Sending the Twelve: Apostle and Sender

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Matt. 10:40-42; Mark 9:41; Luke 10:16 (Huck 63, 130b, 139b; Aland 104, 167b, 179; Crook 119-120, 185b, 203)For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.'” Revised: 24 November 2021

הַמְּקַבֵּל אֶתְכֶם אוֹתִי מְקַבֵּל וְהַמְּקַבֵּל אוֹתִי מְקַבֵּל אֶת הַשּׁוֹלֵחַ אוֹתִי וְהַמּוֹאֵס אֶתְכֶם אוֹתִי מוֹאֵס וְהַמּוֹאֵס אוֹתִי מוֹאֵס אֶת הַשּׁוֹלֵחַ אוֹתִי

“If anyone receives you, it is as if he has received me, and if anyone receives me, it is as if he has received the one who sent me. But if anyone rejects you, it is as if he has rejected me, and if anyone rejects me, it is as if he has rejected the one who sent me.”This translation is a dynamic rendition of our reconstruction of the conjectured Hebrew source that stands behind the Greek of the Synoptic Gospels. It is not a translation of the Greek text of a canonical source.

The Historical Jesus, a Tanna?

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Two Gospel accounts, “The Rich Young Person” (Matt. 19:16-30, Mark 10:17-3, Luke 18:18-30) and “On Almsgiving” (Matt. 6:1-4), that share similar content, structure, and argumentation with two discussions that appear in the Mishnah and Tosefta shed light on the use of rabbinic literature for the study of the Gospels.

Paraphrastic Gospels

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Markan Synonyms

In Matthew 9:1-8, Mark 2:1-12 and Luke 5:17-26, there is a story about a paralytic who is carried to Jesus on some sort of stretcher. …  Matt. 9:2 with Luke 5:18, and Matt. 9:6 with Luke 5:24. …  Matthew 9:20 and Luke 8:44 both say that the woman “came up behind him and touched the fringe of his garment,” whereas Mark 5:27 says that “she came up behind him in the crowd and touched his garment.”

If Your Eye Be Single

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Couched within Jesus’ teaching is an idiom which is difficult to translate, “If your eye is single, your whole body is full of light” (Matt. 6:22). … Nevertheless, in Matthew 6, where you would expect to find the idiom, “good eye,” the adjective used in our saying is not καλός (kalos, good, pleasant) but ἁπλοῦς (haplous, single, simple)…. In particular, attention should be given to the language of spiritual dualism (i.e., light-darkness; love-hate) present in Matthew 6:22-24 and the use of the Qumran term “mammon” for wealth. … Matt. 6:24 and Luke 16:13), which also appears in the Dead Sea Scrolls, to caution his disciples about divided loyalty.

Jesus’ Reference to Folklore and Historical Events

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This cultural interplay is clearly depicted in Jesus’ references to commonly known fables of his day in Matthew 7:15, Luke 4:23, Luke 7:24 (cf. … As Jesus taught in the same vein as other Jewish rabbis in the first century, he used this technique and illustrated his knowledge of folklore in the four following passages: Matt. 7:15, Luke 4:23, Luke 7:24 (cf.

First-century Discipleship

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“Let the dead bury their dead,” Jesus told him (Luke 9:60; Matt 8:22).

The Angel Who Has Delivered Me from All Harm

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The phrase “who has redeemed me from all evil” is strikingly similar to the phrase “deliver us from evil” that appears in the Lord’s Prayer (Matt. 6:13)…. The Greek adjective used to translate ra (evil) in Genesis 48:16 was κακός (kakos, bad, evil), while the adjective translated “evil” in Matthew 6:13 is πονηρός (poneros, bad, evil); however, both Greek words were frequently used by the Septuagint’s translators to render the Hebrew ra.

What Did Jesus Mean by “Do Not Judge”?

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One of Jesus’ sayings regarding judging is nearly identical to other rabbinic sayings on the subject: “For in the way you judge, you will be judged; and by your standard of measure, it will be measured to you” (Matt. 7:2; Luke 6:38).

Has the Lost City of Bethsaida Finally Been Found?

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Jesus stayed there with Simon Peter, who lived with his family in the house of his mother-in-law (Matt. 8:14-15; Mark 1:29-31; Luke 4:38-39). … At Capernaum he healed the sick and performed miracles, and preached in the synagogue on the Sabbath (Matt. 8:16-17; Mark 1:21-28, 32-34; Luke 4:31-37, 40-41).

The “Hypocrisy” of the Pharisees

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And finally, Jesus consistently called the Pharisees a “brood of vipers” (Matt. 12:34; 23:23) and said that “they have already received their reward” (Matt. 6:2, 5, 16).

Yohanan the Immerser’s Eschatological Discourse

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Matt. 3:11-12; Mark 1:7-8; Luke 3:15-17 (Huck 4; Aland 16; Crook 19)For abbreviations and bibliographical references, see “Introduction to ‘The Life of Yeshua: A Suggested Reconstruction.'” Updated: 21 March 2024

וַיַּחְשְׁבוּ הָאֻכְלוּסִים בְּלִבָּם יוֹחָנָן הוּא הַמָּשִׁיחַ וַיַּעַן יוֹחָנָן אוֹתָם לֵאמֹר אֲנִי מַטְבִּיל אֶתְכֶם בַּמַּיִם וַהֲרֵי בָּא אַחֲרַי מִי שֶׁאֵינִי כָּשֵׁר לְהַתִּיר לוֹ רְצוּעַת מִנְעָלָיו הוּא יַטְבִּיל אֶתְכֶם בָּרוּחַ וּבָאֵשׁ מִי שֶׁהָרַחַת בְּיָדוֹ וְיָבוֹר אֶת גּוֹרְנוֹ וְיַכְנִיס אֶת הַחִטִּים לְאוֹצָרוֹ וְהַקַּשׁ יִשְׂרֹף בְּאֵשׁ תָּמִיד

The people in the crowds were thinking, “Yohanan the Immerser must be the messianic priest!”

But Yohanan replied, “I immerse you in water, but be aware: Someone is coming after me for whom I am unfit even to undo his sandal straps.

“Shake the Dust from Your Feet”: What Did the Apostles’ Action Signify?

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For Dr. Roger Green, in gratitude for his many years of Bible instruction at Gordon College.