Yahuchanan Six

 

1 After these things, Rebbe Y’shua went across the salt flats of Galil, close to Kinneret trnk, a lake that is shaped like a lyre. 

2 And a great number of people followed him there, after they had seen the signs he performed on behalf of those that were ill.

3 And because of the crowds, Y’shua went up into a mountain to gather his thoughts; and he sat down there, with his disciples around him. 

4 It was near the time of Pesach, a feast of the Yehudim.

5 Y’shua became absorbed in meditation; and when he had finished and opened his eyes, he saw that the great company of people had followed them up the mountain, wanting to hear more of his teachings. Understanding the moment, he said to Philip, “What concepts can we put together to offer these people, to address the spiritual hunger they have demonstrated by following us here?”

6 Y’shua said this to prove him; for he knew what he wanted to do.

7 Philip, who had become their quartermaster because he took such pleasure in moving about and interacting with individuals in the crowd, answered Y’shua well, saying “Were this a typical gathering of people, a king’s ransom r would not be enough to purchase food for them, even if every single one of them took but a little.”

8 One of his disciples—stalwart Andrew, Shimon Kepa’s brother—spoke up, saying, 

9 “There’s a youth, here, who has expressed an assortment h of roughed-out concepts and a couple b of intriguing ideas; but how could these be kneaded together to address the concerns of the many who are gathered here?”

10 Satisfied with their responses, Y’shua said, “Have the men sit down.” Now, the area in which they had all gathered was a large, natural courtyard; and the number of men that sat down, should they be lifted up by today’s teaching, would greatly magnify h the Father of us all a. So many were there: perhaps, five h thousand a.

11 And Y’shua lifted up the vague concepts before them and kneaded them together; and when he had given thanks, he shared their substance with the disciples; and the disciples, with the men who were seated in the courtyard, waiting to be fed. In like manner, they shared the intriguing ideas, every man among them accepting those things that served to satisfied his hunger.

12 And when the people had absorbed as much of the teachings as they possibly could, Y’shua said to his disciples, “Gather up the crumbs that remain, so that no concept is overlooked and forgotten.”

13 The disciples began gathering feedback from the crowd; and, beyond the meal prepared from the assortment of roughed-out concepts and the pair of intriguing ideas, the twelve by filled their “bellies” with what they could receive y and retain b; and further assertions y remained for later consumption b, over and above the benefit y of that which the people had absorbed b.

 

14 Then, those many men who shared in the feast, when they had partaken of the astonishing homilies that Yahushua had set before them, tasting their substance, spoke among themselves, saying, “This man is, of a truth, that prophet that should come into the world.”

15 When, Y’shua therefore perceived in his spirit that they would come and take him by force to make him king because of misplaced zeal, he again departed into a mountain by himself, to be alone.

 

16 On their own initiative, because Y’shua had gone off by himself, his disciples went down to the shore of Lake Kinneret when evening came; 

17 And they climbed into a boat and set out over the water, locked in the privacy of their own thoughts; for the boat that carried them was pointed toward K’farNachum. Darkness overtook them, and Y’shua had not come with them.

18 Deep questions arose because of the implications of the teachings. 

19 As each worked his way through the fluid concepts presented that day, anxiety stirred breezes of uncertainty among them; and, suddenly, they were caught up and driven by controversy that caused those fluid concepts to rise up out of all proportion, slapping them with confusion, like waves against the gunwales of the boat. Soon, they were assailed by strange concepts that were at odds with the teachings of Y’shua; and when they had debated their differences, going over them some twenty-five hk or thirty times l in the context k of what had been revealed h by the rebbe’s teachings l, they found themselves struggling hard to keep the faith. In the worst of the moment, they envisioned Yahushua, as though dancing on Kinneret—upon the “Lyre,” as the lake is called. Rising and falling with the issues that vexed them, he was coming ever closer, even while confusion threatened their mutual bonds;

20 So Yahushua called out to their spirits, “It is I. Don’t be afraid.”

21 Relieved at the recognition of Yahushua’s voice within their hearts, their spirits reached out, as though to draw him into their conversation; and at the very moment they sought help, their debate found solid ground. Because they were free, now, of both peril and doubt, their thoughts grounded, as if on their own; and their understandings became anchored within the principles that upheld them when, together, they had embarked upon their journey.

 

22 The next morning, people who had heard Y’shua and had remained on the other side of Kinneret made inquiry; and they determined that no boat had been beached upon the lake’s shoreline, other than the one into which the disciples had entered. They learned, also, that Y’shua hadn’t gone into the boat with his disciples; for they had commandeered the vessel on their own.

23 Other boats had arrived during the night, however, filled with broken people and mixed crews consisting of sycophants, stalkers, and busybodies, along with a remnant of genuinely inquisitive souls. Their boats were tethered together, one tied to the other, close to the place in which they had all eaten bread after the rebbe had given thanks.

24 And when the people had made certain that neither Y’shua nor his disciples were anywhere about, they reluctantly took to boats, themselves; and they made their way upon the waters of understanding as best they could, pointing their boats toward K’far-Nachum in search of Y’shua.

25 When they found him again, on the other side, where he stood patiently waiting in opposition to their uncertainties, they asked him, “Rebbe, how is it that you came to this place?”

26 Amused, Y’shua answered them, saying, “Truly! Truly I say to you that you came looking for me not because of the miraculous homilies, but because you absorbed the rough concepts of which they were comprised, and you were filled!

27 “Labor not for food that perishes, but for the food that endures unto everlasting Life. The answers to your hunger are things the Son of Man shall share with you: for him has Father hy sealed.”

28 Then they asked of him, “What should we do, so that we, also, might perform the works of HaShem?”

29 Y’shua answered with the words, “This is the work of HaShem: that you believe on him whom he has sent.”

30 When they heard this, they said to him, “What sign do you make known, then: that we may see, and believe you? What is this work you do? 

31 “Our fathers ate manna in the wilderness of confusion, as it is written: ‘He gave them bread from heaven to eat!’”

32 Then Y’shua said unto them, “Truly, I honestly tell you that Moshe didn’t give you bread from heaven; but my Father gives you the true bread of heaven. 

33 “For the bread of HaShem is he that descends from heaven and gives Life to the world.”

34 Then they said to him, “Rebbe, give us this bread, now and forever.”

35 And Yahushua proclaimed to them, “I am the bread of Life. He that comes to me will never hunger, and he that trusts me will never thirst. 

36 “But I would have you understand, also, that each of you has seen me within yourselves; and you have not believed. 

37 “All that the Father gives me shall come to me; and he that comes to me, I will not cast out, under any circumstance. 

38 “For I came down from heaven, not to do my own will, but to accomplish the will of him that projects me within this realm as the Imprimatur of Father hy, whose seal is entrusted to me; for there is no demarcation between the Father and his Projection. They are One; and within their Interface, there blossoms forth all that live. I am the Flower of Life.

39 “And this is the Father’s will, which he trusts me to accomplish: that of all he has given into my hands, I should lose nothing, but shall raise it all up in righteousness at the last day.

40 “And this is the will of him that sent me: his will is that all who perceive the Projection of HaShem within themselves and believe on its Presence shall have everlasting Life; for by the Father’s hand, I will have uplifted each of them to the immortal realm by the last day.”

41 Then a hubbub arose among the Yehudim, because Y’shua had said, “I am the bread that came down from heaven.” 

42 And they reasoned, “Is not this Hosea ben Yosef, whose father and mother we know? How can it be, then, that he says he came down from heaven?”

43 Answering their consternation, Yahushua reprimanded them, “Don’t gossip about who it is that speaks within you. 

44 “No man can come to me, except the Father that sent me draws him unto me; and when he does come to me, I will accept him without condition; and I will lift him up as he lives his life, raising him before our Father in perfection at the last day. 

45  “It is written in the prophets, ‘And they shall all be taught of HaShem.’ Thus, every man that has heard of the Father and has understood will come to me: 

46  “Not that any man has seen the Father, save he that is of Elohim; he has seen the Father.

47  “Truly I say to you, he that believes on me has everlasting Life.

48  “I am the Bread of Life. 

49  “Your fathers ate manna in the wilderness, and they died.

50 “The Projection of Father hy is the True Bread, which comes down from heaven, so that any man may eat thereof and not die. 

51 “I am the Living Bread that has come down from heaven! If anyone eats of this bread, he will live into the coming age; for the food that I give is my substance, which I give for the life of the world.”

52 Therefore, the Yehudim argued among themselves, saying, “How can this man give us his substance to eat?

53 Then Yahushua declared to them, “Truly, truly I say to you: if you have not absorbed the substance of the Son of Man and have not drunk of his essence, you have no Life in yourselves. 

54 “He who eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal Life, and I will raise him up in the last day.

55 “For my flesh is true food, and my blood is true drink. 

56 “He that absorbs my substance into himself, drinking of my essence, dwells in me, as I dwell in him. 

57 “As the Father of Life has sent me, and as I live by the Father: even so, he that eats me, that same one shall live by me. 

58 “This is the True Bread that comes down from heaven. Your fathers ate manna, and they died; but he that eats of this bread shall live forever.”

59 These things affirmed Y’shua in the shul, as he taught in K’far-Nachum.

60 Many of his followers, when they had heard this teaching, said, “This is a hard saying. Who can hear it?”

61 When Y’shua understood that his disciples were murmuring among themselves at this teaching, he asked of them, “Does this word offend you?

62 “What will you do, then, if you should perceive the Son of Man ascending up to where he was before, when he was given this teaching? 

63 “It is the Holy Breath, the Ruach HaQodesh, that gives Life. The husk of a teaching profits nothing: even as the physical body, without breath, is dead on its own. The words I release unto you, they are Ruach HaQodesh, and they are

Life.

64 “But there are some of you that don’t believe.” For Y’shua knew, from the beginning, who they were that didn’t believe, and who it was that would fail him. 

65 And Y’shua continued, “For this reason—because of this instruction—I said to you that no man can come unto me, except it is given to him to do so by my

Father.”

 

66 Not able to understand this teaching, many followers fell back and no longer walked with him. 

67 Then Y’shua addressed the twelve, asking, “Will you also go away?”

68 Then Shimon Kepa—knowing, by his estimation, that he had arisen from a desert of spiritual intoxication and that, in leaving it behind, he had become clearheaded enough to recognize that everyone understood that he knew little at all: this same Petros braved the silence and spoke for them all, saying, “Rebbe, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal Life. 

69 “We believe, and we are certain, that you are Malech HaMashiyach, the Projection of the Holy One.” 

70 Y’shua answered, “Have not I chosen you twelve, and one of you is a false accuser?”

71 He spoke of Yehudah, the son rb of

Shimon nwomc of K’riot twrkccy—of him whose ability to hear was hampered by the hunger for reward, causing him to give ear to the gossip of townsfolk: for, though he was one of the twelve, it was he that would fail him.