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Disciples
from Bethsaida
CHAPTER 14
Cephas, Amram, Ya'akov,
Yohhanan, Philip and Nathanael all become disciples of Yeshua
from Bethsaida.
1 And it came to pass that Yeshua and Miriam and Philip walked
back into Galilee and the excitement and joy of Philip grew with
each step, as he continued to feast upon the words of Yeshua.
2 As they did at every opportunity, Yeshua and Miriam went
first to
Nazareth
that they might again see their children and the family of
Yeshua; and Philip came with them.
3 The family of Yeshua was happy to meet Philip for they knew
his presence meant that Yeshua had begun to publicly allow
himself to be recognized as a Rabbi.
4 But as Yeshua and Miriam and Philip made ready to depart
again for the lake country, Yakov was agitated that Philip
walked with Yeshua as his disciple, but his brother had not
asked him to come with them.
5 Of all the brothers, Yakov most cherished the teachings of
Yeshua and he desired to be with him in his ministry.
6 Yeshua sensed his brother’s feelings and said unto him, “You are
a great light upon the land, and your voice shall be heard by
all the Children of Israel who seek the light.
7 Where there shall be few who hear my words and hearken to
the light, there will be many who hear your words and hearken
unto it.
8 I am the light of the world, and you are a great flame of
the fire. But your time is not now, while the sun still shines
high in the sky, but after it has been buried in darkness, then
rises again.
9 Today you hold the sacred charge to be a steward of our
mother and our wives and our children. As you are a good
steward over a few, Elohim shall make you a great steward over
many, even all of
Jerusalem.”
10 And Yakov was humbled and happy at the words of Yeshua, and
with new understanding, he bid him God’s light until they met
again.
11 After saying goodbye again to their children and family
with words and warm embraces, Yeshua and Miriam departed again
on the road to the east, accompanied by Philip.
12 Because Philip was with them, they did not stop at the
villa on the
Lake
at Magdala, but continued on to
Capernaum,
where Miriam’s father owned a small two room house. They
returned to this house often as Yeshua began to teach the light
of Elohim at Galilee and among the Children of Israel.
13 Leaving Yeshua and Miriam for a short time, Philip returned
to his home on the other side of the river in Bethsaida to let
his friends and family know that Yeshua and Miriam had returned
and that Yeshua had asked him to become his disciple.
14 Now the brothers Cephas and Amram were surprised to learn
that Philip was already counted a disciple of Yeshua, for they
remembered that Yeshua said he would return and ask them if they
were prepared in their hearts to follow him. As Cephas was a
local leader of the delta area they assumed he would be asked
before any others.
15 The following day, Philip went to see Yeshua and Miriam at
Capernaum
and his friend Nathanael, a merchant, traveled with him, and
Philip said unto him, “He is here, the man of whom Moses and the
law and the prophets did write, even Yeshua of Nazareth, the son
of Yosef.”
16 Nathanael was dubious, saying, “Can anything good come out
of
Nazareth?
I do not understand how anyone can even stand to live in that
place, even though the view is beautiful from the top of the
mountain. Surely if God was going to raise a prophet in our
day, he would come from almost anywhere else.”
17 And Philip said unto him, “We are here now, let us seek him
out and you can see for yourself. I said he was a prophet but
truly, I feel he is more than that.”
18 And it came to pass that they found Yeshua and Miriam
conversing beneath a fig tree, and seeing them approach Yeshua
called out to them, saying, “Greetings Philip and Nathanael.”
19 And Nathanael replied, “How is it that you know my name?
20 And Yeshua answered unto him saying, “Philip has spoken to
us of you as a man without guile. You wear that truth upon your
countenance. You could only be he of whom Philip has thus
spoken.”
21 Nathanael was astounded saying, “Surely you must be a
prophet to be able to read such things in the faces of men.”
22 Yeshua laughed and said unto him, “Because I said I could
see in your face that you are a man without guile you believe in
me? Verily, I say unto you, hereafter you shall see greater
things than this.”
23 And from that day forth Nathanael was counted as a disciple
of Yeshua.
24 And it came to pass that Yeshua went with his wife and
Philip and Nathanael to Bethsaida that same day, and coming to
the shore of the lake he saw the boats of Cephas and the sons of
Zebedee casting nets into the waters of the lake; and beckoning
them toward shore, he walked into the water to meet their boats.
25 Standing nearly to his waist in the water he grasped the
boat of Cephas on one side and the boat of the sons of Zebedee
on the other, and calling out, asked, “Cephas, Amram, Ya’akov
and Yohhanan, can you bear the brightness of the light?”
26 And Cephas and Amram and the sons of Zebedee remembered the
words of Yeshua from when he had last spoken to them, asking
that they ponder upon the teachings he had given them, and
decide if they could live them in their lives, even though they
might be different than the law would dictate and not the same
as the traditions to which they were accustomed.
27 They had spoken of these things many days among themselves,
and they knew now their true hearts. And Cephas replied, “I
will follow you wherever your light leads.”
28 And Amram said, “I am blessed among men to have a greater
light to follow. Though I am only a fisherman with little in my
head, my heart yearns for the greater light. I will follow you
to learn of it.”
29 And Yohhanan answered, “You are the light. Your words
pierce my heart and I have awaited your return. I know my family
will be cared for as I care for the light”
30 And Ya’akov replied, “Although I still do not understand
all that you teach of women, I greatly desire to learn more, and
I will follow you and share the light you give to us with
others.”
31 Then Yeshua bade them to jump into the water beside him and
straightway they did, pushing their boats back into the lake;
and Cephas turned to the men remaining in the boat and told them
to return to
Bethsaida.
32 Zebedee stood in his boat with his servants holding an
empty net and he looked at his sons in disbelief.
33 Yeshua and the four men walked to shore, and Yeshua said
unto them, “You have been fishers of the sea; and from the fish,
life you have taken. Now I will teach you how to be fishers of
men; and to the men, life you shall give.”
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