Build on the Rock-Luke 6:47-49 24 "Therefore, everyone who hears what I say and obeys it will be like a wise person who built a house on rock. 25 Rain poured, and floods came. Winds blew and beat against that house. But it did not collapse, because its foundation was on rock.

26 "Everyone who hears what I say but doesn't obey it will be like a foolish person who built a house on sand. 27 Rain poured, and floods came. Winds blew and struck that house. It collapsed, and the result was a total disaster."

28 When Yeshua finished this speech, the crowds were amazed at his teachings. 29 Unlike their experts in Moses' Teachings, he taught them with authority.

Jesus Cures a Man with a Skin Disease-Mark 1:40-45; Luke 5:12-16 8 1 When Yeshua came down from the mountain, large crowds followed him. 2 A man with a serious skin disease came and bowed down in front of him. The man said to Yeshua, "Sir, if you're willing, you can make me clean."a 3 Yeshua reached out, touched him, and said, "I'm willing. So be clean!" Immediately, his skin disease went away, and he was clean.

4 Yeshua said to him, "Don't tell anyone about this! Instead, show yourself to the priest. Then offer the sacrifice Moses commanded as proof to people that you are clean."

A Believing Army Officer-Luke 7:1-10 5 When Yeshua went to Capernaum, a Roman army officer came to beg him for help. 6 The officer said, "Sir, my servant is lying at home paralyzed and in terrible pain."

7 Yeshua said to him, "I'll come to heal him."

8 The officer responded, "Sir, I don't deserve to have you come into my house. But just give a command, and my servant will be healed. 9 As you know, I'm in a chain of command and have soldiers at my command. I tell one of them, 'Go!' and he goes, and another, 'Come!' and he comes. I tell my servant, 'Do this!' and he does it."

10 Yeshua was amazed when he heard this. He said to those who were following him, "I can guarantee this truth: I haven't found faith as great as this in anyone in Israel. 11 I can guarantee that many will come from all over the world. They will eat with Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob in the kingdom of heaven. 12 The citizens of that kingdom will be thrown outside into the darkness. People will cry and be in extreme pain there.

13 Yeshua told the officer, "Go! What you believed will be done for you." And at that moment the servant was healed.

Jesus Cures Peter's Mother-in-Law and Many Others-Mark 1:29-34; Luke 4:38-41 14 When Yeshua went to Peter's house, he saw Peter's mother-in-law in bed with a fever. 15 Yeshua touched her hand, and the fever went away. So she got up and prepared a meal for him.

16 In the evening the people brought him many who were possessed by demons. He forced the evil spirits out of people with a command and cured everyone who was sick. 17 So what the prophet Isaiah had said came true: "He took away our weaknesses and removed our diseases."

18 Now, when Yeshua saw a crowd around him, he ordered his disciples to cross to the other side of the Sea of Galilee.

What It Takes to Be a Disciple-Luke 9:57-62 19 An expert in Moses' Teachings came to him and said, "Teacher, I'll follow you wherever you go."

20 Yeshua told him, "Foxes have holes, and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has nowhere to sleep."

21 Another disciple said to him, "Sir, first let me go to bury my father."

22 But Yeshua told him, "Follow me, and let the dead bury their own dead."

Jesus Calms the Sea-Mark 4:35-41; Luke 8:22-25 23 Yeshua's disciples went with him as he left in a boat. 24 Suddenly, a severe storm came across the sea. The waves were covering the boat. Yet, Yeshua was sleeping.

25 So they woke him up, saying, "Lord! Save us! We're going to die!"

26 Yeshua said to them, "Why do you cowards have so little faith?" Then he got up, gave an order to the wind and the sea, and the sea became very calm.

27 The men were amazed and asked, "What kind of man is this? Even the wind and the sea obey him!"

Jesus Cures Two Demon-Possessed Men-Mark 5:1-20; Luke 8:26-39 28 When he arrived in the territory of the Gadarenes on the other side of the Sea of Galilee, two men met him. They were possessed by demons and had come out of the tombs. No one could travel along that road because the men were so dangerous.

29 They shouted, "Why are you bothering us now, Son of God? Did you come here to torture us before it is time?"

30 A large herd of pigs was feeding in the distance. 31 The demons begged Yeshua, "If you're going to force us out, send us into that herd of pigs."

32 Yeshua said to them, "Go!" The demons came out and went into the pigs. Suddenly, the whole herd rushed down the cliff into the sea and died in the water. 33 Those who took care of the pigs ran into the city. There they reported everything, especially about the men possessed by demons.

34 Everyone from the city went to meet Yeshua . When they saw him, they begged him to leave their territory.

Jesus Forgives Sins-Mark 2:1-12; Luke 5:17-26 9 1 Yeshua got into a boat, crossed the sea, and came to his own city. 2 Some people brought him a paralyzed man on a stretcher.

When Yeshua saw their faith, he said to the man, "Cheer up, friend! Your sins are forgiven."

3 Then some of the experts in Moses' Teachings thought, "He's dishonoring God."

4 Yeshua knew what they were thinking. He asked them, "Why are you thinking evil things? 5 Is it easier to say, 'Your sins are forgiven,' or to say, 'Get up and walk'? 6 I want you to know that the Son of Man has authority on earth to forgive sins." Then he said to the paralyzed man, "Get up, pick up your stretcher, and go home."

7 So the man got up and went home. 8 When the crowd saw this, they were filled with awe and praised God for giving such authority to humans.

Jesus Chooses Matthew to Be a Disciple-Mark 2:13-17; Luke 5:27-32 9 When Yeshua was leaving that place, he saw a man sitting in a tax office. The man's name was Matthew. Yeshua said to him, "Follow me!" So Matthew got up and followed him.

10 Later Yeshua was having dinner at Matthew's house. Many tax collectors and sinners came to eat with Yeshua and his disciples. 11 The Pharisees saw this and asked his disciples, "Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?"

12 When Yeshua heard that, he said, "Healthy people don't need a doctor; those who are sick do. 13 Learn what this means: 'I want mercy, not sacrifices.' I've come to call sinners, not people who think they have God's approval."

Jesus Is Questioned about Fasting-Mark 2:18-22; Luke 5:33-39 14 Then John's disciples came to Yeshua. They said, "Why do we and the Pharisees fast often but your disciples never do?"

15 Yeshua replied, "Can wedding guests be sad while the groom is still with them? The time will come when the groom will be taken away from them. Then they will fast.

16 "No one patches an old coat with a new piece of cloth that will shrink. When the patch shrinks, it will rip away from the coat, and the tear will become worse. 17 Nor do people pour new wine into old wineskins. If they do, the skins burst, the wine runs out, and the skins are ruined. Rather, people pour new wine into fresh skins, and both are saved."

A Synagogue Leader's Daughter and the Woman with Chronic Bleeding-Mark 5:21-43; Luke 8:40-56 18 A synagogue leader came to Yeshua while he was talking to John's disciples. He bowed down in front of Yeshua and said, "My daughter just died. Come, lay your hand on her, and she will live."

19 Yeshua and his disciples got up and followed the man.

20 Then a woman came up behind Yeshua and touched the edge of his clothes. She had been suffering from chronic bleeding for twelve years. 21 She thought, "If I only touch his clothes, I'll get well."

22 When Yeshua turned and saw her he said, "Cheer up, daughter! Your faith has made you well." At that very moment the woman became well.

23 Yeshua came to the synagogue leader's house. He saw flute players and a noisy crowd. 24 He said to them, "Leave! The girl is not dead. She's sleeping." But they laughed at him.

25 When the crowd had been put outside, Yeshua went in, took her hand, and the girl came back to life.

26 The news about this spread throughout that region.

Jesus Heals Two Blind Men 27 When Yeshua left that place, two blind men followed him. They shouted, "Have mercy on us, Son of David."

28 Yeshua went into a house, and the blind men followed him. He said to them, "Do you believe that I can do this?"

"Yes, Lord," they answered.

29 He touched their eyes and said, "What you have believed will be done for you!" 30 Then they could see.

He warned them, "Don't let anyone know about this!" 31 But they went out and spread the news about him throughout that region.

Jesus Forces a Demon out of a Man Who Couldn't Talk 32 As they were leaving, some people brought a man to Yeshua. The man was unable to talk because he was possessed by a demon. 33 But as soon as the demon was forced out, the man began to speak.

The crowds were amazed and said, "We have never seen anything like this in Israel!"

34 But the Pharisees said, "He forces demons out of people with the help of the ruler of demons."

Jesus' Compassion for People 35 Yeshua went to all the towns and villages. He taught in the synagogues and spread the Good News of the kingdom. He also cured every disease and sickness.

36 When he saw the crowds, he felt sorry for them. They were troubled and helpless like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, "The harvest is large, but the workers are few. 38 So ask the Lord who gives this harvest to send workers to harvest his crops."

Jesus Appoints Twelve Apostles-Mark 3:13-19;Luke 6:12-16 10 1 Yeshua called his twelve disciples and gave them authority to force evil spirits out of people and to cure every disease and sickness.

2 These are the names of the twelve apostles: first and foremost, Simon (who is called Peter) and his brother Andrew; James and his brother John, the sons of Zebedee; 3 Philip and Bartholomew; Thomas and Matthew the tax collector; James (son of Alphaeus), and Thaddaeus; 4 Simon the Zealot and Judas Iscariot, who later betrayed Yeshua.

Jesus Sends Out the Twelve-Mark 6:7-13; Luke 9:1-6 5 Yeshua sent these twelve out with the following instructions: "Don't go among people who are not Jewish or into any Samaritan city. 6 Instead, go to the lost sheep of the nation of Israel. 7 As you go, spread this message: 'The kingdom of heaven is near.' 8 Cure the sick, bring the dead back to life, cleanse those with skin diseases, and force demons out of people. Give these things without charging, since you received them without paying.

9 "Don't take any gold, silver, or even copper coins in your pockets. 10 Don't take a traveling bag for the trip, a change of clothes, sandals, or a walking stick. After all, the worker deserves to have his needs met.

11 "When you go into a city or village, look for people who will listen to you there. Stay with them until you leave that place. 12 When you go into a house, greet the family. 13 If it is a family that listens to you, allow your greeting to stand. But if it is not receptive, take back your greeting. 14 If anyone doesn't welcome you or listen to what you say, leave that house or city, and shake its dust off your feet. 15 I can guarantee this truth: Judgment day will be better for Sodom and Gomorrah than for that city.

16 "I'm sending you out like sheep among wolves. So be as cunning as snakes but as innocent as doves. 17 Watch out for people who will hand you over to the Jewish courts and whip you in their synagogues. 18 Because of me you will even be brought in front of governors and kings to testify to them and to everyone in the world. 19 When they hand you over to the authorities, don't worry about what to say or how to say it. When the time comes, you will be given what to say. 20 Indeed, you're not the ones who will be speaking. The Spirit of your Father will be speaking through you.

21 "Brother will hand over brother to death; a father will hand over his child. Children will rebel against their parents and kill them. 22 Everyone will hate you because you are committed to me. But the person who patiently endures to the end will be saved. 23 So when they persecute you in one city, flee to another. I can guarantee this truth: Before you have gone through every city in Israel, the Son of Man will come.

24 "A student is not better than his teacher. Nor is a slave better than his owner. 25 It is enough for a student to become like his teacher and a slave like his owner. If they have called the owner of the house Beelzebul,a they will certainly call the family members the same name. 26 So don't be afraid of them. Nothing has been covered that will not be exposed. Whatever is secret will be made known. 27 Tell in the daylight what I say to you in the dark. Shout from the housetops what you hear whispered. 28 Don't be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Instead, fear the one who can destroy both body and soul in hell.

29 "Aren't two sparrows sold for a penny? Not one of them will fall to the ground without your Father's permission. 30 Every hair on your head has been counted. 31 Don't be afraid! You are worth more than many sparrows.

32 "So I will acknowledge in front of my Father in heaven that person who acknowledges me in front of others. 33 But I will tell my Father in heaven that I don't know the person who tells others that he doesn't know me.

34 "Don't think that I came to bring peace to earth. I didn't come to bring peace but conflict. 35 I came to turn a man against his father, a daughter against her mother, a daughter-in-law against her mother-in-law. 36 A person's enemies will be the members of his own family.

37 "The person who loves his father or mother more than me does not deserve to be my disciple. The person who loves a son or daughter more than me does not deserve to be my disciple. 38 Whoever doesn't take up his cross and follow me doesn't deserve to be my disciple. 39 The person who tries to preserve his life will lose it, but the person who loses his life for me will preserve it.

40 "The person who welcomes you welcomes me, and the person who welcomes me welcomes the one who sent me. 41 The person who welcomes a prophet as a prophet will receive a prophet's reward. The person who welcomes a righteous person as a righteous person will receive a righteous person's reward. 42 I can guarantee this truth: Whoever gives any of my humble followers a cup of cold water because that person is my disciple will certainly never lose his reward."

SON OF DAVID.

Though composed of many books written at different times by different authors, much of the Bible is a continuing narrative that tells the story of salvation in ever-deepening detail. One of the ways it does this is by encapsulating the story or part of the story in the life of a particular person in the Bible whose shadow is then cast forward across the remaining pages of the Bible.

David is certainly one of these characters, for in many ways his life prefigures the life of Christ. Like David, who established his kingdom by overcoming Israel's enemies and uniting God's people, Jesus would establish his kingdom by defeating the principalities and powers and by drawing people from every tribe and tongue and nation together in his kingdom.

Many of the Jews at the time of Jesus believed that the Messiah would be a direct descendant of the great King David, whom God described "as a man after my own heart." The Gospels refer to Jesus as the "Son of David," or Huios Dauid, fifteen times, nine of these in the Gospel of Matthew. The New Testament also refers to Jesus as the "Root and Offspring of David," the "descendant" or "seed" of David, and the one who holds the "key of David." The Hebrew phrase for "Son of David" is ben-Dawid (ben-DA-wid).

A related idea is contained in the Hebrew word tsemach (tseh-MAK), which is translated as "branch." The most notable appearance of this messianic title is contained in the book of Jeremiah. Jeremiah 23:5 speaks of a "righteous branch for David," a phrase that refers to a future heir to the dynastic line of David.

Praying to the Son of David When Barack Obama was inaugurated president of the United States, he swore the oath of office on a red velvet Bible trimmed in gold. It was the Bible Abraham Lincoln had used in his first inaugural. By doing so, the first African-American president was paying homage to Lincoln. Perhaps he was also hoping that the shadow of this great man would be cast over his own presidency.

In a similar way, the New Testament invokes the shadow of David, Israel's greatest king, to point to Jesus, the promised Messiah. Now let's take a look at one of the scenes from Matthew's Gospel in which a blind man addresses Jesus as "Son of David."

Imagine that you are one of the two blind men described in Matthew's Gospel. You have heard of the miracles that Jesus has performed all over Galilee. That's why you've followed him to the synagogue leader's house. A crowd has gathered outside, mourning the death of his daughter, who lies still and cold inside. When Jesus tries to soothe them, assuring them the girl is not dead but sleeping, they laugh. Who is this crazy man? But in the space of moments, the mood changes. Their mockery has vanished, replaced by a sense of awe, because the unthinkable has happened. Jesus is standing in the doorway and the girl is right behind him!

So you follow as Jesus leaves the house, jostling along with the crowd until you sense you are finally within shouting distance." Have mercy on us, Son of David," you yell, begging him to notice you.

He does and quickly addresses you with this question: "Do you believe that I can do this?"

"Yes, Lord." Then suddenly you feel his hands touching your eyes. You see a burst of light, and then you hear his voice again: "What you have believed will be done for you!"

You can see! And the first thing you see is the face of the man who healed you. Jesus, the Son of David, the one you have been waiting for all your life.

What are you waiting for? Do you believe that Jesus is the Son of David, the one who will heal all wounds, conquer all evils, restore all hope? Do you believe that he cares for you? If so, let him touch you, heal you, and save you, as you cry out for his help today.

Lord, you are the Son of David, the one who liberates us from all that oppresses-sin, sickness, ignorance, violence, and death. Lord, you ask if I believe-I do believe! You are my King and my God.

Promises Associated with the Name SON OF DAVID.

Then a shoot will come out from the stump of Jesse, and a branch from its roots will bear fruit.

The Ruach Yahweh will rest on him-the Ruach of wisdom and understanding, the Ruach of advice and power, the Ruach of knowledge and fear of Yahweh. . .

He will judge the poor justly.

He will make fair decisions for the humble people on earth. (Isaiah 11:1-2, 4)

11 1 After Yeshua finished giving his twelve disciples these instructions, he moved on from there to teach his message in their cities.

John Sends Two Disciples-Luke 7:18-23 2 When John was in prison, he heard about the things Christ had done. So he sent his disciples 3 to ask Yeshua, "Are you the one who is coming, or should we look for someone else?"

4 Yeshua answered John's disciples, "Go back, and tell John what you hear and see: 5 Blind people see again, lame people are walking, those with skin diseases are made clean, deaf people hear again, dead people are brought back to life, and poor people hear the Good News. 6 Whoever doesn't lose his faith in me is indeed blessed."

Jesus Speaks about John-Luke 7:24-35 7 As they were leaving, Yeshua spoke to the crowds about John. "What did you go into the desert to see? Tall grass swaying in the wind? 8 Really, what did you go to see? A man dressed in fine clothes? Those who wear fine clothes are in royal palaces.