Open Your Eyes

Near Eastern people in Yeshua's (and later on) wrote in allegories, metaphors, and parables. Is this healing story real? In the minds of Near Eastern people, it does not matter. The lesson of the story is the key. The lesson is that everyone must open their eyes to reading the Torah and live by it. The LORD gave us the Torah to help us in our lives. Too many people view the Bible as a blockade and not as a gift from God. Open your eyes to the LORD's way.

What would the world look like if everyone followed the Laws of the LORD? One of Yeshua's tasks was to enlighten the people about the Torah. The people were following what the religious leaders were telling them. Quite a bit of the religious leaders' demands were not biblical. Yeshua fought against proclamations that were not biblical. The religious leaders also interpreted the Torah and Prophets in a way that best suited them, not worrying about what the LORD thought.

The Sage Hillel introduced a new way of studying the Torah, Prophets, and Writings about seventy years before Yeshua's birth. Until Hillel, a group of religious leaders interpreted the Scripture for the people. Hillel encouraged the people to read the writings for themselves. He also introduced the concept of asking questions about the Scripture. That was a radical idea in his day. However, this new way was embraced and is a part of Jewish biblical study today.

The church for centuries did the same thing to Yeshua's followers as the synagogue did before Hillel. The people were not allowed to own Bibles. The catholic pope determined what the interpretation of Scripture was and passed that down throughout the church's hierarchy. The local priests would then tell the people what the Bible was saying to them. They relied on Greek philosophy, which said that the teacher is the ultimate authority. As a student, one does not have the right to question the teacher. This philosophy exists today in schools and colleges. It is even worse today because of the liberalization of public education. A positive from the Covid-19 school closings is that parents have become aware of their children's indoctrination to radically liberal policies. A problem then and now is the circumventing of free thought. Today this Greek philosophical attitude of the teacher is the expert is in our public schools, colleges, and universities.

Our children's eyes must be opened to all possibilities. They should be taught all sides of issues and, more importantly, how to examine the doctrine of all sides and make their own decision. Free will is taken away when one's eyes are closed to the truth. In Yeshua's day, the religious leaders blinded the people to the truth of the LORD's word. Yeshua was trying to open their eyes to what the LORD wanted them to see in the Scripture. Yeshua and Hillel instructed people on how to read the Scripture and ask questions. The result is that a well-educated person can make clear decisions about what is right and wrong.

Liberal and conservative views must be taught in school and in the church to allow people to learn all the aspects of the LORD's word. If you are one of those who were told that the pastor and Sunday school teacher knows everything about the Bible, I pray that your eyes may be opened to learn what the LORD's word says. Ask questions and demand that all possible answers are presented to you! The LORD's word is deep in its layers of understanding.

The Torah is read through every year in the synagogue. The Sages tell us that there are at least seventy layers of understanding in the Torah. That is why it is constantly read from the LORD's creation to Moses' death every year. Each time it is read, one can move from one layer of interpretation and understanding to the next layer. Open your eyes and set yourself free.

May the LORD bless you in your learning and studying of His Word.