ANTISEMITISM
A MESSIANIC RESPONSE
ONE FOR ISRAEL
Antisemitism has never been constrained by time or religion – it has continued throughout history at the hands of atheists, Christians, Muslims and pagans alike. Whether Jewish people have assimilated into the culture or kept themselves to themselves in their own communities, they have been hated and persecuted wherever they go, and whatever they do. Whether in exile or in their own land, in Babylon or in Egypt, in Christian Europe, Atheist Russia or the Muslim Middle East, whether they’re following God or in rebellion against him, the attacks do not stop.
ANTISEMITISM, THE OLDEST HATRED?
The war with Hamas has seen an unprecedented rise of antisemitism worldwide, even though it was all ignited because Israel was attacked in the most barbaric way imaginable. But antisemitism doesn’t even need a war to flare up. Whenever there is an attack on Jewish people abroad, no matter what the motivation, there are always those who turn to blame Israel. “Absolutely appalling and a criminal act, but does it ever occur to… the present Israeli government that it’s [sic] actions against Palestinians may be reigniting antisemitism?” British lawmaker, Jenny Tonge, opined that Israel’s policies were the reason for the mass murder of Jews in Pittsburgh – an absolutely appalling act of antisemitism on her own part.
Indeed, antisemitism goes back long before the troubles of the modern State of Israel ever existed. It was not the ‘occupation’ that was bothering Adolf Hitler… or the Spanish Inquisitors, or the perpetrators of the violent pogroms and Crusades that destroyed Jewish lives throughout the centuries in Europe and Russia. We can be confident it was not the settlements or checkpoints that got Haman’s goat in the story of Esther, or put the Amalekites’ nose out of joint to the degree that they tried to kill off the entire people group just after the Exodus. It is not that the State of Israel causes racism against the Jewish people, but rather, racism against the Jews that demonstrates the need for a Jewish state.
As long as there has been a people of God, chosen for His purposes, the attacks and annihilation attempts have been relentless. It is ludicrous to suggest that the State of Israel is to blame for violence perpetrated against the Jewish people.
The irrational prejudice against Jewish people is often called the “ancient hatred”. There seems to be no logical explanation that fits the fury spewed out from every corner of the earth, throughout all time, with no apparent common denominator. It is purely and simply because Jewish people are Jewish. Hence the need for high security, carefully guarded borders, and checkpoints. Whether they are rich or poor, whether they look the same as those around them, dress the same, think the same – or not – nothing prevents the attacks from coming.
THE TRUE OBJECT OF HATRED: THE GOD OF ISRAEL
What makes Jewish people Jewish? The God who called the nation into being for His own purposes. It was God who created the people of Israel. God changed Jacob’s name to Israel and ordained that his twelve sons would become the twelve tribes of Israel. His people. They were a people chosen by God, led by God, instructed by God, and precious to God. And they are called by His name.
“For you are a people holy to the LORD your God. The LORD your God has chosen you out of all the peoples on the face of the earth to be his people, his treasured possession.” (Deuteronomy 7:6)
WHY DID GOD CHOOSE ISRAEL?
Not only did they identify themselves with Him, but God identified Himself with them. He is, and always will be, the God of Israel. He refers to Himself in Scripture hundreds of times as the God of Israel. The God who delivered Israel from Egypt. One day, we learn from Jeremiah 16:14 and 23:7-8, we will know Him as the God who regathered Israel. Whichever way you look at it, God is inextricably linked to Israel, and always will be. This irks a lot of people. Some are bitter about the fact that God chose a particular nation at all, or the fact that Israel (like all of humanity) has always been so undeserving of God’s grace, or that God is the one in charge and gets to make such choices without consulting anyone.
“Antisemitism stems from the inherently rebellious hearts of humans. As the people of God, the Jews are associated with God, and thus Jew hatred is sometimes subliminal but always due to an unregenerate heart.”
Christine Darg
Dr. Richard Bookers says in a similar vein that Jew hatred is God hatred because the Jews remind the world they are accountable to God for their lives and they don’t want to be reminded.
The enemy of our souls hates the Jewish people with a special hatred because God has chosen them to play an important part in God’s redemptive plan for the world – past, present and future. And Satan doesn’t have to look far to find willing individuals who will cooperate and become agents in his quest to destroy and defame the people of Israel as much as possible. The evidence is sadly strewn throughout history.
HOW CAN GENTILES STAND AGAINST ANTISEMITISM?“
You cannot love God”, warned Corrie Ten Boom, “without loving the Jewish people”. It is shocking that this even needs to be pointed out, yet Church history makes extremely uncomfortable reading when it comes to the treatment of the Jews. But what can Christians do to stand against antisemitism today?
1. PRAYWe cannot underestimate the impact of our prayers. Let’s pray for Israel, and for frightened Jewish communities facing antisemitism in the US, in France, in the UK, and all over the world. We must also pray for Israel’s enemies. Pray for those trapped in webs of bitterness and lies. Pray for Christians who are blinded to the truth about God’s heart for His people. You can be sure that your prayers will be reaching the Father’s heart, and we know that if we pray in accordance with His will, He hears, and He will answer.
In addition to praying, you could send a letter to a synagogue near you to let them know that you are praying for them, standing with them, and that you care. It will mean a lot.
2. PUBLICLY STAND UP FOR THE TRUTH AND DENOUNCE LIES
There are so many falsehoods defaming Israel and the Jewish people in circulation. It is simply not true that Israel is an Apartheid state, or that they are committing genocide. There are no Jewish plots in progress to take over the world, or even the Middle East. Israel will do everything it can to avoid killing civilians, especially children, and the lies that are perpetrated on these matters fuel the fires of antisemitic hatred. It’s important to investigate for yourself what is true and what is not, rather than believing one side or the other, but when you find solid facts, make them known.
Whether it manifests as Alt-Right racism or Far-Left hatred of Israel, antisemitism is fueled by conspiracy stories. Behind them lies the peddler of falsehoods and the spreader of fear: the father of lies himself.
We can help combat antisemitism by uncovering and proclaiming the truth.
3. REMIND PEOPLE THAT JESUS IS JEWISH – PRESENT TENSE!As Russell Moore put it so well in his piece in the Washington Post, “If you hate the Jews, you hate Jesus too”:
“I will often hear Christians say,
“Remember that Jesus was Jewish.”
That’s true enough, but the past tense makes it sound as though Jesus’ Jewishness were something he sloughed off at the resurrection.
Jesus is alive now, enthroned in heaven.
He is transfigured and glorified, yes, but he is still Jesus. This means he is still, and always will be, human. He is still, and always will be, the son of Mary. He is, and always will be, a Galilean. When Jesus appeared before Saul of Tarsus on the Road to Damascus, the resurrected Christ introduced himself as “Jesus of Nazareth” (Acts 22:8). Jesus is Jewish, present tense… He is of the tribe of Judah. He is of the House of David… As Christians, we are, all of us, adopted into a Jewish family, into an Israelite story.”
Too many Christians have misunderstood the New Testament and think that Jesus was against the Jewish people as a whole. But not only is Jesus Jewish, his entire family, all his disciples, and most of the early church were Jewish too. Remind Christian friends that the Bible teaches God is not done with Israel, and will never forsake the Jewish people (Romans 9-11)
4. IDENTIFY WITH THE PEOPLE OF ISRAELIt is important to stand with the Jewish people especially in times like this – to identify with the people of Israel as they are under attack. During the Holocaust when the Nazis were making Jews wear a yellow star, the Danish king is said to have suggested to his finance minister, Vilhelm Buhl, “perhaps we should all wear it.”2 Such an act would completely negate the attempt to isolate and victimize the Jewish people. Similarly, when a brick came through the window of a Jewish family at Hanukkah time, the entire town of Billings, Montana, decided to put Jewish Hanukkiahs in their windows in solidarity.3 The attacks by the KKK soon stopped. It took courage for people to stand with their Jewish neighbors, knowing that they are making themselves a target too, but it’s a powerful thing to do.
For Gentile believers in Yeshua, identification with Israel is not a mere gesture, but an expression of reality – of the deep truth that you are grafted into the commonwealth of Israel. Ruth’s courageous love for Naomi’s people and their God did not go unnoticed, and neither will yours.
“Do not urge me to leave you or to return from following you. For where you go I will go, and where you lodge I will lodge. Your people shall be my people, and your God my God. Where you die I will die, and there will I be buried. May the Lord do so to me and more also if anything but death parts me from you.” (Ruth 1:16-17)
A Messianic Response
to the
Barbaric Atrocity called Antisemtiism;
A Personal note from me;
The Kingdom of God
2023 Fall
Spiritual Harvest
I AM
Clinically Sick and Tired;)
of
Jesus-loving,
Christ
Following, Professing Christians
who
Earn their Living from
The
Gospel
of the
Crucifixion
and
Resurrection
and do Not
financially Support Israel,
or
LIFT a finger more than a
particularly random "Shot out" in group solidarity,
as if we are
Appeasing God by acknowledging the fact
that Mankind is in
World War III with all enemies
SOON
Charging toward the
Jewish
HOMELAND
Very likely, these same
Christ Followers
are
Spending Millions of dollars
that are
Profited off of the
Gospel
aka, the
Word of God,
on their
own investments,
interests, ideas, pleasures,
and
self-assumed position
in the
5 fold ministry for interpreting
God's revealed Will
in allocating
God's ordained resources...
Worse yet,
many of these "Christian's"
are
MULTI MULTI MILLIONAIRES
SWIMMING
In
Gospel Revenue
Good News
Flash...
YOU
DON'T SUPPORT the ROOT,
but
THE
ROOT SUPPORTS
YOU,
and
Dear friend, You
HEAVY,
so if I'm
Carrying
1000 MUD BRICKS
kindly and considerately,
and you're still
FIVE
MILES BEHIND
whilst
walking backward
with shut eyes and
clothed with a Smirk,
Then I
Truly, Sincerely
and
WHOLE
HEAR- TINGLY
I apologize if on all Fronts I'm
Exhausted
of holding the
DOOR Open,
And frankly the
wave frequency, light temperature
and
aroma
has been
SLOWLY KILLING
Me
like choking out the fresh air
in a
SLOW WOOD BURNING
REFINERY
'Paying Teachers Well"
In Scripture refers to
Ministers of the Gospel
who
Preach Gods fully
revealed word,
''it's not referencing homeschool administrators in
a financial institution
Yearly Sabbatical
When
to do Fall Yard
WORK?...
If the same concept is
Spoken in
5 languages over 12 months
while the Messenger
was
working FULL overtime
(fully surrendered it to the
Holy Spirit,
full time against
personal convenience, ideas or preference)
with
No compensation, income,
support, acknowledgement, recognition,
apology, repentance, testimony,
or explanation,
Simultaneously
upholding scriptural integrity
and
Accurately
countering
blasphemous rejection
of the
ONE and ONLY
TRUE
HOLY SPIRIT
Is still
misunderstood or remotely understood
If the tree ROOTS
aren't absorbing
OXYGEN
molecules after 3 years,
it's
TIME to LODGE
ANEW agricultural
DESIGN
and
Render anew blueprint;
Cut off dead wood overgrowth,
trim the
PROSPERING
TREES
WATER
the green plants,
Plant New Seeds
And Pick some
Blooming Flowers
The Spiritual Harvest
is Ripe, yal
I do not allow myself the privilege of prioritizing my
personal human obligations even at the full
excruciating expense of being
wrongfully condemned for the ramifications
of full time apostleship and Prophecizing
At this critical point
in history,
my
STRAIGHT honest opinion
is that if one calls themself
a Christian and is
allocating finances/resources
CONTRARY
to
God's revealed Will
FOUNDED on
Jesus Christ
through
the
Apostles and Prophets,
putting non critical missions
and
Projects AHEAD
of
Preaching the Gospel
to
Gods Lost House,
Its an
Apostasy unworthy of bearing
the
NAME
of the
Blood Stained Cross
A Willful Ignorance, self-consumed oblivion
at least,
Perhaps blatant disregard toward
Gods Word, God's people
and all things of
Christian Sacrifice
This Physical
Existence is Passing Away;
we are
Not Commissioned
to build up treasures on
Earth,
We are to
Preach the Word of God,
the
Gospel
of
Jesus Christ
by faith and not sight, through Grace
to the
Jew First, then Greek
wealthy Christian organizations
should not be
Building and Planting
MORE
MAN-MADE glistening facilities
with the
God of Israel's finances;
Let Alone
furthering theirs and Americas Giant Deficit
they should be giving it all toward
Christ likeminded
Agencies and missions
such as
One for Israel
If the Body of Christ
came together in
ONE
mind, spirit, and mission,
globally or even among Americans,
the trajectory of the
global financial AND political
realms
Will inevitably shift, not merely
for the
sheer volume of Believers
and
Christian resources,
but because
WE BEHOLD
the
POWER
of the
HOLY SPIRIT
It's WHAT Christian's
are
COMMISSIONED
to DO!
The
GOOD NEWS
is,
American Christian lives are NOT
threatened for
Preaching the Gospel,
and neither are their Voices,
you own the
digital, televised platform..
How MANY Wealthy Churches
do
we have in just America, Alone?
How
MANY Millionaire Televangelist
Pastors
are there in
expensive homes, facilities, and cars,
who aren't lifting
Two fingers for the Ruins in Flames
that is our
Saviors Homeland
and
Entire Prophetic
End-Time
Commission?
Those efforts are truly futile when the
ONLY WAY to REDEEM
The WORLD is to Bless and
SUPPORT
ISRAEL, FIRST
A Messianic Response
to the
Barbaric Atrocity called Antisemtiism;
A Personal note from me;
The Kingdom of God
2023 Fall
Spiritual Harvest
I AM
Clinically Sick and Tired;)
of
Jesus-loving,
Christ
Following, Professing Christians
who
Earn their Living from
The
Gospel
of the
Crucifixion
and
Resurrection
and do Not
financially Support Israel,
or
LIFT a finger more than a
particularly random "Shot out" in group solidarity,
as if we are
Appeasing God by acknowledging the fact
that Mankind is in
World War III with all enemies
SOON
Charging toward the
Jewish
HOMELAND
Very likely, these same
Christ Followers
are
Spending Millions of dollars
that are
Profited off of the
Gospel
aka, the
Word of God,
on their
own investments,
interests, ideas, pleasures,
and
self-assumed position
in the
5 fold ministry for interpreting
God's revealed Will
in allocating
God's ordained resources...
Worse yet,
many of these "Christian's"
are
MULTI MULTI MILLIONAIRES
SWIMMING
In
Gospel Revenue
Good News
Flash...
YOU
DON'T SUPPORT the ROOT,
but
THE
ROOT SUPPORTS
YOU,
and
Dear friend, You
HEAVY,
so if I'm
Carrying
1000 MUD BRICKS
kindly and considerately,
and you're still
FIVE
MILES BEHIND
whilst
walking backward
with shut eyes and
clothed with a Smirk,
Then I
Truly, Sincerely
and
WHOLE
HEAR- TINGLY
I apologize if on all Fronts I'm
Exhausted
of holding the
DOOR Open,
And frankly the
wave frequency, light temperature
and
aroma
has been
SLOWLY KILLING
Me
like choking out the fresh air
in a
SLOW WOOD BURNING
REFINERY
'Paying Teachers Well"
In Scripture refers to
Ministers of the Gospel
who
Preach Gods fully
revealed word,
''it's not referencing homeschool administrators in
a financial institution
Yearly Sabbatical
When
to do Fall Yard
WORK?...
If the same concept is
Spoken in
5 languages over 12 months
while the Messenger
was
working FULL overtime
(fully surrendered it to the
Holy Spirit,
full time against
personal convenience, ideas or preference)
with
No compensation, income,
support, acknowledgement, recognition,
apology, repentance, testimony,
or explanation,
Simultaneously
upholding scriptural integrity
and
Accurately
countering
blasphemous rejection
of the
ONE and ONLY
TRUE
HOLY SPIRIT
Is still
misunderstood or remotely understood
If the tree ROOTS
aren't absorbing
OXYGEN
molecules after 3 years,
it's
TIME to LODGE
ANEW agricultural
DESIGN
and
Render anew blueprint;
Cut off dead wood overgrowth,
trim the
PROSPERING
TREES
WATER
the green plants,
Plant New Seeds
And Pick some
Blooming Flowers
The Spiritual Harvest
is Ripe, yal
I do not allow myself the privilege of prioritizing my
personal human obligations even at the full
excruciating expense of being
wrongfully condemned for the ramifications
of full time apostleship and Prophecizing
At this critical point
in history,
my
STRAIGHT honest opinion
is that if one calls themself
a Christian and is
allocating finances/resources
CONTRARY
to
God's revealed Will
FOUNDED on
Jesus Christ
through
the
Apostles and Prophets,
putting non critical missions
and
Projects AHEAD
of
Preaching the Gospel
to
Gods Lost House,
Its an
Apostasy unworthy of bearing
the
NAME
of the
Blood Stained Cross
A Willful Ignorance, self-consumed oblivion
at least,
Perhaps blatant disregard toward
Gods Word, God's people
and all things of
Christian Sacrifice
This Physical
Existence is Passing Away;
we are
Not Commissioned
to build up treasures on
Earth,
We are to
Preach the Word of God,
the
Gospel
of
Jesus Christ
by faith and not sight, through Grace
to the
Jew First, then Greek
wealthy Christian organizations
should not be
Building and Planting
MORE
MAN-MADE glistening facilities
with the
God of Israel's finances;
Let Alone
furthering theirs and Americas Giant Deficit
they should be giving it all toward
Christ likeminded
Agencies and missions
such as
One for Israel
If the Body of Christ
came together in
ONE
mind, spirit, and mission,
globally or even among Americans,
the trajectory of the
global financial AND political
realms
Will inevitably shift, not merely
for the
sheer volume of Believers
and
Christian resources,
but because
WE BEHOLD
the
POWER
of the
HOLY SPIRIT
It's WHAT Christian's
are
COMMISSIONED
to DO!
The
GOOD NEWS
is,
American Christian lives are NOT
threatened for
Preaching the Gospel,
and neither are their Voices,
you own the
digital, televised platform..
How MANY Wealthy Churches
do
we have in just America, Alone?
How
MANY Millionaire Televangelist
Pastors
are there in
expensive homes, facilities, and cars,
who aren't lifting
Two fingers for the Ruins in Flames
that is our
Saviors Homeland
and
Entire Prophetic
End-Time
Commission?
Those efforts are truly futile when the
ONLY WAY to REDEEM
The WORLD is to Bless and
SUPPORT
ISRAEL, FIRST
"You cannot serve God and money"
You
Are The
Light:)
In Luke 8:16–18, Jesus
tells the
parable of the lamp under a jar
When someone
lights a lamp, they do so in order
that others see the light.
When someone shares
The Gospel,
it is so
others will hear and accept it
People are responsible for how they hear. Luke 8:19–56 gives examples of how closely people hear Jesus' message, beginning with Jesus' family. Mark records the parable in the same context (Mark 4:21–25). Matthew seems to give a similar but different parable to exhort Jesus-followers to be the light and share the gospel, themselves (Matthew 5:14–16).
What does Luke 8:16 mean?
It may be that
the
"light," like the "seed"
in the
parable of the sower,
represents the
Word of God
Jesus doesn't teach because He likes the sound of His own voice. He speaks because His audience needs His words, and they should take the responsibility to listen carefully and allow the words to influence their lives. We need to be careful how we hear so we grow in wisdom (Luke 8:18). In this interpretation, Luke 8:17 means that God's truth will be revealed even to those foolish enough to ignore it during their lives on earth.
Some, however, believe "light" parallels the "fruit" of Luke 8:15: the natural results of hearing Jesus' words and living them out, much like Matthew 5:14–16. If this is the case, Luke 8:17 means that our actions inevitably reveal our relationship with Christ. It implies that we act out of what we believe about Jesus.
The parable more closely resembles Mark's extended version (Mark 4:21–25) and Matthew's parable was given at a different time and place. So, the comparison to seed is more likely. There's obvious truth in the idea that sincere believers ought to "let their light shine" (Matthew 5:16) based on their relationship with Christ. Yet the meaning of Luke's verses seems to be that listeners are to be like the good soil, accept the seed, and produce fruit (Luke 8:8). In the same way, people are to "enter" and "see the light," working hard to understand the truth and application of Jesus' teaching (Luke 8:18). Jesus says something similar in Luke 11:33.
Luke 8 includes portions of three sections of Jesus' Galilean Ministry. The women who support Jesus' ministry bridge the faithful outcasts of chapter 7 to the sower who spreads the news of God's kingdom (Luke 8:1–3). Luke 8:4–18 includes the parables of the sower and the lamp under the jar. These illustrate the importance of hearing Jesus' message with a mind to believe and obey. Luke 8:19–56 presents different faith reactions when Jesus' life, power, and authority elicit questions about His identity.
The Parable of the Unjust Steward can be found in Luke 16:1–13. The text can be broken down into two parts: the parable (verses 1–8) and the application (verses 9–13). Luke 16:1 identifies that Jesus is speaking to His disciples, but there is a suggestion that His audience is mixed—disciples and Pharisees. Luke 16:14 states that the Pharisees “heard all these things and ridiculed [Jesus].” We also see in verse 1 that Jesus “also” said to the disciples; the “also” would suggest that this parable is connected to the previous three in Luke 15 and that the audience was a mixed crowd of disciples and Pharisees.
It is important to know to whom Jesus is addressing this parable. The parable is for the benefit of the disciples, but there is also a not-so-subtle critique of the Pharisees, as was evident in Luke 15. Verse 14 is Luke’s commentary on the motivation of the Pharisees, and in verse 15 we see our Lord condemn their motives. And what was the Pharisees’ motivation? They were those who were “lovers of money” and who “justify themselves before men” and who exalted that which was an “abomination before God.”
With that as a backdrop, let’s look at the parable. It’s a fairly simple, if somewhat unorthodox, parable from Jesus. The story is simple, but the setting is unusual. In most of Jesus’ parables, the protagonist is either representative of God, Christ, or some other positive character. In this parable the characters are all wicked—the steward and the man whose possessions he manages are both unsavory characters. This should alert us to the fact that Jesus is not exhorting us to emulate the behavior of the characters but is trying to expound on a larger principle.
The parable begins with a rich man calling his steward before him to inform him that he will be relieving him of his duties for mismanaging his master’s resources. A steward is a person who manages the resources of another. The steward had authority over all of the master’s resources and could transact business in his name. This requires the utmost level of trust in the steward. Now, it may not be apparent at this point in the parable (but is made more evident later on), but the master is probably not aware of the steward’s dishonesty. The steward is being released for apparent mismanagement, not fraud. This explains why he is able to conduct a few more transactions before he is released and why he is not immediately tossed out on the street or executed.
The steward, realizing that he will soon be without a job, makes some shrewd deals behind his master’s back by reducing the debt owed by several of the master’s debtors in exchange for shelter when he is eventually put out. When the master becomes aware of what the wicked servant had done, he commends him for his “shrewdness.”
In His application of the story in the remaining verses, Jesus begins by saying, “For the sons of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own generation than the sons of light” (Luke 16:8). Jesus is drawing a contrast between the “sons of the world” (i.e., unbelievers) and
the
“sons of light” (believers)
Unbelievers are wiser in the things of this world than believers are about the things of the world to come. The unjust steward, once he knew he was about to be put out, maneuvered to collect some quick cash, cheat his master (who more than likely was cheating his customers),
and make friends of his master’s debtors—who
would then be
obligated to care for him once he lost his job.
What does this have to
do with
believers being wise
about
the life to come?
Let’s look at verse 9:
“And I tell you,
make friends for yourselves
by
means of unrighteous wealth,
so that when it fails
they may receive you
into the
eternal dwellings.”
Jesus is encouraging His followers to be generous with their wealth in this life so that in the life to come their new friends will receive them “into eternal dwellings.” This is similar to Jesus’ teaching on wealth in the Sermon on the Mount where Jesus exhorts His followers to lay up treasures in heaven (Matthew 6:19–21).
The term unrighteous (or worldly) wealth seems to strike readers the wrong way. But Jesus is not saying that believers should gain wealth unrighteously and then be generous with it. “Unrighteous” in reference to wealth can refer to 1) the means in acquiring wealth; 2) the way in which one desires to use the wealth; or 3) the corrupting influence wealth can have that often leads people to commit unrighteous acts. Given the way in which Jesus employs the term, the third explanation seems the most likely. Wealth is not inherently evil, but the love of money can lead to all sorts of sin (1 Timothy 6:10).
So, the principle that Jesus is trying to convey is one of a just steward rather than an unjust one. The unjust steward saw his master’s resources as a means for his own personal enjoyment and advancement. Conversely, Jesus wants His followers to be just, righteous stewards. If we understand the principle that everything we own is a gift from God, then we realize that God is the owner of everything and that we are His stewards. As such, we are to use the Master’s resources to further the Master’s goals. In this specific case, we are to be generous with our wealth and use it for the benefit of others.
Jesus then goes on to expand in verses 10–13 the principle given in verse 9. If one is faithful in “little” (i.e., “unrighteous” wealth), then one will be faithful in much. Similarly, if one is dishonest in little, he will also be dishonest in much. If we can’t be faithful with earthly wealth, which isn’t even ours to begin with, then how can we be entrusted with “true riches”? The “true riches” here is referring to stewardship and responsibility in God’s kingdom along with all the accompanying heavenly rewards.
The climax of Jesus’ application
is verse 13:
“No servant
can serve two masters,
for either he will
hate the one and love the other,
or he will be
devoted to the one and despise
the other
You cannot serve God and money”
(see also Matthew 6:24)
If God is our Master, then our wealth will be at His disposal. In other words, the faithful and just steward whose Master is God will employ that wealth in building up the kingdom of God.
An alarming epidemic
of
spiritual adultery
and
“friendship with the world”
ran rampant in the early church (James 4:4). James passionately told his readers to repent from their wicked ways and return to the Lord: “Draw near to God, and he will draw near to you. Cleanse your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded” (James 4:8, ESV).
God desires His followers’ wholehearted loyalty and devotion (Exodus 34:14; Mark 12:29–31). Believers who stray from the Lord must submit themselves to God and draw near to Him again through repentance.
“Purify your hearts, you double-minded” was James’ clear and distinct call to inner purification—to recognize and confess our sins and receive God’s forgiveness. His language closely resembles that of the psalmist: “Who may ascend the mountain of the Lord?
Who may stand in his holy place?
The one who has
clean hands and a pure heart,
who does not
trust in an idol or swear by a false god”
(Psalm 24:3–4)
James branded the believers “double-minded” because they continued to live with one foot in the world while claiming to love and worship God. Their vacillating was dividing their loyalties. A similar charge was issued against the people of Isaiah’s time: “These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me” (Isaiah 29:13). Earlier, James noted that double-minded people are “unstable in all they do”
(James 1:8).
The apostle John acknowledged that the true children of God who look forward to Christ’s return “purify themselves, just as he is pure” (1 John 3:3). The Lord Jesus Himself said, “Blessed are the pure in heart, for they will see God” (Matthew 5:8). The term purehere indicates the absence of impurity, contamination, or filth. It suggests a single-mindedness of purpose that is free of distractions.
Double-minded people lack purity of heart. The Lord desires His followers to be laser-focused in heart, mind, and purpose (Matthew 6:33). The greatest commandment, Jesus said, is to “love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind” (Matthew 22:37).
The apostle Paul explained that God looks for servants who commit their entire being to Him: “If you keep yourself pure, you will be a special utensil for honorable use. Your life will be clean, and you will be ready for the Master to use you for every good work. Run from anything that stimulates youthful lusts. Instead, pursue righteous living, faithfulness, love, and peace. Enjoy the companionship of those who call on the Lord with pure hearts” (2 Timothy 2:21–22, NLT).
Anything that distracts us or has a contaminating influence on our lives will divide our loyalties and soil our hearts, rendering us ineffective kingdom servants. A pure heart is evidenced by openness, clarity, and an uncompromising desire to please the Lord in everything we think, say, and do. Purity goes beyond just cleaning up our outward behavior (“cleanse your hands”) to the internal purification of heart, mind, and soul (“purify your hearts”).
In reality, humans are incapable of purifying their own hearts. David prayed, “Create in me a pure heart, O God, and renew a steadfast spirit within me” (Psalm 51:10). God is the only one who can make us pure in heart and single in mind. It is the shed blood of Jesus Christ His Son that “purifies us from all sin” (1 John 1:7) and the sanctifying work of the Holy Spirit that cleanses our lives (Romans 15:16; 1 Corinthians 6:11; 1 Peter 1:2). Christ provided the necessary sacrifice for sin so that we could receive God’s forgiveness (John 1:29; Ephesians 1:7; Hebrews 9:12–22; 1 Peter 1:18–19).
God’s Word commands us: “Purify your hearts, you double-minded.” And God’s Word—the Logos, who is Jesus Christ—makes the command possible. Since we can enter God’s presence “by the blood of Jesus, by the new and living way that he opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh, and since we have a great priest over the house of God, let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, with our hearts sprinkled clean from an evil conscience and our bodies washed with pure water” (Hebrews 10:19–22, ESV)
The Disciples Return and Marvel
So the disciples asked one another,
“Could someone have brought Him food?”
Jesus-explained,
"My food is to do
the
will of Him who sent Me
and to
finish His work.
Do you not say,
‘There are still
four
months until the harvest’?
I tell you,
lift up your eyes and
look at the fields,
for they
are ripe for harvest.…
Psalm 40:8
I delight to do Your will,
O my God;
Your law is within my heart."
Matthew 3:15
"Let it be so now," Jesus replied.
It is fitting for us
to fulfill all righteousness in this way."
Then John permitted Him.
Luke 2:49
"Why were you looking for Me?"
He asked
"Did you not know that I had
to be in
My Father's house?"
John 5:30
I can do nothing by Myself;
I judge only as I hear.
And
My judgment is just, because
I do not seek My own will,
but the
will of Him who sent Me.
John 5:36
But I have testimony more substantial than that of John. For the works
that the Father has given Me to accomplish--the very
works I am doing--testify about Me that the Father has sent Me.
John 6:38
For I have come down from heaven, not to do My own will, but to do the will
of Him who sent Me.
John 8:29
He who sent Me is with Me. He has not left Me alone, because I always do what pleases Him."
John 4:32
But he said unto them, I have meat to eat that ye know not of.
John 6:33,38
For the bread of God is he which cometh down from heaven, and giveth life unto the world…
Job 23:12
Neither have I gone back from the commandment of his lips;
I have esteemed
the words of his mouth more than my necessary food.
and.
John 5:36
But I have greater witness
than that
of John:
for the works which the
Father hath given me to finish,
the same
works that I do,
bear witness of me,
that the
Father hath sent me
John 17:4
I have glorified thee on the earth:
I have finished the
work which thou gavest me to do.
John 19:30
When Jesus therefore had received the vinegar,
he said, It is finished:
and he bowed his head, and gave up the ghost.
Shine Your Light
Matthew 5:14-16 “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden. Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Mark 4:21 And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand?
Matthew 5:16 ESV / 101 helpful votes In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Matthew 5:14 ESV / 66 helpful votes “You are the light of the world. A city set on a hill cannot be hidden.
Matthew 5:15 ESV / 61 helpful votes Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house.
Luke 11:33 ESV / 58 helpful votes “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
Mark 16:15 ESV / 41 helpful votes And he said to them, “Go into all the world and proclaim the gospel to the whole creation.
Luke 8:16 ESV / 34 helpful votes “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light.
Isaiah 49:6 ESV / 33 helpful votes He says: “It is too light a thing that you should be my servant to raise up the tribes of Jacob and to bring back the preserved of Israel; I will make you as a light for the nations, that my salvation may reach to the end of the earth.”
Luke 11:36 ESV / 23 helpful votes If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
John 5:35 ESV / 21 helpful votes He was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.
Matthew 5:1-48 ESV / 19 helpful votes Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. ...
Galatians 5:22-23 ESV / 17 helpful votes But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law.
John 8:12 ESV / 17 helpful votes Again Jesus spoke to them, saying, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will not walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”
Revelation 1:1 ESV / 16 helpful votes The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John,
James 2:18 ESV / 16 helpful votes But someone will say, “You have faith and I have works.” Show me your faith apart from your works, and I will show you my faith by my works.
Matthew 6:1-34 ESV / 16 helpful votes “Beware of practicing your righteousness before other people in order to be seen by them, for then you will have no reward from your Father who is in heaven. “Thus, when you give to the needy, sound no trumpet before you, as the hypocrites do in the synagogues and in the streets, that they may be praised by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. But when you give to the needy, do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing, so that your giving may be in secret. And your Father who sees in secret will reward you. “And when you pray, you must not be like the hypocrites. For they love to stand and pray in the synagogues and at the street corners, that they may be seen by others. Truly, I say to you, they have received their reward. ...
Ephesians 5:13 ESV / 14 helpful votes But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible,
1 John 1:7 ESV / 13 helpful votes But if we walk in the light, as he is in the light, we have fellowship with one another, and the blood of Jesus his Son cleanses us from all sin.
Philippians 2:15 ESV / 13 helpful votes That you may be blameless and innocent, children of God without blemish in the midst of a crooked and twisted generation, among whom you shine as lights in the world,
1 Corinthians 1:1-31 ESV / 13 helpful votes Paul, called by the will of God to be an apostle of Christ Jesus, and our brother Sosthenes, To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints together with all those who in every place call upon the name of our Lord Jesus Christ, both their Lord and ours: Grace to you and peace from God our Father and the Lord Jesus Christ. I give thanks to my God always for you because of the grace of God that was given you in Christ Jesus, that in every way you were enriched in him in all speech and all knowledge— ...
John 3:20 ESV / 13 helpful votes For everyone who does wicked things hates the light and does not come to the light, lest his works should be exposed.
Psalm 40:10 ESV / 13 helpful votes I have not hidden your deliverance within my heart; I have spoken of your faithfulness and your salvation; I have not concealed your steadfast love and your faithfulness from the great congregation.
Exodus 25:37 ESV / 13 helpful votes You shall make seven lamps for it. And the lamps shall be set up so as to give light on the space in front of it.
John 17:1-26 ESV / 12 helpful votes When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. I glorified you on earth, having accomplished the work that you gave me to do. And now, Father, glorify me in your own presence with the glory that I had with you before the world existed. ...
Mark 4:21-25 ESV / 12 helpful votes And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light. If anyone has ears to hear, let him hear.” And he said to them, “Pay attention to what you hear: with the measure you use, it will be measured to you, and still more will be added to you. For to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he has will be taken away.”
Matthew 4:1-25 ESV / 12 helpful votes Then Jesus was led up by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. And after fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. And the tempter came and said to him, “If you are the Son of God, command these stones to become loaves of bread.” But he answered, “It is written, “‘Man shall not live by bread alone, but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.’” Then the devil took him to the holy city and set him on the pinnacle of the temple ...
Hebrews 9:2 ESV / 11 helpful votes For a tent was prepared, the first section, in which were the lampstand and the table and the bread of the Presence. It is called the Holy Place.
Matthew 5:15-16 ESV / 11 helpful votes Nor do people light a lamp and put it under a basket, but on a stand, and it gives light to all in the house. In the same way, let your light shine before others, so that they may see your good works and give glory to your Father who is in heaven.
Zechariah 4:2 ESV / 11 helpful votes And he said to me, “What do you see?” I said, “I see, and behold, a lampstand all of gold, with a bowl on the top of it, and seven lamps on it, with seven lips on each of the lamps that are on the top of it.
Psalm 36:9 ESV / 11 helpful votes For with you is the fountain of life; in your light do we see light.
Ephesians 5:8 ESV / 10 helpful votes For at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord. Walk as children of light
Numbers 8:2 ESV / 9 helpful votes “Speak to Aaron and say to him, When you set up the lamps, the seven lamps shall give light in front of the lampstand.”
John 11:9 ESV / 8 helpful votes Jesus answered, “Are there not twelve hours in the day? If anyone walks in the day, he does not stumble, because he sees the light of this world.
John 3:16-17 ESV / 8 helpful votes “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but in order that the world might be saved through him.
John 3:16 ESV / 8 helpful votes “For God so loved the world, that he gave his only Son, that whoever believes in him should not perish but have eternal life.
John 1:9 ESV / 8 helpful votes The true light, which gives light to everyone, was coming into the world.
Mark 4:21-22 ESV / 8 helpful votes And he said to them, “Is a lamp brought in to be put under a basket, or under a bed, and not on a stand? For nothing is hidden except to be made manifest; nor is anything secret except to come to light.
Mark 4:1-41 ESV / 8 helpful votes Again he began to teach beside the sea. And a very large crowd gathered about him, so that he got into a boat and sat in it on the sea, and the whole crowd was beside the sea on the land. And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them: “Listen! Behold, a sower went out to sow. And as he sowed, some seed fell along the path, and the birds came and devoured it. Other seed fell on rocky ground, where it did not have much soil, and immediately it sprang up, since it had no depth of soil. ...
Matthew 25:1 ESV / 8 helpful votes “Then the kingdom of heaven will be like ten virgins who took their lamps and went to meet the bridegroom.
Matthew 5:1-14:36 ESV / 8 helpful votes Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. ...
Revelation 1:1-20 ESV / 7 helpful votes The revelation of Jesus Christ, which God gave him to show to his servants the things that must soon take place. He made it known by sending his angel to his servant John, who bore witness to the word of God and to the testimony of Jesus Christ, even to all that he saw. Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near. John to the seven churches that are in Asia: Grace to you and peace from him who is and who was and who is to come, and from the seven spirits who are before his throne, and from Jesus Christ the faithful witness, the firstborn of the dead, and the ruler of kings on earth. To him who loves us and has freed us from our sins by his blood ...
John 12:36 ESV / 7 helpful votes While you have the light, believe in the light, that you may become sons of light.” When Jesus had said these things, he departed and hid himself from them.
Matthew 15:1-39 ESV / 7 helpful votes Then Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem and said, “Why do your disciples break the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat.” He answered them, “And why do you break the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? For God commanded, ‘Honor your father and your mother,’ and, ‘Whoever reviles father or mother must surely die.’ But you say, ‘If anyone tells his father or his mother, “What you would have gained from me is given to God,” ...
Matthew 13:33 ESV / 7 helpful votes He told them another parable. “The kingdom of heaven is like leaven that a woman took and hid in three measures of flour, till it was all leavened.”
Isaiah 60:19 ESV / 7 helpful votes The sun shall be no more your light by day, nor for brightness shall the moon give you light; but the Lord will be your everlasting light, and your God will be your glory.
John 14:6 ESV / 6 helpful votes Jesus said to him, “I am the way, and the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me.
Luke 11:2 ESV / 6 helpful votes And he said to them, “When you pray, say: “Father, hallowed be your name. Your kingdom come.
Luke 8:16-18 ESV / 6 helpful votes “No one after lighting a lamp covers it with a jar or puts it under a bed, but puts it on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. For nothing is hidden that will not be made manifest, nor is anything secret that will not be known and come to light. Take care then how you hear, for to the one who has, more will be given, and from the one who has not, even what he thinks that he has will be taken away.”
Mark 4:2 ESV / 6 helpful votes And he was teaching them many things in parables, and in his teaching he said to them:
Matthew 22:36-40 ESV / 6 helpful votes “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?” And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.”
Matthew 15:23 ESV / 6 helpful votes But he did not answer her a word. And his disciples came and begged him, saying, “Send her away, for she is crying out after us.”
Matthew 11:1-30 ESV / 6 helpful votes When Jesus had finished instructing his twelve disciples, he went on from there to teach and preach in their cities. 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. ...
Matthew 5:5 ESV / 6 helpful votes “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth.
Matthew 4:16 ESV / 6 helpful votes The people dwelling in darkness have seen a great light, and for those dwelling in the region and shadow of death, on them a light has dawned.”
Isaiah 9:7 ESV / 6 helpful votes Of the increase of his government and of peace there will be no end, on the throne of David and over his kingdom, to establish it and to uphold it with justice and with righteousness from this time forth and forevermore. The zeal of the Lord of hosts will do this.
1 Samuel 19:13 ESV / 6 helpful votes Michal took an image and laid it on the bed and put a pillow of goats' hair at its head and covered it with the clothes.
Revelation 22:18-19 ESV / 5 helpful votes I warn everyone who hears the words of the prophecy of this book: if anyone adds to them, God will add to him the plagues described in this book, and if anyone takes away from the words of the book of this prophecy, God will take away his share in the tree of life and in the holy city, which are described in this book.
Colossians 2:1-23 ESV / 5 helpful votes For I want you to know how great a struggle I have for you and for those at Laodicea and for all who have not seen me face to face, that their hearts may be encouraged, being knit together in love, to reach all the riches of full assurance of understanding and the knowledge of God's mystery, which is Christ, in whom are hidden all the treasures of wisdom and knowledge. I say this in order that no one may delude you with plausible arguments. For though I am absent in body, yet I am with you in spirit, rejoicing to see your good order and the firmness of your faith in Christ. ...
2 Corinthians 4:6 ESV / 5 helpful votes For God, who said, “Let light shine out of darkness,” has shone in our hearts to give the light of the knowledge of the glory of God in the face of Jesus Christ.
John 12:35 ESV / 5 helpful votes So Jesus said to them, “The light is among you for a little while longer. Walk while you have the light, lest darkness overtake you. The one who walks in the darkness does not know where he is going.
Luke 11:33-36 ESV / 5 helpful votes “No one after lighting a lamp puts it in a cellar or under a basket, but on a stand, so that those who enter may see the light. Your eye is the lamp of your body. When your eye is healthy, your whole body is full of light, but when it is bad, your body is full of darkness. Therefore be careful lest the light in you be darkness. If then your whole body is full of light, having no part dark, it will be wholly bright, as when a lamp with its rays gives you light.”
Luke 1:16-79 ESV / 5 helpful votes And he will turn many of the children of Israel to the Lord their God, and he will go before him in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the fathers to the children, and the disobedient to the wisdom of the just, to make ready for the Lord a people prepared.” And Zechariah said to the angel, “How shall I know this? For I am an old man, and my wife is advanced in years.” And the angel answered him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I was sent to speak to you and to bring you this good news. And behold, you will be silent and unable to speak until the day that these things take place, because you did not believe my words, which will be fulfilled in their time.” ...
Luke 1:1-80 ESV / 5 helpful votes Inasmuch as many have undertaken to compile a narrative of the things that have been accomplished among us, just as those who from the beginning were eyewitnesses and ministers of the word have delivered them to us, it seemed good to me also, having followed all things closely for some time past, to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, that you may have certainty concerning the things you have been taught. In the days of Herod, king of Judea, there was a priest named Zechariah, of the division of Abijah. And he had a wife from the daughters of Aaron, and her name was Elizabeth. ...
Matthew 5:44 ESV / 5 helpful votes But I say to you, Love your enemies and pray for those who persecute you,
Matthew 5:13 ESV / 5 helpful votes “You are the salt of the earth, but if salt has lost its taste, how shall its saltiness be restored? It is no longer good for anything except to be thrown out and trampled under people's feet.
Matthew 5:2 ESV / 5 helpful votes And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying:
Micah 6:8 ESV / 5 helpful votes He has told you, O man, what is good; and what does the Lord require of you but to do justice, and to love kindness, and to walk humbly with your God?
Genesis 1:4 ESV / 5 helpful votes And God saw that the light was good. And God separated the light from the darkness.
Genesis 1:3 ESV / 5 helpful votes And God said, “Let there be light,” and there was light.
Revelation 22:5 ESV / 4 helpful votes And night will be no more. They will need no light of lamp or sun, for the Lord God will be their light, and they will reign forever and ever.
1 Peter 2:9 ESV / 4 helpful votes But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light.
Colossians 1:1-29 ESV / 4 helpful votes Paul, an apostle of Christ Jesus by the will of God, and Timothy our brother, To the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae: Grace to you and peace from God our Father. We always thank God, the Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, when we pray for you, since we heard of your faith in Christ Jesus and of the love that you have for all the saints, because of the hope laid up for you in heaven. Of this you have heard before in the word of the truth, the gospel, ...
John 3:2 ESV / 4 helpful votes This man came to Jesus by night and said to him, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher come from God, for no one can do these signs that you do unless God is with him.”
Luke 1:68-79 ESV / 4 helpful votes “Blessed be the Lord God of Israel, for he has visited and redeemed his people and has raised up a horn of salvation for us in the house of his servant David, as he spoke by the mouth of his holy prophets from of old, that we should be saved from our enemies and from the hand of all who hate us; to show the mercy promised to our fathers and to remember his holy covenant, ...
Matthew 5:3 ESV / 4 helpful votes “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven.
Matthew 5:1-15:39 ESV / 4 helpful votes Seeing the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and when he sat down, his disciples came to him. And he opened his mouth and taught them, saying: “Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. “Blessed are those who mourn, for they shall be comforted. “Blessed are the meek, for they shall inherit the earth. ...
Isaiah 9:2 ESV / 4 helpful votes The people who walked in darkness have seen a great light; those who dwelt in a land of deep darkness, on them has light shone.
Genesis 27:39-41 ESV / 4 helpful votes Then Isaac his father answered and said to him: “Behold, away from the fatness of the earth shall your dwelling be, and away from the dew of heaven on high. By your sword you shall live, and you shall serve your brother; but when you grow restless you shall break his yoke from your neck.” Now Esau hated Jacob because of the blessing with which his father had blessed him, and Esau said to himself, “The days of mourning for my father are approaching; then I will kill my brother Jacob.”
1 Corinthians 6:2-3 ESV / 3 helpful votes Or do you not know that the saints will judge the world? And if the world is to be judged by you, are you incompetent to try trivial cases? Do you not know that we are to judge angels? How much more, then, matters pertaining to this life!
Romans 12:19-21 ESV / 3 helpful votes Beloved, never avenge yourselves, but leave it to the wrath of God, for it is written, “Vengeance is mine, I will repay, says the Lord.” To the contrary, “if your enemy is hungry, feed him; if he is thirsty, give him something to drink; for by so doing you will heap burning coals on his head.” Do not be overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.
Acts 13:47 ESV / 3 helpful votes For so the Lord has commanded us, saying, “‘I have made you a light for the Gentiles, that you may bring salvation to the ends of the earth.’”
John 3:19 ESV / 3 helpful votes And this is the judgment: the light has come into the world, and people loved the darkness rather than the light because their works were evil.
Isaiah 11:11 ESV / 3 helpful votes In that day the Lord will extend his hand yet a second time to recover the remnant that remains of his people, from Assyria, from Egypt, from Pathros, from Cush, from Elam, from Shinar, from Hamath, and from the coastlands of the sea.
Revelation 1:3 ESV / 2 helpful votes Blessed is the one who reads aloud the words of this prophecy, and blessed are those who hear, and who keep what is written in it, for the time is near.
1 John 1:5 ESV / 2 helpful votes This is the message we have heard from him and proclaim to you, that God is light, and in him is no darkness at all.
1 Peter 2:2 ESV / 2 helpful votes Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation--
Hebrews 11:1 ESV / 2 helpful votes Now faith is the assurance of things hoped for, the conviction of things not seen.
Philippians 4:13 ESV / 2 helpful votes I can do all things through him who strengthens me.
Philippians 2:3 ESV / 2 helpful votes Do nothing from selfish ambition or conceit, but in humility count others more significant than yourselves.
Philippians 2:2 ESV / 2 helpful votes Complete my joy by being of the same mind, having the same love, being in full accord and of one mind.
Ephesians 5:14 ESV / 2 helpful votes For anything that becomes visible is light. Therefore it says, “Awake, O sleeper, and arise from the dead, and Christ will shine on you.”
Ephesians 5:2 ESV / 2 helpful votes And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.
2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV / 2 helpful votes In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God.
Acts 10:1-48 ESV / 2 helpful votes At Caesarea there was a man named Cornelius, a centurion of what was known as the Italian Cohort, a devout man who feared God with all his household, gave alms generously to the people, and prayed continually to God. About the ninth hour of the day he saw clearly in a vision an angel of God come in and say to him, “Cornelius.” And he stared at him in terror and said, “What is it, Lord?” And he said to him, “Your prayers and your alms have ascended as a memorial before God. And now send men to Joppa and bring one Simon who is called Peter. ...
John 3:4 ESV / 2 helpful votes Nicodemus said to him, “How can a man be born when he is old? Can he enter a second time into his mother's womb and be born?”
John 3:3 ESV / 2 helpful votes Jesus answered him, “Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
John 1:8 ESV / 2 helpful votes He was not the light, but came to bear witness about the light.
John 1:5 ESV / 2 helpful votes The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.
John 1:2 ESV / 2 helpful votes He was in the beginning with God.