messiah, Yeshua could do and did just that (Mat 8, Mark 1). They could cast out demons, but not from a mute man because they had to learn the demons name. Yeshua HaMoshiach did just that (Luke 11). Yeshua also healed the lame (Mat 9, John 5) and the deaf (Mark 7).
So these things are what Yeshua was referencing when He said “Go and tell John what you hear and see: the blind receive their sight and the lame walk, lepers are cleansed and the deaf hear, and the dead are raised up, and the poor have good news preached to them. And blessed is the one who is not offended by me.”
Dan C
Excerpted from a teaching by Rav S and embellished by me