The Life of Jesus

"And when I broke the seven loaves for the four thousand, how many baskets full of broken pieces did you collect?" "Seven," they answered.

He said to them, "And you still don't understand?"

They came to Beit-Tzaidah. Some people brought him a blind man and begged Yeshua to touch him.

Taking the blind man's hand, he led him outside the town. He spit in his eyes, put his hands on him and asked him, "Do you see anything?"

He looked up and said, "I see people, but they look like walking trees."

Then he put his hands on the blind man's eyes again. He peered intently, and his eyesight was restored, so that he could see everything distinctly.

Yeshua sent him home with the words, "Don't go into town."

Yeshua and his talmidim went on to the towns of Caesarea Philippi. On the way, he asked his talmidim, "Who are people saying I am?"

"Some say you are Yochanan the Immerser," they told him, "others say Eliyahu, and still others, one of the prophets."

"But you," he asked, "who do you say I am?" Kefa answered, "You are the Mashiach."

Then Yeshua warned them not to tell anyone about him.

He began teaching them that the Son of Man had to endure much suffering and be rejected by the elders, the head cohanim and the Torah-teachers; and that he had to be put to death; but that after three days, he had to rise again.

He spoke very plainly about it. Kefa took him aside and began rebuking him.

But, turning around and looking at his talmidim, he rebuked Kefa. "Get behind me, Satan!" he said, "For your thinking is from a human perspective, not from God's perspective!"

Then Yeshua called the crowd and his talmidim to him and told them, "If anyone wants to come after me, let him say `No' to himself, take up his execution stake, and keep following me.

For whoever wants to save his own life will destroy it, but whoever destroys his life for my sake and for the sake of the Good News will save it.

Indeed, what will it benefit a person if he gains the whole world but forfeits his life?

What could a person give in exchange for his life?

For if someone is ashamed of me and of what I say in this adulterous and sinful generation, the Son of Man also will be ashamed of him when he comes in his Father's glory with the holy angels.

Yes!" he went on, "I tell you that there are some people standing here who will not experience death until they see the Kingdom of God come in a powerful way!"

Six days later, Yeshua took Kefa, Ya`akov and Yochanan and led them up a high mountain privately. As they watched, he began to change form,

and his clothes became dazzlingly white, whiter than anyone in the world could possibly bleach them.

Then they saw Eliyahu and Moshe speaking with Yeshua.

Kefa said to Yeshua, "It's good that we're here, Rabbi! Let's put up three shelters -- one for you, one for Moshe and one for Eliyahu."

(He didn't know what to say, they were so frightened.)