The Life of Jesus

For he will be handed over to the Goyim and be ridiculed, insulted and spat upon.

Then, after they have beaten him, they will kill him. But on the third day he will rise.”

However, they understood none of this; its meaning had been hidden from them, and they had no idea what he was talking about.

As Yeshua approached Yericho, a blind man was sitting by the road, begging.

When he heard the crowd going past, he asked what it was all about;

and they told him, “Yeshua from Natzeret is passing by.”

He called out, “Yeshua! Son of David! Have pity on me!”

Those in front scolded him in order to get him to shut up, but he shouted all the louder, “Son of David! Have pity on me!”

Yeshua stopped and ordered the man to be brought to him. When he had come, Yeshua asked him,

“What do you want me to do for you?” The blind man said, “Lord, let me be able to see.”

Yeshua said to him, “See again! your trust has healed you!”

Instantly he received his sight and began following him, glorifying God; and when all the people saw it, they too praised God.

Yeshua entered Yericho and was passing through,

when a man named Zakkai appeared who was a chief tax-collector and a wealthy man.

He was trying to see who Yeshua was; but, being short, he couldn’t, because of the crowd.

So he ran on ahead and climbed a fig tree in order to see him, for Yeshua was about to pass that way.

When he came to the place, he looked up and said to him, “Zakkai! Hurry! Come down, because I have to stay at your house today!”

He climbed down as fast as he could and welcomed Yeshua joyfully.

Everyone who saw it began muttering, “He has gone to be the house-guest of a sinner.”

But Zakkai stood there and said to the Lord, “Here, Lord, I am giving half of all I own to the poor; and if I have cheated anyone, I will pay him back four times as much.”

Yeshua said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, inasmuch as this man too is a son of Avraham.

For the Son of Man came to seek and save what was lost.”

While they were listening to this, Yeshua went on to tell a parable, because he was near Yerushalayim, and the people supposed that the Kingdom of God was about to appear at any moment.

Therefore he said, “A nobleman went to a country far away to have himself crowned king and then return.

Calling ten of his servants, he gave them ten manim [a maneh is about three months’ wages] and said to them, ‘Do business with this while I’m away.’